Kriesel
Well-known member
Nothing to see here. No tourists would like the north shore... haha
Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT Nick's Two-Car Detached Vdub Garage
- Thread starter nicholam77
- Start date
Workspaces sized between 265 and 485 squarefeet.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
I guess I shouldn't be letting the cat out of the bag!
BD -- sent you a PM.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Fencing Project
I took some pics so I can share this now. Several years ago my neighbor fenced in her yard including the lot dividing line between our properties. Which was awesome for us. But since my daughter is walking and running now, and curious and at times mischievous, the back of the lot where the garage is and the side of the house are points of exit for her. She often wants to run around to the front of the house or run into the driveway / alley which I really dislike because of the occasional cars that pass through. Basically, we wanted to finish sealing it off so we could have her out there and attend the BBQ or whatever for 30 seconds without worrying about her getting into trouble.
After several months of Covid and schedule-related delays my contractor finally got a date locked down. And then I pulled a move. I told him I was going to design a minimal gate arbor because I didn't want something flowery and pergola-like, and as I was considering it I last minute decided the gates could be more interesting.
We matched the neighbor's existing fence which is a pretty simple, "Craftsman"-style, solid non-overlapping picket. But for the gates I got some inspiration online and thought some horizontal slats would look cool. Like this:
So I did some playing in Sketchup and Photoshop to flesh it out...
...and ultimately consulted my dad (retired architect) who's design opinion's I value a lot, and he made me this drawing based on my ideas which I then gave to the fencing contractor.
The contractor was game but I could tell it was outside of scope and going to be a little tricky to get what I had in my head. Ultimately I think he got 80% of the way there, and I would label it more "fine construction" than "fine woodworking", but it is what it is. I do appreciate the effort and didn't charge me any extra for the custom work.
This is the back section by the garage:
With horizontal gate:
And here is the section with main gate by the side path / patio / house:
And from outside looking in:
It's different than my design. I fought for it but he kinda missed the details and wanted to do is own thing he felt comfortable with. Ultimately I did want him to be responsible for the work. I do like the larger perforations in the top 1/3 "window", it feels more inviting than a solid 6 ft gate, but I feel like the proportions of it all are a bit off. I also wanted it to originate from the wall of the house, but he set the post with a pretty big gap. And then to cover the gap he tacked on this bizarre filler strip that is not integrated at all.
I picked up some cedar from Menards and plan to rectify a few of these details on my own.
All in all I don't hate it
, but it was expensive, and I feel like I mostly was paying for time. They only took 4.5 hrs to do everything. Crazy. Would have taken me so much longer, but I can't help but feel I could have made the gates better, even more structurally sound, and with more attention to detail. But with a kid and work, sometimes I have to accept I can't do everything myself or it would never get done.
I took some pics so I can share this now. Several years ago my neighbor fenced in her yard including the lot dividing line between our properties. Which was awesome for us. But since my daughter is walking and running now, and curious and at times mischievous, the back of the lot where the garage is and the side of the house are points of exit for her. She often wants to run around to the front of the house or run into the driveway / alley which I really dislike because of the occasional cars that pass through. Basically, we wanted to finish sealing it off so we could have her out there and attend the BBQ or whatever for 30 seconds without worrying about her getting into trouble.
After several months of Covid and schedule-related delays my contractor finally got a date locked down. And then I pulled a move. I told him I was going to design a minimal gate arbor because I didn't want something flowery and pergola-like, and as I was considering it I last minute decided the gates could be more interesting.
We matched the neighbor's existing fence which is a pretty simple, "Craftsman"-style, solid non-overlapping picket. But for the gates I got some inspiration online and thought some horizontal slats would look cool. Like this:
So I did some playing in Sketchup and Photoshop to flesh it out...
...and ultimately consulted my dad (retired architect) who's design opinion's I value a lot, and he made me this drawing based on my ideas which I then gave to the fencing contractor.
The contractor was game but I could tell it was outside of scope and going to be a little tricky to get what I had in my head. Ultimately I think he got 80% of the way there, and I would label it more "fine construction" than "fine woodworking", but it is what it is. I do appreciate the effort and didn't charge me any extra for the custom work.
This is the back section by the garage:
With horizontal gate:
And here is the section with main gate by the side path / patio / house:
And from outside looking in:
It's different than my design. I fought for it but he kinda missed the details and wanted to do is own thing he felt comfortable with. Ultimately I did want him to be responsible for the work. I do like the larger perforations in the top 1/3 "window", it feels more inviting than a solid 6 ft gate, but I feel like the proportions of it all are a bit off. I also wanted it to originate from the wall of the house, but he set the post with a pretty big gap. And then to cover the gap he tacked on this bizarre filler strip that is not integrated at all.
I picked up some cedar from Menards and plan to rectify a few of these details on my own.
All in all I don't hate it
, but it was expensive, and I feel like I mostly was paying for time. They only took 4.5 hrs to do everything. Crazy. Would have taken me so much longer, but I can't help but feel I could have made the gates better, even more structurally sound, and with more attention to detail. But with a kid and work, sometimes I have to accept I can't do everything myself or it would never get done.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
I had a short amount of downtime today so I spent some time cleaning my workbench. As I was organizing I realized I have no place for my router bits and accessories. I decided to take 20min and make a temporary solution to at least get the bits under control.
Dan in Pasadena
Well-known member
Fence came out VERY nice, Nick. Kudos!
Arclitgold
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2017
- Messages
- 317
Nice work!
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Fence Gate Fix
Not much has been happening over here lately -- work has finally picked up again so I've been busy with that and family stuff.
But yesterday I found a few hours to correct the two problems I had with the larger fence gate.
1) The gate post near the house was too far away, creating a large gap, and consequently the afterthought "filler strip" they put in to address it
2) The asymmetrical arbor started flush with the post near the house. My original thought was the whole thing would originate from the building, not be free-floating.
So I took off the contractor's filler strip and took some measurements.
I had kept a 1x6, and picked up some additional rough sawn cedar boards at the big box store. The gate post is not perfectly parallel to the house siding, so to get a nice fit, I held the 1x6 in place tight to the house, and scribed a pencil line against the post. This led to a tapered board that I subtracted 1/2" from for a reveal, that ended up being 4" at the bottom tapered to 3 3/4" inches at the top.
To cut this taper I just lined up the track saw on the scribe line:
I was thinking of how I could attach the new filler strip in the center of the 4x4 post, in between it and the house, with no vantage point to drill or nail, and without a bunch of visible fasteners.
I settled on dowels. Because I left a 1/2" reveal I figured I could have dowels stick out 1/2" and just be able to squeeze the board into place. Once tight, there would be an even 1/2" gap between it and the house.
I have several cheap doweling jigs but the self-centering kind seemed to make sense here.
To mark the holes on the post, since it was already set in concrete, I clamped the filler strip at the height I wanted and made pencil marks in the center or each dowel.
Then carried these marks around the post with a combination square.
I felt like the marks were fairly accurate, but drilling was another matter. To even have a chance of drilling a 5/16" hole back there I needed to pick up two accessories, a right-angle drill chuck, and a stubby drill bit. I forgot to take pics of the setup because it was frustrating and there were lots of swearwords involved. "Fudgesicle! Why won't this ding-dong drill tootin' straight!" Something like that. Some of the holes had to be sloppily widened, and one I gave up on and just sawed the corresponding dowel off. But... I got a decent fit on a handful, and with enough tightbond II and clamps, I feel like it's pretty secure.
Then I cut some trim and top cap pieces to match the top and bottom of the fence on the other side of the gate. The idea being the horizontal lines would go all the way to the house for continuity.
Then it was time to redo the arbor. I kept the same design, just added 4" so it went all the way to the house. Because the angle was greater than my miter saw could do, again I used the track saw to cut a traced line:
A couple deck screws and we're back in business:
And from the front:
It's a somewhat subtle improvement, but to me it just looks more complete and considered.
Now I'm thinking about making a cedar pull for the front of the gate.
That's all for now!
Not much has been happening over here lately -- work has finally picked up again so I've been busy with that and family stuff.
But yesterday I found a few hours to correct the two problems I had with the larger fence gate.
1) The gate post near the house was too far away, creating a large gap, and consequently the afterthought "filler strip" they put in to address it
2) The asymmetrical arbor started flush with the post near the house. My original thought was the whole thing would originate from the building, not be free-floating.
So I took off the contractor's filler strip and took some measurements.
I had kept a 1x6, and picked up some additional rough sawn cedar boards at the big box store. The gate post is not perfectly parallel to the house siding, so to get a nice fit, I held the 1x6 in place tight to the house, and scribed a pencil line against the post. This led to a tapered board that I subtracted 1/2" from for a reveal, that ended up being 4" at the bottom tapered to 3 3/4" inches at the top.
To cut this taper I just lined up the track saw on the scribe line:
I was thinking of how I could attach the new filler strip in the center of the 4x4 post, in between it and the house, with no vantage point to drill or nail, and without a bunch of visible fasteners.
I settled on dowels. Because I left a 1/2" reveal I figured I could have dowels stick out 1/2" and just be able to squeeze the board into place. Once tight, there would be an even 1/2" gap between it and the house.
I have several cheap doweling jigs but the self-centering kind seemed to make sense here.
To mark the holes on the post, since it was already set in concrete, I clamped the filler strip at the height I wanted and made pencil marks in the center or each dowel.
Then carried these marks around the post with a combination square.
I felt like the marks were fairly accurate, but drilling was another matter. To even have a chance of drilling a 5/16" hole back there I needed to pick up two accessories, a right-angle drill chuck, and a stubby drill bit. I forgot to take pics of the setup because it was frustrating and there were lots of swearwords involved. "Fudgesicle! Why won't this ding-dong drill tootin' straight!" Something like that. Some of the holes had to be sloppily widened, and one I gave up on and just sawed the corresponding dowel off. But... I got a decent fit on a handful, and with enough tightbond II and clamps, I feel like it's pretty secure.
Then I cut some trim and top cap pieces to match the top and bottom of the fence on the other side of the gate. The idea being the horizontal lines would go all the way to the house for continuity.
Then it was time to redo the arbor. I kept the same design, just added 4" so it went all the way to the house. Because the angle was greater than my miter saw could do, again I used the track saw to cut a traced line:
A couple deck screws and we're back in business:
And from the front:
It's a somewhat subtle improvement, but to me it just looks more complete and considered.
Now I'm thinking about making a cedar pull for the front of the gate.
That's all for now!
So much better!
The attention to detail makes it all come together, especially having the arbor going all the way to the house. Clever idea using dowels in the spot.
Can you recommend the right angle bit? I could have used one yesterday.
The attention to detail makes it all come together, especially having the arbor going all the way to the house. Clever idea using dowels in the spot.
Can you recommend the right angle bit? I could have used one yesterday.
Arclitgold
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2017
- Messages
- 317
That looks wonderful! This and gregors thread make me want a track saw bad
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Thank you!
The right angle bit was just a cheap-o from Amazon. It was actually 105º angle. It worked ok... you have to put one hand on the chuck and one hand on the drill, and in my application it passed a lot of heat through it. But ultimately it got the job done. I'm sure there's better out there, but I can't complain for the price.
amzn.com/B010DIHJGG
Thanks! There's always more than one way to skin a cat but personally I've found the track saw very useful and a great compliment to my jobsite table saw. Gregor's thread is a dangerous place to hang out.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Again not much to update, but thought I should make a post to keep momentum alive.
To be honest, I think I'm having some project burnout the past few weeks. Even if I've had time, which hasn't been a lot, I've made the choice to do other things. Trying to enjoy summer before it's gone, spent some time with my brother as he is moving to North Carolina next week, and been busy at work.
That being said, the main thing I've accomplished is sealing the fence. Just finished the last bit today.
For product I went with what my neighbor had used, since it seemed to hold up well over a couple years and it would bother me if there was a mis-match, since we share the side yard-adjoining fence (which is technically theirs since they paid for it!).
It's a Home Depot product, but one plus is it's more affordable than the Sherwin Williams SureDeck stuff my fencing contractor recommended.
I used a brush for everything, it's possible to roll, but I find with the amount of crevices and working the oil into the rough-sawn lumber it just is easier to brush everything.
The orangy-yellow-ness should calm down as it weathers a bit, but overall I like the warmth it gives it.
Other than that there have been some good thunderstorms, even got some decent hail. The next morning I noticed all our hastas had holes peppered through them.
Daughter's playroom is still a work-in-progress but I am liking the toy cubby and it serves its purpose.
The last update is loosely house-related, more of a design tangent, but I've steered posts in that direction before I guess.
Becoming interested in "remodeling" our house, it's led me to an interest in architecture, interior design, and furniture. Our house is still very humble in all of those regards, but one design-y aspect I've been drawn to for quite awhile is lighting. I think good lighting can make or break a space, and an interesting or sculptural light fixture is a great way to give visual interest to a room.
One such lamp that has peaked my interest is the Poul Henningsen PH5, which I first saw in person at New Scenic Cafe near Duluth, MN about 4-5 years ago. I was aware of the lamp before but after seeing it I knew I wanted one some day. Well that day has arrived. Every so often I'd scour Etsy for vintage examples, and then chicken out due to the condition or price, but recently I found one I felt good about and pulled the trigger.
And then waited. 2.5 months. For it to get here. USPS + Covid is not a great combination! Anyways it finally got here and I got it installed over the weekend:
The whole concept of the lamp is glare-free which is accomplished by the way the concentric overlapping shades redirect and diffuse the light source. It's also Scandinavian (Danish). I'm 100% Swedish and my wife is Norwegian on one side, so I like that it ties into our Scandinavian roots a bit.
The lamp has been in production since the early 1950's. This is a 2nd gen model, and was manufactured early 1960's, so it's about 60 years old!! And is in near perfect condition.
The insides of the shades are painted blue and red to reflect more of certain wave lengths, and you can see how the shades overlap to direct light down, up, and horizontally.
Ok, I'll stop going on about the lamp. And I hope to find some motivation for some new projects, soon.
To be honest, I think I'm having some project burnout the past few weeks. Even if I've had time, which hasn't been a lot, I've made the choice to do other things. Trying to enjoy summer before it's gone, spent some time with my brother as he is moving to North Carolina next week, and been busy at work.
That being said, the main thing I've accomplished is sealing the fence. Just finished the last bit today.
For product I went with what my neighbor had used, since it seemed to hold up well over a couple years and it would bother me if there was a mis-match, since we share the side yard-adjoining fence (which is technically theirs since they paid for it!).
It's a Home Depot product, but one plus is it's more affordable than the Sherwin Williams SureDeck stuff my fencing contractor recommended.
I used a brush for everything, it's possible to roll, but I find with the amount of crevices and working the oil into the rough-sawn lumber it just is easier to brush everything.
The orangy-yellow-ness should calm down as it weathers a bit, but overall I like the warmth it gives it.
Other than that there have been some good thunderstorms, even got some decent hail. The next morning I noticed all our hastas had holes peppered through them.
Daughter's playroom is still a work-in-progress but I am liking the toy cubby and it serves its purpose.
The last update is loosely house-related, more of a design tangent, but I've steered posts in that direction before I guess.
Becoming interested in "remodeling" our house, it's led me to an interest in architecture, interior design, and furniture. Our house is still very humble in all of those regards, but one design-y aspect I've been drawn to for quite awhile is lighting. I think good lighting can make or break a space, and an interesting or sculptural light fixture is a great way to give visual interest to a room.
One such lamp that has peaked my interest is the Poul Henningsen PH5, which I first saw in person at New Scenic Cafe near Duluth, MN about 4-5 years ago. I was aware of the lamp before but after seeing it I knew I wanted one some day. Well that day has arrived. Every so often I'd scour Etsy for vintage examples, and then chicken out due to the condition or price, but recently I found one I felt good about and pulled the trigger.
And then waited. 2.5 months. For it to get here. USPS + Covid is not a great combination! Anyways it finally got here and I got it installed over the weekend:
The whole concept of the lamp is glare-free which is accomplished by the way the concentric overlapping shades redirect and diffuse the light source. It's also Scandinavian (Danish). I'm 100% Swedish and my wife is Norwegian on one side, so I like that it ties into our Scandinavian roots a bit.
The lamp has been in production since the early 1950's. This is a 2nd gen model, and was manufactured early 1960's, so it's about 60 years old!! And is in near perfect condition.
The insides of the shades are painted blue and red to reflect more of certain wave lengths, and you can see how the shades overlap to direct light down, up, and horizontally.
Ok, I'll stop going on about the lamp. And I hope to find some motivation for some new projects, soon.
Last edited:
That lamp was worth the wait.... a great example of design and function.
I hear you on the project burnout, I hit the wall about this time every summer. Wife has suggested a few times that I just save the driveway gate for next spring. I think I'm going to take her up on that offer and just enjoy the last few weeks of warm weather.
I hear you on the project burnout, I hit the wall about this time every summer. Wife has suggested a few times that I just save the driveway gate for next spring. I think I'm going to take her up on that offer and just enjoy the last few weeks of warm weather.
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
Just getting caught up on your progress, Nick. The end product of the fence came out great. It's a bummer the contractor couldn't quite carry out what you had envisioned, but luckily you have the tools and the skills to make up for it. Nice job!
The light looks great too, it definitely fits in with the rest of your decor!
The light looks great too, it definitely fits in with the rest of your decor!
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Thank you! Doesn't hold a candle to your house work... but I'll take it.
Good to know it's not just me. Seems like you're getting a lot done though, even with the baby. Maybe we should both just take the rest of the summer off!
Hey, thanks for stopping in! I felt like I couldn't hassle the contractor too much because he was in a sense already going above and beyond what they normally do. And I figured the same... if I really really was unhappy I'd probably just remake the whole gate myself... maybe shoulda done that in the first place, but ya know, finding time for it and all. In the end I'm happy with it.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Well I had some downtime at work (home!) today and it was beautiful out so I did accomplish a few small things. Not huge, but still felt good.
1st I made a simplistic handle/pull for the gate. Going to skip some of the process pics on this one because it's literally two small cedar pieces.
But I sanded it smooth and broke the edges. The first piece attaches to the gate with some outdoor-rated Kreg screws, recessed:
This part is slightly narrower and shorter than the piece that will go on top of it. To attach the second piece I again used dowels, carefully marking out the location to drill on each:
I've said it before but this is my favorite WP tool. It makes laying out parallel and perpendicular SO easy and accurate.
Using some plywood blocks to distribute clamp pressure and avoid denting the soft cedar.
Still needs to be oiled so it will get darker, but here is the final result:
The idea was it sort of looks like it's floating, no visible fasteners, and the two-step profile gives your fingers something to grab onto.
Next up... something super simple but long overdue, I added some indexing "stubs" on my track saw bench to keep the top aligned. These hide inside the walnut feet and are just small bits of plywood:
It's a silly little thing but now I can pull the bench around on the casters buy the top and keep it aligned with the bench faces. Feels more solid, too.
Lastly, I cut some hardboard shelves for the little mid-section of the bench:
I had installed plywood cleats with the intention of putting shelves before assembly, just never got around to it. I think they will be very useful for small items I want to temporarily move off the surface, but not back into a Systainer.
That's it for today!
1st I made a simplistic handle/pull for the gate. Going to skip some of the process pics on this one because it's literally two small cedar pieces.
But I sanded it smooth and broke the edges. The first piece attaches to the gate with some outdoor-rated Kreg screws, recessed:
This part is slightly narrower and shorter than the piece that will go on top of it. To attach the second piece I again used dowels, carefully marking out the location to drill on each:
I've said it before but this is my favorite WP tool. It makes laying out parallel and perpendicular SO easy and accurate.
Using some plywood blocks to distribute clamp pressure and avoid denting the soft cedar.
Still needs to be oiled so it will get darker, but here is the final result:
The idea was it sort of looks like it's floating, no visible fasteners, and the two-step profile gives your fingers something to grab onto.
Next up... something super simple but long overdue, I added some indexing "stubs" on my track saw bench to keep the top aligned. These hide inside the walnut feet and are just small bits of plywood:
It's a silly little thing but now I can pull the bench around on the casters buy the top and keep it aligned with the bench faces. Feels more solid, too.
Lastly, I cut some hardboard shelves for the little mid-section of the bench:
I had installed plywood cleats with the intention of putting shelves before assembly, just never got around to it. I think they will be very useful for small items I want to temporarily move off the surface, but not back into a Systainer.
That's it for today!
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Yesterday I had an hour or so and started a new shop improvement project.
I'm kind of running out of plywood and materials so the things I can go out and make on a whim are getting limited. I sort of looked around and said "hmmm, what can I quickly work on today with what I've got?"
I've had it in mind for awhile now to re-make my crosscut sleds. Or maybe just make one do-it-all sled instead of two. I'm sure you've seen my current sleds -- they are pretty simple but get the job done. Some things I've wanted to add or change are:
1) UHMW runners to avoid seasonal contraction and expansion
2) fence for repeatability
3) t-tracks for hold down clamps and jigs
4) better blade guard/protection out the back side
I came across this sled on YouTube and it reminded me I have the Kreg Top Track from my old miter station sitting in my shed collecting dust.
So I thought I would use that and start by making a new fence out of the few plywood scraps I have left.
My fence is going to be the full 4' of the Kreg Top Track. I started by ripping and glueing up two pieces of 3/4 plywood. I've always had bad luck with warping in my space, so I find that glueing two pieces together ensures it will stay flatter over time.
Using the beefy aluminum extrusion I got for my tracksaw fence as a straight reference. Clamping it against this ensures the glue up will give a flat result.
The back piece is shorter to make room for the Kreg track, so I edge-banded the top to make it look purdy.
Screwed in the Top Track and all done, except for clean up the ends and wipe on some poly.
What I really like about the Kreg Stop is the hairline indicators are easy to read and precise, and it has indicators on both sides, which means I can use the stop on both sides of the blade, and they can be calibrated for different blade thicknesses.
This is one of those projects that is probably going to be a slow burn.
In other news I *might* have an incoming tool tomorrow, a fb martketplace find, if all goes well.
I'm kind of running out of plywood and materials so the things I can go out and make on a whim are getting limited. I sort of looked around and said "hmmm, what can I quickly work on today with what I've got?"
I've had it in mind for awhile now to re-make my crosscut sleds. Or maybe just make one do-it-all sled instead of two. I'm sure you've seen my current sleds -- they are pretty simple but get the job done. Some things I've wanted to add or change are:
1) UHMW runners to avoid seasonal contraction and expansion
2) fence for repeatability
3) t-tracks for hold down clamps and jigs
4) better blade guard/protection out the back side
I came across this sled on YouTube and it reminded me I have the Kreg Top Track from my old miter station sitting in my shed collecting dust.
So I thought I would use that and start by making a new fence out of the few plywood scraps I have left.
My fence is going to be the full 4' of the Kreg Top Track. I started by ripping and glueing up two pieces of 3/4 plywood. I've always had bad luck with warping in my space, so I find that glueing two pieces together ensures it will stay flatter over time.
Using the beefy aluminum extrusion I got for my tracksaw fence as a straight reference. Clamping it against this ensures the glue up will give a flat result.
The back piece is shorter to make room for the Kreg track, so I edge-banded the top to make it look purdy.
Screwed in the Top Track and all done, except for clean up the ends and wipe on some poly.
What I really like about the Kreg Stop is the hairline indicators are easy to read and precise, and it has indicators on both sides, which means I can use the stop on both sides of the blade, and they can be calibrated for different blade thicknesses.
This is one of those projects that is probably going to be a slow burn.
In other news I *might* have an incoming tool tomorrow, a fb martketplace find, if all goes well.
I agree with what Cobbler said regarding that option. I always have to laugh in those threads - you've determined you want to buy a moped and ask for what some good brands or options would be and within a few posts people are telling you to buy a pickup truck. Good on you for sticking to your guns with what your needs and constraints are - hope it works out!
Long time lurker here but going to try and post more now that I just moved and have a new garage build out to document...stumbled across this thread yesterday and just finished the whole thread....impressive work doesn't begin to cover! Especially love the attention to detail in all endeavors be it house or garage related. Also a sucker for anyone who models their house in CAD this extensively as its a problem I have as well...about to start modeling the new garage(using Fusion360)
Two quick questions if you wouldn't mind:
-Is the garage door lock(Surelock?) Still working well for you? My new house has an attached garage and been wanting something similar so would love your thoughts
-Any regrets on the corded tracksaw instead of the cordless model? I already use their battery platform for my bigger cordless tools, but am struggling with corded or cordless. Will primarily be doing work in the garage so cordless isn't a requirement and will be buying a new vacuum so will have the vac hose anyway...there is no real need for the cordless for how I use it but just struggle with buying corded toys when a cordless option is there
Sent from my SM-N986U1 using The Garage Journal mobile app
Two quick questions if you wouldn't mind:
-Is the garage door lock(Surelock?) Still working well for you? My new house has an attached garage and been wanting something similar so would love your thoughts
-Any regrets on the corded tracksaw instead of the cordless model? I already use their battery platform for my bigger cordless tools, but am struggling with corded or cordless. Will primarily be doing work in the garage so cordless isn't a requirement and will be buying a new vacuum so will have the vac hose anyway...there is no real need for the cordless for how I use it but just struggle with buying corded toys when a cordless option is there
Sent from my SM-N986U1 using The Garage Journal mobile app
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Haha, totally. I appreciate everyone's opinion and where they are coming from, but I gotta leave room for the future jointer / planer / bandsaw etc
Thanks!! I'm a professional video editor (mostly advertising, TV commercials), so I'm used to in-depth professional softwares and Sketchup (the basics anyway!) was a pretty easy grab for me. I think Fusion or other 3D modeling programs would take more effort for me. Also... why does Autodesk have so many 3D programs... Fusion360, Maya, 3DS Max, etc?? Haha. Anyways, it totally takes time for me to do, but I like having a plan and a vision. A lot of stuff I've modeled I've stuck pretty closely to. It gives me a pre-visualization, helps the wife get on board with certain things, and kind of a comfort that I know what a project will roughly look like in the space.
The Sure Lock:
- it works great except when it doesn't. Occasionally I've had a sync issue where the lock doesn't retract fast enough and then the door gets stuck about 1 foot off the ground. Happens more often in winter. It has a manual override to "turn it off" so sometimes I flip that lever for a few days if it's acting up. Why does it do this? I don't know. Maybe I didn't install it right the right spacing for my opener. But overall I think it's a solid duty piece and there isn't much else out there like it that I know of. You may not have the problem I have, it's hard to say. So I guess I'd recommend it with that caveat.
The tracksaw
- personally I don't have any regrets, because like you I just use it in the garage, always with a vac hose, and don't mind managing the cord. I'm not really bought into a cordless system though. Unless I *need* it to be portable like a drill, I almost always err on the side of corded for reliability and power. I guess I've always been suspicious batteries can deliver the same performance, and with the extreme hot and cold we get here my garage isn't the ideal place to store them, either. But I will say... I have heard great things about both the Makita and the Festool cordless saws. As in they deliver the same or possibly even better power than the corded models. So if you already have the batteries and charger, you might be able to get a great deal on bare tool Makita, and I wouldn't hesitate. One thing I'd love to be able to do is bring it to the home center to be able to roughly break down a sheet good in the parking lot for transport. That could have been useful on a few occasions!
Anyways thanks for checking out my thread, going through the whole thing is a tall order at this point.
Do you have a thread yet? If not let me know when you make it, I'd love to follow along. I'd highly recommend starting one. It's great for feedback, motivation, new perspectives.
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Weekend Report
In the absence of woodworking projects I found some time to take care of some automotive things.
Changed the oil in my wife's CX-5.
And gave my GTI it's first hand wash since last November, almost a year! How shameful.
Very sadly I noticed someone must have scraped me in a parking lot, despite my best efforts to park away from everybody. There's a good 6" scrap on the front driver fender, it looked 3x worse before washing it with some tan paint and chips from the other car.
Fortunately the bumper is plastic so I don't have to worry about rust, but I'll have to look at it forever since respraying that metallic type paint is an expensive repair.
This on top of curbing one of the BBS a few weeks ago.
And, my pressure washer wand is leaking and the motor got really high pitched halfway through the wash. Didn't have time to investigate, maybe it's fixable, but I really don't need more of these repair projects!
In more positive news I did pick up a drill press for the garage on Saturday. I've been thinking about adding one for awhile as there have been numerous times I wished I could drill a perfectly perpendicular hole. I posted in this thread about what size to get for my small space, and ultimately got this used Grizzly 12":
It's a discontinued model, G-1199. 12", 12-speed, 5/8 chuck, 3" spindle travel, weighs 150 lbs and roughly 12" x 25" x 40". Hard to tell but maybe was produced as early as 1995. The guy said he didn't have a chuck for it so I've ordered a replacement from Grizzly, and I need to clean it up and test it out more, but I think it's going to be a nice compromise for me. So expect some add-on projects for it like a base cart w/drawers, and larger clamping table.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
In the absence of woodworking projects I found some time to take care of some automotive things.
Changed the oil in my wife's CX-5.
And gave my GTI it's first hand wash since last November, almost a year! How shameful.
Very sadly I noticed someone must have scraped me in a parking lot, despite my best efforts to park away from everybody. There's a good 6" scrap on the front driver fender, it looked 3x worse before washing it with some tan paint and chips from the other car.
Fortunately the bumper is plastic so I don't have to worry about rust, but I'll have to look at it forever since respraying that metallic type paint is an expensive repair.
This on top of curbing one of the BBS a few weeks ago.
And, my pressure washer wand is leaking and the motor got really high pitched halfway through the wash. Didn't have time to investigate, maybe it's fixable, but I really don't need more of these repair projects!
In more positive news I did pick up a drill press for the garage on Saturday. I've been thinking about adding one for awhile as there have been numerous times I wished I could drill a perfectly perpendicular hole. I posted in this thread about what size to get for my small space, and ultimately got this used Grizzly 12":
It's a discontinued model, G-1199. 12", 12-speed, 5/8 chuck, 3" spindle travel, weighs 150 lbs and roughly 12" x 25" x 40". Hard to tell but maybe was produced as early as 1995. The guy said he didn't have a chuck for it
so I've ordered a replacement from Grizzly, and I need to clean it up and test it out more, but I think it's going to be a nice compromise for me. So expect some add-on projects for it like a base cart w/drawers, and larger clamping table.Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Bummer about the car, but nice score on the drill press! That's not much of a compromise - most people never need anything bigger than that. It should serve you well for a long time.
FWIW, chucks and chuck keys are pretty ubiquitous and fairly interchangeable as long as you make sure you match the factory interface. One source is McMaster, but there are plenty of other places to find them should you ever need another key or a new chuck.
https://www.mcmaster.com/chucks/drill-chucks/
If you were only ever doing light-medium duty work, you could probably find a keyless chuck like you have on your cordless drill for even quicker tool changes. That's one of those "round to it" upgrades I keep meaning to make with my drill press. I'd keep the keyed chuck in the drawer just in case, but for 95% of the work I do, a keyless chuck would be plenty.
FWIW, chucks and chuck keys are pretty ubiquitous and fairly interchangeable as long as you make sure you match the factory interface. One source is McMaster, but there are plenty of other places to find them should you ever need another key or a new chuck.
https://www.mcmaster.com/chucks/drill-chucks/
If you were only ever doing light-medium duty work, you could probably find a keyless chuck like you have on your cordless drill for even quicker tool changes. That's one of those "round to it" upgrades I keep meaning to make with my drill press. I'd keep the keyed chuck in the drawer just in case, but for 95% of the work I do, a keyless chuck would be plenty.
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nicholam77
Well-known member
^^ ah cool, thanks for the mcmaster link, always good to know about stuff like that. I meant chuck key, not chuck. Instead of mess around trying to find the right size I just ordered one I knew would fit from Grizzly for 7 bucks w/shipping. Not a big deal.
And yes I kind of agree it might be overkill for my usage, which is why I originally was looking at smaller, but I've been kind of wanting to get an older, solid, beefy tool, since most of my stuff is new. Drill press seemed like a good tool to go that route.
Instead of mess around trying to find the right size I just ordered one I knew would fit from Grizzly for 7 bucks w/shipping. Not a big deal.And yes I kind of agree it might be overkill for my usage, which is why I originally was looking at smaller, but I've been kind of wanting to get an older, solid, beefy tool, since most of my stuff is new. Drill press seemed like a good tool to go that route.
Ok I was wondering what your day gig was and was thinking some sort of graphics design. No idea why Autodesk does what they do....basic functionality and commands hasn't changed since I started learning R12 years ago....have AutoCAD 2020 on the work computer but in current role just use it for stupid simple layouts. Use Fusion360 for personal projects as it's free(officially and legally) and in prior roles already learned SolidEdge, SolidWorks and ProE....so it's not that big of a change. Tried Sketchup a while ago....the fact it functioned rather differently from my prior programs turned me off quickly
Hum....agree there isn't anything else, one by Liftmaster I found but only works with certain Liftmaster openers....which I don't have. I've got 2 doors, may try it on one of them and see what I think. Your challenges primarily in winter give me a slight bit of home as I'm 5 hours south of you so it's not as nasty....most of the time
Well hell, you almost had me at breaking down in the parking lot as I had never considered that...then I remembered we have different circumstances and I have a truck so not a big deal....but in your scenario, I could definitely see that being a big plus when dealing with sheet good projects and avoiding a truck rental. Think that extra savings on the tailed model will go against another shop vac for dust collection purposes
Anyways thanks for checking out my thread, going through the whole thing is a tall order at this point.
Do you have a thread yet? If not let me know when you make it, I'd love to follow along. I'd highly recommend starting one. It's great for feedback, motivation, new perspectives.
No thread yet, coming soon. Moved in last month and have been good at taking pictures but need to get going on a thread to solicit ideas and use it as a way to keep me motivated and progressing in a generally forward path!
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Apparently I found some motivation because I endured the almighty Home Depot F250 rental and there are now two 4'x8' birch ply sheets in my garage...
WunTon
Well-known member
You can't just show us some plywood and then not give us details of your plans for it!!
OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Ha! I wasn't going to make a longer post tonight, but I'm starting a new project at work tomorrow and my wife is going on a "girl's trip" this weekend leaving me with our kiddo, so I should probably update otherwise it might be awhile!
The plywood is for two projects -- a drill press cart, and a bed for my daughter. Fairly closely based off these:
Fix This Build That Drill Press Cart:
Sprout Kids Montessori Convertible Floor Bed:
The reason I'm tackling both at once is I couldn't fit the parts for the bed into a single sheet of plywood, and there was a lot of waste. Thanks to Cutlist Optimizer, I figured out I could fit BOTH projects into two sheets, maximizing yield.
To breakdown the sheets, there were a LOT of cuts involved, and after using Cutlist Optimizer on the toy cubby build, I fell in love with it. I don't know how I would keep track of everything without it. Here's the sort of data it spits out using these "combined" projects as an example:
Not only does it figure out the most efficient use of the plywood, but it can consider grain direction as well, which I have done.
Fortunately today I had a slow day at work (home), and was able to take advantage and break everything down!
I always start by ripping a clean reference edge. And on my Home Depot trip I remembered to get some insulation foam to cut on!
I haven't been willing to cough up for some parallel guides yet, so I'm still using careful measurement and a length of plywood with stop block clamped to set the cut distances. But I can see how they would make things easier, so I hope to make some DIY as they are so expensive.
As I cut each piece off, I label it with a part number on blue painter's tape, and sometimes subsequent cuts that will be made later. This corresponds to notations I've made on the Cutlist Optimizer diagrams.
By keeping the labels in the lower left corner I know how everything is oriented, too. This really helps me keep track of what piece is what.
Once I have slightly smaller pieces I feel I can bring to the Tracksaw Bench alone, I convert to that.
NEW TOOL ALERT! I got a Bondhus ball tip 5mm allen key with a long reach for locking down both the tracksaw fence, and the Festool rail guides:
The pieces have to be narrow enough, but can be quite long!
Repeatable crosscuts are achieved by clamping a stop block, as I still need to make a proper flip stop.
Thanks to the Festool quick clamps, I can easily crosscut very large panels, even without outfeed support.
And then the last phase, for those pieces that are too narrow to get good fence reference at the track saw station, I rip on the good ol' table saw. Yes, it still has it's place!
One great benefit of the track saw, this is ALL the dust on the shop floor after all those cuts. Shoe for reference:
And just like that, after ~6 hrs work, the sheets are broken down to every part!
Not sure when I'll be able to get back at it, but... at least I can park in the garage until then.
Great work! Going to be watching this build closely as not only did my Makita tracksaw show up today, I'm going to be in a similar camp needing to make a bed soon as my daughter is very close to the same age and I really like how that one looks!
Sent from my SM-N986U1 using The Garage Journal mobile app
Sent from my SM-N986U1 using The Garage Journal mobile app
WunTon
Well-known member
Nice projects! I used the Cutlist Optimizer for my garage cabinet build and it was a huge help and will be used for any applicable future projects in my house. I have also been considering a track saw for breaking down sheet goods. I have a 50" fence on my tablesaw so I can make any cut I need with it but manhandling a full sheet of 3/4 ply is not ideal and can be sketchy at times!
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nicholam77
Well-known member
Thanks! Wow you pulled the trigger on the saw fast, nice! Did you get the cordless? You'll have to let me know how it works.
Ya my daughter is 2 yrs in a couple weeks, fine in the crib still but thinking ahead to potty training and potential climbing out. I've learned with DIY stuff it's good to plan ahead, otherwise while my wife loves it when I make stuff for our family, if we need it 'yesterday' then it ends up getting purchased instead. She showed me that Sprout bed for $250 or whatever and asked me to make similar. Should just be the $55 for the sheet of plywood.
Thanks. I am a bit nervous of the drill press still being top heavy on a narrow cabinet and since my floor is so jacked. But I need it mobile.
I've seen your cabinets on vortex, they turned out great. Nice table saw setup too. Since you have a larger saw you could consider some feed roller guides for your TS fence to help feed, but I agree a full 3/4 sheet is always a beast.
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nicholam77
Well-known member
So with the drill press the top motor head assembly is not in line with the base, it's twisted to the left. I think it may have shifted when I had it on its side in the car. The head is floating and secured in place on the column with an allen set screw, but when I loosen it I still can't rotate the head. I think it's stuck for some reason.
Any ideas on what I can do? Try to spray some WD-40 up into the base of the head where it meets the column? I don't want to do anything that will damage or wreck it, but it's gonna drive my OCD nuts if I can't get it aligned.
Set screw is where the yellow circle is. You can't really see the misalignment from this angle, but it's off by about 5-10 degrees.
Any ideas on what I can do? Try to spray some WD-40 up into the base of the head where it meets the column? I don't want to do anything that will damage or wreck it, but it's gonna drive my OCD nuts if I can't get it aligned.
Set screw is where the yellow circle is. You can't really see the misalignment from this angle, but it's off by about 5-10 degrees.
You should be able to rotate the base also, if the head is stuck.
If not maybe just take the motor off to shed some weight and make it easier to spin? I wouldn't think WD40 or PB Blaster would hurt anything either.
If not maybe just take the motor off to shed some weight and make it easier to spin? I wouldn't think WD40 or PB Blaster would hurt anything either.
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isonic
Well-known member
Nick, that bed looks super cool. My daughter is 21 mo and will be needing something soonish as well. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out...although I am sure it will be great based on your previous work 
I also really liked that cuby cabinet you made for your daughter's room as well. In the future if you ever need materials delivered I have a full size truck and would be happy to buy and deliver materials (yours and mine) to you if you wanted to make an extra piece of furniture Just sayin
I also really liked that cuby cabinet you made for your daughter's room as well. In the future if you ever need materials delivered I have a full size truck and would be happy to buy and deliver materials (yours and mine) to you if you wanted to make an extra piece of furniture
Just sayin If you've got the set screw loose/removed, put one foot on the base and try lifting up/wiggling the head assembly while you twist it. I'd bet she's just a little cockeyed on the column. You're unlikely to break anything just wrestling with it, so give her the beans if you have to.
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nicholam77
Well-known member
Nick, that bed looks super cool. My daughter is 21 mo and will be needing something soonish as well. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out...although I am sure it will be great based on your previous work
I also really liked that cuby cabinet you made for your daughter's room as well. In the future if you ever need materials delivered I have a full size truck and would be happy to buy and deliver materials (yours and mine) to you if you wanted to make an extra piece of furniture
Ha, very cool, such a fun age! Man having a truck would be so nice sometimes. I will keep that in mind. With all the steps some of these projects take me a lot of hours, but depending on the project I would maybe be willing to do something like that.
Thanks for the advice guys. I took a look at the base and the column has a flange that the mounting bolts go through, so it can't be turned. I managed to get 'er upside down and let some WD40 sink in to no avail. After 45min of wrestling with it, whacking it with a dead blow hammer, etc, I realized there is a second set screw.
After I loosened that it turned no problem.
Guess I shoulda looked at the manual closer.
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nicholam77
Well-known member
Drill Press Cart - Part 1
Got some quick work in on the drill press cart today, assembling the carcass.
Construction is the two sides, solid bottom panel, and then two back stretchers and two top stretchers.
To connect the bottom panel to the sides I used a $!#% ton of pocket screws. Sorry, joinery purists. Usually I put one per pencil mark but this time I doubled up since it's going to be supporting so much weight:
If you've used pocket screws you know they like to wander when fastened, so to help with alignment I added some biscuits. Despite what the naysayers might say, I think with glue the biscuits add a second layer of strength. I would never do them alone on a build like this but in combination with the pocket screws it makes sense to me.
Plus, cutting biscuits is super fun and easy.
Into vertical support mode to cut the receiving biscuits in the side panels:
Seriously loving this workstation. It does all the things I planned it to with ease.
Because of the biscuits I was able to glue, align, get some 90 degree clamps and longer F-clamps in place, and then start zipping in the pocket screws.
Another benefit of the dual-joinery is once the pocket screws are in I can take the clamps off right away and keep going.
Then the back gets two stretchers and the top gets two stretchers:
Carcass assembled. I decided to call it quits and since my wife is out of town I was able to push everything over to my usual side of the garage and leave it out, but still pull my car in overnight. Sweet!
This is one of the squarest cabinets I've built! I think I might finally be ready to tackle those living room built ins...
And you know what that means, time to call it a night and crack a beer.
Got some quick work in on the drill press cart today, assembling the carcass.
Construction is the two sides, solid bottom panel, and then two back stretchers and two top stretchers.
To connect the bottom panel to the sides I used a $!#% ton of pocket screws. Sorry, joinery purists. Usually I put one per pencil mark but this time I doubled up since it's going to be supporting so much weight:
If you've used pocket screws you know they like to wander when fastened, so to help with alignment I added some biscuits. Despite what the naysayers might say, I think with glue the biscuits add a second layer of strength. I would never do them alone on a build like this but in combination with the pocket screws it makes sense to me.
Plus, cutting biscuits is super fun and easy.
Into vertical support mode to cut the receiving biscuits in the side panels:
Seriously loving this workstation. It does all the things I planned it to with ease.
Because of the biscuits I was able to glue, align, get some 90 degree clamps and longer F-clamps in place, and then start zipping in the pocket screws.
Another benefit of the dual-joinery is once the pocket screws are in I can take the clamps off right away and keep going.
Then the back gets two stretchers and the top gets two stretchers:
Carcass assembled. I decided to call it quits and since my wife is out of town I was able to push everything over to my usual side of the garage and leave it out, but still pull my car in overnight. Sweet!
This is one of the squarest cabinets I've built! I think I might finally be ready to tackle those living room built ins...
And you know what that means, time to call it a night and crack a beer.
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OP
nicholam77
Well-known member
Drill Press Cart - Part 2 "The Drawers"
Skipped some pics here because I build all my drawers the same way and I've detailed it before I think.
Using some clamps to square it up to drive the pocket screws in the back:
Here's where I took a detour -- normally pocket screws would go in the front as well, but this time I decided to try dowels!!
To do this I tacked the front in place with two pin nails on each side.
So since this is a drill press cart I thought it would be cool to use the drill press to dowel the drawer boxes. I didn't take pics of this... but I had an issue with holding the work piece and bored a couple holes too large. The bit also seemed to have some wobble? Hopefully not.
Frustrated I scrapped that, but since I made holes in one drawer already, I figured I better press on.
Enter the mighty Milescraft JointMate doweling jig!! I think these are like $15. Over time I've purchased 3 doweling jigs and I don't really love any of them. But this one seemed the only one that *might* work for my application.
I clamped the drawer box to my bench and the JointMate to the drawer box with a Kreg clamp.
And... the drawer started pulling apart when drilled into (guess the pin nails weren't enough).
Still determined, I reoriented and clamped vertically, adding an F-clamp to hold the front together:
Finally this worked. Unfortunately a number of the drawers have some botched holes getting there... but most of them turned out pretty nice once I got the hang of what worked.
I plan to get some contrasting dowel stock (like cherry or similar) instead of the fluted ones that come with the kits. Hopefully it will turn out halfway decent.
5x drawers total, 22" deep each. Gonna fill 'em with **** to weigh the cart down so hopefully the drill press doesn't tip over and kill me.
Luckily it's just shop furniture, but lesson learned (again) -- test things out on a scrap assembly first!
Skipped some pics here because I build all my drawers the same way and I've detailed it before I think.
Using some clamps to square it up to drive the pocket screws in the back:
Here's where I took a detour -- normally pocket screws would go in the front as well, but this time I decided to try dowels!!
To do this I tacked the front in place with two pin nails on each side.
So since this is a drill press cart I thought it would be cool to use the drill press to dowel the drawer boxes. I didn't take pics of this... but I had an issue with holding the work piece and bored a couple holes too large. The bit also seemed to have some wobble? Hopefully not.
Frustrated I scrapped that, but since I made holes in one drawer already, I figured I better press on.
Enter the mighty Milescraft JointMate doweling jig!! I think these are like $15. Over time I've purchased 3 doweling jigs and I don't really love any of them. But this one seemed the only one that *might* work for my application.
I clamped the drawer box to my bench and the JointMate to the drawer box with a Kreg clamp.
And... the drawer started pulling apart when drilled into (guess the pin nails weren't enough).
Still determined, I reoriented and clamped vertically, adding an F-clamp to hold the front together:
Finally this worked. Unfortunately a number of the drawers have some botched holes getting there... but most of them turned out pretty nice once I got the hang of what worked.
I plan to get some contrasting dowel stock (like cherry or similar) instead of the fluted ones that come with the kits. Hopefully it will turn out halfway decent.
5x drawers total, 22" deep each. Gonna fill 'em with **** to weigh the cart down so hopefully the drill press doesn't tip over and kill me.
Luckily it's just shop furniture, but lesson learned (again) -- test things out on a scrap assembly first!
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Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
Great work as always. Your shop and tool collection is really coming along! Love all the custom benches and carts you've created over time. They will all go a long way in increasing your efficiency for future woodworking projects.