Several new shop improvements + an "oops" moment

This weekend has been crazy for me (annual weapon qualification for the PD – I shot 110 out of 120 :) ), but I still managed to get a fair amount of shop time in. My main goal over the next month or so is to completely revamp my shop and add a number of improvements.

Most of my work in the past has been with hand tools, but my wife bought me a new table saw and I quickly learned that dust collection was a must. Not having the extra cash for a dedicated DC, I picked up a mini dust separator and some hose to attach to my shop vac; works great. The difference is night and day. (picture 5)

I also needed to move my chop saw to an “out of the way” area. I pretty much only use it for home improvement type work and not my general wood working projects. I have a decent-sized area free underneath where my attic ladder lowers down from, but I can’t put anything there permanently. So, I used a sheet of 3/4” CDX to build a simple rolling cart / cabinet. Eventually, I’m going to build some fold-away side supports for cutting longer stock. The case joinery is tongue / dado or locking rabbet; not sure what the proper name for the joint is. The finish is barn red Old Fashioned Milk Paint. (picture 1)

I didn’t have a “proper” scrap bin in the past and my plywood cut offs were literally stacked / piled next to the front door of the shop. Finding anything in it was a real pain. So, I used some scrap 1/2” CDX to make a simple scrap bin; simple dado joinery all-around. (picture 2)

I also needed some place to put my glasses, iPod, etc to keep them dust free and safe from damage. I used some scrap Poplar (salvaged from a paper goods pallet). To provide a good dust seal, the lid and box have mating rabbets. The box joinery is simple miters cut with a chisel and cleaned up with a block plane using a jig on my shooting board. The finish is barn red Old Fashioned Milk Paint. (pictures 3 and 4)

One of the first rules I learned about wood working is to avoid the shop when tired. I’m usually pretty good about this, but the momentum I had this weekend got the best of me and I worked this evening when I got back from the range anyway.

Thankfully, the damage was to my bench only.

When breaking down large sheets of plywood, I use a simple shop-made straight-edge guide with a circular saw. My usual method is to clamp the guide in line with the cut line, open up my end vise, line up the cut line in the center open area between the end of the bench and the vise chop, clamp the sheet to the bench, support the off-cut with saw horses, and make the cut.

Some how, on my 3rd cut of breaking down sheet goods, I misaligned my cut line and sawed a 1/2” deep cut right across the back of my bench. After I realized what I’d done, I drew square lines across the bench 3/4” apart, and used my guide and circular saw; defining the outer edges of a dado. After another two cuts down the center, I used a large chisel to break out the bulk of the waste and followed that up with my router plane to clean up the bottom of the dado. One evening this week, I’m going to cut some scrap to glue into the dado. :) (picture 6).