Simple DIY shop made items for use in the shop. What have you made? Part II

[LCHIEN]

45° Miter sled for BT3000 SMT

Inspired by this Rockler miter-slot based jig which uses a very accurate 90 degree fence to cut two complementary 45 degree angles that add up to a perfect 90. To make better picture and other rectangular frames.



I designed this version that mounts to the SMT.




Construction detailed here

https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/discussions/project-related-discussions/848941-45-degree-miter-joint-jig-sled-for-bt3x-using-smt

[LCHIEN]

60 slots is not enough! Those things must multiply in the dark.

[dbhost]

And the best part, they were FREE!

Literally, my SIL has a house in Memorial. Her neighborhood was flooded in Harvey, one of the neighbors was throwing out a poor very soaked and warping / cracking old Armoire. I stopped and stripped the pulls when I saw it being thrown out... Helps to have screwdrivers in the car...

All of my drill stuff is put up now. Not sure I will need the drill press stand now. Might just redo / reinforce the mobile base and call it good.

[LCHIEN]

Recessed drawer pulls. Great for the shop so you don't catch your clothes, pockets and power cords on them all the time. No knobs and cleat-looking pulls.

[dbhost]

Probably stupidity simple, but the drawer arrangement for the miter saw cabinet.

It goes together pretty quick when cosmetics don't count...

The current organization is, and will likely be changed up as I figure out what works and what doesn't...

Top right, small drill bit sets, and the big set of router bits.


Bottom right, Forstner bit sets. TS accessories such as dado stack, throat plates, wrenches, box joint jig to to stored here I think...



Before I swing left, the view with the drawers closed. The pulls were salveaged off of an old Cherry Armoire that got flooded out and ruined by Hurricane Harvey floods in what was it now 2017?



Top left, pocket hole and dowelling jigs, hole saw sets, and the hammer drill. Small drilling bits and bobs as it were...



Drawer #4 is now done. And the stuff that I have been needing to stow in there is, well... Stowed. Except hte box joint jig. Not sure where I put that right now. WIll figure it out soon.

[LCHIEN]

RADIUS JIG ROUTER CORNER TEMPLATE

Made this set inexpensively after seeing commercial ones. Useful for putting rounded corners on pieces of wood and table tops and stuff quickly and accurately with a router.

Inspiration:

My version top
:
Bottom



Use with table mounted flush trim bit (with bottom bearing - bearing on top in table position)



Set the table mounted Flush trim router bit so the bearing will ride on the template curve and the cutter cutting the workpiece below.



Holder for set:





Construction hints:

• 4" squares of plywood, carefully mark off radius and cut/sand to line for smooth curve. Any imperfections in this curve will be in every copy so do a very good job. I used a plastic drafting circle template.
• Cut a long piece of angle wood with a rabbet that is 3/16" deeper than the plywood. This sets the minimum thickness of the material to be routed, Cut it into 2" long pieces. This will be the alignment piece, 2 per template.
• Drill a finger hole. this will permit you to pull the template tight to the corner safely away from the bit when routing on the table.
• Glue the alignment pieces to the plywood square as shown all the way to the end. If The diameter of the flush trim bit is 1/2" then the limit of the radius is 1.75" with a 4" square and 2" alignment. You can adjust with larger dimensions.
• Make multiple templates for your favorite radii.
• A 45 degree corner was also made. No limit to the shape you can make.
• Label them so they are easy to select and use right side up.
• The storage was an afterthought after observing how they stacked. Not necessary.

[LCHIEN]

I thought of this independently but I am apparently not the first to think of it.

https://www.rpwoodwork.com/blog/2015/04/21/is-there-a-good-drill-stop-out-there/

[capncarl]

Not one of my builds, but a simple modification to an existing piece of shop equipment everyone has and struggles with. The latest issue Woodworkers Journal featured a shop vac floor cleaning tool that someone had submitted with a couple of wood wheels crudely attached via bolts inside the tool. It allows the tool to roll across the floor rather than getting sucked tight to the floor.

[LCHIEN]

Non-fail Drill depth stop that cannot shift and overdrill.

I was drilling pilot holes for a table top from the bottom for mounting Z-clips and the table being 5/8" I wanted a no-fail depth stop that would not disastrously shift and drill through the top. No tape, none of those metal ring clamps that you tighten with a small allen wrench. They can all shift if you press too hard.

Here is my solution:


I just drilled a hole in a short dowel; its tight enough it won't fall off and I set the exposed length with a scale and then insert the bit (you want about one-half to one inch of shank remaining) until it bottoms against the chuck jaws. It doesn't even need to be well centered in the dowel, Mine was crooked all to ****.

If anything slips its the bit in the chuck and the hole gets shallower, not deeper.

[radhak]

That sticker marking the direction to go is a great idea.
Somehow it seems to drain my energy when I end up tightening while trying to loosen!

[LCHIEN]

Things to help changing Miter saw blades



Retracting the blade guard... It is spring loaded - you need a third hand or to disassemble it to get it out of the way. I now use a short Bungee cord to tie it back. On my saw the bungee cord presses the power trigger when I hook it through the handle so its also a good check to make sure you unplugged the saw before you started!





I also marked my arbor nut/bolt (on miter saws its usually a bolt) wrench to remind me that its a left handed thread, Unlike the table saw where I work from the side and use my right hand on the wrench, I work from the front of the miter saw and have to use my left hand which makes it a double-inversion in the brain and a physical direction reminder is always helpful.



Finally, At least on mine, there is an arbor lock button to keep the arbor from turning while wrenching on it. Here's where it is on mine:

[LCHIEN]

Power Strip Support

This not much to brag about but it serves a function. A normal power strip flops around on the ground with a 1 in three chance of pointing upwards where you can plug into it and moving around so its hard to work with one hand. If left there in the shop it fill up with sawdust.



This one:

• saves floor space
• place next to saw, router table, workbench or on top of workbench for small hand tools like hot melt gun, electric drill, orbital sander, Dremel-type tool
• has a step so you can put a foot on it and stabilize when you try and plug in or remove a plug
• raises it up so that you don't strain your back (important as you get older)
• keeps sawdust from falling into the openings
• has enough weight so stiff cords don't move it all around and stays in place.
• Portable, not attached to any piece of furniture

Scrap wood as usual. piece of 2x6 for the base. Free HF outlet strip.

One improvement I'd make is to make it 2" taller and drill a 1.25-1.5" finger hole in the top to serve as an easy carrying point. Or even a loop of zip tie may do the job.


oh, has a fingerlift hole now!

[LCHIEN]

Broke the ice, yes it did. And proves people actually read and understand these posts. Whew!

[capncarl]

I can’t say how I’ve ever built anything this dangerous or stupid! And if I did I wouldn’t take a picture of it and post,it on the internet! I hope it was just a gag and not really hooked up to a trailer! Of course you can find pages of photos of things people doing stupid stuff on moving vehicles! Anyway, it broke the ice!

[d_meister]

No, the tongue is on the trailer