Thursday, December 10, 2015

Handy Chart



I found this handiest of handy charts on WoodMagazine.com. Good to hang a copy next to the router station as a quick reminder. Always worth double checking which side of the router to put the template V's an edge guide. There's more explanation in the article here.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Further Explorations.


I started doodling in my sketch book, and a computer drawing, and playing with some lines on a piece of 1/4" mdf. I'd like to come away with a reading lamp in the end, we'll just have to see what materialises.


Try cross cut this load without a sliding table, 2' X 8'. Cutting some chunks of 3/4" mdf for a bent lamination form.


Laminating the chunks of mdf together for a 1.5" form in my makeshift press. I've tried explaining to my glue-up buddy that it's not possible to read and glue stuff at the same time. Voracious bookworm.


Using the 1/4" mdf female pattern and a template guide on the plunge router to rout a 1/4" or so groove in the form. I used a 1" diameter straight bit, the same as my planned thickness of the stack of laminations, critical.



Once the two parts of the form were separated on the bandsaw, I cut as close to my line as I dared, then loaded the whiteside. The bearing of the whiteside rides on the surface routed from the template, and cleans things up to a perfect 90.


Finally decided which plank to sacrifice, prep some stock and start milling laminations.


The marks cut into the end of the stock helps keep the laminations in the same orientation as they were in the plank. I also make pencil lines across the face marking the grain direction to help when sending the laminations through the planer.


The two part form waiting for laminations.


I managed to hit the 1" target for total thickness of all the laminations, you want to be exact here, the inside and outside radius of these elaborate curves is vastly different. These laminations were 60" long, surpassing the 48" maloof rockers.


There it is, possibly some kind of lamp part.


Clamps



Thankfully 'stock up on clamps' day finally arrived.