Saturday, June 27, 2015

Drill Press Easy Lever





My drill press lever had a good workout when I made my Wood pipes
 and wood scroll holder. I used a hole saw and cut plenty of circles. It took 
some  time  and I was forever holding the lever and applying pressure. I 
thought what if I could add a weight and let the lever do most of the work
 by itself!






To start I will first make a handle and  this will hold some weight.
 I found this pipe in my shop and cut a piece off with my angle grinder.



Because cutting free hand is not that accurate I put it on the belt sander
 and squared it up. It was very easy to do and it turned out perfect.

Then maple end caps are made with a hole saw.....


       I did not have a hole saw to match the inside of the pipe handle 
    so I cut a larger circle and will sand it down to get the right fit. 


                   Now I am sanding the edge of the cap and testing it frequently to get the
    right size. It has to be a tight fit because it will be holding lead.


The cap is on, I used a vise to compress it in the pipe.




                               Now it's time to add some lead, when it was full I used a pipe  and
                               tapped down the end cap. I place a  washer on top of the cap so 
                               when I tapped it the maple cap would not split.


                             The threaded rod I used is 3/8", this is what fits the drill press. To 
                             cut it I placed it in the vise and used my vise jaw liner so I would
                             not mark the threaded rod.





















The handle is finished and a wingnut is put on, it can be adjusted
to different lengths along the threaded rod to change the weight.




The drill press at work. I was able to do other things in my shop while
it was cutting.


















I tested many pieces of wood and saws and found no problems.
This would work best with hole saws and  I did not try it with
 regular drill bits because they would drill too fast.



See Also:

Table saw clamp                    Circle cutting jig                      Table saw with safety feature

                                          

Dust collector                        French Cleats Plus                     Making Dowels

                                         












Monday, June 15, 2015

Small hygometer






                                         I made a large wooden hygrometer a while ago and now
                                         wanted to try make a smaller hygrometer. I use it to measure  
                                         the relative humidity in my shop and to show customers
                                         how humidity makes changes in wood. 


                               Since the gauge will be used for my work and my shop I made a 
                               slot the size  of a business card so I can record the humidity cycles
                               throughout the year.



                                I wanted to change the wood from my last one so I found this piece 
                               of  Cherry in my scrap pile, it was some leftovers from a hardwood 
                               floor.  



                              Here are the pieces laid out, they are the same size as the one I made
                              a few weeks earlier. The first one I made was my prototype and it
                              turned out very nice so did not have to modify anything.

        Size of the box - L 166 mm. W 58 mm. H 25 mm. Arm L 135mm.



                              Glueing the sides and one end only. I did not glue one of the ends 
                              since this piece will hold the arm and will be glued when the arm is 
                              ready. The other end will be raised to make a slot for a business card.




                               Here are the two pieces to be glued together. I used some mahogany 
                               veneer and some Sitka Spruce. The Spruce will be the driver so the 
                               grain must run against each other. But first they need to be dried.



                              To dry them I made this hot box,  I  used a plastic box, trouble
                              light 60W. and a board for a  lid. I left this overnight to let out as much
                              moisture as it could. I checked it with a gauge and the temperature 
                              was at 45 degrees and the humidity was under 20%.



                               Next morning I glued it and  put it back in the hot box for an hour
                               to let the glue set. I did not want to introduce any new humidity
                               to upset the glue joint.



                              Easy way to trim the veneer is with a pair of scissors, then use 
                              a belt sander to clean it up. The arm is now hydrating and you can 
                              see it slowly changing.


                                A small notch was cut in the end block and the arm was glued in. 
                                Now this can be glued to the box. When you stain it leave the arm out 
                                and glue it later. I gave mine a coat of Varathane.


                              The arm is attached and it is slowly moving. In my shop the humidity
                              is at 45%.  Last month it was at 75% . Humidity changes day to day
                              and with the business card slot it is interesting to record and see the 
                              changes.




                            




                             Here are some of my other related videos on how to make panels
                             used to make the hygrometers, hot box and glueing etc.









See also:
   
Woodworking and Pianos             Table saw sled cutting grooves             Wood clamp