5 Foot Connector Tubes.

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:29 am

I must be doing something wrong. I'm always changing my main table height. If I had everything tied together with Aux table and floating tables all I would get done is disassembling reassembling. That is why I'm so frustrated with all the outfeed tables that must be readjusted when ever the main table height is changed.

How are you guys doing it? Keeping your table locked together and never having to move your main table?

My normal work mode is cutting to size, jointing cut edges, initial sanding, joint making and final sanding and assembly. With this process I usually have to change from Saw to Sanding disk one main table change. Then into drill, biscuit, dado mode to make the joints another table change, back to sanding another table change and perhaps another change to shape or mold features into the project. If I had to connect and disconnect everything connected with a five foot tube I would go crazy in no time. What am I doing wrong????

curiousgeorge · Post by **curiousgeorge** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 12:39 pm

Playing the devils advocate... "What am I doing wrong???" According to some... Using a Shopsmith.

That's just the nature of the beast with the 5' tubes or without them. Don't you think?

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 1:13 pm

Ed in Tampa wrote:I must be doing something wrong. I'm always changing my main table height. If I had everything tied together with Aux table and floating tables all I would get done is disassembling reassembling. That is why I'm so frustrated with all the outfeed tables that must be readjusted when ever the main table height is changed.

How are you guys doing it? Keeping your table locked together and never having to move your main table?

My normal work mode is cutting to size, jointing cut edges, initial sanding, joint making and final sanding and assembly. With this process I usually have to change from Saw to Sanding disk one main table change. Then into drill, biscuit, dado mode to make the joints another table change, back to sanding another table change and perhaps another change to shape or mold features into the project. If I had to connect and disconnect everything connected with a five foot tube I would go crazy in no time. What am I doing wrong????

Why do you believe you are doing anything wrong? Unless you are pitting your skills and your equipment against those of a professional craftsman you is using professional grade heavy iron, you are not doing anything wrong.

If you achieve the quality cuts that you demand of yourself and of your equipment - you are doing nothing wrong.

You are using your Shopsmith for what it was designed to do. When you attempt to demand more than that, you are making a mistake.

fjimp · Post by **fjimp** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 6:31 pm

I have learned there are times to use the 5 foot tubes and other times they get in the way. I sometimes use legs only to support the table when in drill press mode to get the depth of drilling I desire. fjimp

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:29 pm

Ed in Tampa wrote:My normal work mode is cutting to size, jointing cut edges, initial sanding, joint making and final sanding and assembly. With this process I usually have to change from Saw to Sanding disk one main table change. Then into drill, biscuit, dado mode to make the joints another table change, back to sanding another table change and perhaps another change to shape or mold features into the project. If I had to connect and disconnect everything connected with a five foot tube I would go crazy in no time. What am I doing wrong????

You are doing nothing wrong! I will say that in my shop, I try to do all (or most) of the sawing operations for a portion of a project before changing the Mark V for another operation. Also there is no initial sanding in my shop - feeling it is an extra step that is not necessary - in addition assembly is always done before final sanding. Sanding is the very last thing I do.

Sometimes or often, the headstock is on the left part of the way tubes. To raise the table and move the headstock further left to connect to an SPT is easy. All I have to do is slide the tubes to the right. I've been known to keep the blade on while using the SPT. (covered, of course, by the raised table.) After finishing that operation, it is a simple and quick matter to slide the headstock back to the carriage and lower it to the Adjustable Stop Collar and slide the tubes back into place

Also, many times, when cross cutting. I will use no tubes at all. just the main table and the extension table for support.

Oh yeah! I DO use the shorter tubes.with legs, to stabilize the drill press mode when using the OPR.

The reason I choose to not do any sanding prior to assembly is because I don't want the left over grit in the wood to dull my blades. I used to wonder why plywood seemed to dull blades faster than wood. Then it dawned on me after some exchanges with reible. Sanded plywood!!!!!!

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:53 pm

charlese wrote:I used to wonder why plywood seemed to dull blades faster than wood. Then it dawned on me after some exchanges with reible. Sanded plywood!!!!!!

Sanded plywood or the glue in it?

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 1:32 am

beeg wrote:Sanded plywood or the glue in it?

Really, I think both! Glue is tough on blades, but so is silica! I first learned this about sandpaper, wile in a carving school. There knives/gouges must be sharp to work correctly and safely. A carver can both feel and hear the action of his tool. Carving on a sanded piece of wood, although the wood had been brushed clean, will definitely dull a tool pretty fast.

Early on in the school, the carving instructor gave us his rant about sand paper dulling a sharp tool. We students, all being grown men, thought pooh! and some had to try it anyway. Sure enough! stropping would no longer fix the blade/gouge. Sure enough - the instructor was right-on!!

At least, we learned how to sharpen a tool!:)

I had to learn about paint dulling planer blades from this Forum! It's the silica in paint that does the dastardly deed.

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 3:16 am

charlese wrote:Really, I think both! Glue is tough on blades, but so is silica! I first learned this about sandpaper, wile in a carving school. There knives/gouges must be sharp to work correctly and safely. A carver can both feel and hear the action of his tool. Carving on a sanded piece of wood, although the wood had been brushed clean, will definitely dull a tool pretty fast.

Early on in the school, the carving instructor gave us his rant about sand paper dulling a sharp tool. We students, all being grown men, thought pooh! and some had to try it anyway. Sure enough! stropping would no longer fix the blade/gouge. Sure enough - the instructor was right-on!!

At least, we learned how to sharpen a tool!:)

I had to learn about paint dulling planer blades from this Forum! It's the silica in paint that does the dastardly deed.

And that is why when others use sand to keep wood from sliding around when glueing up, I recommend ground walnut shells. They do the same thing sand does, yet they will knot harm your blades. Ground walnut shells are available at your local paint supply store.

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 11:59 am

Thanks for the info Chuck. I hadn't realized that the silica remain behind. It sure would dull what ever is cutting it. I'll have to watch out for that in the future.

reible · Post by **reible** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 12:47 am

Hi,

Since we are on the sandpaper issue...

Chuck and I do not agree on this. He has seen a difference in pre-sanding and not pre-sanding and I have not. I purchased a drum sander and have been using it the past 5 or 6 years and have seen nothing that would indicate any additional tool wear to my router bits/table saw blades/band saw blades or any of my hand tools. This is not to say it might not be having some effect it just to say it can't be doing much or I think I would be noticing. My feeling is most of the grit is not staying on the wood.

If Chuck is correct I would be guessing anyone living in areas that have dust storms should have major tool wear as that dust goes everywhere. Anyone find that to be true?

I do know that when we use to cut up logs it seemed no mater how clean they looked they always had dirt in them and sometimes the band saw blades looked like sparklers were going off... the only time it got worse that that was when the wood had worm damage.... When we got to the planner it didn't seem to care about what ever was left, the excepting was any metal objects... well that was well before the new metal detectors.

If I find I'm wrong I'll make sure I post about it but until then I'll keep using my drum sander and all of the rest of my sanding equipment in the order that seems best for the job.

Ed