Today in the shop (sometime you just need a simple rack))

[reible]

I have the Woodpecker Story Stick Pro-96. A lot of there tools come with a case or mounting or wall mounting case. This one doesn't.

So thus the need for a simple rack. I used sketch-up to do a drawing not that I needed to but with an ailing back it was as close to wood working as I could get at the time.

Today day is good weather wise and my back is up for some limited action so this seem to be a good project. It is made out of pine and I did the cuts on the miter saw. It is put together with screws since I had not had the opportunity to see how it works in real life glue would/could be a mistake not worth making.

As it turns out it does work but a little tight when sliding the rails in and out. I think a simple plane will fix that as it is just slightly tight.

Here is a photo of it assembled outside:

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Here it is hanging:

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For bonus point see if you can spot the omission in this last picture.

So out to take it back down and fix the omission and a little planing and I'll be back for a photo of how it works......

Ed

[roy_okc]

For bonus point see if you can spot the omission in this last picture.

So out to take it back down and fix the omission and a little planing and I'll be back for a photo of how it works......

Ed

Where are the plastic fingers or whatever they're called that go on the sticks? Looks like you're missing the back piece at the bottom.

[reible]

The "tabs" and "arms" are in a box for safe keeping but I have though about adding a piece of t-track to the rack to hold them. Will have to see if that is worth the effort.

So I'm back and the track is remounted. The two missing screws are now in place and all is well.

I got to use my parf vice today. Found out one of the screws was too short on the front plastic piece, I was worried about that and sure enough in usage it pulled out. New longer screws are now in place. I also found the plywood I used is a bit to flexible for my liking. Will add a piece of hardwood to the top at some point to see if that is better.

The parf vice is real use:

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This is the basic operation, just taking the corner off on two parts. That was all it needed and now works as I hoped. The idea is to slide the track up from the bottom and then let it set in the little tray in the bottom. You could just pull it out the top but it is mounted pretty high so it will be better to use the sliding up trick.

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So that is about it for this project for now anyway. Time to clean up and put stuff away.

Ed

[reible]

Box with the rest of the parts:

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Ed

[BuckeyeDennis]

Ed, I have a potential application for the Woodpeckers Story Stick Pro, and recalled you posting this. For my application, the tabs and especially the caliper arms need to be very repeatably square to the track. Just how good they are in this regard?

[reible]

Ed, I have a potential application for the Woodpeckers Story Stick Pro, and recalled you posting this. For my application, the tabs and especially the caliper arms need to be very repeatably square to the track. Just how good they are in this regard?

I got the full 8 foot one and it is very good over the whole distance. While you might be off a little on any one dimension due to just how good you can see the lines and get them lined up but then it is the same for all the other marks you use and nothing is dependent on the previous ones being perfect.

I use this for all my large plywood layouts now and then use the guided saw system and they have come out great. A real time saver and I'd say more accurate then a tape measure by far.

As for the square requirement the head is rather small to get perfect results but it can be used with a square just to be save. The pieces fit together very well so while I have not checked them I think they provide a pretty straight line. If you like the next time I have it out I can check that.

Ed

[BuckeyeDennis]

Ed, I have a potential application for the Woodpeckers Story Stick Pro, and recalled you posting this. For my application, the tabs and especially the caliper arms need to be very repeatably square to the track. Just how good they are in this regard?

I got the full 8 foot one and it is very good over the whole distance. While you might be off a little on any one dimension due to just how good you can see the lines and get them lined up but then it is the same for all the other marks you use and nothing is dependent on the previous ones being perfect.

I use this for all my large plywood layouts now and then use the guided saw system and they have come out great. A real time saver and I'd say more accurate then a tape measure by far.

As for the square requirement the head is rather small to get perfect results but it can be used with a square just to be save. The pieces fit together very well so while I have not checked them I think they provide a pretty straight line. If you like the next time I have it out I can check that.

Ed

Thanks Ed, I appreciate it. I think I'll go ahead and order one. Even if it's not precise enough for my immediate application, I'm sure that I'll find it really handy for it's intended uses.

[ChrisNeilan]

Nice rack...

[BuckeyeDennis]

Ed, I stopped by the local Woodcraft store yesterday, and picked up a 48" Story Stick Pro and a set of caliper arms. I just checked the accuracy, and was highly impressed. Heres a summary of what I found.

1. The end stop, standard tabs, and the caliper arms all have zero play once tightened down on the track. There's a trapezoidal boss on the underside of each one that fits into the center T-slot of the ruled track. They engage the track on the sloped part of the boss, wedge-style. So everything locks down tight in rotation -- no slop whatsoever.
2. I checked the standard tabs for square using an engineer's square. They were dead on, to the resolution of my eyesight with a backlight. There is, however, a few thousandths of molding flash on some of the edges. It's almost all the way up at the top surface of the tabs, and so shouldn't affect pencil marking. I'll probably clean mine up with some fine sandpaper on a sanding block, so that the flashing doesn't affect transferring physical measurements.
3. The caliper arms were amazingly good for molded plastic. The molding flash on these is extremely well controlled -- I'd estimate 0.001" or less. Mounting angle was dead on at 90 degrees. My acid test was mounting the pair of them 1" apart on the track, and then measuring across both the inside- and outside-caliper edges with my good Mitutoyo dial calipers. I found that the Woodpeckers caliper-arm edges were parallel to within +/- 0.002 over the full 8" length of the caliper arms! If the tiny bit of flashing was cleaned up, they might be within +/- 0.001". I had no idea that it was even possible to mold something that accurately.

I'm starting to become a real Woodpeckers fan.

[reible]

Well that is good news. I haven't need that amount of accuracy yet but nice to know if I do.

I too am a fan of woodpecker tools and other then one case where I had some issues and got a replacement set everything has been fine. I always allocate some funds to woodpecker one time tools each year, normally it is not enough but hey that is how life is. Other normal woodpecker tools are a fixed budget item since I know the price of them.

I have to pick up another set of tabs and arms one of these days. I've been getting by but it would be nice to have 4 more of each.

Ed