Shop Upgrades

Believe it or not I have actually been much more busy during December than it might seem.

I remade the moving dog part of my wagon vise, making it more robust, and with a better fitting dog. I really should have made the block using lamination the first time, it was much easier and is more precise.

I also figured out a way to play my ipod through an old boom box we have, which makes a much bigger sound.

For christmas I got some woodworking gifts including a 3" granite surface plate. When not in use it is good for adding extra weight to my bench.

I also discovered that the lower thrust bearing for my bandsaw guides has completely seized up, so I will need to replace it, possibly today.

Better Drift Adjuster

I know that you're probably all tired of more bandsaw stuff, but I thought that I would share my method of improving my fence.  Before I had used washers to shim the fence, but I began to find those annoying and coarse to use.  So I tapped a hole for a thumbscrew into the t track.  I can now correct for drift with almost infinite angles.

Homemade Log Milling Tutorial

Due to popular demand I have videoed my process of how I go about turning a small log into lumber.  In this sequence I am using a 6" diameter sycamore log, which is smaller than I usually do, but honestly it was the best log that was at the dump.  First I drive two screws into the side of the log to hold the log to the sled.  Note that I am using a scrap piece of wood as a spacer to lift the log up above the clamps that are holding the jig to the bandsaw table. 

When I build a new and improved version I will build the auxiliary fence wide enough so the clamps will not interfere.  This jig is made from old particleboard drawer, and the frame of a old screen door.  The sled (which also doubles as a resaw fence) slides along a track. The base can be adjusted for drift and the log's size.

The blade I am using is Highland Woodworking's Woodturner's 3/8" Bandsaw Blade (105" length).  The jig is aligned with the blade to cut where I want it to and is squared to the fence bar which has been adjusted for drift. 

I have a video of the first cut, I apoligize about the quality, I was having problems uploading the non-condensed version.  It's not the most scintillating, so I understand if you skip to the end. 

After a flat face has been established I reference the newly cut face off a fence, in this case my regular bandsaw fence because this log isn't wide enough to need a tall resaw fence.  Note how in the beginning the log bucks a little.  This is caused by the log not resting securely on the table.  I should have flipped it around to cut from the other side, which would've been more stable.

With the lumber cut I paint the ends with latex paint and sticker them for drying.  Also I was sure to clean most of the sawdust out of my saw because the wet sawdust will cause rust on unprotected parts.  Even from this small of a log quite a bit of sawdust was made.

Home-milled Wood

In case anyone's curious I have posted pictures of some wood I have cut so far on my bandsaw.  I'm hoping to go get some more logs later today.

Wood 

 I also have a picture with the new guide post installed.

Bandsaw Fence Drift Adjustment

Edit: I have now posted my improved way of drift adjustment here.

When I posted about my homemade bandsaw fence, I neglected to show how I compensate for drift.  In order to slightly adjust the angle of the fence to the table I add (or subtract) shims, in this case washers, in between the table and the t-track.

Homemade Bandsaw Fence

I made this rip fence for my bandsaw using 5/16" T-slot track (2'), T-bolts (2"), cam clamp, thumbscrew thingies, and T-nuts.  The T-track is screwed to the front of the table using existing tapped holes.  Edit: Later I posted about how I adjust for blade drift here.  The fence has a detachable auxiliary fence (the white part) so at some point I can make a low profile fence, and maybe a high profile fence.  The white fence pictured here is about 4" tall.  As you can see I use the cam clamp, and a knob to secure the fence.  In the future I will replace the knob with another cam because I find that the knob's rotational movement occasionally causes the fence to shift when I am tightening down.  The wooden bar on the far end of the table is to support the fence when it is off the table.  Later I added the miter slot cut-out to the T-track. 

Next I added a brush to the wheel.  it is made from a old nylon brush.  Everything is epoxied together.

Man vs. Log

Edit: later I built a better log sled here

With the riser block installed and the bandsaw's height capacity increased to 12", I did what I probably shouldn't: actually use the full capacity. I wanted to take a log and turn it into usable lumber. So I went down to the local log dump and took (stole?) a maple log that was about 3' long and 11" diameter. After I took it home I realized that it was way too heavy to maneuver onto my bandsaw. So I had to cut it in half. The only problem is that since it was too heavy for the bandsaw, I was going to saw it by hand. Did I mention that it is 11" and maple? To add to that, the only saw that was coarse enough is a 12" long saw we use to cut down our Christmas tree with. So after getting shirtless and flexing my muscles for the neighbors, I began to cut. It took a really long time. Eventually I got to a point where all was cut except for a 4" diameter core section. So I bashed it with a rock and broke the core section. Before I started milling I painted the ends with latex paint to reduce moisture loss through the end grain.

To begin milling lumber, there must be one flat face. This can be achieved by a number of ways. I chose to make a jig that rides in the miter slot and is screwed into the log. Once the log is split in half, a high resaw fence can be used to make the slabbing cuts. Make sure your fence is correctly adjusted for drift. My resaw fence is part of my log sled. The blade I used is Highland Woodworking's Woodtrner's Bandsaw Blade, which is specially designed for cutting green lumber.

After the lumber is cut I weigh it and write the date and weight on the end. Every couple of months I will weigh them again. When the weight stops dropping I will move them inside where I will continue to weigh them. One they stop losing weight inside they can be used for some projects. Right now they are stacked and stickered under my porch with a cinder block on top to try to resist warping. This was not a total victory over the log however. Even though the log was reduced to slabs, it got in some good hits. While slabbing the second half one of the bearings in the middle pulley (the bottom one in this photo) seized up. After ordering some replacements from McMaster, the saw was up and running again. Here are some of the boards I cut:

Grizzly Riser Block Install

Shortly after I bought my bandsaw I bought and installed a Grizzly riser block. I didn't know if it would fit my saw since my saw is not a grizzly saw. First impressions were not great as the instructions were crumpled, but everything else was packed nicely. It didn't really matter since I had already read the instructions online.

To begin installation I stripped down the saw, and unbolted the bolt that connects the top half to the bottom half of the saw. Then I dropped in the riser block, after drilling out the paint that was in the bottom holes of the riser block with a 1/4" bit. After this slight modification the block fit very well.
Then I placed the top half back on and slipped in the long bolt supplied with the kit. Then I reassembled the saw which included putting in the new blade guard on the left side of the saw. This is well made and fit nicely. The one thing that I knew wouldn't work was the replacement guide post, as the one supplied with the kit was round but the one I needed was a hex shaped post. Other than that the kit worked very well. After this I ordered a blade from Highland Woodworking that is specially designed to cut green wood. Why green wood? Stay tuned.


Video on how to install a riser block:

Shop Additions

A while back I bought a bandsaw. Some readers might be surprised because "aren't you the all hand-tools guy?" Well there are certain things best not done by hand, for example resawing. The saw is a small 14" 3/4 HP import that I bought used for $170.

The next thing is a stand for my drill press. This was on my list as I got tired of kneeling down whenever I wanted to use it. It's made of 2" x 4" construction lumber. The drill press base is offset because I realized after I built the stand that the center of the drill press's gravity should be in the middle of the stand.

The third and final project was to make a lumber rack. It too is made of construction lumer as well as leftover wood from a packing crate.