barn saved, near Philly

[Bob Riefer]

I've jointed, planed, and cut a lot in the last few days, so I can finally do a full report on how my dust collection system is doing.

It's a 2 hp harbor freight unit, 4" PVC around the shop, short runs are 10-15 feet, long runs are 30 feet, harbor freight blast gates at each machine, harbor freight clear flex hose in very short lengths for machines that needed to be able to swivel/move, thien baffle, direct exhaust outside.

In short, I'm very happy. I have collected a full bag's worth of shavings and dust, and have collected about a dust pan's worth of debris off the floor when cleaning up afterwards. The Thien Baffle is seemingly doing its job nicely as the outside exhaust has barely the slightest evidence of very fine dust making it out there. My longest runs and my shortest runs are all sufficient using the 4" pipe and imperfect pipe runs. I've been running my overhead box fan air filter when working, and using the respirator during especially messy work. Honestly, I'm not sure I'll see a need to improve the system all that much over time.

And on that note, changes/improvements I'll be making:
- Sucking through the bag works fine, but the skeleton that keeps the bag open is taking a beating. I'm switching back to a hard canister. Oh well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

- There are a couple easy-to-change 90 degree bends that I'll be swapping for 45's.

- I will be extending the port on the back of my miter saw to aim the burst of dust down to the collection tube. Although the explosion of dust is mostly caught by the hood and DC system already, this change would be beneficial in not letting it blow up so much in the first place.

[Bob Riefer]

I had time to swap out the bag for a canister last night.

Rob Cunningham (frequent poster on this board) employed a window in a fiber/cardboard drum as his catch bin, so I stole that idea. Got a free bin from a local plastics molding company.

I thought through about a dozen ways to make the connection between the DC ring (where my baffle is installed) and the drum. I ultimately decided to use a diaphragm similar to what you'd see in a car engine.

A length of rubber (leftover pond liner, but you could use inner tube or rubber flashing) was wrapped and strapped around the DC ring, leaving about an 8 inch "skirt" hanging below. When it's time to install the drum, I hike up the skirt portion, slide the drum in, and pull the skirt down around the top of the drum. It takes about 30 seconds to do so. The connection is so tight, that no strapping is needed on the drum side of the equation.

Works terrific. Tested about 10 dustpans full of various types of dust and chips, and was able to watch the cyclonic action through the plexiglass window in the drum. We were not able to even detect the slightest dust in the exhaust vent to outside.

As usual, I did not go for "pretty" with this solution, but I hope you find it useful anyways.

dc bin diaphragm small.jpg

[Bob Riefer]

My first project (adirondack chair out of rough cut white oak) is finally gaining some ground. All boards are milled and cut to shape. I will be cleaning up all shape cuts with my router and pattern bit (tracing my templates for consistency) and then rounding over edges. Should be done with this first one soon, then I'll hone my process, adjust the chair as needed, and build a bunch more to use in the yard and to get practice.

Dust collector continues to please.

Here, I'm dry fitting some of the parts to see if I'm about right so far. (so far so good)

adirondack chair 1 dry fit seat.jpg adirondack chair 1 dry fit back slats.jpg

[Bob Riefer]

Holy cow I'm slow

BUT, I finally finished my first piece of furniture!!!!

To recap, I used rough sawn white oak to build Norm's adirondack chair. I made templates first so that I can duplicate the process.

Errors / Lessons learned:
- Made my templates with scrap OSB... too rough for good template routing.. redo with MDF as the template material.
- Cut list wasn't organized for optimal repeatability. Reworked for next time around.
- Being able to access only one side of my assembly table is a pain. Move bandsaw so that I can bring the assembly table away from the wall.
- Too aggressive with drill press and conter bore bit = chip out. Only screwed that up once.
- A router table will be useful for all the routing I did, and will collect the mess more easily.
- I'll bring the back rest forward about 1 degree on future editions, and will also make the back rest pieces about 2 inches taller.
- crappy sand paper and white oak don't mix
- the time spent making jigs throughout the process was well worth it
- leave the back support cross piece as thick as you can (a full inch is good) and leave it a bit long. square up the arms first, clamp the support piece in place, and trace the exact cutoff. this will be more precise and easier to assemble.
- glue and screw was well worth it

Anyways, here she is. No finish, it'll just age.

first chair finished.jpg first chair finished 1.jpg first chair finished 2.jpg first chair finished 3.jpg

[Rob Cunningham]

Looks really good Bob.
I hope you got to sit out in the 100+ degree weather we just had and enjoy a cold one in your new chair.

[Bob Riefer]

Thanks Rob! I did have a beer or five sitting there marvelling at my flawed masterpiece! lol

I tell you what, I'll get another one finished so that both of us have a place to sit next time you come over. Thanks again for answering all my questions each week!

[Bob Riefer]

Well, I finally took everyone's advice to switch out the 90 degree bends in my DC layout and replace them with 45's. I only finished 1/2 the effort so far, but in testing my furthest (worst) run, the improvement is obvious. I mean, you can't mistake the improvement at all. I'm impressed. And I admit: I was an idiot to not listen to y'all in the first place. There, I took my medicine.

[Bob Riefer]

Nearly done reworking my DC piping. I'm really glad I'm doing this, but man is it a pain in the butt. Pics after this weekend hopefully.

--
IN OTHER NEWS
I guess it's time to tell y'all about my latest venture. I am finally leaving corporate america, sort of. I understand the need for corporate work, and respect those that can do the work, but after 13 years of climbing the ladder nicely, it became very apparent that this is not the right fit for my personality and interests.

So, awhile back I had several companies come out to look at siding my old barn. I was interested in steel siding like you see on pole barns. The various companies came and went. Then, Tom, owner of Kistler Buildings, came out. Immediately I could see the difference in professionalism. We spent 2 hours talking. He toured my barn and checked out my woodworking shop setup. When he left, I told my wife "His bid will be double the next highest bid, and triple the lowest bid... and we'll save until we can afford it, because I KNOW they can do the work and will stand behind it."

A few weeks later, after much thought and discussion with the wife, I wrote Tom to tell him how impressed we were. I explained that I had saved my barn as a way to be more hands-on in life. Furniture making is also towards that pursuit. And I told him "Give me a job, I'll work for free, I'll job shadow, whatever it takes". And he did (although, thankfully he's paying me).

Even cooler, I'm working about 30 hours per week for them now, while holding down my existing 40 hour per week day job. Since we're a single income family (my wife is raising our small children) Kistler was agreeable to let me transition to the commission lifestyle over several months.

It's very busy for me right now, but boy am I loving it. The training is dizzying, but information really sticks when you're hungry for it. The customer consultations are amazing. Seeing properties, walking fields, helping them understand the process and possibilities, meeting neat people. It's great. I had resigned myself to a life of hating every day of work, and it's unbelievable to be on the way to being out of that problem.

Anyways, this is not in any way an advertisement to buy a building from me. It's just me celebrating and hoping for a few "cheers!" from my friends here at the creek.

[Mark Godlesky]

Congratulations on your transition. Life is too short to spend time doing something you don't like. I hope it works out well for you.

[Bob Riefer]

Thanks Mark. You're right on the money. Life IS too short for hating the work day each day. I've never experienced loving work until now, and it's a complete life changer. I just can't wait until I can drop the day work to focus entirely on the new gig.

-------

Finally finished the shop reorg.

- All DC pipe rerouted using 45's instead of 90's. (wow, significant difference!)
- New router table assembled and installed.
- Bandsaw moved.
- Assembly table location is now settled. I can walk around all 4 sides of the table. NOW it's time to build a proper table since I know where it will be, and what size will fit etc.

shop reorg 082011 g.jpg shop reorg 082011 b.jpg shop reorg 082011 h.jpg shop reorg 082011 a.jpg shop reorg 082011 d.jpg shop reorg 082011 c.jpg shop reorg 082011 e.jpg shop reorg 082011 f.jpg

[Carl Babel]

Bob,

Your saved barn / workshop / kitchen-rebuild / job-transition has been an impressive journey! Thanks for taking us along.

[Bob Riefer]

Thanks for commenting Carl!

----

Well, that rickety old plywood assembly table finally got replaced as of yesterday. Found a craigs list deal on an industrial 2" thick butcher block. Left most of it's character exactly as I found it, and just strengthened the steel legs and added a shelf underneath. Gave the top a coat of poly for good measure, and that is that. Will add a vice soon. A well spent $75 and 2 hours of effort.


butcher block.jpg butcher block 1.jpg

[Bob Riefer]

Well, it's been a long time. I've been busy. Two full time jobs at once is brutal. But we're getting there.

Designed and sold several buildings now, and my first is build-in-process. This one is a 30x50 building with full 2nd story appartment. Clear span floor joists ensure that the 1st story shop has no posts in the way. Wrap around porch covering and a back deck. Nice.

first building.jpg

I also installed a floating floor in my own barn's exercise room. 1x3 sleepers, with 3/4" foam insulation in between each spacer, all topped with 3/4" T&G plywood and some carpet. Really nice. I may just do the entire workshop in the same style at some point.

Also been rennovating the home still. Never ends.

As such, no woodworking lately. Makes me sad, but there's only so many minutes to go around.

[Bob Riefer]

Holiday Tour Time!!!!!!!!!

I recently responded to a craigslist ad and picked up some great clamps for a great price. I hit it off the the guy, so he called me awhile later basically giving away a sanding station and drill press and a cabinet with drawers full of stuff. This prompted a reorganization of the shop.

So, here's the latest tour of my modest little shop. It may not be much, but I love it just the same.

Happy Holidays Sawmill Creek!
Shop tour Dec 2011 kids area.jpg shop tour Dec 2011 assembly area.jpg shop tour Dec 2011 desk under stairs.jpg shop tour Dec 2011 fastener counter.jpg shop tour Dec 2011 miter station and table saw.jpg shop tour Dec 2011 band saw new home and planer new cabinet.jpg

[Bob Riefer]

Well, I started on my 2nd adirondack chair now. What a pleasant experience it has been, funny how having a small bit of experience improves the process so much!

Efficiencies learned and applied this time:
- The shop layout is so much better I can barely even put words to it. I never find myself doubling back or walking in circles. Just a smooth dance from process to process.
- I'm much better at preparing rough lumber to usable boards. Much much much better. I enjoy it actually.
- The new assembly table makes it very much easier to work. It's the right size, the right height, and has the right mass to it.
- Having the retractable air hose and electrical cord above my assembly table has come in handy several times already.
- I organized my cut list such that all same width cuts, and all same length cuts were grouped together. Way more accurate and faster as well.
- For pair-pieces (such as arm rests) I taped my two prepared boards together and cut them at once, then used the sanding station to true them up. Identical pieces, 1/2 the cutting time.
- I used my new router table for the first time. Wow, what a speed gainer! No clamping, no hassle. And, I have it hooked up to the dust collector and had nearly zero mess after LOTS of routing.

Ready for sanding, drilling, plug cutting, and assembly now! Start of lumber prep to this point took about 2.5 hours total.

White oak. I would post a picture, but I can't get the file size small enough to fit.