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Upgrading The Shop Tools


RestorationAD

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Clamped all the legs together to cut them. Then figured out the radial arm saw wasn't big enough... so I ended up with a little left over.

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Cleaned it up with old #5. Of course since it is pine and I was in a rush it just friggin chipped out.

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So sometimes you need to convince things to it flat. That is what the strap and clamp are for. Minor adjustments before tacking the bits together. To get it all lined up and level I am using 3" screws to put it together. Don't worry I have plenty of dowel rods and glue coming once it is level.

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Time for the top. After attaching the top with screws I drilled the first pegholes. Then I used a brad to mark the other holes. Beat the top down on the pegs and the brad marks the top for the dowel. Beat it loose, flip it over, drill the dowel holes and we are in business.

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Here you can see the dowels that go through. I use the 3 inch screws to keep it all snug but I don't really need them. I had to beat the tops onto the pegs with a deadblow and a 2x4 scrap.

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Don't mind the long runner sticking out it is jet to keep it square while I get it pinned together more permanently.

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On this side is were the leg vise is going. Still a lot of work to do but at least it is usable now.

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Coming along nicely.

As soon as it finished and you're using it everyday you'll wonder how you survived so long without it. It's like that every time I add something to the workshop.

Lets hope so. I think you are right as most of the new additions are very welcome. For me the only tool that is not like that is the big 60" belt sander. I only use it for fretboard rough radius. Everytime I have to move it because it is in the way I ask myself if it is really necessary.

In order to facilitate the build process I destroyed the old work bench with a 2.5 lb sledge hammer. It was very satisfying and made the pieces fit in the trash can quiet well. Now I have no choice but finish this one.

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Swapping all the screws for pegs and glue. The frame on this should be pretty bullet proof when I am done.

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You can see the split in it. I really need to finish the center piece as working on finished guitars over the gap makes me nervous.

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Boiled linseed oil on the top. I am not sure it was the best choice but it will do until I redo the top in Maple.

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Man, Thats cool. kinda makes my approach look caveman-ish.

just a pile of 9X4 pine with a load of big coach bolts holding it all together, with a lump of angle iron bolting it to the wall for stability. Every 4-5 years or so I rip it all apart & make teles out of it. Im on my 5th encarnation of it now.

Any particular reason you are gonna top it with maple ? Id just leav it as pine & have at it. Its a work top, Its just gonna get drilled, hammered, chiseled, burned & god knows what else.

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Man, Thats cool. kinda makes my approach look caveman-ish.

just a pile of 9X4 pine with a load of big coach bolts holding it all together, with a lump of angle iron bolting it to the wall for stability. Every 4-5 years or so I rip it all apart & make teles out of it. Im on my 5th encarnation of it now.

Any particular reason you are gonna top it with maple ? Id just leav it as pine & have at it. Its a work top, Its just gonna get drilled, hammered, chiseled, burned & god knows what else.

Good point on the top. I am not sure why I feel like it should be rebuilt out of a harder wood. It is just something in my gut. Probably has to do with the way pine works. Sanding sucks, planing it sucks, jointing it sucks. It just overall sucks to work with. I guess I feel it would be squarer and flatter if I built it with better woods.

I have to remember I wanted to build it out of construction 2x4s to keep the cost low and to make it less likely to ding or dent guitar bodies.

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Perhaps the shpitchiness of Pine is making you feel that way? Should be alright in use.

The grain just sucks for using blade tools on, the pitch makes it gum up sanding tools on, the knots mess both up. Structural grade pine is not for precision work.

Clear yellow pine properly dried and stored with no knots is great to work with in comparison. However soft maple is cheaper here.

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Mate - I just googled the SuperMax 19-38 to see what fabulous thing you've found and I'll stop you in your tracks right now... KEEP THE JET

The SuperMax looks very close to a rebadged version of what I have and its a piece of ****. I had mine for only months and had to have the PC board replaced on warranty because the drive motor gets so hot. The thing overloads all the time and i'ts not so long since It was shim adjusted square and the thing needs to be set up again. Cheap piece of crap.

Check out what Perry's new machine is - looks like a beast.

Heres mine here and it's on the tattslotto/upgrade list:

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What is wrong with it?

SR

At the open end the sander is .0625 or so higher than the closed end. And the deflection on hard woods is pretty bad if you try to take too big a bite. The old Performax before Jet bought them have a non adjustable beam. You have to shim them to get them to sand flat. Not fun. The other problem is the belt table flexes so sometimes it will dig into the wood and put a trench right across the body. Because of the deflection and overall flex it also likes to nerf the ends of bodies. I compensate for nerf by running a scrap piece of stock through but it is a PITA.

My old 10-20 Jet never did any of this. Once I dialed it in it was .005 from one end to the other. The only problem with it was I couldn't run full bodies through.

I might just try and buy a 10-20 again for neck work and only use the new big one for bodies and glued tops...

Mate - I just googled the SuperMax 19-38 to see what fabulous thing you've found and I'll stop you in your tracks right now... KEEP THE JET

The SuperMax looks very close to a rebadged version of what I have and its a piece of ****. I had mine for only months and had to have the PC board replaced on warranty because the drive motor gets so hot. The thing overloads all the time and i'ts not so long since It was shim adjusted square and the thing needs to be set up again. Cheap piece of crap.

Check out what Perry's new machine is - looks like a beast.

Where should I look for to see Perry's new machine?

As for the SuperMax. It is not a re-badge. SuperMax is one of the spin off companies from when Performax was sold off. That is why they look similar. A lot of the single ended drum sanders look like the old Performax.

There are lots of companies that take Asian tools and re-badge them (Jet, Grizzly come to mind) . Mostly they suck. There are a few companies that start with Asian tools and actually make them better (Laguna). They suck sometimes.

Then there are real equipment companies that build stuff. SuperMax is one of those. The motors and speed controls are built specific to SuperMax. They solved the belt changing issues by giving you room to get your fingers in. They have a flip lever to change the deck for open ended sanding.

I am not saying the SuperMax is great but it is better than a Jet. I always talk to the local cabinet guys and they recommend it over all the other models.

Now. That doesn't mean I am getting one as I still have research to do. I don't really need 19". The most I really need 16" and an open end. I also need accuracy.

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Man o Man. I went and put my hands on the SuperMax 19-38 today and I have to say it is a nice machine. It was right next to the Jet 16-32 and you could tell the quality difference. The Jet was feeble and flexed when you leaned on the beam. The SuperMax beam is solid and does not flex and has a metal shroud instead of plastic to boot.

Now for the problem. Sitting off to the side was a lightly used (demo unit less than 100 hours) SuperMax ShopPro 25 Drum Sander. This is WAY bigger than I need but we are talking serious stock removal and dead flat accuracy. It is only 200.00 dollars more than the SuperMax 19-38. Too good a deal to pass up. I just have to find room for it.

Tonight I will see where I can put the beast... I might sell the big Jet belt sander that I only use to radius fretboards.

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Sounds like a score.

You're lucky you can view these things in person. Most tools I buy are sight unseen and rely on sakes people's word filled up by Internet reviews as I live in a rural city so tool ships don't hold much large stock.

To view in person is a luxury which can save a lot of money

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Working on the center for the bench. I have set aside an hour a weekend to work on bench upgrades so it doesn't kill my production. Once this is dry I will use the jointer to square it up. As you can see I have very large dogs to set in it.

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I moved my bench vise over. I think I like it. I used it a lot already.

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