Hello All! I am just going trough some of the issues of Fine Woodworking Magazine, ns in issue # 184 June 2006 Lonnie Bird wrote an article on Build a Pencil-Post Bed. On page 40 he is cutting the mortises for the rails. Loonie always looks like he just can back from church, he is always dressed nice, never does he have any sawdust on himself. Now myself I am always full of sawdust, always look like a slob. It may be that I do not have a duct collector, and I can see myself getting one, I guess I will have to keep looking like a slob.
Jack
Replies
Yo Jack,
Not trying to be the doomsday dragon but if you're running almost ANY power tool in your woodshop you REALLY NEED dust collection. Ya know that sawdust that you can see? It's the stuff you don't see that's the most harmful.
Do yourself a favor and go to the Bill Pentz WEBsite. You'll be a believer once you do.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I want to thank you for you advice, but it all comes down to Money and I am afraid I don't have any, I have been retired for a number of years now, and money is hard to come by.
Jack
sparky,
I hear you about the money thang. I am not going to get on the pulpit and preach but anything is better than nothing. If you have a Shopvac there are innovative ways to incorporate it with your machines. No the best but is a start.
Another very reasonably proced device is a respirator, hell even dust masks are better than nothing, been there done that too. One nice thing about these two suggestions is that they aren't a one time purchase; you will use them in the future too.
Failing all the above, if you can operate any dust generating machinery outside it will also help. Even a window fan pulling dust out a window. My point is that the sooner you start something, anything the better off you will be in the long run.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 2/29/2008 8:38 am ET by KiddervilleAcres
I gotta chime in with KiddervillAcres -- try to do everything you can to minimize inhaling that fine dust. The Pentz info is great, but don't let that deter you from doing EVERY little thing you can to avoid breathing the stuff (Pentz basically dwells on the difficulty of getting your shop really clear of dust). You may not think much of the dust (I didn't), but a 2-day attack of coughing after working 30 minutes in a dust-filled shop might change your mind. To say nothing of working for hours with constant dust you can't see. After that, consider if you have grandkids who may visit (mine are too young for woodworking at 3 and 5, but they love to visit "grandpa's shop"). Use masks (the two elastic band kind), respirators (mine cost $50), and regardless be sure open doors and windows, work outside if you can, use a cheap fan to create a slight draft through your shop, go the shop vac route, or bite the bullet and figure out how to get a used dust collector (bags can be purchased separately though they are expensive: $30). Anything you do will help.
I'm retired too and one of the problems besides money I've found is that as I've gotten older my sensitivity to the dust has gotten worse. I'm sure it's partly age, but it's also due to buildup over time. Lung cancer and other respiratory problems are not fun. They may kill you, but the hard part is living with the feeling that you are drowning -- been there, don't want to visit again.
There are a lot of inexpensive things you can do if you stop to think about it. Read and understand the problem. I put my dust collector outside ina closet but wanted to keep from pulling all the warm air out in the winter. I build a simple frame in the wall between my shop and the closet and fitted a low particle air filter (relatively cheap replacement once a year) to provide return air (the collector bags are efficient but not 100% -- the filter is one more barrier).
Learn to cane chairs, and repair furniture, and your money situation will improve a lot.
Loonie always looks like he just came? back from church..
I use to work on all sorts of printing equipment.. I 'almost always' wore a suit and tie.... And hardly ever got so dirty I ruined the suit.. Maybe I was lucky.. OK.. so sometimes I wore jeans in a sloppy shop!
I guess I will have to keep looking like a slob.
LOL... LOL..
I babysit ALOT for my girl Grandbabies.. YES... men can babysit girls without harming them.. (Sorry.. I had to say that.. Many men get a BAD RAP.. Some derseve it... (BUT ALMOST ALL DO NOT). Nothing like a little girl that smiles at you! Even the OLD lady that is you mate!
I shaved once after a week of babysitting.. The next Monday.. One of the girls asked where her Grandpa was? I 'think' she was kidding me but she is only 4!
I guess I will have to keep looking like a slob??
Nothin' wrong with a little mess Jack. I have talked with customers, other woodworkers, and visitors to other folks shops. People are generally impressed with work areas that look spotless and very organized. Might be worth considering?? If the customer likes this, it could lead to a commission you might not get if you turn them off??
On the other hand. When you have more work than you could hope for(me), you can be a little less sensitive to this image thing.
I have more junk than you can imagine. Maybe you can?? This is a mess to others. I like junk. My wife doesn't like junk so I have to hide some of mine. I love junk. I am writing to you and chuckling as I type because.. I saved a bridle and bit someone didn't want about 20 years ago. It was beautiful. Brass, engraved and just nice. Last week a woman came by and needed help with her son's car -she heard I fixed old english cars(MGTC and MGTD). While we were talking, she saw a picture on my wall of a Morgan(horse) and mentioned she had one and needed a couple things. Yep. Sold. She was so happy and I was happy too. Not that I fleeced her. I just love junk especially when it fits a need and someone gets a good deal.
Being a little sloppy can be a benefit ... sometimes.
later
Hi Danmart,
You mention old English sports cars.
I was soon going to post a question about restoring the wood dash of a 1974 TR-6.
My brother owns this car, is restoring the car (frame off), but has asked me to look into restoring the wood dash, veneer is peeling away, lifting, etc.
Any ideas or where I can look into how do this, so we don't scrap the plywood dash itself.?
Thx,Norman
That's really a wide open task with lots of options. If you have good dash that you can get out you have everything you need to do a really nice replacement dash. About the only thing that discourages non-woodworkers is fitting the glovebox lid. Its a little tricky but definitely a doable project if you have a router and a few bits.
Veneer: Lots of great stuff out there it comes down to your/brother's taste.
If you want to just plunk down the money and have a ready made dash, its pricey and it will be something everybody will know you ordered from page 7 in .... catalog. When you go to club gatherings its nice to have a dash that's just a little nicer than the rest. Its a nice touch.
The MGTC and the TD had vinyl/cloth covered dashboards as a general rule. The earlier models had some nice wooden dashboards. You decide what you would like. After all, you are the one looking at it the most.
If you need any ideas or sources, send a message and I will try to dig up some info.
Google -- Little British Cars they have lots of stuff if you get in a rush. I think they have a good supply of Triumph and Austin Healey stuff to consider.
good luck
dan
Many years ago, I redid the veneer on the wooden dashboard in my '63 TR-4. One thing I learned the hard way: Cars get really hot inside. You need to use an adhesive that can take the heat, such as a powdered resin glue.
Finishing is also something you have to be careful about. The finish has to be tough enough to withstand extreme temperature fluctuations, as well as be UV-resistant.
-Steve
Hi Jack,
The guys are right about the shopvac. It's the dust you can't see that's the worst, but it's also the fine stuff that a vac is best at sucking up. I also found that the dust masks with the valve in the front don't fog up the glasses so bad, plus, since when you breathe out the valve opens, that means if you put a hole in the mask just big enough to fit your cigar into, the smoke will go out the hole.
I also am semi-retired, and like to spend my limited funds on tools that actually do something, rather than just suck up dust. But I'm finding that the old Bailey jointing plane I fixed up leaves a surface that needs little sanding, if any. Once I get up the scratch to get a nice smoothing plane, maybe I won't be doing any sanding at all.
This site is great for info on how to do the best and most with what you already got: I picked up the Bosch contractor's saw, reconditioned for under 400 bucks, and it has a good baffle system for hooking up a shopvac. I got my Craftsman 6", 1950s jointer working nice with new sharp knives. I lap and hone my own plane irons and use card scrapers, etc, etc.
My grandfather's shop was in his basement, which had a dirt floor. Nary a power tool, of course. He had us grandkids stand by the door with a big piece of cardboard when he was doing something dusty. Can still remember the combined aroma of dirt floor, sawdust and Cherry Blend tobacco.
Have fun.
Tom
I was taught by Lonnie for two years when he taught at the University of Rio Grande. I've seen him covered in sawdust. He is pretty particular about what he wears in a photo, after all, he does have an image to keep up. Thats one of the differences between professional and hobbyist, you have to sell yourself
As I like to say: "Pardon the mess; it's a sign of progress". Nobody covered in sawdust has ever been accused of doing nothing. I get a certain sense of satisfaction when I need a shower at the end of the day.
"Loonie always looks like he just can back from church..."
Did you purposely spell his name like that?
Chris @ flairwoodworks
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
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