Podcast – Stu's Shed

Another tool I got to play with at the wood show was the C26 Genius, a MiniMax combo– again from Gabbett Machinery.

Trying out the Amana Tool Profile Pro from Toolstoday.com, with a rebate cutter, then one of the profile cutters.

Photos are in an earlier post, but you can’t really see just how smooth the finish was, straight off the tool.

Cutters were changed without having to remove the cutter block from the spindle moulder – very easy system that positively aligns, and restrains the blades in the cutter block.

The starter set comes with 7 different profiles (including a straight rebate), but there are 137(!!!) different profiles to choose from for this cutter block, many costing around $US26.

Toolstoday Spindle Moulder Cutter Set

SSYTC058 Profile Pro on the C26 Genius

At the wood show last weekend, I got to set off the SawStop mechanism, not once, but 3 times.

Funnily enough, I was quite tentative about it the first time – we are talking about an extremely violent reaction at massive speed.

However, in practice it was a lot quieter and more gentle than I was expecting (but just as fast!)  It was amazing just how easy it is to do something stupid, and how capable the SawStop is in allowing you to be able to get away without permanent disability.

You don’t change your work practices (you remain working as safe as ever) – noone wants to set it off even so.  Like airbags in a car, you’d not want to ever see them deployed, but if you did, you would be most grateful they were there.

So here is the video of the very first time I got to set off the SawStop brake.

SawStop13

SSYTC057 1st Hands-on Experience of the SawStop

Thanks to the guys from Gabbett Machinery / I Wood Like for letting me give the machine a workout!

At the local school fete, and the local (Port Philip) historic machinery society come each year with their eclectic collection of vehicles and machines.

A few looked like they would be ideal for powering a belt-driven machine, or a small workshop line shaft.

One I particularly looked at was indeed a motor that originally drove a tablesaw.

It is a 2.5HP petrol engine by the Sandwich Manufacturing Co, from 1926. It has a magneto ignition, and runs around 425RPM

It may be a 4 stroke, but when you watch the video, the movement of the lever under the magneto unit, and the valve operation is just how slow the firing rate is when the engine is idling.

A simple, clever regulating system means it just ticks over, firing the piston only when the motor slows below a certain speed. An impressively fuel efficient system. As load increases, the firing rate also automatically increases.

The ‘pot’ of boiling water is the cooling system. Instead of a radiator, the water is allowed to boil away, with the energy required to transition the water to steam being an effective method to pull heat out of the engine. Of course you have to monitor the water and oil level! The oil drip-feeds the engine, with just the required amount gravity fed in each stroke, which then works down past each surface needing to be lubricated.

An impressive unit from a bygone age.

20131027-201227.mov

SSYTC056 A ‘new’ tablesaw engine

Dragon

SSYTC055 Routing the Japanese Dragon (CNC)

Generator

SSYTC054 Also sprach Zarathustra

Promac GTO68E 6.8kVA Generator

ManSpace

SSYTC053 Carving out a niche

The CNC Shark Pro from Carbatec. Carving the ManSpace logo in a piece of walnut.

The first video is using the fly-jig, with an additional wire now (as pictured recently) for additional stability.  The second wire will also allow panning effects, by offsetting the attachment points in relation to the main line.  There is still some shake that I haven’t been able to solve – wind is the primary culprit, so this jig is probably more of an interior-only variety.  There will still be more I can do to stabilise it – I’ll just have to think what that is!  Raising the camera so it is directly opposite the line, rather than below it will help a little.  Having some damper system on the line(s) to minimise vibration transmission is probably the next target.  Further slowing the period of oscillation of the jig (in the same way as a pendulum is controlled, or a spring-system) will also help.  Further increasing line tension would help too, but that will require some modification to the jig itself to cope with the increased rigidity that the tension would cause. (BTW, the timelapse is over approximately 20 minutes, not that there is much to watch – a few clouds and growing grass!)

Timelapse

SSYTC052 More GoPro Trials

The second jig is a skate jig.  It uses the same type of motor (30 RPM at 12V) driving directly on one of the wheels.  The camera was used to get the shot, so was notably absent, but is fixed via a tripod screw through the hole that can be seen near the battery.  This jig is either used to run on a smooth surface or track.  It will be interesting to see how easy it is to create a track that it can follow. Vibration is much less of a problem, but getting overhead shots is its limitation.

SkateJig

SSYTC051 More GoPro Trials

There are commercial solutions, but they often can operate over 1m or so, and/or are prohibitively expensive. Cheaper (non motorised) ones are out there – will keep searching for better options.

There is something to be said for forced intermissions.  Both longer term with the whole relocation, as well a current, temporary one, where I have needed some distractions to fill in some relatively immobile time.

May not have been able get any real workshop time in, but that meant I did have time to keep thinking of different approaches to filming, and the integration of the GoPro.

You’ve seen the fly-rig timelapse, and an adaption to the setup has potential to work on a dolly skate as well, so it can be self powered.

Another idea I’ve had, is how to mount the camera directly on a wood turning chisel.

GoPro Turning Chisel Mount

Without question I need better lighting for the scene to avoid hot spots – the very limited space I am currently working in does not allow that luxury.  So excusing that (and my technique!), this gives a point of view like this:

The GoPro Perspective

SSYTC050 Forced Intermission

Shot at 240FPS, the first portion is at full speed, the second is slowed to 1/20th speed.

Many places lay claim to having such a feature of their climate, and Melbourne is certainly renowned for it.  Today was a very unusual day – hottest July day on record (23.3C), and then the temperature plummeted as a cold front swept in, bringing strong winds and a downpour.  At the time I happened to be conducting further trials of the GoPro timelapse jig, but the winds completely defeated any possible stability improvements I had made.

It goes to show that having a shed designed to survive excessive conditions is particularly important – after all, I have been through a shed collapse before (and it never happens when it is warm and sunny).  Having cast iron tools out in the elements is not exactly good for them!  I will get into more detail on Shed Safe in the near future – one way to add confidence to a shed purchase that it is fit for the conditions.

But back to what I was actually doing today – continuing trialing the time lapse capabilities of the GoPro.  I ended up shooting the following footage of the storm rolling in – if I had been more aware of what was coming, I’d have started filming earlier!

Four Seasons

SSYTC049 Four Seasons in One Day

The occasional black flicker are birds flying through the view.  One frame actually caught a flash of lightning.

Soon this view will look rather different.  That little shed’s days are numbered (just not quite sure what that number is yet!)  The way the weather is going, it may go without any assistance!!