Over the last week I've been preparing stock for a briefcase build. Gonna be maple and walnut for the frame of the case and mesquite veneer over 1/2" BB for the sides.
The corners will be box jointed. So, part of my prep was to build a 1/2" box joint jig for the router table. While I was at it, I built a 3/8" and an 1/4", too.
My table mounted PC 75182 is hung in a Jessem "Router Lift Pro". Both the router and lift are about 10 years old. That fact will become relevant soon.
Did I ever mention that I'm lazy? Well, I am.
It's tiresome to have to hand crank that beast up and down to change bits, so I bought a Skil 12v cordless drill for $10.00 (I overpaid) at a yard sale, inserted the hex rod that fits the crank hole and ...Viola!....a powered router lift. Sunday, I got all set to run some test joints in scrap when I inserted the drill and forgot which direction I had it set for. I had run the lift to it's upper limit to access the the arbor nuts. So, the drill was still in the counter clockwise mode when I inserted it. That Skil has more power than I thought. When I squeezed the trigger, the 10 year old, heat compromised plastic cog wheel directly under the crank hole, having no where to go, broke into a dozen pieces.
Did I throw the drill through the window? No, but a tear of frustration welled up and a few naughty words were muttered.
Not only am I lazy, but sometimes, really stupid too.Jessem is a swell Canadian company. So, I called them on Monday. I'd forgotten that Monday was Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Called again yesterday and ordered the cog wheel. They have changed them from plastic to aluminum so the sweet lady I talked to suggested that I change out both wheels and she threw in one more for good riddance. Three new cog wheels are on their way. I've only done business with two Canadian companies, Jessem and Stockroom Supply (Flat Sanders) and both have been very, very pleasant experiences.
Consequently, I am projectless for the time being. Can't have that!
The mesquite veneer for the briefcase is 5/32" thick. Through the use of the planer and a sled, I was able to get close, then took it down to it's final thickness at the "Flat Sander". That's OK...just. I'd like it thinner, though.
One of the many great features of the Shopsmith machine is the capability to raise the power unit into a vertical position, re orient the table and have a sweet drill press. So, why not use that capability and build a thickness sander using Shopsmith's conical disk sander? Not my idea, BTW. Shopsmith (Nick Engler) posted a video about it some time ago. So, A NEW PROJECT!
Tomorrow I will be sanding that mesquite to 3/32. (HOPEFULLY) An 8" wide piece will be the limit, though. That's OK. My Shopsmith band saw can only resaw 6".
I'll get some pictures posted when it's done. And, when the cogs get here and installed, I'll get some pictures of the briefcase build as well as the box joint jigs.
Excuse the long post. I'm waiting for daybreak so I can find my way to the shop.
