jtkendall

Nothing super interesting just a shop project. I put together a small parts/cross cut sled for my DW745 table saw. I had to cut down some smaller pieces of wood that didn’t sit real well against my miter gauge and have some more that are too short to reach the blade from either slot. After seeing this style of sled on a couple of YouTube channels and actually using it I really like the single side, fence at the rear sleds. It’s easy to hold on to pieces, lightweight, and you don’t have to worry about pushing it off in order to cut through a piece so I don’t have to worry about an outfeed table. I plan on rebuilding it in the near future so I can make it adjustable since right now it only works well for narrow items. I’m using the MicroJig zeroplay system for the miter slot and it works really well. The instructions say to put nickels in the slot to set the bar width and a nickel won’t fit in my miter slot, so there was some trial and error. This is was my first time using the hex shank Milwaukee drill bits in my Makita impact and it worked ok but I had some issues putting a 1/4” hole through the 3 layers of MDF for the fence. I’m not sure if it was because of the impact or just an issue with the bit getting through the glue between the small pieces.

So far they’re working out well. Definitely warm, good quality and I’d buy another pair if they were lost or somehow damaged. With the wind chill last week in MD making it feel below zero I never had a moment where I wished they were warmer even though they say they are only good down to 40°.

My cousin is loyal to Milwaukee, she’s a tool dealer that goes to shops sells them what they need regardless of brand, but she tries to push Milwaukee like it’s the end all be all of tools. They are lacking in several areas and when you need a tool they don’t make you either go without the tool or you buy it from a different brand. The tools she has at home are all Milwaukee except the Stihl string trimmer her dad bought her before Milwaukee released OPE products, some Gearwrench sockets, Irwin pliers, and a set of Channellock pliers. Her main reason for pushing Milwaukee seems to be that one of the tool shows her distributor puts on gives you money based on what you buy so for example every $1500 you buy might get you $100 cash. It’s basically a commission for sales from the distributer not the actual tool company. The companies have nothing to do with it and they don’t put up any of the money. Milwaukee gets the most money from the distributor so she can make the most money there.

That's all I use with mine, I don't have other batteries to compare it to though. Great runtime with a 6.0 and I've yet to need to swap batteries to complete my yard.

It's been seeing it for several months so I don't expect it to go anywhere soon, but I'm not sure they'll let people use the code more than once. I picked up a pack when I bought my grinders but haven't put them to use yet. If it can be used over and over I'll have to pick up some more. They also do giveaways on Instagram weekly for "Flap Disc Friday".

I don't feel like trying to get a photo of it, but I bought the 12" version of this Incra T-Rule. It's really nice and has both marks for 32nd's and 64th's so I can get very precise marks. I also picked up a pair of Ironclad Summit cold weather gloves because winter is here.

Yes but thats bluetooth not GPS. This seems to be a true GPS system that won’t rely on someone being within the range Bluetooth devices require.

Just saw this pop up on Facebook and hadn’t seen it posted here. A GPS and alarm for trailers and equipment from Dewalt. It looks pretty useful. I’d like to see the same basic idea in a smaller size for tools instead of the bluetooth trackers.

No they seem durable, I missed an “and” in that last sentence. The original Milwaukee organizers are what I meant, the lids can break easily if they so much as tip over onto a hard surface, at least that’s been my experience. The Dewalt’s are cheaper than packout, more durable than the original Milwaukee ones, plus with the wall rack it’ll be the organizer I buy when I need more.

The bins i picked up are these kind, I guess technically they are boxes or totes. These are good for sticking the Kreg Jig, clamp, and packs of screws in so when I need to pocket hole something it’s one box and I’m ready to go. They’ll also work for holding sandpaper and consumables. Basically bulkier stuff, I have some Milwaukee organizers that’ll hold washers, nuts, bolts, non-Kreg screws and stuff in. The main reason for buying these was so I could take apart my smaller planes and keep everything together during the restoration process. The Dewalt wall rack and organizers will be the next step once I need more organizers because the Milwaukee ones can break easily I’m not going to invest in packout.

Nothing super interesting going on with the shop conversion. I went to Lowe’s this morning and picked up some small storage bins so I can keep things like my Kreg Jig and screws together. They’ll probably become a large part of my organization process since smaller bins with lids are only $0.98 each and are the perfect size for parts and accessories. I should have the entire garage cleaned out this week. I ordered a dumpster to deal with a fallen shed and it should have room for the garage stuff too.

Not great deals, but the Kobalt 24v tools seem to have had a $10 price reduction on several if not all items. The 2 pc drill and impact kit is $119 now which isn’t bad for what it is. Buy a few more 1.5ah batteries and you could be set for around $150.

I'm not a resolution person, I prefer to come up with goals because even if I don't 100% reach them I'm at least working towards them throughout the year. My goals for the year are: Complete converting my garage to a workshop Save $5k+ for emergencies (car issues, vet, etc.) Remodel my kitchen and bathroom Build one large, nice piece of furniture

Well my plan of putting the miter saw on an existing cabinet/stand didn't work. It wasn't deep enough so I need to build a table for it and for now it'll end up on a centipede when I need to use it. I got some more of the garage space cleaned out, I need to make a dump run to recycle the cardboard and dispose of all the styrofoam that is taking over from unpacking tools. I sat down and started laying out the shop in sketchup, right now all of the stands are just solid blocks since I'm just trying to figure out where to put things. The stand with the planer and sander on is likely going to be wider and on casters so it can be rolled out to plane boards, it'll also get a bottom shelf so the planer and future jointer can sit there when not in use. When I need to use one of them I'll move the sander there and put the tool up so I have plenty of in and out feed space. The miter saw doesn't match my actual saw so I can't draw the table to the appropriate size yet. The table saw is going to sit in the middle of the shop so I can get to it easily, I can easily move it if I need to since it's on a folding stand, and if I eventually upgrade to a larger saw in a few years I know I'll have space for it. A future 14" band saw is going to go on the same wall as the other tools but up near the stove (black/dark gray block) since there's an outlet there. The wooden object in the back right corner is actually a box surrounding the water pump. That water pump is no longer used since a new well was drilled and everything is outside now, right now the plan is to completely remove it. If that doesn't work out for whatever reason I'm going to reinforce the wooden box surrounding it and use the top for storage until I can get it removed. The top left corner is going to get cabinets and drawers for storage and between the miter saw and door to the house there will be another work bench. The stove is going to be a sanding and finishing table since I can use either the cordless Makita sander or easily reach a plug for my Pro 5 from there. I was considering putting the drill press on it, but it has a shorter cord and I think it's better suited for using things that won't always be plugged in.

First centipede is set up. Right now the drill press and band saw are directly next to each other so I have a place to put the M12/M18 speaker. I’ll probably put up a shelf for the speaker in the future. The drill press is going to move down to where the speaker currently is sitting so both tools have some more space around them. Then I’ll be bolting them both to the top so they don’t move and I’m probably going to bolt the top to the centipede because I’m not sure I trust the included clamps alone. Unless I get around to it tonight the miter saw is getting set up tomorrow next to them on an existing cabinet. Once I get the stuff directly across from the centipede moved it will move to that wall so the tools can use an outlet. For now they’ll just use the power station.

The week before Christmas @justinkendall and I were working on a bottle opener for our cousin since he wanted a nice one. He had some requirements that it be a bare bones opener with no sharp points since he's flying back to Texas. He had no idea that we were making him one and he seems absolutely thrilled with it. I don't use my Ryobi band saw nearly as much as I thought I would since it has limited capacity and I suck at dealing with drift, but the couple of cuts I had to make on it and watching some youtube videos has me wanting to do more band saw projects. Maybe some simple small boxes. I didn't get any photos of the bottle opener after completing it, all I have is the photo of the resawn bocote prior to all of the work that was put into it. We used a Rockler Bartender's Bottle Opener kit which made it simple to put together. Justin did a lot of the shaping with a rasp and sanding sponge. I then finalized the shape mostly with them and then sanded it with the Pro 5 using 80 grit to get it to a comfortable grip. I then went over the entire thing with 120 and 220 grit sandpaper and finished it off with two coats of natural danish oil. I think it turned out really nice and wish I had gotten a few photos of it. I have another bottle opener kit and some more bocote so I'm going to make another one. This time I'm going to use Minwax Polycrylic on it because the danish oil took forever to dry and I'm curious to see how it looks with a film finish. I'm also going to skip using the pins that come with the kit, they really don't add much to the bottle opener other than aesthetics and are a pain to work with. On the first bottle opener I had to deburr them with sandpaper and then did the majority of trimming to size with 80 grit on the Pro 5. If I use them again I now have the belt sander to help with this issue.

So I have been sick the last few days which made working on the garage a problem. Finally feeling better so tonight I got out there, cleared out more junk, and organized everything that needs to go into the shed so I can do that tomorrow. After just sitting down and looking at everything I decided to try out my DW745's stand again and it will actually be at a good working height, so I no longer need to build a stand for it. The wood stove is actually still connected and wasn't removed from the roof like I thought. Shows how often I actually look at the back side of the roof. Instead of removing it, I'm going to put a table top on it with a cutout for the stove pipe so that I don't have to deal with the roof. This also means if I decide to install a new one or get this one up to working condition in the future I don't have to deal with the roof again. I might just build a box around it so that I can attach French cleats to it or magnets so I can store tools and supplies on it.

Continuing my tradition of using gift cards immediately after receiving them I bought an 8 piece set of Irwin Marples forstner bits from Lowe’s and an INCRA 12” T-Rule from Amazon. I think I am done with tool purchases for the next few months, I’m going to start putting away any extra money into my garage shop conversion fund.

Remember wen I bought that drill press? Well @justinkendall surprised me with a bench top sander to match and a heavy Irwin vice for the drill press. He also got me some Kreg stuff, a Whiteside Router bit for plywood, some bulk key rings so I can make keychains out of the scrap wood I have, and a Millers Falls #8 Plane.

Picked up some 2x4 1/2" birch plywood panels from Lowe's today to serve as tops for my centipedes. These will be my primary work surfaces until I get everything done and benches built. One's going to hold the band saw and drill press, one is for the table saw, and the other is going to be a general assembly type table. Each top is going to have handles cut out, all edges rounded over, and finished with some natural danish oil. The assembly table top is going to have some 20mm dog holes cut into it and probably some slots to easily bolt on clamps or other accessories. These are going to come in handy even after the shop is done so I figure putting some extra effort in at the beginning will be worth it. I should probably pick up a 2x2 centipede while I'm thinking about it because it would be great to put the portable power station on it and keep it away from saw dust when using the tools outside during this conversion.

I went with @justinkendall to Lowe's today while helping our mom finish up her Christmas shopping. I went in planning on just getting something to finish a bottle opener with and mineral spirits to clean up my apron plane so I can actually put it to use. An hour later and the cart looked like this, not shown is a lumber cart of 2x4 1/2" birch plywood panels and a 2x2 piece of MDF. Picked up: 2x 36" Irwin medium duty bar clamps 2 pack of storage containers for screws The originally planned for mineral spirits 3/4" wood screws mixing buckets a bottle of titebond II since I don't like glu-bots and need something to pour a gallon of glue into 1/4 of the wiping cloths kreg screws kreg R3 jig with a free 2" clamp S1020SOL-US Southwire made in the USA compact wire strippers natural danish oil Everything else was Justin's. I'll probably pick up another two of the Irwin clamps to supplement my Bessey pipe clamps, my project plans don't call for much gluing over 24" but it's nice to have them if I need them.

The chuck is the opening that accepts the bits on a drill, 3/8” and 1/2” are the most common in the US for everyday use. My opinion is that you want a 1/2” chuck always, because it can hold up to a 1/2” bit and every size under 1/2”.

I’ll look into that, I have a Sherwin Williams near me that I’ve been meaning to go into because I believe they sell the Graco cordless sprayers and I want to get a look at them. Probably some cabinets attached via french cleats to start. I want to make sure everything has a space near where it will be used. Long term goal is something like in the photos below. I don’t like tools just hanging around and prefer them in drawers but I will likely do a double plane till on one side and setup a charging area in the other one. Im going to need drawers large enough for TSTAK’s but not sure if I want them to have fronts or just be open so I can see them. I’m going to keep some space in my shop for a sticker wall which might just be behind the bench top tools in the back. I’m going to work on planning out the space this weekend so hopefully I have a game plan once the junk goes to the dump next Wednesday.

Since I’ve been looking into buying and also collecting Millers Falls planes I’ve run into an situation where I could use some help. When I look on eBay I can find planes within their market range and in conditions to match that price, of course I can also find ones in terrible condition listed at 5x the top market price of one in great condition. Such is the problem with eBay and older items in general people think old automatically means $$$$. Anyway when I’m buying an older tool should I be paying attention to the shipping cost at all when considering the price? I’ve skipped on a few planes because they were priced well but had high shipping costs. Or should I combine the sale price and shipping and only pass if the total exceeds a reasonable price? How do you determine if an old tool is worth purchasing on eBay and other sites?

Workshop Addict posted a video of increasing lighting using socket splitters recently and I decided to order one and try it out to see if it will help my lighting issues while I hold off on electrical work. With LED bulbs it actually is a noticeable difference. I need to reposition the adjustable ones but it removes the need for the ancient hanging corded fluorescent lights on the left wall that take up valuable power on my single circuit. As you you can see there is still junk in my garage, it’ll all be out with the exception of that old stove in the back after Christmas. Then I need to insulate and put up some kind of paneling. I’m leaning towards OSB since I can just screw right into it and hang things. This will also let me just remove the panels when it’s time to do electrical. Everything is getting painted white because it’s pretty damn gloomy looking in there with the brown ceiling. Based on my lighting situation and where outlets are I think once the wood stove comes out the entire back wall and up each side up to the kitchen door is going to get a wrap around work bench. This way I can put bench top tools directly near outlets. Roughly where the stove is will be where I put the table saw on a stand. It might get wheels on its stand so I can put it up against the wall when not in use. From the kitchen door, which is just to the right of where the photos are cut off to the front I’m going to setup with a miter saw work bench with storage drawers. Since the miter saw is cordless and there’s no outlets there it makes the most sense. The rest of the space will have an assembly table and some wood storage. If I need to store extra wood I’ll have room in a storage shed once it’s also cleaned out and organized.