I Roll on Shabbos
January 2nd, 2009All my Saw’s Base are Belong to Me
My saw has a mobile base! It’s incredible! I can push it around the garage, like a sweaty, angry tugboat mooring an aircraft carrier!
I got an HTC 3000 base for it. Now that I have seen how simple a saw base is, and how little steel it takes to hold a 700-pound object, I wish I had made a base from scratch. I could have done a better job. This one is generally okay, but it partially obstructs the dust collection hole, so if I want dust collection, I’m going to have to cut off a piece of the reducer I ordered to hook the saw up to the shop-vac. Maybe I’ll scrounge up some metal and weld up a base. I don’t need it, but that’s no excuse not to do it.
You would be surprised how easy it is to put a huge saw on a base without help. It’s pretty hard, but that’s easy, compared to impossible. And impossible is what I expected. You tilt the saw and put wood under it, and then you tilt it again to get the base between the wood and the saw. Then you put it all together, and you find a way to get the wood out.
I have a hoist, but I don’t trust it with this much weight.
I am now officially out of excuses for not using the saw. With the base working, I can put the rails on the saw, and that means I can put a router extension on it.
Could I be approaching the point where I actually DO something with tools?
I sure hope not.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:45 AM
“All my Saw’s Base are Belong to Me”
Now that’s obscure. Show of hands. Who else got it?
January 3rd, 2009 at 7:49 PM
Steve,
You will eventually use those tools, but “getting ready” is at least as much fun as actually doing something. I hate to say it, but you’re a long way from done with tool aquisition. 🙂
January 4th, 2009 at 3:51 AM
You need to find something to make with all your tools.
Myself, I started woodworking out of nessessity. I play bass guitar and helped form a band about 2 years ago. We needed a PA system and seeing we were all flat broke, I researched DIY PA cabinets and wandered into http://www.billfitzmaurice.com Powerful and efficient folded horns that you can make for a quarter of the cost of conventional gear. Sound amazing too.
Started with some cheap power tools but now have some pretty good Jet, Dewalt and Craftsman stuff. Now it’s time to make some new home theater speakers as well as some furniture. Very satisfing hobby.
January 4th, 2009 at 12:17 PM
Steve,
If the idea is to keep adding tools then check out this article on SurvivalBlog.com. I know that it is generally bad form to just post crosslinks in comments, but when I read the article I immediately thought of you. The following is the first couple of sentences of the article.
“The [home-made] MultiMachine is an accurate all-purpose machine tool that can be used as a metal or wood lathe, end mill, horizontal mill, drill press, wood or metal saw or sander, surface grinder and sheet metal “spinner”. It can be built by a semi-skilled mechanic using just common hand tools. For machine construction, electricity can be replaced with “elbow grease” and all the necessary material can come from discarded vehicle parts.”
How much better can it be. Create a do almost anything tool from discarded parts! Anyway it’s an interesting read.
Jim
January 5th, 2009 at 1:56 PM
“All my Saw’s Base are Belong to Me”
Now that I have stopped laughing…
Awesome! Thanks!
It’s the simple things, I guess…