# Around the shop



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

*Thoughts on setting up my bandsaw*

I have spent a bit of time wrestling with the Rigid bandsaw that I picked up. I have gone back and forth on the value vs. something from Grizzly. At this point the grizzly G0555 with shipping (just shy of $500) would have been about the same out of pocket. Overall the Rigid won out because of warranty and immediate availability. I also had a Lowe's coupon that HD honored.

Okay, onto the setup. I knew out of the box that there could be some issue with vibration. Assembly was pretty straight forward. I got the saw up to the point that I could fire it up. Yep, pretty bad vibration. The whole frame chassis was flexing allowing the motor and saw to oscillate on it. The belt was the first suspect in the anti-vabration hunt. So I made a couple of calls and located a Gates v-belt.

Once installed the majority of the vibration was removed, but there was still the issue of flex in the stand allowing the motor and saw to pull towards each other. I had some scrap mdf laying around, so I quickly made a sub base and placed this between the stand and the motor/saw. I remounted everything. It did require some longer screws on the saw. I used the same motor screws, but removed the rubber band-aid bumpers they spec'd. I crossed my fingers and fired it up. Bingo, vibration gone. I ended up having to find a few longer screws to mount the belt shroud, but fortunately I had those on hand.

Everything went smooth from there. I got the table mounted and adjusted and finished adjusting the guides. Nothing major. So I was onto some sample cuts. Gotta say, the stock blade is garbage. Very rough cut, major drift, and too wide to do much curve work. I really don't know what this blade's purpose it. I will hang onto it for odd jobs, but only so I don't damage my nicer blades.

Tonight my Kreg fence, cool blocks, and Olson blades came in. I installed each in turn. Wow, great improvements on all fronts. Kreg fence is a quality piece of equipment. Good instructions and straight forward install and adjustments. The cool blocks also bolted right on, reduced noise and most likely heat. The Olson brand blades seem good quality. Cut is much smoother and drift is only 1-2 degrees. I also noticed quieter running of the saw during cuts.

In the end I can't say that these upgrades wouldn't be necessary on the comparable Grizzly. For the Rigid these simply changes and additions make the difference between a saw that I would complain about and a saw that I would be happy to brag about.

short video review:





[/TD][/TR][TR][TD]From 2008.09.03 finishing


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## cmaeda (Sep 1, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Thoughts on setting up my bandsaw*
> 
> I have spent a bit of time wrestling with the Rigid bandsaw that I picked up. I have gone back and forth on the value vs. something from Grizzly. At this point the grizzly G0555 with shipping (just shy of $500) would have been about the same out of pocket. Overall the Rigid won out because of warranty and immediate availability. I also had a Lowe's coupon that HD honored.
> 
> ...


Great job, I have the older grey ridgid bandsaw and it doesn't have so many problems. It still has the stock belt and no mdf sub base. I did upgrade to the coolblocks. 
Its' been a pretty good bandsaw. I wonder what happened with the orange bandsaw. A friend of mine had similar problems with vibrations. He bought the segmented belt and that worked for him.


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## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Thoughts on setting up my bandsaw*
> 
> I have spent a bit of time wrestling with the Rigid bandsaw that I picked up. I have gone back and forth on the value vs. something from Grizzly. At this point the grizzly G0555 with shipping (just shy of $500) would have been about the same out of pocket. Overall the Rigid won out because of warranty and immediate availability. I also had a Lowe's coupon that HD honored.
> 
> ...


Yep, the stock belt is terrible. Mine had a lump and a twist where it joined. Just looking at it I knew it would give me problems. I did look at link belt, but worried about them slipping on the pulleys. Price is also a deterrent at about 3-4X the cost of a Gates or Goodyear belt. There is a whole discussion on quality v-belts over on the sawmillcreak board from when I swapped out the belt.

Some may argue that you shouldn't have to fix a new tool. Unfortunately with the quest for cheaper tools, low and behold, we get cheaper parts on the cheaper tools. I think for the minimal investment in a good belt, blade, and some mdf that it isn't a big deal.


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## SteveKorz (Mar 25, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Thoughts on setting up my bandsaw*
> 
> I have spent a bit of time wrestling with the Rigid bandsaw that I picked up. I have gone back and forth on the value vs. something from Grizzly. At this point the grizzly G0555 with shipping (just shy of $500) would have been about the same out of pocket. Overall the Rigid won out because of warranty and immediate availability. I also had a Lowe's coupon that HD honored.
> 
> ...


I bought a Rikon 10-325 14' Deluxe, and I was fortunate enough to not have any problems with it. I just assembled it like the book said, and it runs more quiet than any machine in my shop, including my drill press. I can leave it on and walk 5-6 feet away from it, and won't hear it running. My stock blade wasn't too bad, but I replaced it with a Timberwolf, and that blade works fantastic, much better than the stock.

It might help you if you have further problems to read through Blake's article, The best bandsaw advice ever. That was a pretty good post.


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## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Thoughts on setting up my bandsaw*
> 
> I have spent a bit of time wrestling with the Rigid bandsaw that I picked up. I have gone back and forth on the value vs. something from Grizzly. At this point the grizzly G0555 with shipping (just shy of $500) would have been about the same out of pocket. Overall the Rigid won out because of warranty and immediate availability. I also had a Lowe's coupon that HD honored.
> 
> ...


Wow, that link is a lot of great advice. Gotta love this internet business for getting some of the tricks of the trade out to use hacks.


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## SteveKorz (Mar 25, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Thoughts on setting up my bandsaw*
> 
> I have spent a bit of time wrestling with the Rigid bandsaw that I picked up. I have gone back and forth on the value vs. something from Grizzly. At this point the grizzly G0555 with shipping (just shy of $500) would have been about the same out of pocket. Overall the Rigid won out because of warranty and immediate availability. I also had a Lowe's coupon that HD honored.
> 
> ...


Yeah, we're fortunate to not just have this site, but to have it populated with so many talented, knowledgeable people. Lots of skill here… I learn something every day.


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## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

*Over the hump?*

I wish I could remove that big question mark. I was very excited to be buying a home this summer. After moving across country and having my garage in a storage unit for over a year it was long overdue to get some shop time. The house we purchased is nearly double the size of our previous house. So some new furniture is in order. Neither the Mrs. or myself has any respect for the imported particle board furniture that is budget friendly. No problem, wood itself isn't too expensive and I am pretty handy. I had shop back in the day and have built several items over the years. Of course some tools will be required.

Did I mention these tools would all require a fair amount of setup and getting to know time? Well, they do. This weekend marked the 3rd time I have had my jointer torn down. Each time amounts to 2-3 hours of fussing and reassembly. Why three times? First was to install a replacement cutter head, second was to put the correct length bolts into said cutter, and third was to install the factory oem cutter head. I have similar experience with my tablesaw. At this point and with the help of some TS PALS (installed 1 front and 1 in the rear to accommodate my way wacky trunion), a 2nd revision of the mobile base, and a cast iron router table it is shaping up nicely.

Mobile bases? Yep, those take a bit of time as well.

Sharpening? Ditto. I now have sharp chisels and planes. Not only that I picked up some useful information along the way. Of course I look at my new 12pc carving set with disdain. It was a great deal at 50% off, but I now know just how much time it will take to get them into a functional condition. Grrrr…

Life was so much easier in shop class. Of course the tools were all cared for by someone else and all the projects were much smaller scope.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully it isn't the train. This weekend I did actually have a couple of small victories. I was able to crank out a new bed rail for my daughter's crib (she has been rolling out now that I removed the railing). Nothing exotic, just a poplar plank. But I was able to fairly quickly size the board, cut out the ends, carve tennons, round over the top edge, and fit it to the crib. All that and only fired up a power tool to do the initial cross cut.

Next up was refinishing an oak dining table that had something spilled on it that had penetrated the old finish. Out came the gloves and a thick card scraper. Within about 20 minutes the table top was ready for new finish. 4 coats of polly later it is looking sharp. I will buff it out next weekend. Even as it stands it looks better than it did from the beginning.

I gotta say it was very fun to be able to put my new skills and knowledge into action. The ability to do most of this work with hand tools was doubly satisfying. Hopefully I will have more of these types of shop events and less machine maintenance in the near future. I know the Mrs. would be happy to see some more furniture come out of the shop in short order.

thanks for reading my little rant and victory story…


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Over the hump?*
> 
> I wish I could remove that big question mark. I was very excited to be buying a home this summer. After moving across country and having my garage in a storage unit for over a year it was long overdue to get some shop time. The house we purchased is nearly double the size of our previous house. So some new furniture is in order. Neither the Mrs. or myself has any respect for the imported particle board furniture that is budget friendly. No problem, wood itself isn't too expensive and I am pretty handy. I had shop back in the day and have built several items over the years. Of course some tools will be required.
> 
> ...


Congratulations on the victories. Yes doing something with your own hands, and in a reasonable time, sure is satisfying.


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## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

*Finaly some woodworking to talk about*

Well, a banner weekend in the books. Great weather. Good beers. Family fun. Garage time. Yah know, the works. Started out on Friday with our date night. We have been exchanging kid watch with another couple every other Friday. If you can talk anyone in your circle of friends into this sort of thing I recommend you do so. It is nice to have some quality time with Mrs. Doug.

Saturday I was up early and into the garage at a decent hour. I really wanted to get some work done on the hall table this weekend. If for no other reason that to get visible progress to the time I have put in already. At this point all of my lumber has been milled to size and allowed to adjust to shop conditions. So it is time to get in there and do the joinery.

First up was to square up the ends of the legs. They came off the chop saw a little off. Not really sure how to adjust the saw for a straighter cut. No big deal, I will just use my shooting board. Oh, wait a minute I don't have one. Hmmm, I did make a sled for the planer that might work. Essentially a shooting board is just a board with a stop on it that a hand plane runs up against. The stop sets the angle of the cut and the board gives a depth stop for the hand plane. Follow the link if you want more detail on the technique. So I flipped over my planer sled and clamped it to the jointer. I used my No.7 plane and made pretty short work of squaring everything up.

After squaring the ends I marked out my mortise start/stop locations on all legs. I have been fretting a bit over exactly how I was going to cut the mortises. There are about a million different ways to do this. Most of them require donating a day to jig and fixture making. Since I want to make some real progress on the table I went for the edge guide and eyeball method. In the end I only botched one of the mortises and I was able to adjust it later.

Next was to cut the aprons to size. I will just use my cross cutting sled on the tablesaw. Wait a minute, don't have one of those either. So I setup using the fence and a stop block to create the repeat cuts. Obviously you want the oposite sides to be equal in length, so some sort of fixturing is required for accuracy. The stop block allows me to gauge to the fence without worry of getting a peice wedged between the blade and the fence. Google "kickback" if you are wondering why that is a concern.

Next, out comes that shiny new dado set. Yep, the one that's been sitting in the cabinet since I adopted it. It was pretty easy to get the tablesaw setup for the task. I was a bit dissapointed that the mechanism on my saw is not really accurate enough to size the tennons to final size. Too much backlash in it. I left the tennons fat so that I could just size them by hand for each joint. This turned out to be a good thing since my routing wasn't totaly precise.

Once rough cut I then trimmed and fit each tennon to it's mating mortise. It was fairly long and drawn out, so I won't bore everyone with the full details. Basically I used a combination of saws, chisels, and sand paper to get the tennons to match up.

By the end of the day I had something that actually looked like a table. Finally, some progress that is visible to the rest of the world. I clamped the table up and let Mrs. Doug have a look at it. She suggested that we take it up and put it in position for analysis. I will have to upload a picture later. It fit where it was suposed to. Proportions look good. As an added bonus it looks like I got off the hook on tapering the legs. The outside border on the picture window is the same thickness as the legs on the table. Since the picture window is all square geometry it makes sense to leave the table legs straight. That's good because I don't have a jig or guide to taper legs.










From 2008.06.30 hall table


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## Newton (Jun 29, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Finaly some woodworking to talk about*
> 
> Well, a banner weekend in the books. Great weather. Good beers. Family fun. Garage time. Yah know, the works. Started out on Friday with our date night. We have been exchanging kid watch with another couple every other Friday. If you can talk anyone in your circle of friends into this sort of thing I recommend you do so. It is nice to have some quality time with Mrs. Doug.
> 
> ...


Table looks good, kinda light! Tapering squate legs is really simple, it's not too late if you decide to. The jig is easy to make from a couple of pieces of scrap and an old hinge. If you taper the legs you might consider beveling the underside of the top. It's a nice touch that makes the top "float". Looks like maple, can be difficult to finish. Good project….well done! Thanks for sharing.


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## keithcruickshank (Jun 3, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Finaly some woodworking to talk about*
> 
> Well, a banner weekend in the books. Great weather. Good beers. Family fun. Garage time. Yah know, the works. Started out on Friday with our date night. We have been exchanging kid watch with another couple every other Friday. If you can talk anyone in your circle of friends into this sort of thing I recommend you do so. It is nice to have some quality time with Mrs. Doug.
> 
> ...


Yes, I always refer to my better half for design feedback  Good idea. And BTW, the table looks great. Keep on trucking.


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## Grumpy (Nov 9, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *Finaly some woodworking to talk about*
> 
> Well, a banner weekend in the books. Great weather. Good beers. Family fun. Garage time. Yah know, the works. Started out on Friday with our date night. We have been exchanging kid watch with another couple every other Friday. If you can talk anyone in your circle of friends into this sort of thing I recommend you do so. It is nice to have some quality time with Mrs. Doug.
> 
> ...


Nice job dsb


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## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Finaly some woodworking to talk about*
> 
> Well, a banner weekend in the books. Great weather. Good beers. Family fun. Garage time. Yah know, the works. Started out on Friday with our date night. We have been exchanging kid watch with another couple every other Friday. If you can talk anyone in your circle of friends into this sort of thing I recommend you do so. It is nice to have some quality time with Mrs. Doug.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the comments guys.

Don, some good suggestions all around. Yes, it is light (not weight wise, but color it is Maple). I have already found a stain and finish that matches the picture window very nicely. I considered adding a bevel to the table top or beading the edge. I think both would look great, but would take the table away from matching the relatively simple straight lines of the picture window. I am open to suggestion/discussion. It is kind of hard in this instance, matching with the picture window, because there are a lot of nice touches like bevels, beading, and rounding that could dress up this little table.

If I were to taper the legs at this point I would likely just mark out the taper, bandsaw it, than clean them up with plane and scraper. They wouldn't be perfectly matched, but it would take little if any fixturing time.


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## JohnGray (Oct 6, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *Finaly some woodworking to talk about*
> 
> Well, a banner weekend in the books. Great weather. Good beers. Family fun. Garage time. Yah know, the works. Started out on Friday with our date night. We have been exchanging kid watch with another couple every other Friday. If you can talk anyone in your circle of friends into this sort of thing I recommend you do so. It is nice to have some quality time with Mrs. Doug.
> 
> ...


Doing tapered legs…..make a fixture you will save lots more time sanding after the bandsaw than it takes to make the jig. 
You can find jig instructions on the web.

http://www.eversole.us/PictureLogs/TaperJig/taperjig.php

http://www.webshots.com/search?query=leg+taper+jig

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4DMUS_enUS288US289&q=%22leg+taper+jig%22


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## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

*Where in the world is Doug??*

Work, home, or on a beer run. Those would be the most likely candidates.

So weekend followup. What happened round these parts? Not much. I took advantage of some garage time to straighten up some more, sharpen and tune some planes, and of course get my jointer back together to tackle the table project. The new helical insert cutterhead is sweet. It is quiet, sharp, and produces a surface that could go straight to finishing. Well worth all the hoops I went through to get it set up.


The new additions to the hand plane collection over the last month or so…
the no42 Lie Neilsen shoulder plane:
aka the deal that was too good to pass. e-bay is the devil. I don't think the original owner even used this plane other than test cuts, it still had the factory bevel on it.


the Stanley Bailey no.3:
WWII vintage, heavy casting, I added a hock blade. Very nice little smoother or to be used for work that is just a bit too much for the block plane.


the Stanley Bailey no.4:
a bit bigger than the no.3. Another e-bay temptress. Got it for about half of what the aftermarket blade and chipbreaker sell for. Older plane, probably circa 1920 if I had to take a wag at it.


Okay, that is a lot of new tools. Not likely to see another haul like that for quite a while. Enough about tools, what about that dining table??

There she is. Well, that is the base of the table (aprons and legs). I laminated and rough squared the legs this weekend. Tonight I milled the aprons. The legs are about 3-7/8" square right now and the aprons are 2" thick. I am going to let them sit for a day or two to adjust to the cuts. Meanwhile I need to decide on the proportions and construction details. In my spare time I need to do a lumber run to get the wood for the table top. I am favoring 40×84 inches for the top. That is a bit of work. I would have 4 sections to work with my planer. I'll keep you all posted, but it is going to be real tight to try and have this one done by the end of the month. Slipping from slim chance to no chance rapidly.


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## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

*In the garage*

I have been cranking in the garage, trying to get some semblance of a table together. My parents are due in, so we need to be able to seat 6 at the table for dinner. That 30in round table just isn't going to cut it.

Well, to the best of my efforts I don't think I am gonna get it done. Here is where it sits.


Things went together pretty fast.
Say hello to my little friend.

I have avoided biscuit jointers for years. Hard to justify dropping $250 on a one trick pony. Well, Lowe's has had a clearance tag on their display model for a couple of weeks. This one was originally about $100, marked down to $79, then to $68. I took it up to the manager and he dropped it down to $60. Such a deal, how could I say no. I adopted it on the spot. After my last glue up and how the boards shifted, I wanted a little help in keeping things aligned and the biscuit jointer is perfect for that application. See this article if you want to know a bit more about biscuit jointers (what they are and why use them)

So I now had a biscuit joiner. I got to thinking, hey this would be a quick way to attach the aprons to the legs of my table. So I made a test piece. I was surprised at how much beating it took to break my test piece, so I decided it was a strong enough approach. Here is a shot of the joinery.

I wasn't 100% confident, so I added glue blocks to give some additional strength.


Glue up was a bit stressful. To reduce chance of error I glued the short ends in a seperate step, let that cure for a few hours. Then I took those subassemblies and connected them with the long aprons. I used titebondIII, so I had about 10-15min to work with it. I still felt like I was rushing to get it all together. It came together pretty well.


Next day I trimmed the legs to length. Yep, pulled a bonehead. I had left the legs long to be able to trim to length. Well, I got in a rush to taper and cut the joinery and in my haste neglected to trim the legs. So I lopped 3in off the bottom after assembly. No biggie. Busted out my ryoba to hack off the ends, then used a rasp to square the feet back up. I flipped it back upright and planed the top of the legs/aprons into a flat surface for the table top. Look at those nice fluffy shavings on the floor. I am really loving my hand planes these days. I now have most converted over to aftermarket blades. The aftermarket blades are thicker so they don't vibrate as much during the cut. Aren't they cute all tucked away in their drawer…


This was my first attempt at tapered legs. Not too bad really. I used the bandsaw to rough out the taper, then took them to the bench to hand plane the saw marks out of them. I had wanted to use the tablesaw, but due to the stock size of 3-7/8" these were just too big for the 10in tablesaw. Off the bandsaw it was clear that I really should have been more careful. I ended up having quite a bit of planing to even out the divots from my not-so-straight saw job. It worked out though. I found that I had reversed grain on one of the legs, so planing that one sucked. Note to self: pay attention to grain during glue-up.

I also found myself smiling using my hand planes. I could have grabbed the belt sander, that's what I would have done a couple years ago. Now I know better. Honestly the planes remove material faster, keep the material flat, and avoid all the noise and dust. It was a real pleasure feeling the warm fluffy shavings coming off my 80 year old no.4. I found myself grunting along in woodworker-zen state. It is a shame that so many have been duped into thinking sanding is the way to go. Not in my book, a tuned hand plane decimates all sanders.

thanks for reading…


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *In the garage*
> 
> I have been cranking in the garage, trying to get some semblance of a table together. My parents are due in, so we need to be able to seat 6 at the table for dinner. That 30in round table just isn't going to cut it.
> 
> ...


Great start, looking forward to seeing the completed table!


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## thetimberkid (Apr 5, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *In the garage*
> 
> I have been cranking in the garage, trying to get some semblance of a table together. My parents are due in, so we need to be able to seat 6 at the table for dinner. That 30in round table just isn't going to cut it.
> 
> ...


Looking good, keep us up to date!

Thanks for the post

Callum


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## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *In the garage*
> 
> I have been cranking in the garage, trying to get some semblance of a table together. My parents are due in, so we need to be able to seat 6 at the table for dinner. That 30in round table just isn't going to cut it.
> 
> ...


cool blog. keep preaching about the benefits of handplanes. I'm still learning (and need to fall back to sandpaper for some trickier stuff), but they are becoming a more and more important tool for me.


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## Greg3G (Mar 20, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *In the garage*
> 
> I have been cranking in the garage, trying to get some semblance of a table together. My parents are due in, so we need to be able to seat 6 at the table for dinner. That 30in round table just isn't going to cut it.
> 
> ...


Excellent looking start. I too am quickly become more likely to use a hand plane instead of a sander. Even with the dust collection set up, some woods still irriatate my eyes. I have used biscuts to assembe several small tables and have never had a problem, it is a form of loose tenon after all. Looking forward to seeing the completed table.


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## blackcherry (Dec 7, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *In the garage*
> 
> I have been cranking in the garage, trying to get some semblance of a table together. My parents are due in, so we need to be able to seat 6 at the table for dinner. That 30in round table just isn't going to cut it.
> 
> ...


Anyone that is still sanding is just plain missing the bus….planing is amazing…nice start to what will be a beautiful and useful table good luck and thanks for the post…Blkcherry


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *In the garage*
> 
> I have been cranking in the garage, trying to get some semblance of a table together. My parents are due in, so we need to be able to seat 6 at the table for dinner. That 30in round table just isn't going to cut it.
> 
> ...


Lookin' good. Keep the planes going


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## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *In the garage*
> 
> I have been cranking in the garage, trying to get some semblance of a table together. My parents are due in, so we need to be able to seat 6 at the table for dinner. That 30in round table just isn't going to cut it.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the comments.


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## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

*Enter the Sharpening Station*

I have been lugging around this heavy duty workbench for a few years now. Acquired from part of my Grandad's estate. Since moving in I hadn't needed to set it up, so in the corner it sat. Well this week I reclaimed it from the cobwebs. I stumbled across a large granite surface plate on the cheap. Upon bringing it home I needed to find a home capable of supporting the 150lb mass. I am still not positive that the top won't sag, so I will keep an eye on that.

Back in commission:


no7 for reference


Good spot to nest some of the spare parts, stones, and jigs


More space. Hopefully this predefined storage space will prevent me from piling on the work surface. Here's hoping.


I have a plan for how best to use this bench. Obviously I am not going to be moving that hunk of rock around on any regular basis. I lucked out in getting it from my truck to there without even breaking a sweat. My planer cart allowed me to just slide it out of the truck onto it and then slide it again right onto the bench. There it will stay.

hmm, where was I?
Oh, the plan. I am picturing a series of shelves that can be placed over the granite slab. These shelves would be #1-for the whetstones, #2-for the slow speed grinder, #3-for the wet stone grinder. When I need to use the stones, simply put it's shelf over the granite. Likewise if I want to use the grinder, just put it's shelf up there. For lapping and stone flattening I will just stick sandpaper to the surface plate with 3M super77.

Hopefully this will get me to stop using my TS and Jointer for lapping plane soles ;-)


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## Tomcat1066 (Jan 3, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Enter the Sharpening Station*
> 
> I have been lugging around this heavy duty workbench for a few years now. Acquired from part of my Grandad's estate. Since moving in I hadn't needed to set it up, so in the corner it sat. Well this week I reclaimed it from the cobwebs. I stumbled across a large granite surface plate on the cheap. Upon bringing it home I needed to find a home capable of supporting the 150lb mass. I am still not positive that the top won't sag, so I will keep an eye on that.
> 
> ...


Nice looking set-up you've got there! I'm especially jealous of that piece of granite, although I have no idea where I would put it if I had it


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Enter the Sharpening Station*
> 
> I have been lugging around this heavy duty workbench for a few years now. Acquired from part of my Grandad's estate. Since moving in I hadn't needed to set it up, so in the corner it sat. Well this week I reclaimed it from the cobwebs. I stumbled across a large granite surface plate on the cheap. Upon bringing it home I needed to find a home capable of supporting the 150lb mass. I am still not positive that the top won't sag, so I will keep an eye on that.
> 
> ...


Nice looking set up.


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## Phishead (Jan 9, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Enter the Sharpening Station*
> 
> I have been lugging around this heavy duty workbench for a few years now. Acquired from part of my Grandad's estate. Since moving in I hadn't needed to set it up, so in the corner it sat. Well this week I reclaimed it from the cobwebs. I stumbled across a large granite surface plate on the cheap. Upon bringing it home I needed to find a home capable of supporting the 150lb mass. I am still not positive that the top won't sag, so I will keep an eye on that.
> 
> ...


Is that a Harbor Freight grinder? If it is, do you like it? I was wondering because I was looking at picking one up.


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Enter the Sharpening Station*
> 
> I have been lugging around this heavy duty workbench for a few years now. Acquired from part of my Grandad's estate. Since moving in I hadn't needed to set it up, so in the corner it sat. Well this week I reclaimed it from the cobwebs. I stumbled across a large granite surface plate on the cheap. Upon bringing it home I needed to find a home capable of supporting the 150lb mass. I am still not positive that the top won't sag, so I will keep an eye on that.
> 
> ...


Tony, I will send you a PM


----------



## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *Enter the Sharpening Station*
> 
> I have been lugging around this heavy duty workbench for a few years now. Acquired from part of my Grandad's estate. Since moving in I hadn't needed to set it up, so in the corner it sat. Well this week I reclaimed it from the cobwebs. I stumbled across a large granite surface plate on the cheap. Upon bringing it home I needed to find a home capable of supporting the 150lb mass. I am still not positive that the top won't sag, so I will keep an eye on that.
> 
> ...


I, too, have granite envy. (Also nowhere to put it.)


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

*tooling about*

Starting up a new series here. Just random drivel pouring out of my shop. Comments are welcome.

Nothing too exciting around the shop this week. I worked Friday, so no long Holiday weekend for me. Saturday was house cleaning. I did get a chance to finish up sharpening and tuning the Sandusky woodie.


Finally Sunday afternoon I got some shop time. Ended up spending half that time sitting there scratching my head. Then the other half doubting the decisions made in the first half. Check out this thread for details of that mess.
http://lumberjocks.com/topics/5447
Here is a shot of the pile of rough poplar in question

Still scratching my head a bit, but think the route forward is in motion. I am most concerned with conservation of thickness, so ripping to jointer width on the bandsaw is going to be the best path forward.

Last night I finally got the Woodcraft low speed grinder out of the box. Initial impressions are mixed. The speed and noise are good. The narrow format, thin guards, and cheap tool rests leave some to be desired.


The stock tool rests are finished by paint or powder coat over the rough cast iron. Cast iron is good. The weight will help damp out some of the vibration. The rough finish is not so good. Another noteworthy trait is that these tool rests are tiny. They may be fine for chisels, but I wouldn't trust my ability to keep a wide iron flat instead of teetering off the edge.


So I have devised a plan to pilfer the tool rests off my high speed grinder. They have a lot more surface to register on.


I just need to decide the best route to attach the parts. I am leaning towards JB Weld or Epoxy. I started to go the drill and tap path, but thought better. The cast parts stand a fair chance or cracking during the process. It would also lead to holes in both rests that could collect abrasives or catch on tools I am working. Since this isn't a high stress application I think it is fine to go the epoxy route. Eventually I would like to make or purchase independent tool rests, but with the holidays coming that will have to wait a while.

I think the high speed grinder is a good candidate for buffing duty. It has a much wider stance at the arbor mounts. This conversion would also be good since I am borrowing the tool rests for the new grinder.


That's all I got for this edition. Look for progress on that rough lumber in the next go round, a grinder update, and maybe some more discussion of the sharpening station. Thanks for reading.


----------



## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *tooling about*
> 
> Starting up a new series here. Just random drivel pouring out of my shop. Comments are welcome.
> 
> ...


Looks nice Doug.


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *tooling about*
> 
> Starting up a new series here. Just random drivel pouring out of my shop. Comments are welcome.
> 
> ...


Thanks. Generally it looks a mess to me, but it is my mess so I work with it.

I got the woodcraft grinder fully operational last night. My comments on the tool rests were spot on. The stock surface finish, even with a light lapping that I did are too rough. The dips and humps catch the tool so even grinding across the wheel is pretty much impossible. For chisels the stock rest width is indeed wide enough (well, st least up to 1" chisels).

I am really liking the low speed. Much lower stress and a whole lot less vibration.


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

*Geeking out*

Well, what's new there.

Check this out
Grizzly Shop Planner
It is a fun little flash layout tool designed to help you figure out where you can stuff more tools in your shop. It can also be used for home layout as well. Fun stuff. Very quick and easy.

Here is what I worked out from memory on my shop.


What else is new?
I managed to sand off the tip of my thumb again. Seems like every time I have to prep a new blade for a plane that I end up sanding off a bunch of skin. I haven't gone to the point of bleeding, but it sure feels bad for a few days after the fact. I posted over on woodnet and apparently I am not alone in this minor oversight. It is weird, because I don't feel any abrasion while doing it but later when I clean up it hurts. Live and learn.

I have been testing out silicone carbide loose abrasive in the shop. This stuff is fun. Cuts like nobodys business at first and over time fractures into smaller less abrasive particles. I am using it on the bottom of my granite surface plate. It would work better with a cast iron or mild steel substrate, but honestly it works pretty well on the granite. I have a bit more playing around before I have this lapping method dailed, but for now I can say that it is faster and cheaper than sandpaper for flat lapping the plane blades.

That's all I got for now. Probably starting a couple new furniture pieces here in the next week or so, so stay tuned.


----------



## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Geeking out*
> 
> Well, what's new there.
> 
> ...


Looks nice Doug.


----------



## dan_fash (Jan 7, 2009)

dsb1829 said:


> *Geeking out*
> 
> Well, what's new there.
> 
> ...


OK, looking at this layout planner, and I cannot for the life of me find a compound miter saw. I see yours of course, but couldn't find it to add to my own layout


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Geeking out*
> 
> Well, what's new there.
> 
> ...


Hey Dan, I couldn't find one either. I just laid some circles and rectangles on for approximation. I wouldn't call this a precision tool, but it is nice to have a floor plan of the shop.


----------



## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Geeking out*
> 
> Well, what's new there.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link. I will have to play with this when I am off work….just a couple of more hours


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

*Just hanging out*

Well, I have a nice drawer system in my garage. Problem is that a No6 is the biggest plane that effectively fits in the drawers. I have been tinkering with ideas for cabinets, wall boards, etc…

Well, today I had a silly notion to just string them up by their knobs and be done with it. A few nylon zip ties later and I can happily say that it works great and was very easy to install.


----------



## Karson (May 9, 2006)

dsb1829 said:


> *Just hanging out*
> 
> Well, I have a nice drawer system in my garage. Problem is that a No6 is the biggest plane that effectively fits in the drawers. I have been tinkering with ideas for cabinets, wall boards, etc…
> 
> Well, today I had a silly notion to just string them up by their knobs and be done with it. A few nylon zip ties later and I can happily say that it works great and was very easy to install.


Check out Thos Angle and i think Douglas Border on their tool racks.

Great job.


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Just hanging out*
> 
> Well, I have a nice drawer system in my garage. Problem is that a No6 is the biggest plane that effectively fits in the drawers. I have been tinkering with ideas for cabinets, wall boards, etc…
> 
> Well, today I had a silly notion to just string them up by their knobs and be done with it. A few nylon zip ties later and I can happily say that it works great and was very easy to install.


Tool rack will have to wait for a time when I don't have other pressing projects. For now this gets the planes off of where they have been stacked and a bit safer. The zip ties allow them to slip on and off the shelf they hang from with little fear of accidental slips and drops.


----------



## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *Just hanging out*
> 
> Well, I have a nice drawer system in my garage. Problem is that a No6 is the biggest plane that effectively fits in the drawers. I have been tinkering with ideas for cabinets, wall boards, etc…
> 
> Well, today I had a silly notion to just string them up by their knobs and be done with it. A few nylon zip ties later and I can happily say that it works great and was very easy to install.


If I'd thought of this I probably wouldn't have built a plane rack. Great idea.


----------



## woodchips (Jul 19, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *Just hanging out*
> 
> Well, I have a nice drawer system in my garage. Problem is that a No6 is the biggest plane that effectively fits in the drawers. I have been tinkering with ideas for cabinets, wall boards, etc…
> 
> Well, today I had a silly notion to just string them up by their knobs and be done with it. A few nylon zip ties later and I can happily say that it works great and was very easy to install.


that is a good idea, i believe i'll use it too. i'm in the process of turning a very small one car garage into a working woodshop. it's quite a challenge but it is slowly getting there. thanks for the good idea for my planes.


----------



## Quixote (Jun 9, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Just hanging out*
> 
> Well, I have a nice drawer system in my garage. Problem is that a No6 is the biggest plane that effectively fits in the drawers. I have been tinkering with ideas for cabinets, wall boards, etc…
> 
> Well, today I had a silly notion to just string them up by their knobs and be done with it. A few nylon zip ties later and I can happily say that it works great and was very easy to install.


I have a few planes where someone has drilled a hole in the bed and simply hung them on a nail…

I imagine if they had seen the brilliant simplicity of your idea, they'd kick themselves in the rear for drilling the hole.

Great idea.

Q


----------



## motthunter (Dec 31, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *Just hanging out*
> 
> Well, I have a nice drawer system in my garage. Problem is that a No6 is the biggest plane that effectively fits in the drawers. I have been tinkering with ideas for cabinets, wall boards, etc…
> 
> Well, today I had a silly notion to just string them up by their knobs and be done with it. A few nylon zip ties later and I can happily say that it works great and was very easy to install.


good way of hanging and displaying


----------



## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Just hanging out*
> 
> Well, I have a nice drawer system in my garage. Problem is that a No6 is the biggest plane that effectively fits in the drawers. I have been tinkering with ideas for cabinets, wall boards, etc…
> 
> Well, today I had a silly notion to just string them up by their knobs and be done with it. A few nylon zip ties later and I can happily say that it works great and was very easy to install.


Nice job!


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Just hanging out*
> 
> Well, I have a nice drawer system in my garage. Problem is that a No6 is the biggest plane that effectively fits in the drawers. I have been tinkering with ideas for cabinets, wall boards, etc…
> 
> Well, today I had a silly notion to just string them up by their knobs and be done with it. A few nylon zip ties later and I can happily say that it works great and was very easy to install.


Hey guys, thanks for the comments. One item I didn't mention earlier that is somewhat important. The three loops aren't there just because I had extra zip ties. Basically the loop that the knob hangs from should be snug and just slip over the knob. By having a snug fit it insures that the plane won't accidentally liberate itself if you happen to bump it. Just FYI for anyone who is rushing out to the shop with a handful of zipties


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

*New shop tour*

It has been a while since doing a shop tour. That wouldn't normally be an issue, but since the last time was while I was still setting up shop things have changed a bit. So lets dive in.

my LumberJocks workshop:
http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/dsb1829/workshop

The dirty side of the shop. This counter is a magnet for clutter. The cabinets house finishing products, house paints, power tools, router bits, carving sets, and extra hardware. High speed grinder and the air compressor are in here somewhere. The mower is in for service, usually it lives outside.


The drill press, nothing new here. Steel shelves for stuff.


Steel storage cabinet and the sliding miter saw. I am really stoked on the new saw, much more capacity and easier to adjust than my old makita chop saw.


Tablesaw and router station.


The new workbench. Lumber storage. Clamp rack.


Jointer and the bandsaw just hanging out.


The sharpening station. I am enjoying the station. It is much more efficient having the large granite surface plate. I can sharpen several blades in about the same time that I used to take for one. The wet-stone grinder doesn't see much use, generally I go from the slow speed grinder to the stones or skip the grinders entirely.


A shot of the cabinet workbench. I still spend most of my time here. I think eventually my woodworking bench will be in this position under the peg board and the cabinets will move over to where the mess is and replace the lower wood cabinets. Still working out the details of that with the boss.


and a youtube video I took this evening…




Nothing too fancy, just wanted to get a new tour up for friends and family to see what I have been up to. Hope you enjoyed the tour and feel free to ask questions.


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *New shop tour*
> 
> It has been a while since doing a shop tour. That wouldn't normally be an issue, but since the last time was while I was still setting up shop things have changed a bit. So lets dive in.
> 
> ...


Doug, you really have organized your shop well. That cabinet workbench is a great idea for storing hardware, tools and shop supplies. With 50+ drawers in the bench you have a lot of storage capacity but, to tell the truth, I would have trouble remembering where I put things. 

Thanks for the update. I enjoyed the tour.


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *New shop tour*
> 
> It has been a while since doing a shop tour. That wouldn't normally be an issue, but since the last time was while I was still setting up shop things have changed a bit. So lets dive in.
> 
> ...


Stupid youtube. Still fighting to get the video tour up. If everyone who posts on youtube has as many issues as I do the place would be shut down. I don't know if I have a bad internet connection or what, but it seems like any video over a couple of minutes crashes out on me despite being within the size limits of youtube. At any rate, check back later for the video.

Oh and yes, it looks organized well. But rest assured that during normal work it is much more a mess.


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *New shop tour*
> 
> It has been a while since doing a shop tour. That wouldn't normally be an issue, but since the last time was while I was still setting up shop things have changed a bit. So lets dive in.
> 
> ...


Finally got the video up ;-)


----------



## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *New shop tour*
> 
> It has been a while since doing a shop tour. That wouldn't normally be an issue, but since the last time was while I was still setting up shop things have changed a bit. So lets dive in.
> 
> ...


Looks nice Doug.


----------



## thetimberkid (Apr 5, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *New shop tour*
> 
> It has been a while since doing a shop tour. That wouldn't normally be an issue, but since the last time was while I was still setting up shop things have changed a bit. So lets dive in.
> 
> ...


Nice shop and video!

Have you though of using blip.tv?...I use them I and no problems

Thanks for the post

Callum


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *New shop tour*
> 
> It has been a while since doing a shop tour. That wouldn't normally be an issue, but since the last time was while I was still setting up shop things have changed a bit. So lets dive in.
> 
> ...


Hey Callum,
I have been noticing a lot of people using blip and livestream. I thought they were more webcam based. I typically just snap video shorts with my digital camera, so the output is avi format. I am seriously considering other alternatives to youtube, thanks for the suggestions.


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

*Waterstones revisited*

I have been working to swap over to oilstone and freehand sharpening in my shop. Overall I really like oilstones and sharpening with oil. However one thing continues to bother me…










Take a look at these 2 chisels. The smaller one shows a very nice mirror polish. It was taken up to 6000g king waterstone, the polish appears almost as good off the 4000g stone though. The larger chisel was prepped using a black Arkansas stone. It has a dull appearance, but still some amount of mirror to it. The finish is less uniform.

This is a stupid thing to split hairs over, but it has bothered me. My first sharpening tools were waterstones. At this point my skill level has improved, yet I can't get my oilstones to produce a sheen like that of the waterstones.

I am starting to think it is just a result of the slurry that builds on top of the waterstone. The fine abrasive that breaks loose must be of a finer particle size and leads to a higher polished appearance than an equivalent oilstone. Does this agree with anyone else's observation? Or am I just stretching here?

The funny part is that the blade is just as sharp if not better off the oilstone. It just doesn't look as pretty. Off the 6000g king the blade still needs a stropping. I used to go straight off of an 8000g norton to work, but since I started stropping me definition of sharp has changed slightly 

So at the end of the day the blades are sharp. I have gotten decent enough at freehand to be able to freehand on my waterstones. I found that the quality of the cutting edge is about the same despite looks of the entire bevel and back being a bit different. So I guess I just have to be content knowing that despite the lack of mirror polish on my oilstone-sharpened tools they are still very sharp. Oh, and of course I still think waterstones are a mess to work with


----------



## UVA (Jan 24, 2009)

dsb1829 said:


> *Waterstones revisited*
> 
> I have been working to swap over to oilstone and freehand sharpening in my shop. Overall I really like oilstones and sharpening with oil. However one thing continues to bother me…
> 
> ...


Over the past two weeks, I have done a lot of sharpening trying out different methods. I agree that water stones are messy and I don't like to use them. They do produce a nice slurry that puts a mirror finish on the tool.

I have gotten the sharpest and most consistent edges by following some of the advice given here:

http://www3.telus.net/BrentBeach/Sharpen/index.html

I made the simple sharpening jigs that Brent Beach recommends. The use of these jigs took my sharpening to another level. Free hand sharpening does not work for me; result is rounded over edges. By using the jigs and spacers, I was able to get consistent micro bevels and incredibly sharp chisels and plane irons. In Brent's method, we only worry about mirror finishes on the micro bevels. Brent shows how to use his jigs with the 3M sandpaper and stones. I used the 3M paper but intend to try it with my water stones. Brent also has a number of videos on You Tube so I was able to see him doing actual sharpening. For me, jigs are the answer and I will only sharpen with them in the future. What impressed me about Brent's work was his scientific approach and thorough close up photographs showing what a really sharp edge looks like.


----------



## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Waterstones revisited*
> 
> I have been working to swap over to oilstone and freehand sharpening in my shop. Overall I really like oilstones and sharpening with oil. However one thing continues to bother me…
> 
> ...


I love using my waterstones!


----------



## StevenAntonucci (Aug 14, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *Waterstones revisited*
> 
> I have been working to swap over to oilstone and freehand sharpening in my shop. Overall I really like oilstones and sharpening with oil. However one thing continues to bother me…
> 
> ...


FWIW- I lap the backs of my chisels on a piece of 2000 grit wet/dry paper that I found in the automotive store. I get a mirror polish that rivals what you show, and I use a little water on top to float away the cuttings. I've also used mineral oil, but it tends to be messier. Most of the time, I use a piece of marble tile as my backer to keep the paper flat, and I never need to flatten my stone- I just throw the paper away when it no longer cuts.


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Waterstones revisited*
> 
> I have been working to swap over to oilstone and freehand sharpening in my shop. Overall I really like oilstones and sharpening with oil. However one thing continues to bother me…
> 
> ...


Steven, I too notice a higher degree of polish with sandpaper. Arguably it is the same abrasive as waterstones, so it breaks down and loose creating swarf/slurry like a waterstone. Honestly I think sandpaper is about the most deceptive of the abrasives. If not properly adhered to a flat substrate it will still produce a very nice mirror polish. There are several ways that this happens. The most anoying in my book is the pressure wave, where the paper directly in front of the blade raises slightly and dubs the very edge of the steel. That is another story I guess.


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

*Combination of hobbies*

Well, last weekend I borrowed a stand from a friend to put together my latest bicycle. I think I have finally graduated from the stage in life where I am okay working on the floor or on a bike hanging from the rafters. I t was bugging me not having a place to work on the bike. Well, Erin would have my head if I went out and purchased a new stand. So I thought about it for a couple of minutes. Light goes on upstairs. Hey, I could make something cheap and sturdy pretty snappy. I could also use that 300lb work bench as my base.

One benefit of being off the bike and taking up a new hobby, woodworking, is that I can fairly quickly do crude work now. Something like a bike workstand becomes very simple. I am not going to claim I busted this out in 30 minutes, but it took less than 2 hours from brainfart to bike holding

Construction materials:
1 - 2×4x12ft
1 - 3/8in T-nut
1 - 3/8in eye bolt
20+/- - wood screws
2sqft - scrap mdf 3/4in
3 - Washers
1 - 3/4in oak dowel approx 8in (for leverage on eye bolt)
3" - 3/8in steel rod for alignment (so the jaw can't rotate)

Build is simple. Double up the 2×4, or just start with 4×4. Use the mdf to make corner braces. I then used a scrap of poplar to create the clamp jaw. I use an eye bolt and T-nut to create the clamp pressure and a 3/8in steel rod to keep it from rotating. I mounted that up and then drilled through the middle of the clamp joint with a 1in drill bit. After drilling I relieved the outer sides to make getting the bike in and out quicker.

Now of course you have to have a vise that is strong enough to hold the stand. I suppose you could build this stand off of a wall stud or clamp/screw it to something as well. I have a twin screw wood vise on my bench. I can raise and lower the stand in the vise. I can also angle it in the vise to rotate the front wheel up if needed.







And a shot of the whole bench set up in bike wrenching mode:


Then of course there is Zoe, shop helper. She is cool with bikes and likes to hang out in the garage.


----------



## jimp (Feb 7, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Combination of hobbies*
> 
> Well, last weekend I borrowed a stand from a friend to put together my latest bicycle. I think I have finally graduated from the stage in life where I am okay working on the floor or on a bike hanging from the rafters. I t was bugging me not having a place to work on the bike. Well, Erin would have my head if I went out and purchased a new stand. So I thought about it for a couple of minutes. Light goes on upstairs. Hey, I could make something cheap and sturdy pretty snappy. I could also use that 300lb work bench as my base.
> 
> ...


Nice idea! Great Bike! Is that a superlight or Heckler?


----------



## Sawdust2 (Mar 18, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *Combination of hobbies*
> 
> Well, last weekend I borrowed a stand from a friend to put together my latest bicycle. I think I have finally graduated from the stage in life where I am okay working on the floor or on a bike hanging from the rafters. I t was bugging me not having a place to work on the bike. Well, Erin would have my head if I went out and purchased a new stand. So I thought about it for a couple of minutes. Light goes on upstairs. Hey, I could make something cheap and sturdy pretty snappy. I could also use that 300lb work bench as my base.
> 
> ...


Looks to me like it's a dirt bike.

Any reason not to make it to hold the bike on the cross bar? I don't know squat about it so I'm trying to learn. I've had a bike sitting in my basement for 2 years that I need to get working.
I don't keep the seat that high.

Lee


----------



## Bureaucrat (May 26, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Combination of hobbies*
> 
> Well, last weekend I borrowed a stand from a friend to put together my latest bicycle. I think I have finally graduated from the stage in life where I am okay working on the floor or on a bike hanging from the rafters. I t was bugging me not having a place to work on the bike. Well, Erin would have my head if I went out and purchased a new stand. So I thought about it for a couple of minutes. Light goes on upstairs. Hey, I could make something cheap and sturdy pretty snappy. I could also use that 300lb work bench as my base.
> 
> ...


This is a nice design. You mentioned the floor and the dangle from the rafter methods; I've tried them and have moved on. I have been using the bike rack that I put on the back of the car, but that has some limitations as well. This might be something to build in the future. I will need some mods because I use a recumbent bike, but you have me thinking.


----------



## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *Combination of hobbies*
> 
> Well, last weekend I borrowed a stand from a friend to put together my latest bicycle. I think I have finally graduated from the stage in life where I am okay working on the floor or on a bike hanging from the rafters. I t was bugging me not having a place to work on the bike. Well, Erin would have my head if I went out and purchased a new stand. So I thought about it for a couple of minutes. Light goes on upstairs. Hey, I could make something cheap and sturdy pretty snappy. I could also use that 300lb work bench as my base.
> 
> ...


I'll be scarfing your idea shortly! Currently I work on one of those little "holds the rear wheel up just enough by the rear triangle" Bike Nashbar $14 stands, and my mountain bike needs enough of a drive train revamp that I have to have it well supported.


----------



## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Combination of hobbies*
> 
> Well, last weekend I borrowed a stand from a friend to put together my latest bicycle. I think I have finally graduated from the stage in life where I am okay working on the floor or on a bike hanging from the rafters. I t was bugging me not having a place to work on the bike. Well, Erin would have my head if I went out and purchased a new stand. So I thought about it for a couple of minutes. Light goes on upstairs. Hey, I could make something cheap and sturdy pretty snappy. I could also use that 300lb work bench as my base.
> 
> ...


It's a heckler, I am not quite svelte enough to ride anything lighter. And yes, it is dirty. Not much point to keeping it prestine this time of year. Each ride has puddles and mud.

The main reason for the seatpost clamp is that it is gauranteed to be round and robust enough to be clamped. More and more in the bicycle industry the tubing is hydroformed and much harder to get clamped without damage. Another reason to avoid the top tube is that some bikes route the cables down that part of the frame. Obviously if you clamp on the cables it becomes hard to adjust the brake and shift mechanisms.

Recumbents? All bets are off. They are heavy, have odd weight distribuition, and don't always have a good place to grab them. Might be better to do some sort of a cradle vs. this clamp type of stand.

Dan, for that $14 you can pretty much get all the materials used here. Only variation would be if you wanted it freestanding. I just figured that my vise would make for a very sturdy configuration. It ended up pretty robust.


----------



## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

dsb1829 said:


> *Combination of hobbies*
> 
> Well, last weekend I borrowed a stand from a friend to put together my latest bicycle. I think I have finally graduated from the stage in life where I am okay working on the floor or on a bike hanging from the rafters. I t was bugging me not having a place to work on the bike. Well, Erin would have my head if I went out and purchased a new stand. So I thought about it for a couple of minutes. Light goes on upstairs. Hey, I could make something cheap and sturdy pretty snappy. I could also use that 300lb work bench as my base.
> 
> ...


Yeah, my mountain bike is heavy and dirty, and I'd feel comfortable clamping it pretty much anywhere, but my road bike is exotic and squeeky clean and made of composites materials heretofore heard of only in conjunction with super secret military R&D. It also only weighs 16 lbs, so it doesn't have to be clamped hard.

I don't have the room for free-standing unless it's outside, in which case I'll cantilever it off the shed or something like that.

Thanks for the inspiration! And I've probably got most of what I need lying around in scraps, if I don't mind making it out of maple and massaranduba….


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

dsb1829 said:


> *Combination of hobbies*
> 
> Well, last weekend I borrowed a stand from a friend to put together my latest bicycle. I think I have finally graduated from the stage in life where I am okay working on the floor or on a bike hanging from the rafters. I t was bugging me not having a place to work on the bike. Well, Erin would have my head if I went out and purchased a new stand. So I thought about it for a couple of minutes. Light goes on upstairs. Hey, I could make something cheap and sturdy pretty snappy. I could also use that 300lb work bench as my base.
> 
> ...


looks nice, nice little puppy.


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## sixstring (Apr 4, 2012)

dsb1829 said:


> *Combination of hobbies*
> 
> Well, last weekend I borrowed a stand from a friend to put together my latest bicycle. I think I have finally graduated from the stage in life where I am okay working on the floor or on a bike hanging from the rafters. I t was bugging me not having a place to work on the bike. Well, Erin would have my head if I went out and purchased a new stand. So I thought about it for a couple of minutes. Light goes on upstairs. Hey, I could make something cheap and sturdy pretty snappy. I could also use that 300lb work bench as my base.
> 
> ...


love how the shop in bike wrenching mode includes a bench pic with triflow and a bottle of beer. gotta love straightforward and simple design that works. nice job!


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