New Yankee Workshop on-line

[devonwoody]

Please advise if it is safe to watch this video in your opinion.

I downloaded the link but have not had time to watch, but reading posts above perhaps it is better not to watch and develop bad habits?

 

[Benchwayze]

Hi Steve,
I know exactly what you mean. That crossed my mind, but I surmised he might have a 'safe-parking' cover at the rear of the jig, similar to the set-up used on a good cross-cut sled.

I did think the height of the piece being machined looked a little leary... But then I would use dovetails for that particular case anyhow!

Woody,

I can't see you picking up bad habits from watching this. I'm sure you have your safe ways of working, like most of us. I like the design of the cabinet, but there are one or two things I'd change. I certainly won't be picking up any bad habits!

HTH
John

regards
John

 

[OPJ]

My chief bother with the dado-head is the dismantling and setting up, so it's a tool I would use for production runs. For a one-off it's easier to stick a cutter in the router. Or even use a plough plane!

I agree with that. In the past when I've setup and used a dado head (in a radial arm saw for cross-grain housings), it does seem to take quite a bit of time. There's no question that it is quicker to slip a new cutter in to a router.

But, as Steve says; saw blades generally won't carry the same risk of tearout or spelching as a router cutter. Also, you can set the blade to the final depth and cut each finger with one pass - with a router cutter, you might have to take two-or-three. It is for that reason that I try to avoid doing finger joints (and also, for the distinct lack of guarding in this operation).

Another tip you can do with Norm's jig - instead of placing a thin spacer between the stop and workpiece on the first cut, cut the other piece, rotate it 180° and then place that over the stop - you should get the same result only, there's no risk of a thin bit of wood getting 'snatched' by the 'back' of the cutter (rotating away from you) - DAMHIKT!

The best idea I've had for guarding would be to fix something to the guide strip that runs in your table's groove, so that it travels back and forth with the jig, without leaving the cutter over-exposed (hope that makes sense).

 

[Benchwayze]

Thanks Olly.

You'll have surmised I don't have a dado-head. I used to fit the wobble-saw to my Coronet major to do these finger joints, but that always left the problem of the slight arc at the base of the cut. Of course the height of the Coronet sawtable, meant I didn't 'lean over' at the end of a cut, but I still rigged a similar guard strip on the back.

As it happens. SWIMBO has mentioned the need for a new bathroom/meds cabinet, so I am looking at this design closely. I saw an even nicer one in the latest FWW, so now I am looking around for some spalted maple, or similar, to use as a decorative panel.

John

 

[Mike Wingate]

Untill I got my Incra jigs, I had never made finger joints. only dovetails. They are nice and quick, but so are dovetails. I made through dovetails in 1" ply on a chair a a kid at school, followed by secret mitre dovetails in a mahogany dressing table that my dad still has. Machine dovetails are ok, but apart from the fancy Incra produced ones, they look wrong. I have been handcutting dovetails for over 40 years and really enjoy putting them together, esp when doing so with a class watching the demo at school. The last class were amazed with the speed of the Incra jig finger joints.

 

[Steve Maskery]

There is a design in one of Bob Wearings books for a jig with a handle on it and an adjustable finger. I can't recall the details and IIRC it is rather clumsy, but it would at least keep one's fingers a bit further away from the dragon's den.

 

[Benchwayze]

Untill I got my Incra jigs, I had never made finger joints. only dovetails. They are nice and quick, but so are dovetails. I made through dovetails in 1" ply on a chair a a kid at school, followed by secret mitre dovetails in a mahogany dressing table that my dad still has. Machine dovetails are ok, but apart from the fancy Incra produced ones, they look wrong. I have been handcutting dovetails for over 40 years and really enjoy putting them together, esp when doing so with a class watching the demo at school. The last class were amazed with the speed of the Incra jig finger joints.

You're just an old show-off Mike! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Are these Incra-jigs really worth the money btw and is a big sawtable necessary to use one?

More power to your elbow, that you are teaching our passion mind.
Thank you and others like you.

Regards
John

 

[BradNaylor]

ANYONE could make a good job at woodwork with kit like that

I don't agree.

All the machinery does is take a lot of the 'grunt work' out of the job. The design, planning of the construction, and precision of work all remain much the same as when everything was done by hand.

And anyway, I didn't see anything on there that you wouldn't find in the workshop of a serious hobbyist.

The finger jointing didn't worry me too much; that's pretty well how I would do it myself. That bridle joint was sheer madness, though!

What intrigued me about watching this episode was how many of the techniques he used would now be done with the Domino.

 

[BradNaylor]

Incidentally, why does the video stop and start so much? My broadband speed is always fast enough enough to watch **** on, so why not Norm?

:lol:

 

[jimi43]

Incidentally, why does the video stop and start so much? My broadband speed is always fast enough enough to watch **** on, so why not Norm?

:lol:

More information from a dado than....



J

 

[Benchwayze]

Incidentally, why does the video stop and start so much? My broadband speed is always fast enough enough to watch **** on, so why not Norm?

:lol:

There's a lot of 'jerks' in the **** I watch! And I don't just mean the 'actooooors'! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Mike Wingate]

I have been woodworking seriously for 40 years. I have always regarded the bandsaw as a terrific machine, for timesaving and as a creative tool. However other than the bandsaw, machines have not made me a better wcraftsman. The kids at school always decry handskills thinking that the machines are the way to go. I always say to them, do you have those machines at home, but you have the handtools to do the same job.

 

[Mike Wingate]

Machines can speed up the rate of accidents. I am sure that some of the NYWorkshop viewers have less than 10 digits, from using their dado saws.

 

[jlawrence]

machines are invaluable for some jobs. until very very recently i was a fully confirmed Normite - if I didn't have a machine to doit then it didn't happen. Now I'm converted - there's something thereputic about using a plane. Also it warms me up on these cold days.

added
yes you can download the vids. if you use firefox then you can get download plugins, no idea how you'd do it in IE other than search through the source code for the flv url.

 

[xy mosian]

Grabbing flash Movies? (.flv files)
I have, for some time now, used FlvCapture.

http://www.e2esoft.cn/flvcapture/

It's free and works like a charm.

xy

 

[woodbloke]

I have been woodworking seriously for 40 years. I have always regarded the bandsaw as a terrific machine, for timesaving and as a creative tool. However other than the bandsaw, machines have not made me a better wcraftsman. The kids at school always decry handskills thinking that the machines are the way to go. I always say to them, do you have those machines at home, but you have the handtools to do the same job.

I've just been re-reading Alan Peter's book and although I can't remember the exact phraseology, he mentions that all the tools in world (hand or machine) won't make you into a better craftsman...it's what you do with them that's important...

...but I like tools anyway, 'specially if they're shiny :lol: - Rob

 

[xy mosian]

Sorry forgot to add. If you're in a hurry grab the .flv file source address using FlvCapture and paste it into FlashGet, that way you can speed up the download considerably. You should of course not use these programs illegally.

FlashGet - free
http://download.cnet.com/FlashGet/3000- ... 66273.html

xy

 

[frugal]

His finger-joint jig.... "Guards removed for photographic purposes - when using a tablesaw always use the guard"

Just how can you do that particular process with the tablesaw guard in place? You can't. In fact, even my SUVA or stand-alone magnetic guards wouldn't be suitable there.

The only way you could do that job guarded would be to build a tunnel-guard into the jig itself, as far as I can see.

Who does he think he is kidding? I don't mind him doing what he is doing, that's his prerogative, but I really resent being treated as if I am stupid.

S

I think that was put on by the producers to prevent a lawsuit if somebody loses a finger when following his advice.

"... and remember the most important safety tip is to always wear these safety glasses..."

No Norm, the most important safety tip is to not do stupid things...

 

[Mike Wingate]

Whilst wearing goggles/safety glasses, I have had my scalp parted by an exploding wheel on a flat bed grinder that a pupil was using in an Islington school. An exploding oak bowl tore open my thigh. I took off part of my right thumb one a surface planer, chamfering sanding blocks( wood too short).My eye accident happened emptying a dust extractor waste bag. A spiral of aluminium floated into my eye. I was not wearing glasses at the time. The eye hospital removed it using an eyescream scoop device.

 

[George_N]

Anyone know if it is possible to download episodes, rather than streaming the video, which is a bit stop/start depending on the broadband connection?

No problem if you use Firefox and Downloadhelper to get it and VLC to watch it. For more information :arrow: http://www.downloadhelper.net/tutorials.php and DAGS VLC

Cheers mate! I'll give it a go.