Projects

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[M004] Double Edge Router

Working on another machine to speed up yet another tedious workshop process.  Think of it as a special router table that takes 2 routers set to 45 degree angles.  The guide (not shown) will allow precise alignment of the work piece AND cover the cutters to prevent injury.

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Barrel Sander (M002) Progress

The Barrel Sander is coming along again, after a small detour to build the (M003) Auto Loading jig.  Here is the nine sides bolted inside the barrel.  They do three things:

  1. Make the barrel stronger so the wheels that it turns on have more support than just thin metal.
  2. Provide a disrupted circle which will cause the materials to actually turn instead of sliding.
  3. Protect the inside of the barrel from the sanding action.

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Stain Dipper Parts

Here is a screenshot of some of the parts we’ve designed for the Stain Dipper.  All of the mechanical parts are in the design and correctly positioned and all the hardware has been ordered…

Here are several of the parts from Fusion 360

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Here is a servo motor mount and custom made pulley.

Frame v27

Here is a small piece of Nylon used to connect a 1/16″ cable with a aluminum tube.

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Stain Dipper Upper Pulley

The Stain Dipper is taking shape one component at a time.  We have the servo controller, servo motor, brass for pulleys, bearings, blocks of UHMW Polyethylene for supports, taps, set screws, aluminum rods, shafts, an Arduino Mega, buttons, switches, power supplies, wire, and more…

Here are some views of the upper pulley system.

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Shave a bit here and there.

A friend of mine needed a bushing assembly for his street bike to be reduced in width by about 0.230″.  Having a 1930’s South Bend Lathe in my shop, I naturally said “come on over”.

My respect for machinists just went up a few notches (it was already high).  I’m also glad I got a 4 jaw chuck for the lathe instead of a 3 jaw.

4-jaw chucks allow you to hold irregular work and precisely center it. The process for doing so can be tedious, but it’s a good feeling when your indicator reads in at less than 0.001″ variance from side to side.

This little project was fun for a few reasons.  The assembly comes apart into several pieces.  The little ring has multiple inner diameters used for different things, so it needed to be machined carefully on both sides.  Holding small and irregular parts is a challenge.  But seeing it all come together was great.

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Prototyping In Woodworking
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Prototyping In Woodworking

Years ago the kids and I small spice rack that we had very much outgrown.  One day over the weekend I decided to organize our baking goods (which of course turned into a multi-day project of organizing the kitchen!)
 
With all of the kitchen counters and table covered in various containers of spices and baking goods, and it being already 9:00 PM, I took one of the kids over to the shop to put our skills to use.
 
Much to my dismay I found that we had a high-voltage condition on our utility power (133V), and my Phase Perfect 3-Phase converter would not start. This ruled out using the table saw, jointer, planer, and CNC router.
 
I thought for a couple of minutes and decided that one way or another, a spice rack was coming out of that shop without further delay. So we went into “prototype mode”. I grabbed a box of screws, a drill, an impact driver, and a bunch of OSB scraps off the rack. We used the Makita compound miter saw (fortunately not 3-phase) and a good old tape measure to whip together an (awful looking) but quite functional spice rack. We installed it, along with the iPad for recipes, and loaded it up all by 11:00 pm or so.
 
I am so glad it worked out this way. The concept of “prototyping” is something that is often overlooked in woodworking. But most of what we woodworkers do ends up being functional as well as gorgeous. Prototyping allows us to verify and refine the functionality prior to putting all of the effort into the real thing.
 
I also know from personal experience this applies to writing, software, cooking, building, inventing, sewing, and many other disciplines.
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