Router table upgrades (cont)

I was able to accomplish a couple of things in the shop toward my ultimate goals. I removed the top two bit drawers and extended the drawer fronts up (new pieces) and I think I'll have enough room now for extra tall bits. I also added a front for the deep drawer on the left side to match. The new pulls are on all the finished drawers.

Remaining tasks:
- trim everything with ash
- false front behind paddle switch
- fronts for lower drawers
- router door

It's getting really close.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Router table upgrades

While I decided to keep the router table I have instead of completely scrapping it, there are still a few things I want to do to it before I can call it finished.

First order of business is to fix the drawers. When I made the side drawers before, I really didn't have a good idea of how many bits I would get, and how tall they would be. I now know that I made too many drawers and made them too small.

To fix that I will either just eliminate a couple and make the drawer fronts bigger, or resize them all to what I think I need. I have enough ash left over where I should be able to make matching drawers for the upper portion. To make the drawer fronts for the bottom will probably require a trip to the store.

Speaking of store, I spotted some drawer knobs on clearance Saturday and stopped back by again to look at them a bit more closely. They are brass (?) and maple, but it's close enough for the price at $.28 per. Couldn't make ones cheaper than that. 12 will take care of the whole router table, plus a couple left over.

At the same time I picked up a hook to keep the router cords out of the way. It doesn't work great, but I'll keep an open mind about it.

The knobs are only on the drawers I have bits in, so that gives you an idea of how much space I don't need.










- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

More cleanup

Got about an hour out there today and got my work table an router table switched around. Now I can get the lawnmower out easily, and I also have better access to the router and the vise on the bench.












- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Router table

I've been dithering for awhile on what to do with my table, if I would continue on or start over. Well for now at least I am continuing in with the current design. Functionally, it's always worked fine, but I abandoned the progress when it wasn't coming together aesthetically like I wanted it to.

I got a little time today and addressed some of my remaining tasks. 1/4" ply finally went on the back of the vertical drawers to seal up that area. I used my laminate router (love that thing) to get it as flush as possible. It doesn't yet cover the bottom, as I was just using what I had.

I also decided to cannibalize one of the top deep drawers to get my safety switch up and functional again. I haven't felt as safe as I could have been with it missing. I'll eventually remove the drawer all together but this will work for now. When I trim out the cabinet I will dress it up.

The last bit was putting in the dust port in the back, I'll be able to hook up a tee and grab dust from top and bottom.








You can also see I've made great strides in recovering floor space. This was taken in the shop on a rainy day - absolutely everything is still inside and the table is rolled out from the corner.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I had thought that figuring out storage for all my scrap would take some time, but I solved a little bit of that problem on Monday by using an idea I had seen a long time ago and some of my larger sheets of scrap ply. It’s basically an open box on wheels, short enough that it slides in the cubby of my miter saw.







Really simple to make, I only bothered to run a rabbet on the bottom and just used butt joints for the sides. I figured mechanical fasteners would be fine for this thing. Used the cheaper Harbor Freight casters I had on this, but really I would probably be better off trading those out for some even cheaper HF ones that don’t turn. It will certainly work for now.



It doesn’t quite hold everything, a consequence of where it had to go. The pieces that are too long to fit properly will still have to go somewhere, and I still think that it will be on a wall in some form or another. It is possible that I could make a smaller cubby that would hold these pieces vertically against a wall, but I limit myself to a certain amount if I do that, plus still take up a portion of wall along with the floor. Figuring out where these pieces will go, plus making a spot for the larger sheet goods is still the main problem I have to overcome in the shop. Beyond that it’s all gravy.



One side effect of moving the stock to the wall, in one form or another, is that my remaining set of shelves will have to go. I’m not too terribly concerned about this, and I’m sure I will find a home for it – most likely under the house to store who knows what. That will mean I have to get rid of or find a home for some various paint cans. Most of these need to be tossed anyway, so it’s simply a matter of disposal.



One other thing I am considering is removing the lawnmower, which would probably also mean removing the golf clubs. I’m fine with the former, but not so much the latter. Right now the lawnmower is a bit inaccessible, due to the remaining work table blocking the cubby. The quickly growing weeds in my yard demand to be cut soon, so there’s a bit of a deadline to come up with some sort of temporary solution. I could easily temporarily solve this by switching the mobile router table and the immobile work table, which I will most likely have to do this weekend, should the time present itself.

What I don’t want to really do is move the golf clubs under the house, or to the carport. While this would give me the much needed room for a dust system in the shop, I’d really rather keep them where they are. I can’t explain why, but I do. They don’t weigh a lot, and could be put a little higher up and attached to the wall. Something – not sure what – could go under this in place of the lawnmower. But I’d still like to see a way to keep both items where they are and make it work.



I take a set part of my available funds each month and let it be used for anything in the shop, be it a need or a want. This go-round I have two needs – drawer hardware and to replace my door. I made my miter saw station/cabinet in mind for hardwood runners, but decided with how cheap I could get the little white drawer hardware for, that I would do that. The bigger priority however is to fix the doors. They were built out of plywood and have not held up. They warped, and let in a lot of those big black ants occasionally. And if I want the climate of my shop to be a bit more temperate, especially in winter, I need better closing doors.



I’m headed to the big box store now to start pricing materials. I think cedar would probably work best, but I’m going to keep an open mind. I might even invest some money and repaint the entire exterior while I’m at it.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Lost weekend

Really haven't been able to do anything in the shop the last few days due to being sick. Went out there a couple of times and just didn't want to be there. Did buy a new hardware caddy and am filling it up, but that's it.

Here's a recent pic I promised, it's cleaning up rather nice. The next big challenge I need to tackle is the scrap pile. Can't really do other things until I get it addressed, and I think I'll be using the upcoming week on research. I also need to stop by HF an ask if I can dump the big bandsaw box.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Done

If someone is going to be a condescending prick, I don't want anything to do with them or what they are affiliated with.


Shop pictures coming tomorrow.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A bit of housekeeping

The more I move toward my goal the more enjoyment I get out of being in the shop. It's really elementary, I should have foreseen it.

I can actually see the floor again, and more and more things are going up on the wall. The latest is a hammer rack, again built with scraps. Moving stuff around gives some more temporary space to give me a better idea of what I need to do.

I got all my chisels sharpened with the Work Sharp. I really like it. The other thing I sharpened is the blade on my new bench plane. I'm rely, really loving this. It feels so relaxing being able to make those curly wisps. Got it dialed in to a certain degree, I don't know how well because I just started using it. But I like it.

A couple of pics to end the weekend.















- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ladder

First off, I’d like to give my thoughts and love to those affected by the quake and tsunami today.



About the ladder: I have to make this quicker than I’d like unfortunately, but it’s a pretty simple project – and very cheap, too.



I bought two 8’ 2x4s, the straightest and best I could find. I cut one down to about the length I needed, plus a few inches. I cut a 15 degree miter on one end, then started measuring for my mortises. I needed to have about a 10” height for each step, and wanted to make sure that was right. I took my drill press and a forstner bit and hogged out each mortise, finishing it up with a ½” chisel. These chisels had never been sharpened, so I got to use my Work Sharp for the first time. I loved the experience. I did the exact same thing on both sides.



I then cut my steps to length out of the 2x4 and then made the tenons on the table saw. In retrospect I should have made the tenons first and then cut the mortises, but it worked out. I cut the tenons a bit too short though and glueup was messy and unfortunately required some screws.



But, the (mostly) finished result is fine. A pass of 320 grit to compliment the 220 grit, and some finish and it’s all set. It’s nice and stout, too.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tuesday tease

This is the project I worked on Monday, I'll try to have the write up tomorrow.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The last two months

I started off the year talking about renovating the shed, and turning it into a real workshop. Well I'm very happy to say it's gone better than I expected. I started off by taking down the interior of the back wall, opposite of the entrance. It turned out to be cheap 1/4" ply. I had been concerned about the construction of the shed, because I found no studs. Well when I took down the plywood I found that they attached horizontal stringers, most likely to help support the thin plywood. Those came down and behind it were studs and insulation in pretty good condition. In it's place went three sheets of 7/16" OSB, attached directly to the studs. Sorry, no real pictures here - it's OSB.

I also started attaching a French cleat system. As it stands right now, I have one section of the cleats up to purely get stuff out of my way. More cleats will go up as the floor gets cleaned back up. The place is such a mess because so much came off that wall and had to go somewhere. If I had planned a bit better, I would have put some of the tools in tubs or the like to help me get around. At one point a couple of weeks ago, you could not get in the door.

I also in the last two weeks have disassembled the Ultimate Tool Stand I built. It's an excellent idea for a garage, but for my situation it had a few drawbacks, mainly the size and the weight of it. It was impossible to take outside, and thus the mobility aspect of it was completely defeated. In it's place was the first of the two cabinet sections that I discussed in the 1/1 post. The cabinet and the miter saw wing are approximately 5' long, instead of 6'. Space is always a premium. The current status of it as of tonight is that the carcass of the cabinet is done, the back 1/4" ply is on, and I added a 2x4 under to help stabilize it. What is left is to work out dust collection for the miter saw, and add eight drawers. I'll be ordering the drawer hardware hopefully this week. This will probably be more drawers than I need, not even including the second cabinet along another wall, but I shouldn't ever have to go back and add more once all this is done. I say that, and I'll probably fill them up anyway.





I've built a few things for the cleat wall already. Some of them need a little refinement once I get farther along and I use them a few times, a couple of others are done as best I can do.

First thing I did was make a carrier/station for my Ryobi One+ charger and batteries. It's a cabinet design with slide out shelves and after a slight design change, the charger sits on the side. This has worked extremely well so far, and has room to add up to three more battery slots for a total of nine. Until that happens though, the top of it stores my extra safety glasses and my radio. (The tools on top are currently on the floor)



I also made a random orbit sander station that holds the paper as well. This might get expanded, but we'll see. Pretty much the same design as the charger station, but with dowels on each shelf to hold the paper and to help attach it securely on the sander.



I also cobbled together a screwdriver holder, pliers holder, squeeze clamp holder and transferred a chisel and mallet holder I made previously and attached directly to that wall.





I made a new, more secure lawnmower cubby that is 100x better than it was before, made out of 2x4s half-lapped with the leftover OSB strips as the top (shop height is unfortunately only 7'). I'm still not sure where it will go, and if I'll be able to use space behind it for sheet goods. To be determined.

I also finally bought a bandsaw, the Harbor Freight 14" model. I wasn't planning on buying it, but rather a used Delta, Jet or Ridgid. The ones I looked at weren't anything to write home about, especially at the prices being asked. I also considered the Grizzly G0555P, but shipping and a price increase forced me to abandon that. The HF is a defacto clone of the Grizzly, minus a few creature comforts like a fence and roller guides. I've added a couple of things like cool blocks, and a ZC insert (which isn't perfect, but I've got a plan). It's worked well so far, and well worth the money I spent, which was half of the Grizzly. Plus a three year warranty and local return.



That's about all for the updates, minus pictures of an extremely messy shop. The next little bit of work I have to do for the shop involves more cleanup, making a drawer or two and thinking about general layout.

A new beginning

I'd like to announce the new address and new title of the workshop. It seemed fitting, considering the renovation that is ongoing. I soon will be making it public again, so long as the shenanigans are done away with.

A lot of the progress since the last post have been made on a website, and I'll be endeavoring to get you up to speed. It's been a great last month or so, and a lot of things have gotten done.

I'll be updating what I can tonight to try to get up to speed.