I have a tool habit… and I work with geniuses

Hey friends! I have more on tools today! I bought a little box of goodies from Lee Valley again. I also worked on my dust collection system, and I have a little bit of genius jury rigging to share with you from work.

First up; dust collection! I am a little annoyed to admit that I’ve bought a bunch of dust fittings that for some reason are not made to fit to standard sized vac hoses or the dust ports of my machines. Even the dust separator lid I’d bought had some weird sized fittings. So I finally had it out with all these fittings and cobbled together solutions for ALL of the machines I’d bought them for!

I’ve been carefully avoiding large chips with my vacuum because they clog the 1 1/4″ hose very easily.

Well after a near melt down, I came to  a solution and cleaned the entire shop.

I bought this dust separator lid a while back and have finally got it hooked up. The fittings were stepped and I had to cut off the smaller steps to get my hoses to fit. I used my  bandsaw to slice the steps off, then followed up on the edge sander. Now everything fits!

It’s hard to make out but there are all kinds of debris in here that easily would have clogged my vac hose! Now I have to come up with a solution to keep the bucket from tipping over every other second. I’m thinking of making a rolling base that will hold my shop vac and the separator.

And here’s a bit on what I bought from Lee Valley:

I finally bought a set of guide bushings for my router, and an inlay kit while I was at it.

I was rather disappointed with the small size of these veneer sheets, but at least it will give me a start on practicing my marquetry. And I have a lamp shade project in mind for this that I’ll start on soon!

Can’t say I’ll buy these scraps again though.

Okay so ever since I saw a video of Frank Klausz cutting a mortise with one of these I knew I would need to try it myself.

And finally I was at work yesterday and I was simply dazzled by a jig my co-worker had made. I asked him if I could take photos and he was happy to share his idea. EVERYONE should build one of these!!!!

Check out this edge trimming jig! There is even thought put into deflecting the chips with a piece of plexi-glass

Here you can see the router bit, which has a bearing and is lined up just a hair below the surface of the mdf fence.

From the side you can see that the mdf is relieved with a groove right where the edging rides up against the router base

So if you didn’t already notice the last photo shows it very well, the whole jig is made with the edge guide that comes with your router! Simply screw on a piece of mdf that you’ve made a hole in for the bit, and a groove in that allows the edging to pass freely by the fence, and voila! The perfect edge trimming jig. I couldn’t get enough of his demonstrating  how easy it was to use, he barely had to lift a finger and his edge was knocked down to a hair above the surface.

Woodworkers are a clever pack of friendly creatures.

Norm Abram and his dadoes…

I’ve been watching a lot of New Yankee Workshop of late. The show is addictive. I admit I really only watched it back in the day, so I have tons to catch up on. Lucky for me! I would LOVE to own the complete series, but it costs 3K. All of us Norm lovers should get together and find a way to get a box set in production for the average consumer’s budget.  I think if it was available it would fly off the shelves. After rekindling my love for the show decades later, I also found a second New Yankee workshop book at a thrift shop to add to my library;

http://www.amazon.ca/Mostly-Shaker-From-Yankee-Workshop/dp/0316004758

if you’re interested this is the first book I acquired a year or so ago:

http://www.amazon.ca/The-Yankee-Workshop-Norm-Abram/dp/0316004545

All this to say- I’ve been watching Norm work away and I noticed that dadoes are a favourite of his. And I can’t fault him on that, dadoes and grooves are very useful in so many situations. I’d actually like to incorporate more of them into my projects. Usually I’d use a router, simply because I don’t yet own a dado set. But I have to admit I envy the simplicity of dadoing on the table saw and I recall how useful dado sets were during my schooling. I think a dado stack is in my near future. But of course because I have a SawStop I also have to factor in the cost of a dado brake cartridge and a zero clearance insert. It will be a costly addition to the shop, but I’m certain I won’t regret it. Now the question is which dado set should I go with? I want to make sure I have a good set that doesn’t leave steps in the cut, or tears through the cut resulting in excessive blow out.  Anyone know of a reliable set for clean flat-bottomed  dado cuts?

Hand-me-down tools!!

This weekend I scored some nice hand me down tools! My grandmother was holding on to my grandfather’s tools for quite some time it seems! I had no idea, and was ever so delighted to receive the “treasure”.

The new to me tools even came in a tool chest. It was too heavy for one person to lift!

What goodies live in here?!

Some rasps and files in pretty good condition.

Some tins full of drill bits.

Some nice hammers and wrenches.

This spoke shave which is in better condition than the one I got from my dad.

hoo boy I will need to tune these up quite a bit, but I look forward to finding out if they keep an edge well!

For my fine measuring and hole tapping needs.

Super pleased with the sliding t-bevel as I only had a cheapo plastic one from my dad. The tightening lever isn’t optimal but I can live with it.

I’ll need to tune the drill but it came with a wide assortment of bits- very interested to see how well it works when it’s tuned.

I really needed these!

I’ve been wanting a rebate plane like this for a while- who knew my grandfather had one! I feel like it was meant to be! I have to buy a knicker for it but it seems to have the other parts

I heart all three of these lovelies. My aunt had dibs on the other saw that went with this one- I wish I could have kept them both!

My grandfather kept a bag of something in the tool box that prevents rust, so I’m pleased that most of the tools are in good  condition especially for having spent years/decades  out in a humid/unheated  shed. I feel like a kid in a candy store. I don’t prefer tool chests, but I will probably find a place to keep this one simply because it was my grandfathers and it’s instantly sentimental for me. Who knows maybe the tool chest idea will grow on me as I use this one.

Klingspor to the rescue… again!

As I mentioned earlier, I bought a Ridgid combination spindle sander/ belt sander recently. I had decided that it was a necessary tool. I’ve worked with belt sanders at both of my jobs in the woodworking industry and they shave so much time off of certain tasks that I finally convinced myself to just make room in the shop for it.

So I made the room.

While I was at it I picked up replacement sanding drums and belts. That way I’d be prepared with different grits, and fully loaded for my upcoming projects. I’ve already used it so much that I feel the tool is worth it’s weight in gold.

To my chagrin the belts that I bought at Homedepot (Freud Diablo brand) were loose even after sliding the tension lever all the way home. This led to the belt flapping about and then sliding down and sanding the inside of the machine! I promptly turned off the sander and adjusted the knob that repositions the belt up or down the assembly. This didn’t help the situation at any point because the belt was too loose. The package said it was the right size 24″x4″. Yet when I put the original belt(that came with the sander) back onto the machine it tracked perfectly with no problems- I knew then that it wasn’t my machine. So back to the store the belts went for a full refund.
I recently bought sanding discs for my ROS (random orbit sander) from Klingspor so that’s where I turned next. I did some quick internet research to see if other Ridgid belt sander owners had used Klingspor belts successfully. I did find confirmation of that so I ordered some belts. I received the belts a week or so ago and tried them out- worked perfectly!

The most amazing part is the deal I got! I’m glad the first belts went back to the store because  just 2 belts had cost $12. Klingspor offers a deal on a combo pack of  30 belts for $20 (6 assorted grits). I still can’t believe what a great deal that is! I’ll be sanding for a long while on those 30 belts! They appear to be better quality than the belts I got from Homedepot, plus I have a crepe stick to clean the paper with, so I’m all set. Thanks Klingspor!

Now I have 5 of each of the following grits: 60,80,100,120,150,180.

Next thing this sander needs is a dust shroud,  which the machine doesn’t come with, nor does the manufacturer produce one. Luckily I found one that Kevin May made here. It seems perfect so I’ll probably just model mine after his as closely as possible. Kevin’s shroud design is easily removed, and also has a hinged part that swings out of the way to access the spindle end of the edge sander without removing the shroud.

On the job front I am sill twaiting for the final word, things are tense. I should know sometime this coming week- possibly Monday- but I’m trying not to hold my breath!

P.S. Klingspor  sells more than just sandpaper!

Finally, my shop has a dust separator! I bought one that fits regular sized buckets because I happened to have one on hand. I wasn’t ready to fork over $60-$90 for a Dust Right or Oneida version, so this $15 lid fit the bill very well. Can’t wait to try it out.

Sanding is in my future… sanding with ease

My new purchases arrived. I can’t wait to get this sander fired up!

Here is the complete vibration control ROS kit. It comes with an extra handle to mount to the front (which I added on right away), a 5″ & 6″ disc, a dust canister and a vacuum adapter. And a token sanding disc in each size if you wanted to make dust right out of the box.

I turned it on and ran the speed high and low to see the difference and was quite impressed with the range. I have yet to test it on wood, but I will report back after several uses to make sure I have a good idea of how it performs.

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I bought this sander after much research. The vibration control being the main selling point for me and my achy joints. I also hadn’t heard of ROS having multiple disc sizes so that won me over even more. It was a costly affair at $289 but one that I feel will be paying my joints dividends for many years. I’ve suffered enough with other professional grade sanders used in industry to know that this is a tool I did NOT want to skimp on.

One last detail…
The only thing left to research after I’d locked in my ROS choice, were sanding discs. I turned to my online fount of knowledge for more guidance.  My subscription to FWW online has been an incredible value. They have unbiased reviews of all kinds of tools in their database. I always turn to FWW for tool reviews and the like. As luck would have it, they just so happened to have a review on sanding discs for Random Orbit Sanders.

The results were surprising! The discs I’d used in both of my workplaces rated good on the chart, but a disc that I’d never heard of that was priced lower than the more popular brands rated the best! I re-read the results to be sure and then began my search for discs that were rated as best value, and best overall performers: Klingspor VD900 (also identified PS33)

I heard that some woodcraft stores sell Klingspor, but I don’t live near a woodcraft store. I also know from previous visits that I hadn’t seen Klingspor brand discs at my local woodworking stores. So I looked a while longer on the internet and found that Klingspor sells directly through their “Woodworking Shop” store! http://www.woodworkingshop.com  The thing to note is that not all of the Klinspor discs rated the same in the FWW review, so only buy the grey coloured discs that are marked ps33 and/or  VD900 if you’re in the market for discs that last.

I opted for 50 disc combo packs in both the 5″ and 6″ sizes. They include 10 discs of 5 different grits, 60,80,100,120,150. Then I threw in some clearance discs that probably don’t have the same performance rating but for about $8 for 50 discs I thought I’d run the risk and cover my grits at the same time, I got 240, and 320.

I also threw in a sanding block with hook & loop that would fit the 6″ discs…

… and a hand sanding pad with hook & loop that would fit the 5″ discs

I look forward to testing out the discs along with my new sander- probably the first time I’ve ever looked forward to sanding!

Time flies when you’re… marking out joints

I had some time in the shop a few days ago. I was a bit disappointed that I only got four joints marked out. One table down, two still left to go! I guess this may have gone faster if my sketchup drawing was a little more detailed- either way I probably would have spent the same amount of time figuring out which joints to use and how large to make them. I guestimated lengths of stretchers when I milled my parts, so I have enough room to cut my tenons . Aside from tenons I’ll also be using dowels for some of the joints.

I don’t seem to have a very organized way of marking down dimensions… there must be some short-circuit in my brain. But it works for me.

I of course needed to confer with my sidekick a lot to figure out joint locations… I was dealing with 64ths.

I laid out my tenons…

And my mortises– for one table. Harumph, oh well, it should go faster the next time around.

These joints made me long for this tape measure. Finding the center without calculating is really a time saver. I know there are simple jigs for this purpose, but the ones I’ve heard of use pencils to mark the center, and I find that too thick of a line to be very accurate.

I may have just gotten a lot busier. I seem to have three possible commissions, two woodworking related, and one will be a painting. So priorities will be made, and unfortunately these tables might go back into the pile of neglect from whence they came.  In any case I’ll be sure to post on them again when I get to them- and in the mean time I’ll post about the new projects- as soon as they properly materialize.

For better or for worse… additions to the shop

The UPS fairy visited my shop this past week- while I was at work. I couldn’t wait to head over to the shop this past weekend and unwrap my new lovelies. I mentioned the need for them in a recent post; clamps and chisels!

So here are the new additions… for better or for worse

I chose the jrs because of the price, and because they are 30% lighter than regular k-body revo clamps. When I handled these Jr’s though I felt like they were much more delicate than the regular Revos that I use at work… I guess time will tell how well they stand up to regular use. I got four 36″ clamps to compliment the other sizes of clamps in my oh-so modest collection.

For the chisels I chose  A2 steel Lie Nielsen bevel edge chisels, sizes 1/4″, 3/8″ and 3/4. I did research on which chisel sizes people recommend getting, and the results were inconclusive- most answers varied wildly depending on the woodworker. So I chose sizes specific to the types of projects I see in my future. Oh yeah and I got the longer handle while I was at it.

The clamps already found a nice place to hang out, but for the chisels I plan to make a leather roll to store them in. Seeing as I already have scraps of leather, I couldn’t justify the $75 price tag for a LN roll. That’s a project I imagine I’ll have completed by the end of the week- time to get sewing!

I made progress with the toy chest this weekend and a wrap-up post will follow soon. Looking forward to getting the toy chest out of the shop and getting back to some cherry tables I started a while ago!

Another reason not to put things off!

Back at my shop…

I’ve been ignoring a glitch in the shop for a couple of weeks. The rolling base for my table saw stopped rolling. As a result I haven’t been able to move my table saw back up against my bench. This made for a large gap that off cuts could fall into.

To my surprise the problem was that one of the casters fell apart. Three wheels were moving while the fourth kept the saw grounded, unable to roll.

A possible reason for the caster failure is this; I have a professional cabinet saw and it came with an industrial mobile base- the two are only compatible if you buy a conversion kit. The store I bought the saw& base from didn’t bother with a conversion kit and simply put down a length of particle board across the straps of the mobile base. This left a good 8″ of sliding room (front to back) for my saw to travel on the particle board as I wheeled it around. It may have slid too far back and put too much pressure on that caster (although the casters are rated for 1000lbs).

I of course ignored the problem because I thought I’d have to shop around for a replacement. Then a few days ago I remembered that I should be calling the manufacturer of the rolling base to get the problem sorted *forehead slap*. I put the call in and the problem was resolved in under ten minutes. I received a replacement caster in the mail the very next day- free of charge.

Changing it went smoothly.

Needless to say I’m a happy customer.

And so now my table saw sits happily butted up against my work bench again.

Keeping in mind the possible cause of the caster failure, I decided to take some precautionary measures.

I tacked down some wood scraps to trap the saw in the center of the particle board. Now at the very least this conversion has made my saw safer, if not my casters more long lived.

Here’s a short video I took showing the condition of the broken caster.

Free shipping… damn you!

I’ve been noticing some holes in my tool collection and supplies while working on recent projects. I decided that I definitely need some more clamps. I think I’ve settled on Bessey revo K-body Jr‘s for that. I also decided that some professional grade chisels would go a long ways to improving my quality of life in the shop. After some research I’ve decided to go with Lie Nielsen chisels. The hard A2 steel and socket design(which prevents the handles from splitting after a pounding), and the low profile sides (perfect for working on dovetails) were key factors, but what cinched it for me was that Lie Nielsen’s set has true imperial measurements.  I noticed though that there are no savings if you get a set, so I’ll probably get them individually. I was fixing to purchase clamps or chisels next…

Then Lee Valley came along and foiled my plans by announcing free shipping on orders over $40. I’d been waiting for just such an occasion to make some purchases from them.  This round of tool buying felt a little bit like a game of rock paper scissors. Lee Valley won this round, but most likely won’t win the next.

Welcome home, welcome home.

24 lil’ blades. I plan to test out some maquetry on my scroll saw so I got some skip tooth 2/0 blades. For versatility sake I bought some spiral blades for the scroll saw as they cut with any feed direction.

To carry out said marquetry trials, I threw in some veneer tape so that I can properly assemble my pieces.

I’ve been longing for this saw- oh the dowels I’ve attempted to cut flush with a surface… the horrors. I have some peace now that this lives on my peg board.

My trim router badly needed this 1/4″ up cut spiral bit. I’ll use it to waste out material for inlays and possibly for mortising or grooves on the router table.

I have a tiny inventory of files and NO file brush. In an effort to save money I opted for a file/rasp in one.  I’m not sure I made the right choice- it seems very small, I’d have to use very short strokes. I guess I’ll find out once I use it. The file brush was an excellent value though- better than the ones at work even!

Lee Valley claims that this Norton water stone sharpens A2 steel noticeably faster than some other water stones. I bought a 220/1000 grit stone. I have a 4000 stone already.

The stanley planes I own have a thin film of rust on them. I wanted something a little gentler than the (rust-free)product I own to take care of that.

This little kit will serve me well! I have many more jigs and fixtures to make for the shop and I sure as heck don’t want to drop everything to go buy hardware every time I need to slap a jig together.

Looking forward to trying this out on some tables I’m making.

I confess that I had about ten other items if not more that I removed from my basket before checking out. Lee Valley is dangerous. Dangerous. That’s right I said it twice- you can thank their affiliation with Veritas for that.

Next I’ll post an update on other things going on in the shop. Thanks for reading,  happy tool purchasing- I mean happy woodworking.

Table saw aligned…

After much procrastination I finally tackled the issue at hand in my shop. I fixed the alignment of the table saw blade to the cast iron tables.

My table saw was a demo model from a store so I didn’t have the privilege of putting it together. It was fully assembled when I bought it, and fully assembled when it got delivered. Frankly I was daunted by aligning my saw because I wasn’t familiar with how the parts were attached. Also I didn’t have a dial gauge- which most sources say is a must for such a task.

Now my tools need tools?! I want to keep my money- for now, thanks.

Thankfully my table saw’s owner’s manual had an alternative method for checking the alignment of the blade. Instead of using a dial gauge, I could simply use a combo square. So I did. As for being daunted by the unfamiliar- in principal it was simpler than I’d thought- as is the case most times that I’m dreading tackling the unknown.

I also found an excellent article on the topic of table saw tune ups that can be found here. What I love about this particular article is that it uses low-tech methods and tools to check alignment.

I used this method from the article…

Block of wood with screw in one end, clamped to miter gauge. Just as accurate as…

And this method from my owners manual- that way I was doubly certain of my alignment!

Combo square registering off of a miter slot. I marked one tooth of the blade with a sharpie. And checked it at both the front and back of the throat plate.

It turned out my blade was about 1/32″ off from the front to the back! No wonder I’d been having such a tough time.

I then began the process of loosening the nuts and adjusting the alignment.

On my saw I had two nuts up front that were easy to access.

Far left.

Far right- well that was fast. Almost there!

But then in the back I had to open an access panel to get at the right rear nut. The left rear nut was even more difficult,  I had to open the motor door AND tilt the saw blade 30 degrees! I thought this would be the fastest part of the process but it took up a good chunk of time. I had to roll the saw out from it’s home to get access to the right rear panel, and get down on the floor with a flashlight to spot the elusive rear nuts. They also happened to be over tightened, and I couldn’t get good leverage from my cramped positions- ugh!

Inside the motor access with the blade tilted 30 degrees- oh THERE’s the darn thing. Far left.

Far right, through an access panel. Wish these had been on the outside perimeter of the saw like the front ones were.

When they were finally loosened, my saw has adjustment screws to finely nudge the table in the desired direction. In the tune up article I mentioned above- it says that for most saws you partially loosen the bolts and tap the table with a  dead blow hammer until it’s aligned, then re-tighten the nuts.

I had to tilt my blade back to 90 degrees to test my progress and then once I had my final setting tilt it back to 30 degrees to tighten the nut .

I also slightly improved the flushitude of my cast iron extensions. But I gave up shortly after landing a solid dead blow to my finger. The nail didn’t turn blue- so I’m good. But ouch. I’ll try not to let my finger get between a dead blow hammer and unforgiving cast iron in the future… looking under the table as I hammered would have helped I think.

I’m psyched. Now that my saw is ready for action I’m keen to move forward with some projects that have been cooling on the back burner.

I’ll post updates on those soon!

Another post on projects from woodworking school will follow in the coming days.

Thanks for reading!

Happy woodworking.