[blindwoodworker] Shop setup
- From: "JDM" <sunnyday001@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <blindwoodworker@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 4 May 2010 21:08:35 +1000
Hi John,
My home workshop is only the size of a single car garage, so what machinery I
can get in there and still be able to move around, is highly limited. I agree
with all your categories of what may comprise a home workshop.
for myself, it is a Saw table based workshop. My woodwork bench is located
exactly at the rear, or out feed side, of my Saw table and was built to be
exactly the same hight as the saw table top. So, the woodwork bench works as
an out feed table for when I'm ripping long lumber lengths or long wide sheet
stock. The woodwork bench has 2 vises. The vise mounted On one side of the
bench is for clamping lumber, wile the other end mount vise has interchangeable
jaws, so that I can use it for either metal or wood. Dog holes in both the vise
face plates align exactly with dog holes in the bench top, so I can clamp up
tight on a frame from either direction. Oh yeah, I also built my woodwork
bench on swivel wheels, with a kickdown floor lock. So, I can easily move it
about the remaining floor space when necessary.
apart from the table saw, my next most invaluable power tool is a good quality
pedestal drill. The quill of the pedestal drill has been carefully machined so
that I can accurately attach to its quill a number of different sized square
mortising chisels. So, it is both a vertical drill press and a mortiser. I do
not have a real, ¹fair dinkum, router, but I do have a Dremil rotaary tool and
the necessary attachments to convert it into a small router table or hand held
plunge router. In truth, it is not of much more use than just to round off the
sharp arris of squared lumber, or to put a decorative design on table legs.
One of my most valued hand tools is a bench mounted picture framers mitring
saw. With this sturdily built hand tool, I can cut compound mitres to one
tenthº accuracy. The built-in micro adjustable measuring system, and its
accompanying hold fast clamps, plus a 32 TPI saw blade allow me, as a totally
blind wood hobbyist, to make really accurate multi-sided frames with almost
invisible joints.
Unhappily, I have no spare spacefor a Jointer/Planer or thicknesser, and it is
these 2 power tools that i'm really missing. Still, never mind, I have a good
Mate who lives just 5 minutes walk from home, and he has both a Jointer/Planer
and dedicated Thicknesser. He's happy for me to use his equipment any time,
provided that I occasionally bring along a 6 pack of Cascade Lager, and always
agree that his Football Team is much better than mine. Hahaha, it's a small
price to pay for such good friendship.
Cheers,
John Milburn
Melbourne Australia.
¹fair dinkum = Australian slang for genuine, worthwhile, hard working, sincere
etc.
From: John Sherrer
Sent: Friday, April 30, 2010 4:40 AM
To: blindwoodworker@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindwoodworker] Shops
Hi WoodWorkers
When I started building my web site, I had three main ways of approaching
woodworking.
The table saw based shop, the Radial Arm saw based shop and the Router based
shop.
The table saw based shop requires the most room, and a lot can be done with it.
It may have the most cost in setting up.
The radial Arm Saw based shop takes less room than the table saw shop, but more
room than the router based shop.
many cuts are easier than with the table saw shop, but ripping is a little
harder.
One note here is that I have a Sears Radial Arm saw, and even though it was
cheaper than my table saw, it requires a yearly tune up. The carriage gets
sloppy. You can do this tune up yourself, but I purchase the Sears service
agreement to keep the saw tuned up.
The Router based shop is cheaper to get started and requires less space. It
may take longer to get the hang of using a router, but be willing to make your
mistakes on cheap wood while learning. The router may also be the most
flexible woodworking tool available.
A note here is that many people have a bandsaw based shop, but this has limited
use with the blind. My father in law had a band saw shop, and he was an
artist. He would see something in a store or in someone's yard, go home and
make it.
Any of you have any ideas about what I wrote here? Do you agree with this or
disagree. Please let us know your feelings. Feel free to tell me I am wrong.
John
http://WhiteCane.org
http://BlindWoodWorker.com
http://HolyTeaClub.comcom\whitecane
http://anellos.ws
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