A New Year's Evolution.

[glenn bradley]

Good to hear from you Sam. I figured you'd been busy. Looks like things are coming along from here. It always seems to move in leaps and bounds when you are the one looking at pics that are a week or so apart. Not that way so much when you're the guy hanging new light fixtures, eh? Keep us posted and most importantly, enjoy yourself.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Looking forward to the next picture installment, Sam.

Originally Posted by Garry Foster

Sounds a lot like the 120 or 240 arguments...

I thought everybody knew 240 was better. It has at least 100 more. It goes WAY past 11.

[Antony N. Lord]

The shop looks fantastic - and the bench so nice that I'd be scared to work on it!

I did have a few questions (if they're not trade secrets) :

What is the glue / hardener that you used for laminating the ply pieces? Obviously the vacuum is a huge help on top of the clamps for bonding it all tightly.

And I was looking at the flattening process with the router - are there shims under the jig where it rests on the outer edge? I can't quite get my head around making such a jig. Does it rest on the edges of the unfinished side cutting low on the other, then you flip it at the end and raise the bit to keep the same depth of cut?

I've been eyeing off a similar project where I want to create a 2-4" thick laminated ply top but use a set of sloping guide rails so the layers are exposed... I had hoped to use a 2" surface planing bit.

Anyhow - would love to hear any ideas.

Cheers, Antony.

[Sam Blasco]

Originally Posted by Antony N. Lord

... I did have a few questions (if they're not trade secrets) :

What is the glue / hardener that you used for laminating the ply pieces? Obviously the vacuum is a huge help on top of the clamps for bonding it all tightly.

And I was looking at the flattening process with the router - are there shims under the jig where it rests on the outer edge? I can't quite get my head around making such a jig. Does it rest on the edges of the unfinished side cutting low on the other, then you flip it at the end and raise the bit to keep the same depth of cut?

Anyhow - would love to hear any ideas.

Cheers, Antony.

I would tell you, but then I'd have to...

I used Epoxy (West System), my favorite adhesive for just about anything. I used it only in the top layer, the pieces on edge, the other three layers I trusted to polyurethane glue (easy, quick, and I used screws as clamps, which I took out after cure). No filler was used in the mix, but I did mix a batch of pookie to fill any little voids in the the plywood after the fact. My router sled was a crude bridge, using a 1" bit, the biggest one I had. Time consuming, but effective. I let the bridge sit 1/32" above the rails on the edge and hoped the weight of the router would give me the hint of a concavity in the center of the bench, and it seemed to work (I don't like perfectly flat, and a concavity means things and spills will travel toward the center of the bench.) Plus it is easier to be not perfect. One thing I didn't plan on was, I couldn't remove the mill marks left by router due to the epoxy and pookie penetrating the end grain, no amount of sanding would work, short of a widebelt and flattening it, but the look was unexpected chic and cool.

The bench looks much less pretty than it did when I made it four years ago, but it is like hitting on an anvil, and has proved a joy to work on. And the ply on ply sandwich is very, very stable in terms of any (or lack there of) wood movement. Though my dovetail pins get a bit more pronounced in the summer.



Good luck with yours.
s

[Sam Blasco]

Been awhile, but sure seems like time is flying on this end. I have actually been able to use some of my machines the last couple of weeks, but mostly for boring cutting. I've gotten areas now designated and should get them flushed out over the years. Then I got sidetracked last week by a moving picture. Terrence Malick is filming his latest (The Tree of Life) in Smithville, starring Sean Penn and Brad Pitt. Brad and his wife (anybody remember her name?) are living here for the next three months. Anyway, somebody from the Art department showed up and asked if I could build a headboard for a 60s-ish bed in a day! I sure do love a challenge. I think he was surprised when I called him 16 hours later and told him he cold pick up his headboard, plus a false front to cover a dishwasher opening. I'll ask him to take some pics after their set decorator/finish guru matches the existing 30 year old finish. Now when I get to meet Mr Malick I'll have an in for my graffic novel about the latest super hero, "The Carpenter." (he always nails his man.)

Back to the shop: need to get the roof repaired this week so I can put the strategically placed buckets back to other work. Next focus will be buiding the gallery area, just after taking care of more storage solutions for wood products. I built a newer version of an outfeed table for my bandsaw out of an old solid core door that I have been toting around for years. I want to use the old oak butcher block I had made and used before as the outfeed table (it was my very first workbench top, after all) as a workbench top -- can't have enough workbenches:



And I have started emptying boxes for stuff associated with the workbench area:



For the rest of the pics go here:

http://s115.photobucket.com/albums/n.../Organization/

[joe blankshain]

Looking good Sam. Nice progress on the space. Didn't you take some time to move the household goods and therefore did not have shop time for a while? I seem to remember something about that elsewhere in the thread or another one of similar interest. Have Dain and the rest of the crew stopped by to help sweep the floors yet?