You know, you’re planing a dozen (or ten dozen) boards, trying to bring them all down to a given size, that will take multiple runs through the machine. Somewhere, you’ve got to place the lumber as it comes off the planer to keep it oriented the right direction and make it handy for the next run through when you’ll crank the thickness down another notch, and so on. How do YOU go about managing the lumber at your planer (and/or joiner)?
- use the floor
- use nearby tables or whatever is available
- use a dedicated stationary table
- use a rollable table/cart
- other?
Denny
Replies
Denny,
I use my DW735 on my table saw with a 30" rip capacity, so I feed stock through and put it either on the table saw extension or on top of the planer. I only put short board ontop of the planer so they are not in the way.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- 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
Great idea. I've got one of those beastly sized planers though.
Denny
2
there's no need to reinvent the wrench
Yes, that's pretty much my current technique. Looking for something better.
Denny
I just finished doing some Spanish Cedar (what a WONDERFUL smell) that was 48" long so after each run i would simply stack them against the outfeed extension I build for my DW735.
I've got to come up with something better than what I'm doing. Thanks.
Denny
My shop isn't too big. My DW735 is on wheels, I usually bring it out and set it up between the bench and the table saw. I arrange everything on the bench then, when it comes out it goes onto the table saw. Sometimes if the pieces are really long I'l bring them back to the bench side right away ad start a new pile.
Not too long ago I took a class in a large shop. I used the rolling scrap bin to wheel my pieces between machines. It was pretty handy, if I had enough room I'd probably build a two or three level cart to organize all the parts.
Buster
I wish mine were movable. It has wheels, but it's everything I can do to roll it. I'm wondering if a rolling rack would be a good idea.
Denny
NEVER put your boards on the floor!!! They will pick up sand and grit and dull your blades quickly. It's a good idea to vacuum or dust off rough stock before putting it in the planer. When you plane, you plane with the grain. In most cases the grain runs opposite on each face of the board. When you do the other side, you have to turn the board end for end. This is a fact throughout all types of milling operations. If you learn to keep all your boards arranged for the grain, you won't have to look for it as you progress through the various tasks. I use factory M style trucks. They can carry a lot of weight and turn on a dime, not counting the wood sticking out, LOL. Since they have a flat platform, it's easy to sticker the stock. I often mark the butt end that goes in first with an arrow pointing to the best face. I'll also mark it with what part of the project it will be used for, FF for face frames, DF for drawer fronts, etc.
A set of saw horses can be handy if you don't have a truck or room for one. Staying organized can help cut your labor time and maybe prevent mistakes. It's always a big help if you plane all the stock to it's thickness at the same time, rather than going back for an extra piece. This will keep everything the exact same thickness with no surprises later on. A cart also makes it easy to go to different stations as well as moving it out of the way.
http://www.materialflow.com/Hamilton_Tilt-Type_Platform_Trucks.htm
Hammer, no, I'm aware of the floor situation. I was just asking others what THEY did. I usually end up carrying the pieces to the cutoff station, the table saw, the workbench, and so on.
But I like your idea of a sawhorse. It's inexpensive and effective. Sometimes, the easy solution is front of your face and you need someone to point it out. I appreciate that. I think you've got my answer.
Denny
Denny,
If I'm milling many boards I use Andy's method for the most part, but I mark each board on both ends with a triangle pointing to the finish/face side. Since the TS is my outfeed extension to the planer it gets used as the sawhorse. One look at the orientation of the triangles and I know where I'm at.
Normally it's pretty much a no brainer 'cept when company comes into the woodshop, or I take a break or lunch. Yeah, I'm easily distracted but not a creature of habit. :-)
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Well I may take a look at the orientation / location of my planer to my table saw. That might help a bit. But I really like the dumbass {briliant, why didn't I think of it} idea of the sawhorses. There when you need them. Out of the way when you don't.
Denny
Denny,
I try to organize the stack so I will be cutting downhill with the grain. Once I think I have the whole lot going the right way, I will do a run through the planer, double check the grain and make any adjustments in direction.
When I get down to where I can see the grain well, I mark the edges of the boards inside the snipe, a few inches longer than the length I need for the finished boards. If I think about it I will mark one end of one edge of each board with an X to allow me to double check during flipping and spinning that I am keeping all the boards in the same orientation.
I stack the pile on sawhorses at the infeed side of the planer. (Pile A)
Send a board through, walk back to infeed side with the board set in Pile B.
After getting all the board down to a good face, I will flip the boards over and end for end to keep the grain cutting down hill if there is any runout.
Plane side B the same way. Board comes off pile, through planer, back to infeed side onto horses, but in other pile. (Now pile A again?)
Each board goes through the same number of times and I try to make the last cut on each face as light as possible to keep from getting any tear out.
Make sense? Hope so.
Yes Andy. That makes PLENTY of sense. The sawhorse idea: that's the answer!
Denny
Denny, I've got 3 rolling carts in the shop for just this. Two small ones (good for your dozen boards) and one large one which will hold at least 30-40 boards. Everything in the shop moves on these - through the planer as many passes as needed, then to the tablesaw, then to drum sander, etc. Aside from these we have some 6 low dollies for moving cabinets around the place. Couldn't imaging work without them.
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e
Thank you, David. Are these shop built carts or something you can buy off the shelf?
Denny
I have a neighborhood metalshop who has made all sorts of things for me over the years. The carts are metal frames with large casters and simple wooden surfaces.I've also got a very handy clamp cart, racks for holding lumber, and for holding sheet goods. Also 4 drying carts for the finishing department. All simple and strong, made from steel. I love wood but it isn't the answer to every question.David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e
A parts cart, or two or three. Norm Abrams has plans for one with four or five levels. Not the one I built, but probably as good as any.
Four or five levels? Do you need an elevator?
Denny
Check it out:
http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct.php?0603
Edited 6/9/2008 10:40 am ET by TaunTonMacoute
Looks pretty straightforward. If I had something I'd probably stick with one or two hefty shelves at or above waist height to avoid having to bend for each board.
A typical planing run for me is usually under 100 bd.ft. and very often 50 bd.ft., so I don't need a major storage or handling area. Just something to get me through that run.
Thanks.
Denny
I'm actually thinking of going more vertical to keep chair parts straight. Three or four shelves could end up being a blessing. Hell, I might just copy 'ole Norm. No reason to reinvent the wheel.
Norm gets a lot of flack; much of it from tool-envy. But methinks he's the real deal. A very competent woodworker, and a good-hearted man.
Denny
I have little doubt that he could build anything he puts his mind to...
A very humble suggestion: a hydraulic lifting cart. This is a rolling steel unit with a tabletop that you can raise or lower simply by pumping up (using your foot) a hydraulic cylinder located in the base. I use mine all the time to ferry stuff around my shop - yes, even to and from the planer.
The great thing about these things is that you can raise the top to accommodate your needs quickly and easily. And they're cheap. I guess that's two things, but still...
If you've got a load of lumber you're planing, by the time you get to the bottom of the pile you're having to bend down to get the last boards, if you use a stationary topped type cart. With a hydraulic one you just give a few pumps to the cylinder and you're back up to a comfortable lifting height again.
I paid a hundred bucks for mine (about a 18x22 inch top, which I immediately expanded by building a larger wooden one on top of it), and received exactly a hundred bucks writing about it for a "methods of work" article in FWW. You could look it up in the index if you'd like an illustration and more information.
So, mine was free. You'll probably not be able to collect on that the way I did though. That ship has sailed. But they're a worthwhile investment. Grainger carries them, as do other industrial supply places. I got mine from a local outlet that carries cheap imported tools.
At the risk of going over the top and starting to sound like someone who can't say quite enough about a certain type of clear finish derived from the lac insect, I'll just leave the subject of hydraulic lifting carts right here...
Zolton If you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
Z, another excellent suggestion. I'll pull out my Grainer catalog.
Denny
Norm gets flack from trained or knowledgeable cabinetmakers because it's easy to see he is not. He is a competent finish carpenter. His cabinetmaking skills are improving all the time, nobody is born knowing how to do it, we all started at the bottom. He keeps his projects fairly simple so the average woodworker can attempt them while still being a little challenged. His work is not the high end, complicated projects that some pros face 40 hrs. a week. Like any commercial enterprise, he has a target demographic and a show to put together. I don't think he gets the acknowledgement he deserves for what it takes to have such a long running and successful show. That's a skill of it's own and he is one of the best.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Well put.
Denny
I have heard many question Norm previously and just the thought of someone having to question him means he is doing something right. He doesn't profess to be a "fine woodworker", he is however a "fine introducer" to the craft. Norm is an ambassador for the ww profession/hobby and he should be commended. 20+ years doing anything is as "fine" as you get. Lastly, if Norm simply put down the nail gun and used more eye catching wood I don't see why what he produces wouldn't be fine also.
Bio,
he is however a "fine introducer" to the craft
Totally agree with that one, with one slight though. I think it would behoove him to give a bit more than lip service to safety though, given his billing as a fine introducer.
I will admit freely that, with the arsenal of power tools he uses to supplant any and basically ALL hand tool skills, he is adept in their use. But I wonder how he would fair without them. How does the DIYer do it?
When I think of cutting a mitre and all the shenanigans I go through, power tools and hand operated devices employeed I wonder how he does it almost single handed. He must truly be GREAT!
Here's some more food for thought: of all the subjects discussed here in Knots, it seems there is no middle ground when it comes to the subject of Norm.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Do you really believe, in your heart of hearts, that Norm Abrams couldn't saw to a line with a handsaw? How about pare to a line with a chisel? Or plane to a line with a jack? Come on... These basic operations are treated like some higher-ordered skills on these discussion boards. They're not. Anybody having serious difficulty with this sort of stuff ought to re-think where they're going.I'd absolutely put my money on handing Norm a couple of saws, a plane or two, a set of chisels, a few measuring and marking implements and saying "here, build me something." Not so sure about the dilettantes, tool tuning professionals, armchair quarterbacks, and proprietors of backyard museums of unused hand tools.
My only problem with Norm is that he often uses different tools to do the same kind of work, with no explanation of the pro's and con's of each tool, or why you might choose one tool or method over another. I understand that he's trying to show how to use many types of tools, but the newcomer to woodworking may assume that you have to have that tool, or do it that way. After 3 decades of woodworking, I've learned how to pick methods and tools, or just to manage with what's available. The new guys shouldn't have to repeat my learning curve.
I imagine the confines of thirty minutes preclude greater explanations.
Denny
here we go again with the norm thing.
hey, do you suppose he reads any of this crap?
eef
p.s.
my planer sits under the right fence extension of my tablesaw and when planing i use the extensions as a table, works pretty good.
i too am very fond of sawhorses, especially the as needed home-made variety.
Give me Norm and shellac and I can start my own forum.
I will say this. I have tried his plans and they actually work: more than I can say for some other brands of plans that either wrong or far too short on information.
Denny
By the end of the show Norm has built something. It's a way of doing a thing. He couldn't possibly show in a million years all the different ways of accomplishing each task on the way to a completed project.The important thing about these shows is that they show something done to completion, not suspended for three months while the "craftsperson" searches for a Type 11 No. 5 because "to use anything but would be hand tool blasphemy."The vast majority of handtool 'enthusiasts' that criticize Norm don't build much of anything to begin with. They collect tools and plane practice boards when not engaged in marathon bouts of tool tuning and restoration when not rust hunting on EBay and at weekend flea markets.
Edited 6/10/2008 2:00 pm ET by TaunTonMacoute
My heart of hearts can't say for sure as the closest thing to a hand tool I've seen Norm use was a sanding block. No, wait a minute, I did see him chamfer an edge on a board with a block plane once!
Charles, I'm just pokin fun at Norm. I would never question his contribution to woodworkers as he was an inspiration to me at one time too.
I think one point that you are either missing or decline to understand is that many folks began their woodworking adventures almost exclusively with power tools. Now just learning the nuances of handtools, myself included in many respects.
Most of my experience has been in construction/remodeling old houses so these fine woodworking thangs can be a challenge, and new to some folks. If one chooses to spend hours fettling their Stanleys to like new condition, who am I to question them. For that matter, who are you to question it?
If you can 4 square a piece of wood with an axe, does that mean that everyone needs to have this skill to be happy with their woodworking? In my mind, if a person gets real enjoyment fettling their planes to take gossamer shavings then it stands to reason that their woodworking will please them too.
Do you really enjoy woodworking or is it simply a means to an end?
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Tuning tools is not woodworking if you never do anything with them.I can polish a set of golf clubs but it won't make me a golfer. I can buy a set of dental instruments but it doesn't make me a dentist. I can own a stethoscope and listen to my own heartbeat but it doesn't make me a cardiologist.
So what exactly is your point?
Lots of folks collect Barbie dolls, doorknobs, books, etc. It's what they like doing. If one has a fetish for fettling, so what? Is it woodworking, perhaps not, but so what? Does that mean they have nothing to contribute, they have accomplished nothing?
The only thing that matters is that one makes something? Uh, I mean something out of wood? Why, because it isn't made out of wood?
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Barbie dolls and doorknobs...Yep, that's the crowd. And to a man, they always seem to dislike Norm. Funny.
Edited 6/10/2008 6:26 pm ET by TaunTonMacoute
Wanna hear a scary one? I almost thought about moving to Memphis!? The company I work for has a position there that I could really get into.
But reality set in, fortunately. I want to retire and play with wood. Then I can spend more time in here pestering you!
:-)
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
In Memphis? But you choose to live in a place where it's winter 40 weeks of the year?
Denny
Yo Mr. crowe,
Yer probly right I'd miss the -20°F next winter.
We just went through 4 days of 90+° with humudity right there too, outrageous thunderstorms last night and 65° today! I'd miss all that so guess I'l stay right here.
'Sides I'm getting long in tooth and will need sumpin to b about come winter!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Heat broke here last night. A smidge of rain, seven drops if I counted correctly. Extremely pleasant today.
Actually, I like Sowlf Jerzeee. Winters are not that extreme, summer is a mix, and our falls and springs tend to be lengthy.
All my exes live in Tex ............ uh .......... I mean .......... Minnesota. Gawd awful place, IMO. Winter ran from September to June. Walk out and breathe in and your lungs froze solid. July was spring and August was summer for two weeks, then fall. In the summer the fookin sun never goes down. I could watch the Tonight Show in daylight. Thet just aint right.
Denny
"All my exes live in Tex[as]...." Ahhh, another stealth country music member? I never listen to the new stuff, but Willie, Emmy Lou, et al., even Randy Travis, have honored places amongst my main loves, Da Blues!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Took me a long time to come around to it. When I finally realized it was OUR music, one of the few truly AMERICAN musics, my interest rose. I listen to it all now, and appreciate it. I like the old hillbilly twangy stuff like Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, and I love the new rockabilly, too, like Toby Keith and Montgomery Gentry.
Most peeps would laugh at the thought of country music playing in NJ. But we have the highest per capita horse population. The southern end of the state is totally rural countryside. And the longest running rodeo in the United States is 20 minutes from my house, Cowtown USA.
http://www.njsouth.com/index-cowtown.htm
And yes, we have real cowboys and cowgirls in NJ.
Denny
I'm hip to this country thang, I'm hip man.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Dear FG,
Emmylou and Randy Travis ain't old country. Patsy Cline and Hank Snow, now that's old. Skeeter Davis, and Lefty Frizzell. Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper. Maybelle Carter and Mac Wiseman. I'll allow Willie, as he wrote songs for Patsy...
Edit: Minnie Pearl, and Tennesee Ernie
You young kids, you don't know what old country is..hehee
Ray, I'm jes' so PROUD ta be here, bless your pea-pickin' heart, but gotta be movin' on
Edited 6/11/2008 1:25 pm ET by joinerswork
Used to watch Tennessee Ernie Ford on TV when I was a kid. He had a great voice.
Denny
Denny,
Me too. I remember him telling of his youth, he said he was 15 before he realised his name wasn't "fetch some wood". "You can call me anything, just don't call me late for supper."And his brand of "off-color" humor for the time: getting the audience to repeat loudly after him, "PEA-pickers"--then saying, "That ought to get the boats to float!". "Sixteen Tons", "How Great Thou Art", and "Wild Goose".
Ray, the geezer
Yeah, I know they're not old, they're just my faves to listen to. My Rhapsody playlist used to have the truly oldies sprinkled in amongst the others, and I like them too. We have a really good Bluegrass Festival here on the island each year at Battlepoint Park, on reclaimed WWII observation acreage, and I enjoy that also.
Gotta get re-set-up for all that computer music sometime soon. Have let it slip by the wayside.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
forestgirl,
God Bless Randy Travis.
eef
(were he up for cannonization, i would be the first to pray to him)
"God Bless Randy Travis." Yeah, what a voice. Did you see the TV special with him and one of the newer country stars, all duets, many months ago. It was great! but I can't remember the other guy's name.
Oh, man, we're are going to get in trouble with the Topic Police. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
forestgirl,
recently my wife was introduced to pandora radio. it is an internet "radio station". one may freely sprinkle to taste here.
i did not catch the randy travis featured show. i cant watch tv anymore as it pretty much drives me crazy to do so. i'd love to see him live, though.
eef
I bet Virginia would be the knats knees!
Just think, we could swing by Rays for some fun then over to Mels for a BBQ!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
would be the knats knees............
I think it would be the caterpillar's spats.
Denny
Bob,
Highs in the high nineties all week here, with heat index in the 105 range. Just a taste to prepare us for July and August in sunny VA.
Y'all come on by, the mint is a growin' and bourbon's on the shelf.
Ray, a julep looking for a place to happen
Ray,
Eeegads, that's a tad warm for me. Don't mind a spell or three but weeks/months...........
Mebbe it aint all that bad right heeyuh.
Tunin in to some ol country,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Basically been 90 or above (heat indexes close to or over 100) every day since the end of May and will be so through the end of August if not mid-September. You don't want to be here.
I make Gatorade at half-strength. I drank a gallon of it yesterday and probably another two quarts of plain water. I had to change clothes at 2:00 in the afternoon. I looked like I had fallen in a swimming pool.
You are just afraid I'd come down there and pester you aint ya!? :-)
Nah, I'll stay right here. That sounds like I'd havta spend more time fettlin cause it's too hot to play with wood. Kinda paradoxical though, up here it's too damn cold sometimes to play.
Mebbe I'd better put a fireplace in the woodshop just in case.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
"
Tuning tools is not woodworking if you never do anything with them.
I can polish a set of golf clubs but it won't make me a golfer. I can buy a set of dental instruments but it doesn't make me a dentist. I can own a stethoscope and listen to my own heartbeat but it doesn't make me a cardiologist"..... Taun Ton Macoute
****
I got a chuckle out of that as I spent around 8 hours making a gift Anant "Camel" #7 work properly a week or so ago. Only required about 6 hours of getting deep grind marks off the sole.. truing the frog and opening up the throat after the Indian engineers (?) forgot to change the size of the throat when they added a thicker iron.
But... she works well now and will produce my choice of shaving thicknesses at the touch of the adjuster knob. At another "beer joint" that I hang out at... I was told I should have just gotten the LN or LV by several of the daily posters that are the resident experts in the hand-tool department. If I followed that advice.. I would still be waiting on the #7 I needed to finish one of my junk projects.. and I never look at gift horse in the mouth.
In this case, I did have to make modifications to the mouth but never questioned the givers as it was what they could afford and I can't afford the LN or LV at the moment. What I do question is the perceived experts ability to give advice on a daily basis but yet they never post a picture of what they have built? Go figure.
I don't pretend to build "fine" furniture, but I do build functional furniture about 6 days a week year round. My junk is possibly no better if as good as Norm's. I really can't say as I have never seen the Norm show and probably never will. But.. the key word with my junk is "build" as I am not content just talking about it. I love tools and love to fettle and tinker.. but I budget that to between finish cures and projects.
So.. perhaps I would take some of the experts more serious if I could see something they built. Anything... at least ever now and then just to let me know they know how to use it after the d*mn thing is acquired and tuned. Otherwise I might not take the presumed knowledge suggested with the seriousness it was probably intended by those that "talk the talk but don't necessarily walk the walk.
Again.. thanks for the chuckle I got as I found they hit home in many cases... I owe you a bar-be-que plate with all the side trimmings.. And to set an example I will attach the fettling and resulting junk in-between fettling. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..
Sarge..
who fettled last week-end in-between building this afternoon...
Next time you get the urge to buy Anant drop me a note. I'll send you something you can use. I'll enclose a few photos. These boards are about as computer savvy as I get.
Edited 6/11/2008 3:34 pm ET by TaunTonMacoute
Probably won't get another one (that one was a gift from BIL & FIL as they owed me a few markers) as I have a #4.. #5.. LV BU smoother and 30 year old Stanley block and BU block. Medium shoulder and several spoke-shaves. The #7 was to fill the gap left by selling a LV #6 as I just prefer the #7.
So.. don't need much else with the exception of a bottle of fresh glue every month or so. But.. I would like to see the photo's so... I am sending a personal message with address. I will be happy to pay the postage as I'm really prefer to pay for the ride.
Edit... your e-mail is personal so....
355 Ridgemont Dr.
Lawrenceville Ga. 30045
I'm not worried about giving out the physical address.. I'm armed and dangerous. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..
Regards...
Sarge..
Edited 6/11/2008 4:52 pm ET by SARGEgrinder47
All good points, I only mean part of the learning process could include why you choose a particular tool, in the same way you learn why to pick a particular wood. Some people will only learn to select woods for their appearance, but for me one of the richest parts of woodworking is knowing the mechanical properties of species, so I can select the best wood for the job I need it to do. The same concept applies to tools. I can often do a job with a hand tool, for instance, while the other guy is looking for a place to plug in, because he only knows one way to do the job. I don't mean to imply that hand tools are always the best choice, just that having a choice is important, and knowing why.
I think the biggest problem with woodworking shows is that they have WAY TOO MUCH CONTENT and a VERY SHORT WINDOW to present it.
But this is getting off topic, so maybe a new discussion should be started, eh?
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
oh, i don't know bob, i can get pretty ho-hum about norm.
eef
Hear ya, the wife thinks he's boring.
She does enjoy watching David Marks' Woodworks program though. She says it's because he explains things better.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Nice point, but think about this. David Marks doesn't give the little disclaimer at the beginning of the show that Norm does, the one I have memorized :). Norm has lots of tools, but think about what you normally see him using: TS, BS, router, planer, drum sander, drill press, jointer, miter saw, radial arm saw and lathe. Oh, I forgot Norm's love for the air compressor and nail guns, but are these tools mentioned above uncommon?
Lastly, I've made a few pieces that I think are pretty good craftsmanship and I have some QUALITY hand tools, but reality sets in when I have to mill 20bdft or so of stock and I have my choice between my vintage hand planes and my jointer and planer. I don't see how the lack of using hand tools diminishes your work. Is it more important to show that you can push a plane or to make something? If the usage of hand tools are paramount, why aren't we all ripping and cross cutting with a handsaw. Imagine how long it would take you to cut a 4x8 sheet of plywood and please help us all if it has to be straight :)
I use a hydralic cart for a lot of functions. it is mobile and can be raised and lowered.
500 lb
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94822
1000 lb
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93116
On the 1000 lb cart the handle can be raised or lowered
good luck
He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless DEAD.
Pretty nice, and the price isn't bad.
Denny
You will find one of those little carts is very handy. I bought a 440lb lift like that on sale for $80 and have used it to lift a small shaper, floor sander, chip bucket and many other things into the back of my pickup. About 12" too short of the tailgate, but close enough if you are careful. Zolton has an article on FWW also showing how to modify one for wheeling around stock.
Brad
I have a pair of rollers as you can see in 1402.. Almost built a rolling cart like the one shown in snap_002, but after chatting with a few here I decided not to needlessly complicate matters.
Brad
Now that second one looks bit more cumbersome to use. The first one is simple and functional: that's what I'm after.
Denny
The second one was going to bolt together so I could take it apart and the racks would have meant I could fiddle with board groups separately without having to sift through the pile. It would have been too cumbersome. I started with just a pair of wheels for each of the simple ones, but it was a nuisance until their was enough stock sitting there and one fell over once when a brake accidentally was set.
Brad
My table saw usually does the holding-duty. If I'm having trouble keeping the direction straight, I use chalk on the edge to draw arrows closest to the relevant face.
Yeah, that's sort of what I do too but it's more than a few paces. I'm thinking the sawhorse idea. I'm so dumb, and that idea is so brilliantly simple, I didn't think of it before.
Denny
I drool over the huge table on this used Unisaw I bought (52" fence), but actually, due to where it'll have to be located in the shop, it'll be a rotten place to put boards-in-process.
I used to have this cheap old metal shelf unit, maybe 3'+ high, that folded in on itself and became flat -- shelves folded down (or up?), and sides folded in. I'd like to make a wooden version of it, bring it out from hiding for milling time.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
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