STL243: Are big squares necessary?
Mike, Anissa, and Ben discuss big squares, assembly tables, woodworking with friends, and Anissa's new obsession: plexiglass divider construction.
This episode is sponsored by Maverick Abrasives and Pony/Jorgensen
Question 1:
From James:
Greetings to the terrific podcast crew at FWW!
What kind of things can woodworkers do when they get together? Are there small projects that are great for a couple of people to work on together? Are there other things to do in the shop that are better than working on a project together? Sharpening, refurbishing, watching FWW workshops? Is a trip to the lumberyard a better thing to do? Or do two woodworkers just get in each other’s way?
Both my father and father-in-law share my interest in woodworking, so when they come to visit I’d love to do some woodworking or something woodworking related with them. Do you have any ideas?
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Question 2:
From Ken:
For high-quality cabinet making (sheet goods) is a high quality framing square, perhaps with stair gauges, actually good enough, e.g. tolerances at 18+ inches? Or, is just getting an 18 or 24 inch blade for a combo square an alternative? The sticker shock of the high-end giant squares got me wondering.
*It doesn’t look like John White did an article on his fancy framing square
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Question 3:
From Monte:
I am having trouble finding a flat, plane surface on which to build furniture. I’ve been using a poor man’s assembly table (a hollow core interior door set over low sawhorses), thinking that the torsion box design of the door would provide an acceptably flat surface on which to build. My shop floor is uneven. My workbench is too small to assemble a large piece of furniture. I have no table saw with its supposedly dead flat surface on which I might build. Hence I bought a Luan interior door.
A recent project weighed nearly a hundred pounds. All four legs sat flush on the surface of the door and the legs were centered over the supporting sawhorses. I tested for flat by changing the position of the piece several times. Each time, the legs sat flush on the surface. When I moved the piece to its intended place of service however, the legs wobbled enough that I needed to shim opposing legs. I am thinking that the weight of the piece may have compressed the thin walls of the door enough to make the piece appear to be setting evenly, though I cannot say this with certainty. I am wondering what each of you use when you assemble a four-legged piece of furniture. Should I make a more robust torsion box on which to build, or is there another solution?
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Every two weeks, a team of Fine Woodworking staffers answers questions from readers on Shop Talk Live, Fine Woodworking‘s biweekly podcast. Send your woodworking questions to [email protected] for consideration in the regular broadcast! Our continued existence relies upon listener support. So if you enjoy the show, be sure to leave us a five-star rating and maybe even a nice comment on our iTunes page.
Comments
Ben, You're right about the 3 4 5 right triangle.
To answer Anissa's question I have used the floor sweeper attachment to a shop dust collector system, it works quite well actually. I think maybe the angle that it sweeps and vacuums best might be a bit odd it does however sweep and vacuum the shop floor.
Blowing out the shop with a leaf blower is a wonderful thing. I slap on a dust mask, put a giant fan by the garage door to help carry out the airborne dust, and go to town with the blower. Bonus: you find all sorts of cool stuff that rolled under your bench and stationary tools.
On the plexiglass topic, there was definitely a shortage. We use plexiglass and Lexan at my work to make molds for making foam wound dressings. Through our supplier, normal lead times had been 4 - 6 weeks for our routine deliveries. During Covid, lead times increased to 12 - 16 weeks and we had to accept different grades of material (depending on their availability). My guess is that most people didn't see this because big box stores (and their buying power) were able to pull a lot of the supply.
I semiconductors the endorsement of the whole-shop blowout. It will get to places that you would never think to clean, could never reach, or do not even know you have.
Lead blowing the shop is a normal thing for me. It’s amazing how well it works. I point fan at the door to push it all outside.
Plexiglas is a brand name for extruded acrylic plastic. So is Lucite. Lexan is a brand name for polycarbonate plastic.
I bought my floor sweeper attachment at Home Depot. I use it all the time. Works great.
Huy Huynh, The Alabama Woodworker, has commented on using his leaf blower to clear out his shop on a monthly basis. Following his example, I've started doing it, and it really does the trick. You have to remember to put your sandpaper and other light items away, and you'll want to open the windows and every window to keep the gas smell out, but otherwise it's the best strategy for getting rid of residual dust (and leaves, if your shop doubles as a garage).
I recently bought the vacuum attachment for my dust collector. I haven't hooked it up yet, but expect/hope that it will serve even better than the shop vac. My only concern comes from Sandor Nagyszalanczy's book which mentions that vacuuming any metallic object could create a spark when it hits the impeller blade.
This episode was interrupted by 2 hours of listening to Keith Jarrett, The Koln concert. Excellent.
I think a better investment for the guy asking about the large square is a track saw rail square. Only having to measure one single tick mark before cutting is a huge time saver.
I just want to throw in sandpaper stuck to a hacksaw blade (teeth ground off). It makes a great needle file for kumiko adjustments, dovetail refining etc.
Hey Ben, Mike, Anissa! Love the podcast. I have in fact used my leaf blower (DeWalt 20V XR) to blow out the shop. Usually once a week. It works well, and it is as satisfying as it sounds. Just need to make the the small stuff on your benchtops are put away!
I have the dust right floor sweep and the bench sweep from rockler. Both work great with my dust collector.
I used to work at a cabinet shop where my boss had constructed a dead flat/level floating floor on top of the concrete where our dead flat and level torsion box assembly tables where. It really made everything a lot easier, especially setting reveals between doors.
One cabinet shop I worked in years ago, we would build, finish and install said cabinets. As soon as I walked across the floor of the study, I could feel the floor going uphill. My associate thought me wrong until I placed a roll of tape on the floor and allowed it to roll across the floor by itself. We had 1-5/8" of drop over 12 feet. This was a brand new house! I don't think anyone on that job knew what a level was or how to use it.
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