2005-02-28 12:13


I had another productive weekend in the basement and my workshop area is really starting to come together. I have a couple more rearrangment ideas I want to implement though before I’ll be completely satisfied, but I think anyone that hasn’t seen it for a couple weeks will be reasonably impressed. The two kennels now have doors that open in the correct direction (towards the stairs) so that will be a big improvement. I also cleaned up the tops of the cupboards and workbenches and started figuring out where all the random tools will be stored, but that’s still very much a work in progress. I really need to get some of those hooks you put in pegboard to hang your tools on because I already have two places with unused pegboard that could be put to use.

I also finally tried out the sawhorse/table combination that Mary’s dad gave me for Christmas and I really like it. It was the perfect size to hold a 2′x4′ sheet of HDPE(High Density Polyethylene) down into individual cross sections for my kayak project. I was also really pleased with the new blade that I bought for my jigsaw, it left a much smoother cut in the plastic than the blade the saw came with when I got it from my mom (it used to be my dad’s). I contemplated beginning the next step of the project and actually drilling some holes, but decided to hold off so that I can finish setting up a few things with the drill and do the whole thing right.

The other related big news of the weekend is that on Saturday I finally went down to Lowe’s and bought the drill press that I’d been eyeing for going on a month now. It was $10 cheaper than a comparable Delta model Lowe’s was selling, has a more powerful motor (1/3 HP vs 1/4 HP), 12 speeds, feels solidly built and has a built in laser crosshair that works pretty well. I still need to mount a slightly larger (15in.x12in.) piece of plywood onto the table though because the built-in table’s drill hole doesn’t provide enough clearance for the 3/4″ Forstner bit I’ll be using for the HDPE(High Density Polyethylene) cross sections. I also want to set the drill press up at a different location, but I’m going to need to do some further furniture rearranging first. Overall I’m really happy with the drill press though and excited to start using it.

Speaking of benchtop power tools at one point I was also contemplating getting a small band saw, but I was not impressed with the quality of the small 10″ GMC and Delta models that Lowe’s carried at all. They were relatively inexpensive, but also felt cheaply constructed, especially the GMC model. After doing further research I feel saving up and spending a little more money on a 12″ band saw down the road would be a much wiser choice. Plus, my only pressing reason for buying a band saw at the moment is cutting out greenland paddle blanks so I can certainly get by for now.