# 'lectric winding sticks



## realcowtown_eric (Feb 4, 2013)

Last week in the shop I was making some doors, and while in the past I had no trouble with typiclal winding strips , but this time I had trouble. Probably cause I use reading glasses more and more. So I scratched my head and came up with this.

What I got was a strip of plexiglass, scored it with some parallel lines from the tip of a high bevel TS blade, and made a mount for it out of some pine, so that it sits in a slot. Underneath it I put a couple of feet of Lee Valley 120 LED strip, and hooked it up to a transformer.

http://s940.photobucket.com/user/ecoyle1cowtown_eric/media/jan2014015_zpsa703460a.jpg.html

Often times there are clamps in the way so wimpy little sticks won't stick up above them.

This one does.

What happens is the little leds direct their light up the plexiglass (assisted with metal reflective tape on the wood so as to not lose any light. When the light hits the scoring marks (which are parallel) the light up just like a bar sign.

I tried to take photos of it in action, but the cel phone camera couldn't deal with light variance, nor, just like my eyes, deal with the 6' variance in focus.

It cost me only marginally more than the LV aluminium winding strips.

Ya I know I could used my laser plumb/level, but unfortunately the fellas that poured the slab on my shop did it with a slope so depending on where I'd be fabricating, I'd be forever shimming to be level to start with.

Eric


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

What is a winding stick?


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## realcowtown_eric (Feb 4, 2013)

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=53276&cat=1,230,41182


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## Hephaestos (Nov 1, 2014)

Dude, that is brilliant. Way to find an inexpensive solution for the many older people whose eyes aren't as good as they used to be. I don't have that problem (yet), but I bet this would help a lot of people.


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## realcowtown_eric (Feb 4, 2013)

Although my eyesight is still good, 20/20, the difficulties focusing has me having dollar store "readers" all over the place. Trubble is the more I use em, the more I need em.

As for being "brilliant", thank you for the complimen, but it was just something I thought of to resolve a problem I had and thought I'd share. If you want to tell my wife I'm brilliant, I won;t object.

Check out a dollar store +1.5 readers for looking at saw tips when yer sharpening.

Eric
Not an ocular cripple yet, but just getting older.


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