Shop update 2021

It’s a little late this year, I know. My excuse is that I was busy in November/December and the shop was never clean enough to do this. (Not that it’s pristine now, as far as that goes.) So, here is the good, the bad, and the ugly.

We’ll start here, on the back wall. It’s largely the same as last year, save for the addition of the Domino and a radiant heater in place of the two heated fan units I’ve had for a while. This heater is rated for outdoor spaces, and I generally keep it down at the 500 or 1000-watt setting and it seems to work nicely by itself, so I’m hoping to save a little money on heat. The bad news is it doesn’t have a thermostat.

The small workbench is no longer really used for that purpose; it mostly collects the cutoffs and hardware for the current project and then gets cleaned off afterwards. I know it doesn’t seem that way but I actually do use the spindle sander a fair amount, and the Grizzly has been very good.

The far corner, with the clamp storage and the massive pile of cutoff pieces you can’t see through the Flipsie, is really the main issue now. It’s difficult to reach the clamps over the tools, and I don’t use them in that corner — I need to come up with a better way to store them, preferably closer to what is now the main worktable.

This also looks pretty much the same from this angle. The SawStop continues to impress me. I did have an incident this year where the brake got triggered — I used an aluminum ruler to set blade height without turning off the saw first — and it was a bitch to get the blade and brake removed, but it was ultimately easier than replacing fingers. I’m a little less impressed with the Infinity Cutting Tools throat plate — after a year of service, it’s dropped a little in the back. I may go back to a factory throat plate for everyday use.

In the back corner you can see the planer on its new stand. The drawers hold planer accessories (primarily extra knives, because I haven’t converted to carbide inserts yet), my hand planes, sanders, and nailers — it’s closer to the assembly table, so more convenient than the back wall. The DeWalt mobile base is now on its third tool, holding up the bandsaw.

The drill press has been a source of mild frustration this year. The table tips off vertical VERY easily, and I haven’t done a thorough investigation yet to find out why. I’m not getting much use from the Woodpeckers drill press table and may replace it. We’ll see.

The older router table was upgraded this year with better dust collection and a different way of securing the fence. Both upgrades were definite winners! I really need to find a better way to store jigs than leaning them against the table on the floor, though.

Smoking is injurious to health; we frequently buy tadalafil in canada saw these quotes hanging or painted over the walls or thick wads of cigarettes. A small piece of jaggery can purchase levitra online appalachianmagazine.com treat the condition effectively. By getting comments back, and coming up with a final document in 6 months, we can now present to Congress names and signatures, that could possibly be needed for a appalachianmagazine.com viagra buy no prescription better erotic mode with simple sex. There are no data regarding azithromycin usage in patients with a history of cholestatic jaundice dysfunction associated with prior use of azithromycin. online levitra http://appalachianmagazine.com/2017/02/24/ucla-study-west-virginia-has-highest-teen-transgender-rate-in-nation/

This table has become the main worksurface in the shop, which was the impetus for the new drawer unit below it. I’ve moved my screws, wrenches and pliers, small clamps, bench dog accessories, small planes, drills, hand-sanding tools, etc. to this area and it’s nice to have all that at hand. The Festool vacuum has also been an outstanding addition — it’s so easy to grab a power sander, plug it into that and attach the hose that I seldom go without now. My lungs are probably grateful.

I am less enthused with that vise. It’s the Rockler “heavy duty” quick release model, and I’ve all but stopped using it because the quick release mechanism keeps literally falling out, leaving the vise unusable until it’s put back in — which tends to mean disassembling the vise! I will replace it before doing anything requiring serious vise work. No idea what with.

I’ve also noticed that my table has a slight dip in the middle, around 1/8″. That’s probably a function of the long unsupported length between the left and right legs. I can probably fix it either with extra legs in the middle, or by using a steel support bar at front and back.

Finally, the CNC table and lumber rack. Aside from adding a dust collection hose. this is also basically the same. Surprise, there is still no dedicated storage for CNC bits, holddowns, etc.

I’ve actually had trouble incorporating the CNC as much as I’d like to. Vectric’s Vcarve software is not a very good drawing program — SketchUp is several steps up, and Fusion 360 is several more past SketchUp — but Vcarve is the only software supported by NextWave Automation. So I’ve been limited to what I can draw with Vcarve (yes, I can import from Fusion 360, but it’s very limited), which means generally simple shapes or individual parts. I have learned how to tile a long design, so I’ll probably try a second prototype of the dining chair this year.

So, my wish list for 2022 looks something like this:

1. Use up lumber! I have stacks of lumber in the rack, in the far corner, and in another corner left over from various projects, and it’s gotten ridiculous. I really need to use up what I can and discard the rest. That means actively looking for small projects.
2. Come up with a more convenient clamp storage that lets me keep my most-used clamps closer to the assembly station where they’re actually used.
3. Replace the knock-down table nearest the garage door. I never knock it down anyway (where would I put the parts?) and the top is too heavy and no longer flat. The things I use it for — holding the lumber I’m working with, sometimes project assembly, and occasionally breaking down sheet goods — don’t require much besides flatness, and maybe I could incorporate clamp storage in to that design.
4. The table closest to the door is really starting to bother me, with all that stuff piled on top and the drawers are a mess. I don’t know what I want there, but I’m pretty sure I can do better.
5. Some kind of actual storage cabinet for my finishing supplies. Right now some are on the shelves above the router table and the rest live in a huge Amazon box above that, and that it just not sustainable. I really need something that will resist dust accumulation.

Of course, I also have projects to do. We’ll see what happens.

Comments are closed.