Tool Base from Free Material

[glenn bradley]

I sold a bunch of dad's turning stuff (still have some to go). I gathered enough to make me finally buy a combo sander that I have been after for about 15 years. It's funny; I wouldn't pay the price back when it was about half of what it is now. I view it as a gift from dad.

At any rate with the current prices of new material and the down right unavailability of some others I sat down to percolate. I still have a fair amount of the free material I got from a guy who runs a cabinet shop; it was rain damaged. I decided to see if I could come up with a design that would use the sizes of material I had available. I didn't start taking pictures right away because the thing is going to be butt-ugly. At some point I thought I might as well share the journey. I'm sure I'm not the only dumpster diver out there.

You can see the damage to the material but, there is a lot of usable stuff left. The pro shop just couldn't make a financial argument for trimming all the waste off in an attempt to get usable pieces. Hooray for me.



My plan was to use large rabbets to house the thin stock and internal reinfocement for structural rigidity. The sander weighs about 145 lbs and will be mobile.

Here's the side panels, one shellacked, one not.

Yesterdays spoil becomes today's dominoes.

cont'd . . .

 

[glenn bradley]

I test the basic case work for size and fit.

I'm using dominoes for strength and pocket holes so I can keep moving along.

A clamp porcupine.

Here's the mobile base I will use and the position the sander will occupy.

I don't do a lot of pocket holing but I did find that an Auto-clamp gripped in a vise makes a quasi-pocket station.

I'm bushed. Tomorrow I will knoick out some drawers and put a back in it.

Then I will wait till my gigantic son-in-law can come by and help me move the machine on to the base.

 

[David Johnson]

Free stuff is the best material available. Nice looking stand
David

 

[Toni Ciuraneta]

Looking forward to see the final result!

 

[Robert Horky]

and you just happened to have an unused mobile base laying around? Looking good so far.

 

[glenn bradley]

I realize now that the title should have been "mostly free stuff". I picked up the base a few years ago before building the new shop. The "all terrain" style base made it easy to move grandpa's old contractor saw

in and out of the garage for use. I did get the drawer glides from dad's inventory so I guess those are still technically free. I will try to scrounge the scrap bin for drawer fronts like some other fixtures from the past
.
although that would be like putting lipstick on a pig. If I can't find enough "pretty" scrap I will use more of the free cabinet shop stock.

 

[Ryan Mooney]

Looking good! Very economical on the construction techniques as well.

Is that a DRO rail there?

 

[glenn bradley]

Is that a DRO rail there?

Yes. The DRO on the tablesaw has become integral to how I work. This is the third saw I have had it on. Repeatable measurements and incremental offsets really make the tablesaw a joinery machine.

 

[Ryan Mooney]

Yes. The DRO on the tablesaw has become integral to how I work. This is the third saw I have had it on. Repeatable measurements and incremental offsets really make the tablesaw a joinery machine.

I can see that, certainly an interesting idea! I get about as much sometimes from the side details from your work

 

[Jay Caughron]

Yes. The DRO on the tablesaw has become integral to how I work. This is the third saw I have had it on. Repeatable measurements and incremental offsets really make the tablesaw a joinery machine.

I love my expsuliy

Yes. The DRO on the tablesaw has become integral to how I work. This is the third saw I have had it on. Repeatable measurements and incremental offsets really make the tablesaw a joinery machine.

I love mine especially when cutting organ pipe parts, some of the pipes are only .5mm different. Also when making templates for cutting frets on guitar necks

 

[Robert Horky]

DRO on TS is GREAT. I'll never go back to the tape.

 

[glenn bradley]

I make some drawer box parts out of the water damaged stock.

Groove them for drawer bottoms.

I am just pocket holing the drawer boxes.

A piece of scrap makes sure things align.

Rinse and repeat.

Four drawers will do it.

I have seen the scrap stock as spacer method for setting drawer hight for many years. Thought I'd give it a try. Works well.

Drawer boxes in.

And drawer fronts on.

Now I just have to wait for my SIL to stop by after work to put this beast on top of it.

 

[Robert Horky]

and you just happened to have four sets of drawer slides laying around ... and four knobs, which by the way do not match the other cabinet, just sayin
Looking good for sure.

 

[glenn bradley]

Thanks guys. Dad had a box of 10 sets of the 16" drawer slides. The knobs are from a kitchen upgrade 30-odd years ago. Amazing how long some of this stuff hangs around waiting to be re-used.

 

[Rennie Heuer]

Late to the party on this one. As always, both exemplary and inspiring. Makes me wish I had a bit more time to devote to shop storage projects.

 

[Toni Ciuraneta]

I wish they would sell Grizzly machinery over here...

 

[glenn bradley]

Some hot water makes slipping these hoses over the fittings easier.

These $10 fittings may seem like an extravagance but after the 378th use they are remembered as very reasonably priced.

All fitted up and part of the crew.

 

[Darren Wright]

These $10 fittings may seem like an extravagance but after the 378th use they are remembered as very reasonably priced.

Do normal shop vac hoses fit these? At least the 2 1/2" size?

 

[glenn bradley]

Do normal shop vac hoses fit these? At least the 2 1/2" size?

Yes. 2-1/4” inside, 2-1/2” outside.

 

[Robert Horky]

Nicely done. Looks great and the knobs even match.