# Weather Station: The Next Generation



## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Taming the Templates*

This is a simple project that is made more so with a couple of templates. In fact I would not know how to line things up accurately without them. I use two kinds of templates, one to line up drilling and a couple to space the wings. For pictures and previous discussion check out my project page and blog series.



I start by laying out the design on graph paper and tape that to 1/4" masonite cut to the same size as the inner top and bottom. I then sandwiched an identical size piece between it and the outer bottom template. Then center punched all the holes and drilled pilots through the sandwich. Here are some quick dimensions. The inner top and bottom are 3 3/4" x 9 1/2". The outer top and bottom are 1" wider and longer creating a 1/2" border on all sides. The wings are 7/8" thick x 3 1/2" wide x 10 1/4" tall and are angled 15 degrees inward, about 1/2" from the back edge. The wings are spaced about 1 1/8" apart - more on that in Blog #2 of this series.

The Galileo thermometers run about 11" to 11 1/8" plus or minus due to vagaries of glass blowing. The Galileo hole is 1 1/2" and positioned 1/2" back from the front edge. The holes will be drilled through the inner top and 1/4" into the inner bottom. The six holes in V formation are for 5/16" dowels. Note, the hole on the right is also used for a pivot for the outer top. The two back holes are for 10mm x 5mm magnets which need to match to holes on the underside of the outer top. Whew, say that fast three times. Also check out my first blog to see how I screwed up the magnets.



At this point you do not need to drill the actual size holes. Just a small pilot hole. Since the masonite has both smooth and rough sides, it is easy to maintain orientation with the smooth side up. The V pattern is used to orient the front and back.

Here's a shot of the three separate templates with the pilot holes. As you can see the bottom two are identical. Now Grasshopper, why do I need two identical templates you ask? Well you didn't ask but here goes. In making the first two stations I made a little discovery that is obvious to most people, not so to me. It is this thing called gravity. I learned it is always better to let gravity work in your favor instead of fighting it. So how does this enter the picture? You'll have to wait for Blog 2 in this series. I know, I know… the suspense is killing you. Stay tuned.


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Taming the Templates*
> 
> This is a simple project that is made more so with a couple of templates. In fact I would not know how to line things up accurately without them. I use two kinds of templates, one to line up drilling and a couple to space the wings. For pictures and previous discussion check out my project page and blog series.
> 
> ...


Very good blog so far : )


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## cabinetmaster (Aug 28, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Taming the Templates*
> 
> This is a simple project that is made more so with a couple of templates. In fact I would not know how to line things up accurately without them. I use two kinds of templates, one to line up drilling and a couple to space the wings. For pictures and previous discussion check out my project page and blog series.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the blog. I will continue to follow this one.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Template Solution: Opposite Man*

Some may remember the old Seinfeld episode where George decided his normal way wasn't working out so he vowed to do everything opposite. While things started going in his favor Elaine's life became like George's old life and Seinfeld remained even. Not that that has anything to do with woodworking, I was just looking for something clever. In any event I mentioned in Blog 1 that in the original project I was fighting gravity so I decided to remedy the situation by doing the opposite, or maybe just a mirror image. This picture shows the original templates used to space the wings so holes could be drilled through the inner top & bottom.










While these templates worked okay you can see where they could slide downhill toward the outside and away from the middle spacer. It was a bit of a hassle to hold them in place while clamping. Little things like this lead to errors and inacuracies, or they just make the process more frustrating and less fun. The simple solution was to cut the opposite side of the template so the two pieces fall downhill toward the middle spacer, not away from it. BTW, you can view the discussion of the original 'It's a Bird It's a Plane…' from the original Weather Station blog at http://lumberjocks.com/newTim/blog/7845.

This picture shows the old templates (right) and the new templates (left).










This picture shows how much easier it is to have gravity hold the parts in place (foreground = new templates). In the next blog I'll show how to make these. At least my way. I hope this is making sense.


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## rtb (Mar 26, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Template Solution: Opposite Man*
> 
> Some may remember the old Seinfeld episode where George decided his normal way wasn't working out so he vowed to do everything opposite. While things started going in his favor Elaine's life became like George's old life and Seinfeld remained even. Not that that has anything to do with woodworking, I was just looking for something clever. In any event I mentioned in Blog 1 that in the original project I was fighting gravity so I decided to remedy the situation by doing the opposite, or maybe just a mirror image. This picture shows the original templates used to space the wings so holes could be drilled through the inner top & bottom.
> 
> ...


perfect sense.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Cutting the spacer templates*

Here's the process I used to make the new style templates. First I use the top level template from Blog 1 with the graph paper still attached. I ripped three 3/4" scraps to the desired height and ganged them together. The stop is set on the square so I only have to rotate the piece to get a matching cut the same distance from the other edge. These two initial cuts set the width of the middle spacer that determines the separation of the wings.


















And here's the stack after the table saw.










Then its off to the bandsaw to cut the angles.










Keep the set taped together for a little filing and sanding and they are ready to use.



















Next up "Drill Here Drill Now".


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Drill Here, Drill Now*

There are a number or holes required for this project. Here's a list of purpose and sizes. Galileo = 1 1/2", Dowels = 5/16", Magnets = 10mm, Clock/Instruments = 2 3/8", back air holes 3/4" to 1".

Here's how I usually set the depth of cut. Instead of measuring from the top I set the drill to stop a distance from the bottom.










To locate a centerline I usually rip a piece of scrap and butt the part up against a stop so both are flush to the edge.










I drill all through-holes through both parts at the same time. The Galileo access hole is through the inner top and 1/4" into the inner bottom (see setting depth of cut above).










And here are the inner top and bottoms with holes. The only drilling left are the matching holes drilled into the wings for the dowels. This time around I am finishing the parts and leaving this step for last so I can drill then glue at the same time. I'll let you know how it works out.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Glue Up; That's the one I've been looking for.*

I remember Sen. Bob Dole telling the story of a day spent with his father loading hay bales into the barn's loft. When he reached down to pick up the last one his dad stopped and asked, "do you know which one that is?" He went on to answer, "that's the one we've been looking for all day."

Well sure enough I've finally gotten to the part I've been looking for. This is where all the templates, jigs, drilling, and such come together. Now you can see where those 'wing templates' come in to play.

This time around though, I decided to pre-finish, heck I actually finished the parts before glue up. I used my typical wipe on varnish finish. A coat of Seal-A-Cell, two coats of Satin Top Coat, and on the wings I rubbed on some clear wax. FYI, I'm building two stations at a time. The left is Jatoba and the right is Mahogany.










Now on to the good part. In the first two stations I learned that no matter how accurate the templates and drilling, it was still hard to realign the parts so the dowels went in smoothly. This time around I decided to change the batting order and saved the last drilling and doweling for last. The first thing was to clamp the inner top and bottom to the clamping templates with spring clamps. This is just to make sure they don't slide down or move when I put on the heavier clamps.










At this point I noticed the spacing of the middle was not as wide as I wanted so to achieve the ideal spacing I just added a couple of spacers on each side. (I had referenced this in an earlier blog entry.) You can make out the pencil mark on the left side of the template which shows the outer edge of the wing. And you can see how the three holes line up in the center of the thickness of the wing.










I added the second wing and secured the package with two clamps to hold it all in place while placing the Jet clamp underneath.










And here's the money shot. You can see how the Jet clamp fits nicely into the bench vise and how I use the inner top/bottom as a drilling guide.









Here's another shot of the setup. I did not glue the far right hand dowel in place yet as that hole will eventuallly be used for a pivoting pin. I have the option to glue that in later. Notice also I did not drill the inner two holes because the clamp was in the way. No worries, you can hit these later when the clamp is removed.








In this shot you can see how easy it is to turn the whole thing upside down in the bench vise to drill the bottom holes. BTW, the bottom dowels will remain proud and will be inserted into receiving holes in the base. The top dowels will be cut and sanded flush with the top. A pin will be inserted into the right hand hole for a pivot dowel for the outer top.

The bottom picture shows the inner section glued up with the Galileo and two magnets in place. I will show how I lined up the magnets in the next blog. Enjoy.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Opposites Attract*

The last step in the process is to install the magnets. If you've followed this blog you may recall how I messed this up in the first Weather Station. Here's a link to that particular mistake and my solution. http://lumberjocks.com/newTim/blog/7909. Of coarse the best solution is to get it right the first time. So here goes.

I started by glueing in two magnets using CA glue. This time around I splurged on a 10MM drill bit to match the 10mmx5mm magnets. It seems it is much easier to find metric magnets than imperial, but I digress. I then stuck a matching magnet on each of these and marked the outside with a red X.



















I then glued those magnets into the bottom of the outer top with the red X down and whala. It works and this project is DONE! I hope you enjoyed this series. Thanks for looking. I'll post final pictures on the projects page.


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