I can't do any of this right.........so it seems. So here I am making some end grain cutting boards, just like the ones on The Wood Whisperer. Mill up my Purple Heart and Maple. Cut them into the appropriate strips. Start gluing up the strips.......but it doesn't seem right (more later). On the way home, stop by the local door/cabinet door shop to have them run the glue ups through their belt sander. Ahhh, looks nice (or so it seems). Come home to start cutting the strips to expose the end grain. First major project since the move, so I get out my framers square, check the miter gauge to the blade (need a new fancy miter gauge), squared up.......nice. Clean up the one end, check with square........crap.......less than 90°. Ok, check the miter gauge again.....seems square. Run it again........crap, less than 90° again. Although I need a new one, I pulled out the crosscut sled, same thing, less than 90°
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I had suspected prior to starting today that my saw blade might of been a SMALL tad out of perpendicular to the table. It was, so I adjusted it back to what I assume is 90°. That's why I was wondering why the initial strip glue up was not right.
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Ok, back to not being able to get 90° with the miter gauge despite squares saying it was. So I took all 3 framing squares, and started comparing the inside 90's to each other. None matched........CRAP. So off to find my old drafting squares from back in the days. Hey, my small framing square was 90° on the inside with my drafting square. Ok, while we are at it, let's check the blade to the table, see if the runners are parallel to the blade. Now I can't find my jig I made prior to my move.........so I try a tape measure. To my eye, it seems pretty good. Let's try with the calipers, nope, off. So I loosen bolts up and tweak things. Ok, so I thought. I check the fence to make sure it's parallel with the blade.......seems fine by tape and calipers.
So I start running the boards through creating 1.25" strips. But the wood starts against the fence, but tends to end away from the fence past the blade. Ok, check fence again.........seems parallel to the tools I use to check. I decide......just run them and let the belt sanded make it flush, as long as one side is flush, it will be flat on the other side once the belt sander is done with it.
Oh, while exposing the end grain through the strip cutting, I bumped a strip and a glue joint failed. REAL GREAT.......I am making quality stuff here. 2 months from now......my intended xmas gifts will fall apart in my family members hands.
So...SO FLIPPING FRUSTRATING. Glad I spent all that money on a new 8" jointer and 14" bandsaw with riser.
- Is the blade really 90° to the table?
- Is the blade really parallel with the runners?
- Is the miter gauge really 90° to the blade?
- Is the fence really parallel to the blade?