chopnhack Posted December 13, 2013 Report Share Posted December 13, 2013 OK, I've surpassed my previous "Best of the Worst' for 2013 --- that I posted like 3 days ago Some months ago, got myself a set of high-end Stabila Electronic Levels -- specifically for an upcoming rather complex built-in project... Mill-work spans about 32 linear feet of wall and makes two 90 degree turns to cover 3 walls -- not a simple install.... Completed the built-ins: 16' bookcase set followed by Corner gun cabinet followed by 8' wine racking followed by Corner gun cabinet followed buy 12' computer station Mill-work in Pennsylvania Black Cherry and Bases in 3/4" BB -- almost 2000bf total Now for the install... Shimmed the bases using my shiny new high-end German levels... Took some time getting the corners set (the walls and floor were not all that straight, perpendicular or 90 degrees)... of course... Mounted the french cleats to the walls -- with the shiny new levels... Mounted the casework -- went perfect -- the French cleat bottomed-out EXACTLY as the casework slid home on the bases... Couldn't be better... After several hours, took a break for lunch and admired our handiwork... Something looked odd... Couldn't quite pin it down, but we all agreed that something was off... Re-checked everything with our shiny new levels... The electronics said we were within 0.05 degree and the spirit-levels were in the center... So we rounded the corner and did the next wall... Took a step back to admire our work... Something was indeed odd... Rechecked everything, the shiny new levels said we were spot on... But, something definitely looked odd... My friend went out to his truck and pulled a 30 year-old 12' spirit level... a beast of a thing... Yup, you guessed it, all three of our shiny new levels were miss-calibrated at the factory to the exact same 0.3 degrees in the exact same orientation... Our next thought, you quested it -- would anyone notice? Funny how that works... you noticed it, but you are right, most people not in the trade or handy would not notice unless it is pointed out ;-) Well, while I am here, let me add my small story: No router table yet so I clamped my router to the edge of my workstation to pattern route.... yeah, I stopped after the second piece as I didn't feel comfortable continuing to work like that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wintersedge Posted December 13, 2013 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 13, 2013 Have my shop space so disorganized(for so long) that when cleaning up I realized several books and tools I had bought twice and a few tools three times. My wife says that was a waste of money. I said they are like shoes and purses so I bought extra to coordinate with the jointer or planer; and that is second dumbest thing I did and also how the fight got started. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frede Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 For some reason I have repeated issues cutting biscuit slots. Just did it again last week on a shelf project. I had to move the corbel over an inch to cover the mis-aligned slot. On the remaining shelves/corbels I wrote the word "cut" with an arrow pointing to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 For some reason I have repeated issues cutting biscuit slots. Just did it again last week on a shelf project. I had to move the corbel over an inch to cover the mis-aligned slot. On the remaining shelves/corbels I wrote the word "cut" with an arrow pointing to it. I have a similar issue with crown moulding. I don't know what the heck it is, but I always make a few miscuts when getting started. I always buy lots of extra when I'm doing a room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 Not entirely shop related... as the shop is buried in this Winter Storm fiasco... Was working on a project for my website, and I set it down. Didn't get started on it until right around the Christmas time, so it got shuffled off to the side. Today, I discovered what happened to it... the presents we brought back from the family broke it's back. (Literally. It was made from 1/4" plywood.) Teach me not to drop bags of heavy stuff when I walk in the door.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 No router table yet so I clamped my router to the edge of my workstation to pattern route.... yeah, I stopped after the second piece as I didn't feel comfortable continuing to work like that... I've heard that described as a "death row router table". I've done it too. Now I'm building a router table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopnhack Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 I've heard that described as a "death row router table". I've done it too. Now I'm building a router table. You bet, just a matter of time before the hammer drops on you. I will be honest, even with a router table top built and with a starting pin, smaller work pieces are best manipulated with some type of wooden clamp. And by small I mean anything that weighs less than the force the router bit can push so think in pounds!! I pattern routed a few horseshoes for the kids to play with on the table top and it still was grabby sometimes. A router table is a start, clamping gear is the next step. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted January 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 ChopnHack, in a pinch you can always use a hand screw to hold small parts at the router table. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 You bet, just a matter of time before the hammer drops on you. I will be honest, even with a router table top built and with a starting pin, smaller work pieces are best manipulated with some type of wooden clamp. And by small I mean anything that weighs less than the force the router bit can push so think in pounds!! I pattern routed a few horseshoes for the kids to play with on the table top and it still was grabby sometimes. A router table is a start, clamping gear is the next step. I've only ever used a 12" quick clamp before to keep my fingers away from the router bit and provide better control of the work piece. You can have to line the jaws up carefully, but they do the trick. And you can clamp a backing piece to help with tear out. Lee Valley sell a similar device: http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=41780&cat=1,43000 Though $19.50 plus tax is rather a lot compared to a clamp, and it can't be used as a clamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopnhack Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 ChopnHack, in a pinch you can always use a hand screw to hold small parts at the router table. Exactly, but its a little harder with odd shaped pieces. I have found double stick tape to work well in this application. Sometimes on plywood it can be a little too aggressive (the tape) and peel the top veneer off! Double edge sword sometimes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted January 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Okay, so while I was building a couple of projects in the shop I decided it would be fun to also work on the block-plane kit I got for Christmas. Hey who doesn't need another block plane, right? Anyway, I get it all done and decide to apply a coat of varnish before heading in to go to bed. Yeah, I could just varnish one side then varnish the other with another coat tomorrow... but wait it has these bronze plates on the side, so I build up an elaborate fixture using a couple of pinch clamps and a bar clamp so that I can apply a coat of varnish over the whole thing and then have it "hang" dry. Save myself some time. So, I get the whole thing set up and its working perfectly, then I turn around and knock the whole contraption down with my big butt. "REALLY! Did I just do that?" Yep, I dropped the freshly varnished plane on the floor into the dust. ... I'm a moron. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 I just made 52 cabinet doors to narrow because I reinstalled the software and forgot to change the default stile values. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted January 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 PB, I'm sorry, man. I'm hoping you can find 26 cabinets that need slightly smaller doors. That sucks, I feel your pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madkrafter Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 The dentures win for sure, PB! Similar suck-up - My two-port dust collector has one connected permanently to my table saw and the other as a "floater" for my other tools, both with blast gates inline. I use a older Long Ranger remote to turn it on and off. I also sometimes use my floater tube to vacuum. I was doing such a deed when I needed to move something, got distracted and heard a nasty thump down my floater tube. I panicked, wondering what the heck I sucked up and went to reach for the remote and couldn't find it. "How the heck do I turn this thing off NOW!"... Oh yeah, the ON/OFF switch on the machine! I quickly took the bag off of the DC in case of sparks and fire hazard but only found bits and pieces. Part two: I instantly went on online and found a Long Ranger II remote for sale. I got the remote and it was actually a version III which didn't work with the older version II. I ended up buying a whole new version III and now have two remotes for the shop. Bonus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post dwacker Posted January 13, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 The dentures win for sure, PB! Similar suck-up - My two-port dust collector has one connected permanently to my table saw and the other as a "floater" for my other tools, both with blast gates inline. I use a older Long Ranger remote to turn it on and off. I also sometimes use my floater tube to vacuum. I was doing such a deed when I needed to move something, got distracted and heard a nasty thump down my floater tube. I panicked, wondering what the heck I sucked up and went to reach for the remote and couldn't find it. "How the heck do I turn this thing off NOW!"... Oh yeah, the ON/OFF switch on the machine! I quickly took the bag off of the DC in case of sparks and fire hazard but only found bits and pieces. Part two: I instantly went on online and found a Long Ranger II remote for sale. I got the remote and it was actually a version III which didn't work with the older version II. I ended up buying a whole new version III and now have two remotes for the shop. Bonus! This is the nice thing about a cyclone. Ive got a buddy that bought what I call the dead animal to cover the bald spot on top of his head. When ever I get the chance I suck that thing off his head. With the cyclone nothing hits the impeller. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopnhack Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 ROFL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 I always wear safety glasses in my shop. It's the first thing I do when I walk in,is to put them on. And, I'm glad I do because I've done this more than once. I have a habit of looking past what I'm looking at. I've bent over to pick something off the floor that I've dropped and I almost always invariably hit my head on something about waist high as reach down. More than once, I've done this near the table saw fence and been struck in the safety glasses with the fence rail. You'd think I'd see the rail as it approaches my eyeball, but nope. I'm thankful for my glasses and have scratches to prove it. My new goal in my shop is to pay attention to what's around me when I bend down now, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spencer_J Posted March 1, 2014 Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 spent an entire 10 hour day taking apart & cleaning my cast iron scroll saw. something inside of me said "fix it now." after many forum searches i realized it was missing a bronze bushing. turned out the bronze bushing got knocked out and was sunk in the bottom of the reservoir. fished out the bushing, milled it, put everything back exactly how i wanted now in the 11th hour. split second before i hit the "on" button, i see the bronze bushing sitting right on top of the switch, sparkling. not only was the wind knocked out of my sails but the entire ship sank hard and fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted March 1, 2014 Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 I just made 52 cabinet doors to narrow because I reinstalled the software and forgot to change the default stile values. Yikes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted March 1, 2014 Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 ==>When ever I get the chance I suck that thing off his head. Boy, you're an evil sod OK, my latest dumb-ass move... Was shooting some cat-lacquer. Gun developed a leak at the needle packing seal -- OK, no big deal. The packing nut is something like a 6mm metric spanner, which I don't happen to have handy. Turn-off the turbine, place the gun on the nearest flat surface (happens to be a stack of systainers), get the wrench, tighten the packing, notice a small pool of lacquer, wipe-it-up, back in business in under five minutes -- no problem... End of the job, finish looks great, put everything away -- job well done -- almost Anyone guess the problem? Well, I don't use the detail sander all that often, so I don't pull the stack of systeiners again for a couple of months... I pull the stack of systainers, go to extract the sander and they wont separate -- they've been welded-together... The very slight drip of cat-lacquer caused some to flow-down the side of the systainer stack and weld the four together into a nice neat (and very permanent) cube... D'Oh... Hate when that happens... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopnhack Posted March 2, 2014 Report Share Posted March 2, 2014 spent an entire 10 hour day taking apart & cleaning my cast iron scroll saw. something inside of me said "fix it now." after many forum searches i realized it was missing a bronze bushing. turned out the bronze bushing got knocked out and was sunk in the bottom of the reservoir. fished out the bushing, milled it, put everything back exactly how i wanted now in the 11th hour. split second before i hit the "on" button, i see the bronze bushing sitting right on top of the switch, sparkling. not only was the wind knocked out of my sails but the entire ship sank hard and fast. ouch brother... you have patience. I think I would have walked away and came back another day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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