Smitty
SEPT/OCT
2004
Volume 47/Issue 5
IN
THIS ISSUE
Project
Articles
•
Living Room Sofa Table
• Nob Hill Cable Car
• Two-Shelf Telephone Stand/Side Table
DEPARTMENTS
•
Ask Smitty
• Owner’s Gallery
• Letters from Owners
•
New Baby Workshop Calendar
Academy Notes
Hardwood
Information You Should Know - Pt 2
Service Pointers
Disc
Sander
Woodworking
Technologies
Stepped Dowels
Safety
Safety Lessons I've Learned
What's
New
Referral
Rewards Program
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
2004.
Shopsmith, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
ASK SMITTY!
Don't worry, SMITTY can help. Just use the special e-mail link to send your questions to SMITTY. He’ll do his best to get back to you soon, with the answers to those questions.
Here are the questions . . . and SMITTY’S answers for this issue!
If you're having a problem
setting-up, aligning or maintaining your Shopsmith equipment, you should
contact Shopsmith's Technical Support Staff (NOT Smitty).
Call TOLL-FREE, 1-800-762-7555 during normal business hours to
speak directly with a Shopsmith Technical Support Representative.
Printer friendly PDF copy of article (18K)
Trouble
with Mortising Attachment
From Dan Birt via email:
I have
a Mark 510 and a Mortising Attachment. I have tried for over 15 years
to make it work. The drill does not seem to cut. And the instructions
call for the hold-down to fit in a hole in the fence...but there's no
hole. Any suggestions ?
Sounds like you have an “OLD” Mortising Attachment for a new machine.
The Hold-Down for the 510 Fence uses a special vertical rod with a tapped hole in the bottom that attaches to a T-Slot insert. This insert slides in the T-Slot in the top of your fence. You'll need to call Shopsmith's Customer Services to order this Rod and T-Slot insert (1-800-543-7586)
Now....for the cutting problem. Hollow Chisel Mortisers are a bit tricky. First, even when they're sharpened properly, they require a LOT of pressure to cut...especially when working with hardwoods. For that reason, when using a Mortiser, it's ALWAYS a good idea to cut a wooden “third leg” support that stands between the underside of the worktable and the shop floor.
Many woodworkers remove most of the stock first by boring a series of holes....then clean up the perimeter with the Mortising set-up. Finally, the chisel must be SHARP to cut properly. The older Mortising sets were not really honed properly when they came from the factory.
When you talk to Customer Services, tell them when you BELIEVE your Mortising Attachment was made and they'll sell you the proper honing stones for sharpening YOUR chisels. These stones slip into your Drill Press Chuck for performing this honing operation.
Novice
woodworker needs hardwoods answers
From Jonathan A. via email:
I'm new to woodworking but thoroughly enjoy my Shopsmith MARK V...to
the point where I keep adding things to it...most recently, the Bandsaw
and Pro Fence System. I'm moving beyond precut woods like oak and poplar
into the maples, especially curly and birdseye.
Can you tell me how lumber is sized re 4/4 or 8/4, etc. and whether or not I should expect s4s or s3s or what. Also, could you direct me to a web resource on the subject. Also, since I have you, where's your choice for making good wood purchases. Thanks for your answers and thanks for a great machine.
Hardwood lumber is sized in “quarters”. 4/4 (four-quarter) is 1" thick ---- 5/4 (five-quarter) is 1-1/4" thick ---- 8/4 (eight-quarter) is 2" thick, and so forth.
s4s means “surfaced four sides”. s2s means “surfaced two sides”...this is the most typically available lumber.
The best place to purchase wood is locally, where you can SEE what you're getting BEFORE you take it home.
However, there are times when the lumber you want (exotics, for example) are NOT available locally...and you'll have to purchase via mail order. In these cases, look for supplier ads in magazines such as Fine Woodworking, Wood, Workbench, etc.
As for information...try the woodworking magazine websites (Fine woodworking, Wood Workbench, Family Handyman,) Etc. There are also several great books available on wood technology. Check your local book stores.
P.S.: This issue of “Hands-On” contains Part 2 of a 4-Part series on hardwoods. Go to the archives link to see Part 1 (in the July/August, 2004 edition)...and watch the next two issues for the final 2 Parts of this story.
Sticky
Cricket Bat
From Phillip B , via email:
I have put fiberglass tape on my prized cricket bat. I've managed
to remove the tape, but the bat is still very sticky. I need to remove
the glue so I can oil the bat. Any suggestions?
Two options: “Goo-Gone” comes in a small, lighter-fluid-like metal can...or “Bestine” brand rubber cement thinner, available at art supply stores. Good luck.
