Then a light bulb went on….

I had a 4” x 90° elbow in my collection of dust collector pieces. All that was needed was a method of mating the Dewalt port to the elbow. A piece of wood should work fine.

Starting with a piece of 2x material paper glued to a faceplate on the lathe..

Turn the outside diameter to fit the inside of the elbow and the center to fit over the Dewalt chip port.

Drill the spring button hole and cut the capture pin track…

Separate the piece from the faceplate, at the paper joint…

Cleanup the inside at the oscillating spindle sander and do a little modification to prevent the piece from pressing against the planers plastic housing and attach the elbow to the wooded bushing with some short screws..

Works great. Out of pocket costs $0.00!

Now what can I do with that old bungee cord?!?

Thanks for looking!!

For the astute observer, you will notice the addition of the broom like door sweeps to both sides of the dust hood. It seems to work but I’m not sure how much more effective it is.

Also, the addition of the wheels up/down mechanism was completely unnecessary. After using the sander for several hours, old observant me noticed the wheels were locked in the down position. The sander had not budged, even a little. Oh, Well.

There is one more modification to make. The bracket that adjusts the table to be parallel with the drum is adjusted by loosening the nuts and shifting the bracket. More precise movement could be obtained by using adjusting screws. The idea is in my head, now to just get it to materialize. More on this when it happens.

Thanks everyone for all of the kind words and positive comments. They are truly appreciated.

Lew

Had the ½” plywood from another project. This is just a simple box. I wanted some way to hold it in place and be able to remove it without tools. Made two brackets from 1” aluminum angle “iron” to catch one side and some button magnets for the other side. Dust collection is a 2 ½” angled port that connects into the collection system.

The box sits on the frame and slides into place. The hold down is a large head screw.

Had to buy a few more magnets and the dust collection port.

Well, that’s pretty much it! Thanks for wading through my ramblings. If you have any questions, suggestion, criticisms, or need information, just let me know. Also, if you know of some other neat sites for building these, please add them to the comments to help anyone else get some ideas.

Thanks,
Lew

The first thing was when Mimi passed by and said, “it’s nice but where are you going to put it”? Anyone who has been in the shop knows you need a road map and a course in choreography to get around all of the stuff crammed in there. OK, we are gonna need some wheels to move this thing out of the way.

Only two wheels were needed, as the unit is not very heavy. Mounting them was simply a lag bolt and washer. A 16d nail through a hole in each one provides the locking mechanism to keep the wheels down when moving the unit. The wheels came from a salvaged skateboard. They were originally destined to become a lathe steady rest. (Note to self- find another skateboard for the steady rest.)

Another change was the addition of a “handle” to the adjustment wheel. It is more of a visual indicator and lever than a handle. Turning the large knob, against the spring pressure, is a little difficult. The handle/lever adds a little more surface to grip and provides a better indication of how much the knob is turned.

The final modification is the paper end hold-downs. The original ones were small blocks of maple. A screw pulled the blocks into recesses cut in the wooden end caps of the drum. They work fine but the wood blocks seems to cut into the paper, almost tearing it. My thought is to replace the wood with another material. Something firm enough to hold the paper but yet soft enough to expand, from screw pressure, into the recess. Like one of those thermos stoppers with the lever. The material shown is a firm foam rubber block cut from a toy golf ball- still open for ideas here.

Didn’t have to buy anything!! Love it!

The first step was to clean the PVC drum; started with mineral spirits then denatured alcohol. Next, carefully wrap the hook material, press it down, and allow it to “rest” overnight to get maximum adhesion.

The above pictures also show the cross members added to the bottom of the frame- for stability; also, another view of the table’s rear support/adjustment bracket as well as the screws holding the table front to the height adjustment.

Next, wrap the paper- this is 40 grit. Anchor BOTH ends. We have dust!

All day, I had been working from the rear of the sander. When it came time for the live fire test, I had anchored what I thought to be the leading edge of the paper- Wrong! As soon as the drum got some speed, the paper lifted and re-wrapped backwards around the drum. Fortunately, it did not tear but it did knock off some of the grit. (Note to self- anchor both ends.)

Had to buy the hook and loop system.

The hinge is then screwed to a mounting/adjusting bracket that fits between the two sides of the frame. A slotted hole in each side of the bracket allows for vertical adjustments to assure the table is parallel to the drum. Although not shown, the backs of the slotted piece are covered with PSA sand paper to help prevent slipping during adjustment. The bolts are tightened securely once the table/drum alignment is achieved.

The opposite end of the table (front of the sander) in screwed to the top of the lift mechanism with countersunk screws.

Had to buy 2 carriage bolts and nuts.

I was afraid that the soft pine might crush enough to allow the bolts to spin during tightening. Once everything was dry fitted, the bolt heads were Gorilla Glued to help prevent them from spinning.

Finally, the aluminum plates are placed in position- ready for the drum to be bolted down.

The motor is mounted to a piece of 3/4 “ plywood. The plywood is fastened to the frame using small “barn style” hinges at one end of the plywood. The weight of the motor creates the tension on the belt/pulley system. I routed slots for the motor mounting bolts in order to be able to adjust the motor side to side to align the belt/pulley.

Had to buy 4 carriage bolts and nuts

To increase the structural integrity, two 2×4 cross members were added at the bottom of the front and back of the frame. You will be able to see them in a later section.

Had to buy the 2 x materials.

Originally, the plan was to use a small star knob. However, it was difficult to determine how much adjustment was achieved from a slight rotation. The oversized knob makes it easier to see even the slightest advance. As it turns out, a full turn raises the table very close to 1/16”.

Had to buy the all-thread and the screen door spring.

The next part will be about the framing.

With some anxiousness, power was applied. Holy Cow, It Worked!!

The pulley ratio is about 1:1.5- the drum being larger- so the speed of the drum is slightly more than 1000 RPMs.
I hear everyone talking about the “Nickel Test” so what the heck-

There is belt vibration but some of that should be eliminated when the motor is mounted properly. But the nickel stood on edge!!

Next, the table lifting mechanism. Talk about overkill!!

Glued up some oak scraps and began turning the end cap, pulley end and center supports.

The process is the same for the end block, pulley block and center supports. The center supports were sliced from a single turning.
Turn a blank to a slightly larger diameter than the PVC. Turn a tenon on one end to permit the use of a chuck.

Remount the blank with the tenon in a chuck.

Drill the blank to fit the center axle.

Remove the drill bit/Jacobs chuck and remount the live center. Advance the live center into the axle hole. Check to make sure the blank spins true. The first end cap turned out to be slightly misaligned. I didn’t see it until testing the drum and motor combination. Fortunately, it wasn’t too difficult to disassemble the drum and make a new end cap. Place a piece of cut off PVC over the Live Center. This will be used to test for the correct diameter as the blank is turned.

Turn the blank to the inside diameter of the PVC, testing for a snug fit. I left about 1 ½ “ long shoulder- turned to the PVC’s outside diameter- on the End Cap piece.

The center supports are snug fit piece that was sliced in half.

The pulley end is turned in the same fashion as the end cap. The only real difference is that the “shoulder” is longer to accommodate the integral pulley. In addition, the tenon, used by the chuck, is left in place to allow a spring pin to capture the axle.

The PVC is cut to length and the wooden pieces fitted into place. Mark the locations of the center supports and the end pieces. These will have screws to capture the PVC to the wood, later.

Drill and countersink the PVC for screws. I wasn’t sure how these would affect the balance so I evenly spaced the screw lengthwise and at 90 degrees around the circumference. Also, not being a plumber, I did not realize that 3” PVC is not solid (at least what I had). Mine was a foam core type. It seems to be working OK, however. Just had to be careful not to press hard on the countersink!

Once the PVC is secured and everything is positioned, drill a hole in the pulley end tenon to accept a spring pin. This hole is drilled completely through the axle and tenon. I wanted to be certain that if something broke the spring pin could be driven back out.

So far, I had to buy the pillow block bearings and the spring pin.

A message from the CEO of Highland Woodworking

While we make every effort to please every customer who chooses to do business with us, unfortunately we don’t always succeed, even though pleasing our customers has been our greatest source of satisfaction for over 30 years.
The Internet has dramatically changed the way people shop, and the way merchants peddle their wares. Information can now travel at the speed of light.
So why am I bringing this up now?
It’s in response to the frustration I feel when we don’t click with a customer, and then for some reason, nothing we’re able to do seems to rectify the situation to everyone’s satisfaction. That happened to us this week. You can read it about it here in the Google Places review dated August 10, 2011.
Online reviews of businesses and their products are a truly great resource for helping people choose what to buy and where to buy it. Sometimes though the picture gets distorted because it’s often only the unhappy customer who takes the time to express their feelings and describe their experience in a review.
We’re particularly troubled by the impression people may get when they first read that August 10 review, even though I have placed a response to it online. We would love for our reviews on Google Places (and elsewhere) to actually reflect how most people feel about Highland Woodworking.
If you would care to weigh in with your own impressions of the quality of our tools and the helpfulness of our sales staff, I invite you to click here and take a moment to write a short review based on your own experience.
Please know that we appreciate the support of all the customers who have enabled us to continually grow our business since 1978, and we always welcome and appreciate your feedback.
Sincerely,
Chris Bagby, owner and founder
Highland Hardware, Inc.

highlandwoodworking.com

If I am wrong in posting this, Martin, please delete the post.

Lew

Well here’s my answer to the problem-

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This is nothing more than a old U-bolt (1/4×20 thread) with one leg cut off. Bent to form a right angle then heated and flattened to fit the blast gate slots. It could have been ground flat but fire was more fun. The end was ground to a rounded point to get into the corners of the tracks. The handle was made from a piece of Sapele from member “Karson”. Drilled a hole with a #7 bit, turned/sanded the handle on the lathe then just threaded the bolt into the hole letting the bolt threads cut their way into the wood.
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The length of the “blade” is long enough to reach into the corners of the tracks.
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And the lanyard- that’s in I get clumsy and drop the tool. At least I won’t have to tear apart the hoses to find it.

Thanks for looking!

Lew

Emma wanted something to match her stunning outfit so a laminated blank of cherry, maple and walnut was glued up.
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After mounting in the lathe, a hole is drilled to accept the threaded insert. As per the instructions, this is a 15/32” brad point bit. The hole is about an inch deep.
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The tailstock is repositioned to hold the piece securely and a circle drawn to indicate the smallest end circumference to accommodate the cutter.
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The blank is rounded and the rough diameter turned.
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Beginning the shape-, Emmy said it reminded her of herself but her head was too big.
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I have a love-hate relationship with the skew chisel. You know when you have it just, almost, nearly there- just one more shaving and BAM!! The skew has created more diameter/design changes than I care to admit.
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Sanded and burnished ready for trimming.
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The instructions provided detail how to install the threaded insert. A cut off bolt and some threaded nuts create a “mandrel”. The insert is threaded onto the bolt and the bolt is chucked into the drill press. The drill press assures the insert is threaded straight into the pre-drilled hole. DO NOT TURN ON THE DRILL PRESS. Turn the drill chuck by hand while “winding” the quill down- applying moderate pressure the engage the insert threads into the wood.
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On the first attempt at installing the insert there was one problem, however, and it was probably my fault. During the insert installation, the first handle split. The split occurred on a glue line so I suspect the joint was not glued properly. In addition, what I failed to notice was that the threaded insert is tapered on the outside.
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On the second handle, I took some extra precautions- just in case. A cushioned hose clamp relieved the pressures created by the tapered insert. Also once the insert was started, using the allen wrench included in the kit, and the technique for tapping a hole in metal; thread in a little, back out a little; the operation was completed without a problem.
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As we speak, Emma is in search of a rogue pizza. I pity him when she finds him.

Emma’s weapon can be obtained from Rockler

Emma and I thank you for looking!

Lew

The Trim Jig is one of those examples. It now hangs, useless, along with so many other jigs that I have abandoned for a better way. Trimming the glued up inserts is easier, faster and less hassle if done on the band saw. No jig is require and the table saw blade height does not have to be changed between operations- not having to readjust the blade is a big plus if you are as forgetful as me. A 1/4” to 3/8” fine tooth band saw blade will slide along the square blank and trim off the excess insert material.

Some of you enjoy sanding. Sadly, I do not. In the past, sanding these pins was done on the lathe using sheet paper. This time I used my random orbital sander while the pins were spinning on the lathe. Much more efficient and none of those irritating little sanding line that only show up AFTER you apply the finish. Here is a picture of the last batch-

Thanks for looking! Comments, compliments and complaints are always welcome!

Lew

All of the parts cut and ready to assemble. The completed unit measured about 23” x 27”. It’s an odd size because I started with the peg board I had and engineered backwards.

The bottom slants towards the center, to aid with dust collection. This is the center “rail” that accepts the two bottom pieces

The side meets the end with a rabbet. The sides and ends are rabbeted to accept the peg board top. A dado is used to accept the bottom pieces.

The unit is assembled with dry wall screws and silicon caulk to create an air tight seal

Bottom assembled

Baffles installed using wood glue, dry wall screws and brads (on the bottom)

Closer view of the baffles. These will help direct dust/air as well as support the peg board top.

Peg board installed and dust collection port in place. The scrap piece of peg board wasn’t large enough to cover completely so there is a seam in the middle. The seam straddles the baffles, it has good support. Also, the baffles were spaced to be located in such a manner as not to block any holes. This was previously used peg board- as can be seen by the minor defect near the center. The peg board is fastened with a few counter sunk finishing nails.

Bottom view. Shows the slopping bottom panels.

The only thing I need to do, yet, is find some of the rubber shelving liners- the kind that looks like expanded metal screen- to cover the top. I think this will reduce the slipping while not blocking the air flow.

I connect this to my large dust collector thru a 2 1/2” hose into a larger 4” hose. There is enough suction to hold a piece of notebook paper in place even when turned upside down.

Thanks for looking,

Lew

Back in the early spring of this year, I had the very great pleasure of meeting the Mason Dixon Wood Working Club. We got together to learn how to make these Celtic Knot rolling pins.

During the workshop session, LJ Karson suggested that it would be easier, and less wasteful, to make a saw kerf for only the walnut strips and leave the original maple center strip untouched. My original construction process was to plow out enough material to inlay 3 strips- 2 walnut sandwiching 1 maple. Well I made up the blanks and they sat for sometime. Only recently could I get a minute here and there to turn them.

When I started on a blank, using Karson’s idea, i got an unexpected surprise! The Celtic Knot had a very different appearance.
Karson’s suggestion—

The crossing sections now had “diamond” shaped sections as compared to the earlier design where the crossings had a more complete look.
Original Knot—

I can’t decide which I prefer. What do you all think?

Thanks for looking and any suggestions.

Lew

Thanks for looking-

Cecil D. DeMille (AKA—Lew)

Top of jig- hold down clamps, handle, and cutout. The cutout is the main new part to this jig. Previously I was using my tapering jig. The problem I encountered was that if the trimming process was not perfectly flush with the pin blank during the first trimming operation, then the blank would not clamp flat during the next set of trimmings. Because the blank doesn’t have to be perfect at this point, I changed the jig so the blank is only supported on the ends during all trimming processes. This eliminated the problem.

Bottom of jig- I used a miter slot runner on this jig, that way I don’t have to bother with the rip fence as I did with my taper jig.

Close up of the thin pieces that create the knot. I make the thin strips the same width as the pin blank. During the cutting/assembly process, the diagonal slot, for these strips, is cut in the blank but NOT all the way thru. The cut leaves about 1/16” of the blank in tack. This maintains the knots orientation evenly around the blank. The strips stick up a little because of the little part that’s not cut. I guess I could be more accurate but not every pin blank ends up exactly 2” square so I don’t take any chances.

The blank on the jig: When I made the jig, I made it wide and trimmed it on the saw. The saw blade will trim the blank flush with the edge of the jig. So aligning the blank with the edge of the jig trims everything pretty flush.

Close up of one end of the strips ready to be cut.

If anyone has questions, comments or an idea how this could be done any other way, I’m open for new ideas!

Lew

This is the spacer strip used to reposition the blanks for the second cut. The spacer goes between the blank and the fence.

This shows the blank seated against the rear stop and the blank is labeled to assure it is not reversed during the various cutting operations.

I found it easier to glue if I oriented the blank with the diagonal cut facing up. I use an old restaurant cutting board as a gluing work surface and pieces of the cutting board as culls and pads. In this picture, you can see the three strips to be glued into place. They measure 2” x 10 3/4” x 1/8”. Test fit the pieces first to make sure they will seat into the slot.

On my first attempt, I didn’t use enough clamps- using more clamps and culls assured that all of the joints were tight. I probably overdid it with the amount of glue. A liberal coat over all mating surfaces.

Clamped up

After the glue has dried and the clamps removed, the blank is ready for trimming.

I put the blank on my tapering jig and set it for no taper. The jig is used to hold the piece to trim off the excess material. This assures the piece will sit flat for the next diagonal cutting operation.

Trim the blank, rotate and re-clamp

Trim, rotate an trim again.

At this point it is a good idea to “sweeten up” the layout lines, if the trimming operation removed them.

Now it is just a matter of re-mounting the blank on the diagonal cutting jig and repeating the operations for making the second diagonal slot.

The diagonal slots, glue ups and trimming operations are the same for each of the remaining three sides.

Word of caution here- if you have to change the blade height during the trimming operation, be certain to reset it before the diagonal slot cutting operation!

After the four sides are cut, glued and trimmed.

On the lathe, ready to be turned.

The final dimensions on this rolling pin were: 20” long; diameter at the center: 1 9/16”; diameter at the ends : 1 1/4”. I have tried two types of tapers. One started at the center and continued to the ends. The other starts at the ends of the ellipses and continues to the ends. Personal preferences will determine the tapers.

Again, thanks everyone for your encouragement and help in my quest to create this. I really could not have done it without your help!

Any questions, comments and criticisms are always welcome.

Lew