Kurt’s Workshop

I know some people don’t like poplar, probably because it’s not a true hardwood. It exists somewhere in between, sort of like aspen. But I love the stuff and for the rght application it can be stunning in a way that other woods cannot. The heartwood can be all different colors, from gray to brown to purple to green and lots of things in between. When clear finish is applied overtop, it makes the colors pop, and you get something very special. This photo is not clear coated, but you can imagine what the colors will be like.

When you find very expensive handles like these on sale, you don’t ask questions. You buy them, and then figure out what to put them on later. I bought a few sets of these in varying lengths to make trays and other fun gift-like things out of.

A quick net search shows that a lot of people are wondering how to put together a decent outfeed table for their TS3650. I myself was hoping to find a ready made product, preferably a fold down style table that I could bolt on. No such luck…so I came up with basically an assembly table that fits snuggly to the rear of my saw.

This saw has several issues that you have to consider before drawing out your plan. First, consider that this is a contractor saw, which means that the motor sticks out the back. Secondly, it has both a front and rear rail for the fence. This means that any table must not touch the rear rail or else the fence will not slide. I think commercial setups don’t have this problem because their fences are usually a true t-square design. Luckily, Ridgid appears to have considered this little problem, and have conveniently notched the fence, right near the back, so you can get a properly adjusted table a little bit closer.

Tomorrow I will rout two grooves in there to account for the miter guage slots. I stole some leveling feet off another tool…to which I wanted to add casters…and added those so that I can level the table at the corners. A simple block of wood with a hole drilled seems to do the trick.

Not sure how many people have looked at these, but I can’t help but think that more people could benefit from one. I really like that you can use the extension arms as long  stops simply by raising the roller above the work piece. I also like the height of the unit overall, as well as the wheels and quick lower/raise feature. The handles allow you to pull the unit around like a hand truck.

True, this isn’t technically woodshop related, but who cares. My shop relies heavily on natural light, so when the dark clouds move in I usually have to move out.

Here you can see what the Rockler drill press table looks like installed. Unlike their basic router table surface, this one come with some sweet little clamps to attach the surface to your preexisting iron table. They appear to be identical to the ones they sell in the store for jigs etc. You should note that this drill press comes with an oversized table already, so you can’t really follow Rockler’s enclosed direction sheet (yes this one comes with directions as well) for installation.I also picked up a pair of these Kreg T-slot clamps. This gives you a lot of versatility when combined with the fence that comes with the Rockler table top

This is my first bookcase, primed and ready for paint. It appears that I missed a spot there, but I’ll get it sooner or later.

I’m not really sure what this thing is yet, but Melissa wants it for a wall or desk or something. So it’ll be the next thing to get a coat of primer. This is what happens when you get bored and find the biscuit joiner just laying around. I think I wanted to hang DVD’s on the wall with it, but who knows.