Rack It - Timber Rack

In November 2010 I first posted about building a wood rack for long lumber. Well... 4 1/2 years later the project never got off the ground, so I took a different strategy. Down to Bunnings for some metal shelving. I'm using 3 x 900mm wide 2.1m tall shelving units. There are lots of advantages to this system - quick (took less than 2 hours to buy and install), easy inspection and access, termite proof, and eacg shelf rated at 750kg. Wasn't cheap though.     

Planer Tune Up

The planer / thicknesser combo was an easier tune up. I purchased some new blades from carbatec (took over 2 months to arrive, despite me checking that they were in stock before ordering). The old blades I have had sharpened locally. Always a little tricky to level the three blades which are suspended by 12 springs and 15 bolts. 

Bandsaw Tune Up

The current HiFi project requires some 50mm timber resawed and machined to 18mm. Assuming the bandsaw was still in top condition after more than a year since serious use... was a mistake. The first resaw job looked like I was making shingles with a beautiful cut at the top and a wedge at the bottom. The culprits were a combination low blade tension and the lower blade guide having come loose. It was a good excuse to take it all about and give a clean. Immediate rewards from a little maintenance with the remainder of the cuts working well. 

A couple of useful links:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/tool-guide/video/how-to-set-up-a-bandsaw.aspx

http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/video/how-to-resaw-on-the-bandsaw-video.aspx

New Project: HiFi Cabinet

After a long hiatus from furniture making, I have a new project, a small entertainment cabinet. Should be a 'straight-forward' project with a few points of interest. Tomorrow I start the rough cuts. 

A Tree House Update

I don't get much time to blog anymore. A quick post to show you the updated treehouse; complete and operational. The tallowwood also boasts fairy lights scattered through its leaves.

Tree House Progress: Posts & Rails

With a new shipment of timber, I've made some progress on the tree house. The posts are made of tallowood milled to 72x72mm, the handrails milled to 72x60mm. Tested out the new carbitool handrail router bit. All worked well and quickly. Still a bit to do. 

To do the initial break down I used some old saw horses and the trusty circ. 

Windmaster 250mm Clear Turbobeam

A quick shed upgrade - Windmaster 250mm Clear Turbobeam Whirlybird. The shed is an uninsulated metal box in a climate which can be rather warm (45.6c a month ago.) Inside temps could be 5-10 degrees hotter than the outside world. 

With the Whirlybird installed and ventilation improved the temp appears similar to the outside world and usually a little cooler. The clear plastic allows a significant amount of natural light. (Unfortunately there is some flickering with its rotation.)

(By the way, with the windows open and the 30' industrial fan, the shed is a very workable environment even on a hot day.)

Unboxing the Router Bits

Carbitool is an Australian company that makes a variety of cutting tools including router bits. Their quality is as good as any brand I've used and they have a great range. My order from AP Workshop arrived yesterday and I couldn't be happier with their service. I placed my order Sunday, received personal email confirmation that night, email at dispatch, and they arrived Thursday. Because of the size of the order it was all 30% off RRP and shipping was modest.

Among the more interesting bits in the collection is this stacked classical rail and stile bit. The most expensive and complex bit in the collection should prove invaluable forming cardboard doors and the newell posts.

Preparing the Tree House Platform

Here on four saw horses sits the frame for the tree house platform.

The joinery is a series of rabbets cut on the tablesaw. (Which is really the first time I've had to break in the new saw. Worked well. Good power. Quiet.) There'll be two other beams across the narrow section. Then those four beams will sit on the main supports.

The boards are old hardwood planks the previous owner was using for shelving. Machined, they look rather nice. Looks like blackbutt. 

AP Workshop

I'm testing out a new company AP Workshop to supply Carbitool Router Bits. These bits will be used for the Stair Case and Tree House projects.  Now to wait for the postman.

T 924 B 1/2 ----- CHAMFERING BIT 45 deg W/BRG  

TPDS 11 B 1/2 ----- STACKED PANEL DOOR BIT W/BEAR D/F 

THR 60 B 1/2 ----- STAIR HANDRAIL BIT 

TBR 616 B 1/2 ----- DOUBLE BEAD W/BRG

TML 60 1/2 ----- MITRE LOCK BIT 

TTC 16 B 1/2 ----- TRADITIONAL CLASSICAL 1/4 W/BRG  

T 512 B 1/2 ----- ROUND OVER 3/8 W/BRG