For the last two weeks I have been designing my next big project, a router table based on the NYW deluxe router station. I’m making several changes to the plans, The biggest one being that my router station needs to be mobile, so it’s designed to rest on 3″ casters. I’m also changing the bit drawer sizes, I sized the two bottom drawers to hold the longest 1/2″ bits Freud sells (4-3/4″), The top 4 drawers are sized to hold normal length 1/2″ bits, and long 1/4″ bits. The only other change worth noting, is how the back is attached. Norm used biscuits to attach the back, I’m going to use dado’s. Unfortunately since my design is based so closely on Norm’s commercially available plans I can’t post the Sketchup file, but I can post a screen shots of it. Hopefully I will have the design finished by the end of the year, and be able to start construction in early January.
My design about 90% done.
I finally broke down and purchased some waterstones so that I could take my sharpening skills to the next level. In my opinion the only real drawback to waterstones is that they don’t stay flat. Thus as soon as I placed my order, I spent a little time searching the net looking for the best flattening method. Lots of methods exist, but the two most common are: a coarse diamond honing stone, or sandpaper on a surface plate.
While diamond hones will do a great job of quickly removing material they are notoriously unflat, and thus in my opinion not acceptable. I have a surface plate, and while it is flat, I don’t like the idea of constantly having sandpaper glued to it. Additionally a 70 pound surface plate isn’t very portable. What I finally decided on (shown below) was a hybrid approach.
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Tuesday, CU WoodShop gave members of there mailing list, a sneak peak of their new show room. Since the show rooms is only two miles from my home, I made sure to stop by. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found, the had a nice selection of router bits, finishing supplies and wood. This store is going to be a great resource for woodworkers in the Champaign Urbana area, as we will no longer need to drive to Chicago or Indianapolis to pick up basic supplies.
Some of the hardwood racks.
The plywood rack
I finished Rebecca’s shoe racks a few days ago, And tonight, I could no longer smell the finish, so it was safe to bring them inside. I had originally thought about finishing them with polyurethane, but at the last minute, I decided to finish them with boiled linseed oil cut with 50% mineral spirits. They didn’t turn out as nice as I would of liked, but Rebecca loves them none the less. The main flaw with the design is the dado joints used to join the top cross beams to the sides. Getting all of them cut to just the right length and thickness was tedious. Ultimately, I spent more time with chisels fine tuning the fit than I would have liked. If I had to do it again, I would use through dovetails.
As promised, Here are some shots of the refinished Stanley #15. I’ve only spent about an hour using this plane, but I like it’s size and lateral blade adjustment a lot more than I do my #60-1/2. Within a minute of putting in a new Hock blade, I was using it like a miniature smoother, and taking full width transparent shavings in scrap cherry. I also like the size of the #15 better, it’s greater length and width fit’s into my hand better than the #60-1/2.
