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Bob Blarney

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  1. That will work. Another alternative is a smartphone camera mounted on a support. It can provide variable magnification, too.
  2. Well done. Here's a URL link to one that I built for thicknessing 8" x 20" wood stock for guitar tops and sides down to 2.0 to 3.0 mm thick. The adjustment mechanism isn't quite so complex. One possible advantage of my design is that the stock can be tapered across its width by adjusting the alignment of the feed ramp. If you can't access the article at the Musical Instrument Makers Forum, please let me know and I'll post a description. http://www.mimf.com/old-lib/hammond_sander_lathe.htm And here is another similar idea that I found a year or two ago, published in Popular Mechanics, July 1958, p 190. A dust collection apparatus is really essential and would not be difficult to adapt to this design. The mechanical parts are available at McMaster.com https://books.google.com/books?id=KN8DAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA191&dq=drum thickness sander intitle%3APopular intitle%3AMechanics&pg=PA191#v=onepage&q=drum thickness sander intitle%3APopular intitle%3AMechanics&f=true
  3. As a first time build, I'd advise using plain old Elmer's GlueAll. Many many models have been built with it, and it's no nearly as difficult to reverse it as compared to a yellow PVA glue. There may other parts in the model where a different glue might be better (such a cyanoacrylate, i.e. superglue), but start with Elmers. Another point about using glue for building models. In many places, it would be good to squeeze a dot of glue on a notecard and apply it to the part with a plastic toothpick. This is especially so with superglues. A 1cc or 3cc syringe with a blunt needle can be very useful too, about 18 to 20ga needles, and sometimes a 16ga or a 22ga depending on the viscosity of the glue.
  4. Hello, I thought you might like to see this fixture that a Japanese fishing rod maker uses to taper his bamboo stock. The bamboo rod is twirled as it's drawn over the plate.
  5. A jewelers' supply is a good source for files and other small hand tools. And I find that wine corks make excellent handles. Small file tangs can be pushed in, while for larger files I drill a hole first and sometimes glue in a brass tube that accepts the tang. Finally, avoid using the same file for both wood and metal.
  6. Occasionally, I have applied a wash coat of shellac to lock the surface fibers down. The shellac can be sanded off easily or wiped off with alcohol. As always, first try this on a piece of scrap of the same species.
  7. You might looking for Potts scissors - they are available in several degrees of angulation. Also, there are now many disposable 'keyhole' instruments designed for minimally invasive surgery that have some interesting articulations It might be difficult to procure them, however
  8. A blade stiffener is a good idea. I'm surprised that a Powermatic would need that much of a tuneup. By the way, have you ever tried a smaller blade - an 8 or 9 inch? They're less expensive and give more apparent power for cutting. My 1956 Yates American is an 8" saw that cuts 2-3/8" deep. If I use a 7-1/4"blade, there is a very significant monetary savings at the loss of only 3/8" depth of cut. That way I save my expensive high-quality blades for finer work.
  9. I think you'll find that while HSS won't last as long, but it will be sharper than carbide. Down-spiral bits can be useful too. Another tip might be to do what I've done on some guitar soundboards - Put a thin 'wash' coat of shellac on the surface - it can be wiped with ethanol (denatured or drinkable) and sanded off. As always - try it on scrap material first.
  10. I don't know why I didn't remember the Safe-T planer - a drill press accessory. An important tip about using this tool is to set the table so that it is perpendicular to the quill of the drill press (and so parallel to the disc). To do this, bend a coathanger into Z shape and mount it in the chuck. Then turn the chuck by hand and adjust the table so that the other end of the Z just scrapes the table as it rotates. It may be possible to find this at a better price. https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/types-of-tools/planes/stewmac-safe-t-planer.html
  11. The switch issues would be a dealbreakers for me. A bad switch out of the box doesn't bode well, but perhaps that's a fluke and the vendor did the right thing. So far as placement of the switch goes, a good fix would be to use a footswitch. And perhaps a sewing machine pedal could control speed as well. There is one other thing about this whole genre of tools that I don't like - the angle of the bit/cutter when grinding or cutting. It's always necessary to wear eye protection and possibly face protection because fragments are usually/often flung back at the operator. I suppose that a transparent acrylic shield could be placed on the bench to deflect particles, but that's just another thing to have around.
  12. one more thing - avoid 3-wheel bandsaws - most can be very cranky.
  13. Perhaps you might enjoy watching this fellow rebuild a sailing yacht from the early 1900s. He uses a 36" shipsaw to cut new frames.
  14. Yes, it refers to the diameter of the wheels. The actual distance from the blade to the saw's frame is less. On my ancient 1940s Milwaukee-Delta it's about 12", but with forethought that's not usually a problem. A standard 14" saw has ~6 inches depth of cut, but with an optional riser block it will cut 12" thick. The motor's power is not as important as some believe - It's a equally a matter of proper saw adjustment, a suitable blade style, and feed rate.
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