Creeker's Past Week's Accomplishments

[Dennis Peacock]

25 Mar 2019

Greetings,
It's been yet another week of being down with my back. I feel that I'm improving but I'm also feeling like I want to make a doc appointment to see what the doc says about my back. Going on 3 weeks is far long enough of me being down with my back and being pretty much useless in getting much of anything done. I've been able to work from home and I've also been taking the time to teach myself the beginning stages of programming with Python. What a challenge that has been!

That's all for me, so what did YOU do this past week?

Best of weeks to you all.

[David Justice]

Spent my weekend making several frames for Motowi tiles. I'm a furniture builder and build craftsman style furniture. I often make these frames for customers as a bonus to their piece of furniture.

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[Jim Becker]

Hope your back continues to improve, Dennis.

David, those art pieces are beautiful!

My woodworking activity this past week was focused on the current TwinXL over Queen bunk bed commission...which included a very large pile of shavings from emptying the cyclone bin about 5 times. LOL All major components were created and one side was glued up. It's not easy working on such a large structure alone, but I figured it out. I'm going to install temporary "feet" on the side structures so they will be self-supporting as I work through test fitting the knock down design that uses Festool Connectors so I can also size and fit a few components that are best done with the big thang assembled for precise measurement. On Sunday, I was at a tack sale (equestrian) and gained a few inquiries for tack trunks, my CNC boxes and some signage.

I also completed a private sale of my beloved Jeep Grand Cherokee on Friday for a sum that was a couple thousand more than the trade-in offer. Cash even. Now I just have to get through the "vehicle factory order pregnancy" over the next month and a half for the new ride. A good friend lent me something to drive in the meantime so I can get my daughter to work and doctors, etc.

[Rod Sheridan]

Very nice David............Regards, Rod.

[Jay Larson]

Friday night and Saturday, I participated in a GiveCamp. Our company, along with its foundation, sponsors a couple of projects a year to help a local non-profit. This one was to redesign/update the website. We took the existing site that was built on the WordPress foundation and reworked it to a new theme. In the process we added a rotating banner to the home page, added some videos and new photos, updated the content, and made the complete site responsive so it will display on a phone.

Sunday I went to the basement and finished the drywall. I am meeting with a plasterer tonight to get a price... The end is near.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nicely done David!

I spent the weekend getting the hands-on education with my scroll saw. We bought a 21" Excalibur scroll saw 7 years ago, took a Woodcraft scroll saw class and have not used the saw since. When I joined a woodworking club 3 months ago, the guy who gave me a ride, a retired and once again teaching at another district, shop teacher gave me a project. I have made 5 thus far and haven't had the results I was wishing to share. With my wife traveling and my resultant responsibilities to the household (house cleaning, paying bills, shoveling during a month's record snow, etc.) and 3 days a week in the gym, I haven't been able to spend as much time as I'd like to get the mileage on that scroll saw. Finally, during the last week, I have managed to spend the time to get the practical experience and am seeing some results I wouldn't be ashamed to display with other woodworkers. Hopefully later this week I will finish it and not be afraid to show photos here at the Creek.

My neighbors who are moving returned home to get their home ready to sell and this week the snow melted back to the point where I could bring home the RAS I bought from him in December. I managed to get my shop cleaned for the first time in months before I brought the saw into my shop.

[Lisa Starr]

Dennis, I'm sorry your back is taking so long to recover. I think you're right to consider a visit to the doctor.

We installed "Phase 3" of my son's kitchen cabinets Saturday. There were only a few cabinets to install, but we also hung the new range hood and the ducting to vent it thru the roof. DH is a commercial roofer, so it was up to him to correctly install the roof cap and flash it. Sunday I worked on the new rear catch table for my table saw.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I decided that I wanted to try building a knife kit, which means securing handles using pins so I needed an anvil and a bench vise. For my uses, the anvil on a bench vise will suffice. I liked the functionality of the Yost vise (about $200, see https://www.amazon.com/Yost-Heavy-Du.../dp/B00CBL62HQ), but, I have only minimal needs (never owned one) so I decided to start with something less expensive and if I used it a lot then I can look at something nicer. I settled for this 5" multi-purpose vise from Harbor Freight: https://www.harborfreight.com/5-in-M...ise-61163.html with a coupon, this cost me under $60.

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The quality is clearly not even close, and I had to return the first one because of a malformed casting. The second one has the correct casting. The pipe clamp is nicer (many steps) as opposed to the real thing, which has two steps on each side. The thing handled very poorly. It was almost impossible to open and close the jaws, but, the jaws did mesh very well. The primary problem with the jaws was fixed with a bit of 3-in-1 oil added between the handle and front face of the jaw. I also added a little bit to the screw. Suddenly this vise opened and closed effortlessly; whereas before it was a tiring near impossible task. Strange.

The head rotates easily to move between the two jaw types, and I can clamp at different angles; I like it.

This thing spins around the base, or at least it is supposed to. I flipped this thing upside down and even with no weight on it I could barely make it move, so, I took the base apart. A task so simple that a child can do it.

In this picture, I removed the "bolts" and then the two pieces attached to it:
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What you cannot see is that this bottom surface is very rough (poor casting) and has thick spotty paint. It took but a moment to sand this surface smooth. I also took some 80 grit sandpaper to the inner rim. I finished both surfaces with 400 grit sandpaper. It was pretty smooth after that.

This next piece (as shown) fits face down onto the previous picture. I repeated the sanding for the outside lip, as well as the shoulder portion.
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This is what it looks like installed. Understanding that the final piece sets into this, so, I sanded all surfaces that will mate with the last piece.
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I also sanded the mating pieces that set into this. This is what it looks like after I put that in place.
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For the final step, I used a spray on wax lubricant to the surfaces that would mate. And now this things spins with almost no effort. Well worth the time.

I also purchased a Ridgid oscillating edge belt / spindle Sander (see https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/oscilla...spindle-sander). I wanted the Grizzly since it has some things that I like about it, but, I need this to assemble the knife kits that I have. I have not looked at all the bits and pieces on it, but, the portion that folds down is higher than the part that does not, so, I need to take a look at that. Also, they telly you to level the throat plate adapter, but, it is warped (think the letter U) with a 16" depression in the middle, so, I cannot level it. I sat on hold with Ridgid for a long while and they are sending me a replacement part. I have never used bondo, but, if the replacement is the same, I might try using bondo (or similar) to fill that depression.

After a quick look, the sander seems to be fine otherwise. I purchased this at Home Depot, so, I think this extends the warranty.

I assembled the outer case of a tool cabinet that I want to build. I even installed drawer slides. Now I need to prepare some wood and cut a bunch of drawers. I do this neander style, so it will take a bit.

I also built a few strops. I was testing out a Delta 40-640 scroll saw I was given. It is difficult to change the blades, but I hope to get the hang of it. I used this to cut out one of the handles for two of the strops that I built. The first two, I did by hand. My next one, I will use the ridgid sander to help me fine tune the handles, at least now I own one.

busy week.

[Rod Sheridan]

Andrew, I love the story of your vise.

We don't have Harbor Freight, we have Princess Auto, same idea.

A few years ago I was in there and they had a pallet of vises on sale, beside it they had a pallet container with broken vises, all had cracked in the same area. (curve under the moveable jaw).

While I was there a guy put his broken one in the container and picked up a new one...............He had more faith than me..........Rod.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Their website has almost 700 reviews for this vise with decent reviews. I also know that Harbor Freight has a decent return policy. Also, if the Yost had been made in the USA, then I would have simply purchased the Yost.

Here are two pictures from the first vise that I brought home. Notice that one of the pipe clamp jaws is not like the other. I considered telling them that for $25 I would buy the deformed vise and then file down the extra area; I assume that this is not a high strength ductile iron, it is probably a much cheaper casting that would probably file pretty easily. I did not want to remove the face so that I could get in there with an angle grinder since the screw has a nut that is held in place with a pin that I did not want to remove and then try to replace.

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