A Learning Adventure in the Workshop

New Router Table Fence

Well, I made my decision on my previous post and decided to buy the Incra router table fence to make the drawers for the desks.  Totally necessary?  No, but should make this and future projects easier and I too know a good opportunity to buy a tool when I see one.

I bought the Incra LS positioner (see http://www.incra.biz/Products/LSSuperSystem.html) and once it arrives and is installed on my router table I will sell my current like-new 36" Bench-Dog ProFence to help to defray the cost.  If anyone is interested in buying it before it goes to e-bay, email me an offer.

I have already extended the back of my router table to allow for the mounting of the Incra jig (it requires a lot of room behind the bit), and the table is now ready to go.

I will post my opinion of the Incra once I have had time to experience it.

Dry fit begins

I got in a bit of shop-time this weekend and began the long-awaited dry-fit of the Greene and Greene desks.  I fitted and glued-up 6 of the 8 "frames" of legs for the desks.  Two more to go, and then the fun really beings as I work to fit-up the fronts and backs. I'm pleased with the results so far.  My Bessey clamps prove once again that they are the best in my view.

I'm trying to figure out which method to use to do the detail of the irregular box-joints on the drawers.  The Popular Woodworking blog has recently posted two methods, here:  Gamble House Drawers and here:  Gamble House Drawers Alt .  Both methods have advantages and disadvantages.

The Lee Valley (Veritas) Medium Shoulder Plane

I was lucky enough to get the Lee Valley (LV) medium shoulder plane for Christmas this year, and I can say that it is already one of my favorite planes.

I have been surprised at how often I have used it  for a variety of tasks.  My only other shoulder plane is an old Stanley #90 that I use a lot, but I have found myself using the LV for almost everything now.   It "comes to hand" easily and constantly and works very easily.  It is 7" long by 11/16" wide....seems like a good compromise in size to me.

The plane is great for trimming tenon shoulders, etc or for paring cross-grain as is often required on tenon cheeks.  I am doing a lot of mortise and tenon joints right now, and I see to be constantly using this plane.

I find that the Lee Valley planes are less expensive but every bit as good as Lie-Nielsen (LN) planes when it comes to use and functionality, and in some cases the LV planes are better as they tend to include some excellent modern interpretations of the older designs.   Having said that, there is something more aesthetically pleasing about the LN planes that just isn't there in the LV counterparts.  LN planes are precision, functional pieces of art...LV planes are precision, functional tools.  I love using them both, but somehow get more attached to the Lie-Nielsen tools.  Does that make them worth the extra money?  I'm not sure.

More Dust Control

The dust control initiative continue....

Most of the changes listed in the previous email have now been implemented and seem successful.  Additionally, it prompted a minor shop reorganization to allow for better access of the dust collection devices to the machines.  We'll see if I like the new arrangement after I have used it for a while.

Update on my dead one year old Shop-Vac:  Shop-Vac brand mailed me a new "motor" free of charge even though I did not have a receipt.  I could find the date code stamped into the bottom of  the lid unit, and that was enough.  They get high marks for that.  They said that they no longer have any repair facilities so they just mail out parts when someone contacts them about warranty work. Fine with me as I can do the repair.

Unfortunately, when the part arrived it had no instructions on  installation...again no problem for me...but I would think Joe homeowner would not like this arrangement.  Also, the unit was attached with "star" style screws....15 of them.   I just happen to have "star" screwdrivers, but again, how many homeowners would have those?  Seems like Shop-Vac needs to think this process through a little.  But, I can't complain and I now have a repaired Shop-Vac to go with the new Fein brand dust collector.   The Shop-Vac takes its place as the dedicated unit for the sanding station.

Dust Control Initiative - Take 3

As noted in a previous post, with the demise of my Shop-Vac (again) I've once again decided to improve dust collection in the workshop. The shop continues to be a dust-bowl despite my previous attempts.

Current semi-functional system

• a 1 hp Penn State Industries (PSI) dust collector collected to a 12 foot long, 4" diameter overhead PVC duct with blast-gates/drops for the tablesaw, router table, lathe and bandsaw. 1 micron cloth bas filters. I also have a garbage-can based 2-stage separator in front of the collector. PSI unit is way too weak for this system and doesn't really work. 1 micro cloth bas filters. Very hard to move the unit around since my shop is very tight on floor space and oddly laid-out.
• a JDS air cleaner mounted on the ceiling. Works absolutely GREAT!
• a Shop-Vac that I hook to portable tools and sometimes to the jointer. I seem to get about 1 year per Shop-Vac before they break.

Due to the nature of the low beams in the ceiling of my basement shop and the strange "Z" shaped floor-plan, a single central system does not seem practical. So, I've decided to try and come up with a "hybrid" distributed system.

Plan for the "new" distributed system

First, I don't want to spend a lot of money, but I am tired of spending money on things that don't work just because they were more reasonably priced. So, the stuff that I buy from now on for dust-collection will be "better" brands/stuff (like my JDS air-cleaner) so that I won't be back in this position again in 2 year. Sorry PSI, sorry Shop-Vac.

The new system will evolve through time, but I am going to try to control the dust one "machine-station" at a time, rather than trying to solve the problem in one swoop.

Here is the new plan:

1. I will reduce my 1 hp PSI dust collector to serving only the table-saw and bandsaw which will both be located within 5 feet of the collector. The PSI 1 hp unit has just not proven to be strong enough to work with the overhead PVC ducts that I installed a couple of years ago. It has been nothing but trouble, and in fairness to the PSI unit, it was not really designed to handle a system like that. I think that if I strip the PSI unit down to these 2 machines (with blast gates) located within 5 -feet, it will work fine. I will leave my Long-ranger remote installed on the PSI unit also. I will remove the 2-stage garbage can collector so that the unit is more mobile and can be easily wheeled out to service other machines, particularly the lathe and jointer. The bags will need more clean-out, but that is the price that I will have to pay.
2. I have purchased a Fein Turbo I shop vac as a replacement for the old Shop-Vac unit. The Fein is outstanding in terms of suction, noise (quiet) and fit and finish. It is worth the money. Also, the Fein has a 16' long, very flexible, hose (1 1/4") that can reach most of the shop since I now have located the Fein centrally. This will allow me to attached the Fein to all hand-held tools (random orbit sander, hand-held router, etc), plus the router table, workbench and use it for general pick-up without moving it. Also the Fein has a 1-micron filter and a vacuum bag, so it is well suited for sanding work. I will not use the Fein for general shop-vac tasks. I will use it for saw-dust only. I will get a cheap vac for general non-workshop cleanup, etc. If you are going to buy a Fein, check out Walter Tool Company, they have great prices on Fein equipment.
3. My JDS air-cleaner will remain as-is. It is a great unit and is doing its job well. One note, I've noticed that I can clean the intake filter on the JDS without removing the filter by running the hose from the Fein over it while it is off. It is as good as new in seconds. Since the Fein filters down to 1-micron, I am not sending the dust back into the air either.
4. I am trying to get Shop-Vac to repair/replace my old Shop-Vac since its less than 1-year old (but I do not have the receipt). If I managed to get it fixed, I will dedicate it with a HEPA filter to the "sanding station" in my shop. The sanding station includes the Delta BOSS spindle sander and the Delta 12" disc sander. Both machines are plumbed for 2 1/4" hoses, so it will be easy to semi-permanently affix the Shop-Vac for this purposes. I need to have a "fast and easy" solution for the sanding station, because otherwise I get lazy and use the sanders with no dust collection attached because "I only have a little bit to do"....so it must be an always there solution.
5. Eventually, the PSI unit will be replaced with a 1 1/2 or a 2 hp unit and then the PSI will move to the other end of the shop and be dedicated to the jointer only....no hurry on this for now.
6. I will rig up a 2 1/4" line off of the 4" hose to the tablesaw (from the PSI unit) to allow for dust collect through my blade guard as well as from underneath. Since I use a zero-clearance insert in the saw, a lot of sawdust remains up top.

A little bit quieter...

This weekend I finally moved my small air compressor from inside the shop to inside the stairwell that leads to the back yard to make it quieter.  The stairwell is one of those typical metal hatches that lead to basements, and has a solid wooden door at the bottom as the entry to the basement.   I have been meaning to make this move for some time, but I finally did it.

The old stairwell has very rotten wooden stairs in it (another thing on the "project list") and one of the bottom stairs is on a rusted hinge that allows the stair to swing upward.  Obviously someone in the distant past used to store something under the stairs.  This spot has now become the home for my compressor.

I ran a flexible air line along the ceiling from the workbench to the stairwell, and drilled a hole above the door frame to allow the hose to pass through the wall to the compressor behind it.  I then ran a heavy duty 12-gauge  extension  cord under the door for power.  A power strip on the "inside" end of the cord gives me on/off control without opening the door.

Works and is VERY quiet.  I will now use my compressor much more often.

Gramercy Holdfasts - buy some

A few months ago I got a couple of Gramercy Holdfasts from Toolsforworkingwood.com.  They can be found by clicking here. 

Simply put, they are inexpensive ($29.95 a pair) and fantastic.  They quickly and easily hold the wood in the workbench with surprising strength, but with enough delicacy to minimize the risk to the wood.  Any workbench with 3/4" round dog holes and sufficient thickness should work fine.

They are one of those tools that I didn't know I needed until I had them.

Happy Woodworking 2007!

Happy New Year All,

The holiday break this year provided me with more shop time than most years (one of the benefits of my 2006 career change).  Also, I received several nice woodworking and garden train related Christmas gifts.  Plus, my 7-year old son received some of the coolest toys so far...many gadget related...I think that I like them as much as he does....Lego Mindstorms NXT and a toy microscope that allows you to upload images to the PC among them.   The microscope does not work and needs to be exchanged, but I look forward to trying it with him.

Over the next few days I will be posting some of my observations on the new tools (and toys), as well as some comments about the significant progress made on the desk project.  I will likely be moving to the dry-fit stage on the desk carcasses by the end of the month.

Additionally, my Shop-Vac (6 months old) stopped working again and the workshop is now a complete dust-bowl.  Not healthy for anyone.   Its my second Shop-Vac in 2 years.  I need to solve the saw dust control problem once and for all and I do not think that Shop-Vac brand will be in the solution.  More posts about that soon too.