I am making a set of three stacking tables. Each table will have a 2 1/2"
wide piece of mahogany to trim the center rectangle of curly maple (still
deciding on the center). I got my technique down to get nearly perfect miter
cuts on my SCMS but the saw makes a slighly rough end cut that I would like
to be able to smooth off to get the best possible fit.

I tried to clean up the cuts with the sanding disk part of my combination
sanding disk/belt sander. It is a Ryobi I got for $99 at Home Depot a couple
of years ago on sale. Well, now I know why it was only $99. I could never
get the thing to sand the cut perfectly smooth. No matter how I fiddled
around with the (very cheap) miter gauge on the sanding disk, it always
sanded one end of the cut more than the other so I got a slightly rounded
surface. I guess $99 was TOO much to pay or more realistically, I shouldn't
have gotten it just because it was cheap.

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends of
the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this problem?

TIA.

Dick Snyder

"Dick Snyder" wrote

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends of
the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this problem?

Got a table saw?

Consider making a "miter sled" like the one on the Jig and Fixtures page of
my website.

Big plus is the _exact_ "45 degree" angle basically becomes a moot point
(particularly with the usual widths of picture frame miters) because the
order of cut, using an established 90 degree corner to build the sled,
insures complementary angles, and the jig allows you to use a stop block to
insure the sides are all cut the same length.

These two concepts combined make miter cutting a much easier task, with
little or no tweaking.


--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 3/27/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

"Swingman" wrote in message
...

"Dick Snyder" wrote

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends
of
the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this problem?

Got a table saw?

Consider making a "miter sled" like the one on the Jig and Fixtures page
of
my website.

Big plus is the _exact_ "45 degree" angle basically becomes a moot point
(particularly with the usual widths of picture frame miters) because the
order of cut, using an established 90 degree corner to build the sled,
insures complementary angles, and the jig allows you to use a stop block
to
insure the sides are all cut the same length.

These two concepts combined make miter cutting a much easier task, with
little or no tweaking.


--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 3/27/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)


I do have a table saw and I also have a miter sled I made. Unfortunately the
miter sled I made does not have stop blocks. I made it for cutting one end
of a piece of wood and it does a fine job at that. I may make a better miter
sled like yours that has stop blocks but since my SCMS is doing a perfect
cut now, I just want to find a way to smooth the cut ends of the wood while
not losing the perfect 45 degree cut. Thanks for the reference to your sled.
I like the way you did it and will probably copy what you did.

"Dick Snyder" wrote

sled like yours that has stop blocks but since my SCMS is doing a perfect
cut now, I just want to find a way to smooth the cut ends of the wood
while not losing the perfect 45 degree cut. Thanks for the reference to
your sled. I like the way you did it and will probably copy what you did.

Perhaps a better blade on your SCMS so further sanding is not necessary? I
have a Forrest Chopmaster on my Makita and resultant miter cuts are glass
smooth and glue ready, no sanding necessary.

With miter cuts, if I don't get the quality I need on the initial cut,
sanding seems to add more problems than it's worth. I hope your luck is
better than mine in that regard.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 3/8/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

"Swingman" wrote in message
...


"Dick Snyder" wrote

sled like yours that has stop blocks but since my SCMS is doing a perfect
cut now, I just want to find a way to smooth the cut ends of the wood
while not losing the perfect 45 degree cut. Thanks for the reference to
your sled. I like the way you did it and will probably copy what you did.

Perhaps a better blade on your SCMS so further sanding is not necessary? I
have a Forrest Chopmaster on my Makita and resultant miter cuts are glass
smooth and glue ready, no sanding necessary.

With miter cuts, if I don't get the quality I need on the initial cut,
sanding seems to add more problems than it's worth. I hope your luck is
better than mine in that regard.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 3/8/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

Excellent point on the blade Karl. I have a Forrest Woodworker II on my
table saw and it was absolutely worth the high price I paid for it.

"Swingman" wrote in message
...


"Dick Snyder" wrote

sled like yours that has stop blocks but since my SCMS is doing a perfect
cut now, I just want to find a way to smooth the cut ends of the wood
while not losing the perfect 45 degree cut. Thanks for the reference to
your sled. I like the way you did it and will probably copy what you did.

Perhaps a better blade on your SCMS so further sanding is not necessary? I
have a Forrest Chopmaster on my Makita and resultant miter cuts are glass
smooth and glue ready, no sanding necessary.

With miter cuts, if I don't get the quality I need on the initial cut,
sanding seems to add more problems than it's worth. I hope your luck is
better than mine in that regard.

While I am at it, if I do copy your sled are there any improvements you
would make if you did it over again?
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 3/8/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

"Dick Snyder" wrote

While I am at it, if I do copy your sled are there any improvements you
would make if you did it over again?

None that I can think of. It does precisely what it supposed to do - give
you perfect miters - and it's damn hard to improve on perfection.

The most important part of building it (other than getting the miter slot
runners parallel), is to be anally precise about insuring a perfect 90
degree angle on the plywood board that makes up the two opposite "fences". I
was lucky in finding a factory plywood edge that was nuts on, but it really
pays off down the road to be overly picky about this one factor.

Do so, and even if you are a little off in placement of this part on the
sled, you still have the complementary angle principle working in your favor
when you cut adjacent miters on opposite "fences".

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 3/27/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

Another argument against the sanded joint .. .. I was taught early on
the NEVER sand a surface that I expected to glue. The dust fills the
pores, and affects the strength of the joint.

Swingman wrote:
"Dick Snyder" wrote


While I am at it, if I do copy your sled are there any improvements you
would make if you did it over again?


None that I can think of. It does precisely what it supposed to do - give
you perfect miters - and it's damn hard to improve on perfection.

The most important part of building it (other than getting the miter slot
runners parallel), is to be anally precise about insuring a perfect 90
degree angle on the plywood board that makes up the two opposite "fences". I
was lucky in finding a factory plywood edge that was nuts on, but it really
pays off down the road to be overly picky about this one factor.

Do so, and even if you are a little off in placement of this part on the
sled, you still have the complementary angle principle working in your favor
when you cut adjacent miters on opposite "fences".

Dick Snyder wrote:
"Swingman" wrote in message
...

"Dick Snyder" wrote

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough
ends of
the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this
problem?

Got a table saw?

Consider making a "miter sled" like the one on the Jig and Fixtures
page of
my website.

Big plus is the _exact_ "45 degree" angle basically becomes a moot
point (particularly with the usual widths of picture frame miters)
because the order of cut, using an established 90 degree corner to
build the sled, insures complementary angles, and the jig allows you
to use a stop block to
insure the sides are all cut the same length.

These two concepts combined make miter cutting a much easier task,
with little or no tweaking.


--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 3/27/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)


I do have a table saw and I also have a miter sled I made.
Unfortunately the miter sled I made does not have stop blocks. I made
it for cutting one end of a piece of wood and it does a fine job at
that. I may make a better miter sled like yours that has stop blocks
but since my SCMS is doing a perfect cut now, I just want to find a
way to smooth the cut ends of the wood while not losing the perfect
45 degree cut.

Put a sanding plate on your saw.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

"Dick Snyder" writes:
I am making a set of three stacking tables. Each table will have a 2 1/2"
wide piece of mahogany to trim the center rectangle of curly maple (still
deciding on the center). I got my technique down to get nearly perfect miter
cuts on my SCMS but the saw makes a slighly rough end cut that I would like
to be able to smooth off to get the best possible fit.

I tried to clean up the cuts with the sanding disk part of my combination
sanding disk/belt sander. It is a Ryobi I got for $99 at Home Depot a couple
of years ago on sale. Well, now I know why it was only $99. I could never
get the thing to sand the cut perfectly smooth. No matter how I fiddled
around with the (very cheap) miter gauge on the sanding disk, it always
sanded one end of the cut more than the other so I got a slightly rounded
surface. I guess $99 was TOO much to pay or more realistically, I shouldn't
have gotten it just because it was cheap.

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends of
the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this problem?


How big is your sanding disk?

I usually use the 12" disk sander and clamp a guide board to the
cast-iron table at 45 degrees to the disk. Then just keep the
workpiece tight against the guide board. Don't bother with miter
gauge at all. You're doing pretty light sanding, I hope, so you
don't need to press hard or you'll burn the end.

scott

On May 2, 11:29*am, "Dick Snyder"
wrote:
I am making a set of three stacking tables. Each table will have a 2 1/2"
wide piece of mahogany to trim the center rectangle of curly maple (still
deciding on the center). I got my technique down to get nearly perfect miter
cuts on my SCMS but the saw makes a slighly rough end cut that I would like
to be able to smooth off to get the best possible fit.

I tried to clean up the cuts with the sanding disk part of my combination
sanding disk/belt sander. It is a Ryobi I got for $99 at Home Depot a couple
of years ago on sale. Well, now I know why it was only $99. I could never
get the thing to sand the cut perfectly smooth. No matter how I fiddled
around with the (very cheap) miter gauge on the sanding disk, it always
sanded one end of the cut more than the other so I got a slightly rounded
surface. I guess $99 was TOO much to pay or more realistically, I shouldn't
have gotten it just because it was cheap.

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends of
the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this problem?

TIA.

Dick Snyder

"Scott Lurndal" wrote in message
news
"Dick Snyder" writes:
I am making a set of three stacking tables. Each table will have a 2 1/2"
wide piece of mahogany to trim the center rectangle of curly maple (still
deciding on the center). I got my technique down to get nearly perfect
miter
cuts on my SCMS but the saw makes a slighly rough end cut that I would
like
to be able to smooth off to get the best possible fit.

I tried to clean up the cuts with the sanding disk part of my combination
sanding disk/belt sander. It is a Ryobi I got for $99 at Home Depot a
couple
of years ago on sale. Well, now I know why it was only $99. I could never
get the thing to sand the cut perfectly smooth. No matter how I fiddled
around with the (very cheap) miter gauge on the sanding disk, it always
sanded one end of the cut more than the other so I got a slightly rounded
surface. I guess $99 was TOO much to pay or more realistically, I
shouldn't
have gotten it just because it was cheap.

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends of
the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this problem?


How big is your sanding disk?

I usually use the 12" disk sander and clamp a guide board to the
cast-iron table at 45 degrees to the disk. Then just keep the
workpiece tight against the guide board. Don't bother with miter
gauge at all. You're doing pretty light sanding, I hope, so you
don't need to press hard or you'll burn the end.

scott

For $99 there was no cast iron table and no 12" disk. It was a mistake to
get this thing!

Dick Snyder wrote:
I am making a set of three stacking tables. Each table will have a 2 1/2"
wide piece of mahogany to trim the center rectangle of curly maple (still
deciding on the center). I got my technique down to get nearly perfect miter
cuts on my SCMS but the saw makes a slighly rough end cut that I would like
to be able to smooth off to get the best possible fit.

I tried to clean up the cuts with the sanding disk part of my combination
sanding disk/belt sander. It is a Ryobi I got for $99 at Home Depot a couple
of years ago on sale. Well, now I know why it was only $99. I could never
get the thing to sand the cut perfectly smooth. No matter how I fiddled
around with the (very cheap) miter gauge on the sanding disk, it always
sanded one end of the cut more than the other so I got a slightly rounded
surface. I guess $99 was TOO much to pay or more realistically, I shouldn't
have gotten it just because it was cheap.

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends of
the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this problem?

TIA.

Dick Snyder



http://www.lionmitertrimmer.com/

--
Bill B.

http://home.comcast.net/~bberg100

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid
in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly
proclaiming, 'WOW! What A RIDE!!" ... Unknown

"Dick Snyder" wrote in message
. ..
I am making a set of three stacking tables. Each table will have a 2 1/2"
wide piece of mahogany to trim the center rectangle of curly maple (still
deciding on the center). I got my technique down to get nearly perfect
miter
cuts on my SCMS but the saw makes a slighly rough end cut that I would
like
to be able to smooth off to get the best possible fit.

This situation screams for the use of a bench plane and shooting board.
There is a clip in the subscription section of the FWW site and there are
tons of other references on the web and in books and magazines...

The upside of using a shooting board over something like a Lion Trimmer is
the bench place can be used for myriad other tasks.

John

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworki....aspx?id=30677

On Fri, 02 May 2008 17:43:40 -0400, Dick Snyder wrote:

For $99 there was no cast iron table and no 12" disk. It was a mistake to
get this thing!

You can get a 10" sanding disk for your table saw. Get the one with one
side tapered.

"Dick Snyder" wrote in message
. ..
I am making a set of three stacking tables. Each table will have a 2 1/2"
wide piece of mahogany to trim the center rectangle of curly maple (still
deciding on the center). I got my technique down to get nearly perfect
miter cuts on my SCMS but the saw makes a slighly rough end cut that I
would like to be able to smooth off to get the best possible fit.

I tried to clean up the cuts with the sanding disk part of my combination
sanding disk/belt sander. It is a Ryobi I got for $99 at Home Depot a
couple of years ago on sale. Well, now I know why it was only $99. I could
never get the thing to sand the cut perfectly smooth. No matter how I
fiddled around with the (very cheap) miter gauge on the sanding disk, it
always sanded one end of the cut more than the other so I got a slightly
rounded surface. I guess $99 was TOO much to pay or more realistically, I
shouldn't have gotten it just because it was cheap.

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends of
the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this problem?

TIA.

Dick Snyder

Dick, the problem with sanding or trimming a miter cut after cutting to
length on a saw is that it ends up being too short. If you sand, you have
to determine how much to over cut and how much to sand off, it's a crap
shoot at best unless you have a stop to sand to a particular distance.

I suggest a Dubby Miter Sled or the new Rockler Sled.

http://in-lineindustries.com/
or
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18063

To cut a clean miter you need a sharp and a good quality regular width kerf
blade. The Forrest WWII works well for this purpose. You also need to be
certain that opposite parallel pieces are precisely the same length or they
will never fit together tightly regardless if you are cutting dead on 45 or
not.
Because the pieces have to be precisely the correct "LENGTH" sanding will
almost always change the length of the piece of wood.

Leon wrote:
"Dick Snyder" wrote in message
. ..
I am making a set of three stacking tables. Each table will have a 2 1/2"
wide piece of mahogany to trim the center rectangle of curly maple (still
deciding on the center). I got my technique down to get nearly perfect
miter cuts on my SCMS but the saw makes a slighly rough end cut that I
would like to be able to smooth off to get the best possible fit.

I tried to clean up the cuts with the sanding disk part of my combination
sanding disk/belt sander. It is a Ryobi I got for $99 at Home Depot a
couple of years ago on sale. Well, now I know why it was only $99. I could
never get the thing to sand the cut perfectly smooth. No matter how I
fiddled around with the (very cheap) miter gauge on the sanding disk, it
always sanded one end of the cut more than the other so I got a slightly
rounded surface. I guess $99 was TOO much to pay or more realistically, I
shouldn't have gotten it just because it was cheap.

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends of
the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this problem?

TIA.

Dick Snyder

Dick, the problem with sanding or trimming a miter cut after cutting to
length on a saw is that it ends up being too short. If you sand, you have
to determine how much to over cut and how much to sand off, it's a crap
shoot at best unless you have a stop to sand to a particular distance.

I suggest a Dubby Miter Sled or the new Rockler Sled.

http://in-lineindustries.com/
or
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18063

To cut a clean miter you need a sharp and a good quality regular width kerf
blade. The Forrest WWII works well for this purpose. You also need to be
certain that opposite parallel pieces are precisely the same length or they
will never fit together tightly regardless if you are cutting dead on 45 or
not.
Because the pieces have to be precisely the correct "LENGTH" sanding will
almost always change the length of the piece of wood.







Just a comment, It does not matter how close to perfection the miter cut
is, if the opposite sides of the frame are not absolutely the same
length the miter is not perfect.

--
Keith Nuttle
3110 Marquette Court
Indianapolis, IN 46268
317-802-0699

"Keith nuttle" wrote in message
...
Leon wrote:
"Dick Snyder" wrote in message
. ..
I am making a set of three stacking tables. Each table will have a 2
1/2" wide piece of mahogany to trim the center rectangle of curly maple
(still deciding on the center). I got my technique down to get nearly
perfect miter cuts on my SCMS but the saw makes a slighly rough end cut
that I would like to be able to smooth off to get the best possible fit.

I tried to clean up the cuts with the sanding disk part of my
combination sanding disk/belt sander. It is a Ryobi I got for $99 at
Home Depot a couple of years ago on sale. Well, now I know why it was
only $99. I could never get the thing to sand the cut perfectly smooth.
No matter how I fiddled around with the (very cheap) miter gauge on the
sanding disk, it always sanded one end of the cut more than the other so
I got a slightly rounded surface. I guess $99 was TOO much to pay or
more realistically, I shouldn't have gotten it just because it was
cheap.

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends
of the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this
problem?

TIA.

Dick Snyder

Dick, the problem with sanding or trimming a miter cut after cutting to
length on a saw is that it ends up being too short. If you sand, you
have to determine how much to over cut and how much to sand off, it's a
crap shoot at best unless you have a stop to sand to a particular
distance.

I suggest a Dubby Miter Sled or the new Rockler Sled.

http://in-lineindustries.com/
or
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18063

To cut a clean miter you need a sharp and a good quality regular width
kerf blade. The Forrest WWII works well for this purpose. You also need
to be certain that opposite parallel pieces are precisely the same length
or they will never fit together tightly regardless if you are cutting
dead on 45 or not.
Because the pieces have to be precisely the correct "LENGTH" sanding will
almost always change the length of the piece of wood.







Just a comment, It does not matter how close to perfection the miter cut
is, if the opposite sides of the frame are not absolutely the same length
the miter is not perfect.


I've found the best method for me is to glue up two joints 180 degrees from
each other then trim as needed after the glue dries to get the last two
joints the best you can get then glue them and move on. We woodworkers
inspect things on a level that won't be viewed after the painting and glass
goes in!

YMMV, Rich

"Keith nuttle" wrote in message
...
Leon wrote:
"Dick Snyder" wrote in message
. ..

Because the pieces have to be precisely the correct "LENGTH" sanding
will
almost always change the length of the piece of wood.


Just a comment, It does not matter how close to perfection the miter cut
is, if the opposite sides of the frame are not absolutely the same
length the miter is not perfect.

This is another place where the shooting board is handy... if pieces aren't
exactly the same length, or not perfectly straight, the miters can be
adjusted by using paper shims to adjust the position of the stock on the
shooting board.

I posted a couple photos of cutting and shooting miters on ABPW that show
how a shooting board would be used for this purpose.

John

On May 2, 2:29 pm, "Dick Snyder"
wrote:
I am making a set of three stacking tables. Each table will have a 2 1/2"
wide piece of mahogany to trim the center rectangle of curly maple (still
deciding on the center). I got my technique down to get nearly perfect miter
cuts on my SCMS but the saw makes a slighly rough end cut that I would like
to be able to smooth off to get the best possible fit.

I tried to clean up the cuts with the sanding disk part of my combination
sanding disk/belt sander. It is a Ryobi I got for $99 at Home Depot a couple
of years ago on sale. Well, now I know why it was only $99. I could never
get the thing to sand the cut perfectly smooth. No matter how I fiddled
around with the (very cheap) miter gauge on the sanding disk, it always
sanded one end of the cut more than the other so I got a slightly rounded
surface. I guess $99 was TOO much to pay or more realistically, I shouldn't
have gotten it just because it was cheap.

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends of
the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this problem?

80T crosscut blade. Even my 50T Freud Diablo will give
me glue-ready joints straight off the table saw.

On Fri, 02 May 2008 21:06:29 +0000, Scott Lurndal wrote:

"Dick Snyder" writes:

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends
of the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this
problem?


How big is your sanding disk?


I think he would be better of improving the finish of the cuts with a
good blade vs working on a system to finish the cuts.

I had a combination Craftsman (unknown model came with the saw and the
bulk of the print was worn off) that gave cross cuts a polished glass
finish. This is he wants in the first place, might as well start with it.

Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Fri, 02 May 2008 17:43:40 -0400, Dick Snyder wrote:

For $99 there was no cast iron table and no 12" disk. It was a mistake to
get this thing!

You can get a 10" sanding disk for your table saw. Get the one with one
side tapered.


but don't use the tapered side to try and square up anything - the taper
will assure un-square joints.

"Dick Snyder" wrote in message
. ..
I am making a set of three stacking tables. Each table will have a 2 1/2"
wide piece of mahogany to trim the center rectangle of curly maple (still
deciding on the center). I got my technique down to get nearly perfect
miter cuts on my SCMS but the saw makes a slighly rough end cut that I
would like to be able to smooth off to get the best possible fit.

I tried to clean up the cuts with the sanding disk part of my combination
sanding disk/belt sander. It is a Ryobi I got for $99 at Home Depot a
couple of years ago on sale. Well, now I know why it was only $99. I could
never get the thing to sand the cut perfectly smooth. No matter how I
fiddled around with the (very cheap) miter gauge on the sanding disk, it
always sanded one end of the cut more than the other so I got a slightly
rounded surface. I guess $99 was TOO much to pay or more realistically, I
shouldn't have gotten it just because it was cheap.

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends of
the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this problem?

TIA.

Dick Snyder

Hi guys,

Thanks for your thoughtful replies as always. This group is the BEST.

Based on your replies I have decided to buy a better blade for my SCMS (I
will order it today) - I am getting the Forrest Chopmaster as I have had
such great results with the Forrest Woodworker II on my table saw. I am also
going to make a sled with a stop block based on the picture I saw on Karl's
website. This will give me a couple of choices for how to do my work in the
future. I will finish my current project with the new blade. I have some
other stuff to do while I wait for the Forrest blade to show up.

Dick

Dick Snyder wrote:
"Dick Snyder" wrote in message
. ..
I am making a set of three stacking tables. Each table will have a 2 1/2"
wide piece of mahogany to trim the center rectangle of curly maple (still
deciding on the center). I got my technique down to get nearly perfect
miter cuts on my SCMS but the saw makes a slighly rough end cut that I
would like to be able to smooth off to get the best possible fit.

I tried to clean up the cuts with the sanding disk part of my combination
sanding disk/belt sander. It is a Ryobi I got for $99 at Home Depot a
couple of years ago on sale. Well, now I know why it was only $99. I could
never get the thing to sand the cut perfectly smooth. No matter how I
fiddled around with the (very cheap) miter gauge on the sanding disk, it
always sanded one end of the cut more than the other so I got a slightly
rounded surface. I guess $99 was TOO much to pay or more realistically, I
shouldn't have gotten it just because it was cheap.

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends of
the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this problem?

TIA.

Dick Snyder

Hi guys,

Thanks for your thoughtful replies as always. This group is the BEST.

Based on your replies I have decided to buy a better blade for my SCMS (I
will order it today) - I am getting the Forrest Chopmaster as I have had
such great results with the Forrest Woodworker II on my table saw. I am also
going to make a sled with a stop block based on the picture I saw on Karl's
website. This will give me a couple of choices for how to do my work in the
future. I will finish my current project with the new blade. I have some
other stuff to do while I wait for the Forrest blade to show up.

Dick


I have found that I can get exact lengths on the opposite sides by
fastening the opposite sides together and trimming both ends.

I uses a triangle miter gauge for the cuts and a staple gun to fasten
the opposite sides together. I cut one end of the two sides, reverse
the triangle miter gauge on the table and cut the other end.

In essences the you are cutting the miters on both sides of the square.








--
Keith Nuttle
3110 Marquette Court
Indianapolis, IN 46268
317-802-0699

Doug Winterburn wrote:
Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Fri, 02 May 2008 17:43:40 -0400, Dick Snyder wrote:

For $99 there was no cast iron table and no 12" disk. It was a
mistake to get this thing!

You can get a 10" sanding disk for your table saw. Get the one with
one side tapered.


but don't use the tapered side to try and square up anything - the
taper will assure un-square joints.

To the contrary, the tapered side is what is meant to be used. One has to
tilt the arbor so that the taper is vertical; doing so means that the wood
can be fed into the disk without catching on the edge of the plate.
Additionally, the taper provides only one point of contact for the wood
which means all sanding will be linear and parallel to the direction of feed
rather than circular.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

"dadiOH" wrote in message
news:ybYSj.1240$sp.1009@trnddc02...
Doug Winterburn wrote:
Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Fri, 02 May 2008 17:43:40 -0400, Dick Snyder wrote:

For $99 there was no cast iron table and no 12" disk. It was a
mistake to get this thing!

You can get a 10" sanding disk for your table saw. Get the one with
one side tapered.


but don't use the tapered side to try and square up anything - the
taper will assure un-square joints.

To the contrary, the tapered side is what is meant to be used. One has to
tilt the arbor so that the taper is vertical; doing so means that the wood
can be fed into the disk without catching on the edge of the plate.
Additionally, the taper provides only one point of contact for the wood
which means all sanding will be linear and parallel to the direction of
feed rather than circular.

If you use the tapered side with the arbor tilted you end up with a "Hollow
Ground" surface.

Leon wrote:
"dadiOH" wrote in message
news:ybYSj.1240$sp.1009@trnddc02...
Doug Winterburn wrote:
Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Fri, 02 May 2008 17:43:40 -0400, Dick Snyder wrote:

For $99 there was no cast iron table and no 12" disk. It was a
mistake to get this thing!

You can get a 10" sanding disk for your table saw. Get the one
with one side tapered.


but don't use the tapered side to try and square up anything - the
taper will assure un-square joints.

To the contrary, the tapered side is what is meant to be used. One
has to tilt the arbor so that the taper is vertical; doing so means
that the wood can be fed into the disk without catching on the edge
of the plate. Additionally, the taper provides only one point of
contact for the wood which means all sanding will be linear and
parallel to the direction of feed rather than circular.

If you use the tapered side with the arbor tilted you end up with a
"Hollow Ground" surface.

That would depend solely upon how uniformly the stock is fed.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

"dadiOH" wrote in message
news:vf0Tj.2133$zw.520@trnddc04...


That would depend solely upon how uniformly the stock is fed.

Yeah, you're right.

"Keith nuttle" wrote in message
...
Dick Snyder wrote:
"Dick Snyder" wrote in message
. ..
I am making a set of three stacking tables. Each table will have a 2
1/2" wide piece of mahogany to trim the center rectangle of curly maple
(still deciding on the center). I got my technique down to get nearly
perfect miter cuts on my SCMS but the saw makes a slighly rough end cut
that I would like to be able to smooth off to get the best possible fit.

I tried to clean up the cuts with the sanding disk part of my
combination sanding disk/belt sander. It is a Ryobi I got for $99 at
Home Depot a couple of years ago on sale. Well, now I know why it was
only $99. I could never get the thing to sand the cut perfectly smooth.
No matter how I fiddled around with the (very cheap) miter gauge on the
sanding disk, it always sanded one end of the cut more than the other so
I got a slightly rounded surface. I guess $99 was TOO much to pay or
more realistically, I shouldn't have gotten it just because it was
cheap.

The cuts aren't bad but I can't think of any way to sand the rough ends
of the cut to get an even better fit. Have any of you solved this
problem?

TIA.

Dick Snyder

Hi guys,

Thanks for your thoughtful replies as always. This group is the BEST.

Based on your replies I have decided to buy a better blade for my SCMS (I
will order it today) - I am getting the Forrest Chopmaster as I have had
such great results with the Forrest Woodworker II on my table saw. I am
also going to make a sled with a stop block based on the picture I saw on
Karl's website. This will give me a couple of choices for how to do my
work in the future. I will finish my current project with the new blade.
I have some other stuff to do while I wait for the Forrest blade to show
up.

Dick
I have found that I can get exact lengths on the opposite sides by
fastening the opposite sides together and trimming both ends.

I uses a triangle miter gauge for the cuts and a staple gun to fasten the
opposite sides together. I cut one end of the two sides, reverse the
triangle miter gauge on the table and cut the other end.

In essences the you are cutting the miters on both sides of the square.








--
Keith Nuttle
3110 Marquette Court
Indianapolis, IN 46268
317-802-0699

Keith,

I have never heard of a triangle miter gauge. Do you mean a miter gauge set
to 45 degrees where you cut one side of the pair and then the other?

Dick

On Fri, 02 May 2008 13:37:23 -0500, Swingman wrote:


Consider making a "miter sled" like the one on the Jig and Fixtures page
of my website.

Big plus is the _exact_ "45 degree" angle basically becomes a moot point
(particularly with the usual widths of picture frame miters) because the
order of cut, using an established 90 degree corner to build the sled,
insures complementary angles, and the jig allows you to use a stop block
to insure the sides are all cut the same length.

These two concepts combined make miter cutting a much easier task, with
little or no tweaking.


Soo... how come the 'point' of the ply triangle hasn't got a blade kerf
cut into it? Never been used, or does it just not show up in the pictures?

Or am I missing something about how it should be used?

"PCPaul" wrote in message
om...
On Fri, 02 May 2008 13:37:23 -0500, Swingman wrote:





Soo... how come the 'point' of the ply triangle hasn't got a blade kerf
cut into it? Never been used, or does it just not show up in the pictures?

It has a kerf, a bit hard to see but it is there. Additionally there is not
much need to cut much past the actual stock you are mitering so the kerf
need not be very far into the "point".

"PCPaul" wrote in message

Soo... how come the 'point' of the ply triangle hasn't got a blade kerf
cut into it? Never been used, or does it just not show up in the pictures?

Yeah, I just made the sled to hang on the wall of the shop and look pretty
.... art, doncha know..

Or am I missing something about how it should be used?

A better monitor?

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 3/27/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

On Sun, 04 May 2008 08:54:19 -0500, Swingman wrote:

"PCPaul" wrote in message

Soo... how come the 'point' of the ply triangle hasn't got a blade kerf
cut into it? Never been used, or does it just not show up in the
pictures?

Yeah, I just made the sled to hang on the wall of the shop and look
pretty ... art, doncha know..

That's kinda what I figured... ;-)

Or am I missing something about how it should be used?

A better monitor?

Well, in my defence the picture had to be squeezed an awfully long way
down the tubes.

Don't mind me, I'm just jealous. My 'shop' is a UK-sized one car garage -
about 17'x8'. And it's not all for my sawdust generators either.

"PCPaul" wrote in message
On Sun, 04 May 2008 08:54:19 -0500, Swingman wrote:

"PCPaul" wrote in message

Soo... how come the 'point' of the ply triangle hasn't got a blade kerf
cut into it? Never been used, or does it just not show up in the
pictures?

Yeah, I just made the sled to hang on the wall of the shop and look
pretty ... art, doncha know..

That's kinda what I figured... ;-)

Or am I missing something about how it should be used?

A better monitor?

Well, in my defence the picture had to be squeezed an awfully long way
down the tubes.

LOL ... that'll indeed make a difference. (actually, if you look closely you
can see the "vanishing magic kerf" in the second picture. It appears to be
hidden by the edge of the plexiglass guard in the first picture. As Leon
said, there is no need to cut much further past the "point", so it's not
like a regular cutoff sled in that respect.)

Don't mind me, I'm just jealous. My 'shop' is a UK-sized one car garage -
about 17'x8'. And it's not all for my sawdust generators either.

BTDT, and in the UK, AAMOF ... (built some of my "just married" furniture in
an 8 x 8 garden shed in Staines, Middx).

Now, I've got about twice that space (18 x 18), which seemed like a luxury
in comparison ... for all of about ten minutes. I have plans (depending upon
whether, in retirement, one prefers eating to having a bigger shop.) to
build a 20 x 36 shop. I'm sure it won't take long to make even that seem
inadequate.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 3/27/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

On May 3, 8:33 am, "Leon" wrote:
"dadiOH" wrote in message

news:ybYSj.1240$sp.1009@trnddc02...



Doug Winterburn wrote:
Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Fri, 02 May 2008 17:43:40 -0400, Dick Snyder wrote:

For $99 there was no cast iron table and no 12" disk. It was a
mistake to get this thing!

You can get a 10" sanding disk for your table saw. Get the one with
one side tapered.

but don't use the tapered side to try and square up anything - the
taper will assure un-square joints.

To the contrary, the tapered side is what is meant to be used. One has to
tilt the arbor so that the taper is vertical; doing so means that the wood
can be fed into the disk without catching on the edge of the plate.
Additionally, the taper provides only one point of contact for the wood
which means all sanding will be linear and parallel to the direction of
feed rather than circular.

If you use the tapered side with the arbor tilted you end up with a "Hollow
Ground" surface.

Undercutting isn't necessarily a bad thing, such as when
you're trimming an old out-of flat window case.