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My first projects

2K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  NormG 
#1 ·
My tools suck

Ok, most of my tools were free to me so as far as cost vs gain…. Thanks to the renter that left all his tools behind. The tools are worth the price I paid, maybe. He said he wanted to make furniture to sell but I've decided he was full of it.
I have a decent planer, 12 inch wide by 6 inch height, and an electric hand planer that he purchased as well as various power tools. Those are decent but this table saw… Chicago Electric, low grade, piece of junk. The fence is barely usable and everything is so poorly constructed that I have to check it every time I use it. Good practice anyway I guess.
I bought my own compound miter saw (doesn't slide) but it's a nice saw. I've had it a few years with no issues.

With that said, I cleared an area in my garage and made a quick table that brings the table saw to the height of my miter saw surface. I cut legs off a plastic book shelf to use as a feed table for either. I cut a 14 foot 2×4 down to 5 pieces… 1.5×3 @33.5 inches just to test my saws. These will eventually be pieces I need anyway. I was planning to do more but I quit early….
Time to buy goggles and masks and make some jigs and a fence for the table saw.
 
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#2 ·
Is your table saw one of those cheap plastic bench top ones? If so, I'm sure others will come along and tell you the same thing, but for the price of an upgraded fence, you could buy a used contractor table saw with decent fence depending on your area. Also, I'm not sure there are fence upgrades for that saw. The cheapest fence that gets recommended is a Delta T2/3, for about $200 to $230. Im not sure it would fit a bench top saw. I wouldn't invest in jigs, time or money in your current saw.
 
#6 ·
Making my tools usable

So I got a bit of time to do some woodworking today so I spent the first hour doing what all modern men do before diving in… I watched YouTube videos. Then I went down to my garage shop and I dove in.

First, I decided to fix my fence issue. I took it apart and looked at how it works… A rod through the middle of a hollow aluminum channel is supposed to tighten both ends but nothing makes it sit square so the fence just sucks. I mounted a piece of hardwood to the side so it's flat and moved on. I started cutting pieces to slide in the channels but quickly decided I need a better pushing device.

The picture is my final temporary assembly. After that I managed to sneak up on the correct width of hardwood using my planer. After I was happy with the width, I cut slices with the table saw and again smoothed them out with the planer. Now I have four blanks that slide well without play in the grooves. Next will be a crosscut sled.

Wood Building Floor Composite material Flooring
 

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#7 ·
Making my tools usable

So I got a bit of time to do some woodworking today so I spent the first hour doing what all modern men do before diving in… I watched YouTube videos. Then I went down to my garage shop and I dove in.

First, I decided to fix my fence issue. I took it apart and looked at how it works… A rod through the middle of a hollow aluminum channel is supposed to tighten both ends but nothing makes it sit square so the fence just sucks. I mounted a piece of hardwood to the side so it's flat and moved on. I started cutting pieces to slide in the channels but quickly decided I need a better pushing device.

The picture is my final temporary assembly. After that I managed to sneak up on the correct width of hardwood using my planer. After I was happy with the width, I cut slices with the table saw and again smoothed them out with the planer. Now I have four blanks that slide well without play in the grooves. Next will be a crosscut sled.

Wood Building Floor Composite material Flooring
Are you having trouble with the fence being square? Fences generally square themselves by having two parallel bars, one at each end of the fence, which keeps it square. When I say bars, it means something that acts as a bar. My Delta T-square fence has a hook at one end and a l-bar at the other. I imagine, that your fence should have something similar.
 

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