Getting by till the snow melts!

[Expat]

G'day all. As I'm new here I posted first in the new members section and was encouraged to post some photos of my workshop/garage. It's not much but here goes:
http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/vbpgimage.php?do=full&p=3144&d=1230694129
So here's the top end of the garage/shop. I've actually moved a bit of the crap out of there to the basement now so I have a little more room to move. Under my Aboriginal flag - my real mum was 1/16th so I'm told so that makes me.......... well, bugger all really - is a bed frame in red gum and a dressing table and mirror in she-oak. You can see the dining room table and the legs of the upside down coffee table both in oak still in their shipping wraps. The coffee table and the bed frame have been moved to the basement to await restoration in the Spring/Summer. The table is too large to move down except by taking it outside and that's not on at this time of year.
http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/vbpgimage.php?do=full&p=3143&d=1230694121
I used the towel rack and pantry shelves we had in our apartment to store various items in the shop and the Ryobi 13" planer sits on our old microwave stand. I've since built a new top for the stand and bolted the planer and a new infeed/outfeed table down to it. I still haven't unpacked my Oscillating Spindle/Edge Sander! Bought the planer, sander and my Delta Contractor saw at the Woodstock Wood Show in September. I haven't had time to finish the mobile work centre for the saw yet but I'm almost there. It's a matter of getting everything to dry fit perfectly with all the pieces ready to go with no adjustments needed so I can dismantle the saw to have the room to assemble the new unit. I don't have room to swing a dead cat otherwise!
http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/vbpgimage.php?do=full&p=3145&d=1230694138
In case you haven't seen them before that's The Boot fitted to the rear of the saw. There's a 4" outlet dust collection pan fitted to the underside of the saw now that is hooked up to my Shop-Vac via a Lee Valley Cyclone garbage can lid. Hardly any dust escapes this combination. Oh I also want to point out a great little contraption on the wall holding the two extension cords. I got them - and the version for garden hoses - from Lee Valley and they are called Gecko Grips. One of the neatest things I've come across for holding leads and dispensng them.
http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/vbpgimage.php?do=full&p=3046&d=1227490136
Here's a little piece I made because at the moment I haven't got the room for an infeed or outfeed tables and I can't open the garage door because there's 80kph winds blowing snow in -7c weather out there! 8' Spruce 2"x4" with a couple of 6"x12" pieces of scrap osb attached and with their edges chamferred. Clamped to the backside of the rip fence it works great and hangs on the wall when it's not in use.
http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/vbpgimage.php?do=full&p=3140&d=1230694037
First piece of furniture from home I fixed up was our old linen cupboard. 50+ years old and not in very good nick the oak veneer was a bit thin and it needed lots of love.
http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/vbpgimage.php?do=full&p=3139&d=1230694025http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/vbpgimage.php?do=full&p=3138&d=1230694009
After lots of sanding and filling I applied water based stain and four coats of water based poly. Replaced all the rusty steel hardware with brass and sanded and repainted the feet in gloss black for a nice contrast. It sits in our guest bedroom now and will be joined by the bed and dressing table eventually. The hardwood flooring is red oak and I have half a box left over to be used for something down the road.
http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/vbpgimage.php?do=full&p=3078&d=1228111315
One last photo I suppose. Took the family down to Michigan - it's a 4 hour drive if you include the idiots at the border crossing - for US post-Thanksgiving sales. Black Friday they call it and there are bargains galore. I already have a good drill/driver but I wanted a power screwdriver, a corded drill and a belt sander and the B&D store was 60% off everything so I got all three for $USD70 including tax! At the nearby Rockler store I picked up some of their jig clamps and hardware, brass set-up bars, 4' mitre track and their auxiliary fence clamps at 50% off. Woodcraft were way overpriced so all I got there were the push blocks. I wish I'd had room for the used 8" Grizzly jointer I saw though. Less than a year old for $USD600! Bargain.

Anyway, there's a lot more sawdust to be thrown around before I get the garage in shop shape and I'll post again when I make some more changes/additions.
(edited for a spelling mistake)

[masoth]

Well done Expat. Isn't it APITA when you don't have enough room? It seems every tool you want is right at the back, or under that last pile of other stuff too valuable to throw away:(( How long do you expect "Summer" working conditions to last?

soth

[wheelinround]

Expat :o that was quick thanks for the pics

Love that clamp rack :2tsup:

Old furniture makes great new furniture

I dida rebuild on an old Tall Boy into and entertainment unit years ago needs a new lease of life again now after 12 years.

Ray

[Expat]

You should see my mobile clamp rack........ otherwise known as a hand cart! For now my assembly bench is the table saw with the blade down and the guard and splitter removed. I ordered a Shark Guard which will make it easier to take it off and put back on as opposed to the stock piece of crap.

I only have 19'x14' to play with so every inch counts. The mobile work centre will have my router table and downdraft sanding table built in as part of the ts "wings". I'll be able to utilise it's top for assembly and roll it out into the driveway in good weather to work on larger items.
http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/vbpgimage.php?do=full&p=3004&d=1226226413
We should be through the worst of this weather by late April but we've been known to have snow till late May. After that it gets hot - high 30's - and humid because of the lake. We can see it from our back porch. It's also why we get lots and lots of snow. If you've never seen the Great Lakes don't think in terms of Australian lakes like Somerset or the like. Lake Ontario is huge. Lake effect snow is nasty. We had 6" on top of the car last Tuesday morning and that was light. The snow bank at the end of our driveway was about 8' high until it warmed up to 7c and poured rain for 2 days. You'd think I'd moved to Melbourne!!

Still it's a nice place and our side yard makes a great sliding hill for the kids while they're small. We have a big hill across the road for when they grow up! I just wish they had real beaches here.
http://www.sppss.com/fence/fence_17.jpg
Here's some photos of the router fence I built recently. I had planned to use this on the table in the mobile workcentre and on my portable table I use now but I might build version 2.0 of this out of 3/4" Maple instead.
http://www.sppss.com/fence/fence_18.jpg
I painted the non-laminate covered areas of the mdf black to go with the silver laminate. Now where are those Raiders decals I used to have laying about!

[Old farmer]

Expat, will you pleeeeaaase, not tell us the bloody prices you pay???

You must have been laughing!

Thanks for the great pics. Can't see much of the floor, though.

[Expat]

Expat, will you pleeeeaaase, not tell us the bloody prices you pay???
You must have been laughing!
Thanks for the great pics. Can't see much of the floor, though.
Mate everyone here bitches and moans about the prices all the time! I haven't even looked at the prices you're paying back there. I do know in a lot of cases we get some good deals in Canada but for the most part it's cheaper to drive across the border and pick up some of the stuff that doesn't get distributed here yet. Grizzly for example does not ship to Canada because they have a deal with Busy Bee Tools not to sell up here. The owners of the two companies are brothers and they stay out of each other's territory. Not that BB with their Crapex........ oops...... Craftex stuff is any threat to Grizzly. I'd love to have a Grizzly jointer but space is at a premium for now. I was going to buy a SawStop contractor saw instead of the Delta but they had gone up to $C1990 plus tax and that was just too much.
Come the Spring my neighbour has offered to store my saw and planer for a couple of days while I rip out the current drywall, get 4 more 110 and a 220 circuit plus 4 fluros installed and have everything spray foamed before the new drywall goes up. I plan to build a new floor in the garage to make it warmer in Winter and less of a pain on the legs. Many of the guys on the local forum have built new floors for their garage workshops and the wife thinks I should do so as well. What a great girl she is. We have a new door being installed this weekend so that's phase one. Once that's in the temp out there should improve a little. Current door leaks so I taped it. I still get snow built up in the corners though. Dimplex followed by reflectafoil for the current concrete floor and then I'll build a frame of 2x6's with ply top. A little ramp at the door so the workcentre can still be rolled outside in good weather and the changes will make it a lot more pleasant out there. Currently my little heater can barely keep me from turning into frosty the snowman.

[artme]

Good stphph Expat!!:2tsup::2tsup:
Where's the cat you can't swing?:D:D

[Old farmer]

Thanks for all of that, Expat.

It was 32C here in Sydney yesterday and I think I prefer that.

Glad to know you have a good wife. I have, too, and that is the most important thing.

Good luck to you all.

[Expat]

It's currently -12c outside with a nasty wind so I'd guess it's more like -20c. Both the cats are curled up at my feet under the computer desk.
I actually got the better half to suggest turning the garage into a workshop. We had settled on the new garage door and I said to her "Sears are having a sale this weekend so I might as well see if their openers are on special." She relied "Why do we need to buy an opener? We aren't putting the car in there." YES!!! She even went along with the idea that all that sawdust could be best contained and my health preserved by buying a proper dust collection system and an air filtration system. She has her moments.

[Nanigai]

It's currently -12c outside with a nasty wind so I'd guess it's more like -20c. Both the cats are curled up at my feet under the computer desk.

Hi Expat. Sympathise with you for the cold weather. Its pretty hot here at the moment about 36c.
If you cant find your car under all that snow how do you ever get any work done. I assume you have to go to work in winter. Do you still get paid for days off when the roads are snowed out? :D Just curious.
PS. Nice work on the routher table fence.:2tsup:

Cheers, Ian

[Expat]

My boss is a hard task master....... I'm at my desk all hours of the day and night and even weekends and holidays. The pay's not great but it's work I enjoy. Have you figured out that I run my own business yet? I get to play house husband and run my business at home. I have to run into Toronto every now and again to pick up uniforms from the factory there but other than that my other vendors ship direct to my sales reps all over the world and sometimes direct to my customers for me so I don't have to go dealing with that stuff myself. I have reps in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Wellington, Paris, London and Miami dealing with the customers in those areas and I deal direct with everyone else. I design all the uniforms and most of the decals and merchandise and it's a lot of fun most of the time. Sometimes it gets frustrating but in the end when you get an email and photos from a customer thanking you for their new uniforms, club wear, decals or equipment it makes it worthwhile. Even while I'm home starting next week I'll be working. Taking the wife's laptop with me so can access everything. I need to have Illustrator and Photoshop with me to produce artwork you see. The email I can deal with as web mail but it's the graphics and stuff that requires that little bit extra. Not sure what the doctors and nurses will say about that if I try it in hospital. We'll see.

[Old farmer]

I must have missed something, Expat. Are you going into hospital? If so, the best of luck.

[masoth]

Hope your hospital visit is not too long and the procedure is a minor one.

soth

[Expat]

Yeah well I'm not covered by the provincial health plan yet so it's cheaper to come home and have it done in Brissie. I'm hoping it's only minor but who knows until they get inside and look around. Booked my flight today so I'll be next Saturday. Hope the weather is good.

[Expat]

With the garage door arriving on Sunday, the new snow blower on Monday and me hitting the friendly skies on Thursday I thought I'd better make some room for everyone/everything and clean and seal the ts for while I'm gone.
http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/vbpgimage.php?do=full&p=3150&d=1231021720
I'd picked up a few more clamps since the last photos although not all of them are in the garage at the moment. I also picked up the storage rack at Princess Auto for $19 and that gave me room for most of my screws and even my squares, push blocks, micrometer and feather boards. I'll attach a shelf underneath once I get back for some more storage and probably a hook or three for the blades and mitre gauge.
Still haven't unpacked the sander or the poor old Crapex..... Craftex dovetail jig! Yes it's a cheap jig but I have plans for it and it was on sale at $48 with the bit and brass insert so why not. Once I'm back the sander has to come out to finish the handle areas of the magazine rack.
Oh yeah..... got my Incra 3000SE all set up and even made a couple of add-on fences for it. One just a regular crosscut/mitre fence and the other for dados.
http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/vbpgimage.php?do=full&p=3149&d=1231021712
Most of the pieces of the magazine rack I'm building for the in-laws are sitting on the planer table. One end piece has to be replaced of course so once I get back I'll head out and pick up some more roasted curly maple and get that finished.
When it's out of the way then I can finally get to all the maple, poplar, mdf and ply laying on the table under that small parts jig that will become the cabinets for the mobile workcentre.
The osb is headed for the basement as stacking shelves that go between layers of rubbermaid bins. Cheap and easy way to stack those bins without them collapsing in on themselves.

[Pat]

Expat, where did you get the "bag" for the back of you contractor saw? I have a contractor saw and am sick of mucking around trying to seal the back of the saw.

Thanks

[Nanigai]

Hope you enjoy your trip home and all works out well for you.
It probably has too, you have a few projects there that need to be finished.:)
Cheers, Ian

[Old farmer]

Great gear, lovely pics, Thanks, mate.

As I have mentioned, I wish you would not mention prices!!!

[Expat]

Expat, where did you get the "bag" for the back of you contractor saw? I have a contractor saw and am sick of mucking around trying to seal the back of the saw.
Thanks
http://store.thesawshop.com/catalogue/images/boot.jpg
That's "The Boot" available from The Saw Shop (http://store.thesawshop.com/catalogue/default.php). If you want I could maybe grab one for you before I come over? I'll be flying out Thursday evening and arriving on Saturday. Anyone else wants one let me know quick.
Oh and a trick I was shown for sealing around the front crank is to use self adhesive thin foam sheet that is used for small insulation jobs. I found some at HD in the plumbing aisle. You just clean the inside surfaces of the case and stick this stuff on overlapping it slightly so it wraps around the height adjustment shaft. Works a treat.
http://www.busybeetools.com/pictures/W1005.jpg
Then I gaffered a 14"x14" collection plate underneath and hooked it up to my dc. No more dust. Once I have my workcentre finished the plate will be mounted more securely to the saw cabinet.


Great gear, lovely pics, Thanks, mate. As I have mentioned, I wish you would not mention prices!!!
So I shouldn't ask what the Ryobi 13" planer might be back home then? Bought it and the Ridgid Oscillating Edge Belt/Spindle Sander for 10% off during the Woodstock Wood Show in September. The DeWalt guys were trying to push the 735 on me but I wound up getting the sander and planer for a little less than what the DeWalt cost so I figure that I came out of it okay. My Delta Contractor was also on special there. I've seen some contractor saw prices at home and I won't upset you by telling you what I paid for it at the show.

[Pat]

Expat, if could be so kind, could you please pick up 1 "The Boot" for me. For approx $50Au it'll save me a lot of frigging around with perspex. I'll PM you to arrange payment and postage details.

I did google for this and could not find it anywhere. A lot of Football stuff and people getting the sack from stuff, but no TableSaw accessories.

[Expat]

My pleasure sir. I emailed Dave at The Saw Shop (http://store.thesawshop.com/catalogue/default.php) last night and he wrote back today. He'll have it to me by Tuesday which is good cause I fly out Thursday. He is a great guy. If anyone else wants one I'm happy to bring as many as I can stuff in the suitcase. I also highly recommend the PALS system for contractor saws. Makes adjustments oh so easy and a breeze to install. I'll need to know if people want any of these by noon Monday Oz EDT time okay.

For future reference they are located about an hour drive East of me so if anyone wanted something from him down the road I can always grab it and pack it up nice and safe for shipment as a devalued "gift". Dave is at all the wood shows here so it's no biggie to catch up with him. I still have a bank account in Oz and my best man and I have a joint account there so I can take cheques or money orders no problem. Pen blanks or anything else you think you might need that you can't find at a decent price locally just ask. I'm happy to help.

[wheelinround]

Pat that plastic piece is similar to ducting for air-conditioning bits check out Home Hardware plumbing section or even Bunnies.

[Zarguld]

I am definetly going to make one of those for my saw,great excuse to chuck out the cardboard box i have under it.

Also as far as room you have more than me I realy need some ideas on organization i have to move things just to walk from one side to the other. :(

[Expat]

There are all sorts of "skirts" available that attach around the outside of the contractor saw body using rare earth magnets. Some are just dust bags and others have dust collection outlets built in.
Using the plate and even with only my shop vac the draw inside the saw case is considerable. It's rare for anything to escape from anywhere even at the blade. It used t ooze from every opening in the case but not anymore. Once I hook up the dust collector I have in mind I'll be lucky if the blade doesn't get sucked in there!
http://www.busybeetools.com/pictures/CT095N.jpg
2hp, 220v, 1280cfm, 5.4cuft capacity. On sale....... look away Farmer Bill........ $C245 down from $369 Not the biggest or best name - it's only Craftex and not Oneida - It'll fit nicely into the front corner of my garage. One intake hooked to permanent tubing on the walls/ceiling and the other for use when I roll something outside to work in the driveway.