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Thread: Thoughts on selecting appropriate "sized" power equipment

  1. #31
    Join Date
    May 2012
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    Gatineau, Québec
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    298
    Quote Originally Posted by David Eisenhauer View Post
    You can trailer it upright as long as overall height is not an issue, but I would cargo strap the devil out of it so that it was prevented from moving/tipping in any direction. Perhaps drive at a less-than-bat-out-of-hell pace and stop to check the tension on the straps not long after starting out. 86 the "watch this" moments during the trip .

    Jay:

    You probably want to avoid straps on the table itself. You probably already know this, but I mention just in case. Another option would be to lay down the saw on its back; this is how it arrives in its original crate.

    One question, you have the luck of having a forklift at the departure point; do you have one at the arrival point? If not, you will likely have to lay the saw down and slide it out of the trailer, hence my second option.

    Looks like a nice find; I am sure you will enjoy working with it.

    Regards,

    J.

  2. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by Jay Champagne View Post
    So I brought that saw home. Layed on its spine, strapped and wrapped. Piece of cake, it wasn't as heavy as I was picturing.
    $600, which I was very happy with. Looks like a machine with very low hours. Clean, ran smooth and quiet. Guy was moving, and was down to the wire, I got the feeling he would have taken a lower offer haha.
    He also had piles of stuff he couldn't get rid of so I got a decent Makita router and a few sharpening tools for the low price of nothing.
    I'm really happy with this purchase and find this is definitely the perfect size for me at the moment. And if I feel the need for a big resaw machine down the line, this one will still have it's place, especially given my cost in it. Win win.
    Jay,

    Score!
    Good job and great buy. For 21 years I have never regretted owning that machine.

    A few things I've learned -
    It doesn't like excess tension. There is a camp on this forum who believe more tension is better, blade beam strength, etc. Maybe for some saws it is okay to adopt this attitude. For this particular saw, the key is the right tension. I generally tension at or one notch down from the (metric) tension scale on the machine. You could also use the flutter test.

    Stay with blades with no thicker than a .025 body. I do not generally use more than 1/2" wide blades on that machine though I do have a 3/4" blade laying around. The lenox tri-master 3tpi is pricey but excellent for resawing, veneering, ripping. Other than that I only use inexpensive carbon steel blades. There is a good thread here on SMC written by a guy named Van Huskey that discusses bandsaw blades at length and it's worth reading.

    Look for a video produced by Fine Woodworking showcasing Michael Fortune who demonstrates how to tune and adjust the bandsaw and table to eliminate drift. I have taken a class with Michael, followed his advice and have gotten excellent results.

  3. #33
    Join Date
    May 2012
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    Gatineau, Québec
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    Sorry for my last post. I somehow missed the « other » branches of this post. Glad things worked out Jay.

    J.

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
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    Marina del Rey, Ca
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    Definite score.
    "Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    New Hampshire
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    29
    Thanks Edwin, I looked into the tri-master because you had mentioned it earlier, I've found nothing but good reviews.
    It's on my buy list, along with the Kreg fence. But for now I'll spend some time getting to know what I've got.
    Actually, I have wiring to do before it even gets to work. I moved my workshop across my yard last summer. That was a fun project. Jack, blocks and my trailer. It used to have 220v but I didn't have equipment to bury more wire so did a make-shift (but safe) 110v hookup as a temp. Well I haven't need that second "hot" till now...
    Good thing I enjoy this work!

  6. #36
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    Jan 2017
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    Marina del Rey, Ca
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    Had a 14" Delta bandsaw with the Kreg fence. The fence seemed too flimsy and cheaply built compared to all other fences I've owned.
    "Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."

  7. #37
    I am working on a bed based upon the Woodsmith Classic Cherry bed plans. The legs are 3x3 cherry. My little 8 5/8 INCA Jointer, 30 inch bed, did fine on the leg stock. The headboard legs are less than 4 feet long. It also worked OK for the cross rails which are 61 inches long. But it did not work well for the bed rails which are 80 inches long. But one piece in particular was much too warped to straighten on the jointer anyway. It would have been 3/4 thick or less (5/4 at the start) which I think is too thin for a bed rail. So I used the planner and it isn't straight. The bow will be out and I will pull it in with the slats. I don't think I could have worked around similar bow in the legs or the cross rails of the headboard. So I used straighter pieces there. I was glad to be able to joint a face and an edge - although the edge of one rail didn't really get straight (should have used the track saw).

    My INCA jointer and Ryobi planner are limitations. But so is the wood I am using. Learning to work with your machines is no different in my mind than learning to work with your material. I don't have the patience to use hand planes but good people can make a lot of nice furniture with hand planes.

    Your DeWalt lunchbox is a significant upgrade from my Ryobi. A jointer will be a significantly easier way to make lumber flat and straight. But I would try to get at least a 6 inch. That would have worked for all the boards I have used this week except for 2. I could have roughed them down in width and used a 6 inch. There will always be things you could do easier with better tools. But there is also nearly always a way to produce a nice result without those tools.

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Doylestown, PA
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    7,551
    Here's a rule of thumb re jointer bed length. Material length you can reasonably joint = total bed length X 1.5 or 2. I tend toward the lower number but find that plenty for most of my projects. 55" X 1.5 = 82". Cutting stock to rough length before squaring results in less waste IMO.

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    New Hampshire
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    Thanks for the advice on the jointer guys, very useful. I'm going to keep my eyes open for the right deal to come up on one.
    Meanwhile, I had a productive weekend.
    I did pick up the Dewalt 735x planer, new in box at a great price.
    I also scored a dust collector, Delta 1.5hp, model 50-850. Excellent condition, $100 bucks. Super happy with that deal.
    And I ran my 220v underground, a miserable experience...
    I have the hardest rocky ground you could imagine. Most of my backyard is hard fill from the highway dept. Years ago when you could still get away with this kind of thing, my grandfather (this was their house) had a buddy at the highway dept that would bring in free fill. Did it for decades. I have more asphalt back there than I-95... digging is AWFUL.
    So, a 50' trench took me half a day with a pickaxe. I've been dreading it, but now its DONE.
    I have some outlets to install inside the workshop, but then I'll be up and running!

  10. #40
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    May 2005
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    Highland MI
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    One item to consider is your source of wood. If you have a local mill that can inexpensively flatten and plane to near-thickness your wood, you can save a lot on your planer and jointer. Not to mention emptying your chip bin. I get by fine with an old 6" jointer and a lunchbox (Delta) planer. Taking a stack of wide 4/4 rough boards down to 3/4" on a lunchbox takes quite a few passes. and generates a whole lot of shavings. I will admit though, it is fun.
    Last edited by Ole Anderson; 10-28-2019 at 8:00 AM.
    NOW you tell me...

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    Cincinnati, Ohio
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jay Champagne View Post
    And I ran my 220v underground, a miserable experience...
    I have the hardest rocky ground you could imagine. Most of my backyard is hard fill from the highway dept. Years ago when you could still get away with this kind of thing, my grandfather (this was their house) had a buddy at the highway dept that would bring in free fill. Did it for decades. I have more asphalt back there than I-95... digging is AWFUL.
    So, a 50' trench took me half a day with a pickaxe.
    Not sure how you're thinking about running your wire, but I'd suggest you look into 2" PVC. Then the next time you need to run a line, you're all set. I thought I was done when I ran 100 amp 220V to my garage, but I put in an ethernet* line a year or so later. If I ever put solar panels on the garage, the 2" PVC will once again save me a lot of work.

    *Note - generally people are advised to avoid low power with high power lines, but I don't see any other good options for the ethernet. I run the risk of frying it if there's a short, and some cross talk, about I'm willing to make that sacrifice.

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,675
    Andrew, the thing with putting the low voltage line (Ethernet) in the same conduit as high voltage is that it's not kosher with code. Even if you discount potential crosstalk, an inadvertent short between them due to unforeseen circumstances could be deadly. A separate conduit is required for parallel low and high voltage for that reason.

    OP, given the soil conditions you describe, I find it amazing that you were able to do a 50' long trench of sufficient depth for high voltage lines in the short time you accomplished it....with a pick-axe.
    Last edited by Jim Becker; 10-28-2019 at 9:56 AM.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #43
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    New Hampshire
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    OP, given the soil conditions you describe, I find it amazing that you were able to do a 50' long trench of sufficient depth for high voltage lines in the short time you accomplished it....with a pick-axe.
    UF wire direct buried at 24", as per (my interpretation of the) NEC.
    (I am not an electrician and I don't claim to give advice)
    The trench took 6 hours, my back and hands are paying for it.
    Last edited by Jay Champagne; 10-28-2019 at 11:28 AM. Reason: Disclaimer

  14. #44
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    New Hampshire
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    Adding extra room for future expansion is wise, for sure.
    My research tells me that wire in conduit can be buried at 18". So burying another pipe is your only code approved method, unfortunately .
    When I construct my garage/ workshop, I will definitely leave an abundance of expansion room in that regard.
    100 amp service in it's own conduit, probably a whole extra empty one next to it, data in a separated area, probably a spare empty there also. And a water line, buried below frost line. Cheap insurance to go overboard.

  15. #45
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758
    Hi Jay
    I need to disagree with some about the drill press. A floor model is not a waste of space, it takes up only 2 square feet. However planting a monument on a bench top will really compromise that bench. When you want to drill in the end of a post or into the top of a cabinet or bench you will appreciate the floor model.

    You plan to do substantial work and good sized work in your current shop. Putting too much big machinery into it will really limit your work. Loose the chop saw and hold off on the jointer. Build a tool cabinet to clear some space.

    Tool Cabinet.JPG

    Mine has almost 100 sq ft of drawer space and it made a huge difference in my 250 sq ft shop. You may never get into that dream shop so make what you have work for you.

    Congrats on the new saw and I am awed by your digging effort. Surely you will be able to joint by hand for a while.

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