After a quick response, they asked me what model clamp. Now, I’m thinking to myself why? It’s a parallel clamp and all I need is the head. It shouldn’t matter what the exact part # is. I bought these things years ago and have no clue. So I looked them up on their site and gave them the first 3 digits indicating it was a parallel clamp and all I need is a replacement head.

Today I get an email still asking for size and also my shipping address. They need to know what size because they are sending me a replacement clamp! “we don’t have parts for those”.

All I gotta say is that this, folks, is customer service. Even though it’s something a little as a $40 clamp, they didn’t have to do this. I specifically asked to buy parts from them, and they want to give me a whole new clamp. Jet tools have always been respected by me and this is just icing on the cake. I will never hesitate to buy ANYTHING jet

Just thought I would share this with you all…

Now on to some business. So I bring my blocks into the shop and Ray comes in and gets to business flattening them, which takes about an hour (check out the post I’m about to put up in the projects). Everything these guys do, is laden with precision and detail. So, as you can imagine, my blocks are in ship shape, perfectly flat on both sides and look great. His 37” wide oscillating belt sander is the best thing I’ve ever seen, I want one so bad!! After all is said and done, Rob takes me through his grounds, once again, showing me all the “slabs” and “specimens” he and Ray have been milling. Shit, he even had a stack of doug fir beams (must of been at least 4X12’s) that had to have been 50 ft. long (or longer), one solid piece, at least 15 or so. I’ve never seen any beam THAT long, let alone a whole stack…. Ok So now I’m just trying to keep up with Rob while he’s going over everything he has, showing me this, and that. To him, it’s nothing, to me, it’s more than I can even imagine. In my whole career as a woodworker, I’ve maybe gone through a couple thousand bd ft. of material through my tiny little shop, and here Rob is telling me about the 10,000 bd ft. of material that he goes through in one year that is waste, cut offs and fire wood as we look at this mound of a pile. All I can do is shake my head. DID I MENTION THAT THE 10,000 BD FT. IS ONLY THE WASTE AND FIREWOOD!!!

As I’m getting ready to leave, I’m talking more business with Rob and was bouncing my ideas off of him and he says “here, take this and play around with it, oh, take this too” as he hands me a couple nice pieces of lumber, one is blue oak while the other is sycamore. Man, I didn’t even come up here for lumber, but nonetheless, Rob is more than willing to give and help out this tiny little woodworker. Most people wouldn’t even want to waste their time with someone like me, they usually have better things to do…Not Rob, what a guy. So we’re getting closer to my truck and I remember I wanted to see if he had any “small” cutoffs of any burls or nicely figured wood that I can make some boxes out of or something. He looks down at some claro walnut roots and say’s “what about this”. As I look at it and all of his machinery, I think, yeah I guess this is small for him, but it’s way too big for any of my tools. As I try to decline it nicely because I really wouldn’t be able to do anything with it except stare at it, he yells across the yard “Hey Ray, can you come up here with a chain saw”. Of course Ray doesn’t hesitate at all and brings up a 36” chain saw and starts going to town on this root. After it’s cut up into little blocks Rob brings it inside and puts some nice straight edges on the pieces for me so I can resaw them at my shop and also takes one block and resaws it right there into 5/8” pieces. Of course during this time I hardly take any pics but there is a few I can share with you…..

This is Rob resawing one of the Claro Walnut root blocks for me

Here is a pic of the walnut that they cut up

Here is the sycamore (left) and blue oak (right) that Rob gave me.

and of course the big block that Ray sanded flat for me with the belt sander in view

Thanks again Rob for everything. Everytime I come to visit you are more than generous with your offerings and always willing to help in any way. Anyone local to southern Cal, visiting Tulepeak timber is a MUST if you haven’t already done so….

I wired its outlet to the wsitch there to the right of the collector. That way, I can turn it on easy when at the tablesaw.

No large chips in the bag. Of course my next upgrade is to get a 5 micron or smaller bag….This one is 35.

Table #1

Table #2

I’ve been messing around with sketchup and have decided to make two tables. So, today I ripped the slab in half on the bandsaw. This way, I can resaw the two planks and get two bookmatched table tops

After jointing and planing, I was amazed at how beautiful this wood is. ALOT of ray fleck in the quarter sawn (which is most of the slab) and definately going to make some beautiful tables.

Next, I want to share with you some of the designs I’ve sketched up. Does anyone know how to post a sketchup drawing???

Check it out

A little jig I made to put a straight edge on it

I can’t wait to see what the rest of the limb will yeild

And put back in her home so not to get lost…...

At first I was thinking that this guy had a little bit of walnut, now, I’m thinking wow, this may be worth my while. As we pull up to his house, I see a blue tarp covering a pile. Still not sure what to expect, and definitely not going to get my hopes up before hand. Butch comes out and says, “well, here you go, I hope you can find some use for it. Been sitting in my garage for 30 years”

The story I got from him is that while working for caltrans, some 30 years ago, he salvaged some parts from a walnut tree and a eucalyptus log that was cut down to make way for a new highway somewhere.

When he pulled the tarp back, I almost fell down. I was completely speechless at seeing what I was seeing. He had put a slab of myrtle on top that was 3” thick 22” wide and 36” long. Underneath all of that was the walnut he was talking about. after going through and organizing everything, he had 3 flitches from the same tree and various other pieces. A book matched pair of eucalyptus logs that will work great for some “bench legs” and 3 small burls.

I guess pictures will say a thousand words, so, here ya go…

This “side project” started after I received about 8 tabletops (it was 15 halfs) from a local stain mfg that recently went out of business. The tops were all damaged in shipment here to the states, they got them to test their products on. Well, now they don’t need them and I scored!

I ripped, planed and laminated into a board that is aprox 10” X 42” X 1&1/2”

Then I did the same and made post size pieces. 3” X 42” X 2&1/2”

I took three of the “posts” and milled a tongue and groove into them to create a huge “drawer slide”.

Then came mounting it to the saw. I had to weld two tabs to the edge of the table saw because the “drawer slide” needed to sit 1&1/2” lower so the sliding table would be flush with the table saw top

After mounting and measuring for the legs, this is what I got! What do ya think?

After waxing the tongue and groove, this baby slides like it’s on bearings. I can pull it around 40” in front of the blade with no deflection. Now, I just need to make a fence for it and square it up. fine tune it so there is no side play and I’m good to go.