I am working on a dovetailed box project, and ended up with a problem that I needed to solve. You see I ended up causing a bit of a wave on the surface after sanding the pins and tails flush with my EB4424.
My brain got to working on the problem, and the only thought that kept springing to mind was hand planes, or more specifically how you flatten the soles of them...
Then it hit me. I could make a long float / plane sort of gizmo with a reasonably flat sole out of scrap cabinet grade ply...
Well 30 minutes later, after taking a full sheet of sandpaper, folding it and cutting it halfway lengthwise, so I have 2 4.25" wide x 11" long sections, I used those to set the fence for the TS to rip my ply, and again, the 22" for the long sole... But what to use as a handle? I wanted good grip, and I already had 3/4" cabinet grade ply scrap laying around. Out came the jig saw, a pencil, and a most likely bad idea... Rough cut the handle on the jig saw, keeping the straight edge on the bottom so that it sits flush when I attach it, then off to the sander to refine it, including rolling finger grip recesses into it, and knocking the corners off anywhere the hand will touch... Ahhh nice and smooth!
Finally line up where the handle goes, mark it, and drill / countersink for some 1.5" deck / fence screws. Hey, at least they won't rust anytime soon! Good flush fit... Now for the 3M Super 77 spray adhesive, and apply the abrasive... Let dry...
Lastly, Test run and discovery... I noted 2 things...
#1. After the first stroke with this thing, I found I was grabbing the handle like a hand plane, instead of over the top like a float. I should have designed the handle more like a tote on a plane. Oops. Not too bad though, the grip was good, but if I had to do it over again, I might have gone multi grip with this one!
#2. In use, it works just like a plane. Maybe I should have included a knob?
#3. In use, it works fantastically for such a simple device... I can take a nice 22" ish long stroke against the workpiece, and with 80 grit, that produces a LOT of dust...
#4. When I get a big design inspiration, I get somewhat stupid. All that cutting and sanding, and I completely forgot to turn on the dust collector! I need a remote and a dedicated circuit for that thing, NOW...
Well, now I have to connect the box to the lid, and prep the bottom for a removeable base. FWIW, the box that I am working on is a seriously upgraded urn for my beloved labrador Deacon that passed away last year... We still miss him, a lot...
My brain got to working on the problem, and the only thought that kept springing to mind was hand planes, or more specifically how you flatten the soles of them...
Then it hit me. I could make a long float / plane sort of gizmo with a reasonably flat sole out of scrap cabinet grade ply...
Well 30 minutes later, after taking a full sheet of sandpaper, folding it and cutting it halfway lengthwise, so I have 2 4.25" wide x 11" long sections, I used those to set the fence for the TS to rip my ply, and again, the 22" for the long sole... But what to use as a handle? I wanted good grip, and I already had 3/4" cabinet grade ply scrap laying around. Out came the jig saw, a pencil, and a most likely bad idea... Rough cut the handle on the jig saw, keeping the straight edge on the bottom so that it sits flush when I attach it, then off to the sander to refine it, including rolling finger grip recesses into it, and knocking the corners off anywhere the hand will touch... Ahhh nice and smooth!
Finally line up where the handle goes, mark it, and drill / countersink for some 1.5" deck / fence screws. Hey, at least they won't rust anytime soon! Good flush fit... Now for the 3M Super 77 spray adhesive, and apply the abrasive... Let dry...
Lastly, Test run and discovery... I noted 2 things...
#1. After the first stroke with this thing, I found I was grabbing the handle like a hand plane, instead of over the top like a float. I should have designed the handle more like a tote on a plane. Oops. Not too bad though, the grip was good, but if I had to do it over again, I might have gone multi grip with this one!
#2. In use, it works just like a plane. Maybe I should have included a knob?
#3. In use, it works fantastically for such a simple device... I can take a nice 22" ish long stroke against the workpiece, and with 80 grit, that produces a LOT of dust...
#4. When I get a big design inspiration, I get somewhat stupid. All that cutting and sanding, and I completely forgot to turn on the dust collector! I need a remote and a dedicated circuit for that thing, NOW...
Well, now I have to connect the box to the lid, and prep the bottom for a removeable base. FWIW, the box that I am working on is a seriously upgraded urn for my beloved labrador Deacon that passed away last year... We still miss him, a lot...
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