Major
Project
Article
MAR/APR
2004
Volume 47/Issue 2
IN
THIS ISSUE
Project
Articles
•
Strip Laminate Bending
• The Turned Hall Tree
• Two Great Kitchen Gift Items
DEPARTMENTS
•
Ask Smitty
• Owner’s Gallery
• Letters from Owners
•
New Baby Workshop Calendar
Academy Notes
Clean
Cuts - Pt. 5- Sharpening Jointer, Molder & Shaper Knives
Service Pointers
Troubleshooting
the Shopsmith Lathe Duplicator
Safety Tips
Safety Cans for Flammable Liquids
What's
New
Check
out our New Shopsmith Website
EDUCATION
• Find
A Shopsmith Woodworking Academy Near You
•
National
Woodworking Academy in Dayton, OH
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CATALOGS
• Online Accessory Catalog
•
Request
Printed Accessory Catalog
• Online
Replacement Parts Catalog
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V INFORMATION
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MARK V Demo Near You
•
Request
MARK V Information Package
LINKS
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•
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Contacting
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Copyright
2004.
Shopsmith, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Strip Laminate Bending
If, on the other hand, you don't have a Thickness Planer but do have a Jointer, your ability to smooth the surfaces of your laminated strips will be limited by the width of your Jointer Knives (4" for Shopsmith Jointers). With the Jointer method, start by jointing one edge of your stock. Next, resaw off a strip using your Bandsaw...then run the opposing side over your Jointer knives, bringing it to final dimension.
CAUTION: The faces of stock thinner than 1/4" should never be run over a jointer. For stock 1/4" or thicker, be sure to use Push Blocks and Feather Boards to control your stock when performing these operations.
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| Fig. 4. The table saw is used to remove bandsaw marks from the strips. Note positions of the Feather Boards and Fence Straddler. NOTE: Auxiliary guard, made from 1/4" plywood and 3/4" scrap wood are required. |
You can also use the Table Saw setup shown in Figure 4 to remove bandsaw kerf marks. For best results, use a Carbide-Tipped or Hollow Ground Saw Blade. Repeat the chosen processes above until you have all the laminate strip stock you need to create your project component(s).
TIP: Butt together shorter laminate strips and attach with masking tape. Gluing masking tape into the lamination prevents voids between the butted pieces and will not show or substantially weaken the bend. Stagger the strips joined with tape between the single-piece layers.
Step 5: Glue-Up
Preparation
Clamping is critical! You must carefully plan out how you are going
to clamp the laminate strips into your form.
For a Single-Piece Form, use C-Clamps, Bar Clamps, Pipe Clamps, Handscrew Clamps, old bicycle innertubes, Cam Clamps or even wooden blocks connected with bolts, nuts and washers. The sizes of the clamps you use will have to be adjusted to the application, of course.
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|
Fig. 5. Clamps for Positive/Negative Forms can be made form channel iron and 1/2" threaded rod. |
For a Positive/Negative Form, you'll need more pressure but fewer clamps. Half-inch threaded rod and channel iron work well for these forms (See Fig. 5). Once you've planned your clamps, go through a dry run to decide how you're going to make it all work and whether you can do it fast enough.
Depending on whether or not you want your joints to be waterproof, there are a number of glues to use. If your project is for indoor use, you can use conventional aliphatic resin (yellow) woodworker's glue. There are also “Extended Open Time” versions of this glue that will give you more time for assembly before they start to set-up. If your project is for exterior use, you'll find a host of products on the market that are impervious to moisture.
