EZ Woodworking

2011-11-09T08:59:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to announce that I have started a blog which I will limit to SketchUp and animation discussions.

Modified PBB to be Workbench and Extention for EZ-One.

2011-10-19T09:59:00.001-04:00

My old monster of a PBB has been relegated to be work benches since I got my EZ-One.

The Monster PBB

The large section sits against a wall, mostly unused at this point (I have plans for changes to it in the future). The narrow one (2' x 6') has become the out feed table for the table saw (which hardly ever gets used), workbench/sanding bench, and extension for the EZ-One.

The new setup as it is usually used.

I wanted to set it up so that I could use it as a Smart Table in conjunction with the EZ-One when I need to straight-line rip and rip the oak that I work with mostly. I wanted a solid top for all uses except the Smart Table. But that meant that I either had to have SMEs and sliding modules for the top, or I had to come up with something else.

I went for the something else. The bench started with two SMEs on the top running along the 6' sides, with a single l6' sliding module between them. These were mounted to a solid top. I removed everything from the top of the bench. I cut the SME's to 2' sections that I mounted across the frame. The old solid top then had short EZ Connectors put in the four corners for attaching to the SMEs at the ends of the bench. The top of the bench is adjustable in height so I adjusted it to the same height as the EZ-One when the solid top is in place (the EZ-One was already the same height as the table saw). This allows the EZ-One to be positioned so that the bench acts as an additional support when cutting long work pieces on the EZ-One.

The top slid back a little bit.

When I need to rip, the EZ-One is placed at the end of the bench (it actually stays there most of the time) so that PBB to Smart Table adapters can be used in the sliding supports of the EZ-One to make a Smart Table. The solid top of the bench can either be removed, or slid back 18" to make the SMEs on the bench available for more PBB to Smart Table adapters. The wood on these adapters needs to be 3/4" wider than those on the EZ-One (3 1/2" and 4 1/4").

Setup for ripping.

Next I needed to come up with a way to stop the work piece from sliding when ripping with the RipSizer. This is not a problem when ripping full sheets of plywood, but can be a problem when ripping smaller stuff. I remembered that Burt had posted at the TrackSawForum.com how he had solved the problem. Based on his ideas, using a couple of short EZ Connectors, I attached a section of Back-to-Back extrusion to the side of the wood of several of the PBB to Smart Table adapters. This gave me a place to mount stops that I could easily adjust to what ever width work piece I had.

The prototype stop ready to use.

The prototype stop.

Two types of prototype stops.

Knob for connector that fastens the B2B to the adapter.

Two stop types in use.

I will add stop capability to the adapters on the EZ-One.

I can even store the adapters under the solid top when not in use.

Wood ready to rip.

With stops on each end, this is ready to be ripped.

Just need to put the RipSizer at the end of the work piece and add the saw.

The end result works like a charm. I will redesign the stops so that they will be height adjustable and more versatile, but for now they do the trick.

Recycle Center for Garage

2011-08-01T13:56:00.001-04:00

Just a quick note. Here is the recycle center I did for the garage last week. Today is the first chance I have had to install it since we went to a family reunion this weekend.

The early idea.

A rendering of the idea

The finished center in use.

A closer look.

For aluminum cans (we don't use many).

You can see how the shelf is mounted.

Underneath the shelves.

I used 3/4" pine for everything but the shelves, they are 1/8" hardboard. It is stained and varnished to match the rest of the garage. Some day it will cool off enough that I can finish the garage and I'll post more pictures.

Scribing Window Jamb Extensions

2011-06-07T21:58:00.001-04:00

After I fixed the window openings, I had to scribe the jamb extensions to be flush with the walls. This short video documents what I did. Note I didn't use a vacuum with the saw since I was working outside and it is easier to blow the dust away when I'm done.

Fixing a window opening.

2011-06-03T22:05:00.002-04:00

Today I had to fix a problem left me by the contractor that did the rehab of our garage. In order to cover the foundation on the inside, furring strips had to be added so that the wall would be a single plane rather than jutting out at the foundation.

When I went to install the jamb extensions I had made, I discovered that the "carpenters" had not lined up the furring strips that framed the windows with the opening.

As a result, the jamb extension would not line up with the jamb. Routing a rabbet that was 1 1/4" wide and went from 0" to 1/4" in depth, wasn't an option, so I had to cut back the furring strip and the wall board.

I could use one of my long tracks and the SSRK, but a router would really have made a mess, and there might be unseen drywall screws. Attaching a track to the wall and using the circular saw on the track just didn't appeal to me. What I did was attach a long (84") SME to the wall above and below the window opening using a neat litter fastener that I had made for another purpose. This would act as a guide for the side of the saw base.

The fastener is just a block of UHMW with T-Nut and screw fastening it to the side slot of the SME, and a long screw fastening it to the wall. Could have used a long piece of straight wood instead of the SME, but finding straight wood can be a fun exercise.

I very carefully plunged the saw and made the cut.

Worked like a champ. Had to also do the left side and top of the other window opening.

Oh, there were a few drywall screws.

That would have played havoc with a router bit. The carbide saw blade just went right through (but I guess I have better replace it one of these days).

I'll add pictures of the completed windows once I'm done.

EZ cutting preformed counter top to size

2011-06-01T16:46:00.029-04:00

Recently, to give my wife a place to work with her plants, I added cabinets, shelving, a sink and counter tops to our renovated garage. I used preformed laminate counter tops from a big box store. One of the counter tops had to be shortened. In the past I had used a saber saw for such things (cutting from the under side), but never was satisfied with the result. I decided to use my EZ Track and EZ Square. I put the counter top upside down on my Smart Table, marked the cut line (which was not square because the corner is not square), and clamped the EZ Track to make the cut. Because of the lip on the underside of the front, I also put some 3/4" scrap under the track.

A regular EZ Clamp worked for the front edge of the counter top, but I needed a longer clamp for the splash edge. I could have used the EZ Long Clamps, but I opted to use a custom clamp I made from a KliKlamp.

With that first cut made, I aligned the EZ Square with the cut edge and clamped it to the splash. I then carefully made the cut, holding the saw tight against the track.

It worked like a dream and there was no chip-out.

6/3/2011
As requested, here are some pictures of the cut edge. But first, the factory edge on the cut-off:

Here are a couple of the factory edge on the uncut end.

And finally, the cut end.

Mounting the Makita 5104 on the EZ Moduni Saw Base.

2011-04-01T05:44:00.001-04:00

Dino Makropoulos of EurekaZone recently sent me the newest version of the EZ Moduni Saw Base to attach to my new Makita 5104. The 5104 is a 10.25" saw, so it will not fit the standard EZ Saw Base. If you are wondering, I think that Moduni comes from MODular UNIversal. This new version is milled with a CNC, rather than milled with EZ setups as the previous versions were. This allows for features not readily producible before, and Dino can have different CNC programs to easily build bases for a large variety of saws. There is an excellent new feature, it has spacer tabs that let you align the blade perfectly with the track guide ridge.

Anatomy of the Moduni Saw Base

These spacer tabs are removed once the base is installed, but more on that later. Actually, since I received my Moduni base, Dino has changed the style slightly. In the illustration below, instead of two alignment spacer tabs to align the blade (the top drawing), the two spacer tabs are connected by a long piece that makes alignment easier (the bottom drawing).

Earlier and Latest Versions of the Moduni Base

While mounting the base, I kept the blade guard out of the way with a spring clamp. Of course, the saw was unplugged during the whole operation.

Blade Guard Held Open With Spring Clamp

The 5104 has two adjustable stops that are accessible from the bottom of the saw base. These needed to be accessible once the Moduni base was installed, so two holes needed to be drilled in the right locations.

To locate the holes, I made two marks where the slot for the guide ridge was located on the bottom of the saw's base. These can be faintly seen to the right of the left hand adjustment screw in the above picture.

The measurements were made from those lines and from the front of the saw's base. The Moduni base was going to be installed with the front of the saw's base against the front ridge piece that runs across the base to tie the main part of the base to the piece that forms the slot. So I had two locations from which to measure on the Moduni base, the sides of the slot and the back edge of the front ridge piece.

Once I had the locations marked, I drilled the holes in the Moduni Base.

I then places four patches of double stick tape on the saw's base. Later I will probably add some screws to the base, but the tape will work for now.

I put the front of the saw's base against the front ridge of the Moduni base with the back of the Moduni base raised, tilted the Moduni down until the positioning tabs were against the blade.

Then I pressed the Moduni base down on to the saw's base.

Unfortunately, I failed to shoot a video of the process (senior moment). The next step was to trim the positioning tabs from the base, as they interfere with the operation of the blade guard.

This process I did shoot a video of...

With the tabs trimmed the the saw was ready to trim the base and AC-3 to the blade. First I needed to assure that the slot for the guide ridge of the track was snug and the knobs were tight.

The AC-3 was moved to the edge of the blade slot so that it would also be trimmed.

That done, I raised the blade to its highest; clamped the track and saw to the edge of the bench with the blade beyond the bench edge; started the saw and slowly lowered the blade to its fullest extent.

I can't wait until I have to rip some 8/4 oak or something heavier...

What is it?

2010-12-30T15:33:00.001-05:00

I've been busy with work being done around the house, so haven't written anything in a while. Not writing much now, just wondering what this is that I inherited in my dads tools, etc. from his shop. The squares are 0.2".

I have no idea what it is...

Setup for doing hinge mortise on door frame.

2010-07-26T19:20:00.001-04:00

I always hate having to do the hinge mortises for doors. I don't want to screw the Carey Template Company's template to the frame or the door because I don't paint woodwork, I stain and varnish. I had added a fence to the templates so I could clamp them in place, but clamping was a pain. I had made up one for the doors and one for the frames. Currently I am refinishing and rehanging doors from out guest bedroom, so I don't have to mortise the doors, already done.

I wondered how I could do the mortises more easily. It dawned on me to use the EZ-One to support the frame member, and attach the template and fence to one of the top SMEs with a connector and pan head screw, and add a low profile clamp the hole the frame member in place.

One of two screws attaching fence to template.

The setup attached to the middle SME.

Lining up the marks with the mortise in the fence. I added pencil marks to the scribe line for clarity.

It works like a champ, I just need to move the EZ-One from the corner it is currently in to a place with a little more room so that I don't have to move the rig to another SME to complete the job.

Next I guess I need to come up with a way to do the door hinge mortises for when I'm hanging a new door.

The EZ-One

2010-06-19T06:38:00.001-04:00

Dino at EurekaZone has come out with a new version of the Power Bench that I am finding to be a great tool. I haven't been able to use it as much as I would like yet because the projects I'm working on haven't required its use, but what I have done has lead me to really like it. It is light weight, yet sturdy as a rock. Its features are fantastic, so as I explore the features I'm going to produce a series of videos that highlight them.

Oddly enough, the first video is not just about the EZ-One, but about the ease at which you can convert it to be able to make cuts greater than the size of the bench. The bench measures about 48" x 27" with the fence extending about 36" to either side of the center cut line. I needed to cut 7" strips from a full sheet of 3/4" plywood to use in building up a baseboard in the guest bedroom that we are currently remodeling. I could easily cross cut the sheet, but these pieces need to be the full 96" long. The answer was to convert the EZ-One to a Smart Table, join two rails together, add repeaters to the rail, and make the cuts.

I didn't video making the first cuts because I just forgot, and I didn't show making all the cuts because it is just boring. But I do show a couple of cuts and converting and un-converting the bench to a Smart Table.

Hope you enjoy the video and get a feel for how the EZ-One can be used. As the need to use the EZ-One, I'll be making other videos and passing along to you my experiences using this great tool.

Installing new windows

2010-02-24T22:20:00.007-05:00

We bought replacement windows for the 37 windows in our home some years ago, and I have been installing them slowly. We have decided to try and get them all installed before it gets too hot and buggy this summer. I am trimming the inside with stained and varnished oak and the outside with solid PVC that I then paint to match the vinyl on the outside of the windows. I decided that I needed to come up with a way to rip and joint the oak that did not require as much handling as what I have been doing. I would plane the wood to thickness, cut it to length slightly over sized, straight line cut one edge as best I could, joint the edge on the jointer, rip the wood slightly over size on the table saw, joint one edge on the jointer, rip to almost the final size on the table saw, and joint the other edge. This is just too much handling.

With the new process, I still have to plane the wood to thickness, but then things change. Since the lumber is usually 10-12 feet long, and 9-12 inches wide, I first cut the length down to nearly what I need. Using the EZ cut-off saw I built to compliment my miter and radial arm saws.

The required lengths for the trim are longer than I can rip with my PBB in its current configuration, I didn't feel like re configuring it, so I removed the bridge, clamped my Router Power Bench to the side of the PBB, and attached a longer bridge. This gives me about 7 1/2' of capacity. I then straight line one edge with the setup you see in the video below. Without moving the wood, I then joint the edge with my Bosch power planer attached to the new EZ SSRK (Super Smart Router Kit). I made a special mount to attach the planer to the SSRK.

Once I have all the wood straight-lined, I set the fence on the PBB to 1/32" over the width desired. Then the fun begins, I place the jointed edge of a board against the fence, rip the first piece. I then set the power planer to remove 1/64", and joint the edge with the power planer. It is then just a matter of placing the last cut-off or another board under the rail against the fence and ripping another piece. Once all the pieces of that width have been ripped and one side jointed, I reset the power planer to remove another 1/64". I then put the pieces back under the rail with the jointed edge against the fence, Joint them, and they ready to lightly sand, stain and varnish.

Bathroom Complete At Last

2010-02-13T13:19:00.013-05:00

With the completion of a custom light fixture over the window, the project is finally complete.

The light is provided by LED flex strips around the rim, aimed at the ceiling. The number I have is about equal to a 30w incandescent bulb, but with not heat generation and way less power consumption.

This is the top frame with the LED flex strips attached.

A closer look at the lights. Originally, I was just going to have the lights reflect off of teh white ceiling, but there was a rim of light that was too bright, the LEDs could be seen, the ceiling didn't look good enough to be highlighted, and my wife didn't like the screws I used to mount the lower trim.

So on to plan B. I added a piece between the light frame and the trim that would hide the LEDs, and support a frosted plastic insert. The piece required some milling, so I finally had an opportunity to use my new Super SRK. I'll say that the SSRK is one heck of a tool, I can see that I'm going to get lots of use out of it and will be coming up with all kinds of additional front ends for it. This is the end profile of the piece, actually two pieces, that I will rip out of this larger piece. The parts will be ripped off of the raised part in the middle.

The lumber that I was making the parts out of was 60" long, so I couldn't use my Router Power Bench. So I used the PBB. Here is the setup.

This is a cross section of the light fixture.

This is the same shot as that of the first design, I have to admit my wife is right, it really looks better. I didn't want to fasten the trim up with brads, in case I ever have to do repairs (probably never since the LEDs have a life expectancy of 50,000 to 60,000 hours). My solution was to use rare earth magnets, sockets and washers (www.leevalley.com) counter-sunk into the trim and the large frame. The light frame is attached with screws to the large frame, and the frame for the plastic insert is attached to the light frame with screws also.

A "skylight" at night (notice the snow on the tree outside the window, the first accumulation we have had in years, 4" before it was over).

My wife lives it because it doesn't hurt her eyes like most direct lighting does.

Update to Blade Guard article.

2010-01-31T16:40:00.010-05:00

In a previous article, I talked about a blade guard I built for the bridge. I just got a 8 1/4" Makita 5008MGA so I needed a slightly bigger guard, and I had decided previously that it would be good to have a guard on both sides and both ends of the rail.

The original guard seen from above.

The new guard, with protection on both sides.

Another view.

With the new saw.

Seen from below.

The guard and saw at the other end of the rail.

Now hopefully, I won't accidentally grab the blade when doing lots of repetitive cuts.

EZ Cut-off Saw

2010-01-16T16:44:00.002-05:00

I have been in the process of re-organizing my shop. I have been making lots of changes, hopefully for the better. I recently got a new circular saw, a Mikita 5008MGA to replace the WORX I bought initially to use on the EZ system. I was not all that satisfied with the WORX. On the EZ base, it just missed cutting1.5" stock (even after I did some fine tuning to the depth control parts). And it was not all that solidly built, it tended to flex during a cut (from side to side, slightly changing the angle of the cut from 90 degrees.

However, the WORX does have a slot in the base (to the European standard distance from the blade). Not using the EZ base would allow me to cut 1 1/2" stock on the rail. When the saw is used on a rail without the EZ base, the blade is too far from the edge to use EAC-1 for anti-chip and aligning cuts. I decided to make a shop built EAC and then use the WORX on a shop built cut-off rig.

I didn’t have any 1/2” UHMW and didn't have a piece of 3/4” UHMW long enough, so I planed a piece of 3/4” solid PVC trim down to 1/2” and used the table saw to mill the piece. Yes, I still use my table saw for some things.

With an edge for the rail, I then started to design the system for raising the rail to put the material under it. My first thought was to use two 3 1/2" door hinges, but decided that they had too much play. I then settled on a version of the EZ Bridge, but with only one end hinged. I built this from spare parts that I had saved from other designs.

I used Dino's trick (from the SSRK) for mounting two rail sections perpendicular to each other. I had some conformat screws the right size, so it was EZ and fast.

I soon discovered that this setup had too much play, but I realized that if I added a "fence" to push the rail against to keep it square to the squaring fence, the play would not be a problem.

After using this setup to make some test cuts, I realized that sometimes, if you didn't get the rail firmly down on the material, it could actually push the material away from the squaring fence during the cut.

Back to the drawing board. I went back to the door hinge idea since I now realized that a little play could be countered with a fence perpendicular to the squaring fence. But since the double pivot points allowed the rail to move toward and from the squaring fence, I decided to go with a single hinge and change height of the rail by moving the connection point up and down.

The height of the rail is changed by loosening the top two knobs and setting the top of the UHMW block according to the scale that is attached to the upright rail section that the hinge unit is mounted to.

I also built a stand to set the saw on. It has a slot to hold the blade and blade guard. even when they are fully extended.

Here is the rail set to cut 3/4" stock, and when the rail is flipped up when not in use.

Soon, I hope to have shop to the point where I can do a piece or two about the new layout.

Update of Workshop Layout

2009-10-07T17:06:00.002-04:00

A viewer asked that I post a video of my shop, but since I’m not really into live action videos (and the shop is in the midst of being rearranged), he suggested that I label the drawing that I posted of my workshop layout in the post about designing my custom PBB. Well, I have changed the layout and am currently working on carrying out my new plan (as I have time). Below is the current plan with a brief description of what all is there.

The center piece of the shop is my PBB (A). My trusty 30+ year old Craftsman 10” Contractors Table Saw (B) with home built base, is still used for rips when I need to do a bunch at the same width and they are longer than 60”. The extended base of the saw also contains the router table (C) I discussed building here. My venerable Parks-Belsaw 12” planer/molder (D) is not used as much as it once was. I inherited my fathers Dewalt lunchbox planer (G), which has much less end-snip, and since I attached a digital depth gauge, it gets used a lot.

Another traditional and old tool, is the 6” Craftsman Jointer (E). It also gets used a lot. My latest non-traditional tool it the Router Power Bench (F) that I am currently finishing up. Pictured next to the lunchbox planer is my project cart (the drawing shows it with two shelves, but it no longer has the top shelf). A shaper (H), rarely gets used and may be gotten rid of some day. The dedicated mortiser (I) is also not a high use item either, but does come in handy from time to time.

The traditional workbench (J) was built by my father, but has not yet made it from the “barn” since I have not yet made the space for it ready. The clamp storage area (K) has wall mounted racks and a roll around rack so I can bring the clamps to the work when need be. Next to that is the desk and small parts storage area (L). Beside the PBB is a cabinet with cubby holes (M) for power hand tools that are mostly used at the PBB. This is not yet in place because I have to remove the current occupants of the area. Also along this wall will also be either cabinets with doors (N) or another cubby hole cabinet that I have.

My tool box (O) for hand tools (mostly mechanical in nature) is next to the door to the mechanical room that houses the HVAC and water systems for the house. Around the corner is more storage. Under the window are base cabinets with bench top drill presses (Q) mounted. A floor model drill press (R) is opposite against a column. Opposite the drill press is the band saw. These last two items have not yet made it to the shop either.

In the corner next to the door is a very heavy lathe (T) that I also inherited. It too is not yet in place. Built in to the long counter top are my Dewalt Miter Saw (U) and Craftsman Radial Arm Saw (V). The miter saw sees lots of use, but not very much for the RAS. My big Oneida Dust Collector (W) comes next, followed by the oscillating drum sander (X), and a narrow belt sander (Y). My plywood cart (Z) is pictured in front of some mobile tools that are stored under the lumber rack (AD). These include, a large belt sander (AA), and a 24” shop built drum sander (AB), my mobile project assembly cart (AC), a little used and not pictured ShopSmith. On the wall is a yet to be built panel clamping station (AD).

If I ever get the shop nearly done, I might shoot a video, but that is a very big MIGHT.

Bath Room Remodel - Nearly There

2009-10-05T13:29:00.007-04:00

It has been a while since I posted. I have had a lot of other irons in the fire. The end is in sight though, I have one door to finish, a lighting fixture to design and build, and a touch up to the ceiling where the installers made some dings. We decided to replace the light fixtures, they were too big and bright. The old ones will go to the guest bath when that is remodeled.

Finally got the main door and the window replaced and trimmed out.

The light fixture will go above the window, the whole space will be enclosed with a frosted cover. I just haven't decided exactly how I want it.

The door that I have to do is the closet door. Since we changed the main door from 24" to 28", I now have to change the closet door from 30" to 28" so that there will be clearance between the doors.

EurekaZone Focus Group Forum is closed.

2009-10-03T05:25:00.002-04:00

The new EurekaZone forum is located at:
http://tracksawforum.com

in reference to: EurekaZone Focus Group (view on Google Sidewiki)

A Router Power Bench for my shop.

2009-09-08T05:44:00.003-04:00

I have found that whenever I have my PBB set up to do SRK (router) work, I then need to use the rail and bridge to cut some wood. I finally decided to design a Power Bench for the router (Router Power Bench-RPB).

The frame is 2x4s and a couple of 2x6s. They were straightened, squared, etc. for uniformity. Here is a shot of the the frame. It has the mortise & tenon rig (M-T) that I had built previously for the PBB fastened temporarily to the end.

I am trying an idea I got from Paul Greathouse on the old EZ Forum, slotted sliding modules and a dust collector connection to help with all the dust and chips that routers spew. This drawing shows the DC and shelves added to the frame.

The DC box has a slanted bottom and a 4” port. With the SMEs added, the slotted sliding modules can be put on the top.

The plan was to stagger the slots but once I got to building, I decided to just put slots between the ribs of the top. I guess I need to change the drawing.

The shelves on the RPB were designed to hold a lot of the accessories that I planned for the RPB. It can hold the M-T rig, the door/panel clamp, the bench top extension parts, and the router/SRK. As I use it, I will design and build storage for the smaller accessories (clamps, squaring stops, SRK stops, etc.).

I haven’t decided if the bench top extension is really going to be necessary, so I haven’t built the parts yet. I will probably wait until I have a need for them, but here is what I have designed. The extensions for the SMEs are connected with EZ connectors and some set screws. They have a wooden rib attached, the end of which will press against the structure of the RPB, providing some support for the end of the extension.

Sliding modules go between the SMEs to give an additional two feet of bench top. I have thought of using the RPB as a sanding station so that the dust will be caught by the DC. If I do that, I guess that the extensions will be useful since I often have to sand 6-8 foot pieces for jambs, face frames, molding, etc. I’ll have to make a fourth SME extension so I can have an extension on each end.

If I build the extension, I will probably slot the sliding modules for it as well, since I have designed a hold down clamp/stop to be used in the slots to help position and hold work pieces. (Notice that I have rounded over the top side of the slots to improve dust collection.)

The hold down clamp/stop consists of a 5/16-18 hex bolt, an aluminum hold down clamp arm, knob, metal washer, a “T” made of UHMW, and a plywood disk that is threaded. The wooden disk locks the hold down clamp/stop in any location in any slot, thus allowing the disk to act as a stop. The disk also provides a fixed place for the short end of the clamp arm to rest.

The “T” is threaded and the bolt screws into it. The wooden disk is then screwed on the bolt and the clamp arm, washer, and knob are put on. The “T” is slipped through a slot in the sliding module and then the whole thing is turned 90 degrees and lifted so that the top part of the “T” goes into the slot, preventing the part from turning as the disk is tightened.

I have similar hold down clamps for the SMEs, but I use the knurled metal nuts found on the SRK clamp/stop, to lock them in place. That nut is not large enough for the short end of the arm to rest on properly, so I think I will be switching to this wooden disk idea for those hold downs as well.

The M-T that I built to use on the PBB was the first accessory for the RPB, and its dimensions were used to size the RPB. I have used it a lot, although not for mortise and tenons yet. It is great for milling small parts. This is a picture of my setup for milling the “T” for the hold down clamp/stop.

The various clamps and stops I have built for the M-T make it very versatile.

I originally designed the RPB so that the M-T would go between the two outside SMEs on the top, but then I decided to us a center SME and that made it difficult to do what I had planned. I also found that mounting the rig to be problematic. Originally I was screwing the M-T to the side of the bench through the back of the rig. Then I realized that I could just rest the top of the M-T on top of the bench, and lower the rail on a B100 bridge to sit on top of it.

I made slotted brackets to mount to the sides of the rig, into which I can slide short connectors with knobs into to lock the rig to the SME on the side of the bench.

Another accessory is a clamp for holding doors on edge for routing hinge mortises and lockset mortises, for using the hand plane for the relief angle on the lockset edge, etc. The clamp may also be user for large panels.

I have also used the RPB to extend the PBB when straight line ripping long lumber. Here I am straight lining some 10-12 foot oak.

Bathroom Remodel – A step back

2009-05-10T14:32:00.002-04:00

After looking at the medicine cabinets for a while, it was decided that they were too high. So I pulled them out and am in the process of lowering them 4.5”. With the SawsAll, I cut the sheetrock down and then cut the framing back 1.5”. I built a frame to go in the top of the opening and added sheetrock to it. I have started mudding the patch. Once that is done, I’ll re-paper and re-install the medicine cabinets and light fixtures. Then I’ll be back to where I was…

Bathroom Remodel – Flooring Started

2009-04-28T17:42:00.002-04:00

The medicine cabinets are installed, they are Broan and are 34” high and 6” deep. They are recessed 2”. Here just the main units were installed, notice the surface mount outlet I put inside the left cabinet for shaver and toothbrush chargers.

Finally the doors and shelves were installed in the cabinets, and the light sconces installed. All lights and the vent fan are controlled with an X-10 6-button controller seen to the left of the left cabinet. A 4-button controller next to the toilet is the secondary controller for the three functions of the Broan vent fan (fan, light, and night light).

The faucets are Kohler Forte’ as are the tub and shower fixtures. There is still a radius top mirror to be ordered to go between the two medicine cabinets, and maybe a glass shelf to go below the mirror also. These are seen in this old rendering I did from the SketchUp drawing.

I have started racking (laying out) the floor and will begin nailing tomorrow.

If I hadn’t mentioned it before, the floor is Brazilian Hickory form Columbia Flooring, purchased at Lowe’s.

Bathroom Remodel Update - Wallpaper

2009-04-22T16:59:00.002-04:00

The cultured marble tub surround and vanity tops installations have been completed after a few installation problems and repairs to some minor damage.

And the glass shower enclosure is in, looks great.

Got about half the wallpaper done today…

The crown molding will be as big as the gap between the marble and the ceiling, and will have a horizontal piece less than half that width. Kind of like this.

Hopefully, I’ll finish the wallpaper tomorrow and get the medicine cabinets installation started.

Sheet Goods Rack for the "Barn"

2009-03-19T16:05:00.004-04:00

My latest project is to design and build a rack (in the "barn" I had built a couple of years ago) to store all the sheet goods (whole sheets and scrap pieces) that are in the workshop taking up valuable space. I have already built a 30 foot lumber rack along one side wall for all the wood I have and the wood I inherited from my Dad.

These the perspective, front, and end views of the plan.

I tapered some 2x8 to provide a slightly slanted wall for the full sheets to lean against. It was simple and quick to cut them on the PBB. Since the floor of the barn has a slight slope for drainage, I made the 2x8 blanks about a half inch long, cut the tapers based on the top of the blank, and then cut off the bottom to fit that pieces location. The jig for cutting the tapers consisted of a notched piece of 1/2" MDF screwed to the PBB table, and a short block clamped further down the side of the blank to help keep it lined up.

All I had to do was place a top corner of the blank in the notch, line up the side of the blank to the other stop, lower the bridge, and cut one side. I then lifted the bridge, removed the blank, flipped it over, placed the other top corner in the notch, and repeat for the other side. Here is a video of the process.

As you can see, the WORX does not quite cut all the way through some 2x's, but what is left is paper thin and not a problem. I guess I should have run them all through the planer first to get an even thickness, but this is just a storage rack...

I started by lag screwing the vertical pieces against the wall to the 2x4 furring strips that the OSB is fastened to. There are no studs because this is a pole barn. It only has post tied together with 2x8s, so I added 2x4s flat against the 2x8s to provide attachment points for the OSB and anything I wanted to attach to the wall. The vertical 2x4s at the front of the rack are screwed to the bottom member of the truss and the horizontal members that are screwed to the posts. Here I have installed the first taper piece and a horizontal member.

The same state of construction, but from the end of the rack. There is 10 feet from the end of the rack to the corner, so plenty of room for loading and unloading the rack. I raised the rack so that the full sheets can be slid directly to and from my plywood cart for transportation to the workshop. Eventually, I will have a walkway between the barn and the shop to make moving things easier.

The nearly complete rack. The boards I used for horizontal rails along the sides are from cedar planks I removed from the screen porch before it became a sun room, hence the spots of light gray stain. The bottoms of the two sections for full sheets is 3/4" Melamine covered MDF. The rest of the shelves are 1/2" OSB.

Here I added to swinging members that will keep sheets from falling out of the front bin. These pivot up when I need to sort through the sheets from the front. Sheets can also be loaded and unloaded from the end. This bin will be used for full and partial sheets, so I will need to have access from the front to sort through to find what I need. The free ends of the swinging members are held in place by brackets when they are down.

Here the swinging members are up for access from the front.

This is a CU of the bracket that keeps the member from being pushed away from the rack.

When swung up, the members are held up by lag screws that protrude about 1 1/4". There is just enough play at the fastened end to allow the member to be pulled out and over the lag screw.

The rack was nearly full once I got every thing out of the shop.

Note the antique Gulf thermometer on the wall. It was from a service station my Dad ran back in the mid 40's after the war.

Bin A is for full sheets only.
Bin B has full and partial sheets >24" wide.
Bin C is for partial sheets >48" long and <=24" wide.
Bin D is for partial sheets >40" but <=48" long and <= 24" wide. Since I have a lot of strips 6-8" wide, I'm thinking about dividing this bin vertically. One side will be a full 24" high, the other will be two bins @10" high each.

Bin F each part is 40" deep and @20" high.
Bin G each part is 20" deep and @22" wide.
Bin H Each shelf is 40" deep and @22" wide.
All of these are for smaller cut-offs and what-have-you.

Now that the rack is finished, I need to get teh shop better organized.

Update: Bathroom Remodel

2009-02-24T06:37:00.016-05:00

Yesterday was a milestone, the cabinets were finished and moved up to the bathroom this last weekend and the tub was set into place. Monday, I called the company that is doing the cultured marble for the tub surround and counter tops. Surprisingly, the guy was able to come out to measure a few hours later. I guess it should not be such a surprise, given the reduction in new housing starts of late. A second surprise was that he can have them ready in a week or so, not the 5-6 weeks it would have taken last year.

Any way, the new tub is in place. What a change from the old tub.

The old cabinets were refinished to have a little lighter finish than the original finish. I also added pull-out shelves under the sinks for easier access. To fill the gap between the shelf side and the side of the cabinet, I added a narrow shelf for small items.

The dressing table was modified quite a bit. I made a new face frame because I added two large drawers to the top to hold things that usually clutter the counter top, like hair dryer, brushes, aerosol cans, etc. The knee space was enclosed with two doors and, since previously there was no linen storage in the bathroom other than a bakers rack behind the toilet, two pull-out shelves were added for linens.

For both cabinets, the existing drawers were refinished and full extension drawer slides were added. I have started on the replacement window. If you look closely you can see that the existing window is not level. Once I get the finish on the inside of the window (vinyl exterior), the frame and trim made, and the counter top is in place, I'll have to borrow long ladders and scaffolding from my friend with the light display (the one I made the Christmas star for) so I can get it installed. Once the tub surround is installed, I can get someone in to measure for the glass enclosure and bypass doors. Then, I'll just have flooring to install (Brazilian Hickory), the door to the closet to refinish and refit with new frame and casing, replace the door into the bathroom with one 2" wider and make it's frame and casing, install the two medicine cabinets and lighting sconces, install the vent fan, install the toilet and the other plumbing fixtures, and wallpaper. It makes me tired just thinking about it...

Previous post are here and here.

Using the M&T jig to hold small pieces for routing.

2009-02-14T21:45:00.010-05:00

After fourteen ands a half years, we decided to hang new curtains in the bedroom and great room. As with most everything, the commercially available curtain rod hangers left a lot to be desired and we could not find anything that we really liked. So I decided to make simple brackets out of oak to go along with the oak that I'm using to replace the window casings. They were to be 3/4" thick, 3.5" high and 4" long with a 1.372" slot for the store bought, stained, and varnished curtain rod. I cut the blanks and rounded over the exposed edges and corners.

With the drill press, I then drilled a 1.375" hole .25" deep with the center centered vertically and set back from the end by 1".

I then needed to come up with a way to create the slot leading to the hole.

I realized that the M&T jig that I used previously to drill holes for the retrofit shelf standards, would be perfect to consistently hold the work pieces for routing. To hold the work piece at the proper angle to rout the slot, I cut two 25 degree wedges from some .5" plywood. I then cut the large ends off the triangles to use to create a right angle to hold the work piece that would be then be held in place by a push clamp pushing at an angle against a third side.

It took just a few minutes to cut the pieces and tack them down with 23 guage pins (a lot less time than it is taking to write this). The jig was clamped to the movable platform.

The work piece is held down by raising the platform until the work piece is against the bottom of the top of the jig. And finally, here is the routing process.

The whole process took about a tenth of the time it has taken for me to prepare this posting. I think it was a lot faster and easier than making a template (something I hate to do), and since the plywood of the jig is just tacked down, it can be taken apart to be used in another jig, or if I were to be making lots of these, I could glue the jig together and keep it forever.

A Boring Video

2009-01-31T07:17:00.006-05:00

I needed shelf standards for an existing cabinet, but wanted wooden rather than metal. I decided to make four standards with evenly spaced holes, using the In-line Drilling jig I used to drill the holes for the Christmas Star I made for a friend. The standards only needed to be 27" long, so I decided to use the Mortise & Tenon jig that I am currently developing to hold the work pieces.

The M&T jig allows me to clamp work pieces vertically or horizontally for routing with the EZ Smart Router Kit (SRK). The work piece can be registered for repeatability. It can handle work pieces up to 32" long. I will be doing a post on the M&T jig once I have finished developing it or at least gotten it to a point where it will be readily usable without having to make or modify something. Briefly, the work piece is clamped between the top of the jig and a height adjustable table. At this time I am using pieces of scrap and clamps to hold the work Piece tight against the body of the jig. I will probably be using cam clamps to hold the work piece in place once I work out how I want to attach them so that their location will be adjustable.

The In-line Indexer fastens to the rail of the M&T jig, and is locked in place once I set the SRK to align with the first hole marked on the work piece. To do this, I use a setup bit in the router and align the point with the the center of the first hole location. Making sure that the index pin is in a hole, I tighten the clamps on the indexer. I replace the setup bit with a 1/4" spiral (up cut) bit and start drilling.

This short video shows how EZ it is to drill the holes for a standard. Note the hesitations in raising the index pin when I start trying to move the router before raising the pin. I need to get the process down a little better.

Some Dynamic Components in SketchUp version 7

2008-12-13T06:40:00.023-05:00

The dynamic components are really something great. I have updated a lot of the EZ Smart components that I had in the 3D Warehouse. These components can only be modified in specific ways, thus preventing the possible distortion of the item modeled in unwanted ways. for instance, the EZ Rail can only be changed in its length, you cannot change the thickness or width. You can change the length either by using the Scale Tool or by opening the Component Options window and entering the desired length.

I have modified all the extrusion components to act this way. In addition, I have added a choice to either have the component without color, or with my color scheme applied. I have added this feature to almost all of the components and will eventually have them all that way. To add this feature to the more complex models requires considerable boring work, so they will only get that feature later. These components have the color scheme active.

It is these more complex components that I am having the most fun with. For instance, the Circular Saw with EZ Smart Base component has a number of options that can be set. You can enter the depth of cut in the Options Window and apply it and the saw changes to the desired depth of cut, but an additional 1/8" is added to the depth, to clear the bottom of the work piece, just like I do in the real world.

You can select none, AC-1, or AC-2 for the anti-chip insert, but if you change the angle of cut from 0 degrees with the AC-2 selected, the component automatically switches to the AC-1 until the angle of cut is returned to 0 degrees. The angle of cut can be from 0 to 45 degrees.

In the tool line, I have also uploaded a router that you canselect the depth of cut and select which bit to use. Currently there are only a straight bit and an ogee bit. I'll add more bits later.

I plan on eventually making the depth of cut so you can enter it rather than picking from a list.

Among the EZ components, is the B-300 bridge that allows you to enter the width of the table it is mounted to, and you can select from full up, full down and 3/4" positions for the bridge. I'm working on allowing you to enter the required height, but not there yet.

Blade Guard for the PBB

2008-12-11T15:21:00.008-05:00

Another post in the series about my PBB. See here for the beginning.

My WORX circular saw doesn't have a brake, so the blade is still spinning when I finish a cut and want to raise the bridge for the next cut. I have to be careful to avoid the blade or wait for it to stop, but am afraid that someday I might forget or get careless, so I designed a blade guard for the bridge.

As usual, I drew it up in SU to help me think about it. Here a few views.

The core is three layers of 3/4" ply, and the guard and front are poplar. The EZ Connectors attach it to the bottom of th EZ Rail.

The knobs tighten the guard to the rail, and clear the hinge arms, cross piece, and bridge.

I lowered the blade to the maximum (cuts 1 1/2" stock, I had to make a slight modification to the blade depth mechanism to achieve this). Note the cord I use to raise and/or keep raised the saw's blade guard. Since I now have this guard, I'll probably keep the guard raised when the saw is on the rail.

Note that I rounded over the outside edges, I got tired of banging my hip on the sharp corners of the rail, this is better.

I probably should make a guard on the other side for when I cut in the other direction, but I haven't done so yet, so I may never add this guard. I might also put a guard on the other end of the rail, but it will have to be of a different design. Note that the Smart Base hits the end block to prevent the saw from being pushed too far.

Here you can see the saw kerf from the top.

SketchUp version 7

2008-12-07T13:07:00.003-05:00

I really like the latest version of SketchUp. It is faster and smother and has some great new features. The feature I'm most hooked on is the Dynamic Components. The possibilities are amazing. I have started updating the EZ component collection I have on the 3D Warehouse. Take a look. Not all are done yet and I probably won't do them all. I haven't completely thought through the possibilities for them all yet, I guess we will have to wait and see what I come up with.

As an example, I have a plunge router that has several bits you can select from (more to come) and you can select the amount you want it to be plunged.

Christmas Star Completed

2008-11-12T16:16:00.011-05:00

Finally finished the Christmas Star I reported last month...

This is my original design for the mounting structure. A few changes were made as I began to build it.

Originally I thought I would cut notches into four horizontal 2x4s that would receive a 1/2" bolt that passes through the spine of the star. I realized that this would not have much strength to prevent the front of the notch from breaking off and letting the star move forward and off of the mount. What I came up with was bolting a piece of angle iron to the end of those 2x4s and letting that become the "slot" into which the bolt would be captured. The star spine is screwed to the center line of the star and acts as the primary attachment to the mounting structure. It is notched to allow for the two center sockets. The stabilizers are also screwed to the star and fit over studs that protrude up out of the two side arms of the mounting structure.

This is a close-up view of the hanger setup. To hang the star, the spine is placed against the vertical post of the mounting structure, with the 1/2" ll-thread studs above the hangers, and then the star is lowered so that the studs are captured by the hanger and the stabilizers are over the studs in the side arms. The stabilizers prevent the star from wobbling (around the spine) in a wind.

Here I have dry fitted the mounting structure before fitting the star.

The star is clamped to the mounting structure to complete the fitting of the hangers, studs, etc.

Harvey is wiring the sockets after setting all 206 of them. It was a long day.

Harvey borrowed a bucket truck from a friend at Sign-Arama to help set the mounting structure and star on the roof. His display is only partially completed, I post once he has it completed.

Some details of the Indexer

2008-10-29T17:33:00.008-04:00

Here are some details of the indexer I designed. First, the clamps that hold the index bar to the rail are made from 0.75" UHMW. The translucent area in the drawings below are the UHMW. It is in two pieces, the main body and the clamp head. the clamp head has a "V" shaped protrusion that fits into the "V" grove in the side of the guide ridge. It is held in place by the Clamp Knob and Stud. The main body is attached to the index bar with the Attachment Bolt and Knob. There is a small open area between the main body and the clamp head below the Clamp Knob Stud, this allows the clamp head to be tightened against the guide ridge.The index bar is made of 0.375" UHMW and can have two sets of index holes. You simply remove the bar from the clamps, turn it over and reattach. It has been suggested that a strip of pegboard could be used for the bar. I haven't tried it yet, but I cannot see why it would not work.

The index pin module is also made of 0.75" UHMW, and has an aluminum Top Plate that traps the pin and spring. The index pin is a 0.25" hex bolt that has had the head cut off and the end rounded over some. The bottom nut on the pin gives something for the spring to push against, the top nut is just to lock the knob in place. The body of the assembly is attached to the SRK with two screws. It sits over the index bar and straddles the guide ridge (for no real reason).

Alignment of the rail to the center line of the holes to be drilled is accomplished by means of an alignment jig made from an SRK and a section of aluminum angle. First you set the rail with the router bit centered on the center line. I use a brass setup bit that has conical points on each end and a 0.25" and 0.5" shaft (one half each). This sets the distance. then I adjust the alignment guide so the edge of the aluminum angle is on the center line. I then set one end of the rail the proper distance from the line with the alignment guide and loosely clamp that end of the rail to the work piece. Slide the alignment guide to the other end of the center line, adjust and clamp that end of the rail. Go back to the other end and reset if necessary.

I hope that this has answered some of the questions that you might have about the jig. If not don't hesitate to ask.

Christmas Lights Project

2008-10-27T07:01:00.017-04:00

I'm helping a long time friend make a lighted Christmas Star for his fantastic holiday lights display. The original idea came from here, but I redrew the plan with SketchUp and made it a bit bigger. This is my plan.

It is longer and uses a few more lights (206). I used the dimensions and angles from the drawing to put the layout lines on a sheet of 0.75" plywood. I used the EZ Smart Rail system to cut and rout the basic star from the plywood (sorry, no pictures).

I developed a method to mount the light sockets that he uses. This was not straight forward, because the main body of the sockets is a truncated cone with a slight taper (0.74-0.79"), but it has a protrusion (0.33" wide) on one side that allows for the side contact for the bulb. This is what I came up with.

I drill a 1.0" in diameter holes in the plywood. I cut a 0.37" slot on the side of 0.75" inside diameter rigid PVC electrical conduit. I then cut it into 0.5" sections to go into the holes. The socket fits into the hole with the protrusion in the slot. When the socket is pushed flush with the face of the plywood and the adapter flush with the back side of the plywood, the socket is held firmly in place.

I planned to have the sockets 2.0" apart. This means drilling 206 1.0" holes. The hole are in straight lines, but not always along an edge, and they are mostly too far from the edge to use a drill press. Quite a while ago, I started planning an in-line drilling jig for the EZ rail. This project pushed me to finalize the plan and finish building the jig.

The drawing above shows what I came up with. A spring loaded indexing pin is mounted to the side of the SRK. The index jig clamps to the guide ridge of the Guide Rail and has evenly spaced holes that the index pin drops into. Here the setup is being used to drill the Christmas Star holes.

Note the futile attempt at corralling all the wood chips that drilling a 1" hole creates (the white stuff around the router). The blue tape on the indexer helps to see the index holes in the picture. I quickly discovered that if I left the bit plunged in the last hole, I could loosen the clamps and rotate the whole jig to line up with the next line of holes. Having two SRKs lets me have the router on one and the other set up as a alignment guide. With the bit the hole I can use the alignment guide to line up the rail parallel to the line at the proper distance.

Here I'm lifting the knob to raise the indexing pin. Once it is lifted, I just have to move the SRK a little bit and I can let go of the knob. The pin will drop into the index hole as I pass it, and I 'm ready to drill the next hole.

It took about four hours to drill all 206 holes. Now I just have to cut 206 adapters. Here is the star with the holes drilled.

Next I'll paint it black. I have to design the roof mounting frame and a frame to fasten to the back of the star for attaching to the mounting frame. Then we can start inserting sockets and adapters, and then my friend can have fun wiring it. I'll post more when the project is done.

Bathroom Remodel Progress

2008-10-12T08:07:00.011-04:00

Things are not moving along as quickly as I had hoped. Took longer than I expected to get enough use of my hand to continue work. And as always, there are things that come up that have to be taken care of first. We received the new tub, but it was cracked in two places and had to go back. Finally received the replacement last week, so I am back working on the remodel. It is beginning to look doubtful that it will be done this year.

I replaced rotted areas of subfloor, and added an additional layer of 0.5" plywood subfloor (the original was only 0.5" and not heavy enough for my taste). No pictures. I have started installing the new plumbing. This is for the tub/shower. I have the supply for the tiolet in also, but haven't gotten to the new drain locations, nor the supplies for the lavs. The plywood to the right of the plumbing is a double layer of 0.75" plywood for attaching a grab-bar. The plywood below and behind the plumbing is an access for the pump for the old whirlpool tub.

To clean up the mess from the leaks, I chiseled out the rot, cleaned with TSP (trisodiumphosphate), painted with a stain/odor sealer (Kliz). I then cut out the plate where it was rotten, replaced it, and sistered in studs next to the ones that had to be chiseled (to give a surface to attach Celotex and sheetrock to).

I have built the framing for the tub surround. I added additional framing to the wall to provide attachment points for the tub surround frame and the eventual glass tub surround. Not the most efficient use of wood, but since I can't touch the other side of the wall (remodeling already done there), it is the quickest and easiest way. Here, the tub surround framing is installed and the insullation replaced.

Another shot of the tub surround frame, the knee wall at the toilet. you can see the studs that were added for attaching the tub surround framing.

Started installing the Celotex (for sound proofing, the living room is on the other side of the wall). I'm off to get another sheet of Celotex and some sheetrock.

My Custom PBB - Construction

2008-09-29T12:50:00.019-04:00

Where to start with the details of the PBB? As I stated in the first post, I elected to make my PBB in two parts so that I could configure it to handle situations I knew I would encounter. I guess I should start with the basic structure of the bench.

I constructed the frame out of good old southern yellow pine. I bought 2x8s and milled it to get the sizes I needed. I chose 2x10s because they are made from larger trees and are a better grade than 2x4s and 2x6s. The thickness was a little under bit 1.5” after jointing, but I had a better surface. The corner posts were glued up to get 4x4s.

This is the frame of the 36”x72” module. The slats on the bottom support a piece of .75” plywood. The slats on the top only support a piece of .25” hardboard, which is a dust shield. I may eventually enclose the bottom of the modules, and I don’t want them filling with saw dust. There are four 5” heavy duty swivel casters. The frame of the 24”x72” module is constructed the same way.

The tops of the modules float on the bases. The floor of my shop, like most shops, is neither level not even, therefore, the tops can be adjusted to make them level and even with each other. This is the frame of the top for the 36”x72” module. It is 6.75” deep and can travel up about 4” from resting on the base.

Here you see the construction of the larger bench top. The section along the left side is for mounting the fence. The notch in the closest end is for the fence rail to extend beyond the bench. This allows for the maximum length of cut using the fence.

After mounting the rail mounting hardware (angle iron), I added the .75” plywood sub-top to the assembly. Note that the rail mount is upside down. This allowed me to get everything that is steel as far below the top surface of the bench as possible, thus greatly reducing the chances of hitting steel with a moving blade or bit.

Once the bench tops were assembled, I did a dry fit of the bases to assure that I had planned the fit between the two correctly.

After assembling the 24”x72” module base on my assembly cart (not shown, and too low to comfortably do the assembly on), I used it to assemble the 36”x72” module base. Here, the assembly is on its side.

I used a .325” bolt in a pocket hole to fasten the rail to the leg, and dowels to prevent twisting. You can see the three holes for the bolt and dowels at the top of this picture. The bottom of the picture shows the pocket hole for the nut and washer.

In this shot, you can see (barely) the rabbet in the side rail that accepts the tenon on the end of the slats that support the bottom shelf.

This is the finished 36”x72” module base.

The finished top is on the base, still needs the sliding modules between the SMEs.

This is the adjuster that is used to level and align the tops. It consists of a 8”x.5” all-thread, two nuts on the lower end (the bottom one is pined with a roll pin), and a nut embedded in the top of the block that is lag bolted to the leg.

Angle strapping is used to tie the tops of the two modules together in whatever configuration I’m setting up.

Next time I’ll look at some more details and some accessories I’ve made.

My Custom PBB

2008-09-28T15:42:00.012-04:00

Some people on the EurekaZone Forum have shown an interest in my PBB, so I’m doing an article on it. Back in February/March 2007, I discovered EurekaZone. At the time I was looking into buying a cabinet table saw to replace my nearly 30 year old Craftsman 10” contractor’s saw. I had beefed up, tuned up, and decked out the saw so that it was as good as I could make it, but I still wasn’t satisfied. Among others I was thinking about the SawStop, having read about its invention several years earlier, and being impressed with the safety aspect. I even traveled a couple of hundred miles to watch a demo of the SS. I was impressed and considering purchasing one when I found EurekaZone.

I spent about three months researching and considering the EZ Smart system, until I decided that EZ was probably the way to go. I was impressed with safety aspects of the “Dead Wood” concept, the versatility of the system, the ease with which I would be able to break down sheet goods, the enthusiasm of the EZ users on the forum, and very much by Dino. So in June 2007, I purchased the Smart Guide System 100” kit (SGS-100) and Smart Table Kit (STK). I quickly discovered that what everyone was saying about EZ was true, and I was satisfied for a few weeks, until I got the Power Bench and Bridge (PBB) bug.

I had read so much about all the custom PBBs that had been built that I started thinking about and designing one for me. Among my goals were;
• Replacement of most if not all of the functionality of the table saw
• Replacement of some of the functionality of my radial arm saw and compound miter saws
• Replacement of the router table
• Replacement of the vertical panel saw I was planning to build for break down of sheet goods

My design began with the standard simple PBB on a heavy roll around cart. I have lots of shop space, so size and portability were not much a factor. I like my tools to be heavy and sturdy (I sometimes stand on them when working on something at ceiling height).

Burt Waddell’s “EZ Uni” design inspired me to use a table saw fence on my PBB. Initially I planned to remove the fence from my TS, and replace it with the original that came with the saw. I came up with this design.

I also wanted to be able to rip or cross cut full sheets of plywood, without having to change the configuration of the bench. This is the next design.

I posted the following on the EurekaZone Forum to get some feedback from other users:

It is large because I have the room and I foresee it being used for most of my straight line cutting and routing needs. There are two base units that will normally be attached to create an “L” shaped PBB. They can also be connected to create a square PBB if the need should arise, and could be used individually with the addition of a second side rail for the bridge.

(I later decided that one of the modules should be 36” X 72”)

The side rails will be attached to one long side and to the counterclockwise short side. One base could have a 24” rail attached to the long side adjoining the short side with the rail to allow that end to have a short bridge attached so it could be used like a miter saw. I plan on using my Incra miter gauge with a connector attached in one of the SMEs that will be mounted on the top.

The SMEs will allow for the use of stops, additional fences, the miter gauge, to secure the free end of the fence that will also be attached, and to provide sliding surfaces to assist in supporting large sheet goods.

The fence I will be attaching is a VEGA Pro 50” that will come from my TS, as I will no longer be using the TS to cut sheet goods. I will attach a ½” X 7” X 48” piece of UHMW horizontally to the bottom of the fence to act as a fence extension under the bridge. This will be for cutting strips narrower than the bridge and still being able to use the fence’s scale. This is possible because, with the fence set to zero and the UHMW will be trimmed to the EAC. I plan on using the far SME with a piece of connector, bolt and knob attached to the bottom of the fence, to secure the free end of the fence if necessary, although I have never found it necessary on the TS. (This idea was also abandoned.)

With the mounting of the bridge, I hope to have the beginnings of the most useful tool in my shop. Storage and other details will evolve after I begin to use the PBB.

(I later posted the following in response to another post.)

This is a preliminary redesign of my workshop. I have inherited some additional equipment and have find a useful place for it. I also have become aware (after 12 years and retirement) that my original layout was not very functional, and need to move things around a bit. Also the discovery of the EZ system has changed my thinking on much of what I do in the shop. Sooooooo, it is time for a little furniture moving...

As you can see, I have a relatively large if not uncluttered area. There are columns everywhere that I have to deal with. I also intend to use the PBB as a out-feed for the TS (if I continue to use it). I have a central dust collection system, so moving things too much is more difficult than it should be.

The wasted space will probably wind up with something in it that is lower that the PBB. Possibly a downdraft sanding table I'm designing. I want the space open at PBB height for situating full 4X8 sheets along either major axis. I can then either rip or crosscut first with the same setup. I have a sheet goods cart that allows me to move full sheets about nearly vertical and then tilts down so they can be slid on to the PBB, thus reducing the lifting of sheets that get heavier every year.

(Someone mentioned that some sheet goods (i.e. particle board and MDF) were longer that 96”. This is my reply.)

Thank you, I had completely forgotten about those over-sized particle board and MDF sheets. I have been considering putting a hardwood band around the torsion box for esthetic purposes. If I keep the torsion box at 24”, this added ¾” all around will give me enough length for these monsters.

I also had not considered cutting narrow strips from full sheets. I assumed that with sliding modules to extend the table top to the cut-off side of the bridge, I should be able to rip narrow strips without much problem. I have thought about this, and my solution is additional support in the form of a sheet goods cart I built.

The cart allows me to transport those bulky, heavy full sheets about the shop nearly vertically, and then can be tilted and locked in a horizontal position at my standard work surface height. I can slide the sheet from the pickup bed to the cart in horizontal mode, tilt the sheet vertical, and transport to and slide into my vertical storage rack. When I need a sheet, I slide it onto the cart vertically, move it to the work area, tilt and lock it horizontal, and slide the sheet into position. I never have to lift whole sheets (something that gets more difficult every year).

Cutting those narrow strips can be accomplished from the “back side” of the table. Since the table is only @24” wide, I can easily cut while standing behind the bridge. With a 36” table, this would be too much of a stretch for me. I may have to start the cut like normal and then shift to behind the table. A picture is worth…

As you can see, I have already incorporated suggestions made earlier. If I move/replace the scale on the fence guide, I can re-orient it so as to save some steps in normal usage.

Incorporating Burt’s EZ Uni, I came up with this design.

Then I remembered that the old TS fence was a piece of junk, so I started looking for a new fence for the PBB. Someone on the forum mentioned a sale on the Biesemeyer fence that sounded great, so I bought one and added it to the design.

After much re-thinking about ergonomics, work flow, and the features of the new fence, I settled on the following design. It still incorporates the “L” design I like for the normal setup, but allows me to reconfigure for special needs.

This is the “L” configuration. The fence rail is inboard of the edge of the bench to allow the fastening of the bridge and other fixtures anywhere around the edge of the bench.

Here, the “L” configuration is set up to make a cross squaring cut on a full sheet of plywood. My plywood cart can still be used to load the plywood onto the bench, but is no longer needed to support the sheet once it is loaded.

Once that squaring cut is made, the sheet can easily be rotated to make the long side squaring cut. This gives me two square, straight, and clean edges to work from.

I can then make either rip or cross cuts using the fence to get exact sizes without having to measure. If making cross cuts, an additional support can be used to support the plywood that extends off the table. This can be either the plywood cart or roller stands.

With an extension on the fence, I can cut strips narrower than the rail width. The extension is 1/2” MDF that is attached to the fence (see my post on this here). Without the fence, this setup can also be used to straight line hardwoods up to a little more than 9’ in length.

If I have to straight line longer pieces (up to 12’), I can use this configuration.

To save space, I can go to a “square” configuration, but it is not very functional.

And there is this configuration that also is not very functional, but does save on space. With any configuration of the moduals, the bridge can placed anywhere to meet special needs.

Next time, I will talk about details of the PBB and post some pictures as well drawings. The Episode is here.

My PBB fence

2008-09-19T17:41:00.017-04:00

A while back, I bought a Biesemeyer fence for my PBB and added an extension that allows me to cut from 0" to 61.5" using the fence.

This is the fence with out the extension.

Here is the extension. It mounts over the fence and is squeezed to the fence with the four knobs and stove bolts. I know, that is over-kill, I could have easily just used two.

There are two scales on the fence rail, the yellow with the right hairline for when the extension is not mounted, and the white one with the left hairline for when the extension is used.

Here you can see that the extension is notched to only reveal the white scale, a reminder to use it when the extension is mounted. I need to mount something to block the right hairline when the extension is used so that I don't forget and try to use it.

When the fence is set to 0", the extension is flush with the cut edge of the EAC-1. This is accomplished by setting the fence to 0" and trimming the extension with the circular saw on the rail.

Here you can see part of the blade depth setting jig that I use when the extension is mounted. I need to move it to the edge of the PBB, so I can use it when the extension is not used.

When I have to remove the rail or the entire bridge, this is how I assure that the rail is reinstalled in the same location and parallel to the fence. I lock down the fence with the extension butted against the rail and leave it there until the rail is reinstalled. If I have to remove the fence too, I reinstall the fence to the same distance before reinstalling the rail.

This is the fence at its maximum. I can cut 61.5" without the extension and 47.875" with it.

Here trhe fence is set to the minimum distance without the extension, 14". Of course with the extension I can go down to 0".

If you have any questions, either ask here in a comment, at one of the EurekaZone forums in my favorites section.

Separator for a shop vacuum.

2008-08-21T21:44:00.010-04:00

Just learned about this design today. I need to use my shop vacuum for the circular saw I use on my PBB, but I hate having to clean the filter all the time to keep it efficient. There are a number of separators on the market that run form cheap to expensive, but all seem to be only marginally effective. This design is fairly simple and I would think very simple to build. The claimed efficiency is excellent, I have seen nothing that leads me to think otherwise. Check out this link to see the design (http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/cy.htm) and this one for the inventors forum (http://www.cgallery.com/smf/index.php).

Here are pics of my drawings of one I plan to build.

I finally got around to building a separator, but decided not to use the barrel I designed for originally. It was too large and tall for the area I wanted it to sit in. Instead, I bought a 20 gallon metal trashcan.

With my circle jig, I routed a .25" deep dado in .75" plywood with an inside diameter equal to the inside diameter of the top of the trashcan. I then used the router and jig to cut the plywood to an outside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the trashcan.

This resulted in a top with a recessed lip that allowed the top to seat inside the trashcan for a fairly tight seal. I routed the outlet (center) and inlet holes with the same router jig set to 2.5". The inlet hole was set .75" inside the dado.

Since I needed the elbow to not project any more than necessary into the can, I enlarged the diameter of the inlet hole and slightly relieved one side of the lip so that the elbow could be seated as deeply as possible into the hole. I then determined the amount of clearance required (3.75") for the elbow I bought from Lee Valley, and progressively routed the .25" hardboard in 1/8" steps until the partition rested on the inside of the trashcan 3.75" below the top of the can. The partition was cut from a piece that was slightly narrower than required, and offset from the center so there was a gap between the partition and the can wall that I could use to hold the partition.

I then routed the 240 degree slot in the edge of the partition at 2.25" smaller diameter than the outside diameter of the partition. The standoffs were made of .5" copper pipe scraps 3.5" long. with washers on each side of the lid and the partition, the partition was bolted to the lid with 3/8" bolts 5" long.

The inlet and outlet ports were purchased from Rockler, and attached with 10-24 machine screwa and lock nuts. Beneath the outlet port, a 1.5" piece of extension wand projects .75" below the top.

The following slideshow should help clarify the above text. You can click it to see larger pictures.

Plywood cart

2008-08-19T07:42:00.011-04:00

A post on the EurekaZone forum on SMC got me to thinking about an old project, a modification of my current plywood cart to make it more functional. This is the beginning of the design. It has a torsion box table that can be either horizontal for unloading from the truck and loading on to the PBB, or nearly vertical for moving around the shop and loading into my plywood storage area.

After some thinking and tinkering, I have come up with this rough draft. The leg will probably go in the middle, but could put one on each end. You lift the table a little and push the leg in to lower the table. Works kind of like an aircraft landing gear scissor, which goes past dead straight to lock in the over extended (gear down) state.

I think that this is the final design, at least until I begin to build.

Learning SketchyPhysics

2008-08-15T05:43:00.006-04:00

I wanted to illustrate an idea I had for the EZ Smart System, but needed a functional model. I found that there was a new version of SP, so I used it to develop this model. Took quite a while to get a handle on SP, but it is worth the effort.

This second animation was started with EZ stuff I had already drawn. I put them together and used SP to animate the bridge movement. I'm using HyperCam 2 to capture the video and Sony Vegas Movie Studio to edit it.

I love SP, its like being a kid in a candy store. Yet another EZ video, this time I added a circular saw to the rail and a sheet of ply wood to be cut. The greatest thing is that it doesn't take very long to produce these animations as compared to how I was doing them in the past.

Bathroom Remodel has bequn

2008-08-12T04:47:00.014-04:00

We put everything on hold to do a major remodel of our "master" bath. The bath was in poor shape when we bought the house, but we have lived with it up to now. It finally got the best of us and we decided things had to change. The cabinets are to be refinished since I can't justify the time to build new ones, but everything else is to go, including the counter tops.

This is what it looked like before demolition began...

This is a blue tape mock-up of the medicine cabinets and lights, that was part of the planning.

These are some shots of what we decided upon from my SketchUp drawings...

And here are renderings of those drawings done with Kerkythea (or KT as it is known)...

Here is where we are in the demolition...

The picture of the tub area doesn't reveal all the damage from leaks that occurred before we bought the house and sealed around the tub. More later, have more demo to do today...

08/24/08 - Discovered mold in wall around toilet (from old leaks), so had to remove all the sheet-rock on the two walls. It may be easiest to just remove all the sheet-rock and start over.

Unexpected findings in the wall behind the vanity any mean we will have to change our medicine cabinet design. The vent for the lavatories might not allow us to use partially inset medicine cabinets. I'll have to think about what the work-a-rounds might be.

Also found some really bad work by the builder/previous owner. Soldered copper right next to a stud and PVC drain pipe without anything to block the flame/heat, plus nearly cut the stud in two.

Things are going slowly, but steadily. Having surgery in a couple of days on my right hand for trigger finger and flexor stenosis, but should be back working in a few days.

Sliding Dovetail Setup

2008-07-30T17:10:00.005-04:00

I'm about to have to make a few drawers and decided that I'd try to make doing the sliding dovetails EZ'er. I have drawn this up, done a prototype, tested the concept, and have started building the parts needed. This is what I came up with.

The setup has four parts; a 25" section of EZ Smart Guide rail, a vertical 36" SME (Sliding Module Extrusion) with clamps to hold the work piece that will get the sliding dovetail (pin), a vertical 24" SME to hold a horizontal platform for the work piece to receive the sliding dovetail slot, and a top platform with a large slot for the bit that the SRK (Smart Router Kit) base to ride on. It is set up on one end of my custom PBB (Power Bench with Bridge).

Both work pieces are mounted flush to the bottom of the top platform that supports the SRK base. The piece receiving the slot is easy, the horizontal platform is raised, with the work piece in place, until the work piece is against the bottom of the top platform. The vertical piece is butted against an insert that is placed in the large slot of the top platform. It is essential to the functionality of the setup that the two top surfaces of the two work pieces be in the same plane. To do multiple pieces of the same length, I'll have a stop in the edge of the SME to hold the piece at the proper height.

Once the test pieces are in place, you lower the dovetail bit until it just touches the vertical piece. Then you center the bit on the piece and make a pass along the full length of the piece. This will make a mark in the top of the piece. This mark is what you will use to align the bit for the passes along the sides of the piece.

Next you lower the bit to the depth you want the slot to be. Then align the bit with the location you want the slot on the other piece and make the cut (either through or stopped).

You then move the router toward the inside of the vertical piece and align the edge of the cutter at the top of the piece with the inside mark on the top of the piece. Make a pass to cut that side of the dovetail. Set the SRK limit stop closest to the piece.

Move the router out and line up the edge of the cutter with the outside mark on the top of the piece, set the other limit stop, and make the cut.

It is best if you start with the cuts a little too far out from the piece so you can sneak up on the final setting. Test the fit and adjust as necessary.

Your passes are in the counter clockwise direction (not the usual direction) to get a cleaner cut.

I'm still playing with the setup, making adjustments, and getting the process down pat. I hope to start making drawers soon.

Pictures of the final setup to follow...

Time to start a new project...

2008-07-23T16:33:00.016-04:00

Looks like this project is going to be on hold for a while, we are now talking about a major bathroom renovation...

Like all kitchens, ours needs more storage space and better organization. Although we have a pantry, it doesn't provide a place for brooms, mops, step stool, etc. So we need a broom closet too. This eventuality has been planned for in our remodeling of our kitchen as seen in this drawing of the current status of the neat area I am going to attack.

There will be three cabinets above the fridge, one below the existing counter along with a drawer, a broom closet to the other side, and a slant front cabinet between the new cabinets and the existing upper cabinets.

And of course the fridge will fill the large vacant area. I'm also adding 4 sliding shelves to the island cabinet across from this area, but don't think I need to draw that up.

New Video posted

2008-07-18T22:51:00.011-04:00

I've been very busy lately, so haven't posted in a while. One thing that has had me busy is work on a new EurekaZone video. I released it today. It is an introduction to EurekaZone's EZ Smart Woodworking Systems basic components.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6D9FuGTQKg

Another thing that I completed since the last post is the bookcase for our kitchen island.

Drawers added to router table.

2008-06-01T15:50:00.007-04:00

Yesterday and today I added three drawers to the router table. One solely for router bits and two for miscellaneous router parts, tools, jigs, etc. I still want to add one or two drawers to the bottom half of the cabinet, but haven't decided whether I need one large deep drawer, or two large but shallower drawers. Pics have been added to the Picasa web album.

I've gotten time to work on this because I'm awaiting some new stuff from EurekaZone before I start the next kitchen cabinet, a bookcase for the end of the island. I've ordered an upgrade for the bridge on my PBB to make it a B300 and the new dual arm SRK base upgrade.

Installed At Last

2008-05-28T22:37:00.008-04:00

Finally got the Appliance Garage cabinet installed today. I've added pics to those of its construction. The new pics start here, or go here to start at the beginning.

Couldn't Sleep

2008-05-17T15:14:00.005-04:00

So I decided to animate the assembly of the Appliance Garage. This was done with SketchUp and an ad-in that allows setting individual scene transition and dwell times.

Note the square portal in the right side, inside panel is for access to the electrical connections for the outlets in the back splash. Since the cable for this must move with the slide-out counter top, the side wall is hollow and open below the counter top.

Yesterday, I stained everything that needed it. In order to match the existing cabinets in our kitchen, I used a Homestead Extra Dark Walnut dye with an oil based stain over it. I need to get some polyurethane before I can begin the finishing.

Appliance Garage Tambour

2008-05-14T21:27:00.004-04:00

Well, I finally got back to work on the tambour slats for the appliance garage. The parts have been made to rough length and milled for months. I cut the slats to length using my custom EZ Power Bench (PBB). The guides on the ends of the slats were routed on the PBB using the Smart Router Kit (SRK). 1/8" holed were drilled 6" from the ends of the slats and lengths of cable (3/32" I think) pass through the holes to hold everything together. I did a dry assembly on the tambour and it works well in the cabinet, so I hope to start staining and finishing the tambour parts and the doors in next few days. A slideshow of some of the process is below, but the full size pics are here.

Appliance Garage Cabinet

2008-05-12T17:16:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I mentioned a long time project that the cabinet doors are for. Well here is a short SketchUp animation of the project.

Setup to rout cabinet door lips with the SRK

2008-05-11T14:28:00.007-04:00

I'm still working on an appliance garage for our kitchen (this has been a long project due to many conflicts and the complexity of the cabinet). I needed to rout the cabinet door lip on the bottom doors, and wanted to use my EZ Smart Router Kit (SRK). Since there could be no vertical movement of the bit, I knew I would have to firmly hold down the router. But since I would need both hands to feed the doors, the SRK needed to be held down by some other means. Usually, the EZ guys screw down the SRK once it is adjusted for the cut, but I couldn't do this since I wanted to make the cut in multiple passes to get a very clean cut. My final setup is similar to the "router tunnel" that the EZ guys normally use, except that there is not a fence opposite the bit, only one on the bit side. I have created the following presentation as a test using Google Docs, but you can also see the photos of my setup here.

Router Table Pics

2008-02-20T15:47:00.003-05:00

I'm building a router table as an extension of my table saw. I'm using my custom EZ Smart Power Bench and Bridge (PBB) for much of the cutting and routing. The pictures with descriptive captions are here.

I'll be adding to the pictures as I complete more of the table.

EZ Smart Kit - 114 inch rail

2008-02-15T16:52:00.001-05:00

The EurekaZone (EZ Smart) Woodworking system works with your circular saw and router give you a safer, easier, quicker, and better way to make accurate and repeatable cuts. I made this video to show those interested in the EZ Smart system a little about the kits that are offered.