Latest projects and a few gloats...

[Keith Beck]

First, the projects...

SWMBO wanted some flower boxes to fill up the empty space on the front porch. So, here's what I came up with:
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/ldoforcno/DSC02855.jpg

I made a pair for her out of cedar and some scrap T-111 siding I had laying around. Here they are in their new home:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/ldoforcno/DSC02912.jpg

The plants in the box looked much better before Ernesto beat them up. My next goal is to figure some way of dressing up the plain 4x4 porch posts.

The other project I recently finished is my rendition of Wood magazine's cutting board. I didn't have any Cherry and the Maple I have was too wormy-holed (more on that later), so I made mine out of Bloodwood, Walnut and what I orginally thought was Mahogany. After cutting up the supposed Mahogany board, I'm not so sure that's what it is. Any ideas?

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/ldoforcno/DSC02908.jpg

Okay, onto the gloats...

I've been wanting a cabinet saw for quite some time. My Craftsman contractor saw was working okay (particularly after I added a link belt, new pulley wheels and upgraded to a Vega fence). Regardless, I wanted a cabinet saw. I was all set to buy an older Unisaw off a guy outside of DC (about three hours from me) for $500, which I'm sure you'll agree is a great deal; however, on my way there, I had some car issues that not only meant I wasn't going to make it there, I also had to use the money I had saved for the saw to get the car repaired. I was pretty bummed to say the least.

A few weeks later, my brother called me from DE and told me that his boss had a used cabinet saw that he'd sell me and that he'd even let me make interest-free payments. Well, here's what I came home with:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/ldoforcno/DSC02909.jpg
A General 350!

It cost more than the Unisaw, but I've heard nothing but good things about Generals, so I couldn't resist. The only thing I don't like about it is the dust collection. It's got a dust port, but it's at the bottom of the motor cover, and there's nothing to direct the sawdust towards that opening, so the sawdust still falls out the bottom of the saw. I'm going to have to figure something out.

I've been getting pretty lucky with the classified ads and on Craig's List. Next to the General is a Ridgid 16-gal. vacuum I found on CL for $25. I also got a Incra 1000se miter gauge for $80. My last gloat I found in the classifieds. I got a Grizzly 1029Z DC and a nice load of lumber for $125. The following picture only shows the Maple, but I also got a nice Walnut board and what I thought were some Mahogany pieces, which I used in the cutting board.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/ldoforcno/DSC02911.jpg

Unfortunately, I don't have a spare 220v outlet for the DC, so I'll have to continue using my HF DC for now. I intended to use the Maple in the cutting board, but it's got a lot of worm holes. But, as you can see, it's also got some pretty nice curl, so I'll find some use for it.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/ldoforcno/DSC02910.jpg

Thanks for looking!

Keith

[Brett Baldwin]

Very nice on all counts Keith. Congrats

[Narayan Nayar]

So I notice, Keith, that you don't mention how much that 350 cost you. :)

I have a 650. After General got trashed by some mag for having abysmal dust collection, they added a ramp to the inside of the cabinet. You may be able to get that ramp from General, or make one like it out of sheet metal. If you need pictures of the inside, let me know.

[Randy Long]

I realy love that cutting board. You aren't going to cut on it are you?

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Fantastic on all counts Keith, the planters are just the kind of thing to keep SWMBO happy, and they are neat, fun and quick to do.

The cutting board is really nice, but I agree, are you REALLY going to let someone cut stuff on it :eek: ;) :)

The gloats, well the TS sure looks nice, and all the other stuff....................................... Oh oh, I think you may have gone over your "Monthly Gloat Limit" and you will have to refrain from any more gloating until October............ :D ;)

Just kidding of course, but that sure is a lot of gloats stuffed into one post!

WAY TO GO!! :D

[Bob Childress]

Way to go Keith! Those flower boxes are a great project. I should build some for LOML (and I'll have to if she sees those). :)

Good tool gloats, too. Glad that Ernesto wasn't any worse than it was. Hope things are getting back to normal up there.

[Keith Beck]

Narayan - Okay, you caught me! I'll fess up, the General cost me a $1000. Probably not as good of a deal as a $500 Unisaw, but based on the prices I've seen around for new Generals, I think I still did pretty good. The previous owner kept it in immaculate shape. The interest-free payments also helped defray some of the "ouch" factor.

I've looked at a new General at Woodcraft and it doesn't appear that I can retrofit my saw with the dust ramp that's on the new ones. Looks like I'll have to create something out of sheet metal or hardboard. The tough part will be getting it inside the saw since the door is so small. I may have to resort to flipping the saw over. Not something I'm looking forward to.

Oh yeah, since it appears my saw was made before they started putting the Canadian Maple leaf on their saws, I e-mailed General and asked about a sticker to put on it. They never responded. Not too thrilled with my first experience with their customer service... :(

Stu & Randy - you sound like my wife! :) She's saying the cutting board is too pretty to cut on also. Trust me, there's a few defects that aren't apparent in the photo, so I have no problem with her cutting on it. It was a learning experience, so the next one should come out better. Personally, I'm not totally thrilled with the color combination. I think the Bloodwood would have looked better as a secondary wood instead of the primary color. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough light colored wood and had to use what was available. Time for a trip to the lumberyard!

Oh and Stu, if you think this is a gloat, did you see my previous gloat?
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=34000

I don't get 'em often (gloats that is), but when I do, they're pretty good!

Keith

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

....................................Oh and Stu, if you think this is a gloat, did you see my previous gloat?
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=34000

I don't get 'em often (gloats that is), but when I do, they're pretty good!

Keith

Ya, but that was way back in the spring, April I think, so that does not count for your total now :rolleyes: ;) :D

Nice gloat for sure!

Cheers!

[Jim Becker]

The planters are great, Keith. And congratulations on the saw!! (Just install a slanted "floor" in the cabinet to help direct the sawdust towards the port)

[lou sansone]

great looking planters and cutting board. great saw as well. looks like you are well outfitted for wood working

[Mack Cameron]

Hi Keith; while the planters have a nice clean look with great lines, I'm having some trouble understanding why you would paint cedar.

[Keith Beck]

1. While the unpainted cedar is fine for outside, the T-111 required some sort of protective finish. I think it would have been kinda funny looking if the T-111 were painted and the rest of the box were unfinished.

2. I wanted the planter box to match my house's trim color.

3. I'm not really into the rustic look of unfinished cedar and it wouldn't really go with the style of my house.

4. By painting it, I could also use a painter's best friend - caulk - to hide the planter boxes' many flaws. :)

Keith

[Jerry Olexa]

Good post and nice job on all counts. Like your cutting board. Agree: its too nice to actually use..Enjoy your new big saw!!

[Sam Chambers]

Kieht:

Nice job on the planter boxes. Gives me an idea or two for our front stoop.

And congrats on the new toys as well. I notice a Vega fence on that saw. I'm considering buying a Vega and was wondering what you think of yours. Any thoughts?

[Keith Beck]

Sam,

I saw your other post and was responding when I somehow lost my post. So, I'll try again...

Back when I had my Craftsman contractor saw, I wasn't much impressed with the Align-A-Rip fence that came on the saw. I couldn't keep it within specs no matter how much I adjusted it.

I couldn't see the logic behind buying a fence that practically cost more than my table saw (the Beisemeyer), so I looked for a more cost efficient solution. Hence the Vega U50. It also helped that the Vega had good reviews. Unfortunately, I don't remember what the differences are between the Vega U50 and the Vega Pro.

When I recently upgraded to my General 350, I transferred the Vega over to replace the stock General fence which I didn't much care for either. It went on very easily and didnt' require any alterations.

In use, I've been impressed with the Vega. It's relatively solid and adjustments are simple. I also got the Finger Saver attachment that rides on the top of the fence which you can see in the picture. I figured it might be one of those gimmicky add-ons that I'd probably never use, but I took a chance and I really like it. I use it much more than I ever thought I would. It also includes a cross-cut offset that makes cross-cut set-ups quick and safe.

The only issue I've had is with the front tube rail. Since it's a tube that stands off from the saw, you can't really use it to support an extension table (at least I haven't figured out how to yet). Maybe the Vega Pro addresses the issue?

I've never had the opportunity to use the Beise, but from what I've seen of it in Woodcraft, it looks very sturdy and beefy. I may someday upgrade to a Beise just because it's supposed to be the pinnacle of table saw fences, but for now, I'm more than happy with my Vega.

Keith

[Sam Chambers]

Keith:

Thanks for the reply...and for pointing me to it in the other thread!

When you say "extension table", do you mean a table to the right of the saw blade, or an outfeed table off the back of the saw? I don't know enough about that rear rail of the Vega to know if there's an easy way to attach an outfeed table. I would certainly hope there's a way to attach a right-hand extension table. If not, that's a deal-killer for me.

Thanks again.

[Greg Ladd]

Keith,

Congratulations on all of the gloats.

You will enjoy the General 350. I have been very pleased with mine. I was able to make a ramp out of some hardboard for mine. I was able slide it in from the bottom under the mobile base.
Also, making a shroud out of some thin plastic and zip tying to the cast shroud that is already around the blade helped immensely in keeping the saw internals cleaner.

Greg

[Mark Riegsecker]

Keith,

Good job on the boxes. I made some boxes similar to those, they turned out to be more work than I anticipated. My shop was filled with a hundred pieces. I should have used T11.

But a guy has to give up something once in awhile to the better half or you may get "Hey can you do something other than make jigs?":D :D

Mark

[Keith Beck]

Gregg - Does your sawdust ramp angle toward the motor cover where the dust port is or did you cut another hole in the bottom of the saw? Does your 350 even have the same type of motor cover? Do you happen to have any pictures of what you did? I'm having a little trouble picturing the shroud you made too, so pictures of that would also be great. Thanks!

Mark - I know exactly what you mean. My wife couldn't understand why I wanted to keep buying tools, but the only thing she was seeing me build was jigs and shop stuff (mobile clamp cart, assembly/work bench, etc.). The planter boxes and cutting board should keep her off of my back for a while. :)

Keith