A little laugh on me... to start the week off.

[Bill Huber]

I had a piece of 3/4 inch MDF that I had cut for a new drill press table and need to take off about 1/16 of an inch on one side.

Now normally I would have just run this though the TS but I thought now that I have my micro adjuster done and on the router table this would be a good time to try it.

I put in a 3/4 straight bit, lock one side of the fence and the with the micro adjuster adjusted the fence back 1/16 of an inch. It really worked great, 1/16 spot on with just a roll of the wheel of the adjuster.
Had a piece of scrap MDF to make a test cut and it was going just great until I came to the end of the board and the board jumped into the bit about 1/16 of an inch.

I thought, the fences must not be aligned together, the one has to be out a little more then the other one. I got my straight edge out and checked them. They sure seemed spot on to me. I ran the straight edge across the fences and I could feel not dip when I left the right fence.

I just must have pushed the board or something to cause it to dip like that. So I grabbed the scrap and ran it though again, all was well until the last inch and it dipped in again and made another indent about 1/16th of an inch.

Now I am just a little unhappy with the Jessem table and fence, what is the problem here. I got out the digital dial indicator, made a mount that would fit in the track and reach the fence right were it was setting. I wanted to see just what was going on with the fence right were it was. Got the little bracket done, only took about 30 min, to get a nice little maple mount for the dial indicator done and mounted in the track of the table. Now there is my problem, the fence is off and not square. Now at this point I am into this 1/16 cut about an hour.

Ok, I worked until the fence was .001 square end to end and the bit was 1/16 out from the fence, this was not to hard with the micro adjuster on each end of the fence, now I am ready to make this cut.
Placed my scrap on the table and run it thought.... now what in the #$@!# is going on, it did it again, about a 1 inch long dip in the board 1/16 inches deep.

At this point I am into the 1/16 cut for about an hour and a half, I think I will just use the TS and get it over with, this is not working and I am going to have to find the reason but I want to get on with the project. Went to the TC, set the fence up so as to cut a 1/16th off one side put the board on the table to check it.

Then just like someone hit me up side the head with a 2x4 (which I needed) I knew what my problem was, I forgot to shim the out-feed fence on the router table.

So now I have to do it on the router table, just have to.

Put a shim under the out-feed fence adjusted the fence with the macro adjuster and made a perfect cut the first time.

Now it only took about 2 hours to trim 1/16th of an inch off an 18 inch piece of MDF.

Some times I wonder what in the world am I doing in a working shop....

[Don Wurscher]

Makes one feel good, that there are other folks out there who have the same problems as I or is it me, Oh what the H:D.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

And if you are lucky, you won't have to relearn this lesson like I do sometimes?:o

[Jude Tuliszewski]

Look at the bright side, next time you will remember how to get it right the first time.:D

[Glenn Pearston]

But the real question is how do you get the additional 1/16th off the rest of the table?? :D

[John Schreiber]

It's like when I come in and my wife says "so what were you working on out there?" If I tell her that I did something like remove 1/16th of an inch of wood in two hours, she'll think I'm insane.

Problem is she'd probably be right.

[Bruce Haugen]

Bill,
good thing you're the only one to ever do this!

(Got the franchise for the t-shirts for that particular operation.)

bruce

[Bill Huber]

And if you are lucky, you won't have to relearn this lesson like I do sometimes?:o

I am going to make a big sign and put it on the wall to help me remember it.
I did feel really dumb when it hit me what I was doing wrong, but 2 hours for a 1 min. job, glad I don't have to pay by the hour.:D

[Bill Huber]

But the real question is how do you get the additional 1/16th off the rest of the table?? :D

I guess I will just have to cut the fence down by 1/16 of an inch....:D :D

[Al Willits]

""""""""""
Some times I wonder what in the world am I doing in a working shop....
""""""

Hopefully having fun, don't wanna tell ya how many times I've spent hours making my own part or something, when I could have bought one for almost nothing, its all about enjoying yourself....well, except for those episodes that require band aids...:D

Al

[Charles Wiggins]

Then just like someone hit me up side the head with a 2x4 (which I needed) I knew what my problem was, I forgot to shim the out-feed fence on the router table.


Sounds like a typical day in the shop for me.

[Dave Sinkus]

So the infeed and outfeed tables are not on the same plane, like a jointer table? Hmmmmmmmmmm......I learned something today.

Thanks for the post Bill

[Bill Wyko]

I've never worked with a Jessem but I sure do like my INCRA with the outfeed fence. That would have taken you about 2 minutes. The incra has 2 wedges you slide toward each other to create the proper outfeed fence setting. It works well as a jointer. IMHO

[Greg Cole]

On a good day, I laugh my posterior off at myself for things like that... as I said in another post today I do learn best when it's the hard way.
On a bad day I tend to find something outside of the shop to do instead.
We appreciate sharing such tidbits as it reminds us that we do what we do 'cause we like it.... I know once in awhile I need a subtle reminder that it's only a piece of wood err... dust n glue in your case with MDF. :rolleyes:

Greg

[Bob Potter]

Hi.
Don't feel bad there are times if I had a hammer in my hand I would certainly smack my head a few times and say wake up dummy, meaning ME.

Bob

[Eddie Darby]

I had a piece of 3/4 inch MDF that I had cut for a new drill press table and need to take off about 1/16 of an inch on one side.


Why was the MDF off 1/16" in the first place??????:confused:

I would say that you measured once and cut a thousand times.
The trick is to reverse things, and measure a thousand times and cut once.

It is all part of the learning curve.

[Todd Jensen]

Sounds like a full day of billable hours to me.:D

[Bill Huber]

So the infeed and outfeed tables are not on the same plane, like a jointer table? Hmmmmmmmmmm......I learned something today.

Thanks for the post Bill


That all depends on what you are doing, for most things the fences are on the same plane but if you are doing jointing then yes you put a shim behind the out feed fence. I really have that part down now....:D

[Bill Huber]

Why was the MDF off 1/16" in the first place??????:confused:

I would say that you measured once and cut a thousand times.
The trick is to reverse things, and measure a thousand times and cut once.

It is all part of the learning curve.

Well it was not off 1/16, it had a dent on the front edge and I didn't like it so I just shorten the table by 1/16, it only took me 2 hours....:D

[Mike Marcade]

Sounds like a typical day in the shop for me.

I don't see the big deal here, it sounds like all of my projects too. :D