- Joined
- Feb 2, 2013
- Messages
- 3,957
unusual or unconventional thinking, can be utilized to achieve any end, for better or worse.
this thread is meant to demonstrate how i accomplished my ends.
i wouldn't recommend anyone do the things, like this, i do.
nor would i recommend attempted modification of your equipment or tools without careful consideration of the consequences,
intended or not.
I am not a woodworker,
yet, i walk through the bog, whenever i feel brave.
after working with metal most of my existence, i find working with wood to be a challenge.
i want to work in thousandths, but find fractional or metric measurements easier
this time i'm making another yard art piece.
( i'll disclose the building of the art in another thread)
SOAP BOX:
i'm not into thinking when i have a lot of them to cut, i want ZERO thinking, just doing
do the thinking before you start, is my belief-
think when you encounter an obstacle not planned for in the thinking phase
to achieve the non thinking part requires the fabrication of fixtures and jigs.
I digress...
Fixture 1
The plan:
i needed to make a bunch or reclaimed wood 3/4" x 1.900" x 12" pieces
the 3/4" thickness part is easy, i got a cedar fence board that comes in close enough
the 1.900" wide is not a significant problem, i have a 10" contractor's table saw with a fence
the 12" could be done on the contractors saw, but then marking and measuring would need to be done to each piece.
instead i'm going to use the delta 10" saw my dad bought for me over 10 years ago.
(i kick the snot out of the poor thing, but it still cuts straight and fast)
i made a very simple fixture to cut 12" long pieces, from a 2x2 drop and a new 3/4"x 8"x 60" fence board
i made it by drilling and tapping the deck to 1/4"-20 tpi in 2 opposing spots about 8" on either side of the blade.
i used countersunk 1/4"-20 x 1" machine screws to just below deck height, and tightened them down.
i took a test cut through the fence board and established 12" and marked it.
i attached the 2x2 with 2 wood screws at the 12" mark.
i did all the 12 inch cuts in less than 10 minutes!!! YIPPEE
Fixture 2
The plan:
i needed to cut circles in a couple different woods
i came up with this idea many moons ago when i needed to make some 8" diameter plugs from 1-1/4" thick butcher board sheets
i had a meat cutting bandsaw and a 10" tablesaw, router, and a milling machine
i made a simple fixture for the bandsaw and it worked like a champ.
expanding on the idea,
i drilled and tapped some holes in the deck of my Skil 3386-1.3 and in an extension piece i fabricated and installed.
you can see the radii are marked @ 5-1/2" and 6" to make 11" and 12" circles
here is the fixture in action on 5mm birch plywood
with a little ingenuity, 5-1/2" and 6" radii can be cut
i attached the work to a sacrificial holder made from scrap wood and cut the 6" radius in an 8" fence board near perfectly.
i hope these fixtures may help a fellow hack in days to come.
they already helped me to jump a couple hurdles.
maybe just the ideas may spring forth greater invention for all!
as always,
thanks for reading, asking questions, and commenting!
this thread is meant to demonstrate how i accomplished my ends.
i wouldn't recommend anyone do the things, like this, i do.
nor would i recommend attempted modification of your equipment or tools without careful consideration of the consequences,
intended or not.
I am not a woodworker,
yet, i walk through the bog, whenever i feel brave.
after working with metal most of my existence, i find working with wood to be a challenge.
i want to work in thousandths, but find fractional or metric measurements easier
this time i'm making another yard art piece.
( i'll disclose the building of the art in another thread)
SOAP BOX:
i'm not into thinking when i have a lot of them to cut, i want ZERO thinking, just doing
do the thinking before you start, is my belief-
think when you encounter an obstacle not planned for in the thinking phase
to achieve the non thinking part requires the fabrication of fixtures and jigs.
I digress...
Fixture 1
The plan:
i needed to make a bunch or reclaimed wood 3/4" x 1.900" x 12" pieces
the 3/4" thickness part is easy, i got a cedar fence board that comes in close enough
the 1.900" wide is not a significant problem, i have a 10" contractor's table saw with a fence
the 12" could be done on the contractors saw, but then marking and measuring would need to be done to each piece.
instead i'm going to use the delta 10" saw my dad bought for me over 10 years ago.
(i kick the snot out of the poor thing, but it still cuts straight and fast)
i made a very simple fixture to cut 12" long pieces, from a 2x2 drop and a new 3/4"x 8"x 60" fence board
i made it by drilling and tapping the deck to 1/4"-20 tpi in 2 opposing spots about 8" on either side of the blade.
i used countersunk 1/4"-20 x 1" machine screws to just below deck height, and tightened them down.
i took a test cut through the fence board and established 12" and marked it.
i attached the 2x2 with 2 wood screws at the 12" mark.
i did all the 12 inch cuts in less than 10 minutes!!! YIPPEE
Fixture 2
The plan:
i needed to cut circles in a couple different woods
i came up with this idea many moons ago when i needed to make some 8" diameter plugs from 1-1/4" thick butcher board sheets
i had a meat cutting bandsaw and a 10" tablesaw, router, and a milling machine
i made a simple fixture for the bandsaw and it worked like a champ.
expanding on the idea,
i drilled and tapped some holes in the deck of my Skil 3386-1.3 and in an extension piece i fabricated and installed.
you can see the radii are marked @ 5-1/2" and 6" to make 11" and 12" circles
here is the fixture in action on 5mm birch plywood
with a little ingenuity, 5-1/2" and 6" radii can be cut
i attached the work to a sacrificial holder made from scrap wood and cut the 6" radius in an 8" fence board near perfectly.
i hope these fixtures may help a fellow hack in days to come.
they already helped me to jump a couple hurdles.
maybe just the ideas may spring forth greater invention for all!
as always,
thanks for reading, asking questions, and commenting!
