In this video I make a simple bench / cabinet out of OSB. I basically made it for my mini machinist's lathe.
I begun by cutting my stock to size with a circular saw and it’s guide rail.
I then layed out my design. I created entry holes with a forstner bit and used my jigsaw to remove as much material as I had to. I tried to cut both sides at once by clamping them together.
I used some corner clamps to temporarily keep everything together. I then added some glue and nails. I secured everything in place with screws. I first pre drilled pilot holes, then I counter sinked them and finally I screwed them in place.
I then added the cleats before I place the top and bottom panel.
I also added a shelf.
I almost used a complete sheet of 15mm OSB for this project.
I actually cane out much more robust than I expected. But that was it see you soon with a new project video.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.
In this video I make a simple and easy to make jig for your table saw. You can use it to make tapered rip cuts for your projects.
For this project I used an 18mm melamine piece I had in the shop.
I begun by making the piece that slides over my table saw’s fence. I took some measurements with my calliper and then ripped my pieces on the table saw.
I then used my cross cut sled to clean all my edges and trim the pieces at their final length.
Before I screw the pieces I temporarily clamped them on the fence. I added masking tape as spacer so I could achieve a nice fit. The goal here was that the piece slides nicely without any gaps.
In this project I used my nail gun to hold the pieces in place before I added the screws. I then used an owl to mark the positions of the screws. Then I predrilled pilot holes and counter sinked them. Then I placed the screws in place.
At this point I added another piece on my jig. The two pieces were connected with a hinge. To add the hinge I clamped it in place ant then predrilled and added the screws. I also screwed a small block in place. This pushes the wood against the blade of the saw.
Again I temporarily nailed a piece in place. I used my divider to mark the arches needed which I then cut on the bandsaw. To close the entry hole I made on the bandsaw I glued a small wood piece in place. I then trimmed it flush with a chisel. I sanded the piece on my belt sander.
I drilled the hole for the T-bolt. Next I made a series of cuts on the table saw in order for the T-bolt to sit flush.
And my little jig was ready. Basically you use a square to help you align your lines. Then you push the whole jig with your material in order to make your tapered rip cut.
It is a really useful jig for making tapered legs for furniture making.
But that was it, see you soon with a new project video.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.
A metal vise has by default metal jaws which leave tool marks on wood.
In order to work with wood you can make special purpose jaws for this job. I made mine out of beech wood, leather and magnets. I wanted the jaws to be easily removed. So magnets proved a pretty good idea.
Beech is a pretty hard wood. So I think it’s perfect for this job.
I took a few measurements from my vise and then I cut my stock to size on the table saw.
I created a groove on the back of the jaws. I did that with several passes on the table saw. I wanted it to fit easily. I then cleaned the saw marks with a sharp chisel.
I then used a forstner bit on my drill press to drill the holes for the magnets. Then I used 5 minute epoxy to glue the rare earth magnets in place.
Leather has a really nice grip on wood and it’s really gentle with it as well. To glue leather on wood you can use contact adhesive. But I decided to use pearl glue. You can also use hide glue. Pearl glue is also organic and can be reversed ( unglued ) with heat. So it is ideal for repair jobs. Pearl glue comes in pearls. You soak the pearls in water and they become jelly. Then you heat the glue in bain marie to melt it. If your solution is too thin you can add more pearls. If it is too thick you can add water. Then I added the glue on both surfaces, clamped them and let the pieces dry over night.
Next day I trimmed the excess leather and my jaws were ready. They seem to hold really well and the fact that they are removable is amazing.
But that was it. See you soon with a new project video.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.
My cast iron metal vise broke up. Due to corona virus lockdown I couldn't just go out to buy a new one. So I tried to temporarily fix it with the tools I already had in my shop. Basically a stick welder and an angle grinder. Hopefully it will last for a while if I treat it gently!
The idea was to create a chamfer around the braking points so I could fill it with my stick welder. This particular cast iron seemed pretty bad quality so a fix like can’t really restore the tool to it’s original strength.
On the first try I used my pneumatic rotary tool with a carbide bit to create the chamfer.
Then I clamped the broken pieces together and stick welded them. I cleaned my welding using the angle grinder and a flap sanding disc.
Unfortunately this broke almost at once.
I decided to try once more. This time I used the grinder to create a more aggressive chamfer. I again stick welded the pieces.
When the first time the weld broke it seemed that the weld was pretty nicely connected to the cast iron. So the second time It seemed that I welded the melted metals from the sticks together. And it actually holds much better.
Ofcoure I can’t rely on that temporary fix. But hopefully this will get me through the lockdown days.
But that was it see you soon with a new project video.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.
I made this box out of 15mm OSB stock I had in the shop. It will help me keep my rotary tool bits organised and easy to find them when I need them.
I begun my laying out all the bits I use.
Then I cut my stock to size on the table saw. I set a stop block on my cross cut sled. With a series of cross cuts I created half lap joints.
I glued and nailed the 4 sides of my box. I trimmed the excess material on my table saw.
Once I glued and nailed the two last pieces in place, I cut the box open on the table saw.
I used the grinder to cut a piano hinge to size and I screwed the hinge on the box.I also installed a simple closing mechanism in place.
At this point it was time to make the compartments of my box. I temporarily nailed the same pieces together so I could cut all the notches at once.
I glued and nailed the compartments in place.
For my small drill bits I just screwed their casing on the cap.
For the chuck keys,just epoxied a magnet in place.
I used a chord to create a stop mechanism for the cap.
For my carving bits and my chucks I created a couple of blocks. This way I can find them much easier, since I use these pieces all the time.
My little box came out nice. Hopefully all the different bits and accessories will now be much easier to find and use.
But that was it. See you soon with a new project video.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.
I just got a new table saw and I had to make a new cross cut sled. To me this the first thing one must make with the a table saw. It is really useful in so many woodworking projects.
First of all I made the rails using pine. I kept moving the fence slightly until the wood fit nicely in my table saw’s grooves. I then made the two rails.
Next I used washers as spacers. I placed them inside the grooves of the table saw. Then I added the rails. Now the rails were just above the surface of the saw.
I glued the rails with the sled’s base and added a few nails to keep things in place. Then I secured the rails with screws. I first predrilled pilot holes and then I counter sinked them. I trimmed the rails flush with a flush trim saw.
The base of my sled is made out of 12mm plywood. The top pieces were made out of 25mm plywood.
I cut the top pieces to size. Then I did the first cut on the sled. This gave me a reference line. I then glued the back piece perpendicular to that line. It is important that this was exactly 90 degrees. Otherwise the sled won’t be accurate.
I then screwed the top pieces in place. The front piece doesn’t need to be accurate, it’s there just for support.
At this point I used the sled itself to cut a small piece. This small piece will help me keep my thumb out of the blade’s way. I glued and nailed it in place.
I then cut a pine piece and glued it on top of the front piece. I then rounded over it’s edges with a hand plane and a chisel. This makes it nicer to the touch.
To make the sled run smoother, I finished the bottom with three coats of clear water based varnish. I applied three coats in total while lightly sanding between coats. I also used the heat gun to speed up the drying process between coats.
Lastly I lubricated the rails with my homemade beeswax and mineral oil finish.
My sled came out great and it is really useful.
I hope you liked this one, because that was it. See you soon with a new project video.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.
I have made another turning tool rack in the past but over the years I have accumulated many more tools. So it was time to make a new rack to fit them all.
I made this new rack, using entirely reclaimed free lumber I had in the shop.
First of all I cut some boards to size, using my circular saw and a speed square. I then cleaned their edges using a hand plane.
I glued the boards to make a panel. I used dowels to keep the boards from moving around while glue up. I first drilled the holes and then used the center pins to locate the locations of the matching holes.
I didn’t have so long clamps, so I I used band clamps to glue the panel.
Next I planed the board perpendicular to the grain to remove material fast. I then planed parallel to the grain to smooth the panel. But this pine had to many knots. This caused a lot of tear out throughout the planing process. So I moved on to sanding. I also filled the gaps using a mixture of epoxy and sawdust.
I then used my circular saw and a guide rail to trim my panel to size.
On the bottom of my rack, I glued and screwed two boards in order to make a shelve. I predrilled pilot holes, counter sunked them and then added the screws.
I then created tools rests for all my turning gouges. I had to make individual rests for each one. This is because turning tools are really different with each other. Some are smaller, some longer and they also vary in shapes. To make the rests, I used the bandsaw, my belt sander, my rotary tool and forstner bits. I glued and nailed these rests in place.
I then created a smaller shelve for some chisel type tools. I glued this on the board with dowels.
For the tool rest I created earlier, I also made a small front bar to keep the tools from falling forward. I used the belt sander to round over the bars so they work nicely.
To prevent the long gouges from moving left or right, I used the bandsaw to create some blocks. The blocks are square pieces with a triangular cut out piece. I secured them in place with a couple of nails.
Next I made a small shelve for my thread chasers and the knife parting tool. I glued and screwed it in place.
The rest of the tools were pretty easy to hang using hangers and nails.
Then I used my table saw to cut two support pieces for the back. I then glued and screwed them in place.
Finally I secured the tool board on my wall Using two upat and two screws.
At this point the project was done.
Having your tools nicely organized, saves you time and effort. So for me this tool board was worth the trouble.
Anyway, I hope you liked this one, because that was it.
See you soon with a new project video.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.
