Category: Shop

Elgin Shop – Contract Signed!

Well it has been over 3 months here at the new place and we are bursting at the seams from our down sizing. We decided to bite the bullet and get started on the new shop. YEA! Contract is signed and it will be built by mid December. I went with a 30′ x 40′ metal building by Ark-La-Tex

Here is a quick sketch of the floor:

The Circles are floor plugs. I will post as more happens over the next month or so.

Out Feed Table – Final Touches..

Well, I am in the middle of something and don’t want to start any big projects until I know how it is going to turn out. So while I wait, I decided to do some “clean-up” work on the out feed table. I flush mounted the light switch I am going to use to power the router table.
It is just a simple light switch box with standard male and female plugs at the ends. Plug power into one end and the router into the other. Used an old extension cord for the cable.
Also move one of the roll around cabinets to the router side and put pulls on the drawers. It will house the routers and all the router gear.
Lastly, went ahead and put drawer pulls on the front roll around cabinet. Among other stuff, it will hold the table saw gear.

Out Feed Tables Drawers

I built my Biesemeyer fence rails and my out feed table not too long ago. I am trying to increase the capability of my Porter Cable PCB270TS Table Saw and not wanting to waste space. So, I built 2 roll out sets of drawers. One for the front under the right side extension table and one for the gap I left on the right of the out feed table. I hind sight, I think I will move the one on the right to the other side, closer to the router table.
All ¾ Ply with rabbits for the carcass with 2 ½ inch locking castersfrom WoodCraft in the front and non locking in the back. Approxmitate dimentions are: 37W x 23D x 34H

The drawers are also ¾ ply with rabbits and dado joints glued and brads holding it all together.

All finished up and tucked away:

This Cyclone Sucks! — Really (Update)

This is an update to my This Cyclone Sucks! post on 3-11-13.

I have to say that I am impressed with this thing! Not only did I get to build it, it is working very well. I have emptied out the trash can of my Thein Cyclone Separator Lid 3 times and I only have about a foot of very fine dust in the bag of my Harbor Freight dust collector bag.

Here is a couple shots of the full can.

And one of the bag.

Miter Saw Station – Cutting it up!

Here is my Miter Saw Station. When I built this counter top I installed T-Track most of the way down. I use it to hold down lots of things, today it is my miter saw.
Here is one of the three stands I made. They are the same height as the miter saw and have the bolts and tighteners to secure them to the T-Track.
I made 3 backs that fit in the T-Track on the stands, 2 of them have T-Track
Get them lined up and secured to the T-Track in the Counter
Pull out the saw.
Secure it to the T-Track in the counter top and hook up the dust collection:
Make sure everything is lined up.
All setup and ready to make repeatable cuts.

Work Sharp Kool-Aid

I drunk the Work Sharp Kool-Aid and now want a place to store everything. I wanted 1 cabinet to hold it all. Here is what I ended up with, made from scraps I had laying around. It is not the prettiest, but it works.
And with the doors:
Now I need to find a place to put it.

Outfeed table

Now that I have the new table saw fence that is much wider than my old one, I need a new out feed table. I kept it simple, birch plywood and standard pine 1×4. Here is a shot of the legs and supports for the long side.
  I added 4×4 blocks to hold t-nut adjustable feed so I dial it in when ready.
I then put the sides on and slid it in place for a test fit:
 I added in some cross members and dropped the top in place.
Put in the bottom shelf and slid it in place for a test fit:

Cut 3, 32 inch miter slots in and a couple coats of sealer

Here it is all ready for use and abuse!

DIY – Biesemeyer fence rails Part 5

Adding the final touches to the AskWoodman Biesemeyer table saw fence. I did not want to leave the ends of the rectangle tube open, personal preference. So I ordered some plugs from McMaster-Carr, Rectangular Finishing Plug for Tube, Ribbed, Fits 2″ X 3″ Tube OD, Packs of 10 Part Number 9474K56. I have 8 extra, I am sure I will use them for other projects.

I noticed that my Very Super Cool Tools table saw fence was not sliding as smooth as I felt it should. I am thinking that it was my paint job on the tube. I got some 000 steel wool and rubbed it down, much better!
 
Next I followed Alan’s video for adding the measuring tape.  
 
Worked like a charm! In the first picture you can see it look a little rough from the steel wool.
Here is a better shot of the whole fence.
Here it is all finished up. You might notice that the scratches are gone, I put a couple coats of Johnson’s wax on. Slides really well now 🙂

This was a great project, and I thank Alan and AskSteelMan for posting their how to. It is really not near as difficult as I thought it was going to be. Alan was very helpful and answered all my questions and comments. I now have a high quality American made table saw fence that takes my table saw to the next level. I am sure it will help me make a better product.

Copy Protected by Chetan's WP-Copyprotect.