Woodworking

Intrinsic

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Maybe an odd thought, not even sure the possibility and it wouldn't spontaneous occur, but is the knife wider than your blade? I’ve often wondered that when I’ve picked up a thin kerf or ultra think kerf blade, if there will be a problem. That knife seemed real close to the normal blade width. On the Sawstop there are side channels it locks down in to that compress when you lock it down that keeps it parallel to the blade. Also wondered at times if that mechanism could get out of whack as dust could accumulate during cutting and removing of the knife when doing multiple blade changes.
 

lurker

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My dad owned one for a long time and used it fairly regularly for home maintenance projects (never as a substitute to a table saw, that I know of). He still has all 10 fingers.

I also used it, probably a dozen or so times, in place of a miter and for cross cuts for length on MDF that's already been ripped for width. Never got my hand closer to the blade than using a table saw and don't even remember having a close call with the saw.
I owned a Craftsman 10" radial arm saw in the 80s and 90s. I bought it for working around the house and other projects instead of a table saw. At the time it was marketed as superior to the table saw because of its design and versatility and I didn't know any better. All sorts of accessories were sold for it like drill chucks that screwed on to the motor shaft, sanding drums, sanding discs and circular planer heads allowing it to perform tasks a table saw could never do. It was a bear to square up but a good saw overall.
 
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Cutlery

Kill All the White People
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Maybe an odd thought, not even sure the possibility and it wouldn't spontaneous occur, but is the knife wider than your blade? I’ve often wondered that when I’ve picked up a thin kerf or ultra think kerf blade, if there will be a problem. That knife seemed real close to the normal blade width. On the Sawstop there are side channels it locks down in to that compress when you lock it down that keeps it parallel to the blade. Also wondered at times if that mechanism could get out of whack as dust could accumulate during cutting and removing of the knife when doing multiple blade changes.

Yeah, that's what I think it is. The mechanism for attaching it on a job site saw is a simple plastic nut. It's not a super high tolerance piece. I think mine was canted slightly to the left, which was probably shifting the sled, causing the binding. I usually left it on and just in the "down" position behind the blade, since my sled will go over the top of both, but maybe it's time to stop that practice if I'm using the sled. Probably a lot easier for that to get gummed up and start slipping/shifting.

I'll probably still grab a new blade, since the last couple of projects have been A LOT of super wet green treat (I made 100 feet of 32 inch wide decking for the gun range), and that's a reasonable conclusion as well.
 
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Intrinsic

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Yeah, that's what I think it is. The mechanism for attaching it on a job site saw is a simple plastic nut. It's not a super high tolerance piece. I think mine was canted slightly to the left, which was probably shifting the sled, causing the binding. I usually left it on and just in the "down" position behind the blade, since my sled will go over the top of both, but maybe it's time to stop that practice if I'm using the sled. Probably a lot easier for that to get gummed up and start slipping/shifting.

I'll probably still grab a new blade, since the last couple of projects have been A LOT of super wet green treat (I made 100 feet of 32 inch wide decking for the gun range), and that's a reasonable conclusion as well.
I started using these when Stumpy recommended them a while back. Don’t take my word though, I barely have time to even walk in my shop these days.

 

Cutlery

Kill All the White People
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I started using these when Stumpy recommended them a while back. Don’t take my word though, I barely have time to even walk in my shop these days.


I'll take your word for it. The last blade I bought was the highest end one in the big box store and it was half that price.
 

Captain Suave

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What's the trick for sanding a chamfer without rounding it off in the process?

Generally you use a plane or router and don't sand them. If you have a sander with a table you could use that at a fixed angle. Or just be really careful with a sanding block. Or just live with the "artisanal" look and accept the rounding.
 

Intrinsic

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Make your own sanding block at the angle of the chamfer and adhere some sandpaper to it? 🤪 That’d probably to work as well unless you really nailed it.
 

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Kolohe
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I've done the sanding block. Still round it a bit.

Sooooo I'm not supposed to sand after using the router for the chamfer?? Even when staining?
 

Captain Suave

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Sooooo I'm not supposed to sand after using the router for the chamfer?? Even when staining?
Unless you have burning from the bit, no, not really necessary unless you're trying to make museum-quality heirloom pieces, and even then it's debatable. I'm more on the hand tool end of things (though not completely) and I almost never sand and just apply finish off the surface left by the smoothing plane. Never had an issue that I can recognize or care about, even when staining.
 

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Kolohe
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unless you're trying to make museum-quality heirloom pieces
Happy Meme GIF by Nimbus and Campanule
 
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Kolohe
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Alrighty thanks. I'll give that a go.

I stalled out on the table I was working on because I got myself all nervous about doing a bunch of stuff I haven't done before.

Ended up working through most of it yesterday and feeling a lot better! I watched a bunch of woodworkers guild of America videos and that gave me enough confidence to try some new stuff.
 
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Cutlery

Kill All the White People
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IMG_20240504_125705325.jpg

IMG_20240504_125723237.jpg

Think I'm figuring this shit out. Thought about it last night, my router is adjustable RPM, and I started with the endmill where I had the 2 inch surfacing bit....IE : low. Quarter inch bit should be able to run significantly higher RPM thru wood and rock it quick, and turns out it did. Churned thru the last half of the piece very quickly. Changed over to the surfacing bit and put 2 passes on it, and that ended up coming out SIGNIFICANTLY smoother than just using the surfacing bit for all of it.

IMG_20240504_130602546.jpg


One decent sized slab completely done. This one is 20" by 57" and just over an inch thick. Might sell a couple of them along the way to keep funding the project
 
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Kolohe
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Fit test. Going to take everything back apart, sand, put some chamfers in and then some Rubio monocoat. Then I'll do the butt-puckering part where I set the map inside the table with resin and pray I don't fuck it up

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Kolohe
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Also - I was planning to put a small chamfer on the edges of the legs, but hadn't thought about it much. Opinions on that? I'm not sure if they look better with or without
 

Captain Suave

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Also - I was planning to put a small chamfer on the edges of the legs, but hadn't thought about it much. Opinions on that? I'm not sure if they look better with or without

A classic double inside taper on the legs will make them look a lot more refined. It's cake on the table saw with a simple jig.

1714852665508.jpeg
 
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Captain Suave

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Out and about. I'll watch this when I get home


That guy bought his tapering jig. You want to reproduce the function of the metal jig up against his fence. Something like this:



If you really want you can go a bit more bare-bones and simply put down a backstop and toggle clamps (spaced high enough to clamp down on your leg, obviously) and eyeball the edge of the jig against a taper line you draw on your workpiece.

As a bonus you can set the taper to zero degrees and use it to joint boards on the table saw, capacity permitting.
 
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