Just some piddeling

Not much going on around here as of late, so I figured a little dust making was in order...

I needed a router fence for my widdle router set-up :eek: & I added some old t-track, better than what I was using, & will have to do until I get rich enough to build a stand-alone with more power...
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After tearing down & re-sizing the wife's storage room in the shop, I had a bunch of leftover 2x's, used them up slapping this contraption together...
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I was tired of the open stands and the waste of space they eat...I plan on closing it in and adding some drawers on both ends and doors to close in the motor,
and possibly a long drawer beneath the motor support...I used the old castors from craftsman and for now they actually do lift & support the whole mess so I can move it when needed...you can see in the second picture how it only lifts the bench about a half inch, but that's plenty...hope it holds...ruff being broke, but hey I still get time in the shop :thumb:
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& speaking of being broke, got a few freebies simply by the wife doing her job...one of her manufacturer/distributors ran a little special on sales, earn points for each sale, cash 'em in on a slew of selections...She got me a chainsaw to replace the one 'someone' left on the tailgate that went bye-bye :eek::rofl: and a new printer 4 in one machine which was perfect timing as our old one ran out of ink....kidding :D it bought the farm although it was expected being a 2003 model...She also cashed in enough points for $250.00 worth of gas cards, so...can't complain about much too loudly ;)
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Thats a pretty nice looking stand really (and the fence ain't so shabby either).

Not a huge fan of the Poulan tools, but for the price its a darn good deal :D Make sure to not leave any gas set in the carb when not in use, the little experience I have with them is that they get pretty grumpy about that fast.
 
That router setup looks like it'll do the job just fine. :thumb:

And congrats on the freebies. Sounds like the timing was about perfect. :D
 
Pretty neat set up Ken :thumb: I've got a couple of those old craftsman casters around someplace. I never thought of using them like that:doh:

Your wife must be a pretty darn good salesperson, Great stuff :score:
 
Well Ken, you definitely got a keeper in the missus dept. Great new toys. As to your creativity with making do with what you have I say you get a :score::congrats: Your creativity inspires me.

Its easy if one is a wealthy person to throw the cheque book at any problem no effort required. But the test to me is when one has to get creative and make do with what one has.

Kinda reminds me of the time when i used to sail catamarans but also had a turn in dinghies, we would see what we called the cheque book sailors pitch up at each race with some new fangled gadget in many cases something which had been used by a real top sailor on his boat when won some championship. They used to think it was "the thing" that would make em win the race. Yeah right!....They never did then they blamed the gadget. :)

Good looking fence. You just gave me an idea too. :thumb: The design on my homemade fence makes use of these cam clamps and to be honest while they look like would make a great tool i find them a real pain in the rear. I think your knobs are a solution for my problems. :thumb:
 
Thanks guys, appreciated!

Rob, why the disappointment in the cam locks? I would of tried them in a heartbeat if I wasn't so financially disadvantaged{sounds better than broke or tight :rofl:}..they seem to have great reviews from what I've read. :dunno: either or, it sure beats the f-clamps and straight edge method I'd been using!
 
looks like you found the mother lode ken,, in both new tools and the better half:) one suggestion would be to have a sacrifcal fence on your router fence to allow for different sized bits to have more or less room
 
Thanks Larry, she's a keeper, 25 yrs today! don't know how/why she does it :rofl:

That sacrificial fence makes sense, I currently have the opening set to accommodate my largest bit{I have a limited selection} one thing I could never wrap my head around was, the need for smaller openings for smaller bits...what am I missing? I basically use the router table for edge treatments, haven't seen a need for off-setting fences &/or what I'd call a zero clearance fit/need...any help?
 
That sacrificial fence makes sense, I currently have the opening set to accommodate my largest bit{I have a limited selection} one thing I could never wrap my head around was, the need for smaller openings for smaller bits...what am I missing? I basically use the router table for edge treatments, haven't seen a need for off-setting fences &/or what I'd call a zero clearance fit/need...any help?

  • Safer: The workpiece is less likely to get pulled or accidently get pushed into the bit (especially with narrower end grain cuts), when this happens it usually ends poorly :eek:
  • Cleaner Cuts: Less room for "flutter" or "chatter", especially with thinner pieces. You can featherboard them tight against the fence and they're less likely to flop around.
 
Not saying that that is comprehensive though :D Just what I can think of off of the top of my head, its kind of similar to the value of zero clearance inserts for a table saw or (less so I suppose, although I've had a few cut offs go Zing here as well) bandsaw.
 
I've used Minwax Polycrylic on shop jigs and fences with good results. Very durable stuff. BLO and/or wax are other common choices that a lot of guys use.
 
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