DIYbanter - Tools I don't Want To Do Without

On Mon, 23 Oct 2006 16:18:32 +0000, wild_hare wrote:

How about a picture of that DP table? I've been collecting designs but
haven't made a decision yet. TIA

Well, timing is everything, I guess.

My camera died, but I think I have a pic or two stashed on the hard drive
that I could post to ABPW.

You'll find the basic design in issue 57 of Shop Notes on page ten.

I changed some of the materials to match what I had on hand, substituting
somewhat thicker hardboard for the top and a sheet of plastic laminate
over plywood for the fence. I routed the grooves in the fence for the
hold-down bolts prior to ripping lengthwise so as to be absolutely certain
that the grooves would line up. They did. I didn't need to make the
alignment keys in the SN how-to.

I used a spare piece of 1/4" baltic birch for the table inserts, cutting
about a dozen to use up the piece of scrap I had. These reside on the shelf
beneath the table, which never did get fitted for the drawer.

I added a piece of corrugated plastic cardboard (dunnage from work) to the
dust plenum to hasten the exit of dust and to eliminate two of the
corners. I made a sandwich of 3/4" plywood at the point where the vacuum
hose enters the base to reduce the wear on the hole.

The hardboard and inserts each got several coats of shellac, although that
was entirely optional. I just wanted it to look good and be easy to clean.

The vacuum plenum has an unexpected second use ... by using an insert with
a hole in it, it serves as a vacuum hold-down for any workpiece large
enough to cover the hole. With a 2" hole, it holds well enough that I need
to switch the shop vac off to move the work to the next hole.

Coming attractions?

A table for my band saw
A bench built around my contractors saw / router table
Casters under the belt sander and jointer
A real workbench so I can free up my table saw to just be a table saw!

Cheers,
Bill