Power Tool Woodworking

Category: Power Tool Woodworking

The Normite section of my blog, some times I just want to play and talk about the big tools.

Workbench tops prt. 2

March 15, 2009

Last week I promised I would provide an updated MC histogram, so Friday night a broke out the moisture meter and took some readings. I found it really interesting, that in only 6 days  some of the boards had shown significant changes in MC.

histogramdaysix

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Posted in: Power Tool Woodworking
Part of the Project

The start of workbench tops

March 9, 2009

Now that the steel bases for my work benches are welded together, I can start working on the wood tops. Yesterday my friend Stuart & I made a trip to Menards to pick up the wood I needed.  After about an hour of sorting through the lumber rack, we had picked out 14 decent 2″ x 12″ x 14′ Southern yellow pine boards.  After we got them back to my place, we cut them in half for stacking and stickering.  I thought 275 board feet of lumber would make a bigger pile, than it actually did.

2x12sypstacked & stickered

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Posted in: Power Tool Woodworking
Part of the Project

Bench legs are finally done.

March 1, 2009

I finally got time to finish welding my workbench legs today. I really underestimated the amount of time it was going to take. Though it was more work than I expected, I enjoyed it, and my weld skills are much better now than when I started. Next up is making the Sothern yellow pine tops, so stay tuned.

Posted in: Power Tool Woodworking
Part of the Project

Shop made dust collector

July 12, 2008

I recently picked up a jointer, and after a few minutes of use I realized it was time to get a dust collector. I don’t have space for a commercial collector, so as usual I turned to the net to look for alternatives. After a few hours of searching I came across Phil Thein’s website, and quickly realized I had found the solution I was looking for.

I constructed my dust collector from the following materials.

  1. The motor of a Harbor Freight Mini Dust Collector
  2. quarter sheet of 3/4″ MDF
  3. quarter sheet of 1/4″ Hardboard
  4. 4″ elbow
  5. 30 gallon garbage can

All set up and ready to use

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Simple Router Sled

June 28, 2008

Eventually I plan to build a workbench with a hard maple top. I only have a 13″ planer, so I thought I would have to wait till i got a bigger planer, or pay someone else to plane the top. One night while surfing SawmillCreek, I stumbled across a post that referenced a simple shop made tool called a router sled that wold let me flatten a bench top or any other large wood surface with tools I already have. Since I have never used a router sled before, I decided to make a small one and use it to make some tops for my role-away tool chests.

The base is made out of 3/4″ MDF. The bottom is a single layer and the sides are two layers screwed together, & to the base with drywall screws. The slides are dual purpose, they insure the base is flat and they provide an elevated surface for the bridge to rest on.

base

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