Shop Improvement Movement - *IT'S OFFICIALLY ON!*

[Matt Hutchinson]

Great! It looks like this has actually got some traction. I agree about the change of date.

Do y'all like June 4? June 11? I don't want to give us too much time so that we are motivated to dig in and get it done.

- Hutch

 

[Carol Reed]

Gees, didn't you start with June 18? Now you want to move it up? Wait, wait.... May I suggest June 30? Its before the 4th of July and all the stuff that brings into our lives. That two months, so it we're in, that ought to be enough time.

So rules of engagement.
Pick a project for ourselves, shop related.
Document it.
Get'er done.
Post the results.

Bet Vaughn can come up with some prizes if we can come up with some categories. But then how does one measure cool?

 

[Darren Wright]

June 30th sounds good to me. I like the rules too.

 

[Bob Gibson]

I'm in.
June 30th

 

[Carol Reed]

Ok, getting on with it.

I chose my project. A shopmade table saw fence for a cobbled together orphaned bench top saw that arrived with no fence. Motivation.

Requirements were tee square style with one handed cam lock, just like a Beismeyer. A YouTube search turned up I Build It.ca with John Heisz' version. $10 bucks for the plans. Very detailed. He did all the math (yea!). Lot of pictures and drawings. Even a video. Worth every penny.

Plywood is acquired. We're off and running.

 

[Carol Reed]

Some disclosure here. This project has been on the to-do list for a while. Health and time issues have played havoc with getting it done.

So, the plans are printed out. They plywood is ripped. Thanks to my best bud, Phil, who let me use his table saw. The hardware is acquired. Even 3-d printed the point assembly! Had the PSA tape measure on hand. Found the 5/8" bolt just a couple of days ago.

So this morning, I reviewed the video and then gathered everything together in the same place - no small feat! I identified and labeled some parts, drilled some holes and made the first glue up.







Next task is to find time to get back to it.

 

[Brent Dowell]

June 30 it is and I've got a perfect project.

 

[Rennie Heuer]

OK, I'm in. I have several projects in mind for the shop. I might only get to one, but I'll get it done before the deadline.

First, I need an outfeed table for the table saw. I had originally wanted to make a 3' x 6' assembly bench that would store behind the TS and act as an outfeed when needed. I liked the one that Steve built and he even sent me plans for it. It had drawers and clamp storage - cool. Here's the problem. My floor has a hump in it, right in the middle and right behind the table saw. This means that the top of any bench or table wheeled up or placed behind the saw to act as outfeed support will not be in the same plane as the top of the saw. The table will be higher on one end than the other and on one side. So work coming off the saw 'catches' on the edge of the table in one spot while not being supported on another, and it has to work uphill as it makes its way back. Not a good situation.

Remedy - an outfield table that attaches to the saw like the one Stu recently made - with some modifications. I don't need the opening for the DC. The leg has to be adjustable and the foot has to pivot to conform to an uneven floor surface. Other than that, I like his design and mine will look very similar.

Other shop items I need to make but might not have time to meet the deadline are: Storage drawer for TS blades, storage/holder for the rip fence and miter gauge, and a better way to store tubes of caulk/adhesive/etc.

Here's a rough draft of the initial design.

 

[Matt Hutchinson]

Awesome stuff...plans are already coming in!

Okay, so here's the OFFICIAL DETAILS!

1.) Let's make a shop improvement project with the goal of being built by June 30. It can be any kind of improvement, i.e. jig, organization, hand tools cabinet, etc.. but it must involve building and/or woodworking at its core.

2.) Complexity level is irrelevant. All skill levels participate on this site, and the point of this is to improve how we work in our shop.

3.) As always, it didn't happen if there aren't photos, so let your inner shutterbug shine. VIDEOS WOULD BE SO AWESOME, but again, not the purpose of this build.

4.) A new thread will be created around June 30 for people to share their finished project photos and/or videos.

5.) Anyone can jump in on this at any time.

Thanks all!

LET THE BUILD BEGIN! (And May the fourth be with you!)

- Hutch

 

[Tom Niemi]

I'm going to do my best to adhere to the schedule, motivation is always a good thing. Have planed a plane till / tool storage for a while now and it should go something like this

View attachment Hanging Plane Till:Tool Cabinet.pdf

 

[Jonathan Shively]

I'm in.

 

[Bob Gibson]

My project is making permanent boxes for some of the hand tools I don't want to get rid of. Closing down and selling of most of my shop soon as the house will be on the market within the next month or two.

 

[Tom Baugues]

I'm going to do my best to adhere to the schedule, motivation is always a good thing. Have planed a plane till / tool storage for a while now and it should go something like this

View attachment 99084

Get motivated Tom....I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with. I don't have very many hand planes but the ones I do have need a storage solution. I don't have the time to join in on this build but look forward to seeing this and all the other projects that result from this build.

 

[Matt Hutchinson]

Well, after hemming and hawing about what to tackle I've finally decided to commit.

I will be making a miter saw station with a focus on 95%+ dust collection. I have a few specific ideas in mind, but I have a feeling that there will be a lot of on-the-fly engineering involved.

I haven't made a station to date because I try to use my SCMS as little as possible. But let's face it, they are pretty slick and handy, so I figure it's about time I make mine a bit slicker and handier

Anywho, a fun build it will be!

- Hutch

 

[Jonathan Shively]

Since others have committed to their projects, I guess it is my turn. I purchased last year a performaxe power sander from Jim Delaney and it has sat on top of the workbench. Last month I bought an oscillating spindle sander and it is sitting on top of the bench beside the DeWalt planer that has never had a permanent home. So, I have a corner of the shop that is available and I have decided to become mobile so some wheeled workstations with dedicated equipment on top is in order. The older my back gets the less I prefer to lift heavy things up onto the bench. Now to some of you this may sound like a weekend project. Let me explain, these are the three main things on top of the bench. In order to get to the bench, a lot of sorting and work needs to be done! This is my practice for drawers for Lou's kitchen and doors for the bathroom project that I have stalled long enough. Thus Hutch's "Shop Improvement Movement" was/is a timely kick in my pants to get my shop in order. Thanks Hutch.

 

[Darren Wright]

"Hi, I'm Darren and I'm a procrastinator."

I haven't seen my shop in a week, but did see my planes sitting on the table right where I left them a while back for my project when I was there last, which reminded me to get busy on it.

Bump!

 

[Rennie Heuer]

"Hi, I'm Darren and I'm a procrastinator."

Ooops! Haven't started mine either.

 

[Carol Reed]

Made a little progress on mine yesterday. Goofed up, so no pictures until that is fixed. I can make mistakes but darned if I am gonna take pictures of them!

 

[Leo Voisine]

I didn't sign up for this and I said I didn't have time for it, but I am further along on a small cabinet for my machine upgrade than most of the other projects.

Perhaps I will post that and show you all up

 

[Leo Voisine]

OK, I will jump in here.

Woodworking at it's core. Hmmmm, OK?
If you are getting to know me, you should realize that I am into woodworking - BUT - with more added in. I think most of us are.

My project has involved cutting a little steel, and some aluminum. It is with the intention of creating an environment where I can do woodworking on my CNC machine.

As a part of upgrading my CNC machine I NEED a little cabinet built into the base. THAT, is somewhat conventional. somewhat I say. I will also be doing some painting and a little more steel working, but the cabinet is mostly wood.

Truly, I am not much interested in building shop cabinets or shop tools, but I do build what I need to have.


I have several objectives for this cabinet

1) Make it a sealed cabinet, mostly for the water tank - to keep even the fine dust out.
2) Make the entire cabinet easily removable - in the event I need the vertical clamping space
3) Functional and WELL organized with Kaizen foam drawer inserts
4) Good drawers do NOT need to be dovetailed
5) It needs to "show off" the CNC machine.


This is the area that the cabinet will fit into


I will do some really nice painting of the white machine base, and some really nice staining of the Oak inserts and drawers


I used the machine to cut out the cabinet facing and drawer openings. Backside is rabited.


Cross pieces


Cabinet sides and drawer supports
Borg Soft Close slides - nothing fancy - functional - a little "show off"


WAY - WAY - WAY overkill here, but fun to make.
I had a sassy smirk on my face making this.
It is a cross member that will span the metal frame of the machine to support the back of the cabinet. It is easily removable. It is a GLUELAM. My design, my build. It is 4 layers of 3/4 sanded ply from Lowes, carefully CNC cutout. I sanded and carefully glued and clamped with my wooden parallel cabinet clamps. There are no voids. I gave is 3 coats of poly.