Woodworking thread

[nightwalker]

How about something like a shop made panel saw that stays in the garage to get sheets to close to a more workings size before taking it to the workshop. I've seen a few plans over the years, even one that i remember that swings down from a ceiling mount for use and then can be put back up and out of the way after use.

 

[beelzerob]

Well, if we're talking just ripping a large piece of plywood into smaller sections, then I could have them do that at Lowes before I walk out with it (since I'm really only up to "Lowes" quality of wood at this point). Or wouldn't a circular saw and a straight edge do the job good enough?

I guess my concern is trying to figure out just how much room I need around each of these tools, for the 90% use case. We plan to put up walls and make this an enclosed area, so once we've decided what to do, it'll be hard to change it.

I'm going to get in my old floorplan software and map this out to get a feel for what tool could go where. I'd be interested in knowing what the dimensions of some of *you* guy's workshops are, because I'm certain you know how well that size of an area works for you.

 

[mdesmarais]

I cut up my plywood in an adjacent area with a circular saw and a clamped on straightedge. Now, if I was going to make a set of kitchen cabinets this would be sadly inadequate. ;-) But for one off pieces it serves me fine. I COULD fit most of a sheet (as long as I wasn't cross cutting) of 4x8 on my saw, but I don't have enough support around it to handle that easily. I do throw 1/4" full sheets on there sometimes though.

My shop area is about 15x18, with some extensions- my jointer infeed is over the bottom of the basement stairs. And 6' of my table saw out feed threads between a hanging cabinet and a set of drawers on the floor, and ends up in the laundry area. And my wood rack extends into the main part of the basement (about 4'x9')

I was in pretty good shape until I also moved my electronics stuff in.

 

[nightwalker]

All of my equipment is on rollers. Generally I keep them in the same place but they're easy enough to move around when the need arises.

 

[beelzerob]

Did you make your own rollers? Even with rollers locked, isn't there a bit of play/give in the movement of the thing? I would think you'd want your equipment rock steady. Don't the rollers make the thing too high?

 

[nightwalker]

Some I have made, others I bought from various sources from Rockler to Woodcraft, etc. The commercial rollers I use on equipment that need a standard hight as they are made to conform to that. Ones I have made were for equipment were hight wasn't a big deal. I can't say I notice a lot of movement when everything is locked down, especially the commercial units. That may have more to do with flooring and wheel material.

 

[oberkc]

I cut up my plywood in an adjacent area with a circular saw and a clamped on straightedge. Now, if I was going to make a set of kitchen cabinets this would be sadly inadequate

This is how I cut large items from sheets of plywood and find it wholly adequate for any purposes I need, including cabinets. I must add, however, that if I need an extremely clean edge (as well as straight), then I use that straight edge with a router/staight-bit combination. I find this to do a beautiful job on pieces too large for a joiner.

Did you make your own rollers? Even with rollers locked, isn't there a bit of play/give in the movement of the thing? I would think you'd want your equipment rock steady. Don't the rollers make the thing too high?

Most of the roller systems I see and use raise the unit slightly when moving, then lowering it down and off the actual wheels when in place. The height addition is little more than about a half-inch. Stability is not a problem that I have ever noticed. Unless you have a large (say, 30x50) space, rollers are nearly indespensible.

 

[beelzerob]

Since my mind is already zooming way too far ahead, as it usually does, here's another question:

I'm looking at jig kits now, spurred on because when I was researching bandsawing logs, all the guys had cool adjustable homemade jigs for holding the logs. So, I'm *sure* I'll be needing to make my own adjustable cool jigs from day one...

Anyway...most jig kits seem to be for t-track. And some kits COME with t-track that I guess you embed in your jig. The question I have is....can't you create a t-track in your wood easy enough with a router? Two passes with 2 bits....done.

Any of you that have created your own jigs over time with t-track....do you recommend getting t-track rail, or did you just router your own?

 

[mdesmarais]

I just use whatever is laying around. . . kind of depends on what kind of use you expect to put it to- a few times, and you can just use something you throw together. If you are going to be using it repeatedly, then it is time to think about something a little more durable.. .

 

[klindy]

Rob,

Sounds like you've got a few nice toys to play with now! For the logs on your property I would strongly suggest taking them to a local lumber mill to have them cut up. There's a real skill to it and experience makes a big difference in the yield you'll get from each log. Even if the logs themselves are small, your 14" bandsaw isn't going to do them any justice at all.

Local mills (expecially the hardwood mills in your area) would be happy to do this for you. Them may even come pick up the logs if you don't have the means to get them moved. You could have them simply cut them into slabs for you and you can take them home and stack them away for a few years to dry (use LOTS and LOTS of stickers between every board no more than 2' apart - and the bigger/heavier the stack the better chance of having good lumber when it dries). If you have more logs than you plan to use, you can probably even trade them some of the leftovers for the cutting. You could have them leave them as slabs or rough cut the lumber into something easier to deal with at home. Also, if they have a kiln, you may be able to get them to dry some or all of the rough cut lumber. Of course trading lumber for labor would be a consideration.

One caution is many are very shy to cut logs which were harvested near the road or fence line. Many times steel from fence staples, nails or whatever get embedded deep into the wood in trees which are more readily accessible. Many mills have metal detectors to search for steel, etc because anything like that which hits a blade in the mill can be disasterous (less so with a band mill). Snow plow like to chuck rocks into the crotches of trees, etc which also cause problems. So the further into the woods the logs come from the more likely you'll find someone to help.

When I lived in MI, I had a 30" rough planer and large joiner and other equipment which handled this type of work pretty well. But the "art" of the process proved to be far more important than I originally though and the deals you can make with these small (usually) family owned mills are too good to mess with it.

Anyhow, sounds like fun! I you really want to have fun find a nice burl (knarly crotch section or root ball) of a black walnut tree and have that cut into slabs. In a few years you'll have some of the most beautiful wood to make smaller items from (gun stocks usually come from these sections). As a previous poster already mentioned, quarter-sawn oak (and other species) makes really pretty surfaces.

If you do any serious wood working at all, I'd recommend buying a moisture meter as one of my first investments.

 

[beelzerob]

Well...sounds like cutting wood from our logs is fun in *theory*, but probably not all that practical.

We don't have a lot of large trees here...those all get spared. All the stuff we cut down is probably 6-8" wide. about 80% hickory, and maybe the rest is....maple? Are either of those good to woodwork with? I don't hear a lot about those kind of woods as I do the cherry and oak.

ya, the toys aspect of woodworking is coming to life for me. Woohoo, finally another hobby to compete for precious hobby dollars! Maybe I can make money writing woodworking drivers. Hmmmm...

 

[klindy]

Well...sounds like cutting wood from our logs is fun in *theory*, but probably not all that practical.

We don't have a lot of large trees here...those all get spared. All the stuff we cut down is probably 6-8" wide. about 80% hickory, and maybe the rest is....maple? Are either of those good to woodwork with? I don't hear a lot about those kind of woods as I do the cherry and oak.

ya, the toys aspect of woodworking is coming to life for me. Woohoo, finally another hobby to compete for precious hobby dollars! Maybe I can make money writing woodworking drivers. Hmmmm...

Hickory and Maple are both good wood to work with. Maple is a fairly 'clear', stable wood without a lot of pronounced grain unless you have some Birdseye Maple which is similar but has small 'inclusions' which gives it a lot more character (Birdseye Maple is quite sought after for wood working). Hickory tends to work (and look) somewhat similar to Oak. It has easily noticable grain with bands of dark and light wood. My understanding is that Hickory is a good wood to use to steam bend and/or produce bent parts.

 

[DrunkenLizard]

I know hickory is a bit dense, had to listen to a few people complain about it lately. Hickory is popular in my region at the moment, last year it was knotty alder.

 

[beelzerob]

I know hickory is a bit dense,

Oh ya, my chainsaw can attest to that. smells like a BBQ while you're cutting it though!

 

[beelzerob]

Keep them clean! The other poster had good solutions. Automotive car wax is a solution I have often seen. There are also products specificially marketed for this. I use Boeshield penetrating lubricant/wax. So far, the surfaces remain shiney and slippery.

Well, I found that the local Sears carries the Boeshield rust remover and lube/wax, so I'll pick those up tomorrow. What do you use to actually clean the surface before you apply the boeshield to it?