Thread: Common or Garden Western Tool-Fool

Well ... I made him his own little pallet

... AND he refused to tilt ... so ...

** Ya can't let the machinery get uppity. **

First pic is the outfeed 'table' ... some steel offcuts I had originally pictured making the infeed table out of ... but I didn't want to just hang them off the skirt of the bandsaw table.

Everything is looking good - it is **great** to have the support and stability. I have pushed some biggish pieces through before with just the bandsaw table ... which is a pretty decent size for a bandsaw table ... but over half the work is off the table at the start and ... yeah ... not the best idea. That is why my fence started about 50cm before the table - to get the cut started right - which has carried nicely over to this situation ... completely by accident

The two bigger pieces I put through today were very tough to push along ... which was unusual. It was storming and storming all last night ... a river down the driveway ... so I wondered if it was the wood feeling a bit bloated and unloved. But ... considering it a bit more ... I got out the wire-brush/angle-grinder and smoothed the outfeed iron, and heavily WD40'd the original table and the outfeed a couple of times and left it there to dry. The laminex-type stuff is very good as far as low friction goes.

It also occurred to me that the fence I made is unsealed jarrah, and it has been outside for at least a month now I should think - so the surface wasn't smooth anymore. I got into it with some sandpaper, and then hit it with the WD40 also. In retrospect, I don't know if spraying it was a mistake - it could just raise the grain again - we'll see.

I was getting a little concerned that the blade had gone dull on me all of a sudden ... but considering the other factors I think there's a good chance we'll be cooking with gas when play resumes.

I was letting the WD sit when it started trying to rain again, so I've covered everything in sight and come inside to report.

Last two pics are the start of the harvest. I just need to break everything done to a reasonable size so I can clear my driveway and welcome the new saw on the weekend.

There's the jarrah - no problem ... and then there's the sheoak. Beautiful interlaced wood, and I can't believe how stable it is after cutting ... but the sawdust is a killer. It's like you've been chewing on ants if you breathe it.
Think it will be time for the filter mask.

Paul

The project has dived towards the pragmatic because of the time constraints ... and my project management ability "Plod, Stumble, Fix, Repeat"

The idea was two trestle-ish supports with a removable table so that it can be moved out of the way after use. This has turned out ok ... I'm pretty happy with the table, and the support materials. The intention was to mortice and tenon jarrah boards between the legs at top and bottom for strength. I still intend to do this eventually - to get to use the chisel morticer - but mainly for the accuracy of marking out it will require.

A factor has been that the table is flat, but the ground is not. I allowed for adjustment in the attachment to the feet, intending to cut the supports equally and then adjust ... but in the end I didn't want to spend that time so they've just been fitted individually now. I used the supports pretty much as they were ... Doing it again I would have jointed them all square and equal and made the mortices, etc.

I also considered making the far end adjustable ... hence the old shockies from our mechanic and the threaded rod.

Good news - the lubrication did *wonders* for the whole setup.

Lois is home after a back surgery, so she used her (good) phone to video a demo for me. These chunks are not very big - maybe 50cm x 40cm and feel light and dry - could have been done on the original table easily.
More easily possibly, because you could stand right behind the push. The angle to the work has changed now ... we'll see how it goes with the large sections. Might want a dogged in handle or two.

Two links, same video ... hoping one will work ok.

Paul.

Untitled on Vimeo

Test bandsaw table extension | Facebook

This - on ebay - looks like the same machine to me.

BANDSAW / RE-SAW. FULLY RECONDITIONED. 36" WHEELS. WITH BLADES. | eBay

Hi Paul,

Looks like it cuts nicely, and you have good areas either side, infeed and outfeed. Very solid as well.

But, 'cheese wizz' mate, you had me cringing at the end of the cut, thought the dust ejecting from the bottom of the table was going to turn red and the Addams family would have a new Thing .

Looking forward to see how it goes with the long sections, (with handles or push sticks maybe). Stay safe, we want to see more photos and videos.

Cheers
Pops

Originally Posted by Pops

Looking forward to see how it goes with the long sections, (with handles or push sticks maybe). Stay safe, we want to see more photos and videos.

Cheers
Pops

Paul, Wonderful stuff !!! Cuts like Butter, and I know how hard that timber can be, I tend to agree with Pops too mind those fingers, have a push stick near buy, and Drop that guide down to the timber, It will give you more accuracy running a shorter length of blade from top guide to bottom guide.
Sorry to sound like your Mum, but I am excited for you, what you are doing there excites most woodworkers, for sure !!!

Melbourne Matty.

No problem there - all advice gratefully accepted. It is good, and interesting, to see what you are doing via a video - you can't see the whole picture just out of your own head.

Getting used to the new arrangement ... previously I would have been doing most of the cutting pushing along into the cutting direction. Now the table is in the way typical.

I was supporting my weight onto my forearms and using the fingers to push along ... which I have done before of course ... BUT ... the table is a lot more slippery now thanks to the daily application of WD40 ... and the angle is different now ... so ...

I made up version one of a clamp/cradle/push-stick. I took some photos yesterday when I started to use it ... and ... again this morning having forgotten I took the first few ...

But I'm loving loving loving the table ... get something up there ... check it for flat ... roll it over ... rotate it end about ... without breaking my back

The laminex part is *very* effective ... potentially better than rollers I'm thinking because the support is continuous.

More in a sec.

Paul

PS - that bloody finger in the photo - thinking of cutting it off!
................................ ................................
Ummmm .... bad choice of words

Hi Paul,

Daily improvements, I like it. Keeping the tables running smooth and low friction is probably one of the contributing factors for safe operation, less chance of excess force and slipping.

Have used a router table with a Laminex top and it was very low friction, top stuff.

You will have a great load of timber for your projects in no time with that saw. Bet you can't stop sawing.

Cheers
Pops

Originally Posted by Pops

Bet you can't stop sawing.

Cheers
Pops

I had to a little bit. Either just because it's jarrah, or maybe it's fairly dry, but cutting the jarrah so far has been dead easy.

But the WA she-oak ... probably starting with the piece in the first pictures above ... was drifting signficantly away from the fence. It might be the grain, or maybe it hasn't dried as fast ... but it called for a think break.

Oh BTW - The top guide. I noticed watching the video that I had left it right up there. I've said it here before that you need to get it right down near the cut!

That also got me thinking about what I had said about cutting straight ... good bottom surface, good surface on the fence, good guides ... hmmm ...

I remembered that I had noticed some wear in my home-made bottom guides on the fence/wheel side ... yep ... sure enough ... now there was about 3mm or so gap. The other blocks had adopted a hard-eyed determination to not be beaten by a big metal circle with teeth ... but these two caved. They were the weakest link.

I didn't take a photo ... I've just chiselled a little and adjusted up the slack, I'll need to replace them. Still I was very pleased to be able to skinny off a straight slip of sheoak from a small piece. And you get to see some of the grain.

Today I'll find out how we are going to go with the bigger sections.

I had a re-look up the drive yesterday ... and I think I'll be making bigger chunks to try to get through as much as I can!
I've put in some photos of the work ahead. (And I've kinda pinched Lois' phone for a camera - shhhhh!!)


Cheers,
Paul

WA Sheoak

Some kind of tree


Oh ... and some peppermint.

This issue with sheoak ... this is the single board that caused the whole fascination ... I don't even know where it came from ...

Paul.

Hi Paul,

Wow, that looks like a Lace Sheoak grain. Don't know anything about Lace Sheoak but have seen it at the Wood Show. I like it a lot. I like the stuff in post 25 as well.

You are going to have a lot of fun wuith that bandsaw. Thanks for the photos.

Cheers
Pops

Ok .. Thursday was a bit of an enforced bye ...

Getting into bigger pieces today and I wanted to sort out the lower blade guides. (First few pictures) I obviously didn't remake the LHS blocks when I did the RHS blocks, so I'm guessing they were obviously starting to wear and I was going to "go back and do them properly" ... which of course is code for "leave it until it breaks"

Those inner (wheel/fence) side blocks seem to do particularly important work in getting a straight cut, and I had replaced the inner top guide blocks with metal pieces some time ago, so I figured to do the same on the lower side.

I had gathered some candidate material for making the blocks, but realised in the process that I had this collection of little metal blocks - also guides for the bandsaw - sitting in a corner of my "bench". (It just about qualifies for that generous description) They had orange paint on some, and I realised that these were the blocks that were on the bandsaw when I got it.

I had removed them in the first place because some of them had worn into the material ... but now I only needed two and ... voila ... 2 minutes on the belt sander and a screwdriver and we were back in business. Pretty happy.

Next it was time to start on one of the big half-sections. I think this is about my capacity with this setup. Manoeuvre the block over near the saw ... catch the chain block elevator to the first floor (womens lingerie and whizzing teeth of death) ... and buzz through a few cuts until ...

Oh yeah ... that's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

The guides - at least on my bandsaw, with my setup, and my blade - seem very important to eliminating drift. Before I changed the guides both times recently, pieces were becoming more than happy to start to cut in closer to the fence - which has the effect of pushing the whole job away from the fence - and away from your reference line.

New saw will be coming home tomorrow ... hmmm ... no place to put it yet ... would look fantastic in the tv room

Cheers,
Paul