Shop Vignettes

I enjoy looking at shop spaces and projects. Here are a few recent photos from my shop:

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The back side of my old Delta drill press has become an impromptu shrine to the kids: An origami whatsit from my eldest, and a note from the youngest. If you can't quite read the note, it says:

"Dear Daddy, I really love you and I really want to say I love you as much as Echo, because I love Echo a lot. To Daddy, from Marian"

Echo is the cat.

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Above is a planing stop I built with nothing but saw dust. Oh, and glue and wire brads. Yes, the scrap MDF from the radial saw top and testing boards (I must post about this sometime soon—I have the pictures) has come in useful. This stop allows me to set the board unclamped on the bench and quickly plane both sides. It lets me plane down to 1/4" in width.

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SWMBO recently started upgrading the kitchen. This involved some screw-together furniture, and a wish for one more shelf. The clear pine was almost too good for the project, but it was the perfect width with only one glue joint.


I don't know why the notches on the underside were so satisfying to make, but they were. These notches seat themselves on pegs, two of which I manufactured from the shanks of two wood screws (there were only two extra with the kit, and I just could not see paying Lee Valley $11 to ship me 50 more).

While making the shelf pegs I discovered that I no longer had a hacksaw (though I did have a hacksaw blade). Have you ever tried hacksawing by holding a loose blade in your hand? It makes the hand cramp up, so after a while I got smart and clamped it in a machinist's clamp. That was slightly better, but you can bet I bought a hacksaw frame when I went to the hardware store earlier this week.

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This 12" wide, 10' long cherry board cries out to be used for something good, preferably before Christmas. Wish me luck with fitting this project in with everything else.

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Two new additions to the shop, courtesy of Patrick Leach. I've wished for a grooving plane on many occasions, and now I have one. Will I ever do more axe hewing? I hope so. I just have to tighten the handle up in its socket and I'm all set.

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I started the storm window stock preparation. Above was a rough rip and chop.

Then the pieces were jointed and planed to width at a friend's shop. I'm letting it aclimatize to the shop while I figure out when I'll have time to work further on it (maybe tomorrow after helping my brother-in-law lay subflooring in his new "man cave".

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The pictures above almost speak for themselves. I cut a hole in the wall of the basement stairwell. Someday soon the plumbers will come and fix our plumbing, and I'm ready for them. For this project I pulled out the keyhole saw that had languished since I impulse purchased it from my friend Trevor.

Nothing beats the satisfaction of having the tool you need on hand, especially when you've never needed it for all the years you've had it.

Featherboards for Ripping Window Stock

The Radial Arm Saw (RAS) adjustments are completed—I expect to write about that soon—and it is almost time to start building the storm window to replace the old rotted one I willfully destroyed. This is a project on which I will definitely use machinery, and the RAS will play a key roll.

Research revealed that my prior belief that poplar would be better than pine for outdoor applications was wrong. In fact, consensus amongst online woodworkers and the Wood Handbook from the U.S. Forest Service agreed that pine was usually better, but not by much. So ignore my earlier intimation in the Replacing a Rotting Stair Riser post that poplar is any good for rot resistance: it isn't.

Among the contenders for stable outdoor woods: cherry, walnut, cedar, white oak, and mahogany. What a bummer: the beautiful woods are apparently also the ones to use in painted applications outdoors. There is a small silver lining in this: about two years ago I said "yes" when a friend offered me part of a bargain pile of mahogany offcuts, all 4/4 in random widths and 5 foot lengths. This stock is perfect for building the storm, and I selected window stock from this pile:
The thinnest piece will become a simple triangular molding designed to stop water from flowing easily into the window joints. I plan to post the storm window plans in a future entry. Especially because the molding stock was so thin, I wanted to have it seated firmly against the fence of the RAS (yes, I am going to rip stock on a Radial Arm Saw; and no, I am not any more afraid of this than I would be with a table saw). I wanted feather boards.

To start, I ripped a scrap of pine into thinner sections to make two feather boards:

Then I turned the arm to 45 degrees and cut a fresh kerf in the fence:

Using the newly cut kerf, I could line up precisely with the marked 45 degree cut and know that the cut would be exactly on the line. This kind of precision isn't necessary for the feather boards, but it was good practice for when it would be:

With the angles cut onto the board, I turned the saw back to the rip position and started cutting fingers on the board. I ripped to the marked line, turned off the saw between cuts, and repositioned the rip. Unlike a table saw, where the blade is stationary and the fence moves, on the radial arm saw the fence is stationary and the blade and motor are repositioned:

Many people have cautioned me about the dangers of ripping on a Radial Arm Saw (including my father and a friend who attended the North Bennet Street school), and while I agree that any exposed blade rotating at high speed can be a danger, in practice I believe a well adjusted Radial is as safe or safer for ripping than most table saw settups. Take a look at this:

Notice that the body of the motor blocks access to the side of the blade, and the blade guard, once properly positioned, sits directly between the feeding hand and the blade. Through all of this ripping, I felt perfectly comfortable with the safety precautions on the saw. And because I had adjusted the heal/toe position properly, there was no tendancy to kick. The process went quickly and when I tested the newly cut feather board it worked perfectly:

The only thing I didn't like about the feather board was the long point just waiting to catch me in the hip. So I cut the other side to a 45 degree and rounded the tip before starting in on another. At the end of the night I had two feather boards completed:

With that done, I'll soon be ripping window stock.

One Reason to Hate MDF

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) isn't just for counters and insta-furniture any more. I've seen it used as a veneer base and structural component by woodworkers doing stunning work, and there are many things to recommend it, like stability, consistency, and affordability.

But I just can't like MDF, and after using it for reference boards to test and adjust my Radial Arm Saw (RAS), I can't say that I like it any more than I did. I will continue to use this product for sacrifice tables on the RAS, for reference boards used to test its accuracy, and for some jigs, but I aim to avoid using it as much as possible. Here's why:

If you don't know what you're looking at, it's dust. Not regular saw dust, but the finest powder I can imagine that still looks like it might be a wood product. I sometimes forget a dust mask when working with real wood, but never with MDF. After one cut, I'm ready to put the ventilator over my face—even on the hottest most humid day.

Two new rules developed this week while I was adjusting the RAS. These are good rules for any power sawing, but essential when working with MDF:

1. Clear surfaces of all but the tools required for the current job. This makes it easy to vacuum up afterward, and prevents the dust getting in the working parts of your tools.
2. If it can be closed, close all tool storage completely (Even if it is nowhere near the saw). Again: an ounce of prevention will keep most of this dust out of your tools.
   

One final sad fact about MDF: while you can plane it (and to make the reference boards I found it necessary) you cannot make shavings. Even with a sharp blade, MDF will only produce dust. Blade dulling, throat choking (the plane's, not mine), dust.

More Radial Arm Saw Adjustments

It has been years since the radial arm saw came into my shop, and I have not used it at all because it was not set up accurately. I've been working on fixing this over the last two weeks, and I'm getting quite familiar with the settings.

The thing that took me longest, was getting the table to be nearly perfect in its alignment with the saw arm. I had spend hours trying to get this right, and I was getting nowhere until I learned the trick from a book called Fine Tuning Your Radial Arm Saw, by Jon Eakes. The secret was to adjust four reference points on the table and use a crescent wrench as a lever for fine positioning. This simple trick was a huge revelation, and once I learned it, adjusting the table was done in under an hour. I'm sure I could do it in under 30 minutes now if I needed to do it again.


I'm now most of the way through testing and adjusting the saw. I hope to finish tomorrow and start ripping stock for the storm windows I need to build. I guess I just needed a big project (ripping and chopping the stock for 5 storms) with a deadline (winter) to motivate me to get this machine working. There was no way I was going to rip all that stock by hand.

No More Kerosene Tank; More Shop Space

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So here's two thousand words about what happened at my shop today:



Perhaps I will build a lumber rack here and free up a bunch of floor and wall space currently housing lumber.

My Ancient Thor Sabre Saw

I have two Sabre Saws: a contemporary Craftsman and an ancient Thor. Until this week I had never used the Thor, but having used it once, I find I like it better.

The motor is bigger and smoother running.

The base is wider and actually set at 90 degrees.

There is a side handle that allows the use of two hands.

The cut angle can be adjusted up to 40 degrees from 90.

And it is just plain cool in a very retro way.
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Related but somewhat off topic: I searched for commentary on Thor tools this morning. There doesn't seem to be much out there, but I did discover that the tool manufacturer played a role in changing the way publishing works. The Supreme court ruled against Thor Power Tool in a case brought by the IRS, and inventory accounting was changed forever.

If you're interested in knowing more, there's a good article about how and why at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Web site.

Kreg Pocket Hole Jig / Shop tricks

My new "cool tool" was bought specifically for a project: a Kreg Pocket Hole Jig. I'm not keen on glue and screw construction, because it seems like cheating, but this time I had a temporary table to build for use outdoors. Pocket holes seemed like the right idea.

I had never used one of these before, but after this project I'll feel comfortable using it whenever it is needed. And it was a GREAT purchase: the jig works like they say it will work, and the precision was in all the right places. The drill bit is super sharp (I think you really could cut yourself on it pretty easily) and fits with perfect clearance into the jig. The table legs went together quickly and seem super sturdy. I may comment further after the table has spent two weeks outdoors.

Notice the two silver containers in the front. My wife buys Lush bathroom products, which are super expensive as soaps go, but they do tend to give her these little silver canisters. These fit perfectly into the spaces of the box, and keep some screws with the jig.
First: no, I am not actually ripping this board this way, that would be dangerous. The saw is just perched there while I took the picture. As part of the project, I had to cross cut some boards that were too long for my bench.

Two clever things (I think) are going on in this picture. First, the pink thing under the board: this is some foam insulation left over from siding the house. It gave me a sacrifice table to prevent damage to my bench. Even though the bench is functional, not beautiful, saw cuts in the surface would be a problem. This trick worked beautifully.

Second, notice the baby gate in the background. I don't have an outfeed, saw horse, or any other dedicated table extension, and I knew I needed something. The baby gate became my table extension: it adjusted to the height I needed and had a surface I could clamp to the board I was cutting. This worked great, and until I have another solution I won't allow that to be sold or given away.

I'm off on vacation for the next two weeks, so no posts from me. I'm hoping to catch sight of a spring pole lathe and some coopering while I'm gone. We'll see what happens. I plan to take a picture of the table once it is set up, and if I manage that I'll post when I get home.

Until my return, may your the saws of your enemy be dull.

Moving Fillister Purchase

I've been planning to pick up a moving fillister plane for some time, so what better way to celebrate the return from a week-long vacation than to buy one from Patrick Leach. No, I was not fast enough to get WP3 (apparently you need to be quick in this town), but true to his word Patrick has others stock. I'll soon be joining rabbets by hand.

The moving fillister is a flexible solution for cutting rabbets, both with and against the grain. Since it has a built in nicker, it can cut across the grain without tearing out hunks of wood, and can just as easily cut with the grain. If you want to read more about it, Christopher Schwartz extolled its virtues on the Woodworking Magazine blog at the beginning of May.

Youngest Woodworker at My House

Just look at the determination on her face. Yes, she is using what amounts to a toy saw, but she couldn't manage the big saw. This one did the job, as you can see:

Three Lists of Essential Tools

Over at Lumberjocks yesterday, Tim Dorcas put up a blog entry about what tools a beginning woodworker might want to buy if the spending limit was $1000. It is primarily a power tool list, but a great exercise in prioritizing shop tools. I posted a comment about what a more minimalist shop might look like, but in principle I agree that Tim listed a set of tools that allows a wide range of work and will get you started.

I always enjoy this kind of list because it gets me thinking. Another great example is a list that Christopher Schwartz posted a while back. This won't fit a $1000 limit, but it gives a sense of what might be important in a more blended shop.

Finally, while trying to dig up Chris's post, I found another from Robert Lang that you can ponder. Enjoy!

Photo of violin maker's tools courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Just Plain Bill

Underwater Shop

The water heater burst on Friday, October 26, and filled the shop with 2 inches of standing water. It sounds like a disaster, but it turns out to be a much needed kick in the pants.

The following Monday a 30-yard dumpster was dropped in the driveway and the clean up began. Because the water flowed to the exterior of the basement, all the corners had to be emptied and all the flooring removed. We filled that dumpster, mostly with stuff from the basement and the shop is as nice as it has ever been.

To be honest, the clutter in our basement had kept me from the shop for months. It was just too painful to dodge the mess and have to clear space before I could work. Now there are two cleared benches, improved lighting, and lots of empty floor space to work and walk in. If only I had done this earlier...

New Blade and Continued Adjustments

I've continued work on setting up the Radial Arm Saw, and it is getting close to complete. On Wednesday morning I picked up a new blade (8 1/2" thin-kerf finishing blade, appropriately from DeWalt) and I'm anticipating the first cuts (which will be on the MDF for the sacrifice table top).

Last night I continued adjustments to the machine so that it will be precise in its cuts. First, I adjusted the 90° setting by pulling out my combination square, releasing the clamp for lateral adjustment, and carefully aligning the blade trajectory with the square. I think this came out well, but we'll get to test it once the sacrifice table is on.

Then I started making the first of two horizontal blade settings: front to back. This took a while because I misunderstood what Wally Kunkel was describing in his book, Mastering the Radial Arm Saw. I found the three allen screws on the yoke, loosened them as described, and spent a while wondering how this was supposed to modify the angle from side to side. Once I realized that I was supposed to be monitoring the front to back angle, I could actually judge my progress and I got the saw blade lightly touching the reference block on both front and back, as shown in the photograph above.

Next (and perhaps last) I will be adjusting the side to side angle so that the horizontal blade setting will parrallel the table in all axes (plural of axis, not plural of chopping implements). Hopefully I'll get some time Sunday after our camping trip.

Keeping the Shop Clean

I admit I have a problem clutter, and specifically with boxes. This week will be the fourth week of Tuesday night box break down, and I'm sure to put out 2 more bags of trash and fill another 5 - 10 bags with cardboard.

Since starting the shop "renovation", which really boils down to a shop clean up, I've adopted a habit that makes it so much easier to do something in the shop. After every shop session, I put away or otherwise clear all tools, drawings, woodshavings, scraps, and other detritus created during the project (although the floor is allowed to remain messy).

This means that every project in the last three weeks has had a work surface ready to receive it. I'm finding it makes starting a project easier and more satisfying, and I've been getting a lot done. I don't think I'll ever give up this habit. Even if the basement is a dump (which it is) the clear worksurfaces make the shop an inviting place.

Radial Arm Saw Table Partially Installed

Removing the Old Table Levelling the New Table

About a year and a half ago I bought a Radial Arm Saw, but I have never used it because the table was in such rough shape. In January, I started the project of replacing the table. The old one was removed and brought up to New Hampshire, where I worked with my freind, Sean, to assemble the new "Mr. Sawdust" table for the saw. On Saturday, Sean brought the Radial Arm Saw's table down from New Hampshire and left it on my front porch. On Thursday I figured out proper screw placement, drilled the holes and attached it to the supports.

So today, when I had the day off, I decided to work toward completion. The stand (as I mentioned last week) needs to be replaced, but I made do by installing a shelf for increased stability (and storage). I also wanted to raise the table height above the benchtop next to it, so I cut and attached a plywood top where the saw used to just sit on top of the 2x4 legs. After a trip to the hardware store for bolts, I attached the saw base to the new stand top and attached the table supports to the base. The picture here shows the arbor turned toward the table for use as a fixed reference for relative levelling. After about two hours fidgeting with it, I have it to the point where the arbor rides about a paper's width above any point on the table. We're nearly ready for blast off!

Bench for the Radial Arm Saw

Soon I will have the table mounted back on the Radial Arm Saw, which for now is the only stationary saw in my shop. Once it is mounted, I'm going to build a new bench for it that does not wobble and places it at the same hieght as the workbench it sits next to. I'm thinking I'll build it like the low cost benches being built by Robert Lang, at Popular Woodworking.

Portable Workbench

Just found a workbench that will be useful for woodworkers who have to set up on sites that are not their home shop. Check this out:

http://www.blumtool.com/pages/benchhorse.html

Getting into the Shop

I've found it harder to get into the shop lately. This is not a question of time, motivation, or family demands. No, it is literally getting harder to get into the shop.

Take a look at this picture: the walkway started at a meager 3 feet wide (give or take), but in the middle of the path there are now two toolboxes sitting atop a cardboard box filled with mechanics tools. To the right—sitting within a foot of my bench and blocking part of the tool shelves—are three pieces of plywood intended to become the roof ring for our modern ger. Atop that is a baby gate (!) in it's tattered cardboard box. There's also the stool I scavenged, standing comfortably in the remaining two feet of walkway. Around the corner, unseen by you, is a quarter bale of straw (!!) the remains of a porch banister, three ancient bikes, a broken window, a weight bench piled with cardboard boxes, an old dresser, a box full of 2" by 3" aluminum chunks (with really sharp edges), three grocery bags filled with books, left-handed women's golf clubs (neither of us golfs), a quarter bale of cedar shingles, four broken 1970's modern kitchen chairs, a decrepit step ladder too rickety to use, and more.

Whenever I wend my way to the bench, I'm forced into a careful dance, orchestrated to avoid bruising my hip on a bike handle, spilling a pile of boxes, stubbing my toe on a toolbox, loosing my balance and falling into the toolshelves, or knocking tools from atop the stool. I'm world class, precise, almost dancerly in my negotiations. A lucky soul tiptoeing through a minefield.

It's time to get a dumpster.