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Finally got a chance to use my new Festool vacuum that I bought LAST SUMMER for the first time lol. Holy shit it's awesome. Super quiet and, when I tried to use it with the sander, I had to turn it down to a power of 2 out of 5 to prevent the sander from being stuck to the board from vacuum pressure lol.
Definitely wasn't cheap but another buy once cry once situation I guess...or at least that's what I tell myself. Bought it with a random bonus I got last year so I guess it was "free"?
Finally got a chance to use my new Festool vacuum that I bought LAST SUMMER for the first time lol. Holy shit it's awesome. Super quiet and, when I tried to use it with the sander, I had to turn it down to a power of 2 out of 5 to prevent the sander from being stuck to the board from vacuum pressure lol.
Definitely wasn't cheap but another buy once cry once situation I guess...or at least that's what I tell myself. Bought it with a random bonus I got last year so I guess it was "free"?
Well that sounds pretty amazing. Crazy that it sucked the sander to the board. I wonder if it is any more powerful than my 6.5hp shopvac though as never tried it with a sander. Having an adjustment seems great as well. Definitely sounds like it makes a lot less noise though than my shop vac would and I guess captures a lot more fine dust.
Do you still run a separator before it for large particals like a shop vac or do you just attach it right to any tool? If I don't want to move the unit around it is sound like 2 of these might even be better than trying to plumb a large system.
Well that sounds pretty amazing. Crazy that it sucked the sander to the board. I wonder if it is any more powerful than my 6.5hp shopvac though as never tried it with a sander. Having an adjustment seems great as well. Definitely sounds like it makes a lot less noise though than my shop vac would and I guess captures a lot more fine dust.
Do you still run a separator before it for large particals like a shop vac or do you just attach it right to any tool? If I don't want to move the unit around it is sound like 2 of these might even be better than trying to plumb a large system.
I still run a small separator before it, it's a Home Depot Dustopper on top of a Homer bucket lol. All of the dust extractors run filter bags that tend to be pricey so having a separator helps to not fill those bags up so fast. You definitely don't have to run one one but it helps. The other awesome part is you plug your tool into the vac and it turns on/off automatically with the tool.
It is definitely more powerful and WAY quieter than my 5hp shop vac.
Remember that this isn't a good option for larger tools that make big chips like table saws, jointer, planer, band saw, etc. It's fantastic for smaller hand tools that generate more fine dust though.
I still run a small separator before it, it's a Home Depot Dustopper on top of a Homer bucket lol. All of the dust extractors run filter bags that tend to be pricey so having a separator helps to not fill those bags up so fast. You definitely don't have to run one one but it helps. The other awesome part is you plug your tool into the vac and it turns on/off automatically with the tool.
It is definitely more powerful and WAY quieter than my 5hp shop vac.
Remember that this isn't a good option for larger tools that make big chips like table saws, jointer, planer, band saw, etc. It's fantastic for smaller hand tools that generate more fine dust though.
Ok. So sounds like one of those is still suggested inline then.
To start with I will be staying with my job site table saw and it only has a 2.5in dust port. My shop vac used to do a pretty decent job so imagine with what you are saying this should be even better.
For planer I am just planning on using a dust bag I think. I watched several videos on doing so on the DeWalt and it seemed like a pretty solid option. That leaves me with just a future jointer maybe to figure out.
Which planer do you have? If you have the bigger DeWalt it has a built in blower that pushes chips into a bag and that's what I do with mine. You can always add a big boi collector in the future when (not if lol) you get a bigger table saw and jointer.
Which planer do you have? If you have the bigger DeWalt it has a built in blower that pushes chips into a bag and that's what I do with mine. You can always add a big boi collector in the future when (not if lol) you get a bigger table saw and jointer.
I don't have one right now but it will be the first tool I want to add once I have the garage finished and finally have space for it. I plan to get the big one with the blower so I don't have to deal with a collector for it for the time being.
I don't have one right now but it will be the first tool I want to add once I have the garage finished and finally have space for it. I plan to get the big one with the blower so I don't have to deal with a collector for it for the time being.
Definitely the way to go. I love my DW735, it's absolutely fantastic. The only negative I have against it is that it's loud AF, especially with the straight knives. The knives do last a long time though so that's a good advantage. I plan on switching to a helix head once I burn through my last set of knives, makes the machine WAY quieter and the cut quality is far better.
Definitely the way to go. I love my DW735, it's absolutely fantastic. The only negative I have against it is that it's loud AF, especially with the straight knives. The knives do last a long time though so that's a good advantage. I plan on switching to a helix head once I burn through my last set of knives, makes the machine WAY quieter and the cut quality is far better.
Basically, then, buy whatever deal and don't worry about finding a deal with an extra set of knives when I go to get one. Then upgrade to helix head later? Quiet sounds much better haha.
You'll often find deals where they toss in the knives for free. Nothing wrong with them, they're just loud and don't handle figured wood as well. Helix head upgrade is like $500 so get used to the thing before you go and spend 2x the cost on upgrading the head lol.
First few (one big, two small) shop projects completed. Next thing to build, which will be this weekend, is a power tool charging/storage cabinet and I'll follow that up with a cabinet to house my CNC machine as well as some extra storage and a place for my spindle sander to go. That'll probably be the week after.
Because the shop is built out to potentially become a bedroom in the future, there is a return air duct in the room. Since I don't want to get sawdust and shit sucked up into my HVAC, I put the old furnace filter that I remove onto the wall in front of the duct to catch all that before it goes in. I was thinking about trying to make some elaborate system to hold the filter to the wall but thought I'd go simple. 3D printer to the rescue with some easy mounting brackets.
Needed a place to store some of the simple and most used things. The piece on the right will eventually also house the track saw tracks but I didn't have a screw with a head that was the right size for mounting the tracks there. The other thing holds safety gear and my inbound shop apron.
The big thing I finished, shop workbench. Built a 6x3 workbench with a melamine top. The underside will eventually house some drawers and other storage in the near future but I have bigger fish to fry right now. The base has leveling feet on it now to get it to be stable on the concrete floor and I have some workbench casters (the ones that lift when you want to wheel it around and set it down on the ground when done) on order but they aren't critical now. I still need to install the wood edging on the outside and get my bench vise installed. Then I'll drill some dog holes for holding stuff and then we should be good to go.
Needed a place to hang all my clamps so they get off the floor and stay out of the way. I apparently took this pic before it was done, there's one half of the hanger on the right missing that has since been installed, but it holds all my current clamps. It's easy to build another one of these in the future out of some simple scrap plywood as my clamp collection inevitably expands.
Surprised you don't have a french cleat /slat wall system in the workshop!
I thought about it, and may still do it, but I don't really see the value. Might as well just put up one piece of ply on the walls and screw whatever into that. It's easier and cheaper especially since most people don't move things around once they go up anyway.
Originally Posted by CCColtsicehockey
Good to see the shop TV has been installed. Priorities on point.
Nice to see the shop coming together. I bet you are itching to get building again.
You have no idea lol. I have a few floating shelves that I'm going to try and get done in between all this stuff but I mostly just want to be able to put all my shit away before I start making things.
Next shop project mostly done. Made a power tool cabinet for all my power tools. Has a spot for a charger and a place for fasteners and other shit to go in drawers. Last things to do is get some 1/4" ply to go on the left side to hold sandpaper discs (I ran out of the thin ply) and build out the drill hangers for underneath. Oh and I had to reorder the shelf clips since the ones I got from Bezos didn't really hold the shelves in place.
Quick update, first project(s) done. First up is a hand tool wall mount thing. Mounted a nice piece of oak veneered plywood on the wall to put all my nicer hand tools up. Decided to try and find a way to blend my leatherworking habit hobby into the shop the best I could so I made these leather plane hangers that hold the big planes on the wall. Now I need more hand planes...
I then needed a place to store my block plane that's easy to access so I put it on the same wall. Wet molded a piece of natural veg tan to fit the block plane and mounted it on a backer piece before putting it up.
Where we stand now, looks kind of bare, need to fix that. I do have a shoulder plane that I need to make a spot for still but that's all that's left. Might put chisels up here too but kind of want to keep those in a drawer near the workbench.
First actual thing done. These two elm slabs will become shelves for my bar. Bought these rough so flattened them, cut one edge clean (thank you track saw) and squared off/trimmed the checking off either end (thank you again track saw). Then had to go through and clean out all the bark and knot holes before filling with tinted epoxy...and then back to flattening again before sanding and hardwax oil finishing. These are now done and will go up on the wall either tonight or tomorrow!
Next up is a shelf wall unit thingy that will go up in my kitchen, stay tuned!
I do need to make a miter saw station soon though...will come after the shelf thing for the kitchen.
want to make me a live edge epoxy table top for my game room, computer desk? 30 x 72
Depends on how much epoxy you want to do and what you want it to look like. If you want a river style table/top then probably not because I've never done one and would hate for you to be the guinea pig. If you want a live edge top with epoxy filling the knots/cracks then sure!
Elm can be really pretty, especially with the right finish on it. I probably wouldn't use it again for anything other than a shelf because it's pretty stringy and hard to get a perfect finish on. I would much rather use ash or maple for actual furniture. Elm is cheap though and no one touches a shelf so a perfect finish isn't critical.
Depends on how much epoxy you want to do and what you want it to look like. If you want a river style table/top then probably not because I've never done one and would hate for you to be the guinea pig. If you want a live edge top with epoxy filling the knots/cracks then sure!
Yes, looking for the "river" so I can do led lighting underneath. Thinking like a black/silver river so any color I choose would look good instead of trying to come thru a blue river. I have been looking at some DIY's and it doesn't look too hard. I would definitely try a scaled down one to practice before tackling a larger table top. Problem I have is the space to do it.
What's your timeframe? I have a lot of house projects in line ahead and will need to do some samples/trials of this before I go through with a build like that. Just want to make sure you get something nice...
Black won't transmit light. Clear is a huge PITA to get it to look nice due to bubbles, debris, etc getting embedded. I've also heard from a number of people that it's super distracting. I plan on doing a new desk for myself and would probably just do an LED light bar in the back of the slab behind the monitors and shining against the wall over one embedded into the surface itself.
Would look for something like this with LEDs on the underside, not imbedded in it. I've read, multiple thin pours and heat to release the air bubbles is best instead of one solid pour.
Timeframe - none, its really just an idea to replace the L-shape corner desk I have now. I am in the process of cleaning out my gaming room and putting it back together. Once I finalize a layout I will know how much room I will have for a new desk.
Super cool pieces of elm. Those are going to look great. What ting color are you using with the epoxy?
On the topic of coatings have you ever used rubio monocoat? I am thinking of using it on my work bench tops for the garage since it is easy to recoat without having to sand the entire piece. I would just be using it untinted but it just seems so easy to use from the videos I have watched.
Yes, looking for the "river" so I can do led lighting underneath. Thinking like a black/silver river so any color I choose would look good instead of trying to come thru a blue river. I have been looking at some DIY's and it doesn't look too hard. I would definitely try a scaled down one to practice before tackling a larger table top. Problem I have is the space to do it.
Super cool pieces of elm. Those are going to look great. What ting color are you using with the epoxy?
On the topic of coatings have you ever used rubio monocoat? I am thinking of using it on my work bench tops for the garage since it is easy to recoat without having to sand the entire piece. I would just be using it untinted but it just seems so easy to use from the videos I have watched.
I'm using black diamond pigments in brown with total boat epoxy and slow hardener.
I have used Rubio and probably won't do it again. It's expensive and I don't think it works that well. The advantage of it is that it comes in a billion colors and tints so if that's what you're looking for then it's great, if you just want clear then there are better options. It's also not nearly good enough with one coat so you're going to be doing two anyway.
I personally use Osmo PolyX oil for nearly everything I do. It's a good bit cheaper and is a one part coating rather than a two part. There are a couple nuances in which ones to use, can talk more about it if you want, but they are all (except for one) just clear with different sheens. The one I used for this project is the one that's not clear, it has a very minor white tint to it to mitigate the yellowing you get when you put oil on light wood. I use clear for other woods though. You still have to do two coats to get good protection and can do more if you want more sheen.
Instead of doing a coating on your workbench tops just make them out of melamine like I did and call it good. No issues with coatings, dead flat from the factory, easy to install, and glue doesn't stick to it at all. Oh and it's also not expensive...just super fucking heavy.
Haha, oddly enough the shelves in my old house were done the exact same way.
In other news some other minor updates...
After living in my garage outside exposed to the cold/humidity/etc my table saw top was looking pretty sad so now that it's an indoor saw I took a few mins to get the rust off and get whatever oxidation out of there. Not going to be perfect by any means but definitely way better than before. Will have to do this for my jointer and band saw next.
Before:
After:
And the next patient to go under the knife. You can see a small section that I planed quick to take a peak at what was hiding underneath. This is going to turn into a shelf unit to go upstairs in our kitchen. TBD on whether I'll keep the live edge or not, leaning towards not.
I'm using black diamond pigments in brown with total boat epoxy and slow hardener.
I have used Rubio and probably won't do it again. It's expensive and I don't think it works that well. The advantage of it is that it comes in a billion colors and tints so if that's what you're looking for then it's great, if you just want clear then there are better options. It's also not nearly good enough with one coat so you're going to be doing two anyway.
I personally use Osmo PolyX oil for nearly everything I do. It's a good bit cheaper and is a one part coating rather than a two part. There are a couple nuances in which ones to use, can talk more about it if you want, but they are all (except for one) just clear with different sheens. The one I used for this project is the one that's not clear, it has a very minor white tint to it to mitigate the yellowing you get when you put oil on light wood. I use clear for other woods though. You still have to do two coats to get good protection and can do more if you want more sheen.
Instead of doing a coating on your workbench tops just make them out of melamine like I did and call it good. No issues with coatings, dead flat from the factory, easy to install, and glue doesn't stick to it at all. Oh and it's also not expensive...just super fucking heavy.
Can't wait to see how that comes out.
These will be the work tops on the garage cabinets and not in the wood shop. I know it is crazy but I am doing walnut for the work tops in there on top of the black cabinets. I really like the look and so the the rubio I would use is clear so that any scratches are just in the wood and not can be easily spot touched up.
If you don't suggest Rubio then what else might you suggest that I can easily spot touch up when needed without sanding the entire countertop down. I have 17 1/2ft of work top that I would be coating plus another 6ft at the wash station. I thought based on some info I saw posted online I could get enough to coat all that for around $45.
These will be the work tops on the garage cabinets and not in the wood shop. I know it is crazy but I am doing walnut for the work tops in there on top of the black cabinets. I really like the look and so the the rubio I would use is clear so that any scratches are just in the wood and not can be easily spot touched up.
If you don't suggest Rubio then what else might you suggest that I can easily spot touch up when needed without sanding the entire countertop down. I have 17 1/2ft of work top that I would be coating plus another 6ft at the wash station. I thought based on some info I saw posted online I could get enough to coat all that for around $45.
Like I said, I use Osmo PolyX. It's also a hardwax oil like Rubio with (IMO) better performance and easier application. Has the same spot repair properties as Rubio. All of my projects that I've posted on here since like 2019 have been finished with it.
Pour on surface, spread around with old credit card, buff in with white scotchbrite pad, wipe off excess. Wait an hour and repeat for flawless results.
Like I said, I use Osmo PolyX. It's also a hardwax oil like Rubio with (IMO) better performance and easier application. Has the same spot repair properties as Rubio. All of my projects that I've posted on here since like 2019 have been finished with it.
Pour on surface, spread around with old credit card, buff in with white scotchbrite pad, wipe off excess. Wait an hour and repeat for flawless results.
You said Poly and my mind immediately went to a hard coating. I am following now. Ok cool. Appreciate the explanation.
You said Poly and my mind immediately went to a hard coating. I am following now. Ok cool. Appreciate the explanation.
Yeah, the name can be a bit misleading lol.
There are a variety of options within the Osmo family though that can be very different though. If you want me to go into it, let me know. Otherwise we can chat when you get closer to buying some.
You said Poly and my mind immediately went to a hard coating. I am following now. Ok cool. Appreciate the explanation.