New Shop Addition and a Failure: Friday Update
A light woodworking week in the Beyer shop. I had a bit of spring cleaning to do to prepare for a new shop addition. I upgraded my table saw.
But before we jump into the saw, I did work on one project which ended in failure. I was commissioned to make a ring box for a friend who is getting married in August. She went to Etsy and thought, I bet Keaton could make one of these. I thought so too, but this week was a lesson in humility.
Ring Box
I tried. And I tried. And I tried. In this case, third time was not the charm, so I gave up.
I could have made what she wanted, but it would have taken me a few more attempts, so I tucked my tail and delivered the news that I was not going to be able to do it. Here’s why I made this decision.
One, my shop is not setup to make small items. I don’t have a CNC for doing intricate work and routing out a piece of wood 3” by 3” is scary, even when securely clamped. To be safer, I would need different tools, which I don’t want to buy for a single project. So I would have to make due with what I have and risk a finger in the process, too high a cost for me.
Two, my quality on small items would not be as good. Etsy sellers specialize. They make many of these small items and have it down to a science. To develop their processes, they failed many times until they could refine and scale their work. I don’t plan to productize this request, therefore it doesn’t make sense for me to invest in production processes.
In the end I hope she appreciates my candidness. I wish I could have helped and hand crafted something she and her husband will cherish, but I would rather they do find that special item from someone who can execute it perfectly.
Table Saw
This upgrade has been on my wish list for a couple of years. I had high hopes to make this purchase last year, but I ended up spending my savings on a dust collector. It was the practical choice, and the right one, but now it’s time for the upgrade I’ve been waiting for.
I’ll preface this with saying, I opted for a lower cost saw, but a beefy, premium upgrade compared to what I currently have.
Speaking of what I currently have, my old Rigid jobsite saw is cleaned up and ready to leave my shop. If you are interested in purchasing it, let me know. I’m going to list it for $100. Honestly, I would keep it, but I don’t have the storage space.
It’s not a bad saw. I just need something with finer adjustments and more power. The jobsite is meant to rip siding trim and plywood, not 8/4 walnut. It’s also a light saw, great for moving around where you need it, but not good when you want accurate, repeatable cuts as the vibration and movement of the saw itself can cause inconsistencies.
I bought a Grizzly cabinet saw. Grizzly tools are good, not high end but not at the bottom. They are well made with excellent customer support. Their quality control can be lacking, therefore I knew to give the saw a very good once over to make sure there were no defects.
My old saw. It served me well but now it is time to say goodbye
Going from a <1HP motor to a 3HP is a world of difference, but it did require a power upgrade in the garage. Luckily, I now have expandability in my new sub panel to add additional circuits and outlets for an eventual jointer.
I won’t bore you too much with the tool setup other than to say it went together fairly easily, other than the fact that the saw all together weighs around 500 pounds. I didn’t get the mobile base because I couldn’t see moving it much. I bought my jobsite saw specifically so I could move it against the wall when not in use, which happened twice ever.
I’m banking on not moving the saw because I know where I want it. If it does need to move I’ll go buy some furniture dollies.
Needless to say, I got it where I want it and now my shop is mostly back together. I still have a few things to settle before I’m back up and running, but for now, I’m ready to get back to work on some real projects.
