Got Pine?

VR3

Well I'm back in shop, and finding out I cant do what I want to do in shop (nice looking stuff)... argh

I just made some (off memory) caps for my BP10B... out of pine. They turned out slightly to small, and I know why - I cut them to the right size, then I sanded them and they got smaller (well no duh right?)...

Anyways... I know how to fix that and plan to make some more come Monday...

Eventually will make top and bottom caps and list them on EBay.

Because I don't like Pine!!

However, I do plan to make me some Oak, Walnut, and Cedar caps for my own use...

steveinaz

Cool!

michael_w

Yeah for the first little while they don't let you do much in the shop. My tech teacher says after he watches us for a while and you show you can use stuff safely he'll let you move onto more personal projects instead of making useless crap like the same box or stool everyone else makes. I hope he lets me use the cnc machine to cut out some baffles

The walnut and cedar would look great. Sounds like we'll be hearing a lot about your future projects... keep em coming.

VR3

Actually, I can make anything I want, be it simple or advanced...

Its just...

1) The tools are skewed, for instance....

The big table saw, the one you cut sheets on like plywood and MDF... the table (wooden extention) has a BOW... so when you are cutting a 45 degree angle cut (Fostex project) the wood slides under the fence...

So you are relying on the wood not turning, as you have no control. Then with wood that large and people all in a hurry helping you, you get all kinds of weird cuts...

I was working on some Fostex for Russ, and I needed a board 8.5" wide... well it started out 8.5" wide, but on the other end it was 8.25" wide!! :eek:

That wasn't going to work at all.

2) The shop is crowded - there just isnt many places to put your project without it being in harms way

3) People are idiots. That should say enough, people mess with other peoples projects. For instance, when I was making the Black Labs, people would say bits, tools, all sorts of things on top of the pine caps. This is why I hate pine - it dents and scratches easy and this just clarified it, really... - and it isnt any different. So a high-profile speaker like the Fostex takes time and careful location to get it done. Not to mention someone helping with patience. I could help Early B because I could do it after school, which I cant do this year with my weird pick up schedule. The shop teacher wasnt in a hurry and I could put them in his office...

I dunno, not sure what I am going to be making this year to be honest with you. I can make caps very fast (made the two pine caps in like 2 hours) - so if I could get people buying them and make some money, I could start turning out some profits.

I might buy some MDF and piddle around, but I wont be making anything to special this year...

However I do plan to buy a table saw ($500 range) sometime in the next year or so, along with a few other things like a band-saw and a radial arm saw. Then something like an air compressor and such...

All in time.

Dennis Gardner

"Measure twice, cut once". As small as those end caps are, you should really look into some exotic woods. They really have some cool stuff. Rosewood, birds-eye maple, etc...... They are really expensive for big pieces, but you could use scraps for the small amount you need and create some cool custom looks.

You really can never have too many craftsman skills. Glad you are enjoying your woodworking!!

VR3

Well I did measure, I just forgot to account for the loss when sanding...LOL... my mistake

Another problem was I was going off memory of the -speakers- measurements... the caps are slightly bigger for whatever reasons, but I plan to take really detailed measurements this weekend and go back and make them slightly bigger and get to work... once I perfect them on Pine (free wood) I will move on to other wood (not free)...

Thanks for all the comments! Rosewood would be bad@$$.

If your talking about the Fostex hiccup... well basically I had me and another guy helping - I was pushing, and he was pulling - which he isnt supposed to do) and he was pulling it at a slight angle, which you cant tell you are doing due to the fact the wood is lodged under the fence... pain!!

michael_w

I totally agree. The majority of the people that take shop or tech are ones that are looking for an easy course to pass. I don't think I'll be trusting anyone by leaving my projects out for people to mess around with.

Getting some of your own machines would be pretty handy. I find that an air compressor with a nail gun is very handy.

VR3

Well, I don't think I will buy a nail gun mainly because it is dangerous to have around when I do alot of my working with my Mom gone (and when shes there) - Nail guns miss fire at times and go shooting in odd directions...

Not something I want to have without a car so I can rush myself to the hospital if so be... lol

madmax

Like any gun, always keep it pointed where it will do no damage if mis-fired.

VR3

madmax wrote:

Like any gun, always keep it pointed where it will do no damage if mis-fired.

Max, of course...

however I have seen a few guns shoot out the sides, front, and back - and hit various things. I've known a few that get shot in the side, chest, stomach by pointing the gun downward...

Stuff happens.

aaharvel

that looks really good Sid.

VR3

Thanks AAH,

I just measured the cap...

Turns out the cap is 1/8" bigger than the actual speaker on each end! Wow... I wonder why...?? That would make it hang over 1/16" on each side... weird

But I think I will cut them 1/8" bigger - just going to assume I will end up sanding off 1/16" on each side.

I will make some more tommorow!!

The hard part is going to be the BOTTOM caps, they require double layers glued together and all that stuff... hmmmm

Time to stop playing around and make a real good one!

scottnbnj

you're doing some cool stuff and you're ready to start thinking more about jigs and guides.

if you're thinking about buying a tablesaw, before buying a shop saw or building a table for sheets, think about a light portable saw and a portable table that you drop the saw into.

you don't get the same level of performance as a stationary saw, but you can get good performance. you can set them up and break them down into small packages quickly (so you can bring them to jobs to let them pay for themselves down the road) and you don't have to design, buy materials, build, set up and dedicate space to a sheet table. depending on what you have in mind, it might let you to get better performance from a lesser/cheaper saw too.

i have a rousseau table and extension, and though it doesn't look like much, it's held up pretty well.

)

michael_w

If you want some recommendations on a table saw I can talk to my dad for you. He is a cabnetmaker and has been selling wood working tools for many years and now works for Freud Canada.

VR3

Scottn,
That is a real good idea. Although I had thought of that when I wasnt going to spend as much, I totally forgot about it once I started looking at the stationary saws...

Any recomendations on a good saw like that?

Michael, any suggestions ya got is helpful!

michael_w

What kind of table saw did you want? As in portable or not. I mentioned it to my dad but he said he needs some more info... so you're looking in the 500 us price range? He said you should be able to get a pretty decent saw for that.

VR3

Well, I probally would want a portable I can just drop down into a table so if I ever have to relocate it or anything like that, know what I mean...

Reliability is my biggest concern to be honest with you. I dont want to have to get it serviced every week or anything...

michael_w

Sounds good. I'll have a chat with him and let ya know what he tells me.

btw it's a good thing you are ready to spend that kind of money. From what he told me basically you can buy a crap table for $100 and up until around the 400+ pricerange you are just buying that same crap $100 - 150 table. It's just like audio... do it right the first time and you'll be much happier with bigger pockets in the long run.

VR3

Yeah, Audio has taught me a very* valuable lesson!

Today I made a template for the BP10B caps... now I should be able to roll those things out FAST - the hard work is now on a piece of 1/8" thick plywood. Woo hoo!

Will have to make templates for the BP6B too I guess...

I also started on some news caps, these are MUCH better than the last ones - thats for sure.

amulford

I should hope you could turn them out, they're a friggin square!!!

VR3

They are a -rectangle- .

They arnt hard to make, its just time consuming to measure out the 4 holes they need and drawing out the corners - putting them into a template make it a bit simpler.

The bottom cap will be a bit harder to pull off... Thats my next adventure I guess.

audiobliss

Everything I've seen you turn out has looked really good, Sid. You've got/are developing quite a skill with word working. Keep it up!

scottnbnj

last time i really compared, the makita ruled the day. but, that was a long time ago. if you have any of the factory service centers for the major tool companies within driving distance of you, you might give them a visit. they rotate in reconditioned stuff regularly. from my experience, they all take care of walk in customers and repairs.

i have makita, bosch and dewalt close to me, so whenever i'm hot for a new tool, i give theirs a long hard look first. i think the bosch and dewalt tablesaws are too heavy for me though. all my stuff has to wiggle in and out of the truck and customers' homes and property. i haven't paid much attention to the new makita's, but i doubt you'd go wrong by far with them, especially if you're doing a portable table with a good fence.

if you're serious about the portable table, budget for extension and outfeed tables down the road too. if you're thinking about cutting full sheets you'll need these or you'll have to build something yourself.

)

audiobliss

scottnbnj wrote:

last time i really compared, the makita ruled the day. but, that was a long time ago.

I can't really comment on Makita's table saws or woodworking equipment. However, my dad sells automotive tools (Snap-On), and he sells Makita drills. From what he's said and from what I have gathered, they used to be built tough. Great quality, performance, reliability, etc. My dad has one of their older drills that he uses (ha! Like he ever uses it..lol), and it's a great peice of equipment. Unfortunately, Makita (I'm pretty sure that's spelled wrong, btw; just can't remember how it is spelled. With a 'q'?) has begun making cheap, 'Made in China', poor quality/performance equipment. Again, this is about their drills and not their table saws and such, so I don't know. But, I would think this would reflect on the entire company and all their offerings. FWIW

Going to a local repair shop sounds like a good idea.

VR3

here is the new pair... they are much more to size, infact - spot on...

They have a wax finish instead of a gloss clear coat. I will probally make the next pair have a mixture of both as I like both for different reasons...

Probally going to make another pair before I try to sell a pair - mainly because I want to make sure I get it down perfect, just to figure out everything, etc...

audiobliss

Looks very nice, Sid - well, if you like pine, that is.

Airplay355

Grab some nice wood and do it. That pine is **** ugly man. It's good and cheap to practice on but seems like you have it down pat. make them look nice What ever happened to your tower rebuild project? Give up on that?

audiobliss

Yeah, what happened to that project? YOU BETTER FINISH IT!!!! The one you did looks sooooo nice!!!!

VR3

Not sure what I am going to do with those things...

The caps, actually I havnt got it down pat YET, but I am getting closer... hehe...

PolknPepsi

The nice thing about pine is:

1. very affordable.
2. easy to work with.
3. takes stain and finishes very well.
4. is available everywhere.

Slap some stain on it with a rag then 2-3 coats of sanding sealer then finish it with a couple coats of Poly and it will last years. If damaged, sand out the bad and recoat everything and it will match perfectly.