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288K views 707 replies 133 participants last post by  Redoak49 
#1 ·
A journey into the workshop #1. Starting over, getting organized.

After spending the time, money, and effort to get the equipment I need to get moving in earnest in woodworking, I am doing so. But a little background might help you dear readers to understand where I am coming from…

I hated junior high, and high school. Passionately hated that entire experience with 3 major exceptions.

#1. The social interactions. Some of the best friends I have ever had, I made in Junior High, and High School. I try to maintain many of those friendships even today…

#2. Art class, for the same reasons I also enjoyed…
#3. Shop classes, specifically Wood Shop, and Welding Shop. I was encouraged to create and express myself through those classes.

While I thoroughly enjoyed college, by the time I entered college, I was in a long term, bad domestic situation that kept me away from woodworking for many years…

Fast forward 21 years, a new marriage (I am VERY blessed this time!) to a wonderful woman that actually encourages me to express and explore these things… This also coincided with my career taking off in the direction I was working toward, with sufficient income to at least indulge woodworking with a bang for the buck point of view…

I started building up my workshop from a basic circular saw, cheap router table, sanding block, and old hand me down hack saw to what it is today in January 2008.

So now it's time for me to get organized, in both the workshop and the blog… I am hopefully making progress with both.

In case you haven't seen it, my workshop tour page is renewed pretty frequently. I try to keep it up to date with the changes I am making in the shop.

Today was a day of throwing away. Of chucking cut offs from old 2×4s that had bent nails driven into them. The only uses I could think of for keeping these cutoffs are as kindling, and I have plenty of that… So in the trash can they went…

Next came hooking the long hose to the Thien cyclone, and sucking up as much sawdust as I could put a hose to… I have some leftover issues but nothing serious.

Lastly, I had to un bury my planer, and table saw. (Long story, workshop garage not just used as workshop quite yet…).

Since the long hose was out, drug the planer over to the hose, hooked it up, and planed my 4×4 cedar to, well… 3.5"x3.5" +/- .001" (The gauge on the Ryobi isn't super accurate, but this is wood after all, and not cast iron…).

I then cut all of my replacement workbench legs to length. I guess for the guys with more years experience, or even with the same years but more time out in the shop my mistakes border on the sheer stupid, but I am going at this with the motto of "safety first"... My accuracy is improving for sure, but I am still prone to mistakes, which is why I am making new legs…

As I work my way through the projects, one of my key pieces to success I fear is going to be keeping the value of what I do in the workshop relevant to what LOML wants done in and around the house, The following projects are on the TOP of my list…

#1. Finish workbench. (Progress made this weekend).
#2. Finish kitty condo. (progress made this weekend.)
#3. Finish Replacing bad insulation and decking the attic. (Ongoing project, just started). Workbench project is relevant due to need for outfeed support from table saw for safety sake.
#4. Build plywood and 2×4 shelving in attic to make tote access easier. Again workbench relevant for outfeed support.
#5. Build Thien pre separator / trash can cyclone. Safety is relevant all the time…
#6. Finish table saw extension wing. Router table insert will be moving to end of wing, with miter slot to allow use of stacked feather boards. This will be critical when routing profiles for mitered frame raised panel doors that she wants in the kitchen and bathrooms.
#7. Workshop cabinets with mitered frame raised panel doors. Practice and skill builder for kitchen and bathroom projects…. I am planning on using as clear as possible of Cedar for this project. Going to get lots of resawing and milling practice with this!

So while the organization continues, there also remains so much more to do…
 
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#3 ·
While I can't say emphatically enough how blessed I am for having things turn out the second time around, I am NOT the sort that thinks the grass is greener on the other side, and to be blunt, I don't wish the junk I went through on anybody…

I am actually looking forward to spending more time this evening wrapping rope around the uprights to Kitty Condo. It's brainless work, but the entire thing is so near completion as to encourage me to keep going…

I am planning on laying out the center points for drilling the legs for my workbench tonight as well… I will wrap them up in a plastic bag and seal them to limit exposure to humidity while I work on the rails (again) to try to keep the wood from twisting…

One project I forgot to mention, fence. This is huge since most of the fencing material is in the shop. I am waiting for Stump Out to do its magic. I get behind the house in the Bayou with the truck this weekend to clear out the remainder of the downed fence, and limb debris that the city hasn't removed in the last year since Ike…

Hopefully my roofing contractor will finally get my windstorm certification to my insurance company BEFORE the next storm hits…
 
#4 ·
Benchop legs, and free mulch... Sort of.

After my screwup with the pine legs, and the fact that pine 4×4s are a royal pain in the butt to find in Houston, I opted for a trip to Lowes to grab a couple of Aromatic red cedar 4×4s. Their so called "select" which I guess is supposedly select grade, but knottier than I would expect.

So I get home with the 4×4s and notice that they are, well actually 4×4, and my plans call for nominal size lumber (3.5×3.5), so it was off to the jointer, and planer to mill this stuff square, and parallel, and 3.5" thick in both dimensions (minus the 1.5" of snipe at each end, but that is what I get for having a cheap planer…)

Now mind you, I have the Thien baffle out of the HF DC, and the trash can cyclone for the DC is not yet done, I have yet to fire up my HF DC without some sort of separator, and I am not about to start now, so it was back to the Ridgid vac and Thien trash can cyclone… Through 15' of hose, while it kept up with the chips, it did NOT keep up with the dust. Respirator time! I should have put it on to begin with, but I like sneezing Cedar dust, reminds me of my pet hampster when I was a kid… (just joking.)

For those of you that do not know what a Thien cyclone, or the Thien baffle is, here is a link to P.hil Thien's cyclone site
.
Now this was only 2 4×4x8 pieces of lumber I was milling down mind you… Not exactly like I was jointing and planing hundreds of BF of lumber right? Well… Mind you the dust bin wasn't empty, but rather about 1/4 full from previous sanding, sawing, dadoing, etc… operations

About 3/4 of the way through planing I heard it through the muffs, Tttttthhhhwunk! The motor on the vac got MUCH louder and suction stopped… Turn the vac off and look…

The vac was full. Go figure. So I empty the vac, and look in the dust bin (trash can). Full, I mean over the baffle, overflowing, what was I thinking full…

Now I have had a Thien Cyclone for almost a year now, and this is the first time I have done this. Note to self, check dust bin OFTEN…



As quickly as this filled up, I WAS working on a Thien cyclone for a 30 gallon trash can, Now I think I am going to have to change those plans and try to find a 55 gallon barrel to convert to a Thien Cyclone… 30 gallons fills up too fast, I bet 55 gallons will fill up quick. And with shavings / dust it is awfully light, might as well get as much in it as I can at once…

So with the milling done, and the dust bin empty it was time to do some drilling. I still need to rig up some some sort of dust collection for this… Open the garage door, set up the filterless box fan and blow chips and dusty air out of the shop… I measured, marked, remeasured, verified and then verified again before the bit started cutting. EXACTLY where I want it to be… No worries… Counter bores right where I want them, holes drilled perfectly straight where I want them, and then verified with the all thread through all 4, and then they get set square to each other. The through holes are 1/16" oversize, so no worries about minor miscalculations in hole location. Enough slack that when the all thread pulls it together, I can convince it to go straight and square…

Tomorrow, weather permitting will bring another trip to Lowes. I am REALLY liking the look of the Cedar, and want to replace the rails / stretchers with cedar, so I need some cedar 2×4s… If these are rough cut like the 4×4s, I guess I am getting more free mulch for LOMLs flowerbeds to boot!

I still need to find the S-clips for mounting the bench top. I believe Kilgore's Lumber Company in League City Texas should have them…

The poor bench top is sitting there being all lonely right now. The mounting pad for the vise is mounted up, the holes drilled for the lag bolts, The vise faces mounted up and dog holes drilled. I just need to mount it to the base, drill the bench dog holes, and either buy, or better yet, make some bench dogs, and a planing stop. I have some 3/8" ply scrap just aching for use…

I did deviate from the plan that I got from Fine Woodworking as their bench top is 24" x 62". I am using a larger vise than they are so my dog holes will be wider spaced, and my bench top is 24" x 72". This was as big as I wanted to go in my shop. I had initially considered edge banding the bench top, but an LOML induced slip with the router when flush trimming changed that plan… I have done some testing on the oil / beeswax finish on exposed edge birch ply, and to be honest, I like the look… I am going with it and just using the edge as a feature instead of a drawback…

Well the lights are out, the timer for the air cleaner has tripped off, and the shower has been taken. Looks like the shop is closed for now. If I am granted the honor by my creator to still be here, there will be more to come…
 
#7 ·
More free mulch, broken planers, and burnt fingertips...

Well, I found 4 2×4x8s of cedar following me home in the bed of my truck tonight. Not a bad deal considering Lowes had them for a lower price than I am used to seeing them around here. ($5.16 each, I am used to seeing $6.89 each). So I came home with them, and decided to squeeze some planing time in before 9:00, and got the dressed boards down to at least thickness before I had to wrap it up.

I have had my planer since Valentine's day 2008, it was a gift from my wife. I love this planer, but tonight it did something I didn't expect, and for reasons unknown… The elevation crank handle broke… It wasn't obvious at first, but it WAS without a doubt broken. The square recess the shaft fits in simply split and spread.

It's not like this was, or has ever been under a lot of stress, so I am unsure WHY it would break like this, but it did… I attempted to call Ryobi's 1-800 number, but of course they are closed for the night, so I submitted a service request on their website. I am afraid they will make me take the entire thing to their authorized service center (BAD idea guys!). I hope they do the right thing and simply mail me the replacement piece and call it good…

I am going to cut the stock down to rough size tomorrow, edge joint one edge, then bring them to final size on the table saw…. This will all get stuck on plastic until Saturday morning in an effort to reduce twisting.

Saturday comes the Dado blade treatment, and adding the cleats (From scrap cedar. Setting the dowel pin holes and start sanding the pieces in prep for final assembly and finishing…

I know I have said this before, but this is getting awfully close, and I am getting anxious to seeing the end result of all this work. I am pretty sure my wife is too…

The remaining project for the weekend is to continue upholstering the kitty condo. I am done with the tiers except the top. The uprights are in the process of getting the rope wrapped around it. My Arrow electric brad nailer keeps jamming during the process, which involves periodic brand nailing, and lots of hot glue to keep the rope in place… I manged to burn my fingertips with the hot glue, again… I need to learn to work with some sort of gloves when I use that stuff. I just can't keep it away from my fingers!

I managed to completely overrun the trash can dust bin again tonight, but this time, I didn't get more than a gallon sucked up into the vac. Not sure why that is… It is amazing how fast 20' of dust collection hose fills up with planer shavings!

All told I produced another 30 gallons or so of cedar planer shavings tonight. The flowerbeds are going to like the fresh layer for sure!

Well, the tools are put back up, the lights are out, and the shower has been taken. The shop is closed yet again. If my maker permits me the honor, I will continue to bring you updates to this experience. I am having a blast!
 
#8 ·
Knocking down the project list one by one...

It happened so quickly I was actually kind of stunned when I was done.

All of the materials were in one place, and just BEGGING to be used. The DC has been pretty much ignored since February as I have a bad habit of sucking nails and washers into my DC hose and hearing that awful noise when they hit the impeller… So a Thien Cyclone was in order. Honestly I was just being too lazy to get it done.

I made a quick decision tonight that sped the process along. Instead of making a new lid, simply modify the OE plastic lid, give it a little reinforcement with some fender washers, and keep the baffle out of light weight hardboard.

Quick as a flash I had it measured, then remeasured. Knocked out a crude beam compass to lay out the cut lines, cut the baffle out with the jig saw and sand it down to the lines, and test fit. Sand a shave more.

The holes in the plastic top for the PVC pieces were almost easier. Cut with the jigsaw just inside the scratched lines, and dress the hole to fit with a rasp. Hot melt glue the PVC in, Line the baffle up, drill some holes and bolt it all together. Real quick and simple… And even though my hole alignment between lid and baffle is off a little bit, putting the large part of the baffle off by about an inch past the elbow, it all works exactly as it should…

30 gallons of Cedar shavings and dust later, I can report complete success with this separator, and I shouldn't have to worry so much about keeping the dust bin empty..

I am not particularly happy with Ryobi tonight though. I submitted a support request through their web site last night and still no reply…

I can't get away with not responding to my customer requests in that time period. Why do they?

If you don't recall, I managed to break the square drive female piece of my elevation handle on my Ryobi AP1301 planer last night, doing nothing more than raising the cutter head. I am still under warranty, and do NOT want to have to take my plaer in to the official service center just for a stupid crank handle…

I have boxed up a bit of the old 2.5" hose that will no longer be used. Not sure what to do with it… Might give some of it to a friend of mine that just has a shop vac for dust collection… My Shop Vac Sawdust Collection system is a thing of the past for me now. I am much happier with the full fledged DC, and with the separator working now, I will be migrating away from the shop vac setup entirely…
 
#9 ·
" The DC has been pretty much ignored since February as I have a bad habit of sucking nails and washers into my DC hose and hearing that awful noise when they hit the impeller"

What are you doing that you are sucking up metal in the dc? Dust collectors are for just that, dust.
 
#11 ·
Improvements, mistakes, and where did that blood come from?

I can't say enough good about how well the Thien separator on my dust collector is working. I tried avoiding building a pre separator to keep from taking up precious shop space. I can honestly say I am glad I finally opted to do it. I tired quickly from constantly emptying the lower bag from my DC with the Thien Baffle, so although my filter was staying clean, I was every other day, and sometimes once an hour pulling the lower bag from this thing, which can be a real chore!

I continued work on the base for my workbench, and it is coming along really nicely. However that nice smooth grain from the Cedar I milled this weekend is raising quite dramatically on some pieces. I expected that, but not to the extend I am getting it. I guess contrary to advertising, this stuff has never seen a kiln, and I do not have a moisture meter to be able to tell for sure…

So my mistake, and this was a dumb one, putting the upper spreader on backwards with the slot for the S clips out. I only did it to one, and I have some extra stock to fix this with, but boy was that dumb…

While assembling the front leg assembly for the base, I noticed blood on the stock, like maybe I had cut my hands somehow. But I didn't feel anything. I look, and nothing… Come to find out after I get back into the house that I had managed to cut my forearm on something in the shop and not even notice. Nothing deep, just a scrape enough to draw blood… The scary part is I never felt it.

The work stopper for the night was when LOML came out to the shop to ask me a question. Now this is NOT her fault, just coincidental, and she got to witness this… I managed to fumble my drill, complete with my 3/8" Ti coated twist drill bit, as it tumbled toward the floor I kept trying to catch it, but no joy… It landed, at an angle, just barely on the tip of the bit… Now I have broken drill bits before. Little teeny tiny 1/8" or smaller bits… But never anything this big… And of course I am drilling holes for my 3/8" dowels, so I kind of needed that bit… I will be off to Ace Hardware at lunch to grab a single bit as I am unsure if Home Depot carries drill bits singularly.

Hopefully tonight I can recover from my stupid mistake, and get the base together… We will see…
 
#12 ·
When I get blood on a project it just reminds me that it is handmade and has my personal touch. I cant remember a project, big or small that I havent cut myself. It always seems a sharp edge on a piece of lumber gets me. I have never cut myself with any of the tools. The wood has it out for me I think!!
 
#15 ·
The workbench is almost complete.



There it sits, proudly in nearing completion glory. And it is almost usable! The dog holes, lower shelf, sanding, and finishing are all that is left to complete this project.



I wasn't sure I should post this one. The twist you see is an optical illusion. I have checked it with straight edges, levels, you name it. This thing is dead flat…



My Central Forge 9" quick release vise fitted with wooden faces, and bench dog holes. Yes the back face of the vise is uneven. I am considering taking it back to Harbor Freight. Looks like a screwy casting to me. I guess I will see if it impacts anything.



The quick release works very well. Making me wonder if I really should take the thing back or just deal with it…



As you can see, the lower stretchers did not get the slots cut into them that the uppers did. I REALLY wanted to flush mount the lower shelf…

That's it for now. More to come soon!
 
#17 ·
The thought process so far on the bench. Veering away from the instruction video or sheet.

Considering the fact that this bench was designed by the guys at Fine Woodworking to be a skill builder, and I went off on my own tangent using the tools and resources I have to get to the same end. For example…

The original plan called for 4×4 and 2×4 kiln dried construction grade lumber. I opted for rough cut 4×4 and 2×4 cedar lumber, planed, jointed, and then ripped it to nominal dimension.

The grooves in the rails and spreaders are per the instructions cut with a router and edge guide. But I have a table saw and nice dado set, not to mention calipers to verify dimensions / distances.

The instructions tell us to drill the holes more or less freehand. All I have to say about that is… I don't think so Tim… Drill press and stop blocks all the way!

The instructions called for a 62" long bench top. This was nice, but I wanted more room, so 72" it was for me!

The instructions called for cutting the ply / mdf top pieces with a cutting guide, and circular saw. But my local BORG has a panel saw, and a particularly skilled young man that is a fellow woodworker that will cut to EXACT dimension, figuring kerf for me. No need for me to cut it!

The instructions called for using a cutting guide / circ saw to cut all my lumber to length. While this is a fantastic idea, I have a perfectly usable compound miter saw, that also does dead straight square crosscuts through all the stock in question (once the 4×4s are jointed and planed down that is!).

The instructions called for the lower shelf to be mounted on top of the lower spreaders / rails, I am opting for mounting on top of a cleat, flush with the lower spreaders / rails. This I feel is more attractive, and buys me 3/4" more headroom for any tools that might end up stored down there.

The instruction sheet called for the vise to be a 7" model. I opted for a 9" model, specifically for capacity sake. (And the 7" model was no better than my 9" as far as machining etc… ).

Lastly, the instruction sheet does NOT call for any sort of finish on the bench. I know lots of workbenches are out there without a finish. And I am still considering leaving mine naked, but this is a good exercise in practicing oil & wax finishes…

The instructions were also a little vague in the details, specifically where to source the materials from… I ended up doing some substitution that was recommended to me by a local furniture builder for my project.

The kiln dried pine is such a nuisance to obtain in the Houston market, that the Cedar was recommended as the best alternative from a cost / benefit stand point.

The S clips are also next to impossible to find in Houston. I opted instead for the heavy duty mirror hanger S clips. Same size and shape, same thickness steel, just silver instead of black… Big deal. Nobody should be looking that close to the bottom of my bench anyway!

I need to make room in my shop behind the table saw for this. And that may be coming this weekend… I have a MESS of material in my shop, that really should be under a tarp out on my deck waiting to be turned into a fence… (Using Stump Out to rot out some stumps along the fence line before I proceed…). Once that is out of there, I can start moving LOML's gardening stuff to the side the shop tools are in, and moving the shop tools to the side I want them on… Including setting up my DC plumbing finally!

That's it for the time being, the next posts you are likely to see will involve the Kitty Condo. Progress is being made there, and Kitty is already trying to shred it…
 
#18 ·
A bit here, a bit there, and it adds up to progress...

More progress to report. Not a lot of progress, but still progress…

I managed to completed destroy the bearings in my old B&D Edge Hog edger, which really wasn't a heart breaker. I have been itching for a gasser for a long time anyway. My local Ace Hardware had an Echo on clearance on the cheap. So it followed me home… Now the problem I had was the hanger for the electric would not suffice for the much larger gas model. So a Closetmaid yard tool hanger gizmo also followed me home. Some rearranging of the yard tools rack area allowed for space for the hanger and the new edger.

I have probably spent at least 6 hours over the last 2 days cleaning and organizing in the shop. Particularly on the old workbench… TONS of sorting later… I have much more full small parts bins, and much less full workbench…

And lastly, on the new workbench. The dog holes have been lined up, measured, marked, and drilled… I need to get with the lower shelf, and some bench dogs now. So far it is pretty sturdy though. Happy so far!
 
#19 ·
Accidental finishing started...

Okay so the top WAS through final sanding and it indeed WAS ready for a finish, but the sides weren't… But you know how these things go. Tight for space, and the workbench hasn't been put in its final place.

Fooling around on the lathe applying the finish to, well whatever it is. The product of my fooling around. (I am SERIOUSLY considering taking the suggestion to drill a counter bore in it and make a candlestick holder out of it…)

I turned around to get more linseed oil for the turning, and clunk. Over went the can, a quick pickup of it wasn't fast enough to keep the oil off of the top. I took the rag, and wiped it, well in…. And then the grain started popping… Eye popping is more like it…. No pics yet, but this falls into the category of WOW…

And then it wasn't accidental…. I kept coating the entire top, sides not included, until it was an oily, shimmery brilliant…

Now I have used BB ply before, and yes, it can have pretty grain, and oil / wax finishes work great on them. But the results are not something I was expecting…

On another bench related note. I finally found the right clips at Rockler, and took advantage of their sale. The mirror clips it would appear just aren't strong enough…
 
#20 ·
Some pics of the workbench top...

Not much today. Just snapped some pics of the workbench top to show y'all how it is looking… I don't know about you folks, but I LOVE that color! I need to finish sanding the edges and get after them with some oil, then get after the base… And finally, wax it all down…


 
#24 ·
Being a wrap artist...

No no… not rap like Urban Hip Hop make your ears bleed through 5000 watts coming out of a Gold plated and fake diamond encrustedHyundai sort of rap, but wrap as it wrapping the sisal rope for the kitty condo…

The multi tiered kitty condo is coming together, and quickly at that! I was able to spend some quality time with the brad nailer, hot glue gun, and sisal rope yesterday, I am down to having about 3' of 2×4s to wrap in rope left, and then upholster the top tier in pillow top fashion for Kitty… Have I mentioned that my wife's cat is SPOILED?

I have a day off tomorrow, one of those sanity days taken off of work. Originally it was for some medical assistance for my BIL (long story I won't get into here) but other family has stepped up to that task, so I get to do what I want to do with tomorrow… If the weather holds out dry enough, that means taking the truck back down the sides of the bayou to behind the house, loading up and hauling out the debris that the city left from Hurricane Ike, and mowing the bit of side hill that they have been ignoring for a year. Their debris pile is too close for safety for when I finally light off the stumps to finally get rid of them… (They have been sitting in stump out for 4 weeks now, 2 more weeks and it is stump flambe' time…).

Once the stumps are out, I can finally get out there with the shovel, dig out the old fence posts, level up the ground below the fence, set my new posts, and set my chalk lines for the rot board, rails, and pickets…

A gate (locked from my side) will be included in the new fence to allow me, and the dog easy access to the bayou. And the old PT deck that is falling apart is coming out…

I had been planning on keeping the garage as a workshop, but LOML is wanting me to put in the shed I had been wanting for a shop… A dedicated space, away from where she wants to park the car… That is going to involve some interesting wheeling and dealing with the HOA, they have a limit of 10×12 with a peak height of 9'7" listed in the covenants and restrictions, yet within 2 blocks of my house, within the same HOA there are no less than 10 outbuildings that are MUCH larger than the limit… I will need to apply and receive a waiver. I need to figure out how to make my workshop a benefit to the community. I am thinking noise reduction. Lord knows my current shop can be LOUD….
 
#25 ·
Moving the table saw, and sticking the bench top tools to the wall...

Just a short note about the progress on my shop made today…

#1. The lumber for the fence got stacked more neatly to the side, in a much taller stack. This proved to be a less than brilliant idea, but it is what it is…

#2. The table saw, and workbench got moved into their almost final positions in this workshop. Which means bench behind table saw to act as outfeed support, and both rotated 90 degrees so that oufeed from the bench can get picked up by the craft bench.

#3.The outfeed support capacity got tested by ripping a 6' x 36" piece of plywood into 24" x 18" sections for my wall mount system. I got the idea for the wall mount system from BT3Central user DonHo, he is working out of a 10×12 shed. While my plans are for a larger shed, it's still a small space, and I needed to think 3D.
(The inspiration setup). I am simply planning on clamping my mount boards to my workbench when I need to use the specific tool. The tools being stacked are…
- Oscillating Spindle / Belt sander.
- Bench Top Jointer.
- 13" planer.
- 6" Bench Grinder / Sharpening station.

I had SERIOUSLY considered racking my compound miter saw, but use it too often to want to rack and unrack it all the time…

So far the rack is in place, just simple Rubbermaid closet system, not sure the nomenclature here, but brackets and rails. The part that mounts to the wall, and the part that clicks in and supports the shelf… The tools are all mounted on 24" b 18" 3/4 sheathing grade plywood (I had it already)

The planer and bench grinder are all that is left to dismount from where they are, and mount to where they will go… At that point, I disassemble the HF mobile base, and tool stands and see if I can sell them to somebody that needs them more than me…

Well, time to remove the sawdust, sweat, and whatever else is stuck to me, and get a good night's sleep before I get after it all over again…
 
#30 ·
Got the tool stacking system in place.

Simply put, I took sheathing grade ply, cut it into 18×24" panels, drilled holes and counterbores for mounting hardware for my bench top tools, and mounted that all up on Rubbermaid adjustable closet shelf hardware… The panels are sized so that I can simply clamp them down to my workbench and get to work, which is awfully handy since that is where the dust collector is plumbed near…



Now to dismount the old mounting boards from the tool stands, and get ready to throw them on Craigslist…

Oh and FWIW, the shelves are level, my garage door tracks lean toward the back…
 
#36 ·
Mail ordering shop projects...

Anyone that has tensioned and de-tensioned the blade on a Harbor Freight, or Ridgid 14" band saw has had the experience of trying to turn the tension knob while it is right next to the back side of the upper wheel guard. Not much of a problem for someone with dainty hands, but if you are built with beefy paws like some of us… getting the knob turned while trying to keep from trapping your fingers between the knob and the wheel guard.

While there are aftermarket products, specifically the Carter Accuright Ratchet Rod, that replaces the OEM tension rod, knob, and nut assembly with a taller assembly, there are other factors to consider…

Like what do you do when you set your band saw tension and like it right there, and want to be able to quickly and easily get to and from the tension you set?

Carter again has a solution to the problem in the form of the Carter Quick Release Bandsaw Tension Toggle…

Now at $49.00 and $179.00 respectively, a prudent shopper might notice that the cost of these two upgrades is reaching the cost of a Central Machinery 14" Band Saw when you hit the sales and coupons just right…

What other options are there?

Have you noticed that the majority of the 14" band saws are almost identical, at least frame / table wise? Well this is far from coincidental… And while not intended for this purpose, the fine folks at Grizzly offer the replacement components to build the entire tension / lever assembly which can, with some very rudimentary mechanical ability, be adapted to the Central Machinery 32208 bandsaw…


The necessary parts for my conversion have been ordered, and will be installed when they come in…

The items ordered were…

Part#, Quantity, Description
P0555033A 1 Blade Adj. Screw Assy 7"
P0555133 1 Lever Rod
P0555135 1 Bushing
P0555137 1 Bracket
P0555140 2 Support Plate
P0555141 1 Fixed Base

Parts to be sourced from my local Ace Hardware are…
QTY, Description
2) 5/16-18 bolts 1 1/2"
2) 5/15-18 bolts 3/4"
1) 5/16-18 button cap screw 3/4"
7) 5/16 flat washers
2) 5/16 lock washers
2) 5/16-18 nylon locking nuts
1) 10 mm flat washer or what ever fits

I would suggest though that if you do not already have a tap & die set, steer clear of the ones Harbor Freight sells. Tap & Dies sets are pretty useless when they cannot cut metal…

Tools you will need for the conversion.
#1. Center Punch.
#2. Hammer to drive center punch.
#3. 17/64" Ti twist drill bit
#4. Accurate measuring device. Tape, ruler, caliper, whatever…
#5. Fine Point Sharpie.
#6. Hand held power drill.
#7. Safety Glasses.
#8. 5/16-18 tap & tap handle.
#9. 3/8" drive ratchet.
#10. 1/2" 3/8" drive socket.
#11. #2 Phillips head screwdriver.

The project procedure I will be going through is documented in this photo album / slide show…

Wish me luck! The results should be pretty cool…

What can I say? I'm really a Hot Rodder at heart…
 
#38 ·
More storage improvements.

I have had a reasonably busy weekend of restructuring my storage in the garage workshop. I am finally getting around to removing the mistakes I made a couple of years ago by purchasing some very LIGHT duty undersized storage shelves with a usable shelf size of 12" deep x 24" wide. These are being replaced slowly but surely by a heavy duty (as much as common plastic shelving can be) "24" deep x 36 wide shelving units from Lowes.

While both units appear to be made of ABS plastic, there is a readily apparent difference in the thickness of the plastic in use. The new ones are substantially thicker, with molded in ribbing for stiffening. The support columns are substantially thicker, and the completed assembly is noticably sturdier.

Aside from removal of rickety storage units, the bigger part of the reason behind this was to have a more efficient system for storing my stuff. I have so far tranferred the contents of all 5 shelves of my first unit, and am taking up only 2 of the 5 shelves on the new unit. I have a total of 5 shelving units to replace. I figure 2 of these will do the trick…

The organization kick is partially due to wanting to get my camping gear out of the garage and into totes up in the attic (mostly toted up now) AND to better organize lawn & garden while it is in the garage…

I hope and pray I am making progress, because right now, I can't even see the top of the table saw, or either workbench…
 
#41 ·
Quite well… Yeah, I got the message. Haven't had much time to look into the link you sent though…

Plastic was chosen due to cost factors… I do plan on wood in other areas though…
 
#42 ·
Being there for one of my best friends... I NEED TO VENT. NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED!!!

I sat in my shop, more or less leaning on the bench, kind of staring at the mess, and the equipment, not really getting anything done…

I had just gotten off the phone with one of my best friends from high school. The guy that was the best man at my wedding, and has been there for me through thick and thin… And I'd like to think I have been likewise… But the news last night was a bit much to take. I am pretty sure I sounded like a fool on the phone, but what can you say?

This friend was one of the guys I was in high school wood shop with. I remember the Oak kitchen table he built way back when, out of white oak and oak veneer ply. It was gorgeous.

This friend lived across the street from me back in my home town through Junior High and High School, to say the least, we knew the family, and we knew his dad was a violent man. Never fully able to blend back in with society after coming back from Vietnam.

There was a history there, going back as long as I can remember, of violence, death threats etc… That led to the divorce of this friends parents, and several slap on the wrist prison terms (less than a year at a time) for the father. To say the city, county, and state had to have a dedicated file cabinet or two just for his files is probably an understatement. There is NO WAY that they can claim they didn't see this coming. We all did…

About 10 years ago, the dad in question threatened a small town grocery store checker with a kitchen knife, and was interred into the state mental hospital, and granted 100% disability for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Now I am no psychotherapist or qualified to make a medical judgement in any way, shape or form, but my spider senses detect pure Barbara Streisand on that one… The history of violent behavior, and run ins with the law for things like assault and battery predate his military service.

Now my friend, when he found his dad was to be released from the state mental hospital earlier this yearl, well he had gotten married, and had children of his own during the time his father was in the mental hospital, had a mortgage on a nice home, had a nice car for his wife, and was driving his dream car. He was living the middle class dream. Well to protect his family, has walked away from that mortgage, that home, those cars, etc… and is now in hiding.

His younger brother has literally tried disappearing into the woods, living in a small trailer, and working cash jobs so he can "stay off the grid" to stay away from Psycho dad…. His sister has married, and moved quite far away, and remains out of sight for good reason… While still in high school, this same younger brother, after taking a particularly vicious beating from the hands of his father had been arrested, tried, and acquitted of attempting to solicit murder to finally rid the family of the long standing violence of this man. I am NOT saying that choice was right, but you must understand, the police, the courts, the state did NOTHING to stop this man from physically, and mentally abusing his family for DECADES. This was the desperate act, of a desperate young man that got tired of pleading for help and being ignored by those with power and authority.

So now that the history of fear and violence has been laid out for you…

Toward late July, my friend's dad came back into town, and assaulted his ex wife, my friend's mom (one of countless arrests for this…), he was arrested, and she went into hiding… The local police QUICKLY released him from jail.

Then two weeks later

An elderly woman, wheelchair bound, and stricken with Parkinsons disease, the best friend of my best friend's mother was found dead in her apartment in my home town. Bludgeoned to death with a ball peen hammer. She was found by a cable repairman who had actually been let into the wrong apartment by the apartment management. Police have tied blood, DNA, and fingerprint evidence to my friends father. Including the murder weapon. He has been arraigned on charges of aggravated murder.

I know this has to bring a LOT of emotional baggage up for my friend and his family. I am not sure how I can be the most supportive friend I can be. Should I express my anger at the city police that repeatedly failed to protect the citizens? The courts? The State? The Veterans Administration?

As much shock as has been expressed to the incompetent news media in that small town, nobody that knows the family is shocked at all. Disgusted that the state would let such a known violent man back out of the mental hospital,

So now, here I sit, the next day, not really able to work, or think of much at all, I want to cry for that old woman's family, but I cannot. I am simply too angry to cry… I am tired of my home town, well actually, my home state coming off looking like Hazard County when it comes to law enforcement, and protection of the citizens. What's worse is that I am almost afraid I might recieve a subpeona to appear before a court halfway across the country. I would LOVE to cooperate with the state and get this man off the streets, and away from where he can do any harm, but I have no faith that the particular state is actually compentent to do the right thing… Decades of experience tell me that.

I wish that he lived closer, not that I want to be any closer to his maniac dad than I am, but rather, offer up some shop time for him to get his mind on something other than that situation…

Thanks for understanding folks, I just needed to vent. I hope and pray I didn't violate any LJ rules. Wasn't my intention. Just sometimes you need to vent you know?
 
#43 ·
That story is just so shocking and painful on so many levels. I wish your friend and his family peace, luck, health, and safety.

Quite often (do as I say … not as I do, here), the best thing a person can do to help, in a situation like this, is just to listen.

Best of luck … with … your involvement in this … and with its effects on you.
 
#61 ·
Coming clean sure is dirty work! or. A little pictoral evidence for Jim..

Jim from Anchorage, you asked for photographic evidence of the mess, and what the heck. I'm not too proud… So this is what a shop looks like when you tear it from end to end to reorganize it, and are only about a quarter of the way through the project… (And I needed something to lighten up my day a bit!)


The current view from the entry door to the shop. Hey at least you can tell there is a workbench and a table saw in there, sort of…

Oh, the big green thing immediately above the workbench is my Pelican Excursion 146 DLX 14.5' plastic canoe. This thing is a beast. It handles great in the water, is danged near sink proof, but is a PAIN to portage!


The junk piled up on the drill press. No this is NOT the permanent location for this stuff!


The view from the roll up door point in. The big black thing is a New Braunfels Smoker Bandera Smoker. Char Broil has since bought out New Braunfels Smoker. IF you can find an NOS New Braunfels Bandera, GET IT. The Char Broil versions burn out and rust out too fast…


The new Heavy Duty 24 inch deep x 36 inch wide shelves. Lots of storage space, not a bunch of cash… Yes wood would certainly work, but adding up costs wasn't cost effective. I should have waited for these to go on sale though and bought 2 of them.


The row of old Plano shelves. These things are junque… Just because my Plano tackle boxes are well made does NOT mean all their stuff is worth a hoot…
 
#78 ·
Quality time with the trash can...

I have an evening free! What to do with it? (Oh sure, like that was ever in question!)...

The plan for tonight is to wheel the large things out that don't belong, and start trash bagging up the junk. Thing like empty bottles of Armor All, and who knows what… Hazardous waste gose to the hazardous waste collection center, and junk lumber such as unusable cutoffs, like that piece of kiln dried pine that just splits every time I look at it… go into a bundle, and out to the curb…

I would like to make more headway toward the back wall of the shop, I don't expect I will get very far though. The stack of fencing lumber slipped over, and has the wheelbarrow pinned against the old racks…

I also need to empty the bed of the truck out of the small branches and stuff I dug out of the bayou last Friday, cut them down to less than 4' bundle them, and put them at the curb…

I need this wet weather to dry up for about two weeks. I need to get back into the Bayou when it is dry so I can finish getting the hurricane Ike debris out of the bayou, dig out the old fence posts, and burn off the stumps that are along the fence line.

I tried using Stump Out, but the stupid stumps are sending shoots out and trying to grow new trunks. This has GOT to end. And getting a stump grinder back there is next to impossible… The truck is hard enough, I hate sidehilling at that steep of an angle. Sure am glad I have fuel injection instead of a carburetor though.

If I make decent enough progress, you WILL get some pics later on…
 
#79 ·
A quick tip on those stumps. Mix up a 50/50 mix of Arsenal and Roundup/glyphosphate. Make sure you get the higher percentage stuff, not the 1% homeowner stuff. Take an axe or hatchet and chop through the bark in an area of the stump where it is till alive, and then squirt the mixture on the bared live wood. Should take care of those stump sprouts for you. Stump Out only works on dead wood.
 
#84 ·
Getting nothing done at all... Frustrating night...

Between LOML calling and keeping me on the phone. (She was at the hospital with her brother, long story, nothing to panic about though…) and my work phone paging me all night long over stuff that didn't have to do with me… I never got the chance to get out into the shop last night for more than 5 minutes.

I did manage to dig out 4 boxes of tiles that don't match anything in my house that were sitting on one of the shelves. And about 4 gallons of Ace Bone White paint that is what I used when I painted the house interior 6 years ago… Pre LOML… We are going with a completely different theme for the house, and that bone white is NOT on the color chart we are using. I have a friend of mine that is, uh, financially far worse off than I, that rents, and has a fix nothing landlord. I may donate the paint to her so she can redo her living room / bedroom. The tiles are going to go to Habitat for Humanity as a donation. They probably won't use them in a project house, but at least get them to a Re-store and get some revenue for the program that way…

Now there are spray cans of stuff that was in the garage when I bought the house. Particularly a bunch of various colors of spray paint, primer, and all sorts of cleaners. Mixed in there with the ones I have gotten. (You can tell the paint I got vs. the paint the old owner had… He buys house brand paints, I tend toward brands I know, Krylon, Rustoleum, and most notably Duplicolor as I use it to color match accessories to my truck, and LOMLs car… The stuff the former owner had I have never even considered using. So the question is, how do I get rid of this? Is it hazardous waste that I need to take to the hazardous waste collection site, or can I just pitch it in the trash can?

Along with all that stuff, is 2 quart size bottles of charcoal lighter fluid that a friend of mine misguidedly gave me over the summer for a July 4th cookout we did. I do NOT use lighter fluid. (I have a charcoal chimney starter which works great and leaves no funny lighter fluid taste… ). I need to ask around to see if anyone locally needs it…

The parts from Grizzly for my band saw came in yesterday, but were not complete. There are two spacers, and two set screws that were missing that were allegedly part of the adjusting screw assembly. I had to order them again. I will give the full listing of parts and part #s when this is all over so that the next guy that wants to do this won't end up having to do multiple orders to get this done, save you some bucks on shipping charges…

Maybe I can put some of the junk on Freecycle and see if someone else needs it.
 
#85 ·
Good post…....it gives everyone a reminder that we all should do some sorting, throwing and general cleanup around the shop.
One thought on your comment about house brand paints….....a few years back, I took a part time job at Walmart. I was stocking shelves and happened to notice that the store brand paint was shipped in boxes marked Sherwin-Williams. So a house/store brand may be a name brand in disguise.
 
#89 ·
Still working on purging the shop of unneeded junk...

Last night wasn't super productive, but I did get some clearing out done.

The tally so far?

2.5 gallons of Ace Hardware Bone White interior semi gloss, 1.5 gallons of Walmart ColorPlace off white, 2 gallons of some god awful color the prior owner to my house had in the garage that must be at least 10 years old now… Nearly full bottles of DuPont Teflon car wash, car wax, and wheel cleaner (tried it, hated them…), almost empty bottle of Armor All Extreme Tire Shine, about 3 various bottles of wheel cleaners that simply did not work, a can of no touch tire & wheel cleaner, 8 cans of spray paint, 2 cans of stainless steel polish, 1 can of glass cleaner, and 2 boxes of tiles.

I also found a 1 gallon plastic bucket back in the corner that had various misc nails in it. This and a half empty 5 lb steel folgers can of various nails got merged into the folgers can. The plastic bucket was falling apart…

Now for the $64,000 question… Do I sort and keep the nails, or pitch them as most of them are rusted, many are bent, and are otherwise useless…

The stuff from the shelves that got purged out and pending pickup from a Freecycle user. If they don't go to them, I will see if my church needs or can use the stuff…

Next up is the cutoff bin, and, well floor where cutoffs have been landing since the bin is overflowing. Much of this is cut offs from pine 2×4s, and pine plywood, or project pieces done with pine that twisted really badly. I do not think this stuff would be all that useful, and am considering making sure the chunk size works right, and adding it to the burn pile for when I burn out the stumps in the back yard…

My Rockler bench accessories arrived yesterday. I am happy as a clam this stuff was cheap. The plastic bench dogs are a bit hokey, but appear to at least be functional. The hold downs are solid cast iron, one whack with a mallet and the test piece will NOT budge. I dragged my bench behind me testing this with just one hold fast. I have seen a few reviews of these and people say they break easily. I don't see how unless they are beating on them with a steel hammer instead of a mallet. The router mat is, well, just a simple rubber mat. The same stuff that they sell as shelf liner.

Today my wide table leg kit should arrive from Sears. I grabbed a leg kit from them for the 22811 (Sears branded Ryobi BT3000) the legs are compatible… My shop built ones made from scrap PT pine are twisting and keep throwing the table out of square…

Hopefully I can get this all squared away, and get the rest of the cleaning done soon. I am TIRED of working on cleanup and organization, I want to get some projects done…!
 
#90 ·
chunk the nails, I had the same thing and decided I had not used them for a loooooong while so I got rid of them I still have a pretty good amount stored. The rest sounds like you are making progress good luck. Mine comes in the spring.
 
#95 ·
Bye bye chicken legs!

Well they came! Sears item 22219 Wide Table Leg Kit for Craftsman model 22811 table saws. Now to refresh the memory of those that don't recall, the 22811 was a Ryobi BT3000 table saw, with a Craftsman label on the front, and a different hand wheel.

The leg kit is a functional match for the no longer available Ryobi accessory for my BT3100.

I do say functional as the leg kit is NOT a cosmetic match, as the BT3100 stand legs splay instead of take a trip straight down, and the paint is the more metallic gray of the BT3000 instead of the lighter gray, matte finish of the BT3100.

Assembly was a challenge as the package included NO INSTRUCTIONS WHATSOEVER. (Good job Sears!). A careful observation of where the holes are, the promo pic on the Sears website, and a healthy dose of mechanical aptitude allowed me to figure out how to assemble it, almost…

The adjuster foot bolts supplied did NOT thread smoothly into the threaded holes in the bottoms of the legs. Upon closer inspection, I found that the threaded holes in BOTH of the legs had LARGE burrs that should have been cleaned up by the quality control folks at either Sears or Ryobi before this got out the door. A tap, some threading oil and I was back in business.

With the threads chased, all went together, and adjusted up as expected. I attempted to test the fence for smooth operation, and found that it bound toward the end as it tended to do after my original legs started twisting on me. I took a closer look only to find that my housekeeping was the problem. It would appear that In sweeping up hand planer shavings to the floor, a good number of them ended up somehow finding their way into the rails of the fence. A quick pickup with the shop vac and it glides like new again…

The weather has finally cooled off. I have some free time, so out to the shop I go to get more done on the cleanup. Wish me luck folks!
 
#96 ·
By the way, I posted to http://lumberjocks.com/dbhost/blog/11270, where I missed the pictures of your mess for some reason. Jotted down some stuff re my canoeing days as well.

Glad you got the legs, and the fence problem cleared up. I have been fairly useless today, but I am building a mount for my Wixey digital caliper so that it can be used in jigs, such as for tuning, saw height, etc. Fussy, dainty work…for my old hands. It is a fun thing, rather than actually tuning my saw with my new blade in it. I'm a sucker for digital, then I can just read numbers instead of interpolating on the ruler. Lazy. Our weather is surprisingly warm, meaning 50 degrees today. Sherie was just noting that the leaves on the maples were actually going to turn all the way and fall off this year, instead of freezing in place kinda green….
 
#99 ·
Not much shop time this week. But a little bit of progress...

My big plans for my week got tossed to the curb between dealing with an unexpected cardiac surgery on my BIL, and work running rather late, I just haven't had much time in the shop. What evening I did have open to myself (tuesday) was hot and humid, (85 degrees 100% humidity, ICK!) so I did not WANT to be out there…

I did get 3 reasonable things done since Sunday though…

#1. Removed all the junk from on top of the table saw, and workbench and put it away. Considering the volume of "stuff" this was a major undertaking.
#2. Swapped the position on the tool stacker between the jointer, and the bench grinder. I did not like the jointer being at the top due to weight, and honestly, the bench grinder gets the least use of all of that stuff.
#3. Reinstalled the rubber feet onto the jointer. I do want to go to Ace Hardware and get some rubber spacers from their Hillman bins for this though. The threads on my bolts are about a full thread too short to not have to stack washers, and the rubber spacers should help act as isolators and keep vibration and noise down somewhat.

While not much of an accomplishment, I did give the jointer a test run clamped to the workbench as its work surface is oddly high when clamped to the top of the workbench. And while not ideal for a big production shop where the jointer is going to be used all day long, for occasional use this is fine. No odd stretching or anything like that, and the switch is much easier to get to this way…

Not sure if I have mentioned it or not, but the Ridgid Wet / Dry vac and Thien cyclone for the shop vac have been moved under the extension wing of the table saw. I did that as a space saver for the shop. It uses otherwise dead floor space, and buys me back floor space to get to the HF DC and Craftsman mechanics tool box. This is a good thing.

The wood for the "Cyclone stacker" is being reclaimed. The ply is going back on my stack of sheet material cutoffs, the 2×4 sections have already been measured, three or four times, and marked at 29.25", I will probably get around to cutting them off this weekend. The concept is to build a 30" tall riser stand for the DC, this will pick up the inlet point to eliminate, or at least minimize the bend, and hose from the DC to the Thien Cyclone. The space underneath is slated for a horizontal tank air compressor. I have been eyeballing one from HF on sale, but have not jumped on it as it is an oilless model. Space, capacity, and price all fit, but the noise factor, as well as durability of an oilless are problematic. The specific model I am interested in has an exact match from Northern Tool as well, both the HF and Northern tool versions have a good reputation. IF my local HF has one in stock, (and I either have the coupon in my email tonight, or can get one from a mag) I will pick one up this weekend along with 50' of Goodyear hose, a pin nailer, and a brad nailer. (I already have an HF framing nailer and more couplers than I can shake several sticks at…). The compressor will be a nice addition. Beyond driving the woodworking nailers and such, I have been wanting one for running my air ratchet, impact wrench, die grinder, and being a 4×4 owner, some really BIG tires on my pickup.
 
#100 ·
Think longingly about compressed air in the shop, but that is on the long list. Perhaps after I get a bunch of other organizational things done. Right now, I have an old peanut size compressor a Coleman VP201 2 gallon used exclusively for filling tires. I didn't know the bit about oilless (mine is oilless), but then it is only turned on about 3 or 4 times a year. I never intended it for anything other than filling tires, especially on the motorhome when I had that. I use a Craftsman electric impact wrench for the wheels on the cars, had it over 10 years, very practicle. I'll watch your air adventures with interest.

I have been thinking about how to mount the jointer, planer, scroll saw etc. I think I want one or two mobile cabinets with closed in storage, and designed to temporarily mount those tools, and perhaps others. I guess I am now thinking about the long term organization and development of the shop. Perhaps more about that this weekend.
 
#103 ·
Starting to be an air head...

Okay I know, cheesy title for saying. Woo Hoo I finally got a compressor!

The piles, and piles of other stuff in the way are dwindling, and the dust collection is up and working quite nicely.

This is actually my Wife's fault. She wanted to go to Big Lots, and has been after me to replace the Arrow electric brad nailer for a while now. A little background before I confuse you to death…

I have an Arrow ET200 electric brad nail gun, and it, well sort of drives brads. What exactly do I mean by sort of? Welll…

When driving 1-1/4" brads into SYP, it leaves the brad 1/4" proud of the surface. Requiring me to drive the brad home with a hammer.

Now Arrow Tech support says this is due to insufficient power supply, but I am running it off of a 20 amp circuit, with no other load, and have no problems with any other power tools I run off this circuit…

Read the Amazon reviews for this thing. I am FAR from the only person that has had a lousy experience with this thing.

A pity really… Arrow used to make nice stuff…

Anyway, I digress… So LOML notices, and asks me why it was doing that, and then she asks me the inevitable questions…

#1. What good is it if it doesn't work right?
#2. What would it take to get something that would work right?
#3. What are you waiting for?

So I did my research, and even though I would LOVE to have a huge compressor, with tons of CFM, a big motor, big pump, and big tank. I simply do not have the room. I need something that is space efficient.

After reading the reviews, and seeing that the model I chose is identical to well reviewed Northern Industrial, and Campbell Hausfield models, I selected a Central Pneumatic #40400 2HP 8 Gallon oil lubed compressor, 50' Goodyear hose, HF disconnect sets, and a HF #66872 16 Gauge Air Finish Nailer.

Setting up the compressor was a bit of an unexpected challenge as the axle bolts used allen head bolts, with a 3/8" allen head. While I happen to have that size, it was on a strip of sockets, not in my combo allen wrench thingy… Wasn't expecting that…

Typical of Harbor Freight. Assembly instructions were horrible. and typical of this model and its clones, filling the oil resevoir was a challenge due to the location of the handle. A long spout funnel, along the lines of what are used to put transmission fluid in cars was what I was finally able to use to fill this, but it did not go it without putting compressor oil on the floor. (since cleaned up with some CRC Brakleen.)

First run of the compressor went exactly as expected, until I powered it off, and went to drain the tank… The stupid petcock would NOT unscrew… Until I figured out another undocumented feature of this compressor. The petcock works backwards. It WAS all the way out, and sealed. It screws IN to open the port and drain the tank… Once that oddity was figured out, the tank drained, and we waited for a few minutes.

The next step was to set up the hose…

I bought a 1/2" Goodyear hose. Mostly because it is what I am used to dealing with. Well that would appear to be too big for this setup. 3/8" is what I should have gotten. So the thread sizes on the fittings were too big. A trip to Home Depot fixed that. Yes I will grab the right size hose, but for now this works…

Now the first female thread x barb fitting did NOT want to seat all the way down in the quick coupler. I tried all the others, just that one… Good thing I had about 3 extras in my toolbox… So now the hose, compressor, and air tools plug and unplug quickly…

A drop or two of air tool oil down the fitting of each tool prior to test running them, run the compressor up to pressure, and get after testing the air tools…

HF Brad Nailer. Check.
Ingersoll Rand air hammer. Check.
Blue Point die grinder. Check.
Blue Point Air Ratchet, Check.
Blue Point 1/2" impact wrench. Check.

Tire chuck set up for this compressor too!

Now aside from brad nailing some scrap rough cedar 1×2 to a scrap 4×4, I have actually done something useful… Reinflated my flat basketball… Of course this reminded me of WHY the ball got flat in the first place. I stink at basketball…

LOML already knows I am planning on a pin nailer, and framing nailer for upcoming projects.

I know she will be ecstatic at the use of the framing nailer when I put the fence back up…
 
#109 ·
My head hurts for good reason...

So last night, I took one of my bowl blanks, I believe this stuff is Camphor due to the smell (it smells like Vicks), but I wouldn't testify to that in court. The wood came from a tree that had been storm fall from Hurricane Ike last year. So anyway…

Like I said I took one of my bowl blanks, about 6" in diameter, and mounted it to the face plate, roughed it out, and created the tenon on the bottom of the blank. Removed it from the face plate, and mounted it on my chuck…

About 1 minute into working the inside with the bowl gouge, I heard it…

It was sort of a shhhh shhhhh shhhh ckckckckckck sort of sound. Now I was turning somewhat slow, maybe 600rpm or so… but it seemed to happen so fast, for just a fraction of a second, the tool seemed to get MUCH louder on the blank, and then SNAP!

The blank came off of the chuck with a pretty good deal of force, barely skimming over the top of the face shield, and with whatever it was on there that was sharp grazing my scalp and giving me a nice 2 inch long scratch and bruise on the top of my head… It did manage to draw a bit of blood, but nothing terrible…

Upon looking at the chuck, the tenon was still firmly in the chuck, the dumb thing simply sheared off…

To make things worse, when it hit the floor, the blank split into 4 different pieces…

This is not the first time a blank from this log has done this to me. I think for my skull sake, I am going to get rid of this stupid thing and move on to the walnut I have waiting for me…

Maybe I will saw this thing into planks, empty my dust bin, and run this stuff through the planer. I bet the shavings would be great in a potpourri warmer…
 
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