Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT DIY Shop

[bj383ss]

Glad to hear you were lucky Jeff. I wish you luck with the Oak pallets. I have come across several in the past month. I have not been able to get the ring shank nails out of the runners very successfully without the heads breaking off. Once they are in that hardwood they are extremely hard to get out. Especially if they are rusty.

I burned up my Craftsman saw many years ago. What happen to mine was the bag on the bottom got sucked up into the blade and then proceeded to kill the motor. I lucked out though as this was about the time my Father in law wanted his built in for his study made. I told him I could make it but I didn't have a saw.

The next day he took me to Home Depot and bought me the Ridgid TS3650 as payment for making his built in. He still came out way ahead on money. The quote he got was over $6,000 at the time and even with the rough cut Pecan we bought I think he came in around $1600 even with the purchase of the saw.

Bret

 

[lilredex]

There is a pallet repair place close by that has all kind of free stuff, sometimes already broken down. I have so much put away that most becomes firewood.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Pallet-Buster/

 

[dadsEH]

Anybody believe in karma?

On the 22nd of April, I took delivery of this:


New Kubtoa BX2380 with attachments.

On the same day, I was trying to finish the mowing of my 5 acres with the Husqvarna LGT2654 that I have bee using for the last 2 years. Heard a loud pop and the unit started acting really squirrely. Pulled it into the shop and discovered this:




Frame snapped completely in half on both sides just ahead of the rear wheels. Warranty company picked it up yesterday and said they had seen another unit with the same problem. They said it took 3 people and entire day to install a new frame to repair the unit.

Lol...the internet is littered with complaints of frames broken on that Husky !!
There is even a dealer repair kit releasd for a fix.

You guys need a class action suit... Husky hasnt issued a recall.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Glad to hear you were lucky Jeff. I wish you luck with the Oak pallets. I have come across several in the past month. I have not been able to get the ring shank nails out of the runners very successfully without the heads breaking off. Once they are in that hardwood they are extremely hard to get out. Especially if they are rusty.

I burned up my Craftsman saw many years ago. What happen to mine was the bag on the bottom got sucked up into the blade and then proceeded to kill the motor. I lucked out though as this was about the time my Father in law wanted his built in for his study made. I told him I could make it but I didn't have a saw.

The next day he took me to Home Depot and bought me the Ridgid TS3650 as payment for making his built in. He still came out way ahead on money. The quote he got was over $6,000 at the time and even with the rough cut Pecan we bought I think he came in around $1600 even with the purchase of the saw.

Bret

Bret,

That sounds like a real win-win with your FIL!

I only got the one oak pallet. It was the last one that I took apart. Since I really wanted to salvage the 4x4 and as many of the oak planks as possible, I ended up using a nail claw to pull individual nails that I could get the claw on without tearing up the planks. Then I used a flat-blade pry bar to work up one edge of a plank at a time until I could pound the plank back down and get the prybar under the nail and pull it out. I busted the head off about 8 or 10 of the nails, but when I got the planks pried off they stood up from the 4x4 enough that I could grab the nails with my nail nippers and pry them out. I ended up breaking one nail off flush with the 4x4 and had to drill (hole saw) and chisel around it enough that I could grab it with needlenose vise grips. Fortunately that one was near one end of the 4x4 and I will be able to use most of the material.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

There is a pallet repair place close by that has all kind of free stuff, sometimes already broken down. I have so much put away that most becomes firewood.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Pallet-Buster/

Wow! That is a serious quantity of salvage material and apparently with a lot less work than I have invested. I like your pallet buster, but could not have duplicated those bends with my equipment. I like how you have stored your pallet lumber.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Lol...the internet is littered with complaints of frames broken on that Husky !!
There is even a dealer repair kit releasd for a fix.

You guys need a class action suit... Husky hasnt issued a recall.

Yeah, in retrospect, it really is kind of funny. However, at the time it was a bit frustrating. They did replace the frame under warranty and then I turned around and sold the unit.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Today was one of those days in the shop where it seemed like my equipment was fighting me - more on that in a bit.

I did make some progress by completing and hanging my new bar clamp rack.



So, I decided to work on my deep reach clamp (plans from Woodsmith magazine) that I was using the salvage oak for. For the first time ever, I made a template for the clamp arms and planned on using a trim bit on my router in the router table to make the final shape.

I managed to get the first arm made, but it was a slog. The 1.5 inch trim bit kept moving up or down on me and the bit wanted to grab and jerk the work piece. My router table is a relatively inexpensive Craftsman that I have a B&D router mounted in.


As you can see, I had to modify the table (3 small holes) to mount the router.
Before stating the second arm, I decided to investigate what might be going on.


The router base has no through holes and only 3 small threaded holes which is why the table had been modified to allow me to mount the router. One of those short machine screws has stripped the hole in the router base. I plan to drill out the 3 mounting holes all the way trough the base and go to machine screws with locking nuts to tighten up the router mount.

 

[lilredex]

Wow! That is a serious quantity of salvage material and apparently with a lot less work than I have invested. I like your pallet buster, but could not have duplicated those bends with my equipment. I like how you have stored your pallet lumber.

Those bends are really not mandatory. I made mine years before there was all that good stuff on Y/T, and just dug into my junk box finding things that looked right. Mine is great for ripping things apart, but no so great if salvaging the boards. If starting over, I'd make something along these lines...

 

[Ford52PU]

Great thread! just went from start to finish on it. Really enjoyed your work and you sharing your projects!!

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Great thread! just went from start to finish on it. Really enjoyed your work and you sharing your projects!!

Thanks for visiting!

 

[Jeff Ivers]

So today, I continued my repairs to the router table, worked on a pallet lumber Christmas tree, worked on a printer stand for my desk and continued work on my deep reach clamp. On the clamp, the plans call for a hardwood handle with a coupling nut epoxied into it to apply the clamping pressure. The coupling nut I acquired was taller than the handle so I decided to increase the height of the handle rather than cutting the coupling nut. I had a chunk of walnut that I had harvested on my property and decided to use it for the clamp handle, even though I am using reclaimed pallet oak for the clamp arms. I am hoping the contrast will be nice. Since I don't have a band saw, the handle was formed with a jig saw and then shaped with a rasp and belt sander. When I drilled the hole for the coupling nut, I discovered my 13/16 bit was too large and my 3/4 bit was too small and I don't have anything in between. So I decided to ease the hex points on the coupling nut on the belt sander till I could get a snug fit. I was afraid that if I tried to force the nut without this step, it would split the wood and I figure the epoxy should provide the necessary hold. Currently, I am waiting for the epoxy to dry so I can apply some finish to the handle.

 

[bj383ss]

Looks good considering you used a jigsaw. You need a bandsaw man it will change your life(in woodworking).

You have any pics of the tree?

Bret

 

[JJC]

How you make the tree from a pallet Did you have measurements to go by or just eyeball it

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Looks good considering you used a jigsaw. You need a bandsaw man it will change your life(in woodworking).

You have any pics of the tree?

Bret

I am considering whether to acquire a band saw, but really don't know enough about them. Plus, I have traditionally done more automotive work and metal fabrication than woodworking. Still consider my self a klutz at word working. Here is a pic of what is left of the tree:

 

[Jeff Ivers]

How you make the tree from a pallet Did you have measurements to go by or just eyeball it

See Bret's thread (bj383ss). He pointed me to a site with plans for the pallet Christmas tree.

 

[bdbecker]

I am considering whether to acquire a band saw, but really don't know enough about them...

Personally, I think bandsaws are often overlooked and under appreciated. Bandsaws can do way more than just cut fancy curves into wood. Mine has a fence and if I need to rip something to size, more often than not, I'll setup my bandsaw instead of my table saw because my homeowner/portable size table saw struggles ripping thicker pieces of hardwood. For the type of projects I do, if I had to eliminate one of the saws out of my inventory (circular saw, miter saw, bandsaw, table saw), the table saw would be the one to go. That's not to take anything away from the versatility of a good table saw, its just that adding a bandsaw to the mix is worth considering if you have the space.

The one thing I would point out, especially if buying used, spend the time getting the guides and wheels tuned up if you have any issues with making good cuts. My bandsaw sat unused for quite awhile because I couldn't get the blade to track correctly. Once I got all the issues worked out, the bandsaw became one of my go-to tools in the shop.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Personally, I think bandsaws are often overlooked and under appreciated. Bandsaws can do way more than just cut fancy curves into wood. Mine has a fence and if I need to rip something to size, more often than not, I'll setup my bandsaw instead of my table saw because my homeowner/portable size table saw struggles ripping thicker pieces of hardwood. For the type of projects I do, if I had to eliminate one of the saws out of my inventory (circular saw, miter saw, bandsaw, table saw), the table saw would be the one to go. That's not to take anything away from the versatility of a good table saw, its just that adding a bandsaw to the mix is worth considering if you have the space.

The one thing I would point out, especially if buying used, spend the time getting the guides and wheels tuned up if you have any issues with making good cuts. My bandsaw sat unused for quite awhile because I couldn't get the blade to track correctly. Once I got all the issues worked out, the bandsaw became one of my go-to tools in the shop.

I think you are right. I was watching a woodworking program recently and they suggested that a band saw should be the first power saw acquired for woodworking. Of course when I saw that I had already had a radial arm saw and a table saw for years. Do you use a floor mount or table top band saw? Any particularly good affordable brands? Any brands to avoid?

 

[bdbecker]

I honestly couldn't have an intelligent conversation about which brand is the best or which size is the most versatile because I received mine as a gift, which means I didn't spend any time researching options like I normally would when considering a tool purchase.

I can tell you that my bandsaw is a Delta 14" from the mid-2000's (made in China). I know that Delta 14" bandsaws are fairly ubiquitous and have a generally decent reputation in the woodworking community, with the US made ones being the preferred option, but many conceding that the China ones aren't a bad option if purchased for the right price on the used market. Personally, I've been very pleased with mine once I got it all tuned up (a story in itself). Maybe someone else with more experience will chime in. There also seem to be more than a few threads about bandsaws here on GJ, although it might take a little time to wade through all the threads about guys who want to cut metal with a woodworking bandsaw:

https://www.google.com/search?sourc...hUKEwjMzr6XupznAhVMK80KHb7fBr8Q4dUDCAc&uact=5

 

[christdw]

I wish I could keep my garage as organized as yours!

 

[bj383ss]

Jeff I will give my advice. If you plan on getting serious in the near future in woodworking than I wouldn't get anything smaller than a 14".

You can buy a very good new from Grizzly but if you aren't for certain about it I recommend searching craigslist or facebook marketplace for a good used one.

Here is the Grizzly. It is a little bit of money but worth every penny.

https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-14-1-HP-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0555LX

People sell them all the time when they are moving because they are bulky and hard to store.

Delta, Jet, Grizzly are pretty much the same machine. They all run a 93.5" blade unless they have the 6" riser block on them which requires a longer blade and gives the saw a 12" height capacity for resawing. Most 14" saws have 6".

Powermatic is probably the Cadillac. If you see one for a good price grab it.

Don't buy a Ridgid or the cheaply made Porter Cable @ Lowes. Both of these have quality issues. You will see alot of Ridgid for sale used. For some reason they vibrate like crazy. Then one exception is if you find one that is in the Gray color before they switched to Orange. These were made by Emerson and are pretty good machines. My Dad has one.

The other couple of important things no matter what saw you get is make sure to get a good blade and tune the saw up properly. There are tons of videos on youtube but Alan Snodgrass is one of the best. I recommend Timberwolf blades. Grizzly sells them as well as Woodcraft.


I hope that helps. If you have any other questions please ask.

Bret

 

[Growlertdi]

Enjoyed reading the thread top to bottom. looking forward to more.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

I honestly couldn't have an intelligent conversation about which brand is the best or which size is the most versatile because I received mine as a gift, which means I didn't spend any time researching options like I normally would when considering a tool purchase.

I can tell you that my bandsaw is a Delta 14" from the mid-2000's (made in China). I know that Delta 14" bandsaws are fairly ubiquitous and have a generally decent reputation in the woodworking community, with the US made ones being the preferred option, but many conceding that the China ones aren't a bad option if purchased for the right price on the used market. Personally, I've been very pleased with mine once I got it all tuned up (a story in itself). Maybe someone else with more experience will chime in. There also seem to be more than a few threads about bandsaws here on GJ, although it might take a little time to wade through all the threads about guys who want to cut metal with a woodworking bandsaw:

https://www.google.com/search?sourc...hUKEwjMzr6XupznAhVMK80KHb7fBr8Q4dUDCAc&uact=5

Thanks for the info. The fact that you have and are using a brand with no complaints is a pretty good endorsement to me.

Jeff I will give my advice. If you plan on getting serious in the near future in woodworking than I wouldn't get anything smaller than a 14".

You can buy a very good new from Grizzly but if you aren't for certain about it I recommend searching craigslist or facebook marketplace for a good used one.

Here is the Grizzly. It is a little bit of money but worth every penny.

https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-14-1-HP-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0555LX

People sell them all the time when they are moving because they are bulky and hard to store.

Delta, Jet, Grizzly are pretty much the same machine. They all run a 93.5" blade unless they have the 6" riser block on them which requires a longer blade and gives the saw a 12" height capacity for resawing. Most 14" saws have 6".

Powermatic is probably the Cadillac. If you see one for a good price grab it.

Don't buy a Ridgid or the cheaply made Porter Cable @ Lowes. Both of these have quality issues. You will see alot of Ridgid for sale used. For some reason they vibrate like crazy. Then one exception is if you find one that is in the Gray color before they switched to Orange. These were made by Emerson and are pretty good machines. My Dad has one.

The other couple of important things no matter what saw you get is make sure to get a good blade and tune the saw up properly. There are tons of videos on youtube but Alan Snodgrass is one of the best. I recommend Timberwolf blades. Grizzly sells them as well as Woodcraft.


I hope that helps. If you have any other questions please ask.

Bret

Bret, thanks for the good info. I have been watching the local Craig's list. Maybe I will get lucky one of these days. Stopped at Woodcraft over the weekend and looked at what they have - major investment.

Jeff

 

[Jeff Ivers]

I wish I could keep my garage as organized as yours!

Thank you for the compliment and for visiting this site. I thought at first you might have me confused with someone else, so I went back and reread my own thread and that is when I realized ... (shhhh, don't tell anyone, but I typically post only when I have completed an improvement project and have the place fairly well cleaned up.)

Now, this is what it looks like when I am actually working on something.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Enjoyed reading the thread top to bottom. looking forward to more.

Thanks for stopping in. I hope to complete several projects over the next few days - waiting for finish to dry.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

I mentioned a few posts ago that I had some problems with my Black & Decker router mounted in my Craftsman router table. I ended up through drilling the base plate and attaching the router with machine screws and locknuts.

Then, I replaced this:


with this:


I was having trouble using that wing nut to get the router plunge depth locked when mounted under the table. I JB Welded a coupling nut to a throw-away socket to make an assembly that I can use the 1/4 inch driver on. When I find a used screwdriver or 1/4 driver cheap, I will end up shortening it and JB welding it to the socket assembly.

Today, I finished my first Xmas tree, thanks to the plans that Bret pointed me to.

This shows the stand I attached to mine.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

In December, since support on Win 7 was ending, I purchased a new laptop with Win 10. Of course that led to rearranging my computer desk. At which point, I discovered that the mouse pad had reacted with the finish on the edge of my desk.

So, I took it out to the shop to clean/sand the affected area and try to refinish the desk. I was really worried about doing a partial refinish and having it look ok. Then I decided I needed a riser for my printer and thought that would be a good pallet lumber project. Here is the riser:

And here is everything back together..

 

[bj383ss]

Jeff the riser and the desk look great.

I think my parents had that same computer desk. They bought it in 1995 when we got a Micron Desketop for $1,500. What a piece of **** it was. The desk survived until last year when they sold their house in town and retired to the lake. I think the junk guys you pay to come take your stuff finally hauled it off.

Bret

 

[spudley]

Stopped at Woodcraft over the weekend and looked at what they have - major investment.

Jeff

I bought a 14" Rikon from WoodCraft. Supposedly it had all the improvements needed.

Out of the box it had rusty access door hinges, a worthless blade, unbalanced wheels, nearly impossible to adjust guides and lousy tires.

I've taken classes in band saw operation, watched Alex Snodgrass videos, went to his demo's at Woodworking shows, even personally talked to him for tips and I can't get that saw to resaw worth a damn, even with TimberWolf blades.

Anyway rant over... but stay away from Rikon.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Jeff the riser and the desk look great.

I think my parents had that same computer desk. They bought it in 1995 when we got a Micron Desketop for $1,500. What a piece of **** it was. The desk survived until last year when they sold their house in town and retired to the lake. I think the junk guys you pay to come take your stuff finally hauled it off.

Bret

Thanks, Bret. I have probably had this computer desk at least that long. It has always suited me well. Wish my oak pieces for the riser had all been the same but decided to use what I have since it is covered by the printer anyway. I am thinking the center piece is white oak and the side pieces are red oak, but what I think is white oak has (to me) an unusual grain pattern. Any advice on how to get better at identifying salvage lumber?

 

[Jeff Ivers]

I bought a 14" Rikon from WoodCraft. Supposedly it had all the improvements needed.

Out of the box it had rusty access door hinges, a worthless blade, unbalanced wheels, nearly impossible to adjust guides and lousy tires.

I've taken classes in band saw operation, watched Alan Snodgras videos, went to his demo's at Woodworking shows, even personally talked to him for tips and I can't get that saw to resaw worth a damn, even with TimberWolf blades.

Anyway rant over... but stay away from Rikon.

Sorry to hear you were not happy with your Rikon and thank you for the warning - good information. Pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean by "resaw"?

 

[spudley]

Resawing is recutting an already dimensioned board. So if you have a 3/4" x 6" thick board you could slice cut (3) 1/4" X 6" boards (minus the blade width).

Skilled band saw operators (with much more talent than me) can make thin veneer pieces that can then be glued on to less attractive or more stable grained wood, making the good wood last longer.

Alex Snodgrass can cut perfect 1/8" slices better than I can butter bread, but he knows how to use a bandsaw.

 

[GreyOwl]

Thanks, Bret. I have probably had this computer desk at least that long. It has always suited me well. Wish my oak pieces for the riser had all been the same but decided to use what I have since it is covered by the printer anyway. I am thinking the center piece is white oak and the side pieces are red oak, but what I think is white oak has (to me) an unusual grain pattern. Any advice on how to get better at identifying salvage lumber?

The center piece looks to me to be quarter sawn white oak. Quarter sawing produces a unique grain pattern that looks really nice.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Resawing is recutting an already dimensioned board. So if you have a 3/4" x 6" thick board you could slice cut (3) 1/4" X 6" boards (minus the blade width).

Skilled band saw operators (with much more talent than me) can make thin veneer pieces that can then be glued on to less attractive or more stable grained wood, making the good wood last longer.

Alex Snodgrass can cut perfect 1/8" slices better than I can butter bread, but he knows how to use a bandsaw.

Thanks for the clarification on "resaw". Perhaps Snodgrass just has more practice than you do?

The center piece looks to me to be quarter sawn white oak. Quarter sawing produces a unique grain pattern that looks really nice.

Thanks for identifying that for me. After I read your post I did an online search and found pictures of quarter sawn white oak that look like what I have.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

I have experienced a bit of hiatus from here. Time taken out to attend a couple of petroliana shows, replace my washing machine, disassemble the old washing machine for recycling, prepare tax returns and other things that kept getting in the way of my shop time. But today, I was able to wrap up a couple of minor projects.


I started with some pallet lumber oak that I wanted to turn into a deep-reach clamp.

After some table saw work and some passes through my planer.

Today, I drilled the arms to accommodate the clamp bolt. A eureka moment for me today (very amateur word worker) was when I came up with the idea of chucking a pencil in the drill press with the point down so I could do a better job of locating my desired drilling spot in the correct place.

The finished clamp with a walnut handle for the clamp screw.

I scavenged some additional pieces of pallet oak.

And, turned them into this small desk tray to keep receipts organized in.

 

[bj383ss]

Great update. I need to make some of those deep reach clamp. The store bought ones are so expensive for that size. The tray turned out really nice. You can't hardly beat pallet for wood for small projects.

Bret

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Great update. I need to make some of those deep reach clamp. The store bought ones are so expensive for that size. The tray turned out really nice. You can't hardly beat pallet for wood for small projects.

Bret

Thank you, Bret. I see you've been keeping busy with rock and steel - are you moving more to metal working for a spell?

 

[Jeff Ivers]

With all this Corona Craziness, I have been spending as much time in the shop as possible. Mostly, I have been working on piddly woodworking projects, primarily using salvaged pallet lumber.

As I was threading my way through the tools I had drug out and the piles of materials, I started feeling the need for some organizational changes in the shop. Probably true for everyone, but definitely true for the DIY shop that organizational needs are always evolving - new tools acquired, replacement tools that don't fit where the original did, more hardware spares, etc. So, I am looking around the shop and I notice my planer, mounted on a board with a cleat on the bottom so I can chuck it in one of my workmates when I want to use it. The problem I saw was that when not in use, it does not fit in any cabinet or on any bench that I have. It was taking up floor space. I said to myself, if that was on a stand, I could store things under it and free up some of my benchtop area!


The planer was mounted on this board with a cleat on the bottom. I thought it would make a fine stand top if I just added some legs. Started looking around the shop and barn and found the following:



When I started diagramming the planned build, I realized I could turn this stand into a cabinet by using the plywood scraps I had. Of course, then I decided I should run all this 2 by stock thru the table saw and planer for appearance sake.



After 1 coat of BLO, this is what I have:



I love these casters. they are the best ones I have on anything in my shop. They are also the only thing I purchased for this project. I'll post a pic of the finished project when all the finishing steps are complete.

Stay safe out there everyone!

 

[bj383ss]

Planer cart looks good. I often go down the same route of getting distracted by shop organizing. But I find it almost as much as building projects so that's okay.

Bret

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Planer cart looks good. I often go down the same route of getting distracted by shop organizing. But I find it almost as much as building projects so that's okay.

Bret

Thanks, Bret. Keep posting about your woodworking projects, as I need the inspiration. Who knows, maybe someday I will graduate to doing drawers!

 

[Jeff Ivers]

It's a wrap! Today, I finished my planer cabinet.






I love being able to use saved scraps to do an entire project. As you can tell from the pics, there are several different types of wood used. Some of the main structure was salvaged from pallet lumber and some was ripped from short lengths of 2x6 left over from the house build (28 years ago).