Let's Go Sledding!

This morning I spend some time down in the workshop getting a few projects done that I have been putting off for some time: table saw sleds and painting the viking chair. I made two sleds for the saw, a crosscut sled and a panel sled. The first step in making sleds is to make your runners that go in the miter slots. I used a small piece of purpleheart I picked up at Woodcraft for my runners.

Purpleheart runners. It is much more purple in person.

This was my first time working with actual hardwood and it is much different to work with than the pine that I am used to. I made sure to pre-drill all of my screw holes so I wouldn't split the wood. I cut runners to fit in the 3/8" x 3/4" miter slots on my table. Working with such small pieces can be dangerous so always exercise caution. I also made a featherboard to help hold the work pieces against the fence for more uniform cutting. The first one didn't turn out so good, especially since there was a knot in the board and the feathers just broke off. The next attempt was much better as I cut the end at an angle and it was a narrower board to work with.

The first featherboard didn't quite work out. Note the knot.

The second iteration. Angled at 30 degrees.

Clamped to the miter gauge to guide the runners in.

After the runners were made I moved on to the base of the sled. I used 1/2" MDF cut to about 34" wide and 24" deep. I placed the runners in their slots and put the base on top, aligning all three pieces with the edge of the table. I pre-drilled and countersunk the screws to faster the base to the runners.

Cutting the base to size from 1/2" MDF.

Lining up the runners and base before attaching.

Attached with pre-drilled and countersunk screws.

Next was the front and back of the sled which I made from two pieces of 3/4" MDF laminated together. The back is the only one of the two pieces that really needs to be aligned properly. I cut a small slot in the base with the table saw and lowered the blade back down. I placed a scrap piece of lumber in the slot and used a large square to align the back fence with the saw slot. I roughly followed what Marc Spagnuolo from The Wood Whisperer shows in this video. When laminating the fences, I broke a couple of my cheap Home Depot clamps. Looks like I need some nicer ones in the near future.

The finished sled. A bit heavy.

I need more clamps!

The second project was a small panel sled. This was made using a lot of the same principles but only occupies one side of the table.

Attached the purpleheart runner.

Using my largest square to align the fence.

Complete!

And finally, the painting of the viking chair! I am using General Finishes Emerald Milk Paint. I put two coats on after doing some additional sanding I did not complete last time.

First coat of Emerald.

I would like to build a few more featherboards, but I will just make them when I need them as they only take a few minutes to cut. I bought this air nailer set from Woot at a good price and I plan to use the brad nailer for the bookcase and attaching the edge finish on my computer desk.

Workshop Update

With the table saw now in place (see A Growing Workshop) I need to add some more storage and clear up the little available floor space I have in my workshop. I picked up a few old kitchen wall cabinets from my local ReStore as well as a scrap of peg board. I also managed to find a 2x2 furring strip to fit nicely behind the pegboard to stand it away from the wall so that I can use peg hooks and such. I was able to cut four pieces from this 2x2 for mounting the pegboard and I placed them vertically and evenly spaced on the wall. They provide a strong frame to mount the pegboard to.

Here is my new (to me) table saw and the wall cabinets and peg board.

Another angle of the slightly more organized workshop.

Another angle. You can see how crowded it is with the saw
now set up in the center.

The table saw will be nice to have and I have been thinking of moving the miter saw and bench out to the garage for projects that don't require quite as much precision as the furniture making I will be doing in the basement. This would free up some space and allow me to build an outfeed table for the Ridgid saw allowing me to cut larger panels than the 2'x4' project panels I've been using. I spent some time cleaning the surface of the table saw with some WD-40 and a green scrubbing pad to remove the small amounts of rust on it. I also cleaned and lubricated the threaded rods used for adjusting the bevel and blade height. This made both of those functions much smoother. I also took the time and ensured the bevel angles were set properly on the guide. All I needed was my carpenter's square to ensure vertical and 45 degree angles. I found that the hand wheels used to adjust the blade were both cracked and so I epoxied the inner flanged nut in the wheel to seal up the cracks and prevent the nut from slipping in the wheel when I turn it. This works for now but I would like to eventually replace the plastic wheels with some aluminum ones. With that being said, I am looking forward to my next project of building a Kallax-like bookshelf for our office. And Siri also found us something to work on afterwards:

A nice pine chest from ReStore.

It needs some cleaning.

We collected this piece at ReStore for a bargain. I want to use my new random orbital sander to take the current paint off and remove any small blemishes. I think we are going to paint it white and try to add some distress effects to it to give it a nice antique look. I'll be posting plans and pictures of the bookshelf build first and then expect an update on the chest.