It was definitely a weekend revolving around the new tool (understandably), from the pickup/delivery organising on Friday, the assembly (and getting it into the shed) Saturday, and commissioning it with some real tasks on Sunday.

If you were wondering how I was going to fit a 2.5m x 1m tool in my workshop, well, you were not the only one!  With a large pry bar!  Archimedes once remarked (paraphrasing) that with a firm place to stand he could move the Earth (with a long-enough lever that is).

Makin' a Hole

Clearing space was a combination of moving the jointer to where the router table was, removing the corner bench and in future the sanders will (potentially) be on roll-outs from under the Torque, and the router table met an untimely end, with the top being amalgamated with the TWC.  A hole was born.

The Torque arrives in its new home

I did try the TWC along the back wall, but lost too much access around the unit.  The MDF top has yet to be added – will do so some time this week.

That 1300mm arm is huge – I’m going to fit the 600mm (or 900mm) arms for the majority of the jobs, and the 1300 will get used only when I need that much extension.  For some workshops it probably would remain, but that is the one compromise on space I will have to make.  Sure looks nice here (by the end of the weekend it sure ended up rather dusty!)

Adding the Router Table

Here I have added the router table (with Incra Positioner/Fence) to the end where there is some dead space (because of the way the tools are carried on the left side of the arm), so this really utilises that area. I’ve moved the bandsaw further back so I have adequate access to the router table, and it isn’t hard to swing the entire unit out from the wall if I need more in-feed area.  Since this photo, I have also replaced the first module of the top with a plain cast-iron wing – it won’t be a two-router table now (well it is, but one is overhead), and I’ve shortened the cast iron top to 3 wings from the original 5.  The MDF of the rest of the bed will be at the same height, so there is no shortage of area for the positioner now!  At 2.5m long, this may be the largest router table in the world!

The clamp roof

The clamp wall was a problem, both getting access to the clamps, and also having them interfere with the X axis of the TWC, so they have been moved to the roof.  If the clamps are any good, then it won’t be a problem where they are!  Added benefit – partway through a clamp-up, if I need another I just reach up!

Temporary Triton Mount

One minor glitch I had (and it will be rectified by the end of the week), is the router mount had support posts for a Makita (I think), and not the Triton – the Triton needs both a larger diameter and a longer post.  Converting the Triton to fit the table took a few seconds, as did reverting it back to standard operation.  I was surprised just how easy it was – a single circlip.  So that I could make use of the router before the parts arrive, I added the old Triton quick-release plate from the original Triton router table.  The setup is rather flimsy like this, but it got the job done.

Oven Doors

First job was the oven doors for the kid’s kitchen – setting the stops for the size of the opening, then routing it out.  I also used the same method for cutting hinge mortises.

Oven Shelf

The second job was creating the shelf in the oven.  Rather than just a plain shelf, I didn’t want the inside of the oven to look like a cupboard, so I cut parallel slots through using a 1/2″ straight router bit, and moved the whole setup 30mm for each pass.  Again, something that could have been done other ways, but this was a very simple (and accurate) method.  It’s like using a machine with a built-in, adjustable jig.

So that was all I had time for in the end, but already it has been demonstrating for me just how functional the concept is.

There is a NZ author called Hugh Cook who wrote a series of 10 fantasy books which all had titles “The something and the something“, such as “The Wordsmiths and the Warguild”.  He was planning a series of 60 books, but sales didn’t eventuate, which is a pity. I’d have needed another bookcase though!  Nothing else relevant in this, other than whenever I read (or write) “The something and the something“, I’m reminded of Hugh Cook.

Back when I bought my Triton Workcentre – the Workcentre 2000, I was concerned if there was going to be a 2002 version that was going to supersede it – the danger of using a name that also depicts a year.  A lesson that Microsoft are starting to learn – your product is dated by the name.  As it turned out, the WC2000 was the final version – a newer version that was ready for prototyping was binned by GMC when they took over.  When Triton still existed as a company, they did get the occasional prompt to bring out a new version – a 2005 version for example.  This never happened (obviously), but there were a number of existing owners who wished it would happen.

As I was assembling the TWC, a feeling of familiarity, and deja vu struck, and stuck.  Even though I found I didn’t need any assembly manual to put the TWC together, the home-grown aspect to both companies did come through, but the differences also came through strongly – one being thin pressed metal and aluminium section, the other being steel, steel and more steel.

Despite there being no commonality between the companies, or between the workcentres (other than both being Australian Engineering, both being called workcentres, and both being woodworking related), there is a degree to which the Torque Workcentre (TWC) could be regarded as being a logical upgrade to the Triton.

Consider each function:

The Tablesaw.

The biggest criticism Triton owners hear, is the money they spent on the Triton Workcentre system over the years could have bought a significant tablesaw.  There are counter arguments to that, but not relevant for this article.  They then have a brushed-motor circular saw secured by plastic under a pressed-metal top, in an item that weighs around 30-40kg.  (Again, there are all sorts of other pros and cons, not my intent to discuss).  It can handle (with the extension table) a 2400×1200 sheet, with a cut depth of around 65-67mm.  A plastic-thread height winder.

The Torque workcentre is not an ideal tablesaw, and if you already had a tablesaw you wouldn’t consider the Torque as a replacement.  However, despite having a very good cast iron tablesaw I am still looking forward to being able to process sheet goods on the Torque with ease – being able to lay the goods out, and bring the saw to the sheet (with all the control the TWC offers) to safely process the sheet into the required sections.  For ripping, a tablesaw is still the preferred method, whereas for crosscutting, the TWC has it all over the Triton, as with a saw attached it effectively becomes a radial arm saw, which until the development of the SCMS (sliding compound mitre saw) was held in very high esteem in many, many workshops (and still is by existing owners).  The TWC could potentially give a radial arm saw some serious competition – increased range, support at both ends of the arm for 90 degree cuts etc.  A top quality RAS would most likely win, but for most workshops, the Torque makes the grade.

The Router Table.

The Triton router table was the first item that I left behind as my woodworking improved – I felt held back by its limitations – the top wasn’t flat enough for my needs, and I headed down paths seeking more and more accuracy, precision and flatness.  There is a definite benefit to a table-mounted router, but one thing I found missing (and had no solution for) was the ability to have the router controlled in an overhead position, without having to hand-hold it.

This is where the Torque absolutely kicks butt.  Even when all the other parallel functions being discussed here are removed, replaced with dedicated machines, you’d still look at the Torque Workcentre as an overhead router system – it is what the TWC excels at, and the primary reason for buying one.  All other functions of the workcentre are secondary to this – bonuses. IMO that is! There is so much potential that overhead routing capabilites provides, I’m going to be exploring it for a long time yet!

Now this doesn’t mean the table-mounted router is obsolete – far from it.  How I have dealt with that, is combining the two tools, and I have an area where the table-mounted router resides in the top of the Torque workcentre, and at this stage I don’t believe it does anything to detract from either machine.  While the table-mounted router is in place, I loose about 300mm of total capacity of the TWC because I have placed it at the end where there is some dead-space anyway, and I can regain that area by simply lifting the table-mounted router out to regain the full TWC capacity. The best of both worlds you might say.

When in place, the table-mounted router has the advantage of a cast-iron top (which I added), and the Incra LS Positioner and Fence, so that is pretty optimised, and yet I also have the overhead TWC to complement it.

I’ve long seen the router table as being a compromised tool – most workshops that have one have had to make it themselves (other than the low-cost Triton, GMC or Ryobi tables).  To get a machine as serious as the tablesaw as a router table, you’ve had to turn to the spindle moulder, and that machine has a very limited top speed, and is not effective for small router bits. (Not that I am belittling the Spindle Moulder – it is a very capable machine, and can be found in many professional workshops, but it isn’t designed for modern router bits.) The TWC is a machine built specifically for the router.

Drill Press.

Like the tablesaw, it is an additional (rather than primary) solution.  Like the Triton, take a hand power tool and give it extra functionality by providing a solid mount.  But again, in a pretty serious way – a drill press that can drill materials up to around 1300mm from the support pole, has massive work support, can handle angles, and drill points in arcs.

Jointer/Planer/Thicknesser.

There isn’t to my knowledge a jointer on the market that can allow you to prepare the face of a board 2000×1300, yet that is bread and butter for the TWC.  And anything smaller.  I’d say many workshops will still have a dedicated machine, but when its capabilities are exceeded, the TWC takes over.  If you don’t have a jointer yet, the TWC puts off the requirement to invest in one.  It doesn’t do the jointing the edge to 90 degrees to the face however (although you can use a router bit to run down the edge to perform that role).  You can also thickness with it, and again with significant capacity beyond any affordable thicknesser on the market!  For smaller items, a dedicated machine will be faster and easier, but the TWC can still substitute until you have the dedicated machine.

So, what do you think?  Could the TWC be regarded as an upgrade to the Triton system?  Both fit hand-held power tools to increase their safety and functionality.  One weighs a substantial 200+kg, so has the stability (with a corresponding loss to portability).

It was hard having to wait to assemble the workcentre – having it sit overnight waiting.  At least it arrived on a Friday!

First job was unpacking the remains of the container, and seeing what, if anything was missing.  By the end of the build, only 2 things appear to have been lost – a single bolt of 4 that holds one of the wheels on, and the assembly instructions!

So a pretty fortunate outcome in the end.

Disassembly of the 'crate'

I was concerned about that gap in the middle, but I now think this is for the shorter versions of the support arm – this unit shipped with the longest 1300mm version, which gets packaged with the 2 main beams rather than in this crate.

After laying it all out, the assembly task did not look that daunting, and in hindsight it wasn’t – nothing like even assembling a Triton Workcentre – this assembly didn’t need instructions, let alone the difficulty caused by missing a single step of the Triton assembly.

Components laid out

Assembly begins upside down, and the tapped holes make it obvious how it goes together.  The two main rails are set out, with the cross bracing bolted across.

Main platform assembled

The legs are then added to either end, with the adjustable legs (which also are the ones with brakes) to the front.  Once this section is finished, the unit it flipped upright for the rest of the assembly.

Legs Assembled

I didn’t get any photos of the next stage – it went so quickly and smoothly it was over before I picked the camera up again.  Throughout the build, I did have the video running, so at least that (hopefully) caught some of the action!

Workcentre Completed

Throughout the build, with every component I picked up I was reminded of the significance of each component – they were heavy, strong, and it was both obvious that it had been built by hand (and not in a bad way), and wasn’t some mass-overseas-produced tool.  This is solid, Australian engineering as it should be.

The total build took all of 90 minutes – a very smooth assembly, even without the instructions.

Tool platform with router attachment

This is the platform for the various tools – in this case for the router.  It includes the optional dust collections shroud. There is still some fine-tuning to do, and a top to be added which I will cover in the next article(s).

Heavy Engineering

From the base, to the upright, the support arm and the tool carrier, it is solid components, solid construction all the way.

It is one thing to see such a unit set up and operating at a woodshow, but you get a real sense for the quality during the build phase.

Without exaggeration, it has been one crazy day, one crazy week.  Add on top of that the imminent arrival of the Torque Workcentre, and, well, talk about riding the troughs and peaks.

The Workcentre was meant to arrive today initially, as I confirmed yesterday afternoon with the courier, and was told that there had been so many express deliveries, that my express delivery had been delayed, and was now due in Melbourne lunchtime, which meant a probably delivery of Monday.  However, checking this morning and instead the new message was that it had arrived in Melbourne already, and the truck was coming out today, and by the way how was I planning on getting the two parcels off the truck, given that they weight 112kg and 140kg respectively and the driver is allowed to lift a maximum of 20kg?

Hmm, guess having a forklift in the backyard might be typical in some quarters, but certainly not around here.  For all the deliveries I’ve ever had, I’ve never before been expected to unload the truck myself.  That might hold true for businesses, but not for private addresses IMHO.

So after dwelling on it for a while, I was able to arrange for the delivery to be diverted to a company with a forklift who were happy to help out – thanks guys – much appreciated!  Being diverted meant it should again arrive on Monday, but the courier company to their credit was able to get the delivery happening today, so late this afternoon I picked up the TWC and drove it home.

I started unwrapping the unit, but after having a chat with Torque by phone, another complication came up.  When the unit was boxed and left the company, it had 6×16mm MDF sides (inc top and base).  By the time it arrived here, 4 of the 6 sides had vanished and had been replaced with metal banding and shrinkwrap, as was another unit delivered today apparently (which developed a case of missing parts).

The mysterious wrapping

I had started cutting the shrinkwrap – it was fully around the unit , rather than what is seen here.  The sides have vanished, and who knows if the load is now still complete.  Furthermore, the metal banding wasn’t there when the package left the manufacturers.

Parts

Not sure how a 16mm MDF box was broken, and mine wasn’t the only one for the day apparently.  These are normally strong enough to have one stacked on top of another.  What did they do? Drop it on an edge? Then patch it up in the hopes I wouldn’t know better?

Anyway, past all that – we will find out tomorrow if it is still all complete.

Got the rails out (different package) and placed them on the artificial turf alongside the house.

Rails

And yes, if that toy looks familiar, it is most likely exactly what you think it is – the original kid’s toy made on, and for Triton (not by me), and the toymaker competition it used to sponsor at the original woodshows.  I rescued it when the Triton factory was being demolished.

Torque 1300mm bar

So, assembly begins tomorrow!

I was sitting at my desk at work after buying lunch (stir-fry on rice) which came with wooden chopsticks that had to be split apart.  A colleague watching what I was doing then remarked he was surprised I didn’t then use my desk handplane to finish the job.  Hmm – good idea, and the next thing there was a small pile of shavings from the now smooth chopsticks on my desk.

Is that the definition of sad, or the fact that I currently use some tinted/UV rated safety glasses as sunglasses at the moment!

After something like 10 years (or more) of receiving spam emails I have no idea how many thousands I have received.  365 x 10 x 20/day (minimum!!) = 70,000 or more.

Today I actually got one that looked slightly interesting – one from a publisher of toy making woodworking books.

Scrollsaw Dinosaurs

Against my better judgment, I actually paid enough attention to the spam to have made it worth their while, and even jumped on Amazon to buy a copy.  (I know – stupid – only encourages the very practice I can’t stand (spam)).

However:

1. Wish companies would not regard spam as a valid marketing tool (although in this case I guess it achieved their objective, but from a customer’s perspective, 1 useful spam in 70,000 or more (probably a lot more) is a pretty crappy return.

2. Don’t spam people who can’t buy your product anyway!  Seems that Australians are blocked from buying this book.  Don’t know why but it gets really annoying to those of us down under when US companies deliberately choose to not sell in, or export to Australia.  That decision may not have been a conscious one in this case, but I have come across a number of examples of companies who have been approached to have their products imported into Australia, who have declined, preferring to sell only to the US/Canada/UK/EU marketplace.  Sure we have a comparatively small population, but why is our money shunned?

3. I hate spammers.

4. BTW – did anyone see the comment on this blog recently from “Steven” who accused me of being a spammer/marketer for Accu-line?  Hard to be a spammer if you didn’t send out an email!!

Is that Friday’s the day. The workcentre is at the courier dist centre and will be loaded onto the express Melbourne-bound truck this evening.

Can’t wait- already have a half-dozen jobs lined up for it – a number for this weekend! Going to have to do a pretty rapid build/assembly, so it is great that I’ve had such a comprehensive introduction by Larry and Aaron!

A few years ago when I was making my entertainment unit using pine veneered onto MDF (at the time it was what I could afford, and meant I didn’t have to do massive amounts of joinery to get the large panels I needed).  At that stage, the company I used (Australian Wood Panels) had an impressive array of veneered panels you could choose from – jarrah, blackwood, walnut, pine etc etc – about 10-15 different timbers.

It seems in recent times they are now primarily limited to raw MDF and ply (and melamine), and you have to order in the veneered panels (I’m talking about 1200×2400 veneers, not something you can do in the shed with a vacuum bag, or an iron!)

If anyone knows where a decent range of veneered panels on different cores can still be sourced, I’m sure there will be people interested in knowing.

Entertainment Unit

An old photo of the entertainment unit from years ago – at least 6 years ago, if not more.  The unit wasn’t completed in this photo – still had the doors to go (all raised panel for the 4 lower ones, and glass for the 2 display cabinets) (and I don’t think I ever took a photo of the unit completed).  It is now scattered around the house – the two side modules are still there, but the TV when upgraded to a plasma no longer fitted, so the central module is now in a different room, and the TV itself is now in the shed!  (Even the digital camera used is ancient – 0.3MP)

In the (old) shed, during the build

Boy, some of these photos go back!  Back to the old shed days when I still had plenty of room in it! Triton Workcentre there in the foreground, GMC lathe in the background.

Assembly and finishing

Back in the days before I had grass – the back yard was sand, and that’s my dingo asleep beside the blue rubbish bin.  As you can see from this photo, I finished as I went, so areas that were going to be hard to get a decent finish on after assembly were pre-done.  All finished with a jarrah stain and Ubeaut traditional wax. The sides, and shelves are pine veneered MDF, the fronts are solid pine (so I could rout detail into them, and for added strength for hinges etc.  I mush have done a pretty good job of the build as the cabinets are still going strong.

The can of worms otherwise known as sanders is more of a Pandora’s box that I’m not ready to really spring the lid on.  Needless to say there are a whole range of different sanders out there, belt, 1/4 sheet, orbital, random orbital, finger…

The Random Orbital Sander (ROS) came into existence in the early 90’s and is particularly good at finishes without introducing swirl marks because of its random action. Where non-random sanders are not particularly useful above around 400 grit, the ROS can be used to 1200 and beyond.  They are not particularly suitable for bulk material removal – there are much more aggressive sanders out there.

Now that I’ve sold, given away, or had fail every ROS I had in my arsenal, I’m having to look around for a replacement (and that doesn’t rule out getting a replacement pad for the Triton ROS, from somewhere….)

After the recent experience with the Domino, I thought I’d check out the Festool range.  There are a few sanders in the collection, and the two most suitable are the Rotex and the ETS.

The Festool Rotex at a bit under $1000 is rather impressive (and is around 12x more expensive than the Triton!).

Rotex RO 150

The ETS 150/5 is around $580, so still 7x.  That may be the end of the story, except for the number of people (including finishing experts) that swear by the Festool.

ETS 150/5

Whether I am going to be able to go down this path or not is pretty up in the air at the moment – need to give it some serious thought.  Not sure what other options there are either (yet).  More investigation required!

No, not the shed (not yet!), but the Torque Workcentre!  The build is complete, and it is getting boxed for shipping to Melbourne first thing tomorrow – awesome news

Today was very much more of the same – I broke down the last 2 sheets of 2400×1200 MDF (one 12mm, the other 16mm) using a circular saw and a guide.  I really have a very low opinion of circular saws – dislike using them at the best of times.  The real danger comes with kickback, and unlike a tablesaw where the kickback results in the piece of timber being thrown, when you are using a handheld circular saw, and it tries to kickback, it is the saw that jumps and bucks, and tries to rip out of your hands.  It doesn’t take much to cause that to happen either.  The blade only has to bind just a little in the cut for the blade to stop doing what it is meant to, transferring the power of the motor into the cutting tips of the blade, and instead transferring the motor power into a rotational force that your hands and arms have to resist or risk a runaway saw (and potentially serious damage).  Even if you get away with it, your large sheet can incur some significantly horrendous scars.

I hate circular saws.  It kicked back more than once on me – each time I twisted the blade slightly during the cut.  It was a moderately powered saw – 1800W with a thin kerf blade, so I don’t know what was contributing to the (user caused) problem.  Was it that the blade was thin, so could distort under incorrect loading easier and therefore bind? Was it the saw itself was too powerful vs its weight? Not powerful enough, so it stopped cutting when conditions were less than ideal?  Whatever the cause, there is an underlying cause – I didn’t cut perfectly straight.  I got past that task, but I’ll be happy if I never have to use a circular saw handheld again (and with the imminent arrival of the Torque Workcentre, which has a circular saw mount and can cut a full 1200 wide panel, I’m hoping it means I will never have to).

You might ask why I am using a handheld saw if I dislike them so much, when I have a large tablesaw?  Simple answer – I might have a big saw, but a small shed – I have to break the sheet down smaller to be able to handle it in there.  There is another reason – single-handedly managing a sheet that size through a tablesaw can still result in twisting the sheet (and having the sheet stop contacting the fence), and there is every potential of a kickback in that situation too.  In future, if I have to do it by hand again I am going to take Marc Spagnuolo’s approach, and have the sheet resting on the ground, with a sacrificial board underneath (he uses polystyrene) – it will take more of the variables out of the picture and result in more ability to focus on, and control the saw through the entire cut. (I found I was overreaching near the end, and that is when things were going pear-shaped).

Despite the couple of….issues during the breakdown, things were pretty productive and I got both fridges made, as well as all the doors and tops cut.  Now they are getting close to needing the finer details made and fitted – taps, knobs, handles and the small things that take the build from the ordinary just up to the next level.

All coming together

Some of the additional details I want to add include the fridge door- adding a shelf (on the inside obviously, like a real fridge), and an egg holder shelf.  It is little, easy details like that which will elevate the overall build to a level I will be happy with giving these to friends.  I still need to cut the stove elements, and the sink cavity, make the stove knobs, door handles etc etc – now that hard work (not necessarily the heavy work) begins.  I’m really looking forward to this part of the project – when it comes to life.

While I was working today, I found myself using one tool (other than the Domino) a number of times – one I find really useful.  It is the Black & Decker PowerFile.  I’ve had it for a number of years, and it is great for getting into areas, minor shaping, quick hinge mortising etc.

B&D Power File

It is a belt sander, running a finger-wide belt with an exposed end.  Not very clear in the photo, but the notch seen here in the MDF to fit around the cabinet upright was cut on the bandsaw.  I then needed to round the edge, and that is where the power file came into its own.

Got to kick the build of 2 kids’ kitchens on quite a way, and made extensive use of the Festool Domino in doing so. The precise, and repeatable placement of mortises really came into its own, and certainly helped a great deal with part alignment and project strength.

Module Sides

With 4 modules, all with identical sides it made the job even faster working out the position of the required Dominos, then repeating it for each unit.

To aid the layout, I found the Woodpeckers Story Stick absolutely invaluable.  It is the first time I’ve actually used the Story Stick in anger, and found it so relevant that I’d hesitate to say it is a much have if you are doing this sort of repeat work, particularly for larger constructs. The Incra Rules are perfect for smaller scale projects/jobs, and have also made a constant appearance on this build.  I find the Incra T Rules especially useful – inserting the 0.5mm pencil lead in the relevant hole for the required dimension, then slide the T Rule along the edge of the work to draw a line an exact distance in from the edge.

Using the Story Stick to Accurately Place Dominos

Repeatable Domino Placement

It is not just for dominos, but that was the application I was using it for.

Failed Triton ROS

I recently had the Triton ROS pad fail, rendering my TROS unusable, so had to resort to using an original Triton ROS that fits to the angle grinder.  This was new in packet, and fell apart after sanding just a single unit (poor tolerance control by the looks of it).  Frustration, and it has left me without any random orbital sander at all.  Just goes to show – you can’t have too many spare tools!

Carcasses in Process

So here is where I got up to – the carcasses of the sink (smaller unit) and oven/stove (larger unit) assembled – dominoed and glued.  I’m making two complete kitchens – thus the doubling up.  They are made to the design and specification requested by the respective parents.  The units don’t look like much at the moment, but this is the important part – the frame that the features get added to.

Cutting Shelf Support with the Domino

The Festool Domino really dominated this build – with all the parts making up each unit having dominos to increase strength, and ensure alignment.  Some shelves in the units I wanted to be removable, but still being kid’s furniture, I didn’t want the shelves able to simply be pulled and slip out.  So instead I went with dominos as shelf supports, and then cut a domino slot into the edge of the shelf, half exposed.

Using Dominos as Shelf Support

At this point, I think it simply appropriate to say thanks to all the earlier converts who persevered and persisted, and finally convinced me that the Festool Domino was a machine worth having.  It certainly is. And I never expected to be saying that!

6 months ago, I was talking about the dangers of oil-soaked rags, and bought some linseed oil (raw) to see if I could duplicate some of the ship fires I experienced, where incorrect disposal of linseed oil rags resulted in a spontaneous combustion.

It has taken from until now to actually carry out the first test, so into a wheelbarrow I placed a clean (new) rag, which had been significantly doused in raw linseed oil.  I used a wheelbarrow because it is obviously fire resistant, and means if I needed to, I could wheel it away, or flood it with water (or hit it with the fire extinguisher).

I ran the actual experiment outside for safety reasons again, and it’d be interesting to know if that had an impact on the initial results.

Spontaneous Combustion Experiment

Inside the shed I set up a laptop with some data logging software on it, and had a USB-powered thermocouple inserted into the centre of the rags to monitor the temperature.

Oiled Rags

The rags were quite soaked in the linseed oil, and screwed up like they were carelessly being thrown away.

The Results:

Temperature Range

I set the experiment to run for 10 hours (didn’t think it would need all that, but there you go), and sampling every 30 seconds.  1200 data points in all.  To explain some features of the graph – the first tiny spike was where I tested the ambient temperature.  The test started in the shade around 10:30 am, went through the heat of the day (ambient temperature was around 31 degrees C), and approx 3 hours in, the sun began directly impacting on the experiment (as you can see with the sudden temperature rise).

The temp started around 21 C, and peaked at 61 C, 6 hours into the experiment.  Didn’t think that was too bad a result, but certainly wasn’t the smoldering wreck I was expecting.  I could still pick up a bit of a skin reaction and that fuzzy feeling in the back of the sinuses, so there was some reaction going on, just not as much as I was expecting.

However, there are a number of variables that quite conceivably had an impact on the result.  The linseed oil was raw, and not boiled, the rag was quite thick, and not worn down at all.  The rag was screwed up, but not particularly tightly, and was out in the open rather than in a bin under other objects pushing down on it (increasing the compactness).  It was outside, in direct sunlight (which may have caused some evaporation of the oil, rather than having it remain to slowly combust).

I guess a second test is in order to eliminate some of these variables, and see if we can’t score a result (aka burn baby!)

With an upgrade of the brackets and the addition of a handle, the prototype was ready to try.

Immediate Affirmation

In a couple of seconds, I was surprised just how successful it was proving.  In a very short space of time, the entire shop was returned to a semblance of normalcy.  It is also a bit of a shock to see just how much dust was there – the contrast was rather marked.  It really goes to show I shouldn’t use hand tools (particularly circular saws) without some attempt at dust extraction.  Between that, and a less-than-ideal dust collection on the router table, the workshop was obviously significantly covered in a uniform dust skin.

Dust Broom

The broom handle is….a broom handle – one of those $4 ones from the hardware store.  A block of wood screwed across two of the brackets that are holding the wheels has an angled hole drilled, then tapped with the wood thread kit, and a matching male thread cut into the end of the broom handle.

The 4″ hose is the ultra-flexible dust hose from Carbatec.  It looks a little clumsy, and perhaps I need to go to version 3 to get some more bugs out, but you know me – when a prototype works well enough, it tends to end up being the final version.

Broom Detail

Part of the problem I was having (I now discover), is the amount of downforce generated by the dusty was sucking the nozzle down onto the ground as the brackets were not strong enough.  These new ones are coping (just), and the rubber matting is getting pulled towards the nozzle.  It works exceptionally well on the concrete floor.  My initial thought about variable height is not an issue once the handle was fitted – pushing down on the handle causes the nozzle to lift (riding on the two back castors only) so larger particles can be collected easily.

So not bad – bet there is a better commercial version out there though!

The new advert for the Torque Workcentre, about to hit the mags.  Apparently mine is pretty much finished and will be boarding the truck to head south probably on Monday (it might have been a little earlier, but the Brisbane Hands-On Expo is this weekend).

So it has finally arrived – the first of the new Hands-On Wood Shows, Brisbane this weekend (Friday to Sunday).  Sad I can’t be there – hope you all have a blast!  Some things to keep an eye out for: Addictive Pens – I really like their circuit-board blanks, and the snake-skin ones (still haven’t had a chance to turn the ones I got from the Melbourne show – had other priorities).  Torque Workcentre – have a good look at what this machine can do (and that is a lot more than just a bit of surfacing) and why I’m looking forward to having one in my workshop. Kreg – I’m interested in seeing all the new product range that will become available through a new venture.  There are heaps more too.  Carrolls, Carbatec, Carbitool, Magswitch, Tormek etc etc Have a look at the Exhibitor List (pdf) – looks an impressive collection.

So have a great show!

And as a reader of Stu’s Shed, you can get 2 tickets for the price of one.

For shed dwellers nirvana is a shed full of tools, finished products, accessories, timber, materials and plenty of free advice for the tricky bits!
Get a taste of shed heaven at the Hands-On Expo with woodwork, auto, metalwork and DIY tools, tips and techniques.
Stu’s Shed Special – save money with 2 tickets for the price of 1. Click here to take a mate for half the cost.

2 for 1: Stu’s Shed Special

Print out the PDF form and take it along on the day for you and a mate to get in for the price of a single ticket. The form is valid for Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Ok, so neither a router lift, a digital height gauge or a starter are router bits, but as I didn’t specifically have any router bits to showcase this month, I’ve opted for the next best thing – accessories for the router table to improve the accuracy of the bits you have.

The UniLift precisely controls the height of your router bit, and by using a rule, or digital height scale you can get the height set very accurately, and also to change from one to the next.   To take it to the next level, you can also fit a digital height gauge with remote readout directly to the UniLift.  The Wixey Remote Readout can be used in other applications – wherever you have a linear motion (max 125mm) and want to have the position remotely displayed, to 0.5mm.

Moving bracket

The first thing I did was determine where the unit was going to fit, given the specific router I have, and that I want to be able to remove and replace the entire lift with readout attached.  I fitted the bracket in a hole that is predrilled for this purpose, then bent it to the angle I required.

Isolating Screws

The Triton router is quite electronically noisy, and as it has been found to cause some interference with the Wixey digital readouts, it is necessary to electrically isolate the mechanism from the router.  Plastic bolts, nuts and washers are provided for this.

Wixey Sensor Fitted

I drilled a partial-depth hole into the underside of the router plate, and fitted the electronic rule (the green circuit board), and screwed the moving sensor to the bracket.  Now all that was needed was to plug in the Cat5 cable from the remote readout, and I had precise, digitally accurate relative height measurement for the router.

Ultimate Table Upgrade Components

So here are the components I’ve added to continue the router table upgrade (shown in the tablesaw mount – I’ll wait for the Torque Workcentre fitting before inserting the plate into my recently machined cast iron router top).  It consists of the Woodpeckers UniLift, Wixey Digital Remote Readout, and the Pro Router Switch all from Professional Woodworkers Supplies.  The switch is a no-volt release 10A switch (so it doesn’t automatically turn back on after a power outage), with illuminated lights for the on and off switches.

When I first came across the Woodpeckers Router Lift, I had 2 thoughts – a really visually appealing piece of engineering, and not something that would be particularly useful for owners of a Triton Router (given its built-in geared height adjustment, and particularly the microadjuster).

Times, and opinions change.

What really bought my attention back to the router lift was a router course I went on a year and a half ago, run by Richard Vaughan. He uses Triton routers, and yet was also bestowing the virtues of the router lift, and using them with the Triton.  Not being one to disregard such an expert (and informed) opinion I relooked at the whole concept, and reassessed why I had drawn my earlier conclusions.

I became more aware of a few issues I had with the router, and particularly as they were beginning to age – slack in the height threads (they are nylon, not steel in the Triton router), and some tendency for them to stick slightly when microadjusting.  Some of this can certainly be rectified by a good dismantling and clean, but there is something to the concept of not being dependent on the in-built threads to remain functional (not even touching on the whole Triton spares issues).

So when the opportunity came along to follow Richard’s lead, and add a full-blown router lift to my (self-coined) “Ultimate” router table, I’ve taken it (and the engineering is still very appealing!)

The Woodpeckers UniLift from Professional Woodworkers Supplies consists of a solid anodised aluminium top, various inserts for different sized router bits, which unlike to old Triton router table, are actually flush with the rest of the surface.  It comes with 3, and you can get a set of all 8 sizes if you have a need.  They were originally aluminium as well, but there were too many incidents where the rings were dropped on hard surfaces which caused them to distort and become unusable.  The plastic ones work as well, are as flush with the surface, and can be dropped!

UniLift Mechanism (with router carrier removed)

Below the top plate is where the real mechanism exists – 4 sprockets with a connecting chain, so when the height lever is used, everything turns at equal rates, smoothly raising and lowering the router. There are 4 support rods, and two threaded rods for height adjustment. Around the edge there are grub screws to fine-tune the fit and flushness of the plate to your router table top.

To fit the router, you first remove the router carrier and attach it directly to the base of the router.

Router Carrier Base

There are a number of holes to fit a wide variety of routers. I chose an orientation for the router to allow the best access to the controls.

Reattaching the carrier

Next, you drop the carrier into the bottom of the base, then wind the mechanism down so the screws can be reinserted to fix everything together.

That’s all that is needed to have the router lift operational.  There is a brake on one sprocket which is activated with a hex key (supplied), and another sprocket which can be rotated to take up slack in the chain.

Next article will cover fitting the Wixey digital height gauge with remote readout to the UniLift

Not that the build-to-order time is at all unreasonable (actually pretty quick) – I just can’t wait for the unit to be completed!

I keep thinking of other ways the unit may be used, and am keen to see what ideas will work, and which may not.

My latest ideas include:

- a form of Bas-Relief of a Stu’s Shed sign, using a real blade set at an angle as the template for that portion of the sign,

- using the Carb-i-tool 3D Router Carver templates with the copy attachment as an easier way of producing those designs (I think that will work exceptionally well),

- using a copy atttachment that has the ability to fit different bearing sizes so the same template can be used for different effects

- creating a pantograph for use with the copy attachment for scaling patterns/templates both up and down

- doing some sort of spirograph effect

- using some form of rudamentary lathe (basically just to hold the work) with an index ring for overhead routing of round objects – such as creating a fluted column or the like

- expanding that concept, with a gear on the lathe, and a second on a thread controlling the x-position of the router, and you can now rout a helix.  No I haven’t explained that at all well – I know what I mean though

- 3D object duplication – using the Torque as a wood mill (as in a metal mill for wood)

There are lots of possibilities once you have solid control over an overhead-mounted router.

As much as I do enjoy coming up with my own designs and projects, building them in my mind, working through the specifics of design, I also look at a LOT of woodworking plans.

I’ve gotten to the point that I don’t necessarily care whether the plan is in imperial or metric, but I do know a lot of people who are only comfortable working with plans that use the same measurement scale that is ‘native’ to their country, and as such pass up on the opportunity to use some incredible designs just because they are drawn up in inches and not millimetres (or the reverse).

At times, it really does become necessary to work in one, or the other, or worse, mix the two in the same project.  In Australia for example, being metric and mm being our forte, we run into a constant problem that often not only are the plans in imperial, but so are the tools!  Router bits are imperial, that is just a fact.  Often the same with other cutters, such as dado blades etc.  So what do we do?  Abandon projects that require a conversion?  Constantly get out a calculator and divide the fraction then multiply by 25.4? Or just use a better calculator.

The FastCap Converter Pro, from Professional Woodworkers Supplies allows calculations in digital imperial, fraction, and metric all in the same calculation and then have the answer in metric or a fraction (and flick between the two).

Converter Pro

So if you wanted to add 2.52″ + 2 5/32 +37.5mm you can.  Easily.

(The answer is 6 1/8″ or 156.28mm fwiw (and yes, I’d just round it to 156!)

Or subtract the kerf of your blade, measured using a digital caliper.  Or whatever.

The point is, you don’t have to ignore projects, plans, tools that use a measuring system you are not confident with. And that is the advantage that having the Converter Pro in your pocket gives you.

BankWest in Australia has recently conducted a shed survey across the country, with some interesting results – the most surprising being that a bank has actually looked up from their own navels and had a look at something that has importance to a number of its customers.

Bankwest Shed Index
4 September 2009

Today Bankwest released the latest research in its Social Indicator Series, the inaugural “Shed Index”.

So who is the typical shed user? 90% of primary shed users are men, spending two hours or less a week in the shed, generally wood turning, spray painting with some even installing a stereo or bar fridge to hang out in their backyard refuge.

The “Shed Index” also revealed some disturbing facts around sheds. Five per cent of sheds have been burgled, with thieves taking off with on average, contents worth $1,911, 16 per cent of men reported they had an accident in their shed, with one in five needing a trip to the doctors.

Whether women do or do not understand the importance of the Great Aussie Shed, there is no doubt that “shed time” is actually good for relationships with three out of four men said their partner didn’t mind them spending time in the back yard.

Interesting “Great Aussie Shed” Facts

* 65% of shed owners enjoy their shed time.
* Contents of the average shed are worth $8,908.00.
* 23% of men say the global financial crisis has stopped them buying tools for their shed (good hint for Father’s Day gifts).
* 6% of men say they’ve used part of the government’s stimulus package for their shed.
* 20% say their proudest achievement in their shed is building furniture.

Download a copy of the full report and a breakdown on each state below:

* Sheds National
* Sheds NSW
* Sheds VIC
* Sheds QLD
* Sheds WA
* Sheds SA
* Shed Results

-Ends-

Thanks for the heads-up Glenn!

I had a cousin visiting today, who has had little exposure to woodworking, and certainly nothing to the scale of the sort of machines I have (and many other woodworkers have) in the shed.  As he mentioned, he has a single hand plane, and yet out there, there is something in the order of 10 planes, powered and unpowered, including planers and thicknessers (and my collection is nothing compared to many out there!)

It was actually quite fun showing someone around who was both really interested, and yet completely unaware of the existence of many of the machines I was showing.  He particularly enjoyed the framing nailgun – getting to fire 75mm nails into the wooden frame of the shed.

Getting to see the shed from a non-woodworker’s perspective really reminded me about just how enjoyable woodworking is – it is easy to become complacent about how capable our sheds are, and the skills that we have learned and refined over the years.  I still know I have an incredibly long way to go to reach the levels of competency I strive for, but this experience reminded me of how far I’ve also been fortunate to have been able to travel so far.

With Christmas approaching just way too rapidly, it is well overdue for me to make a start on the two toy kitchens I promised to build for friends of my daughter.  We’ve had a few discussions on what they wanted, and it came down to three individual modules – a fridge, a sink and a stove/oven.  They also intend to fully paint the units (the kids are going to be 3), so the material of choice became MDF.

Breaking down MDF sheets

I priced some different sizes, and 2400×1200 sheets were 1/2 the price of the next cheapest.  Annoying there is such a price difference though.  It is easier to quickly break the sheets down into more manageable sizes using a circular saw, than to try to man-handle them through the tablesaw – bringing the saw to the material, rather than the other way around.  In the near future, the Torque Workcentre will definitely be the method of choice going forward.  Not that it is much different as a concept – a rail of some form controlling the circular saw through the cut.  In the case of the Torque Workcentre, it means a saw with a 1200mm crosscut capability.  In this case, I still have the loan of a Festool rail, which I have fixed to the board with a couple of Lidwig clamps.

Creating Original Side Template

Once I cut out the first side, and shaped it, it became the template for the rest of the sides.  After using a combination of the tablesaw and the bandsaw to produce the initial shape, I then held it in place using some of the MagSwitch featherboards so I could hit it with the drill-mounted Blowfly to smooth the curves out.

Pattern Copying

To then cut the rest of the sides, I used the first side as a template, and affixed it down temporarily using carpet tape.  I then ran around the outside of the pattern with a jigsaw, before moving onto the router table with a pattern copying bit to finish the job.  (A pattern copying bit is a straight cutter with a bearing)

A Temporary Pattern Copying Setup

Given the amount of MDF I was expecting to generate, I had the air filters running at full speed, and the 4″ dust collector hose placed at the optimum position to maximise the collection. (That is a Lidwig Claw holding the hose in position).

1st Kitchen Module

Using the Festool Domino and a bunch of 4mm x 20mm dominos, I then mocked together the first module to see how the design is progressing.  It doesn’t look much at the moment – adding tops and features (taps etc), as well as a door on the front will really improve the look.  I also want to break all the edges – MDF is rather sharp when cut, and rounding over the edges is the best option.

So obviously lots more to do, but at least it is a start.

As pointed out by Tormek, a manufacturing error has been discovered on jigs delivered between January 1st and September 22nd 2009. It may only affect a small number of users, and has been rectified on all current and new stock.

On these jigs the setting arrow has been shifted and is located about 16 mm (5/8″) from the edge. The arrow should be 20 mm (.79″) from the edge. This error causes the profiles to differ from those in the instruction.

If you have one of these jigs, you can either make a new mark yourself with a marker pen or contact Tormek to receive a label which you can attach to the jig with the correct position of the arrow.

SVD-185 Arrow Placement

Just checked mine (can’t remember specifically when I purchased it), but it looks like it was the older stock and not a problem.

Just had a brief email from the organisers – discussions about the Melbourne (and Sydney?) shows, but just thought I’d pass on one comment from the email:

Brisbane is full to the rafters! – there isn’t a square metre of the venue that isn’t occupied by a tool, machine or burl – exciting times………..
The woodies are going to love it

So I’m jealous of those of you who are going to get to this inaugural event – you know what I think of wood shows in general, and this sounds like it will be a great event.  If you get to go and get some photos, send a few classics down (only if you are happy with me putting them on Stu’s Shed – include some text in the email giving me permission to reproduce your photos).  I’m really interested in seeing what it looks like, and how it differs from the Timber & Working with Wood shows.

Like any tool, the Domino can definitely benefit from jigs, and Festool have produced some to add to the capabilities of the basic machine.

Festool Domino Additional Stop / Support Bracket

The Additional Stop provides extra support for the Domino when used vertically.  It screws directly into the base of the Domino.  It is particularly useful when cutting mortises near the edge of a thin board, where the mitre fence has very little support on the edge of the thin board.

Additional Stop / Support Bracket

The Additional Stop has flip-up indexing to provide additional indexing in from the edge of the board.

Festool Domino Trim Stop

The Trim Stop is good for thin strips (between 22 and 70mm)

Trim Stop

Festool Domino Cross Stop

Occasionally you need additional range for precise indexing from an edge of the project.  The Cross Stops connect to the Domino with a dovetail connector and cam latch.  The indexing points can be moved along the length of the arms, with a v groove edge to assist consistent placement.

Cross Stop

There is also the Handrail Fence (describing a typical function, not what it is actually for – mortising into round stock)

Festool Domino Handrail Fence

Unfortunately the two raised portions are not movable, and deal only with stock between 35 and 60mm diameter.  I’m thinking of ways of getting to manage smaller diameter dowels, but it seems a pity the jig needs customisation.

All these jigs (except the Handrail Fence) come in the Domino Kit from Ideal Tools, or can be purchased individually as required.

The Festool Autoloader is just one of those things – you either get it or you don’t.  In my case, I think it’s kinda cool, and especially for work where I do use a number of different screwdriver heads, including the security ones (for some reason computer manufacturers think they will deter me from fiddling……), so having a driver where I can pop up any one of 6 different heads (and interchange them with others as need be) is useful, and hey, its got Festool on the side.  These are just a rebrand but whatever. Also have found it useful in the shed – another bonus!

They were originally $60, but now Carbatec Melbourne have only 3 of these left in stock, and they are being sold for $39.  So if you were tempted, but not by the price, here’s your last chance.  The next bunch that come in won’t have the Festool branding.

Festool Autoloader

Festool Autoloader - rotating to the next bit

Don’t know about stock levels (or price) at the other Carbatec stores – check with your local.

Just a quickie – been cutting quite of MDF recently, and not all the tools I was using were fitted into the collection system, so there is a bit of mess on the floor.  In the past I’ve been connecting a super-flexible length of 4″ hose and doing the sweeping by hand, which is slow and annoying (but effective).

So instead I’ve coupled a typical nozzle to the end, and am partway through the build of a simple sled to hold it just off the ground.  When I’m happy with the height and function, I’ll add a handle to it.

Pity I don’t have one of those robotic sweepers- I could mess up the shop and find it neat and tidy the next day (and it would be rather discouraging for my recent possum visitors to boot).

4" Broom - WIP

Determining the required clearances

Originally there was no MDF portion planned, but the brackets I used were too weak for the job.  Next prototype will either place the wheels out nearer the corners of the MDF, or the MDF will be absent and stronger brackets used.   The actual clearance looks about right, although it would ideally be adjustable so I can first do a sweep to pick up the heavy shavings, then a second to pick up the fine dust.

You create new mega-molecules, in this case a mashup of Stanley Works (as in Stanley Tools) and Black & Decker have combined to create Stanley Black & Decker.

Surprised they didn’t buy Triton while they were playing with the loose change.

Sitting at your desk job, feeling stressed because you can’t make sawdust?  Here is the perfect little gift for a woodworker – a Zen-like desk plane from Professional Woodworkers Supplies.

Stress Relief for Desk-Bound Woodworkers

These are so new that they are not on their website yet (update – they are now), but my guess is they will be very popular for Christmas (or any other excuse!), so if you are looking to get one, I would be ringing and placing your order so as not to miss out on the first shipment.  I have a box in my office where I’ve been emptying the shavings (in addition to the catch tray under the mount) – it is that addictive!  Oh, and I even bought my fine diamond hones in to work today, just to give the blade a touch-up.

It comes with a couple of initial planing blocks, although it would be very easy to make replacement ones once you’ve planed the first two in a flurry of stress relieving shavings.

It complements the Radius Plane as well, so at the moment both are sitting on my desk, surrounded by the evidence of their use.

Radius Plane

(Oh, and if you were wondering about the different viewpoint and computer between the photo and the video – yeah, I have more than one computer in my office – 10 at last count, from the very ancient to the very modern, and from the very small to the….not quite so small).

Ok, so I lied about the sex!

What I do have for you are a few short video clips that I shot during my trip to see the Torque Workcentre.

This first one is when I had a chance to try some surfacing.  It is one thing to see how easy it looks at the wood shows, it is another experience altogether to try it for yourself.  The router is so controlled, so in control.  Instead of having to fight the router (it does try to twist and move like a small animal (with big teeth)) when handholding it, this felt so easy.  As I was holding the bar and applying steady controlled pressure, it was so easy to pull the router through the operation.  Like table-mounted and handheld routing, you listen to the motor, let the router talk to you about how much pressure is reasonable, how much load you are placing on the machine and the router bit.  It was one of those “yeah, this thing has real potential” moments.

In this second video, Larry demonstrates the copy attachment, and uses it to carve a relief letter.  And not one of those standard, boring ones either that you get with signwriter kits.  A real one, in an Old-English font.

This next video uses the various stops to control the maximum movement of the router to cause a border to be cut around a bas-relief letter.

Larry then goes onto a bit of (semi) freehand, with the board located on the (removable) pin so it rotates, but then he goes off with a bit of “creativity” to make something akin to an Aztec calendar design (very loosely speaking!)

Finally, Larry uses the pinned board for a more traditional process – cutting a circle, and then another to make a wooden ring.  If you did this for real, you could then rebate out the back for an inset mirror or photo (or whatever!)  Either that, or Larry turns hoon, and does some doughnuts with the Torque Workcentre

When I was first setting up my workshop (slowly, over time), I got to the point of deciding between a router table (something I’d never experienced, or knew what it was really for), or a drill press (sounded a bit boring).  I was relying on Triton Orange products to know what to get, not knowing better and the first few purchases were exemplary (particularly the original 2400W Triton Saw).  Triton had a couple of jigs for their router table – a biscuit joiner and a finger jointer (which was technically a box joint rather than a finger joint) and so I had the impression that a router table might be quite useful if they were the sort of things you can do with it.

Once getting the router table, I discovered just how much control, safety and capability having the router mounted provided.  Over time I have outgrown that table (and some subsequent ones, well documented on this website if you do a quick search), and some jobs I have done since have needed me to develop some hand-held routing skills.  But I’ve always returned to the router table whenever I could for that overall control.  But what if I could have both?

One of the things that drew me to the Triton range was that it was an Australian company, and it was local manufacturing, something that I think is definitely worth supporting, and encouraging.

Once I went away from a commercial solution (not finding something that satisfied all my requirements) I started combining quality components to make a Frankenstein router table to beat all router tables.  But as much as I am happy with how the top is progressing, the base was always far behind.  I’ve always liked Norm Abrams router table design too fwiw.

Having a solid base has been something I’ve wanted to add to the whole package, but just what that would be has been in question for years.

So I had a bit of a brainwave on the way to work the other day: as you might have gathered from my recent road-trip, (and some upcoming videos) (and by reading Lazy Larry’s blog post), I have decided to add a Torque Workcentre to my workshop, and gain all its significantly impressive capabilities.  My thought was – why not combine the two?  It would save me significant space in the workshop, having both tools occupy a single footprint, and allow the features of one to add to the other when it was applicable.  There is a small problem area, where the router under the table can impact on the support arm for the overhead router, but if I need to use the whole top for a large slab, the in-table router can simply be lifted out.

With a 2.4 meter top, I will have 2m of working range for the overhead router, so with all that bench space my main fight will be keeping it clear of detritus that seems to build up on any and every flat surface in my workshop!

The Torque Workcentre is significantly solid as a platform, it is an Australian invention, and is manufactured here, so ticks all those boxes as well. There is an added benefit to that which I first was exposed to when I was heavily endowed with Triton machines with the factory in Melbourne – spares are easy to come by, and you can have an influence on the product design, and when need be, talk with the real experts – the manufacturers, designers and engineers.  Those in the US/OS don’t miss out – these workbenches can be purchased worldwide, exported from Australia, and as demand dictates it may be that manufacturing is also exported under license (there being a worldwide patent on the design). Lazy Larry Woodworks (and the first ever owner of a Torque Workcentre) is listed as the international distributor. (There is a definite benefit of going through Larry – he’s an owner as well, so understands actually using the machine, and isn’t just trying to sell it to you! This approach worked very well for Triton in the past as well – real owners out demonstrating the product, allowing the product to sell itself (as good products will)).

My Torque workcentre is currently being built, and should be shipped down from Brisbane either the end of next week, or the start of the week after at the latest (at this stage!)  As much as I got to try out Larry’s one last Wednesday, it is a completely different experience when it is just you and the machine in your own space.  It’s going to be awesome!

I haven’t decided yet whether I am going to dedicate a 2400W Triton to the cause, or get a router specifically for the Torque Workcentre.  All these things are yet to be determined, and can only really be done when the machine arrives.  I’ve already had a number of ideas, how to incorporate a Wixey height gauge into the Torque design, the incorporation of a down-draught table, and of course having a table-mounted router mounted into the tabletop of workcentre.

So the path to the Ultimate Router Table has taken an interesting turn, and with this latest development, it is looking to be the most unique, and capable router table out there!  Eat your heart out Norm

Getting to see an event from another person’s perspective is rather cool, especially when it is your own event.  I’ve been writing about recent shows, and trips to Brisbane, and now have been reading about the same trips and events from Larry’s viewpoint on his Lumberjocks blog.

Stu’s Shed trip to Brisbane

Melbourne Wood Show

Alternate Wood Show

He certainly gets a lot more comments on his blog posts than I do. The benefit of having a blog attached to such an active woodworking community as Lumberjocks!

Over the course of the day, we took the Torque Workcentre through a number of its basic evolutions, but we didn’t get close to even covering all of those, let alone any of the myriad of inventive ways the machine has already been utilised.

When I saw the Torque at the Melbourne Woodshow, I didn’t realise that it was such a new animal, but it turned out that it has only been on the market for about 9 months or so – a major development to the Router Master.  The Router Master was an overhead mount system, with the router on a rail that could rotate through 360 degrees.

The big improvement is now the vertical mounting point isn’t fixed, and instead can be slid along the length of the table.  This provides x,y,z router movements, and still has retained the rotation component/ability to move through an arc.  But I’m getting ahead of myself – what I am wanting to get across is if you haven’t had a chance to see the Torque Workcentre operate, it is worth checking out at your next woodshow (and the Brisbane Hands-on is only a couple of weeks off fwiw).

The thing that caught my imagination, is look beyond the actual demonstrations to what is actually happening with this machine. Full control over whatever tool is mounted, and that isn’t specifically restricted to the router (although I’d imagine most work these workcentres do will be router-based).  Freehand, template, copy work, pin routing (using a pin to follow a track), and so on.  When I first got into woodworking, discovering the benefits of a tablemounted router for a sense of control and safety really opened my eyes to the advantages of a router.  However there are a number of applications where it isn’t possible to use the router in that manner.  Handholding then is the only option, and there are a lot of applications where that isn’t enough.

At a BBQ of a Woodworking Forum a few years ago, I saw a home-made rig made from an aluminium ladder and some other components which then created a sled to carry the router over the workpiece, allowing it to be used to surface a board.  It was pretty cool and looked quite interesting, but it wasn’t something I was likely to get around to making.

For this first real look, we started surfacing a slab of Camphor(?), just to see how it performed this operation.  I’ll put up some videos shot of this tomorrow, so stay tuned

Installing a router

There are a number of different brackets for mounting a range of tools – router, circular saw, drill.  I’m sure there will be other ones that would also benefit from such a control platform.  In this case, the mount is for a router.  There may be, in time, a way of mounting a router using its own base, but having one dedicated to the workcentre is the preferred method.  Removing the original router base then allows the router to be quickly mounted and unmounted as required for bit changing.  There is a dust shroud upgrade as pictured which makes a lot of sense.

Mounting a slab

The slab is secured to the table by whatever means you have, and in some cases, using some wedges to stabilise where there are twists and warps.  The surfacing operation can replace both a jointer and thicknesser, and unless you are very lucky, who has a jointer (or thicknesser) that is 900 or even 1200mm wide!

Finetuning

Here is Aaron finetuning the setup – getting the router surfacing bit parallel to the travelling arm.

Finding High Spots

The first sweeps across the workpiece is to find the high spots, and getting a feel for how the piece is distorted. (Larry is still plugging in the dust extraction here – rather than routing!)

Surfacing Passes

Once you have determined the heights, the real job of planing can begin.  It may look like a long job, but it goes very quickly and smoothly.  If you get a slight ridge between pass, it means you haven’t properly leveled the bit, so you can either tweek the setup, or just hit it with a few quick passes with a ROS to smooth it all out.

The surface of the slab in this case looked like there were ridges, but not detectable to touch.  My guess is it is an optical illusion not unlike how a checker pattern is created in the grass of a cricket pitch.  Brushing the fibres in different directions, catching the light, but still at a uniform height.  Nothing a quick sand wouldn’t remove (and not apparent in all types of timber).

The machine itself is very solid – mostly steel construction, some welded, some cast, multiple bearing rollers.  The MDF top is sacrificial, and the 2.5m version has a working area of 2m.

If you are looking for more details on the availability of these machines, contact Larry – he’s a distributor for the Torque Workcentres (and the international distributor as well – yes, the Torque Workcentre isn’t restricted to a lucky few down under, and they already have had queries from the US).  You can get him through his Lazy Larry Woodworks website, or phone (+61) 7 54 993361. (Substitute +61 for 0 if within Australia obviously!)

In the end, it was quite a massive day, an absolute whirlwind.  From waking at 5am, I was home 1am the following day (thanks in part to some disruptions to flights on the way home on Qantas, and in part because I got to the airport 30 minutes early iaw my ticket, and was told it was too late, and for a local flight I should have planned to be there 90 minutes early. Oh well, had an iPhone packed with movies, so time passed quickly).

Qantas 737

At the airport, I was met by Larry (Lazy Larry Woodworks) and Aaron (Torque Workcentres), so it promised to be a day full of info.  Larry owns the first Torque Workcentre sold (around 9 months ago?), and Aaron manufactures them, so it was a great tag-team.  More on the workcentre in the next post.

Bread and Cheese Boards

Other than a general lack of sawdust (Larry had taken a garden blower to the shed), it was my kind of chaos.  I recognised a Carbatec workbench there on the left.  This is looking towards the back of the shed, with a beer fridge in the back corner (out of view), a clamp rack, lots of storage, and little wallspace, with jigs and creations on all the working surfaces.

View towards shed front

A view from the beer fridge (an essential in Brisbane – hot and humid (well it seemed so to me)), stocked with XXXX Gold, and some ciders.  Oh to have so much working space!

Timber, timber everywhere!

Larry certainly has a range of timbers, and a decent quantity of each.  He also knows his timbers a lot better than I do.  Bit disappointing hearing how much they pay for timber up there – anyone would think timber was gold encrusted in Melbourne for the comparable prices.

Torque Workcentre and more jigs

Walls covered in jigs – the essence of a functional shop.

Larry's version of a trivet

Twin axis jig used for cutting complex curves

So that’s a bit of a look around Larry’s workshop – still plenty missed.  You know what it is like in your own shed – all those nooks and crannies where things are hiding, jigs only you vaguely remember the job it was created for, timber offcuts you couldn’t quite throw away.  There was even a radial arm saw I caught a glimpse of on the video I don’t remember actually seeing.  Guess it has become pretty superfluous now Larry has the Torque Workcentre!  His tablesaw is a 12″ contractor’s saw, with a full Incra fence and positioner system, Incra 2000 mitre sled.

So a big thanks to Larry for his hospitality, and a chance to have a good look through the place.  Of course, the primary reason for the visit was to see the Torque Workcentre, and that will be covered shortly.

Oh, and thanks heaps for the timber too – Larry sent me home with some Hairy Oak, Avocardo (that will be interesting to see how it comes out – I doubt it will be green though!), a couple of other piece I can’t remember the names of (as I said, Larry knows his timber a lot better than I do!), and most generously, one of his large woven design cutting boards.  Thanks mate!

Posted in Manufactures and Suppliers, Tools ]]> http://stusshed.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/northern-exposure/feed/ 2 Stuart larry-1 larry-4 larry-5 larry-7 larry-6 larry-3 larry-2 http://stusshed.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/another-road-trip/ http://stusshed.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/another-road-trip/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:06:27 +0000 Stuart http://stusshed.wordpress.com/?p=5506 ]]>

Been a while since I had a road trip, although I guess technically it is a road/air/road/road/air/road trip. Total round trip distance is 3600km.  In US terms, I think this is roughly like a round trip from Miami to NYC.

Yup, tomorrow I’m heading north for the day, with a flying visit to Brisbane to check out Lazy Larry’s workshop, and particularly get a really good look at the Torque Workcentre.

Larry's impressive "weave" pattern

Torque Workcentre

Needless to say, I’m taking my video camera!

The MagWall

Didn’t get all my jigs in the photo (actually, it wasn’t planned at all, so most of the jigs are missing), but this is my MagWall (or more precisely, MagDoor).  Where I store the various MagProducts until needed. You know, it must be like the Apple iThing.  You can put a Mag in front of pretty much anything.

Now all I need are some of the Ridgid coloured MagSwitches to add to the collection.

Ridgid MagSwitch

At the recent wood show, I found my recent comments about dust masks may need some additions.  I have previously disregarded disposable masks because of their lack of comfort, and cost, but I came across YHS at the show, and after trying a couple of their masks over the weekend, (and being surprised at their price) there is certainly a place for them in a workshop when working with materials that require certified protection (such as MDF, and other materials that produce airborne particles below 3 micron).

Cost:

I haven’t shopped around much (at all – I keep falling for the “Lowest Price Guarantee” trick) for disposable dust masks, and at the show I came across the YHS masks (Your Health and Safety) which were being sold for $1 each for P2 level of protection (or $2 for those with a built-in exhaust filter).  As much as this will slowly add up over time, that is still 1/5th the price I have seen similar masks being sold in common outlets.  Their P2 filters were going for $10 for a box of 10 without an exhalation valve. ($20 for 10 with). The equivalent box (different brand etc of course – no price matching possible here!) was $46 in the Green Giant. (Prices were their show specials, not sure their normal retail pricing).

Comfort:

In the past, I have used variations of the Cup shape mask (you know the one – looks like a round dish, and is the common shape of nuisance masks).  What I tried in the shed over the weekend was the flat-fold type, which come individually wrapped (and in the case of the box I was trying, have an exhalation port, which is good for preventing safety glasses fog-up). It felt remarkably comfortable and form fitting, with P2 level of protection, and an exhaust valve to prevent fogging.  They may be disposable, but are significantly cheaper than the disposable masks of equivalent rating that I have used in the past.

Flat Fold DM2000

When needing a high level of protection, such as what I was doing on the weekend, working with MDF, I found the DM2000 (flat-fold mask) to actually be a very comfortable mask, much more-so than the rubber mask with removable filters I have been using for that sort of work in the past, or the cup shape disposable masks I have had previously.

YHS P2 Dust Masks

The company operates out of North Ringwood in Victoria – definitely worth considering if you need masks with P2 protection.

On that point, what is P2?

P2 is the highest particulate classification level available for disposable masks under AS/NZS1716. As I understand it, the P2 rating is determined by using a sodium chloride aerosol, with a size range of 0.02 micron to 2 micron, with a mass median diameter of 0.3-0.6 micron. The P2 rating requiring a minimum of 94% efficiency / 6% penetration.  P1 masks, which are typically around the same price only require 80% efficiency and 20% penetration. They filter down to around 1 micron.  (cf 0.3 micron for P2) Not sure why you’d bother with P1 – the same price as, the same ease of breathing, and much poorer filtration – Europe and the US have pretty much dropped it, and in the US the P2 meets N95 (equivalent to AS/NZS1716), and is their “entry point” mask.

P1 masks are generally for mechanically generated particles, P2 for thermally generated ones (and obviously will therefore also be perfectly suited to mechanically generated ones, but with the added filtration of much smaller particles.  You can also get P2 masks with an active carbon layer, but you are unlikely to need that in a workshop (unless it is the size of a broom cupboard….)

(BTW, don’t Google P2 and Micron, all you get are pages and pages about the old Pentium 2 Micron from Dell!

In Stephen King’s epic series, “The Dark Tower”, he writes about the Gunslinger’s world, and how it has “moved on”, and by doing so things have become strange, lost, changed in unforeseeable ways.  It is very much how I feel about our world – it most certainly is not the one I grew up in, and I find it is the little losses that I really notice.

At one stage, every home you went into probably had a 500 series rotary phone, hardwired to the wall.  Even owners of these ‘new’ plastic fantastic phones may have missed the days of the old bakelite ones.

500 Series Rotary Phone

But the world has moved on, and now you can get a rotary dialing iPhone application if you are feeling nostalgic.  Bet you can’t tap out the phone number you want to dial on the ‘hook’ and have it ring your number though (the way we used to be able to get free calls from phone boxes – take your phone number, such as 438454 (the number I grew up with), and tap out 6.7.2.6.5.6. (with a slight pause between each number))

iPhone Rotary Phone

In children’s toys the world really has “moved on”. These days it is all plastic (crap), made in China (or wooden, painted with lead paint, but we won’t go there).

Case in point, Little Snoopy.

Current version:

Fisher Price Lil Snoopy

Original version, made from wood, with a stuck-on paper ‘picture’, bent axles (so it wobbles when pulled), a clacker, and a spring tail with a wooden tip

1965 Little Snoopy

Mine isn’t in as good a condition as this, but it still has charm (and I remember it as one of my favourite toys – guess it much have been, since I still have it after almost 40 years). Imagine one of those new plastic ones lasting 40 years.  These days, the wowsers would most likely complain that the wooden tail tip is a choking hazard, and there are pinch points or something, but to my mind, after 40 years it has proven itself above such criticisms.

The next generation meets "Snoopy"

There is something fundamentally charming about wooden toys. But the world has moved on.

Guess it is up to us to try to keep alive the traditional toys, rebelling against the plastic generation.

The following links have been recently added to the links page.

Commercial

Accu-Line
Addictive Pen Kits
Cherrytree Toys
Custom Branding Irons
Lazy Larry Woodworks
Saw and Bits
Terry’s Wooden Toys
Timberbits
Torque Workcentre
YHS Dust Masks

I was having a look through the sales tables at Carbatec, and found a couple of clamps that I had just reviewed for the Hand Clamp article in the next edition of Australian Wood Review.

Needless to say, after reviewing these clamps, I was more than happy to snap these two up!

Adjustable HEAVY Irwin G Clamps

An Irwin G Clamp that has an impressively strong body, and movable jaw.

The original Australian Triton website has been taken down, and now only points to www.tritontools.com, a website owned by Silverline tools according to whois- the European distributers of Triton.

Be rather interesting to know what this latest development means – if anything.  Some tools appear to be missing, such as the 13″ Thicknesser.

And as a reader of Stu’s Shed, you can get 2 tickets for the price of one.

For shed dwellers nirvana is a shed full of tools, finished products, accessories, timber, materials and plenty of free advice for the tricky bits!
Get a taste of shed heaven at the Hands-On Expo with woodwork, auto, metalwork and DIY tools, tips and techniques.
Stu’s Shed Special – save money with 2 tickets for the price of 1. Click here to take a mate for half the cost.

2 for 1: Stu’s Shed Special

Print out the PDF form and take it along on the day for you and a mate to get in for the price of a single ticket. The form is valid for Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. (I’m planning on being at the Melbourne Show, have no idea about Sydney at this stage, and unfortunately cannot get to the Brisbane one)

Even better, send it in – pre-purchasing your tickets so you don’t even have to wait in line on the day – you can walk straight in and not queue up.

Competition Ending TODAY

The competition for the Brisbane Show ends today. It is your chance to win a $500 voucher to spend at the show.

Richard Vaughan

Richard Vaughan and Michelle Berger a student at his recent USA workshops

Richard Vaughan will be at the show, running his seminar program (below).

He designs and makes one-off contemporary timber furniture that elegantly combines function and form.  He teaches woodwork, writes for a woodworking magazine, sings in an A Cappella choir and is a judge on the ABC Television’s New Inventors.   With a passion for the unique qualities and glorious palette of Australia’s hardwoods Richard is presenting daily at the Hands-On Expo in Brisbane. On Fri 13 Nov – Sun 15 Nov RNA Showgrounds

Walking around the Domino, there are a number of features that control all aspects of the positioning of the mortises.

Festool Domino

The front support platform can both tilt through 90 degrees and be set to a specific height. There are preset locators for the primary mitre angles, and the ability to set any other angle between.

The Front End

At the front end, you can see where the mortising bit protrudes from, and there are the stop pins on either side for rapid positioning from the edges of the board.  The three arrows cut in front platform are in line with the centre of the mortise, and the reference edge of the stops.  The far left and right edges of the lower section align with the centre of the mortise.

Manually Aligning a Mortise

In addition to the stops, there is also a magnifying scale in the centre you can use to manually align up with a pencil mark drawn on the work.  By abutting the two pieces to be joined together and drawing a line across the gap, the domino mortises can be easily aligned.  There are also lines engraved on the base (not photographed) to also aid alignment, particularly for vertical plunging.

Height Setting

There are also two methods for setting the height of the mortise.  The first is the lower scale, where you set the material thickness so the mortise becomes placed in the middle of the material.  The second scale sets the absolute height of the mortise cut.

Depth of Cut

The depth of the mortise can be set to one of 5 settings. You can use combinations thereof to either centralise the tenon across the joint, or offset it as material thicknesses dictate.

Changing Cutters

With the cutter-change spanner, a release lever can be lifted so the entire front mechanism of the Domino can be removed, providing easy access to the cutter. It also allows access to the control rods, so if a different plunge depth than is provided by the presets, you can add a tube as a surrogate stop, for any other plunge depth that is required.  Most of the time this isn’t necessary – the provided plunge depths are sufficient.

Festool Domino Cutaway

The mechanism inside the Domino is quite elaborate, producing the rotation and oscillation of the cutter. With a steady plunge by the operator, the mortise is quickly produced.

At the Melbourne Woodworking Show, Carbatec were displaying a soon-to-be-available machine – the CNC Shark.

It is a computer controlled routing system, capable of controlling a router in 3 dimensions (a 4th is possible as an upgrade, which you’d use for something like controlling a rotating cylinder for carving into a turned object – imagine engraving into pens)

CNC Shark Demo

It is connected to a PC via USB and comes with the required software to run the machine. You create the original designs using programs such as Corel Draw, or Adobe Illustrator.

The router mounted in the machine is only there for show – it is not pneumatic, or requiring someone to blow into the tube (not sure if I managed to convince someone at the show of that or not!), and you can use all sorts of router bits for different effects.

It is constructed of steel, aluminium and high-density polyethylene, has 3 stepper motors to precisely control the bit’s location.  It can move a maximum of 24″ longitudinally, 13″ across, and 4.25″ vertically, with a resolution of 1/1000th”

As you can see from the demo video I made at the show (handheld sorry), it takes a number of passes as programmed to remove all the material required.  For part of the video, I used sticky tape to secure the camera to the machine itself (which is why it looks like the material is moving, and not the cutter). And it is a demo of the program running – you won’t see the cutter removing any material (think some people were confused by that at the show).

Resulting Creation

It will cost just shy of $5000, so won’t be in every workshop, but I bet there will be some enterprising people who will jump at it, and start creating components for model aircraft, makers marks, wooden business cards, signs (obviously) and, well, wherever your imagination can take you. If your computer could “print” in 3 dimensions into wood, this would be the printer!

If you are particularly interested in the machine, contact Tony Forbes at Carbatec, Brisbane 07 3397 2577, or check out the Carbatec stand at the various woodworking shows. (Oh, and do mention you saw it on Stu’s Shed!)

The Torque Workcentre, with it’s ability to act as a copy device with a wide range of tools mounted in the cutting side opens up an incredible array of possibilities. From making toy traintrack (and the complex intersections), to overhead circular saw coving, item duplication, surfacing and on and on.

I’ve even thought about how you could build in an indexing system to allow items longer than the workcentre to be indexed precisely across using the Incra rails, so oversized items could be processed

Incra Incremental Rack

Once you start thinking about it, just how much could be done?  Inlays? Routered boxes?

What happens if you mounted a small indexing lathe onto it? (Or even just came up with a way of mounting a couple of centres to support an item, that you can index around) – flutes?, spiral turning/routing (helical)?  I’m not sure if all this is possible, but it certainly bears considering!

Once you have a prototype, duplication is a piece of cake.

Even 3D routing – use the original 3D router to produce the initial part, then the Torque workbench to duplicate the result as many times as required.  You could even use the Torque Workbench with the initial pattern – would beat using the router handheld!  I don’t know, but I’m hoping it can handle Z axis pattern movement.  If not, that would be a fascinating development!

Just rambling on, as the brain mulls over the possibilities……..

Back early 2006 (or early 2007 in the US), one of many revolutions in woodworking occurred, with the arrival on the scene of the Festool Domino. It caused quite a furor at the time! I was quite busy at the time as a moderator on a large woodworking forum, and if you could exchange blows through a computer, I’ve no doubt it would have come to that.  Not sure if there has been another tool released to be surrounded by such polarised opinions!

Mortise and tenon joinery has been around for a long, long time – thousands of years even.  As modern machines have bought additional ease to the production of the joints, particularly in producing the mortise, the floating tenon (loose tenon, or feather tenon depending on your terminology) has come into being, and the domino is the latest version of that joint.  The basic premise being – cut a slot and shove a tenon in one side, then cut a slot into the other and glue it all together.

Sounds simple enough, and it really is.  Where the Festool Domino comes in, is in the absolute ease of producing the required mortises, and the precision in their placement.  This helps dramatically with the accuracy of assembly, and can increase overall joint strength (obviously dependent on load direction).

I experienced (briefly) the Domino a couple of times, the main I recall being at the late Steve Bisson’s place, where along with his Incra LS Positioner, and a fine collection of handplanes, he had the Domino which he handled with as much reverence as his prized planes.  He showed me how he used it for “Domi-dogs” (bench dogs using dominos) and a couple of other techniques I’m sure I was meant to be impressed by.  I didn’t understand the passion at the time – it’s not until you own one that you understand just how much of a revolution in your own workshop one small tool can have.

Where I really became hooked was after attending the Domino course run at Ideal Tools, I then went onto the Hall Table course, and got to use one for all aspects of that construction, and at that point I really started to understand. At that stage it became a matter of time until one found its way into my shed.

It will find its way into many future projects, but keep in mind – mortise and tenons have been around for millenia, so if I use a domino, you can substitute other methods, either for creating a floating tenon joint, traditional mortise and tenon, a biscuit joint, dowel joint etc (but that will get discussed at the time as appropriate).

The Domino kit I have came with the base machine, a trim stop, cross stop, support bracket and a second Systainer full of various sizes of domino (4, 6, 8 and 10mm) For those that are not aware, the systainers stack, and lock together and are the standard way Festool sell all their handheld powertools and larger accessories (you can save a bit by not getting it, but they are a good way to store and protect your tools).

Domino DF 500 Q-Plus Kit

(In this photo, I’ve also included a mahogany domino – they are available in addition to the standard beech dominos, for situations where the joint is subjected to outdoor weather, or you are exposing the domino and want a different colour!).  At some stage I’ll add a third systainer for the mahogany dominos.

Festool Domino set for edge-mortising

Such a simple concept, such an easy technique, handled with precision.  The front platform supports the tool on the work when mortising an edge.

Precise placement of domino from an edge

Photographed from underneath, you can see how a domino can be set a controlled distance from an edge, with a stop (black in the photo) registering off the side.

With the correct bit installed, the height set and the depth of plunge set, you can begin cutting mortises.

Mortise cut and domino ready to be inserted

The Domino has a circular bit, with cutting edges on front and sides.  The machine both rotates the bit at high speed (router-like), and also oscillates it from side-to-side, so as you plunge the bit in, it cuts a channel with straight sides, and doesn’t just drill a hole.

You can choose one of three settings for the width of the mortise, and as will be covered in a later post I will discuss the merits of doing so.

Varying mortise width

Each setting (with the green-dial in the background) increases the mortise width, adding 6mm and 10mm to standard mortise width.

Plunging vertically to cut a domino

In some cases, you want a mortise away from an edge, so plunging in vertically works equally as well.  Again, positioning these mortises will be a subject down-track.

Tight-fitting mortise and tenon joints

So this has been an introductory look at Festool Domino joinery.  I’ll talk more about it in upcoming posts, and it will be of definite benefit in some upcoming projects.

As I mentioned, I found it really beneficial attending the course(s) at Ideal Tools – as much as I will have a read through the manual, I found when it got down to brass tacks, I was plenty confident with this tool to jump in when I had it in my own workshop (not that I don’t anyway, but I was well ahead of the usual curve in this case).  I have heard of some of these being bought, then sitting unused in their containers for over a year as the new owner didn’t have the confidence to actually wield the tool. Such a sad state for a precision machine. Ideal Tools have the very impressive workshop/showroom in Williamstown which I mentioned a while ago, and have their business primarily focused on the Festool range.

World Reader Distribution

Click Images for Larger View

For the pie graph, Australia is at 40%, USA at 37%, UK at 6%, Canada at 5%

Not sure if I want it automatically enabled or not, but this is a test to see if, and how it works.

If you are using WordPress.com, you can enable this feature from the instructions here.

Stu and Lazy Larry

Caught up with Larry when he came down from Brisbane for both the Alternate Wood Show and the Melbourne Wood Show.  We got to see some of his work at the Melbourne Show – he does some stunning work which I took some photos of, and you can catch more of through his website.

Larry and his "Woven" Chopping Board

Sample of his work

And some more boards

He really puts in a great deal of attention to detail in the boards he makes, combining complementary and contrasting timbers in elaborate patterns.  He is it seems a fan, as I am, of Purpleheart as an accent timber.  He makes particular use of the capabilities of the Torque Workcentre in some of his creations, which was being demonstrated at the two shows.

Saw “Harold” at the Carbatec stand over the weekend.

Ian Smith (played Harold Bishop)

Bit surreal!

Starting November 1, Tormek Australia are giving away a Gränsfors Hand Axe with each T7 Sharpener sold.  Worth around $140, individually forged, these certainly look the part – I wonder if they will encourage a resurgence in the art of making rustic furniture?!

Click for larger version

They are also giving away a second XB-100 (horizontal base) with each BGM-100 sold.  The BGM-100 represents a shift in the thinking by Tormek, where in the past they only promoted the idea of slow-speed whetstone sharpeners, they are now recognising that there is a place for the high-speed grinders as well for initial tool shaping, and so that you can achieve the optimum shape of your tool before final sharpening on the slow-speed, you’d be best off being able to use the Tormek jigs on your high-speed grinder.  The XB-100 spare base means you will be able to set up both your grinder wheels with the ability to fit the support arm.  If you need to remove a lot of metal to create the initial shape of your tool, you might as well not waste any more of the expensive whetstone wheel than is necessary. Click here for a press release on the BGM-100

Click for larger version

I’m planning reviews of both the T7 and the BGM-100 in the near future, so hopefully will be able to show you just why they are so well regarded, and how the BGM-100 complements the slow-speed sharpener method.

As regulars of Stu’s Shed will have seen, I upgraded my thicknesser aways back (and have been very pleased with that decision ever since). I got the CTJ-681, but owners of the CTJ-680 also expressed how happy they were with their model.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I saw this in the entranceway of Carbatec (Melbourne) this morning: their floor model CTJ-680 going for $1095, down from $1449. Basically unused afaik, with a few shop marks on it (paint that has been a bit rubbed)

CTJ-680

3HP motor, large columns, induction motor (which is a real pleasure after using brushed motor thicknessers that absolutely scream even before the timber starts being machined.  Brushed motors include the GMC, Ryobi, Triton etc)  15″ width, good blades, and if you ever have the inclination, it can be upgraded to a helical head.

Anyone tempted yet?

I received an email from Woodpeckers (their email newsletter) recently with a few tool definitions listed, and then (sadly) an apology email from them because they apparently offended some people. So the 4 they sent are listed here, along with a bunch more that I could find. If you have any others, please drop them into the comments!

Notice that Marc (The Wood Whisperer) had the same reaction as I did, more to the apology than anything. I also notice it was initially discussed on Sawmill Creek, but their administrators have since deleted all responses.

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DRILL PRESS
A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it  smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL
Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, “Oh, ****!”

SKILL SAW
A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIER
Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blisters

HAMMER
Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate expensive parts not far from the object we are trying to hit, or fingers if nothing else is on offer

MECHANIC’S KNIFE
Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door.

ELECTRIC HAND DRILL
Normally used for spinning steel Pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age

HACKSAW
One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence it’s course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS
Used to round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH
Used almost entirely for setting various flammable objects in your garage on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside a brake drum you’re trying to get the bearing race out of, or the car’s electrics (eh Dad!)

TWEEZERS
A tool for removing wood splinters.

BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR
A tool that snaps off in bolt holes and is ten times harder than any known drill bit.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER
Normally used to stab the lids of old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splash oil on your shirt; can also be used, as name implies, to round off Phillips screw heads.

AIR COMPRESSOR
A machine that takes energy produced in a coal-burning power plant 200 miles away and transforms it into compressed air that travels by hose to a pneumatic impact wrench that grips rusty bolts last tightened 60 years ago by someone and rounds them off.

Congratulations to Marc and Nicole as their podcast “The Wood Whisperer” turns 3.

(And the mention as well)  It is a fascinating journey we are on!

When it come to woodworking, it is plain to see
The flannelet shirt’s a must have accessory

The woodworker’s beard can come short or long
So long as you have a toolbelt, tough and strong

A silhouetted sign is not necessary, it’s true
But a nailgun is a given, perhaps even two

Norm’s calling it a day, but don’t shed a tear
They’ll be showing reruns for many a year

Norm and the New Yankee Workshop

After 21 years, the New Yankee Workshop is closing its doors for good.  The New Yankee Workshop website will remain up and available as a resource. Cheers Norm, and thanks for all the inspirations!  One day I’ll finish my router table (sigh).

Another show comes to a close – not sure if I’ve known one to fly by so quickly. I’d be more disappointed about that except that it is only a little under 4 weeks to the next one in Brisbane, and 4 months to the next one in Melbourne!  It will be interesting to see how they go.

Another fun-filled day at the Melbourne Wood Show. There were plenty of demos to look at, from Stan’s enthusiastic appearances, through Tormek sharpening, Gifkins dovetailing, Lazy Larry’s creations, Torque Workbenches, Bowl Turning, Fine Finishing, Power Carving, Didgeridoo Manufacturing etc. If nothing else, each stand has experts in the products on display, so lots and lots of brains to pick!  You can learn a huge amount about woodworking just by wandering the aisles and sampling.

Too much to take everything in, in a single day.  Good thing there is still tomorrow!

Show Time!!

Had a great day one – still really enjoy wood shows.  The day absolutely flew past, so I have hardly scratched the surface of the displays that are there.  Good catching up with everyone who came along and said hi, and welcome to anyone who has now discovered Stu’s Shed because of the show.

I’m sure those who have taken the MagSwitch gear are already discovering why I like it so much

Vesper Tools, and the long expanse of Carrolls

Got to say hi briefly to Chris (Vesper) and see some of his latest creations.  What I like about his display, is even though the tools he makes are works of art (particularly those in the display cabinet), there is a wide selection of his products out on the bench where you can have the full tactile experience.  I will get more photos over the next couple of days of Chris’ tools, and the other stands around the place.  Today, I almost forgot that I had a camera with me!

A very busy Tormek Display

The Tormek guys are active as always, so a great opportunity to pick their brains about the finer points of show speed wetstone wheel sharpening methods, see the different jigs that are available (and pick up a T7, as quite a few appeared to do today – their stock levels where dropping noticeably quickly!)

SawStop

Gabbetts machinery were there with the full cabinet SawStop, as well as the more recently released contractor’s version.  When you hear an airhorn (approx every 2 hours), you better hightail it to their display because another hotdog is about to put its life on the line for your education (and entertainment).  No matter how many times I see it, I still enjoy seeing the SawStop mechanism render the saw safe in such an incredibly fast manner.

Carb-i-tool

Looking for a router bit? The the impressive range of Australian-made Carb-i-tool router bits is certainly worth a visit.

Impressive Burls

Some impressively large burls ready for finishing into unique furniture.

CNC Router from Carbatec

Looking a bit like a computer printer that carves, rather than prints on wood, this CNC router is running during the day, demonstrating how it created the Carbatec sign seen here.

That would certainly make routing rather easy!

Closeup of CNC-carved sign

SitCo Australia with Queen Ebony

I first came across SitCo in Brisbane, so it’s great to see them down here as well.  They have a really nice collection of Queen Ebony for sale, and you can get some really nice pieces without breaking the budget.  They also have some musical-grade timbers as well, but talk with Brian if you are after anything particular.  The end-grain of Queen Ebony is particularly impressive, and it is a very dense timber.  Lots of different shapes and sizes, so ideal for boxmakers and wood turners alike.

Turned Queen Ebony

A couple of beautifully turned bowls by Guilio Marcolongo, which are being silent-auctioned off for the Royal Childrens Hospital.  Doesn’t show up here, but the Queen Ebony has gone an incredibly deep black.  This is not ebonising, but is the natural colour this timber goes once it has time to oxidise.  To speed up the oxidisation process the timber is exposed to household ammonia.

So that’s all I have for day 1.  Sorry – was too distracted by the wood show!  Will try to get more detailed photos etc from the show tomorrow

Haven’t gotten too many things specifically on the shopping list for the show (yet).  Dangerous going to the show with an open mind, and an open wallet (but it leads to a lot of fun too!)

One year I had done a large shed clearout to eBay (way before Stu’s Shed), and so had an actual budget, and some specifics I was looking out for.  Think that year was the least enjoyable, not the most.  There was too much pressure to try to get what I was wanting, and to not go particularly over, or under budget.  Too much pressure, not enough fun.

I am going to look seriously at the BGM-100 jig from Tormek that Robbo is demonstrating on the Carroll’s Woodcraft Supplies stand.  I’ve seen it on the web, and it simply provides a way to mount a support arm that would otherwise be used on a slow speed grinder (such as the Tormek) on your high speed grinding wheel.  That means all your Tormek and Scheppach jigs can be used on the high speed as well for initial shape forming, before moving over to the slow speed for edge refinement.  You invest a lot in the slow speed jigs, so this is a way to utilise their advantages on the high speed grinders as well.

I’ve been trying to ignore the approaching wood show – like waiting for the inevitable arrival of Christmas.  It will come, but boy do the last few days drag! (Yeah, I’m still a kid, and thankfully it seems that will never change.  It’s even better now I have one of my own.)

I know there is a way of making your own shellac stick, but my brief efforts last night have not resulted in anything more than a stubby black lump, and crud stuck all over my hands (which smelt of metho for hours after!)  So if I see one or two of those there, I’ll be tempted.  First point of call for that will be UBeaut – don’t think Neil has them, but if anyone does it will be him.  Wonder if Zed will be there (look high up the top of the UBeaut stand – if there is a monkey hanging around, that’s Zed! (And no, he doesn’t have a Chopper) (Wonder if anyone gets that reference?)

There is so much to look at, and only three days!  I might have to go for a very systematic attack plan.  It may seem like three days should be more than enough, but I will be spending most of it with MagSwitch, so tackling the rest of the stands will only be during the breaks.  And if MagSwitch is anywhere near as popular as it was at the Brisbane show, there won’t be many of them!  I am really looking forward to seeing how popular the latest MagSwitch products are down here – the yellow stock (featherboards, MagFences etc) really look the part.  I especially like the single roller MagFence on the bandsaw fwiw.

Better get my last minute prep done.  See you over the weekend if you are in Melbourne.

A number of suppliers who have also been supportive of Stu’s Shed are at the Wood Show this year, so if there is something specific you were looking for that has been reviewed here in the past, keep an eye out for (stand # in brackets):

Australian Wood Review (33) – latest issue has my panel clamp review article

Carbatec (18+19) – too many to list, but includes MagSwitch (where I will be), Veritas dovetail saw, CMT Blades and router bits and Kreg Pockethole

Carbitool (14) – a large number of the router bits that have been previously reviewed,

Carrolls (48) – turning consumables

Gifkins (21) – the Gifkins Dovetail Jig – probably the easiest dovetail jig on the market

Microclene (51) – MC1000 air filter, and the Dust-Bee-Gone dust mask

SitCo (7) – Solomons Ebony

UBeaut (66) – Finish waxes and shellacs for woodworkers and turners, also the author of “The Bible” – The Polishers Handbook

Vesper Tools (32A) – Vesper Joinery Knife

See you at the show!

Last night while working out there, I heard quite a bit of banging and rustling, and I was pretty convinced it was outside the shed, so I blocked the hole (and did a pretty good job of it).

Turns out I was wrong.

The possum was inside after all.

And he certainly let me know it!  When I went out tonight, there was stuff EVERYWHERE!  The possum has obviously run along every flat surface in the workshop, knocking stuff all over the place (and leaving plenty of possum presents at the same time).

So I spent a good 30 minutes searching, fruitlessly.

Finally I gave up, and got the job done that I had gone out to do.  Just before locking up, I checked on the blocked hole. Turns out I was wrong about that too.  Despite really jamming a board in there, the possum has bent the wall of the shed itself, and has forced its way out through the hole it knew was there.

I reblocked the hole, and hopefully this will be the end of it.  One possum = one big mess!

Crying over your Triton Router Table and Biscuit Joiner because you can’t get Triton biscuits any more?

Don’t risk rusting your tools out – the biscuits are still available, directly from the actual manufacturer of the Triton biscuits.

The Size 7 Biscuits from BIX – an Australian Biscuit Manufacturer are the Triton biscuits.

Been a big week, and it is only Tuesday (ok- now Wednesday – fell asleep while writing this!)  Decided on Saturday that it was time for me to hand over the reins of the courses I was running at Holmesglen Tafe.  The courses are in safe hands however – a friend of mine is taking over (also an ex-Triton demonstrator), and given he still has a Triton workshop, he’s more qualified than I am these days!

My Triton equipment decreased by one the other day – the pad on my ROS parted company from the tool, and given the lack of Triton spares, the ROS is now relegated to the “no longer useful” corner.  May get around to finding a new pad for it one day, or adapting it to something else – who knows.  The batteries on the Triton drill also died a-ways back, so that has been retired as well. It’s going to be a long hard road for Triton to return, when even the ever-faithful are loosing faith.

The Melbourne Timber and Working with Wood Show is on again this weekend (Friday to Sunday) at the Melbourne Show Grounds.  I’m going to be there – you’ll find me with MagSwitch on the Carbatec Stand.  There will be a number of the MagFence kits available (I really like the kit – the fence for the bandsaw particularly, plus it comes with two MagJigs which can be used in any number of home-made jigs as well), but don’t leave it too long- they do sell out! They have been proving VERY popular ever since they were released. Don’t forget the “Universal Featherboard” and other new releases as well.

MagFence Combo Kit by MagSwitch

If you have been wondering about the merits of MagSwitch, I’m more than happy to have a frank discussion about them.  I find them to be really useful in my workshop for all sorts of reasons, and I have a number of jigs based around them which I will be bringing to the show.  I might even bring my MagBroom along (just don’t laugh at it too much – it does actually do the job I intended!)

It is good to see all the woodworking companies that are at the show – I’ll be sure to check out all the timber or woodworking products, or woodworking techniques being promoted by the various exhibitors.  I’m particularly interested in seeing the relevance of “Amazing Super Health” or “Step Forward Orthotics” for woodworkers.  There are not too many irrelevant exhibitors when you go through the list, just don’t understand why they are allowed at all.

The Floorplan and Exhibitors List are here, so you can plan your assault.

I keep getting emails from Everything Exhibitions and Events, but all it ever is on my computer is a large lump of purple.

Guess the wood show isn’t MacMail compatible (at least not on my computer!)

Some ways back, I mentioned that my original router table top (an old laminated style now discontinued by Professional Woodworkers Supplies) had been decommissioned, and it was looking for a new home.  By the time I had finished with it (and the new table was starting to come together), that potential home had disappeared so I was left with an approx 600mm wide by 1100mm long table.  I decided then to make some drastic modifications to it (shortening it by a significant amount), so it would fit as a wing to my tablesaw.

Even so, it took an age longer before I was able to work out how I was going to actually mount it securely.  I have (finally) achieved that, and so it is now a secondary point in the shed where I can do table-mounted routing.

This may seem like overkill, but the 2 tables (the stand-alone and the tablesaw wing) can now serve different purposes.  Where it comes to typical tasks, the router table is ideal.  Where it comes to routing long lengths, it is much more convenient for the material to approach the router bit in the same way as it does the table saw – sliding along a substantial fence, with a large infeed and outfeed area.  The wing on the tablesaw gives me that, in spades.

Router Wing with Tablesaw Fence

I have also found that I am once again using the original homemade router table fence I came up with before getting the Incra Wonderfence.  It is straight, has a decent opening for the router bit, and can be clamped easily to the tablesaw fence.  In time I will work out a better way of securing the router fence to the tablesaw.  Also need some improvement to the dust collection…..

Router Wing

The way that I have done this means there is still a couple of short lengths of track at the back end of the table if I do want to use the Incra LS Positioner on this wing (however unlikely).  Where it is placed is not ideal for normal routing tasks, but that was never my intention – I have the stand-alone router table for that.

This is the first time I have tried using this wing, and other than chip collection issues, it worked exactly as intended.

The all -important cycle for woodworkers in Australia, when the cycle of the dollar means that the Australian dollar gets close to the US dollar (and this time there is talk that parity will be achieved – that it will be 1:1)

This has a huge impact on the price of many woodworking tools in Australia, and makes for an exceptional time to be investing in the larger machines – providing effectively a 20% discount in addition to any other deals you can wrangle.  This won’t affect all pricing, but as much of the imports are handled in $US, these will be impacted (in our favour!)

Everyone have their shopping lists ready?

On the second day of the Alternate Wood Show, I had an opportunity to use the Festool OF1400 for the handheld routing I was doing – cutting inlays using the Whiteside Inlay Kit. After a brief familiarisation (thanks btw!), I started experiencing why owners of the OF1400 like it so much. It was loaned by Ideal Tools, and they were lucky to get it back at the end of the day!

Festool OF1400

From the trigger on the handle that doesn’t require you to reposition your hand after turning the router on (and it can be locked in the on position), to the front knob that also locks the plunge height, the micro-adjustable plunge stop, the ratchet mechanism on the collet, the low centre of gravity, dust extraction and so forth.  It was a very pleasant router to use, particularly hand-held.

The Festool collet concept is rather interesting.  I can only describe it to be like using a ratchet drive for a socket set.  You engage the spindle lock whichever direction you want to operate (tighten or loosen), then operate the collet with a spanner, ratcheting back and forth.  Unlike the Triton, you don’t need to be at full extension to engage the spindle lock, but that does then require it to be a 2 handed operation, reaching under the table to do so (if the router was table mounted that is).  The bit change itself can be done above the table.  Shame that Festool don’t take it just a little further, and allow you to remotely operate the spindle lock.  It would then become ideal for use in a router lift.

The micro-adjustable plunge stop made for easy repeat operations.  Once I determined the height I wanted to bit to operate at, I was firstly able to fine-tune that height without starting the whole process over, and importantly, I could dial in and out a known height difference, which was particularly useful for the inlays.  When inlaying, the cavity, or recess needs to be as close as possible to the thickness of the inlay, whereas when routing the inlay you want additional plunge depth to ensure you are cutting all the way through and into the backing board.  With the micro-adjuster, I was dialing that difference in and out in no time, and accurately every single time.

Festool may be well known for having a high price-point, but you sure do get to see where that money has been invested.

FesCool!

Have had a bit of a look at drill presses out there, particularly given that it has been a while since I purchased mine (a fair few years ago now!)

I have a Woodman Drill Press as it happens, which cost under $300 at the time (and comparable models seem to still be around that price).  I haven’t tried any of the current models (across the range), so thought I might contribute my experiences of my current model in a hope it will help anyone going through the decision process.

Woodman Drill Press

I went for a full height pedestal drill press, not wanting a bench mounted version (not having a bench was probably a factor, plus the increased capability of a full height (and they are not that much different in cost)).  It is belt driven, 3/4HP, 16mm keyed chuck with a MT2 morse taper, and speed range from 220 to 3480 RPM.

I was convinced by a sales guy at the time to go for this model because of the increased number of speeds, rather than a very similar press with 12 speeds and a larger table.  Always regretted that.  I only use about 3 speeds when I bother changing it at all – dead slow, medium, and maximum.  Unless I was drilling a wide variety of speed sensitive materials that needed all the precise intermediate speeds, I can’t see that it is a real advantage compared to a decent sized table.

This is less of an issue now because I’ve added the Pro Drill Press Table, but until I did that, I was always frustrated by the small table size.

3/4 HP is an absolute minimum.  I don’t recall being particularly limited by that sized motor, but I have gotten close on a number of occasions for needing more power, so I’d never go for one smaller.

The chuck is keyed, which I don’t mind, but may readdress that if I ever upgrade the chuck.  It is a 16mm chuck, which gives it good capacity for the larger diameters, but at the same time the larger chucks are limited in the size of the smallest bits they can take.  I think mine cannot grip smaller than around 3.5mm bits, which has occasionally been an issue.

The column itself is fine, but has a pretty basic method of securing top and bottom – a single grub screw top and bottom, and that has lead to slippage on occasion – with the head of the drill press being able to twist off-centre.

The other couple of variables that impact on the use of the press, is how far the centre of the bit is from the column – the further it is, the larger the item is that you can drill into.  The other is the range of the plunge.  Some people claim that there is no point having a particularly long plunge because the bits are only a certain length, but the typical length of plunge is too short to my mind.  For two reasons – some bits are longer (spade bits for example), and it would be good to be able to use their range without having to change the table height partway through drilling a hole.  The other is the number of times you have to change the table height.  For example, if I change from a 6mm bit to a 12mm bit, the chances are I am also going to have to change the table height because of the short plunge length.  This particularly impacts if drilling into metal, where you do work up through bit sizes, and especially when drilling multiple holes in the same project.

It would always pay to test the drill press runout when purchasing – shaft runout, chuck runout.

I’ve always had problems (from new) with my drill press chuck.  I even replaced the first one for the issue, but the replacement has still had jamming issues – occasionally it sticks, really badly, and I’ve found the only way to free it is to pound the daylights out of it with a wooden mallet.  One day I will toss the thing in the bin and buy a decent chuck.  At that point I will again decide between keyed and keyless, and the minimum and maximum bit sizes it can cope with.

I guess some of these frustrations I’ve had are to do with having a $300ish pedestal drill press, and not one that costs $800 and upwards.  So long as it drills accurate holes (when the chuck works), for the amount I use it, it’d be hard to justify a really expensive model (some exceed $2000, but they tend to be geared head models, not belt driven).

The Woodman Drill Presses are available in Australia, but at least a couple of suppliers (Woodman Group) of them have not listed them on their websites. Not sure if this is an omission, or means something else.

The Alternate Show has come to an end, the sausages are all gone, and wisps of sawdust are all that remain to show where the demonstrations were.  Even the typically pristine Ideal Tools display had some (I swear it wasn’t me who rounded all the edges of their timber with the 1.6mm radius plane )

1.6mm Radius Plane

There were lots of bargains, with specials up to 40% off (not counting things that were thrown is as freebies to sweeten a deal or other).

Show Floor

Ideal Tools

Professional Woodworkers Supplies

Turning a Toothpick

My Demo Area

Great Job on the BBQ - 400 Sausages over the 2 Days

Lots of happy people around after they got well fed – thanks to Mel.

Australian Furniture Timbers

Some pretty amazing timbers were on display (and available for purchase), including some very impressive ebony boards (musical grade).

Showcasing the Ideal Tools Fine Woodworking Courses

"I Once Cut a Domino Mortise This Big"

Carl Helping w Sanding my Hall Table Top

Seemed a successful day, plenty of people, lots of deceased sausages.

Made some progress on a surround for a poker table (wasn’t rushing, leaving something to do tomorrow).  Adding a 95mm wide wooden edge, with an inlay in the centre of each (poker inlay using the Woodpecker template).

Poker Inlays

The inlays are MDF which have had a special coating – look quite spectacular.  Still, these inlays represent the 3rd, 4th and 5th times I’ve ever done an inlay.

There was also plenty of interest in the Walko workbench I took along, and in the dominos I was cutting with the Festool.

The Protool UniverS SSP 200 is there as well – that is one interesting looking saw! And one hell of a depth of cut.  Easier to tell in the flesh, but it is in essence a circular saw that has a chainsaw blade instead.  Other than the rather unusual blade, it would be able to be used in a similar fashion to a normal handheld circular saw.

Protool UniverS SSP 200

The Torque Workcentre is there as well – the upgraded version of the router master (which means it now has movement on both the X and Y axis).

Torque Workcentre

I haven’t taken any photos at the show as yet – will do so tomorrow.

A really successful session in the shed.  Been preparing tonight for the Alternate Wood Show demos I am doing, and the shed time went really well.  That is when it is really fun.

Had a few firsts as well.  First time I got to use the router wing I added to the tablesaw to rout long lengths of board.  Used the tablesaw fence, and got to use my old homemade router fence mounted to it with a couple of small wooden clamps.  Didn’t think it would ever prove useful again after upgrading to the full Incra Wonderfence, but you don’t throw away potentially useful gadgets! This just reinforces that basic shed rule.

Discovered an uninvited shed visitor as well.  He and I are going to have a little discussion about a bloke’s shed being his space, and you really should wait to be invited before making use of it.  He’s either going to have to learn English, or I am going to have to learn Possum.  Given neither is likely, we will probably have to resort to the very traditional sign language that was developed back at the dawn of man.

Bridge City Toolworks.

Expensive stuff (quality costs), but some bloody cool ideas coming out of there recently, and with drool-worthy quality.

DJ-1 Drilling Jig

DJ-1 Drilling Jig

MG-5 Black Chrome & Stainless Marking Gauge

ASP-25 Stainless Steel Shoulder Planes

CT-16 Hand Drill (prototype)

KM-1 KerfMaster

Damn it – now I have to wipe drool off the keyboard.  Again.

The recent dust storm that hit the East Coast of Australia, swept out of the Red Centre had a local impact for SitCo Australia.

Their woodwind grade timbers were surface checked by the dust, resulting in them no longer being rated as musical grade timber.  To make room for a new shipment, the following packs have to go at discount prices.  From the look of the photos it is primarily Queen Ebony (Pacific Blackwood), but contact SitCo for more information.

Pack A: $110

Pack B: $350-00

Pack C: $500-00

Pack D: $200-00

All prices are in AUD$ and freight is yet to be added on.

Pack C looks particularly awesome- just imagine what you could make out of all that! The other packs looks quite suitable for turning projects.

As mentioned in the past, this timber darkens up significantly with oxidation, becoming near black.  The process can be sped up by suspending the timber above a bowl of ammonia (I haven’t tried this technique out yet, but have heard it from a number of sources)

the 2 day Alternate Wood Show in South-East Melbourne, at the Woodworking Warehouse, 11 Citrus Street, Braeside.

Click for Google Map

Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm.

Don’t miss out on the specials, the free entry, the door prizes, or the free  sausages!

The companies attending this show are not going to be at the Melbourne Wood Show next weekend, so if you are looking for any of their products (and at show prices), then this is definitely worth attending.

Including, but not limited to product brands (some of these will be seen and available at the Melbourne Wood Show, but definitely not all):

Incra, Festool, Wixey, Woodpeckers, Linbide, TruPro, Walko, FastCap, Tormek, Woodman, Jet, Hock, Bessey, Fein, Titebond, UBeaut and Whiteside

Don’t forget- Christmas is once again approaching fast……..

I have, as you might have gathered, I have a number of Wixey Digital products (from PWS) in my shed, from the Angle Gauge that resides in my shop apron, to the digital height gauge, calipers, planer gauge, tablesaw gauge etc etc!

Wixey Digital Height Gauge

The problem I have been having recently, is given they are all around the same age they all seem to have a flat battery around the same time, and when you are going to use an item, that can get a bit frustrating especially if you haven’t used it much.

Mentioned it to a friend, and he pointed out that I may not have been using them correctly – at the end of the day when I have fully finished using the digital readouts, instead of clicking the off button, I should in fact hold it down for around 6 seconds or so.  What I wasn’t aware of (probably from not reading the manual), is if you just press the off button, that sends the screen to sleep, but doesn’t in fact turn the device off.  By holding the power button down until the display shows – - – - before switching off, fully turns off the device (and thus stops the slow battery drain I was experiencing).

I’m not sure how this might affect the planer height gauge – it might need to be re-zeroed when you turn it on, so I might not do it for that gauge, but for the rest (including the saw gauge), I have to regularly zero them anyway (each time I change blades for example), and it is such a simple step that I do anyway that this isn’t going to negatively impact on my work practices (and will instead improve them, as the gauges will be ready to go when I need them, and not flat!)

This is not a peculiarity of Wixey products either, it will be the case for other digital readouts as well.

One day, when the next generation of devices comes around with fully wireless charging, it will cease to be an issue – you’ll just leave the device sitting on the recharging mat until the next time you want it, but until then, this might be a useful trick to know.

Until the Alternate Wood Show begins in South-East Melbourne, at the Woodworking Warehouse, 11 Citrus Street, Braeside.

Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm.

I’ll be there both days, demonstrating a range of things, including the Inlay Template Kit, Mortise Pal, Walko Workbench,  3D Drill Bits, Converter Pro Calculators, 1.6mm Radius Plane etc etc.

Some very good specials will be available, other demonstrations, BBQ, lots of tools large and small, no entry fee: how can you go wrong?

I was sent this link recently by someone I gather is one of the researchers on this project (saw their byline on some of the microscopic photos).  It is significantly more detailed than ever needed for woodworking (microscopic photos of over 5000 hardwoods), but I thought I’d post it anyway – might be of benefit to someone.

Some people sure do some serious research into timbers!

http://insidewood.lib.ncsu.edu

Like the new banner? Prefer the old one? Hadn’t noticed?

Felt like it was time for a change, so have unfurled the latest site banner (think this is #4).

I have quite a collection of woodworking books, many being different plans and projects I’m hoping to aspire to create one day. (And yes, there are one or two workbench plans in the collection!)  One book I came across recently which looked interesting was this one:

The plans are designed for the scrollsaw, and are three-dimensional (also known as compound cut patterns) – the plans are designed to be cut from both the front and side. These can be symmetrical or asymmetrical, depending on the piece.

This is one of the chess sets in the book – a set of woodworking tools (although I’m not sure how the pliers fit the theme so well), and was the main reason I wanted it.  I guess not many people have tried this design (I haven’t….yet), as the only picture I could find of the set on the web was on the ScrollingandBeyond.com website, (who sell the chess sets from this book already made.)

Another example of fitting Porter Cable style template guides to the Triton, first discussed here.

Template Guide Adaption

I happen to have a few spares of the Triton Template Guide Base Plate Aligner & Porter Cable Template Adapter (TGBPA&PCTA) (ok, so I made the name up), so instead of leaving them languishing in the Template Guide storage box, I fitted the most common template guides I have been using – the template for the Mortise Pal, and the Whiteside Inlay Kit.

Being able to mount the router bit before fitting the template guide (particularly given the need for rear access with the Porter Cable Templates for the threaded retaining ring) is a significant advantage.

The lesser-known cousin of the Sabretooth Tiger, the Staggertooth was a widely misunderstood animal until the advent of modern man-made materials, when its real purpose finally became obvious.

The staggertooth router bit is used for fast-routing particularly tough man-made abrasive materials such as MDF, plywood and particle board where speed is paramount and cut quality is secondary.

Whiteside Staggertooth Router Bits

These Whiteside Staggertooth bits are sold by Professional Woodworkers Supplies, and come in a range of shaft and working diameters.

Some are straight-cutters, some are angled (creating a spiral-type cutting action – both upcut and downcut), and some have the cutters angled opposite each other, creating a compression type cutting action.  In these orientations, they are equivalent to a solid carbide spiral bit at a fraction of the price.

Hard to see from the photo, but they are 2 fluted, with the first flute starting at the tip of the bit (not seen in the photo), and the second flute starting near the base.  There is an overlapping region in the middle where the material being routed is exposed to both flutes.

Part of the benefit of the staggertooth is for the larger diameter cutters.  Typically, for fast-routing a single cutter router bit (single flute) is used, but when you start exceeding 3/8″ a single flute cutter experiences significant balance issues.  A twin flute cutter requires a slower feed speed.  This is where the staggertooth comes into play- because of the offset of the cutters, it acts as a single-flute cutter as far as cutting performance and feed speeds, but still has 2 flutes so it remains dynamically balanced at the high rotation speeds of a router.

A technique straight from the oil fields, there are ways of drilling around a corner when it is needed.  It requires a unique drill bit to achieve it, with cutting surfaces on the face, side and even the back of this drill bit, which could be described as a specialised forsner bit.

3D Drill Bit

In this test, I started from the top surface, drilling vertically, then once I had a clean entry (and the head of the bit was fully below the surface), I then started drilling around the corner, popping out the end as you can see here, the upper of the two end-grain holes.  Next, I started the second, lower hole and angled up during the drilling process, breaking into the original curved hole.

It was quite interesting trying the technique out, and this is promoted by the Swedish inventors as the only bit in the world that has this design. Catalogue here.

Perhaps not a tool for fine woodworking, but certainly for plumbers and electricians it would be handy indeed.

I found the bit could get away from you when starting – having cutting ability on all surfaces means if you don’t control it properly, it can start cutting sideways.  The entire unit is high speed steel, so is able to be sharpened easily, and it can take some abuse.  Drilling around a corner with a solid carbide bit would result in lots of shrapnel.  TCT would be quite interesting.  The bits could be finished better- some final dressing with a fine-grade diamond file wouldn’t go astray.

While in the hole, the bit doesn’t suffer the same as some other bits where trapped chips cause the bit to quickly overheat.  Because it has cutting surfaces all around, a chip that would otherwise cause a heating problem just gets turned to dust by the other surfaces.  I was pleasantly surprised how cool these bits operated.

Cutting all round

I tried the “surface groove” technique (using the bit like a surrogate router bit to cut a trench), but it is a technique that needs a skilled hand – I just kept having the bit jump out of the trench and run over the surface.

Drilling around a corner

The first couple of inches of the shaft has three faces on it which is a good design – gives the 3 jaw chuck of your drill a very good surface to fully engage with – I’d be surprised if bit slippage is ever an issue because of it!

The Octuplets

This is the set that Professional Woodworkers Supplies is evaluating, and should be able to be seen at the Alternate Wood Show next weekend.

One of the less pleasant side-products of woodworking, particularly with power tools, is the generation of sawdust. Some of these particles get down to rather nasty sizes, and can remain airborne for surprisingly long periods of time.

There are three sources of dust control for the workshop.  The first is obvious (well they are all obvious really): controlling dust at the point of creation.  Using dust collection equipment, whether it is a vacuum connected to the machine, or a 4″ hose to a dust extractor, a down-draught table, whatever.  Collect and extract as much dust as possible.

The second is dealing with the finer particles that have escaped, and become fully airborne.  This is where some form of air filtration comes in.  It could be something like the MC1000 that pumps 1000 cubic metres through a 0.6 micron filter every hour, or even a simple extraction fan that pumps ‘dirty’ air outside, allowing clean air to be drawn in.

Finally, stage three is the “when all else fails” – the final backstop – PPE (RPE).  Personal protection equipment (respiratory protection equipment).

Let’s face it – we are talking about face masks.

Now that is a pleasant thought isn’t it?  Damned uncomfortable, hot, and you can’t wait to get it off as soon as the dusty job is over (despite the air still being laden with fine dust particles you can still see).  On top of that, so many times you find your vision being compromised as your safety glasses fog, and there is enough reasons mounting why you’d feel justified in abandoning any thought of continuing to use one.  In hot weather, I’ve had to regularly pour out my normal P2 filtered mask – boy that really makes using one fun.

So what do you do? Get a better mask, that’s what.

Medical / surgical staff have to wear masks for long periods of time, and they certainly can’t afford to have their vision impaired by fogging, so it is quite fortunate that one happens to have a passion for woodturning, and has come up with a dust mask that is based on the surgical mask design.

Called the Dust Bee Gone (DBG), it is designed to be particularly comfortable, is guaranteed not to fog your glasses, and will save you a lot of money on decent disposable masks because this one is washable.  If used 6 to 8 hours a day, it should last 3-5 years.  Based on that, the one I have will last the rest of my life!

It is not designed for toxic dusts, so I’d still use a P2 filter when working with MDF.  The DBG filters down to 3 micron. It works well with beards too (although I don’t have a full length woodworkers one (yet!)

Dust Bee Gone

The Australian importer is Microclene (suppliers of the Microclene air filters), and can be purchased through Carrolls Woodcraft Supplies.  In the US, you can get them through Rockler.

So the next time you are in your workshop, creating clouds of fine dust and pretending it doesn’t exist, and choosing not to use a mask because of all the excuses (and I know – I’ve used a lot of them!), consider trying a different type of mask.

One thing that I like going to a woodshow for, is seeing all the new products that are (or soon will be) available. The “Alternate Woodshow” is no exception – Professional Woodworkers Supplies have quite a number of brand-new products they will be showcasing (along with a whole heap of other recent additions over the past year)

These images are taken from the PWS website btw (and their emailed newsletter).  If you are not a subscriber, you can do so here.

Converter Pro Calculator

Adds imperial, metric and decimal imperial together in a single operation.  Calculations such as

17/64″ + 11mm – 2.3mm are easy.  Equals 19/32″ or 15.44687mm btw.

Pocket Chisel Set

Pocket Chisel

A chisel set where the individual chisels can be folded up, protecting the blade (and yourself!)

Quad Trimmer

With its ergonomic design, the Quad Trimmer trims edge banding in all directions.

Fastbreak Edger

It allows you to uniformly break or ariss  the edge on sharp melamine or timber material in just one pass.

Flushcut Trimmer

Trims overhanging edging easily with a single cut – no knives, blades etc required.

1.6mm Radius Plane

Quickly and simply break the edge of a project without routers, uneven sandpaper edge breaking etc.

Blind Nailer

Blind Nailer

Sometimes a quick nail is all that is needed to hold a project together until the glue dries.  Why leave yourself a hole to fill for the sake of a convenient nail?

Cabinetmaker Layout Tape

Layout Drill Bit

Making a cabinet and want a row of evenly spaced holes (especially if using the European System 32 hardware)?  This tape sticks on, you drill through it, then peel it off and throw it away.  The tape helps prevent bit slippage, aids accurate hole placement without needing a jig, and helps prevent breakout caused by the drill bit.

Artisan Accent

Artisan Accent Tool

Want the look of a pinned joint when the work involved isn’t justified?  This quickly creates the cavity for an ebony coloured plastic plug to be glued in place giving the impression that a lot more work was involved in the project than what there was.

A little speculation, based on some mention of business movements in Australia.

Triton will not be seen again in Bunnings, but they will not want to miss on that sort of distribution network.

They are currently being sold through Dahlsens, and a workcentre is listed in their current catalogue. (Australian company, Australian spelling ) Check out page 4

There is some mention that Woolworths have or are going to take Dahlsens over – interesting too that a John Dahlsen is mentioned as ex head of Woolworths, and a John Dahlsen is also one of Dahlsen’s top 20 shareholders.  Couple that with recent announcements of Woolworths and Lowes getting in bed together to bring that megachain to Australia in competition with Bunnings, and Triton is starting to look like it is placed in quite an interesting position for again achieving Australia-wide distribution despite the loss of Bunnings.