LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Woodworking on a Half-Shoestring

Tags
accidents allergies article base baseball bat bench bench plane birthday gifts blanket rack books boycott build series business c10fl c11fl camera change cheap childs chisels christmas clamps craigslist cuts diy diytools dogs draw knife drilling dungeon workshop dust collection equipment faceplam false advertising feeders firewood first turning fix fixit franken-rack fruit bin gift gifts glue guarantee hand plane hand planes hand saw hand saws hand tools handles harbor freight hard maple health hemlock hf hitachi honing honing guide humor idea injuries joiners mallet lathe life lumber lumber rack lumber racks makita mallet mallets maple milling milling lumber miter saw station moving moxon new equipment new tools pallet wood paul sellers plan plane till planer planes planing plant stand pocket holes power tools presents product review progress progress report project project progress project report prototyping quilt rack rack racking reclaimed lumber recovery recycling refurbish refurbishing repair repurposed retirement review rolling pin router routertable rustic safety sander saws scraps scrapwoood scroll saw scrollsaw seasoned wood sharpening sharpening systems shopcart skilsaw solutions stool storage stupidity table saw tablesaw tea lights the dungeon the dungeon workshop tip tool tool base tool box tools trailer trailers trick upcycling update used veggie bin veritas vice video video production vintage wine rack wood wood lathe wooden planes woodturning work bench workbench workshop worktable wounds
313K views 676 replies 100 participants last post by  retired_guru 
#1 ·
Aches, pains and pallet wood, oh my!

Following its recent successful creation, I opted to give Franken-Rack free rein to terrorize the domain. It was my hope that it would bring home the finest lumber in all the land. Instead, it brought me pallet and crate wood. Several times I have berated the misbegotten creation, but to no avail. It is obvious to me now that the creature enjoys domination over the rough, mistreated wood that will require hours of hacking and mutilation on my part to make use of its offerings. Franken-Rack will be the death of me. I'm sure of it. Mark my words…

~~~

I spend about 6 hours between yesterday and today breaking up pallets and crate wood, prying nails from both the good and bad pieces. I'm certain I have developed tennis elbow from all the hammering and prying. That's okay, because I have still have the left one. There is something to be said for having a spare. All in all, I can't complain. Since working on the Franken-Rack-and all the work I have been doing to disassemble pallets, clear out space for the a shop in the dungeon-I have been feeling…satisfied. Content. Fulfilled. What a feeling. I had forgotten.

And speaking of how I feel, time to take a pain-killer. Then I better check on Franken-Rack: I caught it the other day trying to grab a street cat attempting to mark my tires.
 
See less See more
#152 ·
Hemlock woes

I haven't been posting much this year, mostly because I have been busy with other projects, but also because some of the cold spells we have had in Update New York have made working in a cold dungeon workshop unbearable when one is felling cold all the time. Fortunately, Spring isn't too far away. I'll get through this and soon be able to enjoy spending more time in the shop.

The title of this blog entry comes from a correspondence earlier today with a trusted, experienced woodworking peer that I have been buying plans from for outdoor furniture. I have been using pallet wood for the majority of my construction needs because of its inexpensive (usually free) abundance in my area. Since pallets come from all over the country, the wood used in their construction varies a little. Mostly, the pallets I find in good condition are made of hemlock, a popular wood commonly used in this part of the country for outdoor durability. What I didn't realize until this morning is that hemlock is considered a toxic wood. Skin irritation from prolonged contact is possible. Breathing in the dust can cause respiratory problems. I didn't know.

You know what they say about hindsight? I had noticed that when I was creating sawdust in the shop, even a small amount of the dust that I couldn't see floating in the air would cause my allergies to kick up later in the day or on the next day. Wearing a chemical respirator (a quality filtering mask was not enough) kept me from feeling these symptoms. My wife, who has even more severe allergies, noticed she couldn't be around the 'aroma', back when I had used my newly purchased DeWalt thickness planer to plane down quite a bit of hemlock. I liked the smell, but admittedly I felt some symptoms later on. I never connected the two, really. I just thought I was obviously sensitive to wood dust, as most are who suffer from dust allergies. I mean, I have to take a med year round for indoor and outdoors issues. So it goes without saying I am extremely grateful to learn about this now, before I swung into production.

Along with the relief in knowing there is a great sense of disappointment. Lumber is very expensive in my area. My current half-shoestring budget prohibits ordering practical quantities of quality plywood and exotic woods. An increase in cost of production can't help but increase the cost of sale. Being a long-time entrepreneur, I know what happens when goods can't be made cheaply enough to be competitive in the market. The plans I alluded to in the beginning of this blog will require a sizable (well, for me) investment for each unit built. My area is 'funny' in that there is no longer any middle class, so whether these goods will sell to those above my station or not is questionable in my mind. At any rate, I am committed to the sale of these units in so far as I have to build at least one of each model and then see whether the market is there in my area. I can still use hemlock for these if I seal the wood with a finish, but really, I don't want to take a chance on anyone having a reaction to the wood, and I don't have the best ventilation to continue working with a wood that is probably really bothering me more than I have realized.
 
#153 ·
As for the sales question, I've found the whole "If you build it, they will come" has been true for me. And regarding hemlock, yeah, that's some nasty stuff. Drinking hemlock is what killed Socrates, after all. Assuming he was a legit historical figure and all that, and not just a legend. But that detail is in there for a reason.
 
#157 ·
Slice-n-Dice

Last week I decided I couldn't hold off any longer in transferring the wife to what used to be my computer business workshop. I have scaled down the business to be mostly remote access and Linux installations and service, and she really needed the space for her school work and seamstress work.

Five days ago I was heavily into the tear-down of her office upstairs when I went for the paper cutter, on its side and wedged between a folding table leg and small cabinet. What I should have done was move the cabinet and then grab the unit by its front edge. Instead, being in a focused hurry, I grabbed the top edge where the blade is. On this model, and most that I have seen advertised or in office environments, the cutting bade is exposed even when parked in the completed-cut position. This is the most ridiculous design consideration ever. After I grabbed it I allowed my hand to slide on the pull. As soon as I did it I knew I was in trouble. The blade cut a deep, shallow-angled cut into the fleshy underside of my first finger.

I know you can cut a finger off and it won't be life threatening if properly dealt with. I was still amazed at how much blood was coming out of the wound. I left some here and there as I searched for sterile bandages and gauze wrap. Trying to apply the dressing one-handed was almost comic to watch. I kept the dressing on for two days, hoping the wound had coagulated enough to allow removal of the dressing without tearing off the flap of skin laying over the cut. In retrospect, I wish I had applied cyanoacrylate and a non-stick pad over the wound before bandaging it up. That might have avoided the skin coming off with the pad. Oh well.

The wound was still oozing profusely when I applied the second dressing three days ago. This time I went with a NexCare water-proof bandage. This turned out to be a good choice.

Yesterday I removed the NexCare bandage. This is what the wound looked liked then:

Fluid Finger Thumb Nail Tints and shades


It looks nasty, but what you are really seeing is the dried blood in and around the wound. The new skin is coming in nicely. No sign of infection. I wasn't in any pain. Five hours later I was able to wash the finger with soap and water. Most of the dried blood washed off. There was still a crack within the wound running parallel to the knuckle that could bleed if I stretched it. I decided not to cover it back up, noting that it was healing much faster in the hours it had been left to air.

This picture was taken this morning. Quite an improvement over yesterday:

Skin Human body Gesture Thumb Finger


Looking at it now, you would never know what I had done. I am thankful that I am a quick healer. I am also thankful I will be getting back to work sooner over later. And to think, I didn't even do this while woodworking. Who would have thought?
 

Attachments

#158 ·
Slice-n-Dice

Last week I decided I couldn't hold off any longer in transferring the wife to what used to be my computer business workshop. I have scaled down the business to be mostly remote access and Linux installations and service, and she really needed the space for her school work and seamstress work.

Five days ago I was heavily into the tear-down of her office upstairs when I went for the paper cutter, on its side and wedged between a folding table leg and small cabinet. What I should have done was move the cabinet and then grab the unit by its front edge. Instead, being in a focused hurry, I grabbed the top edge where the blade is. On this model, and most that I have seen advertised or in office environments, the cutting bade is exposed even when parked in the completed-cut position. This is the most ridiculous design consideration ever. After I grabbed it I allowed my hand to slide on the pull. As soon as I did it I knew I was in trouble. The blade cut a deep, shallow-angled cut into the fleshy underside of my first finger.

I know you can cut a finger off and it won't be life threatening if properly dealt with. I was still amazed at how much blood was coming out of the wound. I left some here and there as I searched for sterile bandages and gauze wrap. Trying to apply the dressing one-handed was almost comic to watch. I kept the dressing on for two days, hoping the wound had coagulated enough to allow removal of the dressing without tearing off the flap of skin laying over the cut. In retrospect, I wish I had applied cyanoacrylate and a non-stick pad over the wound before bandaging it up. That might have avoided the skin coming off with the pad. Oh well.

The wound was still oozing profusely when I applied the second dressing three days ago. This time I went with a NexCare water-proof bandage. This turned out to be a good choice.

Yesterday I removed the NexCare bandage. This is what the wound looked liked then:

Fluid Finger Thumb Nail Tints and shades


It looks nasty, but what you are really seeing is the dried blood in and around the wound. The new skin is coming in nicely. No sign of infection. I wasn't in any pain. Five hours later I was able to wash the finger with soap and water. Most of the dried blood washed off. There was still a crack within the wound running parallel to the knuckle that could bleed if I stretched it. I decided not to cover it back up, noting that it was healing much faster in the hours it had been left to air.

This picture was taken this morning. Quite an improvement over yesterday:

Skin Human body Gesture Thumb Finger


Looking at it now, you would never know what I had done. I am thankful that I am a quick healer. I am also thankful I will be getting back to work sooner over later. And to think, I didn't even do this while woodworking. Who would have thought?
I have that same unsafe design paper cutter and every time I lift of it's storage shelf I expect to see a cut.
After see the damage you experienced I'll need to take the caution up a notch. Your post was not what I expected from the title but thanks for the warning.
 

Attachments

#165 ·
Old Hand Tools Acquisition

Over the weekend I setup an appointment with a computer client to review a Windows XP to Linux conversion, providing a much more powerful and newer machine than her tired old Dell. The street price for my services and machine was going to be around $250, depending on training time given. We got to talking about what I have been doing since the last we spoke (about 2 years). When I mentioned I was expanding into woodworking she told me about a stash of her grandfather's hand tools she would be willing to offer in trade for services rendered and the newer machine. I wanted to say "Hell Yeah!", settled instead for "I would be delighted to consider your offer."

A little background:

Her grandfather was a woodworker by trade. His specialty was intricate hand carvings, in furniture he made as well as in carved pieces to display. If my client will let me, I would like to take pictures of his work and post them here. I do not have to be an expert to know that this man from Holland was a master craftsman of the kind not seen often today. I suspect that some of the tools I looked at were hand made by him. All were hand made by someone who knew the business of making fine tools. The exception in my stash is the Stanley plane, which was her father's, and is definitely not collectible. Later on that.

So that appointment came and went. Three hours later, I was home again. Of that time, I spent maybe 20 minutes on computer related matters. Here are pictures of what I brought home. Please feel free to comment. I am interested in knowing what I have acquired. While it would be nice to know I have picked up something highly collectible, I really want to use these and their usability is really all I care about. By the way, if it turns out that I acquired a very collectible piece that is well over what I am giving back, it would be good to know. I can give her more time and future services, which is what she would like if the trade wasn't equitable. If I got less, which I highly doubt, I will say nothing more to her. I'm fine with what I have.

Wooden Marking Gauge
I've been meaning to make a marking gauge of my own. When I saw this hanging on her downstairs den wall, I knew I wanted it:

Brown Wood Artifact Wood stain Hardwood


The marking pin is barely 1/32". It's sharp, though, so do I assume correctly that this was all the tool needed? It's in great condition. Note the wood screw.

Wooden Rabbet Plane
I'm calling this a rabbet plane because It will obviously do that, but the stepped bottom leads me to wonder if this is differently named and used for a specific type of rabbet cut. Any ideas?

Brown Wood Rectangle Flooring Hardwood


Brown Table Wood Wood stain Flooring


Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain Hardwood


From feeling the side of the iron, I don't believe it was designed to cut on sole and sole edge.

Wooden Roundover Plane
I'm excited about this one. The holes on the side make me wonder if her grandfather attached hardware to the side of it for precision cutting along long lengths.

Wood Rectangle Automotive exterior Hardwood Wood stain


Brown Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Wood stain Plank Flooring


Wooden Shoulder Plane
This has one massive cutting edge. On the nose it is stamped with "R. Carter" and "Troy". There are three more stampings of the same, mounted around each other in a triangle: "J. Cottier". This has the feel and size of a heavy use shoulder plane. The iron is till very, very sharp.

Wood Rectangle Household hardware Wood stain Hardwood


Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Metal


Brown Rectangle Wood Tree Natural material


Brown Wood Rectangle Natural material Tints and shades


I have done a little research on the Web. References to the last name point to an Edward Carter of Troy, NY. The nose of the plane is clearly stating the creator was R. Carter. One in the same?

Stanley C557MP Plane
It didn't take long on the Web to find this isn't a sought after plane. Information on its date of production vary greatly, so I don't know what to think. A couple of sites said they were produced between '62 and '67. Others have stated they were made in the '80s, when Stanley quality had taken a nose dive. Outside of minor surface rust, it is in good condition. The iron is pretty sharp for not being in use for three decades. My expectation is only that it will cut clean and straight once cleaned and tuned up. I wonder if this is in the same class as No. 4. Anyone know?

Smoothing plane Plane Scrub plane Block plane Rebate plane


Plane Rebate plane Smoothing plane Shoulder plane Wood


Wood Hardwood Auto part Gas Rim


Wood Automotive exterior Rim Automotive tire Chair


Regardless of the collectible value of this acquisition (or lack thereof), I am excited about having these tools to add to my working environment. They bring me one step closer to the swoosh of hand plaining, dovetails and who knows what else that doesn't require electricity and ear protection. Cool, huh?
 

Attachments

#166 ·
Old Hand Tools Acquisition

Over the weekend I setup an appointment with a computer client to review a Windows XP to Linux conversion, providing a much more powerful and newer machine than her tired old Dell. The street price for my services and machine was going to be around $250, depending on training time given. We got to talking about what I have been doing since the last we spoke (about 2 years). When I mentioned I was expanding into woodworking she told me about a stash of her grandfather's hand tools she would be willing to offer in trade for services rendered and the newer machine. I wanted to say "Hell Yeah!", settled instead for "I would be delighted to consider your offer."

A little background:

Her grandfather was a woodworker by trade. His specialty was intricate hand carvings, in furniture he made as well as in carved pieces to display. If my client will let me, I would like to take pictures of his work and post them here. I do not have to be an expert to know that this man from Holland was a master craftsman of the kind not seen often today. I suspect that some of the tools I looked at were hand made by him. All were hand made by someone who knew the business of making fine tools. The exception in my stash is the Stanley plane, which was her father's, and is definitely not collectible. Later on that.

So that appointment came and went. Three hours later, I was home again. Of that time, I spent maybe 20 minutes on computer related matters. Here are pictures of what I brought home. Please feel free to comment. I am interested in knowing what I have acquired. While it would be nice to know I have picked up something highly collectible, I really want to use these and their usability is really all I care about. By the way, if it turns out that I acquired a very collectible piece that is well over what I am giving back, it would be good to know. I can give her more time and future services, which is what she would like if the trade wasn't equitable. If I got less, which I highly doubt, I will say nothing more to her. I'm fine with what I have.

Wooden Marking Gauge
I've been meaning to make a marking gauge of my own. When I saw this hanging on her downstairs den wall, I knew I wanted it:

Brown Wood Artifact Wood stain Hardwood


The marking pin is barely 1/32". It's sharp, though, so do I assume correctly that this was all the tool needed? It's in great condition. Note the wood screw.

Wooden Rabbet Plane
I'm calling this a rabbet plane because It will obviously do that, but the stepped bottom leads me to wonder if this is differently named and used for a specific type of rabbet cut. Any ideas?

Brown Wood Rectangle Flooring Hardwood


Brown Table Wood Wood stain Flooring


Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain Hardwood


From feeling the side of the iron, I don't believe it was designed to cut on sole and sole edge.

Wooden Roundover Plane
I'm excited about this one. The holes on the side make me wonder if her grandfather attached hardware to the side of it for precision cutting along long lengths.

Wood Rectangle Automotive exterior Hardwood Wood stain


Brown Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Wood stain Plank Flooring


Wooden Shoulder Plane
This has one massive cutting edge. On the nose it is stamped with "R. Carter" and "Troy". There are three more stampings of the same, mounted around each other in a triangle: "J. Cottier". This has the feel and size of a heavy use shoulder plane. The iron is till very, very sharp.

Wood Rectangle Household hardware Wood stain Hardwood


Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Metal


Brown Rectangle Wood Tree Natural material


Brown Wood Rectangle Natural material Tints and shades


I have done a little research on the Web. References to the last name point to an Edward Carter of Troy, NY. The nose of the plane is clearly stating the creator was R. Carter. One in the same?

Stanley C557MP Plane
It didn't take long on the Web to find this isn't a sought after plane. Information on its date of production vary greatly, so I don't know what to think. A couple of sites said they were produced between '62 and '67. Others have stated they were made in the '80s, when Stanley quality had taken a nose dive. Outside of minor surface rust, it is in good condition. The iron is pretty sharp for not being in use for three decades. My expectation is only that it will cut clean and straight once cleaned and tuned up. I wonder if this is in the same class as No. 4. Anyone know?

Smoothing plane Plane Scrub plane Block plane Rebate plane


Plane Rebate plane Smoothing plane Shoulder plane Wood


Wood Hardwood Auto part Gas Rim


Wood Automotive exterior Rim Automotive tire Chair


Regardless of the collectible value of this acquisition (or lack thereof), I am excited about having these tools to add to my working environment. They bring me one step closer to the swoosh of hand plaining, dovetails and who knows what else that doesn't require electricity and ear protection. Cool, huh?
Looks to me like you got some nice old tools and you are happy with the deal it's a winner.
I like the fact that you are asking someone to tell you if you treated the customer fairly, that says volumes about your character.
Enjoy you new found treasures.
 

Attachments

#176 ·
Vintage 8" Folding Handle Draw Knife Acquisition

Yesterday's lengthy (3 hour) appointment with my good friend and client yielded a surprised tip at the end of the session:

Top -
Wood Tool Wood stain Hardwood Rectangle


Bottom -
Wood Rectangle Household hardware Tool Wood stain


I had shown interest in it when I first looked at her stash of vintage tools. I opted for my other choices mainly because I didn't know if I would have cause to use this. At any rate, I'm happy to be its new owner and will clean this up and sharpen the blade for use.

I would like to know who made this tool. The only marking I can find on it is this:

Wood Tool Hardwood Mallet Household hardware


Based on two factors, the overall shape of the tool and the distinct shape of the handles, the closest match appears to be Pexto. Pictures of their line of knives have the company brand and logo engraved in the center portion of the blade. This doesn't have that, so it either has been worn off through use or isn't a Pexto knife. If anyone has knowledge of its origin, please pass it on. Thanks.

Now to find a fallen tree to debark. ;)
 

Attachments

#177 ·
Veritas Mk.II Honing Guide Arrived

My ordered Veritas Mk.II Honing Guide arrived yesterday afternoon while I was out blowing snow hither and yonder.

It arrived in a slightly larger box than the one from the manufacturer. I was surprised it got here so quickly. When I looked at the originating address on the shipping invoice and box it became clear why. Lee Valley Tools Ltd has a physical presence in New York State: Ogdensburg. The shipping was free. Check. It was cheaper to buy from Lee Valley directly than through one of the large woodworking mail order firms that carried their line of goods. Check. I'm quite pleased with how fast the product shipped and how it arrived well packaged and safe. Check. And upon inspection of the honing guide, I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with its heft and construction. Check! If this guide doesn't do something totally unexpected, I see myself buying from Lee Valley whenever they have what I need.

So here's the manufacturer's box:

Packaging and labeling Font Gadget Wood Rectangle


Upon opening the box you are greeted with the instructions on use:

Rectangle Shipping box Gadget Font Package delivery


Here are the contents; the honing guide and angle adjustment gauge:

Green Circuit component Camera lens Reflex camera Digital camera


I haven't weighed the honing guide. I'm guessing a couple of pounds, easily. The angle adjustment gauge is made of aluminum with brass turn knobs. I slid the gauge onto the leading edge of the guide to see how it fit. I think this is going to work nicely.

For what this does, this is a big investment for me. I think this set will make it possible for me to work effectively and safely with chisels and hand planes. The proof, of course, is in the pudding. Tomorrow I will put it to the test and report back my results.
 

Attachments

#178 ·
Veritas Mk.II Honing Guide Arrived

My ordered Veritas Mk.II Honing Guide arrived yesterday afternoon while I was out blowing snow hither and yonder.

It arrived in a slightly larger box than the one from the manufacturer. I was surprised it got here so quickly. When I looked at the originating address on the shipping invoice and box it became clear why. Lee Valley Tools Ltd has a physical presence in New York State: Ogdensburg. The shipping was free. Check. It was cheaper to buy from Lee Valley directly than through one of the large woodworking mail order firms that carried their line of goods. Check. I'm quite pleased with how fast the product shipped and how it arrived well packaged and safe. Check. And upon inspection of the honing guide, I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with its heft and construction. Check! If this guide doesn't do something totally unexpected, I see myself buying from Lee Valley whenever they have what I need.

So here's the manufacturer's box:

Packaging and labeling Font Gadget Wood Rectangle


Upon opening the box you are greeted with the instructions on use:

Rectangle Shipping box Gadget Font Package delivery


Here are the contents; the honing guide and angle adjustment gauge:

Green Circuit component Camera lens Reflex camera Digital camera


I haven't weighed the honing guide. I'm guessing a couple of pounds, easily. The angle adjustment gauge is made of aluminum with brass turn knobs. I slid the gauge onto the leading edge of the guide to see how it fit. I think this is going to work nicely.

For what this does, this is a big investment for me. I think this set will make it possible for me to work effectively and safely with chisels and hand planes. The proof, of course, is in the pudding. Tomorrow I will put it to the test and report back my results.
I have been using one for years. Great tool! I own numerous Veritas planes and tools and would recommend them to anyone considering a purchase.
 

Attachments

#185 ·
DIY Veritas Powered Sharpening System

I have a Pro subscription to Instructables.com, which has come in handy many a time. In today's suggestions email I found an Instructable on making your own powered sharpening system, designed similar to the Veritas unit costing about $400 USD. Being a tinkerer at heart, I thought it precious that the motor unit came from a bread maker: my wife has one just like the one used in the Instructable. We all know where that beast will be in its second life.

Makendo's Sharpening System Instructable can found here.
 
#197 ·
Milling 30 Year Old Maple Firefoood

My first video from the Dungeon Workshop. All but the last annotation went M.I.A. I also shouldn't have allowed the editor to smoothen out the video. Did anyone besides myself get motion sickness from watching this? It sure sucks being a novice.

 
#198 ·
Hey, Paul,
Watched the video. Very cool shop space. Looks like the type of place in which one could easily lose track of time.

This may sound weird, but I imagined the opening scene of walking down the short stone corridor and into the shop being set to the music of Bach's Toccata in Dmin. That's the scary sounding pipe organ music that's classically played at Halloween Haunted Hou…..uh…. never mind.

I just finished up doing a marathon read of your blog series. You been busy, Boy!

As I read about all of your tinkering and toying with stuff, a thought crossed my mind -
I must have the other half of your shoestring!

Anyway, enjoyed the vid…and I didn't get motion sickness.
 
#208 ·
Soft-head Mallet

Soft-head Mallet

I just finished making a soft-head mallet for the dungeon workshop. It was formed from the unholy mating of hemlock (the head) and a 30 year seasoned beech branch (the handle). No electricity was used in making this mallet and nothing alive was killed in the process. Hopefully, this will keep the townspeople from paying me a visit with torches in hand.

‪#‎woodworking‬ ‪#‎woodmallets‬

 
#209 ·
I just realized, in my desire pump up the dungeon theme I wasn't clear about the tools used in this construction. I did use a table saw, band saw and power sanders on this project. However, true to my words, nothing was electrocuted to bring it to life.

I feel so much better having made that clear. :)
 
#212 ·
"Hard Maple Rocks!" Headphones Rack - Mounted

In the My Projects section I posted the completion of a rustic headphones rack for my ancient audio-technica AT-703 headphones. Since that post I added another coat of Danish oil and a final finish of The Original Formula Johnson Paste Wax.

Here is what it looks like without the headphones:

Brown Wood Wood stain Font Hardwood


...and with the headphones:

Wood Gas Machine Hardwood Personal protective equipment


And here is a view of the main workstation area of the office, showing the rack in place:

Computer Personal computer Furniture Table Computer desk


This was a rewarding build, true to my scratch-building nature in scale modeling. Because this was build for Dominic Bender's The Challenge Tree challenge, I had to confine myself to the use of live edge wood and the piece I started with. Every bit of the design and construction, then, was dictated by what I could derive from the branch size firewood.

I have some small pieces left over, which I will use in the construction of a simple toy robot I am giving away on Google+. If I need more, there is plenty more hard maple firewood at Dad's place.
 

Attachments

#213 ·
DROID X Vehicle Dock to Tripod Mount Conversion

I have started down the path of video creation for YouTube, mostly so I can participate in build challenges, but possibly in time as another revenue stream for the business. Presently, my video recording hardware is minimal at best, quite ancient if I include my old Panasonic VHS-C camcorder.

I had hoped my 10 Megapixel Fujifilm S1500 would be able to handle my needs. It maxes out at 640Ă—480 at 30 fps, which means 480p is about as good as it will get in YouTube. The best camera is in my DROID Ultra, not quite a year old, but it is my business phone. It can't be tied up with lengthy recording sessions. Next in line is my previous cell phone, a DROID X, which is capable of 720p at 24 fps. Additionally, I invested in several hands-free docks and mounts for it over the years. It was this point that lead me to attempt a dock-to-tripod conversion.

The first Motorola DROID X Vehicle Dock I purchased was right around the time I acquired the cell phone, the second only a few years ago.

Table Wood Office equipment Gas Bumper


The Vivitar VPT-360SE uses a quick-release plate, allowing multiple camera mounts that snap in as needed.

Bumper Font Gas Wood Rectangle


The Motorola Dock comes with a round plastic plate that can be mounted to a flat surface, like the vehicle dash, via double-sided tape. I used that plate, sans adhesive mounting tape, as the liaison between tripod quick-release mount and the wood spacer that will be permanently attached to the swivel mount for the dock. Note the threaded center hole: I tapped an appropriately threaded nut into a slightly smaller hole in the wood spacer and drilled a small hole to allow for the tripod plate's spring loaded centering pin.

Helmet Circle Electric blue Auto part Gas


Here is the conversion assembled and ready for tripod mounting.

Wood Musical instrument Audio equipment Hardwood Fashion accessory


Because the photo/video taking end of the DROID X is at the back of the dock, I had to be sure that the swiveling mount elbow wouldn't be in the line of sight. Moving the mount about 20-30 degrees off center was enough to clear the recording path, as can be seen where the plastic base attaches to the wood spacer.

Table Camera accessory Gadget Cameras & optics Wood


The finished conversion and camera ready to take a picture.

Camera accessory Cameras & optics Tripod Computer monitor accessory Wood


Tripod Wood Camera accessory Cameras & optics Gas


Between the ball socket connection of the dock mount and the 3-dimensional tilt capability of the tripod, I have infinite possibilities for leveling, tilting and camera orientation. The dock has a power port. I plan on zip-tying a 5v DC power converter to one of the tripod legs, allowing for AC power via extension cord-I won't have to worry about the battery dying on me while recording lengthy events.

Prior to starting this project, I made a few short videos to make sure the phone was capable enough for my needs before. A Bluetooth earpiece should give me better sound quality and volume with the camera at a distance.

A simple project that temporarily takes a costly investment in a video camera out of the needs list.
 

Attachments

#214 ·
DROID X Vehicle Dock to Tripod Mount Conversion

I have started down the path of video creation for YouTube, mostly so I can participate in build challenges, but possibly in time as another revenue stream for the business. Presently, my video recording hardware is minimal at best, quite ancient if I include my old Panasonic VHS-C camcorder.

I had hoped my 10 Megapixel Fujifilm S1500 would be able to handle my needs. It maxes out at 640Ă—480 at 30 fps, which means 480p is about as good as it will get in YouTube. The best camera is in my DROID Ultra, not quite a year old, but it is my business phone. It can't be tied up with lengthy recording sessions. Next in line is my previous cell phone, a DROID X, which is capable of 720p at 24 fps. Additionally, I invested in several hands-free docks and mounts for it over the years. It was this point that lead me to attempt a dock-to-tripod conversion.

The first Motorola DROID X Vehicle Dock I purchased was right around the time I acquired the cell phone, the second only a few years ago.

Table Wood Office equipment Gas Bumper


The Vivitar VPT-360SE uses a quick-release plate, allowing multiple camera mounts that snap in as needed.

Bumper Font Gas Wood Rectangle


The Motorola Dock comes with a round plastic plate that can be mounted to a flat surface, like the vehicle dash, via double-sided tape. I used that plate, sans adhesive mounting tape, as the liaison between tripod quick-release mount and the wood spacer that will be permanently attached to the swivel mount for the dock. Note the threaded center hole: I tapped an appropriately threaded nut into a slightly smaller hole in the wood spacer and drilled a small hole to allow for the tripod plate's spring loaded centering pin.

Helmet Circle Electric blue Auto part Gas


Here is the conversion assembled and ready for tripod mounting.

Wood Musical instrument Audio equipment Hardwood Fashion accessory


Because the photo/video taking end of the DROID X is at the back of the dock, I had to be sure that the swiveling mount elbow wouldn't be in the line of sight. Moving the mount about 20-30 degrees off center was enough to clear the recording path, as can be seen where the plastic base attaches to the wood spacer.

Table Camera accessory Gadget Cameras & optics Wood


The finished conversion and camera ready to take a picture.

Camera accessory Cameras & optics Tripod Computer monitor accessory Wood


Tripod Wood Camera accessory Cameras & optics Gas


Between the ball socket connection of the dock mount and the 3-dimensional tilt capability of the tripod, I have infinite possibilities for leveling, tilting and camera orientation. The dock has a power port. I plan on zip-tying a 5v DC power converter to one of the tripod legs, allowing for AC power via extension cord-I won't have to worry about the battery dying on me while recording lengthy events.

Prior to starting this project, I made a few short videos to make sure the phone was capable enough for my needs before. A Bluetooth earpiece should give me better sound quality and volume with the camera at a distance.

A simple project that temporarily takes a costly investment in a video camera out of the needs list.
Nice set-up Paul. Are we going to see you on camera? When should we expect your first Emmy? ;)
 

Attachments

#224 ·
Wine & Glasses Rack Finalized and Hung

I finally got around to completing this prototype rack, one I started last fall-been a busy and troublesome winter so far. The wood used in this Wine & Glasses Rack is hemlock, the most commonly used pallet wood in my area. This a design I made up based on some others I have seen on the Web. Being a prototype, it has major and minor flaws, but I'm content with the premise behind the design and will make needed changes in the next build.

The finish is Danish oil, medium walnut color. Wall mount accomplished via French cleat.

Bottle Shelf Wood Shelving Glass bottle


Shelf Wood Shelving Natural material Wood stain


Bottle Wood Hardwood Glass bottle Wood stain
 

Attachments

#225 ·
Wine & Glasses Rack Finalized and Hung

I finally got around to completing this prototype rack, one I started last fall-been a busy and troublesome winter so far. The wood used in this Wine & Glasses Rack is hemlock, the most commonly used pallet wood in my area. This a design I made up based on some others I have seen on the Web. Being a prototype, it has major and minor flaws, but I'm content with the premise behind the design and will make needed changes in the next build.

The finish is Danish oil, medium walnut color. Wall mount accomplished via French cleat.

Bottle Shelf Wood Shelving Glass bottle


Shelf Wood Shelving Natural material Wood stain


Bottle Wood Hardwood Glass bottle Wood stain
Paul, your wine rack definitely has a very country flavor to it. I like it a lot!!
 

Attachments

#229 ·
Fruit & Veggie Bin

I decided to rough sketch the fruit and veggie bin I plan on making for a corner of the kitchen. Currently we are using a two-bin round steel thingie that works, but is too small for our needs. This will be about twice the height and wider than the steel unit in place. Exact dimensions will be determined when I get around to drafting up plans.

I have plenty of pallet wood and reclaimed lumber to make this with. The only change to the drawing I may still make is to replace the bottom bin slates with pegboard that slides into routed grooves in the side boards. From time to time fruit and veggies will rot at the bottom of the pile. If a bottom gets bad enough I would like to be able to easily replace them.

The wife likes the idea of the whole unit finished in the Danish oil that I used on the glass and wine rack I recently posted. I prefer painting with a gloss enamel to make cleaning easier and to speed up project time. Currently, the temperature in the dungeon workshop is to cold for a poly finish and I don't know if I can properly vent the fumes.

Handwriting Rectangle Font Parallel Slope
 

Attachments

#230 ·
Fruit & Veggie Bin

I decided to rough sketch the fruit and veggie bin I plan on making for a corner of the kitchen. Currently we are using a two-bin round steel thingie that works, but is too small for our needs. This will be about twice the height and wider than the steel unit in place. Exact dimensions will be determined when I get around to drafting up plans.

I have plenty of pallet wood and reclaimed lumber to make this with. The only change to the drawing I may still make is to replace the bottom bin slates with pegboard that slides into routed grooves in the side boards. From time to time fruit and veggies will rot at the bottom of the pile. If a bottom gets bad enough I would like to be able to easily replace them.

The wife likes the idea of the whole unit finished in the Danish oil that I used on the glass and wine rack I recently posted. I prefer painting with a gloss enamel to make cleaning easier and to speed up project time. Currently, the temperature in the dungeon workshop is to cold for a poly finish and I don't know if I can properly vent the fumes.

Handwriting Rectangle Font Parallel Slope
I like the sketch Paul. It looks like it will closely match the style of the wine rack you built.
 

Attachments

#234 ·
Outdoor Temperature Sensor Reading Fix - Part I

Yesterday I started on a project that will (fingers and toes crossed) solve a a simple problem with a device not working as hoped for.

The device?
The ACU>RITE indoor/ourdoors wifi temperature sensor and electronic gauge.

Gadget Communication Device Audio equipment Material property Gas


The problem?
We have been using it on the unheated back porch, and because of heat loss from the house into the porch area the outdoor readings are skewed by quite a bit.

The answer?
Make and mount a wooden hanger on the outside wall of the back porch; make and suspend a weather resistant wooden container around the sensor so that neither heat from the house or sun's rays will affect readings of the true ambient temperature outdoors. Pallet wood used throughout.

Tomorrow I will be touching up and sanding the hanger and sensor box. I won't have the painting done, but will go ahead and post pictures of the unfinished answer.
 

Attachments

#235 ·
Outdoor Temperature Sensor Reading Fix - Part I

Yesterday I started on a project that will (fingers and toes crossed) solve a a simple problem with a device not working as hoped for.

The device?
The ACU>RITE indoor/ourdoors wifi temperature sensor and electronic gauge.

Gadget Communication Device Audio equipment Material property Gas


The problem?
We have been using it on the unheated back porch, and because of heat loss from the house into the porch area the outdoor readings are skewed by quite a bit.

The answer?
Make and mount a wooden hanger on the outside wall of the back porch; make and suspend a weather resistant wooden container around the sensor so that neither heat from the house or sun's rays will affect readings of the true ambient temperature outdoors. Pallet wood used throughout.

Tomorrow I will be touching up and sanding the hanger and sensor box. I won't have the painting done, but will go ahead and post pictures of the unfinished answer.
Sounds like a practical solution to me Paul.
 

Attachments

#237 ·
Outdoor ACU>RITE Digital Wireless Temperature Sensor Housing (Part 1)

I posted in my previous blog entry the need to create a weather protected housing and mount for the ACU>RITE sensor, which will track outdoor ambient temperatures and transmit wirelessly to the indoor digital display. Previously we had it mounted on the enclosed porch inner wall. The temperature skew due to heat loss into the porch was tremendous, making the unit useless for our need.

Because I didn't go into the project with a clear idea of what it would end up looking like, as adjustment have been made in function, so has the design been altered 'ad hoc' to meet the changes. This makes for both frustrating an fortuitous results.

The following pictures show the build process in snapshots, then jumps to the final, unfinished result. The wood used, with the exception of the wooden drawer knob, is milled hemlock from pallets. All wood surfaces (including inside the box) will be painted with an exterior semi-gloss white latex enamel. The brass colored railing bracket will be sanded, primed and sprayed with a white enamel, then finished off with several coats of spray poly. The notion with using white is to minimize soaking up heat from direct sunlight.

Here is the sensor that will go into the box:

Gadget Wood Plastic Electric blue Bumper


The fours sides of the sensor box were cut to identical dimensions:

Wood Rectangle Flooring Wood stain Floor


On two opposing sides, I drilled holes and chiseled out a mortise to receive the hanger pin that will suspend the senor so it doesn't touch any of the sides of the box:

Wood Gas Office ruler Tool Ruler


To create a square box, I staggered the butt joints all around. Small nails were used to align and secure the glued joints while assembling:

Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Plank


I didn't worry about the unfinished edges. These would come off on the bench sander later on:

Plane Wood Office ruler Floor Wood stain


The sensor box is glued, nailed and assembled. Starting to clamp together:

Wood Hand tool Tool Gas Machine


Never can have too many clamps:

Electric blue Engineering Machine Automotive tire Plastic


This is how the sensor will be suspended within the box:

Wood Outdoor furniture Rectangle Flooring House


Next, the top…beginning to look like an outhouse:

Wood Table Wood stain Hardwood Flooring


From here on, the unpainted finished sensor box and bracket:

The box is tall enough to clear the top and bottom ends of the sensor by a little less than an inch. Originally, I had planned on having the box suspended by chain from beneath the top of the wall bracket. It occurred to me that the wind would bash this against the bracket, so I spent a lot of time in Lowe's looking for a solid mount solution between the box and bracket. Unfortunately, the railing bracket only came in brass colored chrome plating. I will sand and paint later on:

Wood Hardwood Table Cabinetry Tool


The only difference here is the sensor pin is inserted into the box slots:

Furniture Cabinetry Wood Drawer Table


A view from the the other side. By the way, the staple gouges you see in the triangular braces will be filled in with wood putty and sanded smooth before painting:

Furniture Table Wood Floor Flooring


Next to the sensor is the plastic screen that will be placed between the open end of the bottom of the sensor box and the bottom vent plate. This will (hopefully) keep spiders from spinning webs or bees/wasps from making nests within the box. Before I can staple the screen to the inside of the bottom plate, I have to paint the plate. Also, the zip-tie will be used to keep the sensor pin from coming out on its own-like a cotter pin, if you will:

Rectangle Font Communication Device Material property Gadget


Wood Audio equipment Gas Wood stain Plywood


The back side of the unit. I mounted the horizontal bracket support to the back mount plate via mortise and tenon. I wish I had the higher grit stones to sharpen my chisels…a gripe for another day:

Wood Gas Hardwood Creative arts Flooring


Here you can see the pull end of the sensor pin. The other end has a hole to insert a small zip-tie through:

Furniture Wood Table Desk Gas


The sensor pin out:

Wood Rectangle Wood stain Flooring Hardwood


When I brought this upstairs to show the wife, she went into a laughing fit. Needless to say, I was miffed. When she settled down, she explained that she wasn't laughing 'at' the work I had done, but that she had only seen the small box before and thought that was all it would be. We have plans to move in the near future. She said when we do, this is coming along with us. I guess that means she likes it.

Once this is painted and ready to mount, I'll take some pics and post it in the completed projects area.
 

Attachments

#238 ·
Outdoor ACU>RITE Digital Wireless Temperature Sensor Housing (Part 1)

I posted in my previous blog entry the need to create a weather protected housing and mount for the ACU>RITE sensor, which will track outdoor ambient temperatures and transmit wirelessly to the indoor digital display. Previously we had it mounted on the enclosed porch inner wall. The temperature skew due to heat loss into the porch was tremendous, making the unit useless for our need.

Because I didn't go into the project with a clear idea of what it would end up looking like, as adjustment have been made in function, so has the design been altered 'ad hoc' to meet the changes. This makes for both frustrating an fortuitous results.

The following pictures show the build process in snapshots, then jumps to the final, unfinished result. The wood used, with the exception of the wooden drawer knob, is milled hemlock from pallets. All wood surfaces (including inside the box) will be painted with an exterior semi-gloss white latex enamel. The brass colored railing bracket will be sanded, primed and sprayed with a white enamel, then finished off with several coats of spray poly. The notion with using white is to minimize soaking up heat from direct sunlight.

Here is the sensor that will go into the box:

Gadget Wood Plastic Electric blue Bumper


The fours sides of the sensor box were cut to identical dimensions:

Wood Rectangle Flooring Wood stain Floor


On two opposing sides, I drilled holes and chiseled out a mortise to receive the hanger pin that will suspend the senor so it doesn't touch any of the sides of the box:

Wood Gas Office ruler Tool Ruler


To create a square box, I staggered the butt joints all around. Small nails were used to align and secure the glued joints while assembling:

Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Plank


I didn't worry about the unfinished edges. These would come off on the bench sander later on:

Plane Wood Office ruler Floor Wood stain


The sensor box is glued, nailed and assembled. Starting to clamp together:

Wood Hand tool Tool Gas Machine


Never can have too many clamps:

Electric blue Engineering Machine Automotive tire Plastic


This is how the sensor will be suspended within the box:

Wood Outdoor furniture Rectangle Flooring House


Next, the top…beginning to look like an outhouse:

Wood Table Wood stain Hardwood Flooring


From here on, the unpainted finished sensor box and bracket:

The box is tall enough to clear the top and bottom ends of the sensor by a little less than an inch. Originally, I had planned on having the box suspended by chain from beneath the top of the wall bracket. It occurred to me that the wind would bash this against the bracket, so I spent a lot of time in Lowe's looking for a solid mount solution between the box and bracket. Unfortunately, the railing bracket only came in brass colored chrome plating. I will sand and paint later on:

Wood Hardwood Table Cabinetry Tool


The only difference here is the sensor pin is inserted into the box slots:

Furniture Cabinetry Wood Drawer Table


A view from the the other side. By the way, the staple gouges you see in the triangular braces will be filled in with wood putty and sanded smooth before painting:

Furniture Table Wood Floor Flooring


Next to the sensor is the plastic screen that will be placed between the open end of the bottom of the sensor box and the bottom vent plate. This will (hopefully) keep spiders from spinning webs or bees/wasps from making nests within the box. Before I can staple the screen to the inside of the bottom plate, I have to paint the plate. Also, the zip-tie will be used to keep the sensor pin from coming out on its own-like a cotter pin, if you will:

Rectangle Font Communication Device Material property Gadget


Wood Audio equipment Gas Wood stain Plywood


The back side of the unit. I mounted the horizontal bracket support to the back mount plate via mortise and tenon. I wish I had the higher grit stones to sharpen my chisels…a gripe for another day:

Wood Gas Hardwood Creative arts Flooring


Here you can see the pull end of the sensor pin. The other end has a hole to insert a small zip-tie through:

Furniture Wood Table Desk Gas


The sensor pin out:

Wood Rectangle Wood stain Flooring Hardwood


When I brought this upstairs to show the wife, she went into a laughing fit. Needless to say, I was miffed. When she settled down, she explained that she wasn't laughing 'at' the work I had done, but that she had only seen the small box before and thought that was all it would be. We have plans to move in the near future. She said when we do, this is coming along with us. I guess that means she likes it.

Once this is painted and ready to mount, I'll take some pics and post it in the completed projects area.
What a creative solution Paul, not only are you a woodworker but you are also an artist.
 

Attachments

#240 ·
Outdoor ACU>RITE Digital Wireless Temperature Sensor Housing (Part 2)

It was never my intent to make this build into an attractive build. Functional is the priority. It is the only reason for going through all this work for a $10.00 item. But it's not unusual for my build ideas to become runaway trains, sometimes with no way to stop safely (enter the music of Jethro Tull's Locomotive Breath.) My intent was to make this a 100% free pallet wood build. I have brand new pine boards and studs I could have used. With a change in design-swinging sensor box to one stationary-I needed to come up with a different mount option without scrapping the wall bracket I made. The brass colored hand rail bracket was all that I could find at our local Lowe's. Now, I am glad I went with it. The sensor box can be pivoted to change the angle in relation to the sun and weather. Serendipitous.

The glass drawer knob I used to hide the hole that was to accept a screw eye and chain was not to my liking. It was gaudy. I was concerned that the glass will act as a prism and concentrate heat fom the sun's rays into the top of the box. The metal base is one more thing to possible rust or corrode. And I realized I forgot to add vent holes in the top, as I had originally planned. The solution was a squared section of hemlock with slots cut from it, eventually all leading to the hole in the top of the box. I hope the slots, only the width of a table saw blade kerf, won't attract insects to infiltrate for rest or nest. It looks better.

Wood Wood stain Cosmetics Material property Varnish


I like that a gallon of Titebond III is full of itself. I couldn't find anything heavier that wouldn't crush the project:

Fluid Liquid Barware Drink Gas


The new look. Better, right? Functional, I think:

Wood Table Wood stain Hardwood Gas


Time to begin painting. Because I mistakenly (as in, so deep in the forest I no longer saw the trees) missed the fact that I used the wrong glue (The Original Formula Titebond) for the construction of the sensor box, I'm hoping that a couple of coats of latex bin primer will protect the glue joints from moisture. The rest of the construction, including the top vent cap and side reinforcement for the metal bracket, were glued up with the Titebond III. Here is the inside of the box with its first coat of primer:

Brown Rectangle Wood Beige Electronic device


The quart can in the background is the semi-gloss outdoor enamel I bought yesterday to use for the final painted wood finish.

Table Wood Desk Paint Gas


The wall bracket and sensor box have a complete coat of primer. The wooden knob and bottom vent cover are only primed on the side you can see. The sensor pin needs to have the handle primed, as well. Later on I will mount the metal bracket to a scrap board I can clamp to the table, then I will take a wire wheel to it to bring it down to either bare metal or a dull matte finish. I still have gloss white spray enamel and spray poly from the bathroom project a couple of years ago. I will use both on the bracket.

The next blog entry will be the finale…I hope.
 

Attachments

#241 ·
Outdoor ACU>RITE Digital Wireless Temperature Sensor Housing (Part 2)

It was never my intent to make this build into an attractive build. Functional is the priority. It is the only reason for going through all this work for a $10.00 item. But it's not unusual for my build ideas to become runaway trains, sometimes with no way to stop safely (enter the music of Jethro Tull's Locomotive Breath.) My intent was to make this a 100% free pallet wood build. I have brand new pine boards and studs I could have used. With a change in design-swinging sensor box to one stationary-I needed to come up with a different mount option without scrapping the wall bracket I made. The brass colored hand rail bracket was all that I could find at our local Lowe's. Now, I am glad I went with it. The sensor box can be pivoted to change the angle in relation to the sun and weather. Serendipitous.

The glass drawer knob I used to hide the hole that was to accept a screw eye and chain was not to my liking. It was gaudy. I was concerned that the glass will act as a prism and concentrate heat fom the sun's rays into the top of the box. The metal base is one more thing to possible rust or corrode. And I realized I forgot to add vent holes in the top, as I had originally planned. The solution was a squared section of hemlock with slots cut from it, eventually all leading to the hole in the top of the box. I hope the slots, only the width of a table saw blade kerf, won't attract insects to infiltrate for rest or nest. It looks better.

Wood Wood stain Cosmetics Material property Varnish


I like that a gallon of Titebond III is full of itself. I couldn't find anything heavier that wouldn't crush the project:

Fluid Liquid Barware Drink Gas


The new look. Better, right? Functional, I think:

Wood Table Wood stain Hardwood Gas


Time to begin painting. Because I mistakenly (as in, so deep in the forest I no longer saw the trees) missed the fact that I used the wrong glue (The Original Formula Titebond) for the construction of the sensor box, I'm hoping that a couple of coats of latex bin primer will protect the glue joints from moisture. The rest of the construction, including the top vent cap and side reinforcement for the metal bracket, were glued up with the Titebond III. Here is the inside of the box with its first coat of primer:

Brown Rectangle Wood Beige Electronic device


The quart can in the background is the semi-gloss outdoor enamel I bought yesterday to use for the final painted wood finish.

Table Wood Desk Paint Gas


The wall bracket and sensor box have a complete coat of primer. The wooden knob and bottom vent cover are only primed on the side you can see. The sensor pin needs to have the handle primed, as well. Later on I will mount the metal bracket to a scrap board I can clamp to the table, then I will take a wire wheel to it to bring it down to either bare metal or a dull matte finish. I still have gloss white spray enamel and spray poly from the bathroom project a couple of years ago. I will use both on the bracket.

The next blog entry will be the finale…I hope.
Hey Paul, your design could easily become an awesome bird house with a little modification. Just sayin :).
 

Attachments

#248 ·
Outdoor ACU>RITE Digital Wireless Temperature Sensor Housing (Finale)

Finally finished and mounted on the outside wall of the back enclosed porch. I neglected to get a completed assembly picture before mounting, so please check out the previous two parts in my blog for a complete overview.

The final three pictures:
- Insertion of the wireless sensor into the box. Note the wooden sensor pin.

Gadget Gas Cable Wire Electronics accessory


- The bottom vent plate installed.

Material property Gadget Audio equipment Electronic device Plastic


- Wall mount bracket drilled for mounting bolts and fender washers.

Tool Electric blue Automotive exterior Plastic Auto part


How well is it working? It's now in direct evening sun and since installing over an hour ago is dead-on with what nearby weather stations are broadcasting.

My work is done. Next project…
 

Attachments

#249 ·
Beefing Up A HF Windsor-Style Workbench

Keeping within the budget and guidelines of my frugal perspective, I opted to take a chance by purchasing a Harbor Freight Windsor-style Workbench last weekend. Over the past two days I have been working on its assembly and beefing it up to meet my needs in the dungeon workshop.

I'm sure many serious woodworkers would frown upon my choice, even call me some unsavory things for choosing to go this route. I didn't go this route because I thought it was an optimum or preferred choice. It was the practical, achievable one. I had my birthday last week and my father was uncharacteristically generous in acknowledging it. The wife and I planned to travel to a large city South of us to spend the day shopping and eating at one of our favorite family restaurants. I had planned on stopping at the Harbor Freight store because at over an hour away from home, I don't get to visit the place very often. The workbench was on sale. With a crisp new hundred dollar bill in my pocket (thank you, Dad!) it made sense to pick one up for what would ultimately become an ~ $79.00 USD buy. The dimensions were perfect for my workshop: I needed one narrow and not too long. Two other criteria made this the best choice for now: price (with the price of lumber in my area, I couldn't build this for less than three times the price I paid for it) and weight. Oh yeah, you heard me: weight. We are contemplating a move some time either late this year or the next. No way do I want to tackle carrying a 300-400 pound Roubo-style workbench up the old stone steps of the dungeon entrance. In the beefing up process, I made sure to allow for disassembly of the legs from the bench top, and both units will be manageable by myself or with a little help.

I have no idea what hardwood the bench is made of. I used pine boards and quality dimensional fir. Here is the bench assembled from instructions, to the point where I needed to start the strengthening process. What's missing from the original build design are the side braces with tracks, the center brace with tracks, and the four shelves that would fit underneath the top:

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Lumber Plank


I purchased a vice from our local Lowe's a couple of years ago. This was the perfect opportunity to incorporate it into the bench. It's obvious in the picture that the thin top and sides can't handle the vice without help. Two-bys were run crosswise and a thin hard maple shim was used between them and the vice to insure it wouldn't dig into the softer wood in use. Polyurethane construction glue was used to to attach the two-bys to the top and sides, and the maple shim to the fir. Four #14-3" wood screws attach the two fir boards to the sides behind the vice. This will be obvious in the backside view:

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Handheld power drill Tool


The fir rail support installed on front side:

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Gas Tool


The fir rail support installed on back side. Note the larger, longer screws on the left side of the picture. These secure to the crosswise braces to the front and back rails:

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Plank Flooring


Front and back rails supports are screwed into the legs. On the vice side, only the back rail support is attached:

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Plank


Rail support attachments to the legs:

Wood Hardwood Art Wood stain Machine tool


Three-quarter view of the leg bracing boards attached:

Wood Beam Wood stain Art Floor


View from the other end:

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Rectangle Plywood


Back side of completed bench upgrade:

Table Wood Wood stain Hardwood Gas


Front view:

Table Wood Wood stain Hardwood Gas


You are probably wondering how flat the top is after all the bracing I have done. It's off a little, in spots. Right now it's not important to resolve. Once I get the benches and equipment reorganized, I will come back to this and do some careful planing/sanding. It really isn't bad.

Before turning off the lights for the night, I did some edge planing in the black vice. Nice. The bench didn't budge or rock. :)

Next project: putting up walls in the dungeon using pallets!
 

Attachments

#250 ·
Beefing Up A HF Windsor-Style Workbench

Keeping within the budget and guidelines of my frugal perspective, I opted to take a chance by purchasing a Harbor Freight Windsor-style Workbench last weekend. Over the past two days I have been working on its assembly and beefing it up to meet my needs in the dungeon workshop.

I'm sure many serious woodworkers would frown upon my choice, even call me some unsavory things for choosing to go this route. I didn't go this route because I thought it was an optimum or preferred choice. It was the practical, achievable one. I had my birthday last week and my father was uncharacteristically generous in acknowledging it. The wife and I planned to travel to a large city South of us to spend the day shopping and eating at one of our favorite family restaurants. I had planned on stopping at the Harbor Freight store because at over an hour away from home, I don't get to visit the place very often. The workbench was on sale. With a crisp new hundred dollar bill in my pocket (thank you, Dad!) it made sense to pick one up for what would ultimately become an ~ $79.00 USD buy. The dimensions were perfect for my workshop: I needed one narrow and not too long. Two other criteria made this the best choice for now: price (with the price of lumber in my area, I couldn't build this for less than three times the price I paid for it) and weight. Oh yeah, you heard me: weight. We are contemplating a move some time either late this year or the next. No way do I want to tackle carrying a 300-400 pound Roubo-style workbench up the old stone steps of the dungeon entrance. In the beefing up process, I made sure to allow for disassembly of the legs from the bench top, and both units will be manageable by myself or with a little help.

I have no idea what hardwood the bench is made of. I used pine boards and quality dimensional fir. Here is the bench assembled from instructions, to the point where I needed to start the strengthening process. What's missing from the original build design are the side braces with tracks, the center brace with tracks, and the four shelves that would fit underneath the top:

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Lumber Plank


I purchased a vice from our local Lowe's a couple of years ago. This was the perfect opportunity to incorporate it into the bench. It's obvious in the picture that the thin top and sides can't handle the vice without help. Two-bys were run crosswise and a thin hard maple shim was used between them and the vice to insure it wouldn't dig into the softer wood in use. Polyurethane construction glue was used to to attach the two-bys to the top and sides, and the maple shim to the fir. Four #14-3" wood screws attach the two fir boards to the sides behind the vice. This will be obvious in the backside view:

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Handheld power drill Tool


The fir rail support installed on front side:

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Gas Tool


The fir rail support installed on back side. Note the larger, longer screws on the left side of the picture. These secure to the crosswise braces to the front and back rails:

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Plank Flooring


Front and back rails supports are screwed into the legs. On the vice side, only the back rail support is attached:

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Plank


Rail support attachments to the legs:

Wood Hardwood Art Wood stain Machine tool


Three-quarter view of the leg bracing boards attached:

Wood Beam Wood stain Art Floor


View from the other end:

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Rectangle Plywood


Back side of completed bench upgrade:

Table Wood Wood stain Hardwood Gas


Front view:

Table Wood Wood stain Hardwood Gas


You are probably wondering how flat the top is after all the bracing I have done. It's off a little, in spots. Right now it's not important to resolve. Once I get the benches and equipment reorganized, I will come back to this and do some careful planing/sanding. It really isn't bad.

Before turning off the lights for the night, I did some edge planing in the black vice. Nice. The bench didn't budge or rock. :)

Next project: putting up walls in the dungeon using pallets!
Paul, no need to apologize for shopping at Harbor Freight. For many of us woodworking hobbiest that is our favorite store. I was one happy guy when a Harbor Freight opened in our town. The bench with your modifications ought to serve you well.
 

Attachments

#255 ·
Tool Tip - Simple Depth Gauge for Twist Bits

Yesterday, while working on the stake sides for my Harbor Freight trailer, I found myself in a need for a depth gauge for the drill bits I was using. I didn't think to bring out a roll of painter's tape and I was too into my work to get one from the dungeon.

A solution that worked well for me: use your marking pencil to draw a heavy line across one of the twist bit's flukes. The line will be quite visible as the bit spins.

_

I have been busy with building a trailer (to haul lumber and everything else), as well as organizing the dungeon workshop, and most recently, setting up the potted pallet garden in our back yard. Once the trailer is done, I will make a project post with pictures. Until then, I will catch up with everyone as soon as I can.
 
#256 ·
Franken-Rack gives life to Harbor Freight trailer

Last year, my first LumberJocks project was the Franken-Rack, a huge wooden rack that mounted on the rook of my 2001 Chevy Blazer. The concept was sound. The construction sturdy and useful. Unfortunately, it was too heavy for the roof's infrastructure to support, so off it went, late last year, to go through this past winter under heavy canvas cover. On April25th I made an excellent buy on a Harbor Freight (HF) 4'x8' Folding Utility Trailer. Over the past month I have been working on its assembly and the creation of a wooded stake side and gate system. The goal: a trailer that could safely carry 4'x8' sheet goods, lumber, workshop equipment and furniture, bought as well as made.

The full set of 58 pictures showing construction from start to finish can be found here at my Google+ profile. I have only added some pictures showing the finished build.

Wheel Tire Plant Motor vehicle Wood


The HF trailer comes in two heavy boxes. One contains all the frame, axle, assembly components and accessories. The other box contains the two wheels, fenders, lights and wiring. Assembly wasn't difficult, just time consuming. I started assembly in the dungeon with the front and back frame halves, then assembled the rest outdoors. Without a garage or shelter to work in, I could only work on the assembly and stake sides build while weather cooperated. It's important to note that most of the washers used in this assembly were added by me. That's a little over 120 of them, in four different sizes. I guess this is one way to save cost in manufacturing, because I spent close to $45.00 USD just in those. The jack stand was extra, an additional $20.00, I believe. I also bought a dolly for around fifty. Minus the stand and dolly, and with an initial cost of $239.00 for the trailer, I have somewhere between $350-$400 into the project. All I need to add at a later date is a spare tire and frame mount for it.

The trailer was designed to be folded in half and rolled away to a side or corner of your garage. I wanted a more solid construction. I didn't have a need for a folding capacity. I routed the wiring a little differently, by having it split and run through each leg of the front "A" frame to the rest of the trailer. You can see in the finished build picture that I have used plastic automotive wiring cover in the "A" frame section to give better weather protection. Wherever the wiring harness passed through a metal frame clip I wound several wraps of electrical tape to protect from the sharp edges. I added zip ties where I felt more control was necessary. I didn't use the junction clamps for the wiring, instead using butt crimps that were generously wrapped in electrical tape to keep water out.

Final Construction Pictures

Trailer after the second coat of Flood UV protecting deck stain and sealant had been applied. You can see the cross braces behind it and to the far right the removable gate against the shed:

Wheel Tire Plant Window Vehicle


I designed the staked bed to have two rear gates. The one you see is for sheet goods and any condition where the full-height gate isn't needed. Carabiners are used to secure the hinged gate when the full-size gate is used. As you see it, I would use the locks normally placed on the full-size gate. This keeps me from having to have four padlocks:

Plant Wood Plank Wood stain Hardwood


Outdoor bench Wheel Wood Outdoor furniture Tire


I had concerns with using ratcheting web straps over the top of the sides compressing them and causing fractures at the half-lapped section of the side stakes. To avoid this, I added cross braces atop each of the half-lapped stakes:

Plant Wood Wood stain Plank Hardwood


Plant Wood Rectangle Grass Wood stain


The braces are attached to the stakes via a sliding lock bolt. Each lock bolt is secured from opening via a carabiner:

Wood Table Wood stain Hardwood Varnish


The trailer is pretty much finished. All I have to do is add (already purchased) tarp tie downs and strapping loops, probably later this week. It has been used to haul pallets back to the house. Worked great.

Next project--The Dungeon; an ongoing saga.
 

Attachments

#257 ·
Franken-Rack gives life to Harbor Freight trailer

Last year, my first LumberJocks project was the Franken-Rack, a huge wooden rack that mounted on the rook of my 2001 Chevy Blazer. The concept was sound. The construction sturdy and useful. Unfortunately, it was too heavy for the roof's infrastructure to support, so off it went, late last year, to go through this past winter under heavy canvas cover. On April25th I made an excellent buy on a Harbor Freight (HF) 4'x8' Folding Utility Trailer. Over the past month I have been working on its assembly and the creation of a wooded stake side and gate system. The goal: a trailer that could safely carry 4'x8' sheet goods, lumber, workshop equipment and furniture, bought as well as made.

The full set of 58 pictures showing construction from start to finish can be found here at my Google+ profile. I have only added some pictures showing the finished build.

Wheel Tire Plant Motor vehicle Wood


The HF trailer comes in two heavy boxes. One contains all the frame, axle, assembly components and accessories. The other box contains the two wheels, fenders, lights and wiring. Assembly wasn't difficult, just time consuming. I started assembly in the dungeon with the front and back frame halves, then assembled the rest outdoors. Without a garage or shelter to work in, I could only work on the assembly and stake sides build while weather cooperated. It's important to note that most of the washers used in this assembly were added by me. That's a little over 120 of them, in four different sizes. I guess this is one way to save cost in manufacturing, because I spent close to $45.00 USD just in those. The jack stand was extra, an additional $20.00, I believe. I also bought a dolly for around fifty. Minus the stand and dolly, and with an initial cost of $239.00 for the trailer, I have somewhere between $350-$400 into the project. All I need to add at a later date is a spare tire and frame mount for it.

The trailer was designed to be folded in half and rolled away to a side or corner of your garage. I wanted a more solid construction. I didn't have a need for a folding capacity. I routed the wiring a little differently, by having it split and run through each leg of the front "A" frame to the rest of the trailer. You can see in the finished build picture that I have used plastic automotive wiring cover in the "A" frame section to give better weather protection. Wherever the wiring harness passed through a metal frame clip I wound several wraps of electrical tape to protect from the sharp edges. I added zip ties where I felt more control was necessary. I didn't use the junction clamps for the wiring, instead using butt crimps that were generously wrapped in electrical tape to keep water out.

Final Construction Pictures

Trailer after the second coat of Flood UV protecting deck stain and sealant had been applied. You can see the cross braces behind it and to the far right the removable gate against the shed:

Wheel Tire Plant Window Vehicle


I designed the staked bed to have two rear gates. The one you see is for sheet goods and any condition where the full-height gate isn't needed. Carabiners are used to secure the hinged gate when the full-size gate is used. As you see it, I would use the locks normally placed on the full-size gate. This keeps me from having to have four padlocks:

Plant Wood Plank Wood stain Hardwood


Outdoor bench Wheel Wood Outdoor furniture Tire


I had concerns with using ratcheting web straps over the top of the sides compressing them and causing fractures at the half-lapped section of the side stakes. To avoid this, I added cross braces atop each of the half-lapped stakes:

Plant Wood Wood stain Plank Hardwood


Plant Wood Rectangle Grass Wood stain


The braces are attached to the stakes via a sliding lock bolt. Each lock bolt is secured from opening via a carabiner:

Wood Table Wood stain Hardwood Varnish


The trailer is pretty much finished. All I have to do is add (already purchased) tarp tie downs and strapping loops, probably later this week. It has been used to haul pallets back to the house. Worked great.

Next project--The Dungeon; an ongoing saga.
I forgot to mention in the blog that some of the lumber used in this construction came from the disassembled Franken-Rack. This is why the stakes and 1"x6" sides look like they have been used before.
 

Attachments

#262 ·
Harbor Freight Folding Utility Trailer Build

I have been busy with multiple woodworking related and household projects this Spring, which is mainly why I haven't been on Lumberjocks in that time. Previously I posted two small projects worth mentioning. I am currently working on a commission for a new neighbor. One project that consumed a month of my time was the building of the Harbor Freight 4'x8' Folding Utility Trailer with a custom-made stake bed.

I needed to be able to haul 4'x8' sheet goods from the box stores to the workshop, pallets from around the area, equipment too big for the insides of my SUV, and of course junk to the landfill and recycling centers. The Franken-Rack I built last year was a temporary fix that gave mixed results. It was time to get that trailer I always wanted and desperately needed.

Here is the finished trailer, less some tie-down hardware I have been too preoccupied to screw into place.

Wheel Tire Plant Motor vehicle Wood


For those of you interested in how this was assembled (the HF kit) and the construction of the stake bed, Let me know and I will point you to my Goggle+ posts that show over 50 images of the build from start to finish. I am only adding the walk-around here.

I build the stake bed with a dual-gate design. The hinged gate is enough for sheet goods and some items that might be longer than the 8' bed length.

Plant Wood Plank Wood stain Hardwood


Outdoor bench Wheel Wood Outdoor furniture Tire


Carabiners are used to secure the hinged gate's latches when the stake gate is used, otherwise I can use the padlocks when without.

To minimizer flex in the stake bed side and keep them from compressing when tie-downs are torqued tightly across from side to side, I created cross braces that sit atop of the top horizontal frame and latch into the stakes via sliding latches. To keep the latches in place, carabiners are used. Effective. Simple in design. So far, fool proof and very convenient when I need to remove them or store them inside the SUV.

Plant Wood Rectangle Grass Wood stain


Wood Table Wood stain Hardwood Varnish


Plant Wood Wood stain Plank Hardwood


Here are some pre-finished pictures of the trailer in use. You can see the racks sides, tailgate and stake end are unfinished, but this shows how the rear end can be accessed.

Wood Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Tire


Tire Wheel Car Vehicle Sky


Two ancillary devices were purchased that have been very helpful. The first is the swing-away trailer jack, seen in the finished project pictures. The second has become a necessity since I can't back into my driveway and need to disconnect and move around the trailer by hand.

Tire Wheel Automotive tire Bicycle tire Tread


This trailer and stake bed have been an interesting project and challenge. I had some unexpected problems during assembly. How to build the stake bed to fit my needs was not obvious and took some out of the box thinking. For instance, the trailer dimensions are exactly the same as a 4'x8' sheet of plywood, which required half-lapping the first rail into the stakes to keep the inner dimensions the same. I also wired it differently, seeing as this will never be folded and can't be as I built it. The trailer does not come with washers or lock-washers, with a handful of exceptions, so about 200 of each were purchased. Extra hardware alone cost half again the price of the trailer kit. When done, this cost me a little over $400.00. Not bad, compared to the competition.

Would I recommend the trailer kit? Most definitely. Be prepared to upscale. Anyone interested in how to do that, let me know.
 

Attachments

#263 ·
Harbor Freight Folding Utility Trailer Build

I have been busy with multiple woodworking related and household projects this Spring, which is mainly why I haven't been on Lumberjocks in that time. Previously I posted two small projects worth mentioning. I am currently working on a commission for a new neighbor. One project that consumed a month of my time was the building of the Harbor Freight 4'x8' Folding Utility Trailer with a custom-made stake bed.

I needed to be able to haul 4'x8' sheet goods from the box stores to the workshop, pallets from around the area, equipment too big for the insides of my SUV, and of course junk to the landfill and recycling centers. The Franken-Rack I built last year was a temporary fix that gave mixed results. It was time to get that trailer I always wanted and desperately needed.

Here is the finished trailer, less some tie-down hardware I have been too preoccupied to screw into place.

Wheel Tire Plant Motor vehicle Wood


For those of you interested in how this was assembled (the HF kit) and the construction of the stake bed, Let me know and I will point you to my Goggle+ posts that show over 50 images of the build from start to finish. I am only adding the walk-around here.

I build the stake bed with a dual-gate design. The hinged gate is enough for sheet goods and some items that might be longer than the 8' bed length.

Plant Wood Plank Wood stain Hardwood


Outdoor bench Wheel Wood Outdoor furniture Tire


Carabiners are used to secure the hinged gate's latches when the stake gate is used, otherwise I can use the padlocks when without.

To minimizer flex in the stake bed side and keep them from compressing when tie-downs are torqued tightly across from side to side, I created cross braces that sit atop of the top horizontal frame and latch into the stakes via sliding latches. To keep the latches in place, carabiners are used. Effective. Simple in design. So far, fool proof and very convenient when I need to remove them or store them inside the SUV.

Plant Wood Rectangle Grass Wood stain


Wood Table Wood stain Hardwood Varnish


Plant Wood Wood stain Plank Hardwood


Here are some pre-finished pictures of the trailer in use. You can see the racks sides, tailgate and stake end are unfinished, but this shows how the rear end can be accessed.

Wood Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Tire


Tire Wheel Car Vehicle Sky


Two ancillary devices were purchased that have been very helpful. The first is the swing-away trailer jack, seen in the finished project pictures. The second has become a necessity since I can't back into my driveway and need to disconnect and move around the trailer by hand.

Tire Wheel Automotive tire Bicycle tire Tread


This trailer and stake bed have been an interesting project and challenge. I had some unexpected problems during assembly. How to build the stake bed to fit my needs was not obvious and took some out of the box thinking. For instance, the trailer dimensions are exactly the same as a 4'x8' sheet of plywood, which required half-lapping the first rail into the stakes to keep the inner dimensions the same. I also wired it differently, seeing as this will never be folded and can't be as I built it. The trailer does not come with washers or lock-washers, with a handful of exceptions, so about 200 of each were purchased. Extra hardware alone cost half again the price of the trailer kit. When done, this cost me a little over $400.00. Not bad, compared to the competition.

Would I recommend the trailer kit? Most definitely. Be prepared to upscale. Anyone interested in how to do that, let me know.
Paul,
looks like you now have an excellent piece of kit at your disposal.
This investment will surely pay for itself in good time.
Cheers, Jinky (James).
 

Attachments

#279 ·
Sewing Thread Spools & Bobbins Rack: Fully Populated

I posted the other day a completed project I made for the wife's birthday. She has now populated the rack, so here is what it was designed to look like in use:

Wood Interior design Window Sunglasses Flooring


Note that on some of the spools there is a bobbin containing the same thread. This was the key ingredient: she wanted to keep the bobbins with the spools providing the thread and color. I wasn't surprised to see that she doubled up on bobbins for some of them. I asked her if she would want to do this before starting the project. She told me she would never do that so don't worry about it. I guess it's a good thing I don't always pay attention to what my wife says. ;)
 

Attachments

#280 ·
Sewing Thread Spools & Bobbins Rack: Fully Populated

I posted the other day a completed project I made for the wife's birthday. She has now populated the rack, so here is what it was designed to look like in use:

Wood Interior design Window Sunglasses Flooring


Note that on some of the spools there is a bobbin containing the same thread. This was the key ingredient: she wanted to keep the bobbins with the spools providing the thread and color. I wasn't surprised to see that she doubled up on bobbins for some of them. I asked her if she would want to do this before starting the project. She told me she would never do that so don't worry about it. I guess it's a good thing I don't always pay attention to what my wife says. ;)
Totally cool! Too funny, that last part.
 

Attachments

#290 ·
The Dungeon Workshop: Progress Report & Walk-Through

One of my greatest challenges in woodworking is not working wood. That isn't meant to imply I have all the skills and knowledge, that I am an expert in woodworking. What I mean is that being one who works best when organized, being so disorganized and without working space handicaps me like you wouldn't believe. While it would seem easy enough to just start putting things away and moving things here or there, the reality is that I don't have enough places to store what I need, and consequently I spend the majority of my time looking for tools, equipment and supplies. The dungeon isn't the only place I have these things. They are scattered between three floors. This has to stop, of course. This is what I have been focusing on between small projects over the course of the past several months.

I should have taken 'before' pictures of the mess. It was such a dangerous environment before these new pictures were taken that I was sure to receive a lot of admonishment from my peers. I was literally stepping over loose lumber and narrowly moving between benches and stands to get from one spot to another. What you see here is still a dangerous mess, but now I have room to move around and that means more and safer progress.

If the weather was more cooperative, I could get the lumber on the floor out to the trailer, cover it with a tarp, and extract what I needed until I had the shop laid out. Unfortunately, the humidity level is much higher outside because of the amount of rain we have been having this summer. It will be months before I can create any more lumber racks. I know: everything in its own time. Patience was never a virtue of mine.

--

Wood Building Brickwork Floor Flooring


Recently I put up a studded wall along side of the old oil tank. I used new and reclaimed OSB, which I found out during construction was of two different thickness. Before I knew this I had measured out panel widths and you can see I missed the proper measurement on the top right panel. Fortunately, looks is far less important in this environment than usability.

Wood Floor Flooring Composite material Shade


Because of the high humidity and mold/mildew in this environment, I decided to prime the front side of wall with bin primer before painting. One thick coat was applied, enough to ensure that I got the majority of the crevices filled.

Table Wood Gas Workbench Machine


I applied one coat of white latex ceiling paint. I went back and forth many times on which bench to put in this space. The HF Windsor bench (seen on the left) would allow placing it away from the wall and walking around all four sides. The problem is in the uneven floor, especially at the drain hole on the far right. The bench lacks the weight to keep itself stable on floor shims. I also needed the deeper converted desk-to-bench placed where it would do the most good. It won't fit anywhere else. Once dry, the bench was moved into place. As you can see, finding a place for things is what holds back construction. Can't work on the bench if it is filled with expectant tools and equipment.

I whipped up a small clamps rack for the right side of the bench. These are the plastic-ended squeeze-grip clamps I have. I have to build a larger rack for my screw grip clamps in the space left open around the tank. Something for a later time.

Table Wood Flooring Stool Desk


More clutter. The stone wall on the right has to be reclaimed. Minimally, I need to take the pegboard on the wall and rotate its length and hang it to run widthwise along the wall. What I would like to do eventually is to stud the wall as I did around the oil tank. This makes it easier to rid myself of the ever present intrusion of arachnids in my dungeon domain. It would also keep the moisture off whatever I put near the wall.

You can see how much the floor slopes from the far right corner to the left when you look at the wheeled sliding compound saw bench compared to the Windsor work bench. I kid you not, that is about a two inch slope. Another reason for adding the studded wall is to create wall-mounted benches that 'would be' level. That would take care of this problem.

The lumber, as mentioned before, is a problem here: no place to put it. The steel shelves in the background are coming out. They are lined with bike shop stuff. Most of that will be given away to a friend who works on bikes to supplement his Social Security. But since I still have several bikes to care for and some still to be built-up, there will be a repair shop somewhere.

There is a tiny closet-like room behind all the bench (white door) that hasn't been opened in over twenty years. I am curious to see if it can be used for finishing or storage.

Note the DeWALT thickness planer on the left. It's 'stuck' there.

Wood Floor Electrical wiring Engineering Toolroom


So what do I mean by the planer being 'stuck' there?

In trying to gain some access to this part of the dungeon, I needed to find a place to put the thickness planer where it would be temporarily out of the way. As you know, these are close to 200 pounds in weight. Like the old-man-who-thought-he-was-still-a-young-fool, I horsed it up onto two tall sawhorses. That caused a massive spasm across my back, a reoccurrence of an injury sustained in my computer shop back in the late '90s. Thinking that I could work this one out, I kept on going. It looked like it was going to work. Then I tried to carry my relatively light Contractor saw out to the back yard. It was on the stone steps leading outdoors that it came on full force, locked me up so I couldn't move, and here I was pinned on the steps, wedged between it and the stone wall. At any rate, I was incapacitated for well over a week and that was months ago. Eventually, I have to get this down and placed on wheels or I will never be able to used it. I sure wish one of you guys lived close by to give a hand. ;) My young stud neighbor has promised to help me move it this Friday. I just have to get a low base on wheels together before then.

Also notice the table saw has a base. That's a new accomplishment, one I started well over a year ago. It turned out to be sturdy and appropriately heavy, with two wheel on one end and a wooden foot on the other. All four corners have levelers. The only failure in this base has been dust collection. I needed to make the bottom tray sloped downward into the collection port. Too much saw dust ejects out the front blade angle port, for one, and secondly, the rest still piles up around the edge of the shallow trough. Live and learn.

Behind and to the left of the left steel shelf unit is a room extension. This space is filled with bicycling stuff in boxes and some extra plastic garbage cans no longer used. Once they are out and electricity/lighting installed, this could be used for the bike repair shop. Maybe.

Wood Drill presses Wheel Workbench Machine


Around the adjustable steel joist jacks I made a pallet wood wall. This is going to provide a usable wall to hang tools on and to partition workspace from the lumber rack behind it. I just finished relocating the bench drill press here, which is now securely bolt to the cabinet top. The top drawers were peculiar in that the hand holds to open them leaves a large gap that allows sawdust and crud to fall into the drawers. The thick board you see resting on the drawer tops will be cut to match the width of the table top and then two hinges will be mounted on top so that it can hinged upward and out of the way to get at the drawers.

The router stand is a Catch-22 for me, because I hope to do jointing with it (I don't have a jointer and probably won't while in this shop space). I know I will need to get long boards through there and obviously where it is that can't happen. When the need arises I will have to move the base out enough to clear the drill press, moving it back against the wall when done. I may find myself putting wheels on the base will make this easier to do.

Wood Cabinetry Stool Luggage and bags Machine


The space to the right of the band saw is where the drill press used to be. I would really like to free the bureau top up for a computer monitor and place a computer tower in the opened up left side bay. Maybe once the bike shop area is cleaned out there will be room there.

Much of what is on the wall there will be relocated to the other walls, as it pertains to the equipment and use at location. I plan on painting the wall white: I need more light reflection on the work areas.

The old Delta scroll saw on the left needs to be refurbished. Another project on my bucket list.

And that back room needs to be cleaned out. inside, and around to the right, I have to put in at least one adjustable joist jack to prop up the kitchen/bathroom floor where it is sagging before I can remodel either. More bucket list fodder. Right now, I have rough shelving in there that houses all of my bottles and canned solvents, paints, oils, etc.

Wood Workbench Machine Engineering Toolroom


The chest freezer couldn't be in a worse place as far as the shop is concerned. Every time the wife wants to take something out of the it I have to move whatever is on top of it-usually completely covered with whatever-and it's a real pain. But there isn't any better place for it as I don't want my wife walking 'through' the workshop.

Wood Stool Floor Automotive tire Flooring


I wish pictures conveyed depth, as our eyes see it. The rough patches of concrete flooring on the bottom left of the picture vary in depth, some places as deep as a couple of inches. The heavy miter saw bench in the back gets stuck here, and that has wheels nearly three inches tall. Resurfacing isn't an option. I am hoping to lay down rubber mats in the future.

You can see the lumber piles that are in the way. They will be moved today, because I need to get the table saw located to just camera-side of the shop vac, and the Windsor bench will be its outfeed table. Then it will be time to don the respirator and ear mugs before vacuuming webs and spiders to get access to the bike shelves. You have no idea how buried that area is in webs. :)

I hope you found this progress report and tour of my dungeon workshop interesting.

---

ADDENDUM - July 16th

Wood Stool Table Gas Machine


I've spent some time in the dungeon since I posted this blog. I've been able to get some stuff put away (like powered hand tools underneath the large desk-turned-bench) and of course the relocation of the table saw and Windsor bench at center floor. I did some spider web cleaning out in the far right corner and was able to clear off most of what was hanging on the pegboard. The board will be removed, cleaned up and then mounted long ways across the wall so that I can have full use of it. The sliding miter saw, as we all knows, needs a lot of space behind it, so for now its present location works and give me some access to the bike stuff I have to remove/relocate.
 

Attachments

#291 ·
The Dungeon Workshop: Progress Report & Walk-Through

One of my greatest challenges in woodworking is not working wood. That isn't meant to imply I have all the skills and knowledge, that I am an expert in woodworking. What I mean is that being one who works best when organized, being so disorganized and without working space handicaps me like you wouldn't believe. While it would seem easy enough to just start putting things away and moving things here or there, the reality is that I don't have enough places to store what I need, and consequently I spend the majority of my time looking for tools, equipment and supplies. The dungeon isn't the only place I have these things. They are scattered between three floors. This has to stop, of course. This is what I have been focusing on between small projects over the course of the past several months.

I should have taken 'before' pictures of the mess. It was such a dangerous environment before these new pictures were taken that I was sure to receive a lot of admonishment from my peers. I was literally stepping over loose lumber and narrowly moving between benches and stands to get from one spot to another. What you see here is still a dangerous mess, but now I have room to move around and that means more and safer progress.

If the weather was more cooperative, I could get the lumber on the floor out to the trailer, cover it with a tarp, and extract what I needed until I had the shop laid out. Unfortunately, the humidity level is much higher outside because of the amount of rain we have been having this summer. It will be months before I can create any more lumber racks. I know: everything in its own time. Patience was never a virtue of mine.

--

Wood Building Brickwork Floor Flooring


Recently I put up a studded wall along side of the old oil tank. I used new and reclaimed OSB, which I found out during construction was of two different thickness. Before I knew this I had measured out panel widths and you can see I missed the proper measurement on the top right panel. Fortunately, looks is far less important in this environment than usability.

Wood Floor Flooring Composite material Shade


Because of the high humidity and mold/mildew in this environment, I decided to prime the front side of wall with bin primer before painting. One thick coat was applied, enough to ensure that I got the majority of the crevices filled.

Table Wood Gas Workbench Machine


I applied one coat of white latex ceiling paint. I went back and forth many times on which bench to put in this space. The HF Windsor bench (seen on the left) would allow placing it away from the wall and walking around all four sides. The problem is in the uneven floor, especially at the drain hole on the far right. The bench lacks the weight to keep itself stable on floor shims. I also needed the deeper converted desk-to-bench placed where it would do the most good. It won't fit anywhere else. Once dry, the bench was moved into place. As you can see, finding a place for things is what holds back construction. Can't work on the bench if it is filled with expectant tools and equipment.

I whipped up a small clamps rack for the right side of the bench. These are the plastic-ended squeeze-grip clamps I have. I have to build a larger rack for my screw grip clamps in the space left open around the tank. Something for a later time.

Table Wood Flooring Stool Desk


More clutter. The stone wall on the right has to be reclaimed. Minimally, I need to take the pegboard on the wall and rotate its length and hang it to run widthwise along the wall. What I would like to do eventually is to stud the wall as I did around the oil tank. This makes it easier to rid myself of the ever present intrusion of arachnids in my dungeon domain. It would also keep the moisture off whatever I put near the wall.

You can see how much the floor slopes from the far right corner to the left when you look at the wheeled sliding compound saw bench compared to the Windsor work bench. I kid you not, that is about a two inch slope. Another reason for adding the studded wall is to create wall-mounted benches that 'would be' level. That would take care of this problem.

The lumber, as mentioned before, is a problem here: no place to put it. The steel shelves in the background are coming out. They are lined with bike shop stuff. Most of that will be given away to a friend who works on bikes to supplement his Social Security. But since I still have several bikes to care for and some still to be built-up, there will be a repair shop somewhere.

There is a tiny closet-like room behind all the bench (white door) that hasn't been opened in over twenty years. I am curious to see if it can be used for finishing or storage.

Note the DeWALT thickness planer on the left. It's 'stuck' there.

Wood Floor Electrical wiring Engineering Toolroom


So what do I mean by the planer being 'stuck' there?

In trying to gain some access to this part of the dungeon, I needed to find a place to put the thickness planer where it would be temporarily out of the way. As you know, these are close to 200 pounds in weight. Like the old-man-who-thought-he-was-still-a-young-fool, I horsed it up onto two tall sawhorses. That caused a massive spasm across my back, a reoccurrence of an injury sustained in my computer shop back in the late '90s. Thinking that I could work this one out, I kept on going. It looked like it was going to work. Then I tried to carry my relatively light Contractor saw out to the back yard. It was on the stone steps leading outdoors that it came on full force, locked me up so I couldn't move, and here I was pinned on the steps, wedged between it and the stone wall. At any rate, I was incapacitated for well over a week and that was months ago. Eventually, I have to get this down and placed on wheels or I will never be able to used it. I sure wish one of you guys lived close by to give a hand. ;) My young stud neighbor has promised to help me move it this Friday. I just have to get a low base on wheels together before then.

Also notice the table saw has a base. That's a new accomplishment, one I started well over a year ago. It turned out to be sturdy and appropriately heavy, with two wheel on one end and a wooden foot on the other. All four corners have levelers. The only failure in this base has been dust collection. I needed to make the bottom tray sloped downward into the collection port. Too much saw dust ejects out the front blade angle port, for one, and secondly, the rest still piles up around the edge of the shallow trough. Live and learn.

Behind and to the left of the left steel shelf unit is a room extension. This space is filled with bicycling stuff in boxes and some extra plastic garbage cans no longer used. Once they are out and electricity/lighting installed, this could be used for the bike repair shop. Maybe.

Wood Drill presses Wheel Workbench Machine


Around the adjustable steel joist jacks I made a pallet wood wall. This is going to provide a usable wall to hang tools on and to partition workspace from the lumber rack behind it. I just finished relocating the bench drill press here, which is now securely bolt to the cabinet top. The top drawers were peculiar in that the hand holds to open them leaves a large gap that allows sawdust and crud to fall into the drawers. The thick board you see resting on the drawer tops will be cut to match the width of the table top and then two hinges will be mounted on top so that it can hinged upward and out of the way to get at the drawers.

The router stand is a Catch-22 for me, because I hope to do jointing with it (I don't have a jointer and probably won't while in this shop space). I know I will need to get long boards through there and obviously where it is that can't happen. When the need arises I will have to move the base out enough to clear the drill press, moving it back against the wall when done. I may find myself putting wheels on the base will make this easier to do.

Wood Cabinetry Stool Luggage and bags Machine


The space to the right of the band saw is where the drill press used to be. I would really like to free the bureau top up for a computer monitor and place a computer tower in the opened up left side bay. Maybe once the bike shop area is cleaned out there will be room there.

Much of what is on the wall there will be relocated to the other walls, as it pertains to the equipment and use at location. I plan on painting the wall white: I need more light reflection on the work areas.

The old Delta scroll saw on the left needs to be refurbished. Another project on my bucket list.

And that back room needs to be cleaned out. inside, and around to the right, I have to put in at least one adjustable joist jack to prop up the kitchen/bathroom floor where it is sagging before I can remodel either. More bucket list fodder. Right now, I have rough shelving in there that houses all of my bottles and canned solvents, paints, oils, etc.

Wood Workbench Machine Engineering Toolroom


The chest freezer couldn't be in a worse place as far as the shop is concerned. Every time the wife wants to take something out of the it I have to move whatever is on top of it-usually completely covered with whatever-and it's a real pain. But there isn't any better place for it as I don't want my wife walking 'through' the workshop.

Wood Stool Floor Automotive tire Flooring


I wish pictures conveyed depth, as our eyes see it. The rough patches of concrete flooring on the bottom left of the picture vary in depth, some places as deep as a couple of inches. The heavy miter saw bench in the back gets stuck here, and that has wheels nearly three inches tall. Resurfacing isn't an option. I am hoping to lay down rubber mats in the future.

You can see the lumber piles that are in the way. They will be moved today, because I need to get the table saw located to just camera-side of the shop vac, and the Windsor bench will be its outfeed table. Then it will be time to don the respirator and ear mugs before vacuuming webs and spiders to get access to the bike shelves. You have no idea how buried that area is in webs. :)

I hope you found this progress report and tour of my dungeon workshop interesting.

---

ADDENDUM - July 16th

Wood Stool Table Gas Machine


I've spent some time in the dungeon since I posted this blog. I've been able to get some stuff put away (like powered hand tools underneath the large desk-turned-bench) and of course the relocation of the table saw and Windsor bench at center floor. I did some spider web cleaning out in the far right corner and was able to clear off most of what was hanging on the pegboard. The board will be removed, cleaned up and then mounted long ways across the wall so that I can have full use of it. The sliding miter saw, as we all knows, needs a lot of space behind it, so for now its present location works and give me some access to the bike stuff I have to remove/relocate.
Don't be sad, it is mess, but it has great potential! Can't wait to see it complete.
 

Attachments

#310 ·
Portable Base for DeWALT Thickness Planer

If you have been following my previous blog posts, you will recall that in creating an efficient and safe workshop in the dungeon, I've had to shift benches and equipment around as areas became ready. I'm at that point where I need to access the South side of the dungeon, and to do that I need to get the heavy thickness planer off its high perch and onto a portable base so I can use it/move it as needed. To that end, I just completed a simple, very sturdy rolling base and now have the planer on it. Hooray! I didn't lock up my back in moving the planer!

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Varnish


Having the Windsor bench in the middle of the floor has worked out nicely, as this project as proven. The framing started off as reclaimed 1-1/2" x 2-1/2" boards found out back of my neighborhood box store. The outside dimensions are 16" wide by 26" long. This gives extra room around the planer and added some stability. Here you see the dry fit.

Musical instrument Idiophone Musical instrument accessory Wood String instrument


Last year I picked up a pocket-hole screw jig at Harbor Freight. It occurred to me that I haven't tried this kind of joinery and decided this would be good for the inner braces, because of where they are located. I found this easy to use and worked fine; a good value considering how much less it cost me over that of a Kreg.

Wood Wood stain Flooring Floor Hardwood


I started out with mounting an inner side rail into the vise and using a clamp to keep the center brace in place. It worked out well, however….

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Plank Lumber


...I made the mistake of completing the inner framing using the vise instead of the relatively flat/level bench top. The frame ended up a little warped. Nothing that hurt the overall performance, just something I knew better not to do and could have avoided.

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Plank Wood stain


Three inch casters and trailing wheels have massive bases. To give four-point contact with the base I used 2Ă—4s across both ends.

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Plank


Wood Hardwood Engineering Machine Gas


Wood Hardwood Wood stain Composite material Plank


I did a little hand planing on the top edges to get rid of unevenness and high spots. I was undecided on whether to add a solid surface to the top of the framing, what material to use if I did (plywood, chip board, planks). In the end I decided not to worry about it.

Motor vehicle Automotive tire Automotive exterior Bumper Gas


By balancing the thickness planer on one of the two sawhorses and pushing aside the other, I was able to let gravity help in 'sliding' it off and onto the waiting base. The back was saved. Unfortunately, the toes of my left foot were clobbered by the hardwood board that was under the planer on the sawhorses. No blood-just sore toes. Figures.

For now, getting the planer out of the way is all I can worry about. Later on, I plan on adding levelers, since finding a spot on the floor that will meet all four wheels is going to be rare, anyway.
 

Attachments

#311 ·
Portable Base for DeWALT Thickness Planer

If you have been following my previous blog posts, you will recall that in creating an efficient and safe workshop in the dungeon, I've had to shift benches and equipment around as areas became ready. I'm at that point where I need to access the South side of the dungeon, and to do that I need to get the heavy thickness planer off its high perch and onto a portable base so I can use it/move it as needed. To that end, I just completed a simple, very sturdy rolling base and now have the planer on it. Hooray! I didn't lock up my back in moving the planer!

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Varnish


Having the Windsor bench in the middle of the floor has worked out nicely, as this project as proven. The framing started off as reclaimed 1-1/2" x 2-1/2" boards found out back of my neighborhood box store. The outside dimensions are 16" wide by 26" long. This gives extra room around the planer and added some stability. Here you see the dry fit.

Musical instrument Idiophone Musical instrument accessory Wood String instrument


Last year I picked up a pocket-hole screw jig at Harbor Freight. It occurred to me that I haven't tried this kind of joinery and decided this would be good for the inner braces, because of where they are located. I found this easy to use and worked fine; a good value considering how much less it cost me over that of a Kreg.

Wood Wood stain Flooring Floor Hardwood


I started out with mounting an inner side rail into the vise and using a clamp to keep the center brace in place. It worked out well, however….

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Plank Lumber


...I made the mistake of completing the inner framing using the vise instead of the relatively flat/level bench top. The frame ended up a little warped. Nothing that hurt the overall performance, just something I knew better not to do and could have avoided.

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Plank Wood stain


Three inch casters and trailing wheels have massive bases. To give four-point contact with the base I used 2Ă—4s across both ends.

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Plank


Wood Hardwood Engineering Machine Gas


Wood Hardwood Wood stain Composite material Plank


I did a little hand planing on the top edges to get rid of unevenness and high spots. I was undecided on whether to add a solid surface to the top of the framing, what material to use if I did (plywood, chip board, planks). In the end I decided not to worry about it.

Motor vehicle Automotive tire Automotive exterior Bumper Gas


By balancing the thickness planer on one of the two sawhorses and pushing aside the other, I was able to let gravity help in 'sliding' it off and onto the waiting base. The back was saved. Unfortunately, the toes of my left foot were clobbered by the hardwood board that was under the planer on the sawhorses. No blood-just sore toes. Figures.

For now, getting the planer out of the way is all I can worry about. Later on, I plan on adding levelers, since finding a spot on the floor that will meet all four wheels is going to be rare, anyway.
It's so massive, sure will do the job and carry all weight.
 

Attachments

#317 ·
Workshop Build - Progress Report

The past few weeks have been filled with side-tracks, accomplishments, frustrations and turmoil. Today I finally reached that point where I could expand into the area of the dungeon that used to be the bike shop.

I removed the peg board from the field stone side.

Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Building


The right corner of the metal shelving was so rusty that some bolts fused with the shelves. I expected to discard both shelf units once I got into them.

Wood Building Floor Flooring Hardwood


This door hasn't been opened in over 25 years. The camera couldn't capture the cobwebs that completely cover the opening. It's pretty dank in there, too. I don't think this space will be used for finishing work. Storage maybe.

Tomorrow…the other shelf unit.
 

Attachments

#318 ·
Workshop Build - Progress Report

The past few weeks have been filled with side-tracks, accomplishments, frustrations and turmoil. Today I finally reached that point where I could expand into the area of the dungeon that used to be the bike shop.

I removed the peg board from the field stone side.

Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Building


The right corner of the metal shelving was so rusty that some bolts fused with the shelves. I expected to discard both shelf units once I got into them.

Wood Building Floor Flooring Hardwood


This door hasn't been opened in over 25 years. The camera couldn't capture the cobwebs that completely cover the opening. It's pretty dank in there, too. I don't think this space will be used for finishing work. Storage maybe.

Tomorrow…the other shelf unit.
Oh go on, do the finishing work in there. It puts the varnish on the wood or it gets the hose.
I see why you call it the dungeon ;)
 

Attachments

#332 ·
Hitachi C10FL Acquisition

Last week I picked up a decent deal on a table saw that will be a marked improvement over the one I have in the dungeon workshop right now. It's a Hitachi C10FL that a widow's husband bought back in 2009. For those not familiar with the make and model, here is a manufacturer's marketing image of the machine:

Wheel Tire Table Gas Machine


The chassis and legs on my acquisition look almost like brand new. The cast iron top is in need of some TLC and the accessory rails need a good cleaning. When I fired it up at the widow's garage, in the first split second it spun up with hardly a whisper, then made a wobbly-droning sound. At the time, I thought it was the impacted sawdust I could see from the opening of the dust collection port. Sawdust had caked over every surface within the chassis. The widow verified that she didn't think her late husband ever hooked up a shop vac to the port. She wasn't sure if he had a shop vac. I'm guessing: no. We were able to use an old house vac to get most of the sawdust out. Looked like band new in there. She said he hardly used it-never finished the deck he bought it for.

Her advertised price was $200 USD. She was comfortable with accepting $175.00 due to the noise problem. It took three of us to lift the saw sans legs onto the back of the truck. Because of the angle of their driveway, the tailgate was above my waist. I'm thankful I had the help to keep my back from spasming over lifting so much weight to that height.

Once home, the wife and I went South (with the Blazer) to a Harbor Freight store to pickup a hydraulic table lift. Only one left, and with the store sale and 20% off coupon, I got it for half the normal price. The only problem-and I anticipated this would happen-is that the small casters won't glide over the crusher run driveway surface. I have to think of some way to get it to the back entrance. But that's a later-on First World problem for now.

So what does it look like? Right now, in pieces, uncleaned:

Motor vehicle Automotive design Vehicle Window Automotive exterior


Here's one that shows the condition of the cast iron top. It looks worse than it is. As far as I could tell, no pitting. It should clean up well:

Motor vehicle Vehicle Trunk Door Automotive exterior


So you ask, what's taking so long for me to get it together and into the dungeon? Parts. Remember earlier I mentioned the wobbly sound after startup? When I inspected the underside of the chassis I found that the pulley on the motor shaft was able to slide around on the shaft. The set screw for the pulley is missing. Fortunately, eReplacementparts.com has them in stock for a little over a buck a piece. While I was ordering, I decided to pick up two rubber feet that were missing from the stand and the outer safety switch paddle, which was also missing. A total of ten bucks. The package will arrive late today or tomorrow morning.

Now for the 'it's complicated' part. As well having to figure out how to get the hydraulic cart with 260 pounds of table saw across a basically dirt and rock driveway, I have to devise a set of ramps, and a safe means of lowering said cart, down the stone steps into the dungeon. I have ideas that should work for the steps. But you know how it is: everything is 'complicated' when the dungeon is involved.

I'll post follow-up picks when the saw is installed. Or maybe when the ramps are in. Or maybe the crash once we let it loose down the ramps. ;)
 

Attachments

#333 ·
Hitachi C10FL Acquisition

Last week I picked up a decent deal on a table saw that will be a marked improvement over the one I have in the dungeon workshop right now. It's a Hitachi C10FL that a widow's husband bought back in 2009. For those not familiar with the make and model, here is a manufacturer's marketing image of the machine:

Wheel Tire Table Gas Machine


The chassis and legs on my acquisition look almost like brand new. The cast iron top is in need of some TLC and the accessory rails need a good cleaning. When I fired it up at the widow's garage, in the first split second it spun up with hardly a whisper, then made a wobbly-droning sound. At the time, I thought it was the impacted sawdust I could see from the opening of the dust collection port. Sawdust had caked over every surface within the chassis. The widow verified that she didn't think her late husband ever hooked up a shop vac to the port. She wasn't sure if he had a shop vac. I'm guessing: no. We were able to use an old house vac to get most of the sawdust out. Looked like band new in there. She said he hardly used it-never finished the deck he bought it for.

Her advertised price was $200 USD. She was comfortable with accepting $175.00 due to the noise problem. It took three of us to lift the saw sans legs onto the back of the truck. Because of the angle of their driveway, the tailgate was above my waist. I'm thankful I had the help to keep my back from spasming over lifting so much weight to that height.

Once home, the wife and I went South (with the Blazer) to a Harbor Freight store to pickup a hydraulic table lift. Only one left, and with the store sale and 20% off coupon, I got it for half the normal price. The only problem-and I anticipated this would happen-is that the small casters won't glide over the crusher run driveway surface. I have to think of some way to get it to the back entrance. But that's a later-on First World problem for now.

So what does it look like? Right now, in pieces, uncleaned:

Motor vehicle Automotive design Vehicle Window Automotive exterior


Here's one that shows the condition of the cast iron top. It looks worse than it is. As far as I could tell, no pitting. It should clean up well:

Motor vehicle Vehicle Trunk Door Automotive exterior


So you ask, what's taking so long for me to get it together and into the dungeon? Parts. Remember earlier I mentioned the wobbly sound after startup? When I inspected the underside of the chassis I found that the pulley on the motor shaft was able to slide around on the shaft. The set screw for the pulley is missing. Fortunately, eReplacementparts.com has them in stock for a little over a buck a piece. While I was ordering, I decided to pick up two rubber feet that were missing from the stand and the outer safety switch paddle, which was also missing. A total of ten bucks. The package will arrive late today or tomorrow morning.

Now for the 'it's complicated' part. As well having to figure out how to get the hydraulic cart with 260 pounds of table saw across a basically dirt and rock driveway, I have to devise a set of ramps, and a safe means of lowering said cart, down the stone steps into the dungeon. I have ideas that should work for the steps. But you know how it is: everything is 'complicated' when the dungeon is involved.

I'll post follow-up picks when the saw is installed. Or maybe when the ramps are in. Or maybe the crash once we let it loose down the ramps. ;)
Sweet as! I like it when good things happen for nice people.
 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top