Johnny_Vee's Blog & Comment Emporium

Remember the tool chest plans from months ago?

"My plan is to build a large, hanging tool chest for the shop based on a plan I found in FW's 2007 issue of Tools & Shops. Just waiting on the plans (yes I had to buy the paper as no SketchUp or other digital form was available...sigh).
"

It has surfaced again.  Got the plans no problem.  Got the baltic birch plywood and hard maple.  Sorted out the French Cleat positioning in my shop. Now I am rebuilding my tablesaw crosscut sled so it can double as a box joint jig for this puppy.

Half-way there...resurfaced the sled with hardboard and made the side left of the blade kerf adjustable by up to an inch to keep that zero clearance thing I love about this sled. Now to put together the removable 1/2" box joint jig...but tomorrow (unfortunately) I go back to work (the one that pays for this wonderful hobby)... heavy sigh.

I have finally achieved a new level of not getting into my shop.  The Dust Troll under my bench just asked for ID, it's been so long since I spent any time (other than a pass through to the garage door). I have a couple of weeks off from the job that pays for the fun I am supposed to be having in my elusive man-cave so I plan to get things moving.

All joking aside, I have managed to do the following since June:

• turned my Rigid 14" bandsaw into Frankensaw with Kreg & Carter accessories, a new LinkBelt on the motor, a lower plywood shelf and a Grizzly riser block kit -- posts to follow
• installing my "new" Jessem sliding table on my old Delta hybrid tablesaw -- posts to follow
• Rebuilt a 1874 Bailey #8 type 4 Jointer plane -- post to follow
• drilled several dozen dog holes in my bench
• installed a Veritas® Inset Vise in my bench ( the dog holes were lonely) -- posts to follow
• put together the Freud router table my wife got me for my birthday
• actually swept the floor...

So now I need to get some photos and posts out...

Cheers
John

Well, the delivery I had hoped for did not get here this past weekend   .  A "delivery notice" was waiting for me in the mail when I got home today (Monday) so once I get the lovely Lee Valley box open and confirm it is all there, I can make a few plans to work on this.  It may have to wait until the weekend but I am looking forward to it. Here's hoping it all comes together.

It truly has been eons since I posted...such is life.

This weekend will be the "make-the-bandsaw-able-to-resaw-12"-stock" weekend IF my Lee Valley parcel arrives.  Yeah, I know I have a LV store in town but they did not have what I wanted nor were they going to restock it until at least mid-April so mail-order it had to be (besides, they had a free shipping deal going on so only timing was an issue).  What am I rambling about? Well the Carter Quick Release tensioning doohickey of course...you see, I figured that if I am going to have to unbolt sections of my poor not-so-old Rigid 14" bandsaw to put a riser block on it, why not improve some other areas in the same go. Right? Or so I thought last weekend with the exact same package I mentioned above from the same "in town" LV store mentioned above but with critical bits missing from the factory sealed box and no other one available (as noted above)--You get the idea...cutting to the chase, this will be the weekend (providing the Postal Gods do what they promised and my package arrives on time).

What is this all in aid of., I hear your plaintive cries?  Read on...

I have some gorgeous 8/4 - 10/4 x 8" x 13' Garry oak stickered and waiting to be resawn for the Murphy bed project my wife would like started soon...and yes, I said Garry oak.  My local Guild does wood recovery and a couple of those lovely, rare and protected trees had to come down with no home but a burn pile waiting, so we stepped in, got them to the mill, air dried the resultant planks since last May and voila--damn fine lumber.  The grain in these boards is wonderful and will make this project will look fabulous.

I will post some pics as it progresses....

Here is another shameless plug for the Renaissance Woodworker's Hand Tool School.  This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to learn how to (or learn more if you already know) to use hand tools in your own shop at your own pace.  A number of us are already doing it...why not check it out.

The Hand Tool School

My collection of saws has just bloomed.  Over the weekend I picked up Lee Valley's newest carcass saws.  I got the pair, one filed rip and the other crosscut:



And I got word from the owner/saw-maker that my new large tenon saw from Adria Tools is shipping tomorrow:



These are rounding out my handtool kit very nicely.  

Over the weekend I signed up for Shannon Roger's (aka the Renaissance Woodworker) new Hand Tool School.  It is going to be a blast.  Check it out at:

RWW Hand Tool School

cheers

John

Saturday I picked up my "new to me" Jessem Mast-R-Slide sliding cross-Cut table for my table saw. A buddy from my local woodworking Guild was selling it along with his Mite-R-Excel mitre gauge.  These are fabulous additions to my meager hybrid Delta table saw.  I cannot wait to get them installed.  

Finally managed to get the trim up around the shop lights (mostly to seal them from dust) and finished the last bit of drywalling/mudding in the shop! Now a bit of sanding and some paint and I can continue on with getting the shop in shape for use.  

My plan is to build a large, hanging tool chest for the shop based on a plan I found in FW's 2007 issue of Tools & Shops.  Just waiting on the plans (yes I had to buy the paper as no SketchUp or other digital form was available...sigh).


My bench will also get a redux with the three huge drawers currently in place (probably since the house was built in 1917) becoming only one plus two columns of Lee Valley tool trays beside it :



Now to find some reasonably priced 3/4" baltic birch...

This long weekend will involve a search for the elusive Oneway Multi-Gauge that Marc used in his video clip on jointer setup...only one place nearby that has it and that is a 3 hour drive away...oh well, me and the wife are heading up that way for the weekend anyway so off I go to try and bag this beauty   :

I'm getting close to having a usable shop (finally) after months of delays and "having no time" to work on it. This weekend will be taken up with either putting up trim around the light fixtures to seal them off from dust or starting my French cleat system for the walls...hmmm... I will see what happens. Either way it will be just quality time in my shop.  Oh yeah!

Pictures of all this will follow...

Ahh, to create a space...hey, I know it's only a blog but I had to start somewhere.