Staying Busy and out of trouble, 2020-21?.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well today was fairly productive in a roundabout sort of way. It's a little confusing because I have so many things going at once and I keep jumping around. I started exactly where I left off last night working on the duct work and got the joint together that was fighting me, then it started clicking along and I got the rest of the mainline plumbing done and taped up. I still don't have a 220 line to the main dust collector so I cut into the duct line with my little roll around unit to test the system and see if the dust would make it through the circuit and wind up in the barrel on the floor instead of the dust collector bag. Not a lot of suction with the little unit, but it worked. So I pulled that out and put it all back together and let it set. Here's how the system looks, funky, but functional:


 

 I slid the RAS back in place, set up a chop saw down on the floor and cut that floor wood to length. I'd cut 4 or 6 and throw them up into the loft. Then go upstairs and run them through the RAS to put the dado cut in both edges. Then I set them in place on the floor, then I would go cut some more to length and repeat the cycle. I don't have the room to do each step complete before moving on, too much mess with the other projects. Here is the ripping setup with the dado blades on the RAS.


 

So none of the floor is screwed down yet but I do have some side bow in a few boards. I made up a little driving wedge to hold them up tight while I screw them down in the next day or so. Works like a charm.


 
The floor is gonna look pretty good too. No more sawdust falling thorough the cracks onto the workbench below. That was getting really annoying. I still have a bunch more boards to cut and dado, but so far so good.


 

I tell you what though, I have so many things going on at the same time this shop is a mess. There is no way I could pull a truck in the bay if I needed to without a lot of cleanup and moving first. Geez, what a mess.



 
 (That photo is backwards by the way, I don't know why.)

I did get a lot done today though. In fact I was at it for a few hours and finally looked at the clock thinking it must be close to lunch time, turned out it was only 10 o'clock.  :D I was full into it before 6:30 this morning though, blowin' and goin' as we used to say.  Just before dinner I ran into town to get a 20A 220 plug and after dinner I found a section of SO 12/3 AWG  cord and ran a temp extension cord for the new dust collector. I had to see if the dang thing ran. Works like a charm, or should I say, It really sucks! Long day, feels good to make some headway on 2 different projects. I still have to secure the dust collector bags in place, they are just propped up now, and I will have to do the detail ducting to each machine as time goes on, but that can go as time permits. At least the system is usable.
 Tomorrow is another day, but we have the monthly chiro visit for both of us in the middle of the day and a lunch date right after, so I don't expect to get much done at all. I really need that chiro visit this month, between all the jointing lumber, the dado ripping, table saw work, and falling on the ice the other day, I have been pretty, um, uh, old feeling this month.

[Tacotodd]

OGH, you can always do what my 52yr buddy says, my brain thinks I'm 19 but now my body knows better!    :D

[Old Greenhorn]

Man, long day today. Frankly I am having trouble keeping my eyes open right now. Finished cutting all the floor boards and did all the long dados before lunch and got the last third of the floor laid. After lunch I cut the short stuff for the transition area and setup and cut all the end dados for the but joints and the little transition ramp from one floor level up to the new height.


 
Not many photos, half the area is stacked with the stuff I moved off the other half as I worked along.


 
It's all cheap, lousy, bug eaten pine, but it's a shop floor, right? These logs were on my list to head down the road to an OWB, so I got something out of them and hopefully, no more sawdust floating through the cracks onto the workbench below.


 

It's done, that's all I care, projects are waiting. The dust collector is working pretty good and the bulk of the material is being caught in the barrel down on the shop floor as I had hoped. Very pleased with that. I did start on the cleanup this evening and as I was scooting along on my knees vacuuming up sawdust and chips I turned my head and took the end of the guide fence right into my left eye socket. Man that hurt. Fortunately I had on a felt hat (which was why I didn't see the fence) and the hat padded my eye socket, otherwise it would have been a day stopper. As it was it smarted pretty good and set me back on my butt.
 I went back out after dinner and looked at re-arranging that part of the loft as long as I had it all torn apart anyway, but came up with nothing new.
 On another front, I have had this strange inflammation that showed up on both my forearms in the last 3 days.


 
 I can't figure out where it came from and I have never had anything like it before. The only thing I can think of is that I have been working exclusively with all this pine for a week or 2 now, but this rash thing just showed up a couple of days ago. I am hoping now that the floor is done, it may fade away over the next few days.
 Ah well, tomorrow is another day and more snow is coming. I have to get the shop cleaned up and ready for the next project. It is a mess.

[Tacotodd]

I've heard about people working with wood developing an allergic reaction to it from the repeated exposure. They have almost always been the pine guys. This may or may not be the issue. A few days away from it will help you to decide. You can always have an allergy doc run some tests on you. I've seen them and they don't look like fun, not painful (for the most part) but not fun.

[Old Greenhorn]

My arm would have to swell up like a balloon before I would spend all that time and money asking Doctors about it. Right now it is just an amusement, no big deal. I have been into the pine for a week or two now and it is a bit sappy still with dust everywhere form running all the floor stock through Planer, joiner, TS, chop saw, and RAS. I am assuming it is that. Today I will try to get a lot of cleaning up done, then it's on to the next project, which unfortunately is also pine but much drier. then back to hardwoods.
 I will just keep and eye on it. If my hands turn blue I might just call a Doc for an appointment, which will probably be in June or so.

[Al_Smith]

I get a bad case of the sneezes from running red oak through a planer or table saw .I can't remember if white oak does that or not .Ash doesn't bother me .The black cherry or walnut is so infrequent can't remember those either .

[doc henderson]

I can work you in immediately OGH, but with the 22 hour drive, it would be tomorrow!  

[doc henderson]

Is it itchy or panful?  try some topical hydrocortisone if you like.  If you want to be scientific, do one arm and not the other.  looks fine like a sun or wind burn vs contact dermatitis.  do you work with your sleeves rolled up?

[farmfromkansas]

Have you signed up for medicare?  Know it is not free, but between that and a supplement, I can afford to go to the doctor.  And these old folks procedures are pretty well paid for.  Am recovering from having a hernia repair, did not realize it would be this bad, but getting better pretty fast.  Doc told me I have to be careful for most of a year afterwards, or it will just rip out again.

[Old Greenhorn]

Gee Doc, what happened to telemedicine? :D
 Yeah I work with my sleeves rolled up, its a safety thing, unless it's too cold. No pain or itching at all..... until I just put on this 'stuff' my wife calls a skin cream that 'should help'. Well it didn't and it started to burn a bit. Seems to be subsiding now, but much more sensitive to contact. Maybe I should go read the bottle?  ;D I'll try cortisone a little later. Can't be wind or sunburn, been in the shop for a couple of weeks now and covered up when outside (kind of chilly here). You are right in how it looks, if I had been TIG welding I would peg it on that, it is exactly what it looks like. Made that mistake once and paid the price for a couple of days. Nobody told me that would happen. :D
 Doing a lot of cleaning today and vacuuming lots of sawdust. After today I expect it will calm down. Not gonna put that skin cream on again though! ;D
@farmfromkansas , yes, I have medicare but I don't care to use it unless I need it. My Doctor will send me to a specialist and that appointment will take 1-4 months to come around, by then I will have forgotten what the issue was. It will be fine, I'm sure.

[samandothers]

Old Greenhorn would the blower and bag fit down stairs near the can?

The floor turned out great.... other than the possible reaction to the pine.

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah the floor 'feels' a lot more stiffer and comfortable. I think screwing down another layer 45° to the exiting 5/4 floor really firmed it up a lot. It looks prettier and has less cracks to leak through. Just worried about the softness of the pine holding up. We will see, and it's how I learn. Its my shop and this is the place to learn, not by doing something for somebody else.



 
 Yes, Moving that bag down below would save some more steps and I had thought about it in the original design but I let it go at that time. I needed to prove to myself that the pre-collection barrel would work first. It does and rather than moving the bags downstairs, I am considering adding another barrel down below.  I had another one of those covers that was given to me, but now I can't find it. Wondering if I gave it away to someone who needed it? I have to get the right garbage can to match the cove and they are available at lowes for 25 bucks, so it would be fun to try if I can find that dang cover. Just another 30 bucks or so to change the piping. I am still thinking (and looking for that cover ;D ).
 Today I spent the whole day cleaning and I used that dust collector as a vacuum for a bunch of it. I did upstairs and down, moved the joiner and planer off to their storage/staging areas and put the chop saw in its corner. Swept and vacuumed the entire shop upstairs and down and moved everything back in its place on the new floor. Near the end of the day I noticed the upstairs bag seemed to be collecting more dust and chips. It has about 3" in the bottom. So I checked the barrel and found that it was full. So the system works as hoped and planned.   I am happy with that. I have ordered some blast gates and a collector cone for the table saw. Still trying to figure out what would be best for the RAS and I have to figure something out for the sanding bench without going crazy. I have to get back on a couple of paying jobs. Spending more than I am making right now. ;D 
 So the shop is clean and my mind has calmed ( I HATE a mess and disarray, it is disturbing to my thought process, which is already very disturbed). Tomorrow I start off clean and I have no idea what I will get into. I ignored the snow today, but I really should shovel the walks. It was just an inch or so, but I know it will get packed and slick in the coming cold days. We also have the boys coming tomorrow, so productivity will be limited.
 But tomorrow is another day, lets see what happens.

[Nebraska]

That bug chewed  pine looks pretty good to me as a floor. You should make some more up to sell to the city folks.

[Old Greenhorn]

That bug chewed  pine looks pretty good to me as a floor. You should make some more up to sell to the city folks.

:D :D :D :D :D :D ;D
Yeah, it looks great in a photo. Maybe not so great us close. ;D Lots of holes clean through. It would have been OWB wood, but I needed to log and I needed to extra floor layer after all the hardwood dried to keep the dust from falling through the cracks. It is a nice solid floor though, just about 2" think at this point.
 I never went back to re-check my math but I messed up someplace. I calculated I would need 24 boards and I cut 36. I only wound up with 3 boards left over. I think I left out the loss for the dado joints and apparently that adds up. ;D
 I did learn a lot about making this type of material and what happens when you don't get each step right as you go and that was a big part of the goal. :D
 Yesterday as a final part of the full shop cleanup I decided to empty the bag on the dust collector and found it extremely difficult to get it out. Thank goodness it was only a partial bag, I would have never gotten a full one out without moving the saw first. So I swapped the positions of the bag and the blower and adjusted the plumbing and found a better fit. Only problem is access to the on/off switch is very difficult. I plane to move the switch up on the post anyway, but was waiting until I settled on a final location first and then ran permanent wiring. I think I have the setup now and will live with the funky switch location until I am sure. I also plan to add a remote switch when the income picks up. Still waiting for the blast gates to arrive.


 
Then insteas of getting on projects with the boys in and out of the shop (always a distraction) I decided to finally fix that top step on the stairs before I or somebody else gets hurt. After 33 years, I figured it was due. ;D Originally there was only one loft, to the left as you go up the stairs, so the original builder did this.


 
That worked OK, BUT when coming down the stairs from the new north loft, one sees this:


 
 It can make for an awkward first step, especially if you having a table in your arms. My wife has a lot of trouble with it and will only go down from the south loft.  SO yesterday I changed it to this:


 
ANd it seems pretty comfortable and solid, so I will live with it for a while and see how it tests out. At least I now have a full step from the north loft:


 
Next time I have a can of paint open I should slap some on, the color difference is distracting.
 Its been snowing since 4am and they say 8 inches today, so I guess I can't ignore this one and will have to plow after lunch. Not sure where I will start this morning but it's another day, so I'd best get at it. Carpe Diem, right?

[Ljohnsaw]

Only problem is access to the on/off switch is very difficult.

What you need is a remote switch.  I didn't like the price of the ready-made units ($100-200!) for the amp rating needed and good reviews.  So I found a hard wire version I built into a electrical box with a pigtail lead - 40 amp rated.  It came with two remote control fobs that have little key chain clips on them.  I hang one off my table saw switch box and the other I clip to me when working somewhere else.  Click on/click off - very convenient.   I spent $22.99 on it with the help of my junk pile.  On Amazon search
"VONVOFF Wireless Remote Switch,AC 110V/120V/240V/ Relay RF Remote Control Light Switches for Pump Security Systems etc with 328ft Long Range(Black)"

Plus, it works for 120v and 240v equipment.  Being my setup is plug in, I can use it wherever I need when the power switch is not easy to reach.

[Old Greenhorn]

Only problem is access to the on/off switch is very difficult.

What you need is a remote switch.  ,,,,,,,
On Amazon search
"VONVOFF Wireless Remote Switch,AC 110V/120V/240V/ Relay RF Remote Control Light Switches for Pump Security Systems etc with 328ft Long Range(Black)"

Plus, it works for 120v and 240v equipment.  Being my setup is plug in, I can use it wherever I need when the power switch is not easy to reach.

Yes, I mentioned in an earlier post somewhere that its on my list but the 75 bucks or so they are asking put it on the 'get it soon' list and off the 'buy it now' list.
 Then BOOM, there you went with your find. I found it on amazon (who I prefer not to buy from) for 39 bucks, then ebay for 22 and thought OK, then. I'll order it tonight and put it in my watch list. About an hour later I got a 10% off offer from the seller, so I bought it for about 18 bucks or so plus tax. Thanks for the lead!

[gspren]

I think on that top step I would join the two together and get rid of that small space between them.

[Old Greenhorn]

I think on that top step I would join the two together and get rid of that small space between them.

Yeah, thats plan 'B'. I will live with this for a while and see how I like it. That space in the middle seems to be working good right now. Time will tell, and the wife's opinion. She has been complaining about the old one for  about 5 years now, that and the handrail, will I will fix 'sometime' soon.

[gspren]

I was thinking my size 14 boot might get stuck in there  my wife's foot wouldn't be a problem.

[Old Greenhorn]

My size 11's have no problem. :D Coming up the stairs that hole being in the middle gives you a nice big area to place your right or left foot depending on which way you plan to go. As I am often carrying heavy stuff up and down and can't see my feet, this was an important issue. But your point is valid and I will keep an eye on how this really works and remain open to changing it again. The question you raise is the main reason I have waited so long to make a change, not being able to decide the best way to do it. Ripping out the old old turned out to be the real chore because the rear header was attached to the block wall with a dozen cut nail. Who does that? The only thing that header was supporting was the 3/4" plywood step plate. Geez. ;D

[Old Greenhorn]

Well, it's been a few days, thought I would play a little catchup here.
 Work continues to progress on the dust collection system. Unlike the folks who make a design and follow their plan, I have been building it as I go because I don't know what I am doing. ;D When last we spoke I had re-arranged the blower and bag upstairs and that is working better. That day I also ordered the remote switch along with some hoods and blast gates to get to the next level of refinement. I will just continue to add levels of 'finished' as I go along working through the issues of where to run hoses and pipes for each machine hookup. I should get all the new hardware mid-week and fit it in as I can. Gotta do that switch first.
 But I had to get back to producing stuff so I went to work on that farm table bench. I got all the pieces cut for two benches. The client only wants one 'for now' but I am not going through all the steps for just one bench only to repeat them later because they love the bench. Also, I want to make sure they match. If they don't take the second one, I will just put it in my show stock. So after cutting the parts to rough oversized length I of course learned that all the straight lining problems I had with the full length boards 'just went away' as everybody here told me. ;D :D So I retrimmed everything and did my glue-ups.



 
 Then I decided on a leg design but was lacking enough leftovers from the main stock boards to make the top and bottom straps on the legs. I found some nice dried rough cut in the rack and it was SO NICE to just take it downstairs, pull the planer away from the wall, hook up the dust hose and make what I needed, then put it all back with 2 minutes of cleanup and I was back at the saw. I can't tell you what a joy it is to have all the equipment in ready condition and functional and accessible. All the prep, planning, and acquisitions are beginning to pay off. 
 So I got the straps cut and when I put them in piles on each bench with all the parts I wondered if maybe I could just sell these as "Bench kits, Most assembly required". :D


 
 The legs were dried enough by that time to do the angle and top/bottom trim cuts on them. I mocked one up on the bench.



 

 So I have some issues with this: The seat (top) has a slight twist in it and I am not sure how to get that out, but as is, it is no good. Could be a show stopper, but I continue to think on that. 
 My question for the real woodworkers is 'how do you know where to set the legs?', that is, how far in from the ends do you position the legs? i.e., the dimension I am measuring here:


 

 I suppose I could just set it on the floor and sit on the outside wing and find a spot where I am not likely to make the bench tip with my weight on it, but I was wondering if there were a more proper way to do this? Thoughts?

 Now after all the saw work and wood handling, that rash I mentioned the other day has gotten a LOT worse and I am now certain it is contact dermatitis from the pine. I had a similar rash on my legs last summer when milling pine but never made the connection, I just thought it was from the heat and excessive sweating. I am seeking professional help and following Doc's recommendations which are showing results. So I stayed out of the shop yesterday and did very little but feed the stoves. Frankly between the discomfort which got really bad after the Thursday work, and the very cold weather, I didn't feel up to much anyway. 
 BUT! I did sell that Cherry bench to a client who had seen it months ago and decided he wanted it. He picked it up yesterday and used my newly installed Venmo account to pay me, which I really like because I could move the money to my checking account in a few seconds. Pretty neat stuff, that. ;D I didn't see that sale coming, now I have to make another. I am loosing a lot of my 'show stock' and as I look at the shows coming up in the spring and summer (assuming a few happen) I may find myself in a panic to get some stuff made. I had better get on the stick!
 While I was out in the shop waiting for his pickup, I got a visit from one of the Grandsons, who was keeping his Dad company for the workday. He wasted no time jumping into my chair by the woodstove when I got up for a second.


 

 Thursday I got my first batch of blades back from Woodmizer re-sharp service. I sent them out on 1/18, and they were back on 2/11. A little over 3 weeks, not bad. Best of all they re-sharpened them all at 4°! 8) I do have trouble understanding the way they do their paperwork and can't tell if they discarded any. I forgot to keep notes on how many I sent, but I got 18 back so I am in good shape when I clear off the snow. They shipped on Wednesday afternoon and I had them Thursday before lunch. 1 day shipping, how about that?
 It's still pretty chilly (8 last night, 12 right now) so I am not sure what I am doing today, but I'll find something. Time to get at it.

[doc henderson]

your 8 inch offset looks good.  I do not have a "rule"  but most adults do not stand and walk on the bench.  It is the kids that you sorry about and in the great scheme of things, they weigh less.  i would want the leg to center under "where the good lord split ya" for most adults.    . you can use winding sticks to take the twist out, but I would only do that if I then had a planer to finish it off, after the twist is out.  you can muck around till there is not wood left if you are not careful.  the sticks are how the old guys did it with hand tools ta-boot!

[doc henderson]

Winding stick - Wikipedia

[Old Greenhorn]

HMMMM, interesting Doc. I had not considered this, or even knew what these sticks are before right now. Knowledge is power. ;D
 So just to be clear, you are suggesting that I make a pair of these sticks and work one side (face) of the seat flat by hand, then (power) plane the opposite side to bring it into parallel? My skills with a hand plane (I have plenty) have not been tested since I was a boy, and that experience was not pretty.  ;D Hence my distance from them in the intervening decades. They only hand plane I lack in my collection is a really long one, which is what I thing I would want here.
 Let me go out and take a look at this. Perhaps I could do one and see how badly I mess it up before working on the second one. I should have never let those boards stand on end in the shop during the final drying. Lesson learned, once again... the hard way. :D

[doc henderson]

ideally you would have a huge jointer.  my comment was hand tools by the old guys... the ones even older than you and I.  I personally would use a hand power planer.  the sticks make it easier to see the area that are bad.  how wide is the seat?  the plan I had would be to get one side flat enough to run through a planer.  the main thing is that the legs set stable and flat on a floor.  having a perfect flat seat top, does lend towards the final product feeling well done and stable.  you could also make a sled to support the seat to run through a planer so it does not rock, and make a flat top, leave the bottom alone if you like, or flip it over and make parallel.  trick is if you planer is not wide enough to run it through.  wood looks great.  carry on!  may need to take it to your buddies shop if perfection is desired, and your planer is not big enough.  I would only take the time, if the wood is dry and therefore stable.  only thing worse is if you take the time to get it flat, only to have it continue and re-twist.