Since taking delivery of the Jointer-planer combo, I’ve had a few people ask about the change over between jointing and planing. The process is quick and easy. In practice, it takes under a minute. If I had the Euro guard it would be even quicker. So far, I’m loving this machine. It’s very well made and I haven’t made any adjustments to get it working properly. Let me know if you have any questions about the Minimax FS30 change over.
After boring the first few holdfast holes, I realized that I had serious issues. My holdfasts simply weren’t biting. Often, they were jumping around in their holes. I had to find a solution, and fast.
The bench top is 4-1/2 inches thick. The holdfast holes are 3/4 inch in diameter. I am using Gramercy holdfasts. They are very well made, and should survive years of abuse. I did some research and determined that the most likely cause was the thickness of the bench top. How could I resolve this with the holes already bored?
I received some excellent advice from my friends on Twitter and decided that I would counter bore the holes from the bottom with a large diameter hole. To center the holes, I inserted a piece of 3/4 inch dowel. After some trial and error, I determined that the most effective nominal thickness was around 3 inches. The holdfasts work beautifully. The solution was quick and easy.
I need to clean up the surfaces and coat everything in boiled linseed oil. Then, I will finally be able to start my first project on the Roubo. Stay tuned
You can find links to my other Roubo posts here: Project Index
The past weeks have been hectic, but I was finally able to get the Bench Crafted classic leg vise installed. The installation was a little daunting, but careful layout ensured a good fit.
I started laying out the criss-cross mortises by marking where I wanted the bottom of the chop on the leg. From there, I was able to mark out the mortise and vise screw locations. Then, I carefully transferred my lines to the chop. I roughed out the mortises on the drill press. I cleaned them up with a plunge router and chisel.
With the mortises complete, I fit the retro brackets and marked the machine screw holes. I bored out pilot holes on the drill press, and then tapped them with a 5/16-inch bottoming tap. Everything came together nicely.
Next, I bored a counter-bore in the leg for the acetal bushing. I finished boring the holes for the vise screw and gave everything a test fit. Then, it was only a matter of attaching the rest of the hardware.
If I had to do it over again, I would have used a larger router bit to clean up the criss-cross mortises. Cleaning up the bottom of the mortises in six or seven passes was time-consuming. I still have to shape the chop, but that will be the easy part.
Next up, draw boring. Stay tuned.
You can find links to my other Roubo posts here: Project Index
I’ve recently been using my vintage hand brace often. I’ve discovered that there are many times when I prefer it to a power drill. As long as your bits are sharp and you use a brace with the proper sweep, it doesn’t need much more physical effort than a power drill. It’s easy to get crisp, clean holes and it’s a lot of fun to use. It’s also nice not to have to worry about charging batteries all the time. Watch the video below to see how easy it is to use a bit and brace.
Music is by ‘Hare and the Hounds’. They just released their first album. It’s a good one. I highly suggest you check it out.
Some people like to read, others like videos. So, I made this little companion video for jointing wide edges by hand. Some people find this a little tricky due to the fact that multiple passes are needed to square the edge to the true face. I hope you find this useful and entertaining.
Don’t hesitate to leave a comment or suggestion. Let me know what you think. Now, get out there and mill some boards.
You can find links to my other Roubo posts here: Project Index
Blood, Sweat, and Sawdust 