I like that, I can see that being copied in the future!!!
Setting Up Shop
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woodtickgreg
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Pretty neat Matt, I have been thinking about doing something like that myself. Gives me some ideas.
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- #143
Yeah, I really like these organizers. I started buying them from Harbor Freight. The last ones I bought (with the yellow on the outside of the handle) are Stanley, which I bought from Home Depot (after a fiasco with Harbor Freight). The Stanley ones are a little bit more money, but they're also better made and I think worth the extra money. As I need more, or if I ever need to replace any, I'll be buying the Stanley ones.
I had made a rack for these that was in my previous shop. I even moved the rack with me. But as I packed up to move and unpacked my shop here, I realized that I had a LOT more hardware scattered into various places than I realized and that I needed to expand on the rack. My previous rack was designed in the same way - could hold one of the larger or two of the smaller in one slot for easy rearranging.
I have seen some people get really fancy with these and build a tray for every bin and use drawer slides on every tray. I think that's excessive, at least for my needs.
I had made a rack for these that was in my previous shop. I even moved the rack with me. But as I packed up to move and unpacked my shop here, I realized that I had a LOT more hardware scattered into various places than I realized and that I needed to expand on the rack. My previous rack was designed in the same way - could hold one of the larger or two of the smaller in one slot for easy rearranging.
I have seen some people get really fancy with these and build a tray for every bin and use drawer slides on every tray. I think that's excessive, at least for my needs.
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- #144
Got it done and in place! Well, mostly done. At some point I will build two or three drawers to go in that lower right corner to hold various hardware that won't fit neatly into one of the organizers. For me it's located in a convenient place - under the side workbench, where it will be easy to get at and I can set organizers on the bench when getting hardware out.
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- #145
After I finished up the hardware organizer, progress in the shop ground to a halt - as did time in the shop. I'm really hoping to get back to it soon.
In the meantime, I had to take a few steps backwards in the shop. My wife's van needed some maintenance work done, so I had to move some shelves (and all the stuff on them...), Unisaw, jointer, and a bunch of other stuff to be able to get a vehicle into the garage to work on it since I had plenty of work to do.
So far I've changed the spark plugs (which was a time consuming feat, considering you have to remove the intake manifold to get to the back three plugs), front brakes, rear shocks, a few other small things, and will be doing the rear brakes once my parts are delivered next week. (If it's not work that has to be done right away, I usually order parts from RockAuto.com and save a bunch of money over walking into a store.) The front struts are also up for being replaced, but I'm not messing with springs/spring compressors and will pay someone to tackle that one for me.
Once work on the van is done, then I'll get to getting things back in place. Once things are set back up, I think the next project is building a new workbench/outfeed table.
In the meantime, I had to take a few steps backwards in the shop. My wife's van needed some maintenance work done, so I had to move some shelves (and all the stuff on them...), Unisaw, jointer, and a bunch of other stuff to be able to get a vehicle into the garage to work on it since I had plenty of work to do.
So far I've changed the spark plugs (which was a time consuming feat, considering you have to remove the intake manifold to get to the back three plugs), front brakes, rear shocks, a few other small things, and will be doing the rear brakes once my parts are delivered next week. (If it's not work that has to be done right away, I usually order parts from RockAuto.com and save a bunch of money over walking into a store.) The front struts are also up for being replaced, but I'm not messing with springs/spring compressors and will pay someone to tackle that one for me.
Once work on the van is done, then I'll get to getting things back in place. Once things are set back up, I think the next project is building a new workbench/outfeed table.
Matt you can get the whole strut assembled for a few more $. I just put struts in the wife’s jeep.
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- #147
Yeah, I know you can - but even with that you still have to compress the springs to get the whole assembly into the Sienna. So no way to avoid it on this one.
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- #148
Last week I got the shop back together after finishing up on my wife's van. Tonight I got a start on my next project.
Workbench!
It will be a combined workbench/outfeed table built of Ash. The top will be 32" x 54". Tonight I pulled lumber out of the rack for it and cut pieces for the top to rough length. These will get jointed/planed/cut to width and then glued up to make the top. I'm aiming for a finished top thickness of 2 1/4" to 2 1/2".
Still having a week of vacation to use this year, I'll be doing a week of staycation in early December. I plan to spend as much of that week as I can in the shop, mainly working on this bench.
Workbench!
It will be a combined workbench/outfeed table built of Ash. The top will be 32" x 54". Tonight I pulled lumber out of the rack for it and cut pieces for the top to rough length. These will get jointed/planed/cut to width and then glued up to make the top. I'm aiming for a finished top thickness of 2 1/4" to 2 1/2".
Still having a week of vacation to use this year, I'll be doing a week of staycation in early December. I plan to spend as much of that week as I can in the shop, mainly working on this bench.
woodtickgreg
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I'll be watching this with admiration Matt. Funny thing is I have a stack of 2" thick ash that I have been saving for the very same project. I'll start mine soon too I hope. Cant wait to watch your progress. 
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- #151
These boards are a heavy 4/4. I bought them as 4/4 - 100BF at $1/BF - a few years ago. But they're about 1 1/8" thick. I am figuring on being about 7/8", give or take, once I'm done milling them.
I do wish it was 8/4 I had - would be less milling work and less gluing!
Monday I'll stop in at Menards and pick up a few thing I will need - a gallon of glue and some hardware for adjustable feet. I'll be making my own adjustable feet with hockey pucks and 1/2" bolt hardware. Hockey pucks make great feet under things you don't want sliding around in the shop and my floors are not flat - slopped for a floor drain - so everything in the shop has adjustable feet.
I will have to buy more ash at some point. Not for the bench - I have enough to build the bench. But my wife is in the process of redecorating the living room. I'm tasked with building a TV stand, a couple end tables/cabinets, a sofa table w/ stools to sit at, and an aquarium stand. All out of ash. I've seen it run about $2/BF around here. If I had the space, I'd squirrel away at least few hundred board feet for the future since eventually it'll go the way of chestnut and you won't be able to hardly get or find it. Stupid EAB.
I do wish it was 8/4 I had - would be less milling work and less gluing!
Monday I'll stop in at Menards and pick up a few thing I will need - a gallon of glue and some hardware for adjustable feet. I'll be making my own adjustable feet with hockey pucks and 1/2" bolt hardware. Hockey pucks make great feet under things you don't want sliding around in the shop and my floors are not flat - slopped for a floor drain - so everything in the shop has adjustable feet.
I will have to buy more ash at some point. Not for the bench - I have enough to build the bench. But my wife is in the process of redecorating the living room. I'm tasked with building a TV stand, a couple end tables/cabinets, a sofa table w/ stools to sit at, and an aquarium stand. All out of ash. I've seen it run about $2/BF around here. If I had the space, I'd squirrel away at least few hundred board feet for the future since eventually it'll go the way of chestnut and you won't be able to hardly get or find it. Stupid EAB.
woodtickgreg
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In my case I have had many construction grade work benches, and they did serve me well. I'm still using one now. But its time for a real hardwood wood workers bench. I remember even in high school all the benches where maple and we would sand them down once a year and reseal them, they lasted forever even with the abuse of school kids. There is a lot to be said about the mass and hardness of a true hardwood work bench for a wood worker.
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- #154
Have you priced construction lumber recently? Prices are way up on construction lumber right now. I paid $1/BF for this ash a few years ago. The 100BF I have is more than enough to build this bench. I'd spend more than that to go down to Menards or Home Depot and buy a pile of construction lumber for the project. Even if I went out and bought the ash from a local mill for about $2/BF, the lumber pricing would end up about the same as if I used construction lumber.
Some of the ash boards I have do have some pith, the occasional small knot - things easily worked around if I was going to use it for furniture. So it's not necessarily low grade. Before I started cutting yesterday, I actually had a conversation with my wife whether to use this lumber for the bench, and then buy more when it was time to build living room furniture, or to save this for the living room furniture and use something else for the bench. Based upon what I have on hand that I have enough of to build a bench out of, walnut and cherry quickly got shot down as options for the bench, and the soft maple is softer than I want for a bench top. Not that I needed it, especially since I had been planning to use this ash for a workbench, but I also have my wife's blessing to use this ash for my workbench and then buy more later to build her living room furniture.
This will be my main woodworking bench and will feature a vise or two on it. Construction lumber is softer than I want for a workbench top. I've had, and still have, some workbenches that have used plywood and/or construction lumber. But I'm in my late 30's and am planning this to be a bench to use for the long haul and a hardwood bench will stand up better to the use (and abuse) that my main bench sees.
Some of the ash boards I have do have some pith, the occasional small knot - things easily worked around if I was going to use it for furniture. So it's not necessarily low grade. Before I started cutting yesterday, I actually had a conversation with my wife whether to use this lumber for the bench, and then buy more when it was time to build living room furniture, or to save this for the living room furniture and use something else for the bench. Based upon what I have on hand that I have enough of to build a bench out of, walnut and cherry quickly got shot down as options for the bench, and the soft maple is softer than I want for a bench top. Not that I needed it, especially since I had been planning to use this ash for a workbench, but I also have my wife's blessing to use this ash for my workbench and then buy more later to build her living room furniture.
This will be my main woodworking bench and will feature a vise or two on it. Construction lumber is softer than I want for a workbench top. I've had, and still have, some workbenches that have used plywood and/or construction lumber. But I'm in my late 30's and am planning this to be a bench to use for the long haul and a hardwood bench will stand up better to the use (and abuse) that my main bench sees.
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- #155
Today I made some progress on the workbench. Decided to do a build thread for the workbench.
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- #156
Today I brought something home for the shop. I've been trying to find and buy a vintage, American made vise for some time now - more than a year. Either they're way overpriced, broken, someone beats me to it, or I make an agreement with the seller to buy it and - even in spite of promises to hold it for me - they sell it.
So I was apprehensive on Monday when I saw this for sale, about an hour after it was listed, and asked the seller if he would be willing to hold it for me until the end of the week. At the price he listed it - $30 - I'm sure he had plenty of others contact him. True to his word, he held it for me. I picked it up today.
Craftsman 4" vise. From the little bit of research I did, it looks like this specific vise was offered for sale in the late 30's and early 40's. I wonder who made it for them - would have to compare it to other vises of the era to see what details might be a match. $30 is a heck of a deal on an old vise in great shape. It's not beat up. It moves freely. Nothing appears to be broken. I am hoping to get this restored and mounted somewhere very soon.
So I was apprehensive on Monday when I saw this for sale, about an hour after it was listed, and asked the seller if he would be willing to hold it for me until the end of the week. At the price he listed it - $30 - I'm sure he had plenty of others contact him. True to his word, he held it for me. I picked it up today.
Craftsman 4" vise. From the little bit of research I did, it looks like this specific vise was offered for sale in the late 30's and early 40's. I wonder who made it for them - would have to compare it to other vises of the era to see what details might be a match. $30 is a heck of a deal on an old vise in great shape. It's not beat up. It moves freely. Nothing appears to be broken. I am hoping to get this restored and mounted somewhere very soon.
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- #158
Well, I think I figured out who made this vise for Craftsman. I'm thinking Reed - this is a Reed 104.
woodtickgreg
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That's a dandy Matt. I'd strip it down and sandblast the castings. Wire wheel everything else, and paint it. Even the jaws look good on it. I've been searching for a wilton bullet vise for years, either they want a fortune for them or there so beat to death they're not worth anything. Or as you said they sell before I can get to them.
Congrats on your score!
Congrats on your score!
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The reed seems to have a "cheek" on the front that your craftsman lacks. Could be a spec issue or it could indicate a different casting