3D Chess

[Mort Tenon]

2 hours ago, JimErn said:

not sure what small means to  you. 

My original Craftsman jointer was a benchtop model similar is size to that one.  Probably called a 6 in. but it was the length of the table, not the width, that was a problem for me. Any board longer than 10 or 12 inches would hang over the end and I could never get an edge that wasn't bowed.

I got it when Craftsman was still sold exclusively at Sears retail stores, and it also came with damaged knives, like someone had run a board through with a nail in it. In taking the knives out, I stripped a couple of hex bolts. They were so tight that I had to use a pipe on the hex wrench to break them loose. Sears replaced the knives, but refused to give me bolts; they said I stripped the heads, it was my error. I think they were  5¢ each.

Anyway, the Powermatic solved all those problems, and has the helical heads which give an incredibly smooth edge. I use it mostly for edges, but will occasionally use it as a surface planer if I have a board that is cupped slightly. I can get one side flat and then run it through the Dewalt planer.

[OCtoolguy]

1 hour ago, Mort Tenon said:

My original Craftsman jointer was a benchtop model similar is size to that one.  Probably called a 6 in. but it was the length of the table, not the width, that was a problem for me. Any board longer than 10 or 12 inches would hang over the end and I could never get an edge that wasn't bowed.

I got it when Craftsman was still sold exclusively at Sears retail stores, and it also came with damaged knives, like someone had run a board through with a nail in it. In taking the knives out, I stripped a couple of hex bolts. They were so tight that I had to use a pipe on the hex wrench to break them loose. Sears replaced the knives, but refused to give me bolts; they said I stripped the heads, it was my error. I think they were  5¢ each.

Anyway, the Powermatic solved all those problems, and has the helical heads which give an incredibly smooth edge. I use it mostly for edges, but will occasionally use it as a surface planer if I have a board that is cupped slightly. I can get one side flat and then run it through the Dewalt planer.

I'd kill to have that much room.

 

[Mort Tenon]

18 minutes ago, octoolguy said:

I'd kill to have that much room.

 

Everything is on wheels. I still have to park a car in there, so I push it all to one side or along the wall, and when I have to use all the tools, I put the car outside and pull them all out. I wanted to build a woodshop when we moved here, but ran out of money. Wife said we should have built a three-car garage when we had the chance, like all the neighbors did. (She's always right...!) New neighbor down the road just built a shop with as much floor space as his house. Has enough room in back for two cars and his shop, with an office and bathroom. I don't have room for dust collection.

[OCtoolguy]

On 3/15/2019 at 7:22 PM, Mort Tenon said:

Everything is on wheels. I still have to park a car in there, so I push it all to one side or along the wall, and when I have to use all the tools, I put the car outside and pull them all out. I wanted to build a woodshop when we moved here, but ran out of money. Wife said we should have built a three-car garage when we had the chance, like all the neighbors did. (She's always right...!) New neighbor down the road just built a shop with as much floor space as his house. Has enough room in back for two cars and his shop, with an office and bathroom. I don't have room for dust collection.

We had a 3 car garage in our last home. We sold it along with everything else we owned to go out on the road full time. We were out for 3 years and are now in a mobile home. I'm very thankful for the shop I have but I'm going to figure a way to have more room. My biggest problem is the dampness from being so close to the ocean. Everything rusts quickly. Whatever I leave outside has to have a good cover to protect it.

 

Edited March 19, 2019 by octoolguy

[Mort Tenon]

Well, here is a rather unimpressive first test from a piece of soft wood, probably from a stud or something. The little center guy broke off while cutting, and the flat surfaces are not flat due to blade flex. That flexing of the blade also guarantees that opposite sides are not uniform in size and shape.

I used three blades for this one: A #5 Super Sharps skip-tooth, and #3 and 2/0 Pegas standard tooth. I will probably try few more times and then give up if I don't get better results.

[Scrappile]

Hummm, does look fragile.  Wonder how it would hold up to me throwing it across the room because I lost,,,,, yet again!!  I'm so good at Chess, that my grandson asked me to teach him.  I never beat him, even on the first training game.....

Edited March 23, 2019 by Scrappile

[Mort Tenon]

Just now, Scrappile said:

Hummm, does look fragile.  Wonder how it would hold up to me throwing it across the room because I lost,,,,, yet again!!

It is fragile, of course, but as I handled it, it seems surprisingly sturdy given the thin sides. Also very lightweight. Gently squeezing yielded little or no give. I wouldn't give it to kids to play with, but if handled with care and stored carefully, I think you could play with these. You would need to be sure there were no hidden cracks in the wood that would cause a break, especially along the sides. They would also require a lot of space to store. I wouldn't just throw them in a drawer.

[OCtoolguy]

It looks like you are doing fine. Practice will go a long way toward perfection. Better wood, the correct blade and patience. From what I have garnered, a skip tooth blade with no reverse teeth is what is needed. Something in the #5 to #7 range for thick wood. I'm going to give these a try once I get done making baskets for everybody my wife knows.

 

[Mort Tenon]

3 minutes ago, octoolguy said:

From what I have garnered, a skip tooth blade with no reverse teeth is what is needed. Something in the #5 to #7 range

That's what I used for the majority of this, a #5 skip tooth—for all of the perimeter and some of the bigger interior areas. I added some tension to the blade too, but maybe not enough. I don't like too much tension—but it may be necessary to keep the blade flatter.

[OCtoolguy]

1 minute ago, Mort Tenon said:

That's what I used for the majority of this, a #5 skip tooth—for all of the perimeter and some of the bigger interior areas. I added some tension to the blade too, but maybe not enough. I don't like too much tension—but it may be necessary to keep the blade flatter.

Yes, that and letting the saw do its work at its own pace. Sometimes very slowly.

 

[mprogler]

Looks like same, or similar, plans are available here

 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ClaytonsPatterns?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=255767417