Woodworking for Engineers

[JCMTools]

Has anyone built any of the machines on the woodworking for engineers website?

http://woodgears.ca/

He's got plans and photos of some really interesting projects, including woodworking machines. I hope to someday have the time and headspace to build one of his wooden band saws and marble machines.

Someday.

 

[brianh]

I bought his gear program and have had a lot of fun with it practical and cheap.

 

[JCMTools]

That's a nice looking gate latch. Where did you get the cast gear?

 

[brianh]

The gear is 2" insulation foam coated with a stain and a rust treatment, great to watch someone pick it up I used a torch very carefully to make it look worn and pitted.

The gear program outputs dxf files as one option so I can machine it on the cnc router

 

[theoldwizard1]

I have the plans for the band saw. Some day ...

Check Matthias Wandel's YouTube channel. He also has some of the best plans for a simple 2x4 bench I have ever seen. The only tools required are a circular saw and an electric drill.

 

[zkling]

I admirer his ambition and creative ideas, however I feel they are along the lines of the Gingery books. Practicality is very low.

 

[Fretters]

The gear is 2" insulation foam coated with a stain and a rust treatment, great to watch someone pick it up I used a torch very carefully to make it look worn and pitted.

The gear program outputs dxf files as one option so I can machine it on the cnc router

Nicely done. It's nigh on impossible to tell, judging from the photo, that the gear isn't real. Seems very lifelike.

 

[Fretters]

Practicality is very low.

All or some pieces? Any specific reasoning other than wood being the primary component? Just asking out of curiosity, btw. Been a long time since I browsed that site, but can't remember anything offhand which seemed impractical or unfeasible.

 

[rlitman]

I admirer his ambition and creative ideas, however I feel they are along the lines of the Gingery books. Practicality is very low.

I disagree. I'd love to have the time to build a pantarouter.

 

[zkling]

All or some pieces? Any specific reasoning other than wood being the primary component? Just asking out of curiosity, btw. Been a long time since I browsed that site, but can't remember anything offhand which seemed impractical or unfeasible.

Most. For the time, effort and money invested into most of those common machines. One could buy a used machine, even completly rebuild it, and end up with a quality, engineered machine that is going to work for many years to come. Just my opinion.

I disagree. I'd love to have the time to build a pantarouter.

I will admit, that is his best and most useful homebuilt machine, up there with router tables. However things like bandsaws, table saws, jointers, drill press, box fans. Are better bought, new or used.

The guy is a true craftsman and very ingenuitive, but for someone that wants to get some work done, like the Gingery machines, they just are not practical for most people.

 

[Fcvapor05]

Most. For the time, effort and money invested into most of those common machines. One could buy a used machine, even completly rebuild it, and end up with a quality, engineered machine that is going to work for many years to come. Just my opinion.

Some people (me included) derive more pleasure from building things than they do from buying them, so much so that additional cost doesn't matter.

 

[JCMTools]

Most. For the time, effort and money invested into most of those common machines. One could buy a used machine, even completly rebuild it, and end up with a quality, engineered machine that is going to work for many years to come. Just my opinion.

I can see where you're coming from. For the bandsaw in particular, though, I can see how it would net out to build it myself. Buying, transporting, cleaning, restoring and tuning an inexpensive project bandsaw may wind up being as much time and a lot more expensive than building it myself. But then again, I love the old machines.

I did find it particularly interesting when he calculated deflection of a wooden bandsaw compared to cast iron.

 

[zkling]

Some people (me included) derive more pleasure from building things than they do from buying them, so much so that additional cost doesn't matter.

Nothing wrong with that. When I was younger and dumber I built a welder out of some old microwaves. Practical vs a super common buzz box? Nope, but I learned alot. As I mentioned numerous times. I'm not faluting the guy at all, he and those that make those projects are very ambitious. But for common tools I just don't think they are practical in this day and age for the average person.

 

[PugetDude]

Nothing wrong with that. When I was younger and dumber I built a welder out of some old microwaves. Practical vs a super common buzz box? Nope, but I learned alot. As I mentioned numerous times. I'm not faluting the guy at all, he and those that make those projects are very ambitious. But for common tools I just don't think they are practical in this day and age for the average person.

For some, the journey is the destination.