High Rock Woodworking

I have an old 14″ Delta band saw that has been in my family since I was a kid.  It is an ok saw, but resawing was impossible.  It was just accepted that this was an old saw and never going to preform like I wanted.  The problem is I really need resawing capabilities, a lot of the projects I build are small and utilize thinner stock.  Planing a 3/4 or 4/4 board down to 1/2 is a big waste of material.  Also, I have wanted to experiment more with shop cut veneers.  So I decided it was time to buy a new band saw.

After shopping around I was almost ready to purchase but the Woodworking Shows were going to be here in Atlanta so I decided to wait and see if I could find a good deal there first.  Last year while at the Modern Woodworkers Association booth all weekend at the Woodworking Shows, I pretty much had memorized Alex Snodgrass’ demonstration as we were right beside the Carter/Band saw Clinic booth.  I even teased that he should throw “it slices….it dices….” into his routine, but honestly I didn’t think it would probably help my band saw as much as I needed.  But this year I decided to give them a try and picked up a band saw conversion kit that included a new set of upper and lower guides and guard.  I also took there suggestion and bought a 3 teeth per inch resaw blade.

The guides were super easy to install and took less than 20 minutes.  Once the guides were installed I put on the new blade.  The adjustment were quick and so much smoother that the original set of guides.  The only negative on the Carter guides is that the guides don’t come with a lot of instruction on how to install or adjust, I suppose the reason is that they push an instructional video with the conversion kit.  That said it was not that difficult to figure out.

Original Delta Guides Installed

Once the blades was installed and adjusted I was ready to test it out.  I expected to have a few adjustments after the first cut but was amazed that with the first cut I was able to slice a consistent 1/8″ off of a 4″ thick board!  I have been using the band saw for a few weeks now with the new guides and blade and am really satisfied with the results.  I am still limited to about 6″ on resaw width but with narrow boards the performance is great.

One last note on the replacement blade.  I was concerned that with the coarse 3tpi I would get a really rough cut.  But after playing around with feed rate I can get a cut that requires not more than usual finish prep.

One of the best ways to stay productive in the shop is to be organized.  I for the most part do a good job on keeping my shop clean and in order but seem to struggle with keeping my chisels organized, they seem to get scattered all over the shop.

A while back a was working on a design that I will eventually use for a table top.  The idea was to have a river design of contrasting wood in the center of the top.  I made templates for the center design and cut a prototype.  The inital design worked so well that I didn’t want to just trash the model.  The chisel cabinet seemed like the perfect use for it.

Here is a small video I put together as an overview of the cabinet.

Show Notes:

• Current/Future project description

  • Chris

    • Tuning his beading plane

    • tuning up his bandsaw with Carter Guides

  • Asa

    • The Tansu boxes go on and on and on . . .

  • Dyami – lots a small progresa

    • Tree House is sheathed

    • Shop sheathing

    • Glue gun holder

• Goings on in the MWA

  • Since last show

  • Two weeks ago

    • Woodworking Shows in Tampa

  • Last Weekend

    • Northeast Woodworkers Association 2013 Showcase in Saratoga Springs

    • Furniture Project in Foxboro

    • Woodworking Shows in Atlanta

• Main topic

  • Asa Christian of Fine Woodworking

    • Fine Woodworking Live 2013

      • August 8-11

      • Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT

    • Discussion about FWW Live 2013

      • A build off on Friday night (will it be broadcast live?)

      • about 7 vendors

If you want to find out more about the Modern Woodworkers Association, be sure to visit modern woodworkersassociation.com for up to the minute happenings in the many different chapters and follow us on Twitter @MWA_National And, if you want to start a chapter of your own, just click on the Join MWA tab at the top. And, remember, membership is free, but the connections you make will be priceless!

Show Notes:

• Current/Future project description

• Dyami

  • Tree House of missfitting joints

  • John, my 80 year old, one eyed new friend

• Chris

  • my urn box… and stuff

  •  A friend of mine made this box that I will use as an urn for my mother. I will make a wooden box for this to go in. twitter.com/HighRockWW/sta…

    — Chris Adkins (@HighRockWW) March 13, 2013

• Goings on in the MWA

  • Join Tom at the Woodworking Shows when they visit Tampa March 15 – 17

  • Join Chris at the Woodworking Shows when they visit Atlanta March 22-27

• Main topic

  • Eric Poirier of Bell Forrest Products

This past weekend The Woodworking Shows were in Atlanta.  I spent the entire weekend at the show talking to people at the Modern Woodworkers Association booth and have to just say WOW.  Last year we attended the show also and it was a lot of fun but I left feeling that it was set up more for DIY and home improvement than hobby woodworkers.  This year was completely different, lots of great classes from some extremely talented woodworkers like Andy Chidwick, Paul Sellers, Jim Heavey, and Roland Johnson to name a few.  Each providing different aspects of the craft and ideas that make you think.

There was a completely different feel and an atmosphere of excitement from vendors and attendees this year in large part due to a new owner that seems to be pushing the show in the right direction.  I am excited to see what is in the future.

I spent most of my time at the MWA booth talking with attendees which is always a humbling experience to see so many knowledgeable and passionate woodworkers in one place.  I met so many people that by Sunday I had almost lost my voice!  One of the best things about writing a blog and being part of the Modern Woodworkers Association is that I have had the chance to meet so many great people, from members to teachers to magazine editors.  It was great seeing and spending time with them all.  Getting caught up in everyday life makes me forget why I started the MWA in the first place.  But spending weekends like this makes me want to get into the shop and build, and share and encourage others to do the same.  So with that said go build something and find others to do the same!

Be safe, learn something, and have fun!