Archive for the ‘Woodworking Articles’ Category

I get asked a lot about building lost cost router tables that have lots of features and work well in the shop. I stumbled across this one and thought that I would elaborate on it and share it with you. The table is originally a router table extension for a table saw. This one is for sale at Router Table Depot The neat thing about this particular top is that you can use it for a table saw, no problem. But because it has this nice base around the bottom, you can easily mount it to a stand. If you make one yourself, the possibilities are really endless. The one pictured here is a basic stand design but you can go pretty much as far and deep as you would like.

The Stand

The stand is not rocket science, it is basically four “L” shaped legs with stringers attached to hold it square. The stringers can be also made into a shelf for an extra sturdy design. You can make this whole stand out of some scrap plywood or you can use any other scrap wood that you might have lying around. The whole premise of the stand is that the top slides over the stand and rests on the legs. After that you simply use the base of the extension and screw it right to the legs of the stand.

Router Table Top

The top has all the features that you would want in a table and can accept all the industry standard upgrades.

• 24″ x 27″ deep
• 1 3/8″ thick
• Top and bottom are laminated
• 3/4″ miter track installes
• Insert is acrylic and measures 12′ x 9″ x 3/8″
• Fence is a split fence design and has a solid aluminum core with 12″ x 6″ Extensions
• Mounting frame is 27×21 1/4″ outside diameter and 24 5/8″x19″ inner diameter

Originally you can buy this for $179 (at this printing) From the Router Table Depot and I believe it has free shipping.  I can imagine the stand costing you more than $20 to make yourself.  Maybe a tad more if you went a little crazy and made drawers, doors and a cabinet style design.

Router Table Insert

Router Table Ply stand

So if you have been woodworking as a business or you are seriously involved in the hobby, you might want to think about purchasing a spray booth somewhere down the line.  A spray booth is a huge step up in a woodworking system and can improve your build times and increase your margin.  They do however require some knowledge before using them.  You will need to pre plan your ventilation before installing the unit.

When we operated our small furniture business we found that we always in some part of the finishing process.  Each part had to be primed, painted, artwork and then sealed.  Spraying is just about the only way that you can increase this timely process.  When you have a spray booth you will find a way to automate more of your finishing processes since you will have taken the steps to improve your assembly.  Not only will spraying your product finishes save you time, but the look is a nice improvement over traditional brush finishes.  About the only drawback is if you are marketing the hand painted look.

Spraying takes some practice, so you will need to work on your skills and purchase a decent sprayer as well.  Having a stockpile of primer and various color paints as well as stains and finishes will make your job go much faster.

You can effectively paint wood finished products that include:

• toys
• bedroom furniture
• conference tables
• Pianos
• dining room tables
• office furniture
• Children’s furniture

Spray finishing booths are not costly and should be seen as a investment. They give the right finish to your wood working products. If you want high quality finishes to your wood working products then it’s a must.

You might want to weigh the cost of purchasing your own equipment verses outsourcing as well.  Outsourcing will take some management since you will have to oversee the movement of parts back and forth from the vendor.  A lot of time this may take a person that is hired to specifically do this job for you.

Wood Magazine is currently taking pre orders on their dvd catalog version of their magazines. I don’t know about you, but this is a great idea. I have way to many back log issues sitting around for my “just in case” reference. If this is you, then you might want to check this collection out. It will save you room and you can be “green”.

Every issue. Every project. Every tip, technique, and tool review. For the first time ever, you can own every issue of WOOD magazine from the past 25 years in an easy-to-use, easy-to-search DVD format.

You can find This wood magazine offer here at Wood Magazine Dvd offer

The very name of Bosch Routers gives people a confidence in the machine that we are handling. Bosch routers are very versatile machines which can do a broad range of work for the woodworker. The range of activities starts from the precise plunging of the piece of wood to the formation of edge. Bosch routers are also capable of trimming the laminates and also dovetails and other similar joineries.

The Bosch router brand are of different types to suit your exact needs.

The most common type of the Bosch router is the Plunge Routers. These machines are considered to be very versatile by the wood workers using them. These plunge routers can work both above and below the table and this makes the machines very easy to use.

Another popular type of Bosch routers is the Palm Routers. This is considered to be one of the best friends of the wood worker. The machine is both powerful and versatile, and can do a lot of jobs without a problem.

Another very common type of Bosch Routers is the Fixed Base Routes. This is very popular amongst the woodworkers who are involved in doing heavy jobs or using in router tables. The router has a precision centering design, which enables you to keep the router bits on the cut-line. This ability of the machine helps you while you are using jigs, templates, dovetail fixtures or other similar guidance devices. This is not all; there are more advantages of this machine. The fixed base Bosch Router also has a micro-fine depth adjustment system. The system comes with a re-settable depth indicator. This allows you to set the depth for the precise cut that is required for the wood.

Then you have the Bosch Router combo pack, the master of all routers. In this pack, you get the advantages of both a plunge base and a fixed base router. There is nothing more you need, when you have this machine with you.

Router Table Insert Plate Sizes

Ever wonder why different companies make different size router plates? Although it can be somewhat aggravating, it does make sense if you look at it from a business level.

Lets look at a couple of examples:

1. First of all, if a company makes a plate that only fits their table.
2. A customer comes along and buys that plate to use to build their own table.
3. Their table comes out great and they are happy.
4. Their table does not come out great so they buy a table from the same place since they already have the plate.

Here is another

1. Company makes a plate that only fits their table. Company also makes a lift that is the same dimensions as the insert plate.
2. The customer comes along and wants to buy a more inexpensive router table and put the better lift into it, they find out it does not fit and then proceed to decide which they want more, the cool lift or the cheaper table.

The Last Scenario

1. Company C buys an insert from a previous made design that is available for purchase. They design and build their line of tables around that insert. This saves company C a lot of time developing and paying for a new plastics mold for a custom design.
2. A customer comes along and sees a router plate from company C that looks the same as Company B, and wonders what the difference is.
3. There is not difference if you look at the specifications that the vendor lists on their site.
4. Noteworthy: A plate that measure 12” x 9” may actually be 12 1/16” x 9 1/8” some vendors take the short cut and say 12” x 9”

Router plate sizes tend to be proprietary since the insert cutouts only fit certain tables. Manufacturers are trying to get people devoted to one particular brand, theirs. The funny thing is it is not true in other aspects of the table. Lets look at miter track or t-track for example. Most miter track is “industry standard”, which means it accepts most third party ¾” accessories. The idea is to be able to sell the accessories as well as the table. Everyone carries accessories and there are some really neat ones out there. Here is the kicker, the “industry standard’ scenario is only as good as the factories specifications that made them. If they are just a hair off, the accessory may have a sloppy fit or may be even too big. I hear all the time that a miter gauge that came with someones table saw should fit this miter track. Actually it should but sometimes tolerances are not always right on the money. This can be from the tooling getting dull that the factory uses to cut or build these accessory parts.

Whether it is a router table insert or a router table accessory, look at the size and determine where you want to be in the future. Chances are pretty good that if you stay with the same vendor, website, company or brand, that you will be in good shape. Just know that there are differences out there and they come mostly from an economic standpoint.

Part 2 of Buying Routers for Woodworking

Collet size

Most routers today are sold with two different sized collets. The collets is the device that holds the bit in the motor. The two most common sizes are ½” and ¼”. These two sizes match the two sizes of router bits sold. So why do you need both? ½” bits are more robust than ¼” bits. If your doing larger jobs like raised panel, you want a little more strength in your bit size which mostly relates to safety. ¼” sized bits are more widely available in a larger variety of styles. If your looking for some smaller bits for smaller details (like a small cove bit) they most likely come with a ¼ “ diameter. Most routers accept both. If they don’t, it is somewhat limiting, so I recommend buying a router that has both collets.

Power

Bigger is better right? I could go on and on about this subject and most likely argue with a lot of people. Think of this way. Most men think they need the most HP that is available. Its kind of like a car, if it has a bigger motor we generally think its better. Is it? Not always and here is why. Bigger does not mean you can take more off in one pass. You can but is it smart. Every wood species is different. If you take big chunks off of certain species you can burn it or gouge it or endanger yourself. Why do this? Taking smaller bites and several passes is the sure way to quality and safety. If your in production and need speed and efficiency, buy a shaper and a power feeder. For most of us woodworkers a 1 ½ HP will do all that you could ever ask for in a router. The goal is to work in your shop with all of your fingers and both sets of eyeballs in tack. Don’t jepordize that with the thinking that you need 3 ½ HP to spin that big ole router bit. I have a 3 ½ HP pig of a router that is collecting dust because its so big and heavy that It’s a pain to use. Again, preference is the prevailing factor. Bigger is not always better.

Amps verses HP

Most manufactures measure their router motors with a HP rating. This we men understand. The new norm is Amps. Amps are part of the power formula and help determine horsepower. The larger the HP the more amps it is rated for. So what does that mean to you. Well in short, if you have a 15 Amp router and you plug it into your 10 amp wall plug and you decide to run a dust collector at the same time, guess what happens. Yes it’s frustrating to stop and rewire your shop.

EVS

Electronic Variable Speed lets you control the speed of the motor. You want to do this if you plan on turning bigger profile bits. You cannot put a large router bit in your router and spin it at full speed. Some are too big and become very very dangereous. If the router you are thinking about buying does not have EVS you can always buy a router speed control. These are small units that you plug your router into and you can control the speed externally. This feature is becoming standard on most routers offered today.

Combos

Buying a combo pack can be like getting two routers for the price of one. Spending the extra cash is worth it to some people, only you can be the judge.

Price

Do your homework. Price them out. The internet is a great place to price routers than from just buying from Lowe’s or Home Depot. Look around. If your on a budget, try Ebay, but stick to a name brand.

If you missed part 1, you can find it here Buying Routers For woodworking, part 1

Looking to buy a new router for your shop? Is this your first router? Are you going to be using it on a router table? These are questions that I am going to attempt to answer using some facts about the products available and so good old fashioned logic.

Lets get to the logic portion of the article first so that we can build around it. Almost all the name brand routers available are good routers to own. Some people swear by brand “x” and some people swear by brand “y” I say, who cares, as long as you pick something that works for you, and has a good reputation. Ask ten different people what router to buy and you will get 10 different answers. Use this information to buy the router you think you want and can afford and go from their. Its kind of like buying a car, some people think their brand is the best, mostly cause they own it, it’s a sentimentality thing. We all had cars we liked and did not like. If you get one you don’t like, sell it. Then buy or try something else. I personally do this all the time. Make the best decision you can and get on to the business of making sawdust.

Fixed Base verses Plunge base

There are two different types of bases available. Fixed base routers are just that, the height of the bit is fixed. This does not mean you cant adjust it, you surely can. It means you can’t adjust it while your using the router. These are the most common types for router tables. Why??? Because they are lighter. They are lighter because they don’t have the plunge mechanism built into the router and that means the router is lighter. So why would you care if its lighter? Well if you have your router mounted to an insert, the heavier routers tend to make acrylic inserts sag over time if you leave them stored in the router table. Its basic physics, weight over time usually wins. If you are smart you will store your router out of the table.

Plunge base routers are very versatile in the shop. If you use your router in a hand held application,you will want to be able to control the depth of the bit while doing your work. Plunge routers allow you to make quick adjustments for the bit and allow you to start with the bit out the work and plunge into it. Can you use them in router tables, yes, Does it work good? Yes, You will still have to take the router out of the table with the insert attached to make small adjustments to the bit height. Have a router lift eliminates some of this. Generally its best to use a fixed base in the table and a plunge base for hand held use.

The third option…..Combination packs. Combo packs allow you to live in the best world since you get both fixed base and plunge based bases in a kit. You can take the fixed base and permanently attach it to your router insert and leave it there. You can simply then take the motor out of the plunge base and use it in the table when need it. Then when you need it for a hand held application, you can simply put it back in the plunge base and its like having two routers in your shop. How cool is that?

Part two of Buying Routers for Woodworking

By Bowe Packer

For the beginning woodworker building cabinets is one of the easiest and most satisfying things to do. This of course is After a little time has passed and you’ve gotten a little experience under your belt! Building cabinets truly is a fairly simple thing to do, but it’s not necessarily for the novice woodworker. Now don’t get me wrong here, it can be done, just not suggested without a little more know how and experience. With such things as joints and right angled corners required you might want to start with something else. This will not only build your experience but your confidence as well.

Then again if you’re adventurous and don’t really mean to use the cabinets you build anyplace in a prominent place you should be alright. The first thing to do in this case is to get a plan or a design of the cabinet type you want. This may seem fairly straight forward, however for many it could be the hardest part. For your first approach at building cabinets you might want to think about starting off with something fairly simple. A project that can be accomplished in a relatively short period of time.

Perhaps even look at building cabinets without doors on them, which fundamentally translates to shelving if you think about it. On the other hand, building cabinets with the doors on them can help you increase experience and again increase your confidence. Remember, it is about taking the risk and making the mistakes. Now in the long run this experience will prepare you for further explorations into the world of cabinetry.

Since you’ve now started off with a appropriate design or plan, the next thing you want to do is to move on to the next phase of collecting your materials. These will include not only your Lumber but also your tools, your nails, joint fixings and any other tool or material you might need to complete the project. Don’t worry, you will many times forget something, especially in the beginning.

After that if you don’t already have one, you’ll need to clear out a desirable space for you to work in. This space needs to come with a good deal of lighting and where you won’t mind the sawdust collecting. You’ll also want to make sure that it’s off the beaten path as you won’t want to clearing out your things, always to make room for everything else. Also, this space needs to be one that doesn’t mind sawdust, clutter, designs and anything else that goes along with woodworking projects.

At the very least you’ll want to keep your workspace cluttered for a few days or until you finish building cabinets and whatever else it you’re going to be doing. This is so you will know where everything is that corresponds to that project. After that the next step you’ll have to take is in the sawing, measuring and the marking, although not necessarily in that order. This is the fun part, because now your project is starting to become real.

After you have everything marked off and sawn to the correct lengths the next thing you’ll want to do is to start assembling your cabinets. That involves gluing in some cases, driving in nails and screws and other such things. The assembling process is one of intricacy, so make sure your mind is prepared.

The last thing on your list for building cabinets involves coating the piece off. Now this phase of the project can be some what relaxing. At least in the sense that the cabinets are now assembled and are just waiting to get beautified. This is normally completed by applying a clear coat or a wood varnish or even painting it to the color you want. After that you’re good to go and if you’ve taken your time with this cabinet and done a genuinely good job, it might look like you’ve been building cabinets for some time!

Bowe is the webmaster, content provide and author of the ebook: Woodworking Essentials. Please visit his site at: http://www.woodworkingessentials.net

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Are you new to woodworking? If you are, you might be amazed (or annoyed) by all the tools that are available. There is so many “experts” who say you need to buy this or buy that. Some say you need a large selection before even beginning your first project. It is in my humble opinion that you can do a whole lot of woodworking with just three power tools. Those tools are a tablesaw, a router table, and a drill press. Lets take a look at why.

Tablesaw

The tablesaw is an awesome tool that is very versatile. Every shop should have one because if your going to build some something according to plan, you need to cut your wood to size to get started. Sure you can go to Home Depot or Lowes and have them cut your sheet stock, but they wont cut all your cuts . Besides standing in line at the panel saw in Home Depot tryng to figure out whether you need 24 5/8 or 24 and ½ in your head is frustrating at best. No doubt when you get home, you will find out you choose incorrectly and have to start all over again. Having the ability to take your time and cut your stock how you want it is paramount.

Don’t think you have to start with a monster cabinet saw either. You could do a lot of woodworking with a benchtop saw or even a contractor saw. Don’t fall prey to the “Bigger is better” mentality. You can do a good job and learn more than the basics on a smaller saw.

Router Table

The router table adds flexibility to your shop. It’s ability to shape wood can take your woodworking to new heights. Router tables range from very inexpensive to high priced. Keep in mind that you may need to also purchase a good quality router along with the router table. All sorts of projects become “do-able” when you have a router table. Advanced joinery, edge profiles, moldings and dovetails are just a start of things you can do. In addition to the tables capabilities, are the huge availability of books and articles written on the subject of building a router table, working on the router table and router table projects.

I have always said that wood becomes furniture when it comes off the router table. Its easy to get excited about woodworking when you see immediate results that are pleasing to the eye.

Drill Press

It sounds so general, but the drill press gives you amazing accuracy. The drill press can do so much more than just drill holes. Although when you want to, its drills holes with great accuracy. Give yourself a nice collection of drill bits and forstner bits, and you can do a lot of precise drilling. If you use your cordless drill to try and drill a perfect 90 degree hole, it can be pretty frustrating. The drill press gives you the 90 degree accuracy right off the bat. This may not seem to be that big of a deal, but if you use countersink bits, the accuracy is very noticeable.

I personally use my drill press as a sander. You can buy the sanding sleeves almost anywhere and the drill press makes a nice alternative to an expensive dedicated oscillating spindle sander.

You can buy some interesting jigs for the drill press as well. I cant think of one day in the shop, where I do not use the drill press for at least one portion of my work. I am sure you will find the same experience.

If you are looking to add tools to your basic of collection of three, the internet is always a great place to find good used name brand tools for a great price. The key is knowing your prices and how much an items costs new. One of my favorite sources is on Ebay. Ebay has a ton of tools for sale. Look for brand names and auctions that close on holidays (they are bid on less) Another good technique is to look for misspellings of common brands, those auctions rarely get seen and you can find great deals.

By Bowe Packer

Corner cabinets are by no way the easiest thing to make, nor are they super difficult either. It just takes a little bit of practice with the right tools and the right little bit of knowledge and you’re good to go. The hardest parts will be getting your head around the whole concept. But, don’t worry you can learn this.

It might seem easy at first, after all if you get the right measurements how hard can it be, correct? But in reality there’s more to construction corner cabinets than meets the eye. Don’t be fooled by their size in comparison to the other cabinets. Remember, they are in the corner, which means more angles.

Ok, you say, what about angles? These are important for a whole slew of reasons, but, you need to get them right for every shelf. Let’s not forget about the doors. The doors will not work without the right angle measurements. That is if you wanted to have doors. And lets not forget, there’s always the ever present design scrolls you might want to look at adding as a cosmetic feature to your finished product. So, needless to say, angles are very important.

The difficulty level of your corner cabinets depends completely on your whims and fancies. What this means is how fancy do you want your cabinets to be? But just like when you’re constructing anything else, when you’re building corner cabinets there are a few simple procedures you might want to follow.

First of all, you need to measure. Measure the space you want your corner cabinet to go into and then measure the height and the depth of it as well. Ideally if this is the first corner cabinet you’re devising then you might want to take it slow and start with something simple. Get a feel for the measuring and angles of the corners. Corner cabinets which are small might be eminently appropriate for this purpose.

Then again if you feel like jumping directly into the deep end and confronting one of the harder projects, you might be surprised at the outcome. Once you understand the fundamentals of woodworking and take it slow you will do just fine. The difficulty level can be overcome by the simple use of your common sense and choosing the right precautions, both safety wise and project-wise.

One of these common good sense precautions is to make your measurements on the wood, twice. Remember the old adage, “Measure twice, cut once”? There’s great merit in that expression and it’s one that you should take heed of in your wood working habits. Common sense and patiences are paramount in your woodworking endeavors.

So the best thing that you can do is to look at one of the corner cabinets in your home that has already been made and to follow (slowly at first) the pattern that the professionals have already dog-tired through. If you have to, sketch it out. Look it over and let your mind see the angles of the existing cabinet. We are visual creatures by nature, utilize this wonderful quality.

So, understand building corner cabinets need not be a labor of monumental proportions. It should be fun and give you a feeling of wanting to do it again. It can all be realized with the minimum of trouble if you do all the right things. And if things don’t go right the first time, there’s always a second time. This time you’ll have the experience of already having built one to fall back on. Learn the fundamentals and go for it! Bring all your home projects to life.

Bowe is the webmaster, content provider and author of the e-book: “Woodworking Essentials”. Visit his site and receive his: Free 5 week mini e-course

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