What did you do in your workshop today ?

[thetyreman]

retofitted all my cheap clamps with wood, using 2x1 pine (cut to size), now they really feel quite solid:

Nice - I did the same. I also modified the screw component. I found that if I tightened them up, they would shear off the silver screw that fits into the Grove at the end of the clamp head screw.

What I did was undo it all, pop a small nut loose in the receiving hole of the clamp head and then do it back up again. The loose nut closes the gap, so the clamping pressure isn't all put on the silver screw.

thanks for the tip, I've already had problems with them falling off on a couple of them, so just for clarity, you mean the actual blue clamp head? on the black screw thread, put the nut inside there? cheers

 

[MattRoberts]

That's correct. Then the black clamp screw will push against the nut without putting pressure on the silver screw (which just holds the blue clamp head and black clamp screw together)

 

[MrTeroo]

That's correct. Then the black clamp screw will push against the nut without putting pressure on the silver screw (which just holds the blue clamp head and black clamp screw together)

Any chance of a photograph of that?

 

[MattRoberts]

Sure thing!

I've also got thin ply faces for both clamp faces

 

[MrTeroo]

Thanks very much!

 

[Bm101]

That ply's a cracking idea Matt. Excellent. Why didn't I think of that? I've seen a similar idea for holdfasts where a bit of softwood with a hole for the body of the holdfast in it sits under the head in Chris Schwarz's bench book to stop the head marking wood but I never translated it to cramps. I use crampheads in 4mm box steel and this would be an great and easy fix. I even rescued about 50 x foot long bits of pine offcuts from certain death the other week on a building site much to the bemusement of my workmates lol.
"Watchya gonna make out of them then Chris? Little saunas fer Mice? Herrrr Huurrr"
:|
Now I know.
(BTW About 20 already cut to size, sanded and drilled for use as Christmas decorations painted in what we might call the 'Modern Naive' style by my little lad's Beaver pack. I like to think of it as my first commission. I don't really. Unpaid and volunteered by my Mrs obviously. The fella who runs it was embarrassingly impressed. I didn't have the heart to tell him it took me about 25 minutes and involved no skill or talent whatsoever other than owning a cr*p chopsaw, drill and 'Clarkey' my beloved cheapo beltsander.

'Really, it's nothing, I'm always happy to use my talents to help out' I muttered looking suitably modest.
I didn't even blink lol. After all I wasn't exactly lying now was I? It really was nothing.
(hammer)

 

[DennisCA]

Working on a circle jig that can make a circle smaller than the radius of the baseplate by going in under it.

With this jig I got a track on the bottom:

That this piece of plywood attaches to, the center pivot pin is offset so it can slide in under the baseplate and I can make much smaller circles. Can also be reversed to make bigger circles.

Currently it's soaking up some varnish just to make it hold up better. And yeah one screw came in a bad place, didn't see it until I started routing the track, not sure if I need to use it, I could recess the hole a bit more in that location or just skip it. Or perhaps use a toggle clamp and stops to hold it in place. That would make it real quick to attach and remove....

 

[focusonwood]

Over the weekend I cleaned up and painted a cast iron singer sewing machine stand.

Next weekend I make a table top.

 

[biskit]

Stripped and cleaned a pair of Brembo brake calipers ready for painting. Now I've got the dehumidifier in I feel happier painting in there.

 

[MrTeroo]

Fitted buffalo board jaws to my end vice:

Put a computer in to save me endless trips inside to check up on things:

 

[NazNomad]

A bit of a chainsaw massacre today ... I think it's Poplar?

19'' across, should be fun knocking the corners off. :-D

 

[thetyreman]

Fitted buffalo board jaws to my end vice:

View attachment 2016

Put a computer in to save me endless trips inside to check up on things:

View attachment 2016

nice bench, looks suspiciously unused, are you planning on putting dogs and holes in it? how long is it?

 

[MrTeroo]

Yes I only finished it a few weeks back. 2.1 metres long.

No plans for dog holes yet. I have a bench stop but so so far I'm too scared to dig out the hole in the bench top for it

 

[DennisCA]

Installed 3-phase outlets:

 

[Bm101]

Despite saying to myself no more plane stuff till I finished the everlasting bench build, I got a bit narked today with the bench and made a fool of myself. Stupid boy Pike. Irritated enough to get the zig with the whole thing I walked away, went and got a cider and had a ***. When things are going badly I find it better to walk away for a bit and relax these days rather than keep going and cock things up further. Then I spent an hour or two with some ******* files. On one of the planes that I said I was'nt going to start until the bench was finished. I'm actually after making a/some/a series(?) of shoulder/rebate planes from scratch before starting these castings I got but it was good therapy. Chilled out and took my time with a bit of the old Radio 4 on. As always with starting a new project issues start to arise. There's gonna be some issues with getting a finish inside the body. It's really quite small and I'm guessing sets some different challenges from starting from scratch. All good, I like the thunkink process. Starting to see the possible issues and having the time to mull it over. Bit of brain food.
Challenge One: Getting the bed properly square. It's a start.
(Yes that is red crayon. And yes I robbed it from my lad's pencil case. Don't go on about it. Jeeeesus. )

It's a start. 8)

 

[monkeybiter]

That looks like the start of a lot of work!

 

[El Barto]

Started building my Sellers bench... one leg down.

 

[Bm101]

That looks like the start of a lot of work!

Yes Mike, no doubt. There's no economic sense in doing it. #-o Just the challenge.

 

[Peter Sefton]

Tidied up after yesterdays Open Day and set up for tomorrows beginners course. Not woodworking as such but all necessary.

Cheers Peter

 

[DennisCA]

new lower guides for my bandsaw