Smitty
SEPT/OCT
2002
Volume 45/Issue 5
IN
THIS ISSUE
Project
Articles
•
The Toy Train
• The Cold Frame
• The Toy Puzzles & Kitchen Helpers
DEPARTMENTS
•
Ask Smitty
• Owner’s Gallery
• Letters from Owners
Academy Notes
Using
the Shopsmith Mortising Attachment to Drill Square Holes
Service Pointers
MARK
V Wedge Locks & Way Tubes
Safety Tips
Using
the Shopsmith Safety Kit
What's
New
Incra
Miter Gauge 2000
EDUCATION
• Find
A Shopsmith Woodworking Academy Near You
• National
Woodworking Academy in Dayton, OH
ONLINE
CATALOGS
• Online Accessory Catalog
• Request
Printed Accessory Catalog
• Online
Replacement Parts Catalog
MARK
V INFORMATION
• Find
A Shopsmith
MARK V Demo Near You
• Request
MARK V Information Package
LINKS
•
Links Worth Visiting
•
Free Woodworking
Tips
FEEDBACK
Contacting
Shopsmith
Copyright
2002.
Shopsmith, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
ASK
SMITTY!
Here
are the questions . . .
and SMITTY’S answers for this issue!
MARK
V owner is concerned about noise disturbing his neighbor
From Chris Bagdikian, via email:
In preparation for using my new Shopsmith - which is presumably
somewhere between here and Dayton - I have decided that I need to soundproof
my garage since it has a common wall with a neighbor's living room (and
I happen to like the neighbor).
Several people have suggested building a floating wall -studding a new wall one inch inside the existing wall with no direct connection between the two. These friends also agree that some type of membrane will be needed at the top plate (where the studs are wedged to the solid ceiling) and the sill plate on the floor to absorb vibration (the slab is common, too).
But there, unanimity ceases. Membrane material suggestions include the rubberized stuff used on some flat roofs, tufted rubberized carpet padding and Styrofoam. Any suggestions - or other advice?
You are to be applauded for your consideration! Too few folks these days have any concern whatsoever for their neighbors.
However, if I were you, I'd wait until I had received my MARK V and “made some sawdust”. Alert your neighbor first, if you like and tell him/her that you'd like to run a “test” to see about any problems.
I don't believe you'll have to worry about vibrations. The MARK V runs smoothly. If you get a lot of vibration, you're probably not doing something properly. High-pitched sawing/jointing/planing noise (if you purchased a jointer or planer), maybe. Other operations should cause no problems.
If the high-pitched noises bother your neighbor, you could try covering the wall with rigid acoustical ceiling tiles (2' x 4' panels). They're fairly inexpensive. Or...weather permitting, you could simply roll your MARK V out into the driveway and do your sawing, there.
Run your “test” first and quiz your neighbor. You may have no problems whatsoever. Again, your neighbor should be “tickled pink” to have YOU as a neighbor.
How
to level table legs
From Dave Rosier, via e-mail:
I have seen some articles on leveling table legs, but can't seem
to remember them or find them now. Perhaps you could give me some good
solutions to this problem. I just made a coffee table and am having trouble
getting it to level out.
First, you'll need a FLAT surface. Flatness is absolutely necessary. A piece of laminate-covered countertop is ideal. If it's a small table, a piece of glass will work. Stand your table on your flat surface. Place 10# to 15# of weight on the tabletop.
Wobble the table to see which leg (or legs) are short. Place wedges of paper, cardboard or wood under the short leg(s) until it's wobble-free. Get a small, thin piece of scrap wood that's just slightly thicker (1/16" or so) than the space between your flat surface and the gap left by your shortest leg. Lay this piece of scrap wood next to the leg...and using a freshly SHARPENED, HARD pencil... scribe a line all the way around the leg, moving your scrap wood around the leg as you scribe your line. It's important that you hold your pencil at the same angle throughout this process.
Now, without moving your table, RE-SHARPEN your pencil and repeat the process for your next leg. RE-SHARPEN your pencil and repeat the process for your next leg, etc. Once you've marked all of the legs, cut them off to be just slightly longer than your lines.
Using a disc sander (or palm sander), sand each leg down to your line. Replace the table on your flat surface and test for stability. At this point, it's an on-going process of trial-and-error...sanding a little...testing...sanding a bit more, etc. until your table is wobble-free.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
