My friend Jeff Fleisher and I signed up to sell our wares at two craft shows this fall. Both are at the Fairfax County (Virginia) Government Center. Ever since I completed the Winchester desk class in July and a subsequent vacation, I have been almost totally occupied with turning pens. That will be, for the most part, what I'll be selling.
I decided to concentrate on turning wood rather than acrylic. So to make them better than ho-hum, I've been working with burls--especially elder but also buckeye--which give the pens a more distinguished look. I've got a pretty good stock of pens that will retail in a range from inexpensive to expensive.
But after more than a month of turning pens, I'm getting worn out and so have turned to making business card holders and small clocks. The business card holders are surprisingly easy to make. You take an approximately 2X2 board (I used cherry and walnut) and cut out the inside with a dado blade, making several passes until I got the right depth. Then I took the length of wood to the router table and routed a shallow groove 1/4 inch wide in the face. I glued a strip of 1/4 inch patterned inlay into the groove, then sanded the boards before cutting them into 3 inch lengths. They look pretty good!
The clocks are only just started. Guess I'd better get busy!
Norm
Showing posts with label table saw. Show all posts
Showing posts with label table saw. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
My SawStop Returns
After nearly two months of down time, my SawStop contractor's saw is finally back in operation. The tech guys at SawStop were great. They sent me a new control box, which had been upgraded, updated the software in my brake cartridges and sent me a new connection cable. I first installed the new control box, a somewhat tedious but not altogether difficult process. That didn't fix it. Then I tried the updated brakes. That too didn't work.
So I set to work on changing the connection cable. That turned out to be hard work, reaching down through the table top to get at impossible to reach nuts and screws. One I stripped out and had to remove by drilling it out with my Dremel tool. Another the instructions said was a #2 Phillips head screw turned out to be a hex screw. But it faced downward and I couldn't tell that, so I kept on turning and turning to no effect.
I finally hired a man who does repairs for our Woodcraft store to come and fix it for me. In about three hours, he had it together and operating.
It's a wonderful saw. I'm glad to have it back again.
Norm
I finally hired a man who does repairs for our Woodcraft store to come and fix it for me. In about three hours, he had it together and operating.
It's a wonderful saw. I'm glad to have it back again.
Norm
Thursday, February 18, 2010
My SawStop Stopped!
A couple weeks ago I was ripping some sycamore to make frames for earring holders when my SawStop refused to cut. I had lightly touched the blade with the end of the board I planned to rip when the saw stopped running. After that, each time I tried to fire it up, it would start, then immediately stop.
I contacted the service department at SawStop and got a fast reply from Roger and Tom, who helped me diagnose the problem. The fix is to send me a new and upgraded control box and cable, which they can do since my saw is still under warranty. In addition, they asked me to send in my brake cartridges, the ones that keep the saw from cutting off my fingers, so their software could be updated to the latest version. These changes, we hope, will take care of the problem.
But I haven't been able to implement the fixes yet. The problem is not on SawStop's end; they responded quickly. It is due to Mother Nature, who dumped 35+ inches of snow on us two weeks ago, most of which is still on the ground and seriously impeding UPS deliveries in our area. The package with the control box has been on the truck, "out for delivery," several days this week but UPS has refused to leave it on the snow bank by the side of the road and each day it has gone back to the warehouse undelivered. I don't know how long this will go on; the prospects for this much snow melting anytime soon do not seem very good.
So for now, I'll just have to be content with other woodworking jobs that don't require my table saw, jobs like turning pens on my lathe, hand planing wood for cutting boards, cutting the boards to shape on the band saw and installing the vises that have been hanging around the shop for all too many months.
Norm
I contacted the service department at SawStop and got a fast reply from Roger and Tom, who helped me diagnose the problem. The fix is to send me a new and upgraded control box and cable, which they can do since my saw is still under warranty. In addition, they asked me to send in my brake cartridges, the ones that keep the saw from cutting off my fingers, so their software could be updated to the latest version. These changes, we hope, will take care of the problem.
But I haven't been able to implement the fixes yet. The problem is not on SawStop's end; they responded quickly. It is due to Mother Nature, who dumped 35+ inches of snow on us two weeks ago, most of which is still on the ground and seriously impeding UPS deliveries in our area. The package with the control box has been on the truck, "out for delivery," several days this week but UPS has refused to leave it on the snow bank by the side of the road and each day it has gone back to the warehouse undelivered. I don't know how long this will go on; the prospects for this much snow melting anytime soon do not seem very good.
So for now, I'll just have to be content with other woodworking jobs that don't require my table saw, jobs like turning pens on my lathe, hand planing wood for cutting boards, cutting the boards to shape on the band saw and installing the vises that have been hanging around the shop for all too many months.
Norm
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Another Jig Completed
I've been working on this one for a couple of weeks, off and on--a jig to cut box ends at a 45-degree angle. The basic jig wasn't all that hard to build--a base out of Baltic birch plywood, runners out of UHMW to fit in the miter track of my table saw, and front and rear fences out of soft maple. The real trick was to get the front fence squared up at exactly 90-degrees to the saw blade.
I tried several techniques before I got it right. First, I used my Wixey electronic digital protractor to try and measure to the angle to the blade. This proved to be highly inaccurate, given that the blade was leaning at the necessary 45-degree angle to the base. Then I tried cutting boards to measure the resulting angle by trial and error. At first I used a narrow board but found that too inaccurate also. Finally, I used a 5-inch wide board and after many tries was able to get the fence adjusted spot on to 90-degrees.
The plan now is to make tissue box covers using some highly figured quartersawn sycamore I was able to get hold of. That'll be the test of just how accurate the fence really is. The good news is that I can always make more adjustments if I need to.
Before I start on that, I want to hook up my dust collection system, now that my hoses and connectors have come in. But who knows, I may not be able to contain myself from building an actual project before I get that done!
Norm
I tried several techniques before I got it right. First, I used my Wixey electronic digital protractor to try and measure to the angle to the blade. This proved to be highly inaccurate, given that the blade was leaning at the necessary 45-degree angle to the base. Then I tried cutting boards to measure the resulting angle by trial and error. At first I used a narrow board but found that too inaccurate also. Finally, I used a 5-inch wide board and after many tries was able to get the fence adjusted spot on to 90-degrees.
The plan now is to make tissue box covers using some highly figured quartersawn sycamore I was able to get hold of. That'll be the test of just how accurate the fence really is. The good news is that I can always make more adjustments if I need to.
Before I start on that, I want to hook up my dust collection system, now that my hoses and connectors have come in. But who knows, I may not be able to contain myself from building an actual project before I get that done!
Norm
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
A Bad Day in the Shop
Woodworking is fun and most days spent in the shop are rewarding and, usually, successful. This wasn't one of them. It began when I set about removing the dado set from my table saw. After neatly packing it away in its case, I got down several saw blades from their peg on the wall to select the one I wanted to install next. As I moved around the table saw, my loose shirt tail caught the teeth of one of the saw blades and dragged it off onto the floor with a resounding clang. Upon inspection, I saw that one of the teeth had been damaged and there was nothing to do but consign it to the waste can. It was a Forrest Woodworker II blade, my best and most expensive one. I chalked that one up to experience. Then I moved on to cutting the fences for a miter jig I'm building. The next step called for cutting through the aluminum T-track I'd installed in the maple fences. My table saw, a SawStop, is equipped with a safety system designed to stop the blade if it touches anything conductive, like a finger--its intended purpose--or soft metal, like a
luminum. There's a bypass procedure, however, that allows the saw to cut aluminum without triggering the safety system. So, armed with what I thought was the correct information about using the bypass system, I proceeded to cut through the first piece of fence. No sooner than it had touched the first bit of aluminum than I heard a pop and the blade disappeared below the tabletop. After opening the table, I saw the results of my misguided handiwork--the safety device was firmly attached to the now-ruined saw blade. Scratch another blade and chalk it up to . . . experience. The good news is, the safety system works.
luminum. There's a bypass procedure, however, that allows the saw to cut aluminum without triggering the safety system. So, armed with what I thought was the correct information about using the bypass system, I proceeded to cut through the first piece of fence. No sooner than it had touched the first bit of aluminum than I heard a pop and the blade disappeared below the tabletop. After opening the table, I saw the results of my misguided handiwork--the safety device was firmly attached to the now-ruined saw blade. Scratch another blade and chalk it up to . . . experience. The good news is, the safety system works.Now wiser about the bypass procedure, I installed my remaining saw blade and a replacement safety cartridge I'd had the foresight to purchase. Then I cut the aluminum-studded fences with no trouble. I learned a lot today. But it was a costly set of lessons.
Norm
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Building a Shaker Table
Last weekend, I took a class in furniture making at Woodcraft. The project was to make a small Shaker-style table out of cherry. The instructor was my friend Jeff Fleisher, from whom I had taken a previous class.
We began with rough 4/4 (1
inch) cherry boards that had been run through the jointer one time to help them acclimate to the humidity at which we would be working. We started by deciding which sections of the boards to use and marking them up. Then we cut them to length before running them through the jointer to get one smooth side. After that, we ran our boards through the planer to smooth the second side and reduce the width to 3/4 inch. Finally, we cut our boards to proper width by ripping them on the table saw.
As soon as we could, we glued up three boards side by side to make the table top. We then set these aside to dry overnight.
Next we moved on to the legs. These were made from 8/4 (i.e., 2 inch) boards cut into 2X2 widths. We marked up the ends of the boards so the grain would run at a 45 degree angle so it would approximate being rift sawn. The reason for this is so the grain would run straight along the length of the leg and also to add strength. In some cases, this required us to cut the legs lengthwise on a band saw with the table angled in order to achieve the desired angle of the grain. Once we had one edge cut to the proper angle, we jointed that edge, then rip cut the other edges on the table saw until the legs were square.
The legs are tapered on the two inner edges to give the table a lighter appearance. To taper them, we used a jig that Jeff provided. The jig held the legs at an angle so we could run them through the table saw at the proper angle.
Once all the parts were cut to final dimensions, we moved on to joinery. The method used was mortise and tenon. We used a mortising machine to cut the mortises on two sides of each leg, then cut the tenons on the apron pieces using a dado blade in the table saw. This is only one of several methods of making tenons, but it was easy and worked quite well. I will adopt this method at home, now that I've done it. It makes me wish I hadn't recently purchased a tenoning jig; I'll have to find a way to sell it to get my money back.
After cutting the mortises and tenons, we cleaned out rough areas in the mortises with a chisel and trimmed the tenons with Jeff's Veritas shoulder plane until they fit snugly together. Then we sanded the parts and glued the legs to the aprons, completing the table assembly.
Next we turned our attention to the table top. Any unevenness was smoothed off using a scraper. This worked well to get rid of glue squeezeout, but I found it really hard on my arthritic thumbs and I was unable to do as much of it as the project needed. I eventually finished the job at hom
e using a random orbit sander. The final stages of construction were to cut the table top to 18 inches square on the table saw, then by standing it on end using a special tall fence, we cut 2 inch bevels on the bottom of the tabletop which has the effect of making the table appear lighter, a nice effect.
The final step was to sand the top and attach it to the frame, which was done using figure 8 hardware.
We did not have time to put a coat of finish on the table so this will be done at home. I'll use the recommended oil-based sealer, followed up with four to five coats of an oil-urethane top coat. I hope to have the finishing done within the next week.
This was a really nice project. The table is lovely. But more important to me is all the knowledge I gained about furniture construction. I learned a lot, some from doing things right, some from mistakes I won't have to make a second time. Now I feel I'm ready to start designing and building my own furniture. Thanks, Jeff.
We began with rough 4/4 (1
inch) cherry boards that had been run through the jointer one time to help them acclimate to the humidity at which we would be working. We started by deciding which sections of the boards to use and marking them up. Then we cut them to length before running them through the jointer to get one smooth side. After that, we ran our boards through the planer to smooth the second side and reduce the width to 3/4 inch. Finally, we cut our boards to proper width by ripping them on the table saw.As soon as we could, we glued up three boards side by side to make the table top. We then set these aside to dry overnight.
Next we moved on to the legs. These were made from 8/4 (i.e., 2 inch) boards cut into 2X2 widths. We marked up the ends of the boards so the grain would run at a 45 degree angle so it would approximate being rift sawn. The reason for this is so the grain would run straight along the length of the leg and also to add strength. In some cases, this required us to cut the legs lengthwise on a band saw with the table angled in order to achieve the desired angle of the grain. Once we had one edge cut to the proper angle, we jointed that edge, then rip cut the other edges on the table saw until the legs were square.
The legs are tapered on the two inner edges to give the table a lighter appearance. To taper them, we used a jig that Jeff provided. The jig held the legs at an angle so we could run them through the table saw at the proper angle.
Once all the parts were cut to final dimensions, we moved on to joinery. The method used was mortise and tenon. We used a mortising machine to cut the mortises on two sides of each leg, then cut the tenons on the apron pieces using a dado blade in the table saw. This is only one of several methods of making tenons, but it was easy and worked quite well. I will adopt this method at home, now that I've done it. It makes me wish I hadn't recently purchased a tenoning jig; I'll have to find a way to sell it to get my money back.
After cutting the mortises and tenons, we cleaned out rough areas in the mortises with a chisel and trimmed the tenons with Jeff's Veritas shoulder plane until they fit snugly together. Then we sanded the parts and glued the legs to the aprons, completing the table assembly.Next we turned our attention to the table top. Any unevenness was smoothed off using a scraper. This worked well to get rid of glue squeezeout, but I found it really hard on my arthritic thumbs and I was unable to do as much of it as the project needed. I eventually finished the job at hom
e using a random orbit sander. The final stages of construction were to cut the table top to 18 inches square on the table saw, then by standing it on end using a special tall fence, we cut 2 inch bevels on the bottom of the tabletop which has the effect of making the table appear lighter, a nice effect.The final step was to sand the top and attach it to the frame, which was done using figure 8 hardware.
We did not have time to put a coat of finish on the table so this will be done at home. I'll use the recommended oil-based sealer, followed up with four to five coats of an oil-urethane top coat. I hope to have the finishing done within the next week.
This was a really nice project. The table is lovely. But more important to me is all the knowledge I gained about furniture construction. I learned a lot, some from doing things right, some from mistakes I won't have to make a second time. Now I feel I'm ready to start designing and building my own furniture. Thanks, Jeff.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Getting Ready for Projects
Since I got my SawStop table saw in place, I've assembled it and set it up for use, finally making a few test cuts. So at last my woodshop is complete and I'm ready for projects.
In addition to getting the table saw installed, I also had to reset the knives on my jointer. I have a 6 inch Grizzly jointer that I was having a lot of trouble with. Every time I jointed something it came out skewed. So I checked the level on the infeed and outfeed tables; it turns out they were fine. Then I reset the blades. I had a lot of trouble with this, partly because the knives had a lot of grease on them from shipping and they did not move freely under spring pressure. I cleaned them, then set them the best I could with the tool I have. I also used a dial indicator to try to get them consistent, but I have to admit that it was my first time using that tool and I don't know that I got them right. Later today I'll run another board through the jointer and evaluate that to see if I have things set correctly. If not, it'll be back to basics on the jointer until I learn to do it right. Once I have that settled, I'll be ready to roll.
One of the first things I'll be doing is building some jigs to help me get accurate results with my woodworking. So yesterday morning I went to the local lumber company (which in my rural area I'm very lucky to have) and picked up a couple sheets of 1/2" Baltic plywood, a sheet of 1/4" hardboard and some 1/8" plywood for templates.
Here are my plans, pretty much in the following order, as of now:
In addition to getting the table saw installed, I also had to reset the knives on my jointer. I have a 6 inch Grizzly jointer that I was having a lot of trouble with. Every time I jointed something it came out skewed. So I checked the level on the infeed and outfeed tables; it turns out they were fine. Then I reset the blades. I had a lot of trouble with this, partly because the knives had a lot of grease on them from shipping and they did not move freely under spring pressure. I cleaned them, then set them the best I could with the tool I have. I also used a dial indicator to try to get them consistent, but I have to admit that it was my first time using that tool and I don't know that I got them right. Later today I'll run another board through the jointer and evaluate that to see if I have things set correctly. If not, it'll be back to basics on the jointer until I learn to do it right. Once I have that settled, I'll be ready to roll.
One of the first things I'll be doing is building some jigs to help me get accurate results with my woodworking. So yesterday morning I went to the local lumber company (which in my rural area I'm very lucky to have) and picked up a couple sheets of 1/2" Baltic plywood, a sheet of 1/4" hardboard and some 1/8" plywood for templates.
Here are my plans, pretty much in the following order, as of now:
- Make a pair of pen rests for fountain pens from a block of Burmese rosewood I have
- Make a jig to cut splines in boxes using a plan from Paul Anthony's new book, Complete Illustrated Guide to Table Saws (Taunton)
- Make the wooden faces for my vise from some maple I have on hand, then face them with some leather I picked up free from my local upholsterer
- Make a splined box using a plan that appeared in the December 2008 issue of Fine Woodworking
- Make a sled for crosscutting on the table saw
- Make a sled for making miter cuts on the table saw, which I'll use for picture frames
- Make a table for my drill press
- Make some picture frames to hang my photographs
I'll be writing about my experience with these projects as I go along.
Norm
Friday, December 19, 2008
Assembling the SawStop
My SawStop contractor saw was finally delivered on Tuesday, December 16. I immediately set about assembling it. The first job was to put together the base, which took a little over an hour. After that, it was time for a coffee break. 
Then I added the optional wheels. These are operated by a foot switch, which will allow me to raise and lower the saw base from the floor with an easy motion. I'll need that to move the saw away from the wall when I cut long boards and sheets of plywood.The saw arrived in a number of boxes that contained the saw and table, the fence system (two boxes), the optional cast iron table extensions (two boxes), and the wheel assembly. A very nice thing about the SawStop 
assembly is that the saw comes with a very easy-to-use assembly poster that is color coded for each step in the process. This color coding matches a blister pack that contains the small parts (e.g., nuts, bolts, washers) needed for each step. This makes the assembly somewhat foolproof and guards against parts getting lost during assembly or the confusion that normally ensues concerning which part goes where. Despite all SawStop's precautions, however, I nonetheless ended up with several bolts that I have no idea what to do with.
assembly is that the saw comes with a very easy-to-use assembly poster that is color coded for each step in the process. This color coding matches a blister pack that contains the small parts (e.g., nuts, bolts, washers) needed for each step. This makes the assembly somewhat foolproof and guards against parts getting lost during assembly or the confusion that normally ensues concerning which part goes where. Despite all SawStop's precautions, however, I nonetheless ended up with several bolts that I have no idea what to do with.After getting the base and wheels together on Tuesday, I had a day of down time waiting for a friend to come on Wednesday afternoon to help me lift the 140-pound saw onto the base and attach the heavy extension wings. That accomplished, I was able to finish the assembly on Thursday by adding the front and rear rails, the fence and the extension table that appears on the right.
The saw is now complete, though it is not ready yet to run. Next I have to adjust all the settings, namely to ensure that the blade and the miter slots are parallel, that the fence is parallel to the miter slots and that there is adequate clearance between the saw blade and the splitter and the cartridge that stops the blade in an emergency, among other things. I hope to accomplish all of that on Friday and actually make a few test cuts.SawStop makes a larger version of this saw. I got the 36" table. They also make a 52" table, but I judged that I would not have enough room for it in my shop and also limited need for it. After getting the saw into its assigned place, I can see that I made the right choice. That space will work fine for normal cutting. However, when I have a long piece to cut, I will need to bring the saw forward into the walking space so there is enough room on the outfeed side. If needed, I can also turn the saw 90 degrees to allow more room on both the infeed and outfeed sides. Thus the importance of the wheels.
Already I am thinking about projects I want to build using this saw and my other tools. For starters, these include (not necessarily in this order):
- A pen rest to be used with my fountain pens (this actually doesn't require the table saw but it does require a better drill press table; see below)
- An improved drill press table
- A miter jig for the table saw
- A crosscut jig for the table saw
- Some boxes with splined, mitered corners
- Some tissue boxes
- Picture frames
I hope to get onto these projects soon, though probably not until after the holidays. By then, I also hope to have my Delta dust collection unit ready to install so I can run my machines with a reasonable amount of dust control.
My goal down the road is to make some furniture. To that end, I'm scheduled to take a class in furniture-building one weekend in February. I'll write about all of these things as I tackle them.
Norm
Friday, December 12, 2008
My Saw's Here, Finally!
About 5:00 this afternoon (Friday) I got a call from Woodcraft saying that my SawStop contractor's saw had finally come into their shop. I immediately called several of the movers in my vicinity to get quotes and without much delay set up delivery for Tuesday. That, at least, is a day when I will be here all day and once the crate is unloaded into the basement, I'll be able to devote several hours to unpacking, assembling and setting it up.
I had a 20 amp. power line run to the location where the saw will live so that much has been taken care of. I have a few small pieces of furniture and hardboard to move out of the way, an old portable armoire to disassemble, a bookcase to move, and then I'll be able to roll my jointer out of the middle of the floor where it resides at the moment. I'm trying to reset the knives in the jointer at the moment and am finding that to be a learning experience, but that's a story for another day. I should have all that (except the jointer knives) done by Sunday afternoon.
Some time ago, the editors of Popular Woodworking assembled a SawStop contractor's saw in their Cincinnati office to test it out. On their website, editor Glen Huey described his experience in assembling and setting up the saw. You can read about it here. I've read and studied it and I downloaded the 106 page manual that comes with the saw and have also started reading that. I want to be ready to assemble things as soon as I can.
So for now it's preparing and waiting until Tuesday. Then the fun begins. I'm sure I'll have more to say about the installation of this most important piece of equipment later on.
Norm
I had a 20 amp. power line run to the location where the saw will live so that much has been taken care of. I have a few small pieces of furniture and hardboard to move out of the way, an old portable armoire to disassemble, a bookcase to move, and then I'll be able to roll my jointer out of the middle of the floor where it resides at the moment. I'm trying to reset the knives in the jointer at the moment and am finding that to be a learning experience, but that's a story for another day. I should have all that (except the jointer knives) done by Sunday afternoon.
Some time ago, the editors of Popular Woodworking assembled a SawStop contractor's saw in their Cincinnati office to test it out. On their website, editor Glen Huey described his experience in assembling and setting up the saw. You can read about it here. I've read and studied it and I downloaded the 106 page manual that comes with the saw and have also started reading that. I want to be ready to assemble things as soon as I can.
So for now it's preparing and waiting until Tuesday. Then the fun begins. I'm sure I'll have more to say about the installation of this most important piece of equipment later on.
Norm
Monday, December 8, 2008
Waiting for the SawStop to Arrive
I've done a lot of work to get my woodshop ready for action, but there's one major thing missing: a table saw. Frankly, I was afraid of table saws, knowing how prone they can be to kickback and having seen the statistics on lost fingers and damaged hands. I had installed a radial arm saw, hoping it would suffice and that I wouldn't need a table saw at all. But, the more I read about woodworking and building the kinds of projects I want to build, the clearer it became that I would need a table saw. From that point on, I had two jobs to do--figure out which saw to buy and clear a space to put it. Of these, the second job turned out to be the hardest.
About the time I decided I had to have a table saw, SawStop--manufacturers of the revolutionary new safety device intended to prevent serious injuries on the table saw--came out with a contractor's saw version of the cabinet saw they had brought to the marker earlier. I headed over to Woodcraft in nearby Leesburg to check it out. I wanted to find out if the safety features of this saw were slapped on a mediocre saw and whether I would be ahead by buying another saw instead. What I found was a pretty darn good piece of equipment that had the advantage of also being much safer to use. Never seen the hot dog demonstration, the one where they stick a hot dog into the blade and have it stop? Watch it here!
Anyway, after convincing myself that this was a very good saw that also has fantastic safety features, I ordered one, adding the cast iron wings for stability, the mobile base and an upgraded fence. To save money I allowed my order to be bundled with others to save on shipping costs. I think that may have been a mistake because now more than a month later, the saw still has not arrived, though I believe it may have been shipped. I guess it is out in the great American hearthland somewhere.
My second task was to clear out a space to put it when it does arrive. That wasn't so easy, as the basement location for the woodshop had been used as a dumping ground for all manner of things over the years. There were, in no particular order, an old incomplete arm chair, boxes of assorted stuff, various pieces of furniture and a Honda motorcycle. Over a period of weeks, I picked at the assemblage and finally cleared out a spot that I hope will be a sufficient workspace for my table saw. Here's what it looks like now.
The grease spot on the floor is what's left of the Honda at this point. I've done a lot more in the shop and have assembled and positioned all the tools I intend to get. I'll discuss those in future posts. But it's the table saw I need to get started on my projects.
I just got off the phone with Woodcraft. They say the saw should be in at the end of this week or the beginning of next week! I can't wait. Then I'll turn my attention to getting it delivered to my basement, assembling it and setting it up. It's a lot to look forward to!
Norm
About the time I decided I had to have a table saw, SawStop--manufacturers of the revolutionary new safety device intended to prevent serious injuries on the table saw--came out with a contractor's saw version of the cabinet saw they had brought to the marker earlier. I headed over to Woodcraft in nearby Leesburg to check it out. I wanted to find out if the safety features of this saw were slapped on a mediocre saw and whether I would be ahead by buying another saw instead. What I found was a pretty darn good piece of equipment that had the advantage of also being much safer to use. Never seen the hot dog demonstration, the one where they stick a hot dog into the blade and have it stop? Watch it here!
Anyway, after convincing myself that this was a very good saw that also has fantastic safety features, I ordered one, adding the cast iron wings for stability, the mobile base and an upgraded fence. To save money I allowed my order to be bundled with others to save on shipping costs. I think that may have been a mistake because now more than a month later, the saw still has not arrived, though I believe it may have been shipped. I guess it is out in the great American hearthland somewhere.
My second task was to clear out a space to put it when it does arrive. That wasn't so easy, as the basement location for the woodshop had been used as a dumping ground for all manner of things over the years. There were, in no particular order, an old incomplete arm chair, boxes of assorted stuff, various pieces of furniture and a Honda motorcycle. Over a period of weeks, I picked at the assemblage and finally cleared out a spot that I hope will be a sufficient workspace for my table saw. Here's what it looks like now.
The grease spot on the floor is what's left of the Honda at this point. I've done a lot more in the shop and have assembled and positioned all the tools I intend to get. I'll discuss those in future posts. But it's the table saw I need to get started on my projects.I just got off the phone with Woodcraft. They say the saw should be in at the end of this week or the beginning of next week! I can't wait. Then I'll turn my attention to getting it delivered to my basement, assembling it and setting it up. It's a lot to look forward to!
Norm
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