# Season of shop upgrades



## nonenone (Jun 15, 2013)

*Shop Improvements*

This past year I have occupied my shop time in efforts to organize the shop and spent the time to build several shop tools and accessories. Having a garage shop that is primarily used for parking cars; it has been a constant challenge to optimize the space as a part time woodworking shop. This year I removed everything from the garage to thoroughly clean and re-organize the shop. I painted the walls and added 8 banks of overhead fluorescent lights to brighten up the space.

*Free up Space*
A 4'x16' storage shelf in the unused space above the garage door was added to store all the seasonal items to free up prime real-estate for woodworking tools.










*Keep it Clean*
A dust collection system was added to help keep the shop clean. The system uses a primary 4" hose that is connected to either the table saw or planer on the east side of the shop and a 2" line split off from the main line that feeds 4 blast gates along the west wall for the router table, chop saw, drill press, band saw or whatever tool I choose to set up along that wall for that day.

*Add Power*
Another upgrade that is also seen in the picture below is the addition of multiple electrical outlets along the west wall. An additional dedicated line was added for the dust collector and a 220v line was added on the east wall.










Added storage for expandable 2" dust hose









Added blast gate and ergonomic handle to table saw to minimize flow losses when I want dust collection in the 2" line that feeds the other tools.









"Dust Collection Review" http://lumberjocks.com/topics/50750

*Wood Storage*
Next I added a sheet goods lumber rack along the east wall. I based this design on one of the wood whisperer designs, and have since added wood storage up the wall above the sheet goods rack.










*Get Organized*
I am fortunate to have a recess at the rear of the garage that I use as a small tool crib. 









I took the time re-organize the space adding a storage rack for my small collection of hand planes, chisels, and clamps; I left space for a couple more planes that I have had my eye on. 

















I added some additional organization for miscellaneous hardware and battery chargers.









For sandpaper storage, I found that a hanging file folder box helps keep the paper organized in a small space and the hanging files keep the grits separated and marked for efficiency.










*Future Upgrades*
After getting the shop cleaned, lit up, and better organized I set out to add a few shop accessories that I have had on my to-do list for some time. These included a table saw out feed table, zero clearance inserts, end boring jig, a table saw cross cut sled, a planer sled, and box joint jig, drill press organization, router table insert. I will post additional blogs on the results of these tasks.

*Longer Range Goals*
Build Better work bench. A good solid work bench is on my list of things I would like to build, but it will need to be mobile to allow me to move it out to the main work area when I set up shop.

Thanks for viewing


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## GrandpaLen (Mar 6, 2012)

nonenone said:


> *Shop Improvements*
> 
> This past year I have occupied my shop time in efforts to organize the shop and spent the time to build several shop tools and accessories. Having a garage shop that is primarily used for parking cars; it has been a constant challenge to optimize the space as a part time woodworking shop. This year I removed everything from the garage to thoroughly clean and re-organize the shop. I painted the walls and added 8 banks of overhead fluorescent lights to brighten up the space.
> 
> ...


Very thoughtful use of space and well organized and that promotes safety and productivity.

Work Safely and have Fun. - Grandpa Len


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## rhybeka (Nov 8, 2009)

nonenone said:


> *Shop Improvements*
> 
> This past year I have occupied my shop time in efforts to organize the shop and spent the time to build several shop tools and accessories. Having a garage shop that is primarily used for parking cars; it has been a constant challenge to optimize the space as a part time woodworking shop. This year I removed everything from the garage to thoroughly clean and re-organize the shop. I painted the walls and added 8 banks of overhead fluorescent lights to brighten up the space.
> 
> ...


awesome PJ! I second Grandpa Len's response  If I was being allowed to stay in the garage I'd ask you some more questions about those overhead storage shelves.  Well done!


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

nonenone said:


> *Shop Improvements*
> 
> This past year I have occupied my shop time in efforts to organize the shop and spent the time to build several shop tools and accessories. Having a garage shop that is primarily used for parking cars; it has been a constant challenge to optimize the space as a part time woodworking shop. This year I removed everything from the garage to thoroughly clean and re-organize the shop. I painted the walls and added 8 banks of overhead fluorescent lights to brighten up the space.
> 
> ...


Impressive shop! To me it says "Come and work and get inspired"


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## nonenone (Jun 15, 2013)

*Table Saw Outfeed*

*A need for out-feed*
I have tried using out feed rollers and various stands for some time and have never been satisfied with the results, especially when cutting large sheet goods on the table saw. For reasons including safety and quality of cut, I decided that I needed an out feed table system.

*Primary Concern*
For my garage workshop I needed a solution that was easily stored out of the way quickly with minimal storage space. I patterned the out-feed table on a design by Dwayne Intveld in the May/June 2003 issue of Fine Woodworking.

This design uses a torsion box construction that is hinged (piano hinge) on the rear of the table saw fence rail. The torsion box is made of a poplar frame with ¼" hardboard top and bottom.


















*Large Out-feed Capacity*
The design features a primary out-feed table and a secondary out-feed table that is inset in the leg support for the primary table. Kotterless clevis pins are used for quick set up of the out feed table angled supports.

*Primary Outfeed*










*Secondary Out-feed*


















*Minimal Storage Space Required*
This design provides optimum out feed capability (Nearly 6 feet) and requires very little additional footprint than the table saw itself when stowed away.

















Thanks for viewing - this was a fun project and I really enjoy the new table. Also, I modeled the out-feed table in sketchup and inserted an on-line download of the R4512 tablesaw in to the model to help visualize the project. If any one is interested I would be happy to share the sketchup out-feed table model.


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## GrandpaLen (Mar 6, 2012)

nonenone said:


> *Table Saw Outfeed*
> 
> *A need for out-feed*
> I have tried using out feed rollers and various stands for some time and have never been satisfied with the results, especially when cutting large sheet goods on the table saw. For reasons including safety and quality of cut, I decided that I needed an out feed table system.
> ...


Wow!

That's an 'Aircraft Carrier' sized outfeed table, but then you have to have a large area for those sheet goods to land.

Well done and looks very solid.

Work Safely and have Fun. - Grandpa Len.


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## rtriplett (Nov 25, 2009)

nonenone said:


> *Table Saw Outfeed*
> 
> *A need for out-feed*
> I have tried using out feed rollers and various stands for some time and have never been satisfied with the results, especially when cutting large sheet goods on the table saw. For reasons including safety and quality of cut, I decided that I needed an out feed table system.
> ...


Thanks for posting. I have a fold down table about half that size and it is in sad shape. This could be a good upgrade.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

nonenone said:


> *Table Saw Outfeed*
> 
> *A need for out-feed*
> I have tried using out feed rollers and various stands for some time and have never been satisfied with the results, especially when cutting large sheet goods on the table saw. For reasons including safety and quality of cut, I decided that I needed an out feed table system.
> ...


Wow, this a very nice outfeed solution


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## nonenone (Jun 15, 2013)

*Cross Cut Sled*

*Another Table Saw Upgrade*
A quality cross cut sled has been on my to-do list for some time. I have seen many plans in the magazines over the years but have never built one. Now that I have finished my first cross cut sled, I don't know how I got along without it.

*Desired Cross Cut Sled Features*

1) I wanted a sled that would handle 24" wide panels.
2) needs a dedicated easy to adjust stop block for repeat cuts.
3) needs to accommodate zero-clearance on both the bottom and front fence to prevent chip out.
4) needs to accommodate zero-clearance for both standard saw blades and dado blades.
This meant that the sled needed replaceable zero-clearance inserts.
5) needs to provide dead on square cross cuts

*It Just Arrived in the Mail one Day*

I saw a nearly perfect representation of the sled I wanted to build in the Vol. 22 Issue 130 (July/August 2013) shop notes magazine. I did not follow their exact pattern and I added a zero-clearance insert to the fence but otherwise their plan fit the bill for what I wanted.

*My journey to dead on square cross cuts*

Before I started building the sled I re-tuned the table saw and took special care to verify the fence and miter slots were parallel to the blade. I used a shop made jig with a dial indicator to tune the saw to less than 0.002" run-out between the miter slots and the blade and over the length of the fence.


















My approach did not allow for any adjustment of the fence to square it up to the blade. Instead I used a dado blade to notch the bottom of the sled base for the runners (uses two runners for added stability through the cut) and again to notch the top of the sled base for the sled fence. If the table saw fence and miter slots are truly parallel to the blade, this approach should align the sled miter bars dead-on perpendicular to the sled fence. The approach worked great and the sled produces dead on square cuts.

*The finished Sled*

The sled is 54" wide with a 24" extension. The zero-clearance inserts are made from ¼" hardboard and are attached with 8-32" countersunk machine screws and thread inserts in the sled base. I used ¾" plywood for the base, ¾" plywood laminated together for the fence and stop block, 1" x ¾" oak for the extension cleat, and aluminum miter bars.

Sled with optional extension










The full sled provides support for large panels










Replaceable zero clearance inserts to reduce chip out on bottom and rear of work piece










Thanks for taking a look. Now that I see how useful this sled is, I want to build a light duty sled with an optional add-on box joint jig feature.


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## GrandpaLen (Mar 6, 2012)

nonenone said:


> *Cross Cut Sled*
> 
> *Another Table Saw Upgrade*
> A quality cross cut sled has been on my to-do list for some time. I have seen many plans in the magazines over the years but have never built one. Now that I have finished my first cross cut sled, I don't know how I got along without it.
> ...


PJ,

That is one ginormous sled and looks as though it would offer great control and accuracy for cutting those large panels you referred to.
Does it require an assistant to help install and store it?? ;-)

Work Safely and have Fun. - Grandpa Len.


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## nonenone (Jun 15, 2013)

nonenone said:


> *Cross Cut Sled*
> 
> *Another Table Saw Upgrade*
> A quality cross cut sled has been on my to-do list for some time. I have seen many plans in the magazines over the years but have never built one. Now that I have finished my first cross cut sled, I don't know how I got along without it.
> ...


Len, No assistance needed, it only weighs 20lb w/o the extension. Also, I extended the miter bars a couple inches beyond the front of the sled to help with alignment at the front of the saw. it works great and glides smoothly, but for cutting wide panels the sled would benefit greatly from a couple 6-8" in-feed support rails at each end of the saw.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

nonenone said:


> *Cross Cut Sled*
> 
> *Another Table Saw Upgrade*
> A quality cross cut sled has been on my to-do list for some time. I have seen many plans in the magazines over the years but have never built one. Now that I have finished my first cross cut sled, I don't know how I got along without it.
> ...


I built one from the Shop Notes plan. I used the called for 1/2" plywood for the base, as opposed to 3/4" on this one and on my old, smaller sled. My new sled may, in fact, be slightly lighter than my old one. A little ungainly, yes. Heavy, no. I was skeptical of the 1/2" plywood, but it has performed very well for me.


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## nonenone (Jun 15, 2013)

nonenone said:


> *Cross Cut Sled*
> 
> *Another Table Saw Upgrade*
> A quality cross cut sled has been on my to-do list for some time. I have seen many plans in the magazines over the years but have never built one. Now that I have finished my first cross cut sled, I don't know how I got along without it.
> ...


Charles, Thanks for your comments.

I opted for the 3/4 ply for two main reasons.
1) Allow thickness for thread inserts below the 1/4" hard board zero clearance insert. 
2) I wanted to screw the miter aluminum bars in from the bottom rather rather than down from the top. I was concerned that 1/2" ply with a dado for the miter bar would not leave enough material for screw thread engagement into the plywood. I could have tapped the miter bars and bolted them in from the top like the plan did and I think 1/2" ply would have been fine just as you discovered.

you are right about it being ungainly, especially when cutting a wide panel and the majority of the sled mass is hanging over the front of the saw. Some in-feed support is definitely on my to-do list.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

nonenone said:


> *Cross Cut Sled*
> 
> *Another Table Saw Upgrade*
> A quality cross cut sled has been on my to-do list for some time. I have seen many plans in the magazines over the years but have never built one. Now that I have finished my first cross cut sled, I don't know how I got along without it.
> ...


the only trouble I had in constructing the sled was screwing the ZCI into the thin plywood.


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## JustLikeJames (Feb 14, 2014)

nonenone said:


> *Cross Cut Sled*
> 
> *Another Table Saw Upgrade*
> A quality cross cut sled has been on my to-do list for some time. I have seen many plans in the magazines over the years but have never built one. Now that I have finished my first cross cut sled, I don't know how I got along without it.
> ...


Great job!
I'm curious if you've ever regretted building the sled mirrored from the original plan (having the larger side/extension to the right of the blade). Is it 6 of one and a half dozen of the other, or have you really noticed a benefit to doing it that way? I figure I'm missing something because I bet 99% of people build their sleds with the largest side to the left of the blade. I'm getting ready to build one, and I've always wondered why more people don't build them the way you did.

Thanks


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## nonenone (Jun 15, 2013)

*Zero Clearance Inserts*

*Who's Bright Idea Was This Anyways*
I have the Rigid R4512 table saw, which is perfect for my small shop and mobility needs for storage when not in use. The only complaint I have about the saw is that the stamped metal throat insert is only 1/8" thick, which makes it difficult to produce shop made inserts for zero-clearance. Why so thin???

I have seen several people on the web creating inserts out of wood based on the intricate pattern of the after marked phenolic inserts, but was concerned with the safety of the 1/8" thick wood lip. I also wanted a more time efficient solution.

*A Simpler More Efficient Solution*
When I found that the cost of the manufacturers 1/8" thick steel dado insert was about the same cost as a phenolic zero-clearance insert I had my solution. I realized that with two of these dado inserts and some MDF, I could quickly and cheaply produce all the zero-clearance inserts I could ever need.

I purchased two of the manufacturers dado throat plates. 
One for a dado ZCI and one for a standard blade ZCI.









*Dado Insert Modifications*

For dado ZCI, the insert was only modified with 6 counter sunk holes since it is already sized for an 8" dado blade. For the standard blade ZCI, the insert was modified with an elongated opening, a narrow slot for the riving knife and 6 counter sunk holes. Modifications were made with a metal blade in my jig saw and a file.









*Zero Clearance Inserts for the Modified Insert Plates*

I used a rectangular MDF blank and a rabbet bit to shape the MDF so it would protrude through and be flush with the top of the throat inserts. I then fastened the rectangular blank to the insert using counter sunk screws from the top of the insert.



















For less than the cost of two aftermarket phenolic inserts and with this simple approach, I was able to create a mountain of zero-clearance inserts for both dado and standard blades in just a matter of hours. They work great and you can't beat the price.

Thanks for viewing. Hopefully a few folks out there with the R4512 or other saw with thin stamped metal throat plates will find this helpful.


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## GrandpaLen (Mar 6, 2012)

nonenone said:


> *Zero Clearance Inserts*
> 
> *Who's Bright Idea Was This Anyways*
> I have the Rigid R4512 table saw, which is perfect for my small shop and mobility needs for storage when not in use. The only complaint I have about the saw is that the stamped metal throat insert is only 1/8" thick, which makes it difficult to produce shop made inserts for zero-clearance. Why so thin???
> ...


Now that is a very clever and cost efficient solution for replacable ZCIs.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Work Safely and have Fun. - Grandpa Len.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

nonenone said:


> *Zero Clearance Inserts*
> 
> *Who's Bright Idea Was This Anyways*
> I have the Rigid R4512 table saw, which is perfect for my small shop and mobility needs for storage when not in use. The only complaint I have about the saw is that the stamped metal throat insert is only 1/8" thick, which makes it difficult to produce shop made inserts for zero-clearance. Why so thin???
> ...


Great solution


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## nonenone (Jun 15, 2013)

*Jointer or Planer Sled - A Test*

*Why build a planer sled*

simple, I don't have a jointer. While I have had some success edge jointing with the table saw and router, a jointer has been on my *wish* list for some time to give me face jointing capability. For example, I wish I could have one, I wish I could afford one, and I wish I had room for one.

*Garage/Shop Conundrum*

Given my limited space and need for tool mobility and tool storage in order to park the cars in the garage, I have considered various options on how to get the optimum results in the minimum space. I believe an 8" jointer would provide me with a significant amount of capability, but an 8" jointer would be the largest I could accommodate in my shop provided it is equipped with a mobile base for storage.

*Advantages of a Planer Sled*

1) Adds capability to my shop while I save up for a jointer.
2) May be more suitable for a small shop where a small 6" jointer for edge jointing and a planer sled for face jointing is more feasible in terms of space. 
3) Would also be useful for boards wider than 8" even if I eventually get an 8" jointer.

*"Old Trick - New Dog"*

As I researched planer sleds on the web, I came across a video with an ingenious approach by Keith Rust based on an article from Fine Woodworking that used the idea of a wedge as an inclined plane to adjust several leveling cleats along the length of the board being planed. Keith used screws for a positive lock between the wedges and the leveling cleats, and used non-skid tape on the top of the leveling cleats and the bottom of the wedges to mitigate slipping. Once I saw how well this sled worked in Keith's video I knew this was something I had to try for myself.

*My Planer Sled*
I built the main planer sled base with a torsion box construction using ½" plywood and pine. 









The leveling cleats and wedges are made from maple. The inclined plane of the wedge mates with an inclined dado in the cleat to raise and lower the cleat keeping the cleat top surface parallel with the bottom surface of the wedge.










I built a simple jig for the table saw to hold the leveling cleats at the same angle as the wedges so that when I passed the dado blade through the leveling cleats the mating angled surfaces of the wedge and cleat would yield parallel surfaces between the bottom of the wedge and the top of the cleat.

Pictures of simple jig with a wedge to show the angles.



















Pictures of how to use the simple jig to cut the inclined dado in the leveling cleat Use dado blade of same thickness as wedges - the pictures taken after dado blade removed.



















*Simple Modifications / Improvements*
I made a few modifications that I felt provided some improvements to the sled design with some additional constraints to help stabilize the board on the sled.

1) I replaced the wood screws that provide positive lock between the wedge and the cleat with 6-32 threaded inserts and 6-32 nylon thumb machine screws. I felt that the thumb screws were easier to torque with one hand, w/o tools, than the wood screws that Keith used. I found that the nylon machine screws provide a very good positive lock with the thread inserts when loaded up against the wedge.










2) I added a pair of cleats at the forward end of the sled to constrain the board from being moved separate from the sled by the planer rollers. While the leveling cleats have non-skid tape these end cleats provide a positive stop in addition to the passive non-skid tape restraint.










3) The last modification I made was to add T-track to two of the leveling cleats. I use the T-track to provide lateral motion support at each end of the board being planed. While these lateral stops reduce the overall width of board that can be planed by 1.25" I can still plane a 10.5" board and I can always choose to maximize the width by not using the lateral supports.










As a note, I marked the sled with the direction of feed and recommend orienting the leveling cleats such that the load from the planer will tend to push the cleats into the wedges rather than off of the wedges as an additional safeguard against inadvertent unloading of the leveling cleats due to potential vibrations during planning.










*A Quick Test*
I ran a test with a 6/4 4" wide board that was warped severely (it's what I had for a test piece). I found, just as in Keith's video, that the set up was only a few minutes and a few passes through the planer and I had flattened one side of the board with success and relative ease. Removing the board from the sled and running it through the planer by itself flattened the other side. I also found that the system maintained the initial setup throughout planning w/o becoming loose or needing re-adjustment. The sled really works well and is an excellent addition to my shop.

*The Finished Planer Sled*
I built both an 8' sled and a 4' sled with 11 leveling cleats. This leaves ~ 8" of unsupported board between the cleats on the 8' sled but can be much less on the 4' sled with more cleats per unit length. The unsupported board length is a big draw back of this type of sled, but it should be more than suitable for 4/4 stock or thicker. Also, the sled is very well suited for warped boards, but cupped boards present a different challenge. A cupped board would be placed on the sled concave side up and would require enough cleats to support both edges of the convex side of the board along the length. Now I have to think hard about what size jointer I want vs. what size jointer I really need.










Thanks for viewing. Perhaps this will be helpful to others who are struggling with jointer or "lack of jointer" issues like I am.


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## GrandpaLen (Mar 6, 2012)

nonenone said:


> *Jointer or Planer Sled - A Test*
> 
> *Why build a planer sled*
> 
> ...


Quite impressive would be an understatement.

Nicely engineered and executed, albeit a bit tedious, but then again renders an otherwise useless board to the useable status.

Work Safely and have Fun. - Grandpa Len.


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## DBordello (Jan 16, 2015)

nonenone said:


> *Jointer or Planer Sled - A Test*
> 
> *Why build a planer sled*
> 
> ...


Fantastic job. I plan on building one this weekend. I really like your modifications, and the simple jig for the table saw.

After a couple months in action, any other tweaks you would suggest?


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