Thursday, November 01, 2018

Shop Changes

Moving the 10 lbs. around the 5 lbs. space.

I've been trying to figure out what to do with the table saw for some time, I hope to never see a full sized sheet good in the shop and I've a track saw to break it down if one ever shows face. That makes the table saw obsolete except for cross cutting and a hand saw can do most of the cross cutting. The problem is my saw is a pretty good 3 HP cabinet saw and if I sold it the return would be pennies on the dollar.

For now I refuse to give it away but it sure has taken up some valuable real estate in the shop. A couple of days ago I was trying to figure out how to run the workbench 7' stretchers through the jointer. The only way was to move the jointer. That lead to moving all the machines to new places in the shop and the table saw with rip fences removed pushed against the west wall where it can still be used to cross cut if needed but very much out of the way and taking up little space. BTW, those are the workbench leg blanks leaning on the table saw and the workbench slab against the north wall.


From left to right at the front of the shop so the outfeeds go out the door are the bandsaw, planer, and jointer.


I'll give it a go this morning as I finish dimensioning the workbench legs.


The local Woodcraft is having a parking lot boot sale on the 17th. I hope to clear more "stuff" out of the shop then. Some really good tools will be on my table. I expect to take the portable workbench and the shave horse along with a lot of good chisels, some joinery planes, a bench plane or three, a dozen or more good hand saws, marking gauges out the kazoo, and so on. It is time to clean out the dust catchers. I don't expect either the shave horse or the bench to sell but the shave horse was a prototype and one of my next projects is to build another but "prettier" one and there is not room for two shave horses in the shop.

ken

6 comments:

  1. In my latest rearrangement, I did what it looks like you did: put most of the big power tools against the garage door. When the weather cooperates, I push them out into the driveway for use. Lots of room and easy cleanup.

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    1. Andy,

      I expect someday to get down to just the planer and a bandsaw. I'm lusting after the Powermatic 18" bandsaw but there is still a chance we will move to either Oregon or Texas when I retire (if ever) and I don't want to pay to ship that sucker. We will see.

      Whatever, the tablesaw and the jointer may go.

      ken

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  2. are you happy with the Grizzly Jointer and Planar? I'm in the market for at least an 8" Jointer and Grizzly price point is hard to beat.

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    Replies
    1. Evil,

      Short answer, yes. If I were to do it again I would go for a 10" or greater jointer. Except for things like building workbench bases skip planing by hand and the planer work well and the jointer isn't really needed. That said, the jointer was a great tool today as I cleaned up the four leg blanks for the workbench build.

      ken

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  3. My table saw was not as nice as yours, but I spent a fair time restoring it. Then I discovered I too never wanted to see a full size sheet good again. The saw started moving around the shop until eventually I moved it all the way to a friends house ;) I have no regrets. I have a circular saw and a clamp on straight edge and thats what came out the last time I had to help someone else break down a full sheet. I saw that beautiful bandsaw in one of the pics, I have a feeling you'll never miss the table saw and anything you don't feel like cutting by hand will get the bandsaw treatment ;) Thanks for all the great posts - Chris

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    Replies
    1. Chis,

      Thanks, I'm happy you find them interesting. Yeah, the bandsaw does most/all of my ripping. It is much safer than the table saw. I still use the table saw for some cross cuts but even there most of the time I will grab a hand saw or back saw to do the job.

      A track saw (Festool in my case) is the game changer. It may take a little longer to set up but in a one man shop it is easier and much safer than the table saw. I still have all my fingers and haven't caught a kickback yet. I plan to keep it that way :-).

      ken

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