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What's On Your Workbench?

#4,001
JIO said:
Different branding - same machine. Could be my next shop-tool.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I don't really "need" much more than I have now to build instruments. Mostly just a few things to make it easier and have a few things turn out a little better.
The drill press is almost a must have. Especially if I start dabbling in making hardware.
I really don't want to spend $200 on a sander, but I feel like so many parts of the build will go quicker and look nicer.
Plus my shoulders will be happier.
 
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#4,002
I think I would compare table size on those machines. If they are all the same size table, go with the cheaper one. I have a Wen slow speed grinder and a Wen air filtration unit and I'm really happy with the Wen stuff so far. They make a good tool at a good price, so I'd lean that way myself. But that's just me.
 
#4,003
RichterScale said:
Plus my shoulders will be happier.
Click to expand...

That's the driving force behind the majority of my tool buying decisions these days, for sure. It's not so much that there are things I can't do now, without a certain tool. It's more that I want to still be doing this when I'm 75, so I need to find a way to not destroy my body before I hit 50. Ultimately I think that's what'll lead me to put together a CNC mill big enough to do bodies and necks at some point - remove me from the equation of routing and shaping. A good CNC mill and good sanding tools and I might just make it to 75 without my fingers falling off from over use...
 
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#4,004
One other thing to consider on the drill press. The distance from the chuck to the column. The 2 bench top drill presses I have don’t have very much reach there. You can’t, for example, predrill an entire pickup route with a Forstener bit if it’s toward the middle of a body or they won’t reach far enough in for the screw holes for a guitar (:wideyed: horrors! :eyebrow:) bridge. I believe there are some bench top ones that are bigger but something to keep in mind.
 
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#4,005
Matt Liebenau said:
One other thing to consider on the drill press. The distance from the chuck to the column
Click to expand...
I was thinking about that. The price hikes for the small increases in size don't seem proportionate to me.
What about a radial arm drill press? Is that a thing, or did I finally invent my million$ contraption?
All kidding aside, I really was looking at the smaller drill presses and trying to think up a framing system that would suspend the drill assembly, square to a bench surface and get rid of support column altogether.
 
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#4,006
RichterScale said:
I was thinking about that. The price hikes for the small increases in size don't seem proportionate to me.
What about a radial arm drill press? Is that a thing, or did I finally invent my million$ contraption?
All kidding aside, I really was looking at the smaller drill presses and trying to think up a framing system that would suspend the drill assembly, square to a bench surface and get rid of support column altogether.
Click to expand...

The problem is rigidity. With any kind of large bit you need to apply a fair amount of force in the Z axis, and wander can apply a fair amount of force in the other two axes. I guess that's why the call it a drill press. Make your support strong enough and you could suspend it wherever you want. There is also the matter of table height to solve, but a good assortment of clamps and blocks might get you there.
 
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#4,007
RichterScale said:
I was thinking about that. The price hikes for the small increases in size don't seem proportionate to me.
What about a radial arm drill press? Is that a thing, or did I finally invent my million$ contraption?
All kidding aside, I really was looking at the smaller drill presses and trying to think up a framing system that would suspend the drill assembly, square to a bench surface and get rid of support column altogether.
Click to expand...
Too late, done.
Radial drill press.jpg
 
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#4,010
Here's the basic idea I have in my head.
It can either be left as is and add or remove 2'x2'x3/4" MDF for height, or, get fancy and make the sides capable of height adjustment. Almost like a heavy duty CNC, but just with height adjustment.
I'd be more inclined to build it solid, square, not adjustable and use the MDF panels for height adjustment.
drill press 2.jpg

drill press 3.jpg
 
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#4,011
RichterScale said:
Yeah, I don't really "need" much more than I have now to build instruments. Mostly just a few things to make it easier and have a few things turn out a little better.
The drill press is almost a must have. Especially if I start dabbling in making hardware.
I really don't want to spend $200 on a sander, but I feel like so many parts of the build will go quicker and look nicer.
Plus my shoulders will be happier.
Click to expand...

I had access to a friends shop for years that had a large circular sander, a stationary belt sander and a spindle sander - every sanding need covered. Now I don't have any stationary sanding machines and miss the accuracy and ease those machines provided. I have a basic WEN drill-press and band-saw so their sander would complete my immediate needs.
 
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#4,012
JIO said:
I had access to a friends shop for years that had a large circular sander, a stationary belt sander and a spindle sander - every sanding need covered. Now I don't have any stationary sanding machines and miss the accuracy and ease those machines provided. I have a basic WEN drill-press and band-saw so their sander would complete my immediate needs.
Click to expand...
I'm leaving to pick one up within the hour.
I still have some cleaning and setup to do in the basement where I started making room to expand the work area, so I won't use it right away. I don't really need it until the WBO, which has all these stupid rules about not starting until the end of Dec, but once I have it set up, I'll try it out with some scrap and report back.
 
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#4,013
So, what was on my workbench last night? My stupid bandsaw! :meh:
As I've mentioned, I have a ShopSmith bandsaw, but rather than connect it to the main Shopsmith unit, it is on a dedicated ShopSmith "power station". The way this setup works is that it is connected to the drive motor by a spring loaded "coupler", which drives the lower wheel. Keep in mind, this was my wife's Grandpa's saw, it sat in storage for decades (literally) and I've only recently started using it and only used it a few times total.

I started having problems with it not tracking correctly and the blade not aligning on the lower wheel correctly. It got to a point where the blade wouldn't stay on the lower wheel, it kept "falling off" the back side of the wheel. I started investigating this and found this -
250316264_4820378924641807_3295155092636181478_n.jpg


You can see how the blade is basically completely off the tire and riding on the rim of the wheel. Any pressure from the piece you are cutting would push the blade "back" enough that it would fall right off the wheel. You can also see how this has been an issue for a long time and the blade has chewed on the tire too. What I found was that the lower "axle" rides on a large bearing, and the whole axle assembly is held in place by a retaining clip and a bolt (pardon the massive amounts of dust on it) -
255607970_4821636651182701_2021988531513150968_n.jpg


The astute among you will notice that the retaining clip is bent really bad and the bearing has moved "forward", sticking out some -
Screenshot 2021-11-11 100441.jpg


And by "some", I mean a lot! :eek:
It would appear that the spring loaded "coupler" on the drive mechanism was putting so much pressure on the retaining clip that it bent it and shoved the whole assembly forward.
So I took the whole thing apart, beat the retaining clip back into submission, I mean straight...or flat...whatever. Then reassembled it. Now the blade tracks more toward the center of the wheel/tire -
255989040_4821729597840073_1577152268944373439_n.jpg


Yeah man, ShopSmiths are quirky things, even the accessory items. Also, regular maintenance and observation of your tools is cool, give it a try. I'm not sure how long this has been a problem, but I'm hopeful the saw will work better now, it's been a bit feisty from day one. I had noticed a couple things that just didn't seem "right", but my inexperience with both woodworking and ShopSmiths left me thinking "maybe it's normal". o_O :confused:

My daughter wants me to make her a box shaped like a tooth so she can keep her children's teeth in it as they lose them. So basically a bandsaw box, shaped like a tooth. For those of you who have never made a bandsaw box, look it up, it's a fun project. I'm hopeful I can get on this project now, because it's supposed to be a Christmas gift. :cautious:
If I can get all my dang Christmas gift projects done (I also need to turn a couple pens for my grandsons), maybe I can get back to all the sanding I need to do to Lucifer. Yeah....sanding..... :meh:
 
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#4,015
It is done.
KIMG2341.JPG

$400 trip.
I did good though. I walked around for a good 45 min and only ended up with 2 things in the cart that I didn't really need. The rasps and hammer. I figured for a total of $10, I'd try 'em.
I went with the 8" drill for 2 reasons:
-it was $80 as opposed to $160 for the 10" and the specs were close.
-I'm going to take it apart and do my elevated drill press experiment.
The 10" had the rack&pinion for the table which I didn't need and the 8" came with a light.
I wanted a little pin vise and some small metric bits. HF only had bits. Luckily there was a hobby lobby 1/4 mi down the road and they had a pin vise with bits.
 
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