joe the gas man

http://handcutjoints.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_7.html I went snooping about what I thought this was called. I'll just leave this here.

That looks like one of the old style ones at that. Thats when they made them to last. and work. Unlike the plasticrap that is sold these days. Just because something can be made of plastic doesnt mean its a good idea to do so, or if the result is as useful as the original.

I like to use spray glue to adhere felt to pasteboard ( recycled cereal boxes) one of those with a sharp blade would be the shiz for cutting that stuff to size!

I have to wonder if this lumber price hike isn't mostly a knee- jerk reaction to the tariffs. especially when it comes to domestically produced material. Though financially painful, something needs to be done to keep and bring back manufacturing to U.S. soil. Overseas markets have been taking advantage of the U.S. economy for a long time in an unfair manner. Let's hope the increases are temporary.

Years ago I worked in a crating shop where we boxed up everything from air filters for M1 Abrahms tanks to autombiles to concrete pumps and everything in between. The place was probbly 20000 sq ft or more and not air conditioned because of the dock doors. The management purchased a large commercially made area fan but it was rather pathetic in how much air it could move over a larger distance. Being a rather recent startup and a smaller entity at that the management understandably did not want to pony up more $$$ for more fans that really only got used 3-4 months out of the year. (Minnesota, dontchya know?) I had the bright idea of boxing up a furnace blower, putting it on wheels and aiming it at my work station. After the amusement of watching it propell itself across the floor wore off, they asked me to build another. Then my coworkers were competing for that one, Built another. In all, we were running 6 of them by the time departed the company and as far as I know they are still using them. And I still have one in my home shop that I made about that time and use I the summer still.

I almost always do test cuts of an unproven file before committing to the good stock. If the test cut works out, it goes on the wall above the machine.

NIce use of the array feature! It sure beats the 90+ and counting deck board engraving order I have been working on for the last 2 years for a local restaurant. Each one is different and in rough bandsawn tamarac so the surface height is irregular. I have had to stand over the machine to make sure that its not cutting too deep or shallow as it goes. But it has paid for my machine and then some so I guess it has been worth it and alot of folks have walked all over my work.

Very nice! Santa may be extra good to you this year! Better get a bigger stocking. I like the use of pocket holes on the soon-to-be unseen outside of the drawers. It keeps them simple to build and strong. My typical overthought out method would be to cut some sort of interlocking joint or even dovetails that would go unappreciated.

I give the dust that I collect in the DC to the local county waste transfer station. they use it to absorb fluids when they sweep the tipping floor. This way it gets repurposed and I get rid of it too. what I sweep up off the floor and larger stuff either goes into the wood stove in the winter or the fire pit in the summer.

I suspect there may have been more to it than just protecting the environment, possibly protecting the local energy suppliers as well. Depending on where you are located of course.

We live out in the open in northern MN and dont have an issue with gray or red squirrels, But gophers AKA ground squirrels are another matter. I have found a good use for them, TARGET PRACTICE! I dispatch 20-30 of them each summer. Almost as much fun as Prairie dogging.

Heck, some stuff is made that way now! But what happens when the computers and AI go belly up or fry a component or 900? Those of us with any skills will be back in demand. For a while anyway til the stoopid machine's parts come in.

I bought my Keller jig back in the mid '90's from Mr. Keller himself at a woodworking show, I think it was a predecessor to the ww shows that are around today. I remember Mr.K well since at the time when you bought something with a credit card, an imprint machine was used and the transaction was processed later. A few days after the show I got a call from Mr. K informing me that my card had been declined. I had forgotten to activate it when I got it! He was cool about it though, I did the activation and it went through just fine. I have the standard 16" model jig and I added a 1/4" piece of tempered hardboard between the jig and block and machined it to match the fingers of the jig, effectively making them thicker. I often use it to cut DT's in stock as thin as 1/4" without a problem.

Looks greek to me...

I like to use common felt from the fabric store. I use spray adhesive such as 3M super 77 to glue it to paste board, ie; cereal boxes. glue to the printed side with the raw untreated side to the wood interior of my box. Since my wife is a quilter, I inherited her old rotary cutter and cutting mat. with careful measurement I get really clean lines in the corner. I have done it so many times that it goes really fast for me now. The inside of an oval would be really simple. calculate and cut so there is a bit of overlap and trim to fit in small increments.

I had an issue with some chinesium 1/8" endmills that were always giving me oversized cuts. even after measuring the bit with a digital caliper. So, I just kept telling v carve pro the bit was an increment smaller until it worked out. The .125" bit needed a setting of .11" to get the results I was going for. Not sure how this works, but if it works I dont futz with it!

Some mighty nice toys in your toybox there, sir! And a beautiful piece of stock as well.

I will admit that since I own an xcarve, I am partial to them. But I realize that there are many more capable machines out there, both commercial and home brewed, with price tags to match. That being said, many on the inventables forum have made a diverter for the outlet of the dewalt 611 commonly used on the x carve that while letting the air flow, keeps it from blowing the dust and chips (swarf?--- maybe not) all over and allowing the dust shoe to do it's job. Some have even managed to design a diverter to take advantage of this flow and utilize it to direct the mess into the shoe. I wonder if there is enough ingenuity out there to do this for other routers/spindles?

The xcarve is a good machine to learn on, both in how a machine goes together and what the work flow is IE; design, generate g code, set up the material i n the machine and create your masterpiece. It is not a some simple assembly required and plug in and go machine, however. You would be assembling the whole thing, pulling the wires, bolting up the rails, mounting the motors and fiddling around getting it fine tuned. But in the end you willl be well aquainted with the finer points of it. when something goes awry, you should be able to figure it out and correct it. It's also open source. you are not only allowed to make modifications to the unit, it's encouraged. There is a very vibrant and welcoming and helpful online community to interact with specifically regarding the xcarve and many modifications that have been made to individuals machines. How far you want to take it is up to you. Myself, I have made a few changes anf it will do most any thing I need aside from cutting steel but others have done this. Many machines got folks started and now thier machines only vaguely resemble the original. One member had even developed a screwdrive system that replaces the belts altogether and is offering kits for it on the forum. Is it designed for all day every day cabinet shop use for cutting parts? Not really. Is it a gateway machine into the world of cnc? HECK YEAH! It does what I ask of it, 2d and 3d embellishment of the projects I like to create,. and It's capable of much , much more. Here are a few pics of what I have done with mine,

Since I have had one in my shop for a couple of years now, I would like to put in a plug for the maker of my cnc machine. Inventables.com It's a smaller machine (1000mm x1000mm or about 30"x30") but with software techniques, one can work to infinite lengths in one direction. I have many times done engraving on 8' deck boards for a local restaraunt and have another to do today. Price is around 1600 for the macine and there is free software available or you can use 3rd party software at extra cost, which I use and prefer. On thier forum there is even a for sale and trade section for used machines that folks have tried but just lost interest or other factors and are looking to sell. You do have to put the machine together but this is helpful in the learning process so if something goes awry, you can resolve it easily. Is it a high end commercial machine? No. But it will let one "get thier feet wet" in the world of cnc at a lower price point and do what a cnc should do. I dont work for them BTW but I do believe in the company. and thier customer service is top notch to say the least. Ok, End of shameless plug.

Fantastic job on your cabinets and I agree with a previous responder, a lovely assistant/model ta boot!

I think I can figure out how it was done but I would like to see for myself. Way cool !

Looks like beer thirty! In an air conditioned space!

Cliff, once everything settles back down, you will be able to go through everything and make your shop "New" again. I'd like to find myself in a similar situation but as soon as I think about stirring things up to rearrage and clean another project request comes in. uhoh, gotta go weld a bolt onto the smoker!

He'll use the nose as a donut collection device...