Tom Pritchard
12-29-2005, 11:40 AM
Well, I learned something the hard way, and thought that I would share it with SMC folks because it's 1)funny and 2)may save you from a similar mistake!
I was recently building a 35" x 21" wooden cover for the bottom grate of my Dad's gas fireplace insert. When the fire in the insert is off, cold air pours in through the grate into the room at a rate great enough to blow out a match :( ! I made the box out of luan with a 1" x 1" pine frame, and then used that "stick on magnetic tape" on the pine frame so it would stick to the metal insert.
Well, the last step of the process was to glue a piece of pine on the top of the box to go up snug against the glass on the insert, and I needed to trim about 1/8" off one side of the box for a proper glue joint. Here's where the "fun" started! I set the fence on my TS to take off the 1/8", started the saw, and placed the box on the saw to make the cut. The box wouldn't budge! I couldn't move it! What's wrong, is my fence gouged? Is there a problem with my zero clearance insert? Is the tabletop scratched? NO! I had put the side of the box with the magnetic strips DOWN and the box was stuck to the tablesaw top! :eek: Whew, all is ok. I flipped the box over and made my cut thinking I was pretty smart, but when I turned off the saw, there was another problem! That little 1/8" cut included the magnetic strip, and my saw was COVERED with magnetic sawdust!! :D I couldn't wipe it off, vacuum it off, or get it off with WD-40! It took me almost an hour with a lite rag and elbow grease to get all those little pieces off my saw!!:rolleyes: Someday I'll get brave and look in the saw base, I'm sure those little buggers are in there too!!
My friend Scott and I had a pretty good laugh over the experience, so I thought I would share it with all my SMC pals as well!
Happy New Year everyone!!
I was recently building a 35" x 21" wooden cover for the bottom grate of my Dad's gas fireplace insert. When the fire in the insert is off, cold air pours in through the grate into the room at a rate great enough to blow out a match :( ! I made the box out of luan with a 1" x 1" pine frame, and then used that "stick on magnetic tape" on the pine frame so it would stick to the metal insert.
Well, the last step of the process was to glue a piece of pine on the top of the box to go up snug against the glass on the insert, and I needed to trim about 1/8" off one side of the box for a proper glue joint. Here's where the "fun" started! I set the fence on my TS to take off the 1/8", started the saw, and placed the box on the saw to make the cut. The box wouldn't budge! I couldn't move it! What's wrong, is my fence gouged? Is there a problem with my zero clearance insert? Is the tabletop scratched? NO! I had put the side of the box with the magnetic strips DOWN and the box was stuck to the tablesaw top! :eek: Whew, all is ok. I flipped the box over and made my cut thinking I was pretty smart, but when I turned off the saw, there was another problem! That little 1/8" cut included the magnetic strip, and my saw was COVERED with magnetic sawdust!! :D I couldn't wipe it off, vacuum it off, or get it off with WD-40! It took me almost an hour with a lite rag and elbow grease to get all those little pieces off my saw!!:rolleyes: Someday I'll get brave and look in the saw base, I'm sure those little buggers are in there too!!
My friend Scott and I had a pretty good laugh over the experience, so I thought I would share it with all my SMC pals as well!
Happy New Year everyone!!