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Ruminations, Philosophy, and Workshop Antics..........

119K views 637 replies 80 participants last post by  jbertelson 
#1 ·
My antic plans for the weekend........

I am into "shop antics" this weekend, or at least I think thats what Mike Stefang from Norway would call it. One of Mike's comments gave me that part of the title for this series.

I decided I was not going to use my TS (nearly 20 year old Delta contractor's saw) any more until I fixed the on-off switch and position. You can't find it half the time, and to look, puts your face in front of the blade. Bad deal. So I have pretty well designed my new switch…......you really didn't think I would buy one, DID YOU…......

Had to make the cord from the switch to the power source longer in any case, and it needed a new plug. Put in a 12 gauge cord since I doubled the length of the old 14 gauge cord. I will have increase the segment from the switch to the motor a little bit tomorrow. Sometime in November, hope to rewire it for 220.

Anytime we mention wiring, safety has to be addressed. For those of you not conversant with wiring, consult an electrician, or a knowledgeable friend for help. There are a lot of ways to screw up, destroy your equipment, burn down your house, or endanger your loved ones. As I have noted before, I have been doing this for many decades, and have the background to understand what I am doing. And I always follow the code.
So please be careful.

But aside from putting in longer cords, my switch is only going to involve mechanics, no electricity…...so read on….......

So back to the switch. I looked at a lot of switches from retailers, and also mods from other users. I don't like hunting for the on switch, let alone the off switch. I wanted a switch I could hit with my thigh or hand without hardly looking, and turn on without searching. Nothing out there seemed right. I needed a push-pull action. That's a toggle effect. And this saw came with a toggle switch. So, why not figure out a way to use the original switch? You know, it might be a CHEAP solution…....

So I think I have it designed. In Sketchup no less…..needs a little work on the visuals.

So I am going to try it. Use the old switch. Throw down the gauntlet. Basically free.

I am going to make a first class switch for my Delta Contractor's Saw out of scrap…...........

Boy am I going to be red-faced if this fails…..................it will then become another one of my workshop antics…......(-:

More tomorrow…................................................
 
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#382 ·
.....fun in simple things.......drivin' steel.....feelin' like John Henry!

The big door on the minibench, to access the compressor, the next step. I am going to make it lift up, so that the weight of the door will keep it in place, along with a bullet catch.

So I had to make a place for the hinge, since this is an on-the-fly plan change.

Chisel, to make room for the hinge mount. Glue chip-out chisel first, the one I had sharpened. Had to finish with a small new chisel…..the old glue chipper is better…...the WorkSharp has some work to do.

Fit the hinge mount in. But it is not to the level of the door, because of where I had to place it.

I had to overlay it with a 0.25 inch x .75 inch x about 18 inches long piece of pine, to level it to the door.

Needed trimming down on the wide 3/4 inch side, more on one end than the other.


Sand it perhaps….....?

Titebond III glue on, put it in place, ohmygosh can't sand it there… and no shoulder plane…..)-:

So I picked up that piece, the backside laden with glue, stuck it in the old wood vise, ah hah!!!

....a challenge…....can I fix it, before the glue dries…........


To work…with the block plane, 18 inch target…out come pretty curls…....

.......no adjustment needed, in the groove….

Back and forth…....as fast as I could…dappled sunshine streaming through open doors…...wind whistling, ruffling my shirt, tousling my hair…

Plane some, out of the vise, put it in place, check the fit, back to the vise….plane some more…out of the vise….put it in place, check the fit…back to the vise….....plane some more….....

Well, no other way to make that piece fit….with the glue on…before the glue dried.

Yup I did it…..

...where was the crowd, cheering me on, I beat that machine with my hand plane….......(-:

So got it done before the glue dried and clamped it in place.

Of course…......I could have wiped off the glue….....but…....come on….......it was a challenge…....

.......fun in simple things…......

...the scene…the piece gone and done…ready for the door fit tomorrow.

......ain't there a few whisps of smoke in those shavin's?

 
#383 ·
look at the curl in those shavings…another great fix by the semi retired doc who is working on a second shop down in the lower 48…but now back in the great state …i should try and get a poem in here somewhere…there was doc jim working on a whim that something needed to be done, so he got out his plane and shaved away the pain and what do ya know but it worked…another project to be won from the doc of fun and more to come later he said…so he finished the day with a little wood olay and well call it good for the night…....well i just had to put something in here…lol…. and i just realized that the plane is stainless , just like the tools you use in the operating room…now is that something or what…
 
#410 ·
The Secret Lumberjocks Auxillary Guild....or...an ASSEMBLY MISADVENTURE

APOLOGY……..

OK, for you of the politically correct persuasion, I believe either sex can be in the Auxiliary in LJ's, how could it be otherwise? That is the last homage to 'politically correct' you will get in this blog……….so savor it…....

………..this is the last smiley because, this whole thing is a smiley………(-:

So…I know, an apology is due here, because this is not strictly woodworking. But I used my new little vacation home minishop here in La Conner WA. It will soon gain real woodworking abilities…although limited, on purpose. It was a test run of sorts. Had to keep it simple. Get to know my current tools…flex my Lumberjock muscles…..a prelude to assembling woodworking mega tools for the minishop.

PREAMBLE…..

So, we go shopping for food and stuff…lot of stuff and way too much shopping for me, typical of a new house scenario…

It's a new house.

La Conner House from the back……….

Plant Sky Window Building House


Where's the grill?

….…it is part of my persona…bet a lot of you LJ's identify with that…….

Now, let's face it, grilling and barbecuing is left to the guys…….as the girls feign insult over being displaced in their normal roles as cooks and providers of all daily needs in the homestead.

Of course…in the shadows, beneath the trees, they are clustered…….

…..drinking sherry, savoring bon bon's…….

……enjoying our mishaps with giggles and pointing fingers, as we strut, emote in testosterone laden grunts and postures, and ebonize fine cuts of meats and strange vegetables…reducing them to elemental carbon……

Look closely through the gloom and the haze…….there we are, wincing in the smoke laden atmosphere, lords of the fire pit…tattoos, cut offs, sledges, uproars, grimaces, laughs and gestures, smeared faces, discarding empty cans and bottles, throwing partially gnawed bones to the growling, fussing, and begging entourage of dogs………………

The gals are happy to see us stone age brutes, hunkered around the barbecue, probably a BUDWEISER MOMENT…be it wood fired, gas, or electric………

Well, it's their true PRINCESS MOMENT, while we tyros try to look accomplished in a realm of homespun duties, that they long ago mastered on their road to be Heads of the Household.

"What!", you say, "wait a minute, who is the Head of the Household?"

Only for works of fiction and delusional minds does any claim to Head of Household truly exist for Archie. Accept your fate, we guys are the inferior sex. We live in a matriarchal society, all other arguments to the contrary. The secret is out. More evidence shall be forthcoming.

SCENE 1…….

"Hey", I says," we gonna get a grill this trip?"

Who is she to complain?
Of course, then I cook the meat, occasionally cremate a few veggies…….what's to lose?

So Sherie and I are grocery shopping and looking for stuff. Looked at the BORG, Lowe's, Ace, and Sears the last trip. I was thinking another Weber….rhymes with Budweiser…but said hmmm, as we looked at grills wandering through the multi-mart……known as Fred Meyer in this region….

"This infrared technology looks interesting."

Understand that I am a CLOSET GEEK, former physics major, Ham radio operator, build and repair computers, hobbyist programmer……..I know and am on speaking terms with the electromagnetic spectrum. Did you know your true love emits infrared………..

……..well, that is a little too familiar.

"……this s-- is cool Mom", I says.

Understand, Sherie, in reference to my closet Geekhood comment always says……"you came out of the closet decades ago". So she is unimpressed.

SCENE 2…………

As all GEEKS and for that matter, all LJ's do……..I looked up the reviews on the NET…………

Fortunately, in this realm, Sherie abdicates her Princesshood.
"No", she says, "I don't want to be the queen………, I want to be the Princess!"

Think about that….guys. I am a very experienced and capable footman.

So I got permission to choose the grill.

Char Broil Quantum Two Burner Infrared

Output device Home appliance Rectangle Gas Machine


PRO:
Lots of good stuff for the small form factor Char Broil Quantum…….other people, including me, liked the fact that it didn't dominate the landscape, cooked great……no problems. Just right for up to 4 people, pretty realistic for this place.

CON:
Reading the reviews, one gal said it took her over 3 hours to put together, that was her main complaint. I chuckled.

Yup…well meet Alaska Jim the Lumberjock…….no sweat.

Not much else creditable in the complaints section.

So go to buy it. We have this car, rented……now why didn't we rent the usual SUV or van? This is the first trip in 15 years we rented a car. So we had to pull the box apart, couldn't even access the 'free assembly' offer.

Not a problem. Lumberjock.

The helper from Fred Meyer says, "heard a lot of good comments about this grill."

I'm struttin'.

SCENE 3……..

OK, got it home, we decided to have barbecued pork chops for dinner.

Out comes Bosch, got two drivers and a drill…this is big time LJ stuff…the sparks are gonna fly!

Let's get this sucker put together……….NOW!

Cut open the packages. Get it organized. Hmmmmm………yup this thing has a lot of parts.

Put on my LJ T-shirt, and….I go into my focused LJ realtime assembly megacontrol constructo attitude.

Yup, well, mucho parts. Lotta instructions. Little parts for these big fingers. Sweat pours. Light not too good. This is not the home shop. Kinda stiff. Getting hungry.

What was it that gal said about 3 hours?

OK, an excuse. The sheet metal was bent from shipping in a few places, and things weren't lining up and had to take it partially apart. This meant Sherie had to come help once again, they even said it would take two people at that step and it did.

With Sherie watching on, I bang on it with my trusty, already getting worn new rubber mallet, and finally, a glint in my eye, it lined up………

But then I couldn't find one of the screws. So looked and looked, getting pissed here, sweep the floor with a flashlight, lie down on the floor, look under the car……

………and then sweet, feminine, Princess Sherie, saunters over to the tool bench, counts 5 remaining screws of that length, and sagely notes……..why would there be an odd number of screws left?

………and then I remembered I hadn't gotten to the fourth screw, because the third screw wasn't fitting.
So I picked up the fifth screw, put it in, and now there were four……..

Wood Rectangle Gas Metal Tin


But, that isn't the real issue……..

the real issue is whence comes such insight, impeccable shop logic, and general smartass attitude in the Princess. Something isn't right here.

Let's face it guys, at this point I have a right to be suspicious, certainly a conspiracy is a strong probability, in fact I think a conspiracy is a certainty.

There has got to be a first class endeavor out there to make the spouses more savvy about the shop…you know, so they can censor purchase plans, and clear out the smoke screen that hides our furtive efforts to smuggle in new shop mega machines. Only LJ's could pull this off…there has to be a secret Lumberjock's Auxiliary Guild...

…and so that is how I found it.

Sherie denies she knows of such a thing…………. she denies she is a member……. But then she smiles, and even smirks when I quiz her. Explains a lot.

SCENE 4….

Well, old Lumbering Lumberjock is now into his 3rd hour.

What did that gal say about a lot of parts, and….JUST three hours?

I think she was not forthcoming, this is gonna take longer than 3 hours. She is probably a member of the LJ Auxiliary Guild as well.

Sherie when noting that I was not going to get it done in time for cooking dinner………

........how could she know that, unless she was in the AUXILARY?.....
dragged me down to the microbrew, where we ate nachos, and fish tacos, and imbibed a brew or two.

So the next morning, this is what greets me, still a lot of parts to go………

Table Hand tool Desk Wood Toy


After trying to place an un-scrutinized malformed bolt into a nut, inevitably in the most difficult place in the whole project…………

……..and then having to get it out with AUXILIARY help because it not only wouldn't tighten, it also wouldn't loosen……..

I replaced it with one of my providently purchased collection of bolts and nuts from Ace.

Finally got that grill done, and moved it out to one of the decks.

Total time expended…….at least 4.5 hours.

The grill, on one of the decks…….ready to go………

Property Building Wood Tree Line


RECAP……

Last evening I used the grill and it did a better job on pork chops than the home grill. So at least my Geek persona didn't malfunction.

But who would have thunk it, a Secret Lumberjock's Auxiliary Guild...

……what's this world coming to?
 

Attachments

#411 ·
The Secret Lumberjocks Auxillary Guild....or...an ASSEMBLY MISADVENTURE

APOLOGY……..

OK, for you of the politically correct persuasion, I believe either sex can be in the Auxiliary in LJ's, how could it be otherwise? That is the last homage to 'politically correct' you will get in this blog……….so savor it…....

………..this is the last smiley because, this whole thing is a smiley………(-:

So…I know, an apology is due here, because this is not strictly woodworking. But I used my new little vacation home minishop here in La Conner WA. It will soon gain real woodworking abilities…although limited, on purpose. It was a test run of sorts. Had to keep it simple. Get to know my current tools…flex my Lumberjock muscles…..a prelude to assembling woodworking mega tools for the minishop.

PREAMBLE…..

So, we go shopping for food and stuff…lot of stuff and way too much shopping for me, typical of a new house scenario…

It's a new house.

La Conner House from the back……….

Plant Sky Window Building House


Where's the grill?

….…it is part of my persona…bet a lot of you LJ's identify with that…….

Now, let's face it, grilling and barbecuing is left to the guys…….as the girls feign insult over being displaced in their normal roles as cooks and providers of all daily needs in the homestead.

Of course…in the shadows, beneath the trees, they are clustered…….

…..drinking sherry, savoring bon bon's…….

……enjoying our mishaps with giggles and pointing fingers, as we strut, emote in testosterone laden grunts and postures, and ebonize fine cuts of meats and strange vegetables…reducing them to elemental carbon……

Look closely through the gloom and the haze…….there we are, wincing in the smoke laden atmosphere, lords of the fire pit…tattoos, cut offs, sledges, uproars, grimaces, laughs and gestures, smeared faces, discarding empty cans and bottles, throwing partially gnawed bones to the growling, fussing, and begging entourage of dogs………………

The gals are happy to see us stone age brutes, hunkered around the barbecue, probably a BUDWEISER MOMENT…be it wood fired, gas, or electric………

Well, it's their true PRINCESS MOMENT, while we tyros try to look accomplished in a realm of homespun duties, that they long ago mastered on their road to be Heads of the Household.

"What!", you say, "wait a minute, who is the Head of the Household?"

Only for works of fiction and delusional minds does any claim to Head of Household truly exist for Archie. Accept your fate, we guys are the inferior sex. We live in a matriarchal society, all other arguments to the contrary. The secret is out. More evidence shall be forthcoming.

SCENE 1…….

"Hey", I says," we gonna get a grill this trip?"

Who is she to complain?
Of course, then I cook the meat, occasionally cremate a few veggies…….what's to lose?

So Sherie and I are grocery shopping and looking for stuff. Looked at the BORG, Lowe's, Ace, and Sears the last trip. I was thinking another Weber….rhymes with Budweiser…but said hmmm, as we looked at grills wandering through the multi-mart……known as Fred Meyer in this region….

"This infrared technology looks interesting."

Understand that I am a CLOSET GEEK, former physics major, Ham radio operator, build and repair computers, hobbyist programmer……..I know and am on speaking terms with the electromagnetic spectrum. Did you know your true love emits infrared………..

……..well, that is a little too familiar.

"……this s-- is cool Mom", I says.

Understand, Sherie, in reference to my closet Geekhood comment always says……"you came out of the closet decades ago". So she is unimpressed.

SCENE 2…………

As all GEEKS and for that matter, all LJ's do……..I looked up the reviews on the NET…………

Fortunately, in this realm, Sherie abdicates her Princesshood.
"No", she says, "I don't want to be the queen………, I want to be the Princess!"

Think about that….guys. I am a very experienced and capable footman.

So I got permission to choose the grill.

Char Broil Quantum Two Burner Infrared

Output device Home appliance Rectangle Gas Machine


PRO:
Lots of good stuff for the small form factor Char Broil Quantum…….other people, including me, liked the fact that it didn't dominate the landscape, cooked great……no problems. Just right for up to 4 people, pretty realistic for this place.

CON:
Reading the reviews, one gal said it took her over 3 hours to put together, that was her main complaint. I chuckled.

Yup…well meet Alaska Jim the Lumberjock…….no sweat.

Not much else creditable in the complaints section.

So go to buy it. We have this car, rented……now why didn't we rent the usual SUV or van? This is the first trip in 15 years we rented a car. So we had to pull the box apart, couldn't even access the 'free assembly' offer.

Not a problem. Lumberjock.

The helper from Fred Meyer says, "heard a lot of good comments about this grill."

I'm struttin'.

SCENE 3……..

OK, got it home, we decided to have barbecued pork chops for dinner.

Out comes Bosch, got two drivers and a drill…this is big time LJ stuff…the sparks are gonna fly!

Let's get this sucker put together……….NOW!

Cut open the packages. Get it organized. Hmmmmm………yup this thing has a lot of parts.

Put on my LJ T-shirt, and….I go into my focused LJ realtime assembly megacontrol constructo attitude.

Yup, well, mucho parts. Lotta instructions. Little parts for these big fingers. Sweat pours. Light not too good. This is not the home shop. Kinda stiff. Getting hungry.

What was it that gal said about 3 hours?

OK, an excuse. The sheet metal was bent from shipping in a few places, and things weren't lining up and had to take it partially apart. This meant Sherie had to come help once again, they even said it would take two people at that step and it did.

With Sherie watching on, I bang on it with my trusty, already getting worn new rubber mallet, and finally, a glint in my eye, it lined up………

But then I couldn't find one of the screws. So looked and looked, getting pissed here, sweep the floor with a flashlight, lie down on the floor, look under the car……

………and then sweet, feminine, Princess Sherie, saunters over to the tool bench, counts 5 remaining screws of that length, and sagely notes……..why would there be an odd number of screws left?

………and then I remembered I hadn't gotten to the fourth screw, because the third screw wasn't fitting.
So I picked up the fifth screw, put it in, and now there were four……..

Wood Rectangle Gas Metal Tin


But, that isn't the real issue……..

the real issue is whence comes such insight, impeccable shop logic, and general smartass attitude in the Princess. Something isn't right here.

Let's face it guys, at this point I have a right to be suspicious, certainly a conspiracy is a strong probability, in fact I think a conspiracy is a certainty.

There has got to be a first class endeavor out there to make the spouses more savvy about the shop…you know, so they can censor purchase plans, and clear out the smoke screen that hides our furtive efforts to smuggle in new shop mega machines. Only LJ's could pull this off…there has to be a secret Lumberjock's Auxiliary Guild...

…and so that is how I found it.

Sherie denies she knows of such a thing…………. she denies she is a member……. But then she smiles, and even smirks when I quiz her. Explains a lot.

SCENE 4….

Well, old Lumbering Lumberjock is now into his 3rd hour.

What did that gal say about a lot of parts, and….JUST three hours?

I think she was not forthcoming, this is gonna take longer than 3 hours. She is probably a member of the LJ Auxiliary Guild as well.

Sherie when noting that I was not going to get it done in time for cooking dinner………

........how could she know that, unless she was in the AUXILARY?.....
dragged me down to the microbrew, where we ate nachos, and fish tacos, and imbibed a brew or two.

So the next morning, this is what greets me, still a lot of parts to go………

Table Hand tool Desk Wood Toy


After trying to place an un-scrutinized malformed bolt into a nut, inevitably in the most difficult place in the whole project…………

……..and then having to get it out with AUXILIARY help because it not only wouldn't tighten, it also wouldn't loosen……..

I replaced it with one of my providently purchased collection of bolts and nuts from Ace.

Finally got that grill done, and moved it out to one of the decks.

Total time expended…….at least 4.5 hours.

The grill, on one of the decks…….ready to go………

Property Building Wood Tree Line


RECAP……

Last evening I used the grill and it did a better job on pork chops than the home grill. So at least my Geek persona didn't malfunction.

But who would have thunk it, a Secret Lumberjock's Auxiliary Guild...

……what's this world coming to?
Well done Jim. I don't think my wife has heard about the guild yet…

I was looking at this very grill this afternoon…love the geek factor, but not sure I could give up the taste of flame kissed meat….
 

Attachments

#458 ·
Preview…Minibench Makes Minibench…is this Self Propagation?

…Progress on the TarBall Quartet

INTRODUCTION

The TarBall is a quartet of interconnected projects, one leading to the other. I will review this, since the Minibench only makes sense in context.

The four items:

1. Super Sled
2. Project Table top (with slots for hold downs, pedestals on the other side, it is reversible)
3. Minibench Base (a more robust base for the heavy Project Table top)
4. Robust dust collection and outfeed table for my TS.

The first 3 are basically done except for a couple details, and are in use now.

HOW IT HAPPENED

1. It started with my Super Sled, which is in heavy use, but still lacks a guard. It has miter arms done, and all works well:



In the process of making the miter arms, I decided I needed a better way to hold things while I routed them, so…
2. I made a reversible project top out of two thicknesses of ½" MDF, a complex project. While making the project top, I figured out how to do the miter arms on the router table from a magazine article. So here is the completed project table top, originally configured to fit on my very old and not so robust project tables. It is reversible with rout through and cut through pedestals on the optional side:

Normal side with demonstration:



Pedestal side with demonstration:



3. I quickly decided this was a very valuable item and really needed a much more robust base, the minibench.
4. …but before that, I thought I should complete my TS dust collection project. Well, getting into that about half way, I decided I was much too inefficient, so I needed some nail guns. Got those, and then decided to put them in the base for the project table top. I now started calling this a minibench.

I then halted the TS dust collection and started the minibench base, which is now almost finished except for the cord keeps.

So now to the real purpose of this blog:

MINIBENCH PREVIEW
This blog is a preview of the Minibench. It will be presented as a project soon, when everything is absolutely done and the compressor and guns are in place.

Design
All elements of the bench were designed in Sketchup and followed quite faithfully.

Purpose
1. Hold the project top, with its numerous slots for t-bolts to attach jigs, and its reversible pedestal side for through cutting and routing.
2. Hold the compressor, 3 guns and a blower all attached at the same time, and the nails.
3. Electrical connections for various hand tools and the compressor.
4. Operations such as planing, sanding, routing, glueups, etc. This required it to be mobile, stable, and sturdy.

The nearly complete bench from the front, without contents:



The nearly complete bench from the back, without contents:



Building the Minibench

Materials - This bench is built out of cheap plywood and stud lumber. Never again. But it is done.

Construction - Glued, with Titebond III, and I mean everything that could be glued was, and nails. I started out using the top in an old project table rickety base, and as soon as I could, started using the minibench, to build the minibench…(-:

Finish - WATCO, medium walnut because it blended in the filler and blemishes better than clear or dark walnut.

Features Added During Construction

Along the way, I decided the top could be used for a downdraft table, especially if something covered part of the holes. So I incorporated that.

General Description
There is a open box like structure on the top to house the reversible top. The top has its movement controlled by wooden studs. There will also be leveling screws that selectively engage depending on which side is up.

Leveling and Moving - There are 4 leveling bolts one on each leg. There are two wheels on the front side and two on the right side. By lifting the bench from the back, or the left, you engage one of the sets of wheels so that you can move it. I estimate it will be well over 300 pounds with everything in it. It is extremely heavy without anything in it!

Engineering - I built it to be strong, rigid, and heavy. It has way more wood in it than required just for strength. The piers at each end are a lattice of 2×4's, including the legs that extend up to the bottom of the box. The lattice is sandwiched between pieces of ¾" plywood. Everything is glued and nailed. The piers are probably much stronger and more rigid than a piece of solid hardwood of the same size. The bottom and top are also overbuilt but not to the extent of the ends.

Compressor Compartment - The compressor has a compartment in the base, nearly sealed for noise control. There is an external switch for the compressor. There are two receptacles in the box connected to the switch. One may be used for a light. There is a round air entrance in the bottom, under the compressor, for sound control. There is a sound shielded slot for the hoses at the top over the shelves.

Storage and Stowing -Four shelves for the hooked up nail guns, blower, and four connected hoses, and there should be room for the nail packs.

Electrical -The table is electrified with 4 receptacles on each end. The wires run internally out of sight in the top frame of 2×4's, and through the hose port to the compressor compartment. The cord that connects the bench to a source is very heavy duty 14 gauge, self-supporting, meaning it can be used for over head connections.

Access - There is a big access door in front for the compressor, and a small door in back to access the tank bleed. These doors use friction bullet catches. You open them by pulling on the edge, no knob required.

Dust Collection - There is a removable manifold, meaning removable without tools by sliding it off of its bolts, to convert the 4 inch round section of DC hose to a rectangle of the same area, so as not to compromise the strength of the box, and to maximize air flow.

…Now for the Fun, Building and Using the Minibench

Here I have the beginnings of the bench setting on one of my old rickety project tables, that has the completed MDF top on it. The plywood was warped, the studs were warped, and I did not joint anything. I just adjusted as I went along. Here you see me planing a leg.



Here I am planing the 1/8" pine trim I used to edge plywood. I tried the No. 4 Veritas, but quickly reverted to the Veritas block plane for better control. The No. 4 caused some tear out in the veneer since it couldn't be controlled to the same extent as the block plane. Notice I am planing on the minibench at this stage.



Here I am gluing and nailing on some trim, using the minibench and some fixtures. Have a bunch of these things already made. The bench is great for glueups, nailing, etc.



I am sanding one of the shelves, note the DC manifold in place using the minibench as a downdraft table.



Working on the manifold, glueup and nailing.



Here is a detail of the manifold. The piece of wood you see the blast gate extruding through holds with very strong spring action. I think this is a novel approach, I blogged on it in the past, and now use it routinely. If anyone wants to know how this is done, let me know. It is an extremely easy way to interface wood objects and dust control stuff.



Doing neurosurgery on the minibench, notice the blood on the floor (kinda looks like sawdust) and the instrument table at the right.



Now attaching nerves to the brain………….(-:



Notice the knock down project elevator that the bench is sitting on, to bring it up to working height for the electrical. I have to do a few refinements to the project elevator, and then will present it as a blog or project. Very useful and flexible. Built a lot of helpers along the way here.

Well, that's all folks, until I get home, put the cord keepers on, and put in the compressor, etc. Then I will post it as a project. If you wonder about the surgical references, let me tell you, this project took on a life of its own. It definitely has a persona. When it is complete, I'll have nbeener help me name it, because he won't read it unless it has a name………(-:

Considering "Medusa" as a name…..........(-:

Whew!

I will probably blog in more detail about some of the features, as well as post it as a project. This is one shop object that deserves a place as a project.

Thanks for stopping by………

Alaska Jim
 
#491 ·
The Unproject...Destruction with a Purpose...Shop Space............

Well, this is an UnProject, so I really couldn't call it a project now, could I????

But it is important, because it's about MY SPACE. The Freezer, you know the d…. freezer is about to leave MY SPACE. Sherie has been diligently shredding documents from centuries ago, that took up space, much better suited…to the Freezer.

It's a new freezer. The last one, a Gibson small chest freezer, bought in 1983, lasted until last year…27 years. Back in those days, Gibson built great freezers. The seals died. Not the compressor. We decided on an upright. Had Lowe's do that, selected it on line, went to the store, and the next day, it was done, the old freezer gone…Good Show…Lowe's. We would do that again for sure. Simplest and neatest appliance purchase ever. And We Got It On Sale!!!

OK,OK,OK…..carrying on here…..

So, Here I am in Mass Destruction Mode, taking down some shelves that were here when we moved here, in 1985.

.....in progress, starting…....



Now before we entered upon this horrific endeavor, of course, we had…

Senate hearings, and Environmental Protection Agency Impact Studies. With input from the public as required.

...meaning Sherie said, "Get with the Program".....and aren't you gonna start repainting the garage walls as you do this?"

.....right….

The Weapons of Mass Destruction…



Now, I bet these are all familiar to those of you in the do-it-yourself mode of umpteen year.

From the left…

1) Small wrecking bar, about 22 Caliber, ...would you believe, Roberts - Made in West Germany, with some stuff about the cast molding I can't read. How old is that?

2) Standard Stanley Crow Bar, must be 45 Caliber, I think that is the brand, the label wore off decades ago.

3) Pry Bar. Found it in the shed by the house in Fairbanks in 1975….38 Caliber. It's so old it might have fired musket balls. But it is stamped "Stanley - Alloy 1460"

4) Sledge Hammer - Craftsman. Full auto, and dominating, 50 Caliber. I think this is my third sledge hammer in my life, and I suspect it will be my last. Beautiful construction. First Class.

5) Hammer. Sob. Sob. It has been with me I suspect for 30 years at least. But the claw was no longer sharp. So I went and got another hammer on the rack, a Stanley Workmaster, and it took out those nails with a vengenance. Caliber 30-06.

6) Standard very old ViseGrip with heavily embossed jaws, made of first class steel. Caliber - Pellet Gun. Or maybe Fox Terrier. You somehow get the head of a nail exposed, and clamp that Terrier on it and lever up the ViseGrip with the 22 Caliber wrecking bar, and then you are in business….

OK, enuf of the WMD, we got her done…..........



The Freezer will fit right there!!!

The pile of wood, totally stripped of nails for saving or disposal…...



........and her is the goll dang freezer that is gonna be moved…........



Now that was a satisfying UnProject.

Got to use the WMD, and I am gonna get that freezer out of my shop.

Might be able to use some of the wood for shelves elsewhere, we'll see.

James Bertelson reporting in the LumberJock war zone, that's all for now, folks….........(-:

...Oh and for reference, any of you guys got bigger or better weapons?...........
 
#546 ·
Sawdust is a big part of our lives...or... What goes around, comes around.

Dropped this into one of Roger's posts http://lumberjocks.com/Kentuk55/blog/27657 this afternoon, but thought it merited a blog post…........

OK, so the furnace goes out this morning, probably about 0200hrs, and I wake up at 0400hrs and notice it is a little cold…...check the electronic thermostat, yup there is a problem. Ain't electronics wonderful?

Go down to the shop… the furnace is a squatter there... and take the top off of the furnace.

Lot's of lights flashing. Very pretty.

Recycle the furnace, meaning flipping the breaker off for 45 seconds. No dice.

The flashing lights read…...

...--... SOS….....

.....naw, not really, I check the reference on the underside of furnace cover….."No ignition after 3 tries".

This furnace has been worked on recently, so the ignitor must be the problem.

Please note, it is 8 degrees below zero in balmy Anchorage…....

So, even though they have no room in their schedule for today, we leave a message for our favorite local plumbing and heating place…....only real journeyman plumbers work there.......more expensive….but great service. And I tell the gal to note it is probably just the ignitor….......

......fire up two gas fireplaces, run the monster gas oven at 500 degrees…..it vents into the kitchen, don't run the hood….......and turn on every light in the place, and all three computers in my office…......you can get a sunburn from those three big monitors running…....the house starts warming up.

I run off to do some surgery, and Sherie pages me as I get done. Give her a call….....

OK, LJ's hear this…

She tells me that the plumber comes walking in the door, box in hand with new ignitor…....he believed me. Pulled out the old burned out one, left it on one of the project tables so I understood the problem, and walks out the door 10 minutes later, between all the other scheduled jobs.
.
.

.......he notes….....they burn out because sawdust settles on the ignitor, so you ought to buy a few to keep around in case you keep doing this hobby…......IN CASE I KEEP DOING THIS HOBBY?!!
.
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And he leaves the instructions for how to put one in!
.
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Yup, this weekend gonna go down and buy a few ignitors.
.
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Bet he was the same plumber I gave the shop tour to a few months ago when he was working on the furnace, and he thanked me afterwards for sharing the shop stuff.
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What goes around, comes around. There are some great professional workman in this country.

I think I just got an example of what this country is all about…......
.
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...........................but it was just a tiny little bit of sawdust….....wasn't it?..............
.
.

Alaska Jim
 
#547 ·
You know, I went to bed last night running the air conditioner, a cold front moved through and dropped the overnight lows into the 30s… Now not as cold as you, but I can see where you are coming from…
 
#562 ·
Woodworking Vise - Upside Down Mount, Shrouded Mechanics - What's with that?

PREFACE
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I just had to have a woodworking vise on my multipurpose bench.
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So, if you want to see how a lot of work, some off the wall design, and worrying about the details solved a tough problem, read on. And as usual, we will have a little fun along the way……
.
I have another ancient one on my 40 year old work bench, so what's the need? The old bench is no longer the focus of my woodworking, and in fact in recent years my flimsy folding project tables shouldered the lion's share of my efforts…until my multipurpose bench came along. It replaced one of the project tables. The multipurpose bench is rigid, nearly immovable, and very efficient to use. It excels at clamping, sanding, assembly, nailing, planing……you get the drift.
.

If there is any trouble understanding the situation, it might be useful to review my postings about this bench prior to the vise installation….
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See my project (http://lumberjocks.com/projects/51199)
Associated blog with more detail (http://lumberjocks.com/jbertelson/blog/24418)
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It is a complex beast.
…and it made installing the vise a……bear…

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It is also a minor review of Victor, my 7 ¼" York Vise, sold by Lee Valley.
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(http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=54873&cat=1,41659,41661&ap=1). Cost about $100.
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THE SCENE
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Understand, my tools have names, both because they are friends, and it is easier to refer to them as I write about them. I know, not very professional, but it's part of life in my shop.
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First of all, here is my multipurpose bench, Maggie, prior to Victor invading the scene:
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After Victor has muscled his way in………
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Topless…pretty risqué, Maggie.
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Victor has been putting on the squeeze for a few months now and he is effective. No complaints, I wouldn't risk it with that Victor fellow.
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THE PROBLEM
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What made this so difficult?
.

1) The top of the bench is reversible, so the vise could not be attached to the top.
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2) The vise had to fit between the pedestals of the route through side of the top, and under the top, and yet be flush with the top. Therefore, the size of the vise was limited. Both the size and the general profile of the York 7 ¼" vise made it a good choice, and perhaps one of the few choices.
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3) The top also functions as a downdraft table, so sawdust would be flowing around the vise. Hence the vise mechanism had to be covered (shrouded).
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4) This vise, like most vises is designed to have screws going up into the top, so the top of the vise is flat for a mounting surface, but the bottom is quite irregular. And mounting the vise upside down was not workable due to the top/bottom asymmetry and design of most vises and the quick release mechanism.
.

THE VISE, AND THE REVIEW
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So first, here is Victor the vise, prior to installation. This is a special presentation for Mads. You all know Mafe here on LJ's. He has made his affection for Vicky, my NX60 Veritas block plane, quite apparent, but has made no further advances. So Vicky the block plane asked if she could pose with Victor the vise, to display her sexy profile, and accentuate Victor's masculine lines. And I acquiesced. That Vicky is a real flirt. And she loves to play with Victor.
.

There she is, with hardly anything on, how scandalous! Mads obviously has good taste in women, but for this gal, he better have carbide taste buds…(-:
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To review, Victor is the vise, Vicky is the plane, and Maggie is the bench…got that?
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Now, I really like Victor. The handle and knobs were an optional additional purchase. Very nicely made. Victor is made in the Czech republic, and is generally well finished and works smoothly. I made the jaws out of maple, two ¾" pieces laminated together, and put the 2 degree bevel on the outside jaw they recommended. Works well.
I have one beef, they forgot to clean up the rust on Victor's shoes……..er……well the end plate that holds the center screw and two rods. It was plain black iron, with some rust on it! Now, granted, it should never be seen, but rust on metal always gives me the ebejeebies, so I took it off, cleaned it up and spray painted it green. So Victor get's 4.5 stars, seem reasonable?
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MATING THE VISE AND THE BENCH
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So a couple of modifications in Maggie's figure were made to shoe horn Victor into Maggie. Victor is soooo… big.
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1) I had to cut a notch to fit the vise on each end of the top, because it overlaps the table. Both ends because the top reverses end for end when you flip it. If you look at the first two pictures you will see before and after the notch was cut in the top to accommodate the vise.
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2) A hole was made in the basin end for the vise. Here you see DeDuster rigged to get the sawdust as the Bosch Multifunction cuts out the hole. The multifunction tool made a better cut than my jig saw.
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.

But that was the easy part…
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Remember, I have to attach the vise to the basin, not the top.
.

Well I enlisted the help of that scallywag Sketchup here, you know, that slimy lawyer that will do most anything
.

Did you know he could make a 3D diagram of what you want, and in this case it was a complex profiled piece of wood to fit the bottom of Victor…
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..it is the bluish semitransparent object here in this cutaway of the installation…..
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…and then section it with another object………(leaving out the details)…..
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and then make a 2D full scale view of the cross sections and print them out,
attach them to a piece of wood, and cut it out with a band saw? That Sketchup guy, anything for a buck…………

.


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Then you glue them together…..notice Maggie in action here helping with the clamping………
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At this point you have a base of laminated maple, shaped to fit that complex bottom of the vice, and you can run big long 6" lag screws through the whole thing and 2 inches into the underlying solid pier of Maggie….Maggie is built like a brick…..oh you know.
.

That vise is not going anywhere, anyway!
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In the above picture you can see the four lag screws and the base, all installed in the multifunction bench.
But then I had to build a shroud to protect it from the dust, since it lies in the collection space for the downdraft function of the bench.
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Here you see the removable shroud set in place, ready to screw in.
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CONCLUSION
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So that is the story of how Victor and Maggie got together. Vicky, the block plane is still available Mads, but you should make your move soon!
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Watching Victor get a hold on things with Vicky on top making curls and just smoking……….
(no impure thoughts here, LJ's…)
…as she brings a piece of wood down to size……..
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You got competition Mads!

Oh well, 'tis done……….
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tah, dah
.

.

THE END
 
#610 ·
Function, only Function

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Function, only Function…..another episode of….Sherie and Bubba Jim. Pounding sense into your man, one nail at a time.
.
.


Now you are thinking that picture is a gag. Sheer fantasy…."How silly could anyone be?", you say.

Well, believe it or not, that comical looking construct (using the term loosely) has been working for over a year. OVER A YEAR, MIND YOU.

This is actually the working internet connectivity cabinet, up until today. Yup, something to be proud of.

No, that is not a pizza box, what do you take me for? That is the box for a pizza STONE…... pizza not included. No, not a stoned pizza.

So the next thing that rolls from your tongue, oiled with the arrogance of a true woodworker…...
.....on a woodworking forum no less…or perhaps greased by a french fry or two as you watch all too serious adults brutalize each other over a misshapen ball of pigskin (talk about being silly), whilst multitasking with your iPad during the commercials….....

"What's this bawdy piece of junk got to do with woodworking? Don't you have respect for the forum rules?", as you glance to see if the commercial is done.

But, I retort, "Everything there is a wood product, probably much of it made from recycled stuff!" (I know what you are thinking, let's not go there, recycled toilet paper….really?")

A little explanation, perhaps…..........

This is our vacation house, thousands of miles from home…...
...a place we bought about 2 years ago, and there was no shop, no tools, no junk box, no cutoffs here. You ever moved into a place, bringing nothing with you except a couple of suitcases of clothes? Just starting from scratch?

That's what happened here. There was nothing but my voice echoing from the walls of empty rooms, and the fearsome posturing of the current inhabitants, a large colony of spiders, who valiantly fought, and they succeeded, to maintain their claim of possession.

I have since named this home the Spider House in honor of their heroism and tenacity…..they live here, we just visit from time to time.

So with the materials at hand, my trusty portable computer and Sketchup, I go to work, and carefully design this intricate…...and might I say, very functional…...electronics cabinet.

Truly original and, well, talk about using reclaimed materials! And this was no 10 minute project. This was a two minute project!

First of all, note the construction materials, partially prefabricated…...

The cylindrical columns are…hmmm…circular torsion boxes with concentric internal bracing in a continuous sheet, perforated for expansion and contraction at regular intervals, which also allows some customization as to diameter of the column.

I was a little distressed in having one of the columns last year's model, but that's what was available. The shelves, particularly light weight structures, were intended to be more normal torsion boxes, but I never got around to installing the internal bracing. Got distracted by more immediate problems, and oh well, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Right?

OK, OK, OK….."What's this all about?", you say, "are you really bragging about this abomination snatched from the jaws of the nearest dumpster?"

At this point, I get rescued…..
... once again, by my lovely bride Sherie, who starts eyeing this truly ingenious edifice…and smartly observes….."the toilet paper in that thing is going to fall apart from dry rot soon….....and if you made a real cabinet (and since we are running low on toilet paper) it would avoid a shopping trip!"

Now we are talking real money.

So, I get's the point, finally…...and besides, now you will learn why we vacation here.

I get to once again, make a 30 mile trip to the Corporate Headquarters of Grizzly in Bellingham, WA, to buy some inexpensive and useless piece of gear for the project, while stroking the gleaming big green machines….dreaming I might own another one someday. They have a zillion wood and metal working machines on display. And lurking in their warehouse, are most of the items in their vast catalog of stuff, including thousands of things not bearing the Grizzly brand name.

The average LJ could spend his whole family inheritance here in just about 15 minutes. I hope to demonstrate that someday, in a suicidal act of indulgence. Suicidal, because remember, the big hammer in this family, is Sherie.

OK, so I gather what plywood I have in the garage shop, (unfortunately, too late, I find the 1/2" piece is distinctly inferior and has invisible strange markings, only coming to light after a coat of Watco) and buy some edge banding. I then proceed to make the first presentable project using the slowly growing vacation home shop. Not much room in the garage, so it will always be small.

Ta da….....the new internet cabinet…...it is just about a 12 inch cube in size.



Finished with medium walnut Watco to match some nearby furniture.

It is built of mostly 3/4" birch ply, butt joints, nails, and glue. It is designed to be heavy, because some of the cables and wires are rigid and would tend to pull the cabinet askew. No dadoes or rabbets, partly because I don't have a table saw here, and no router table yet as well. But it is more than strong enough, and has the weight to do its job.

Thanks for viewing, and hopefully I will have another post in the next week or two, when I get home…..
OK, off to find Sherie, for another piece of her sharp witted wisdom, and another honey-do of course.
 
#611 ·
I have some interesting pieces like that also.

Most were built hurriedly, some from repurposed wood, some from new wood, some it was repurposed from repurposed, repurposed, repurposed wood and has since been repurposed.

The toilet paper rollers come in handy for many things.

My wife has a vacuum cleaner accessory called a "Lint Lizard" (No, NOT Lot Lizard), that's a different kind of vacuum.
The attachment point to the vacuum hose broke so I glued a toilet paper roller on it and it's been working for a year without (t)issue.
 
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