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Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh!
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Subject: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Rick Fielding Date: 04 May 01 - 07:53 PM Some friends here may remember my convaluted (tho' ultimately successful) attempts at being a carpenter/shed builder/insulator etc. last summer. I learned the hard way that Drywall has "right and wrong ends", pink insulation can get in your pants(!), and that a Dremel can only take so much before it explodes! Well all that aside, I have my little white house in the backyard operating at full steam. My first actual workshop. Not that I haven't done a hell of a lot of instrument repairs, leather carving, and inventing...but it's always been INSIDE (usually downstairs in the teaching/TV room) and naturally I spent as much time cleaning up after myself, as I did with INTERESTING puttering. So here's what I wanna do. I wanna build instruments. Not your normal guitars and banjos, but WEIRD ones! I was never an acid-head, but by gawd I THINK like one. These are things I'm contemplating: A combination coffee table/hammer dulcimer (it has a removable glass top)
A "two sided" mandolin. One side is tuned in fifths, the other in fourths. I've actually seen a two sided guitar that the French builder Favino did. It seems do-able. A Bigggg dulcimer like the ones that John Jacob Niles played. Loved the sound of his. Probably a lot of other things as well. Rick P.S. I've made a little vow to stay completely out of the controversial threads, but I read 'em, and my opinion hasn't changed...being anonymously flamed (especially by folks you thought were potential friends) sucks...everytime. Anyone else ever built or contemplated building strange stuff? Rick still. P.P.S. At least my exploding dremel meant I could buy a new one with ALL the bells and whistles. Great fun!
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Mooh Date: 04 May 01 - 08:22 PM Right on Rick! I sometimes build weird things. A sustain forever electric bass. Semi-acoustic lap steel. Floor harp from a kit for a friend. Mando guitar (I quit after the third top let go). Chimes. Shakers. Slides. These sorts of things are good for the soul. I've got the mando neck and an old Harmony neck for another guitar project. Might pull the frets from my bass. And on and on. I'd like to build some drums. Collect wood. Keep us up to date. Peace. Mooh. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Rick Fielding Date: 04 May 01 - 08:26 PM Ahh, Mooh, great minds think alike. The acoustic lap steel (with seven strings and a pitch-changer) is also on my agenda. Rick |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: CarolC Date: 04 May 01 - 08:34 PM Good for you Rick!
Yeah, I think about building stuff some of the time. Mostly weird furniture and buildings, though. And I could probably get into building a weaving loom. Don't know enough about instruments to build them, though. Carol |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Helen Date: 04 May 01 - 08:39 PM A friend of mine from the U.S. (she is living back there now) had a really nice instrument. It's a wooden box about 2 foot long and 8 inches wide - more or less - and about 4-5 inches deep. There are long slits cut into the top of the box at different intervals and of different lengths, with round keyholes at one end of each slit about 3/4 inch wide. Then there are two xylophone-type "dongers" (sorry, I'm aware of the innuendos 'Spaw, but you tell me a better descriptive name for them *g*). When you hit the box top in different places it makes lovely "bonk" sounds (go for it, 'Spaw!). Very nice. My brother in law is leaving his job after about 20 years and his colleagues wanted to buy him a present. He's getting one of those. Nice present! Helen |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Cap't Bob Date: 04 May 01 - 08:48 PM Be careful Rick ~ Tools are nearly as collectable as musical instruments. I know, my shop is slowly displacing the cars in the garage. Your thread on the Dremel prompted me to go out and buy one of those little hummers. Just today I was in Home Depot and noticed all of the neat accessories you can buy for them such as a router base, a shaper table, then all the bits that go with them. Most likely I'll cough up another $100 before I'm finished. Cap't Bob |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Helen Date: 04 May 01 - 09:07 PM Cap't Bob, We built a double garage, with loft last year and the cars have never been in there even once. We need a garage for the cars, now. Helen |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: katlaughing Date: 04 May 01 - 09:45 PM Helen, do those instruments look like THESE? I've played one similar to these and the tones are really lovely. Rick, how about a hurdy-gurdy? Remember THIS LINK? It's one of the first I ever saw on the Mudcat. I'd like to try some drums. My sister bought some huge gourds when she was out in California. She hasn't tried anything with them, yet, but drums were a natural for them. She also has some neat books for building unusual instruments, easily and inexpensively, from which she let each of her students pick one instrument which they are going to make in a few weeks. Goodonya for the new Dremel! Love them! kat |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: BRG Date: 04 May 01 - 09:55 PM Oh Rick, I'm extremely jealous. Right now I have about six square feet in my garage that I can call my own - keeps shrinking however with the encroaching bikes, kayaks, lawnmowers and assorted junk. Someday though, someday... Best of luck to you. Bruce |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: GUEST,Bouzouki Bob Date: 04 May 01 - 10:17 PM Hey Rick, How about making a calimba, or thumb piano? Also, I have wondered why no one has combined an electronic tuner with tuning pegs, so the string would self tune! Also, you should ask me in person some time about my ideas for a "rain chime" Wishing you HAPPY PUTTERING in your new shop. BB |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Homeless Date: 04 May 01 - 11:21 PM Geez Rick, I've made more weird things than I can remember. Tongue drums (same thing at Helen and kat's slit drum above), coconut drums, conduit xylophones, flutes and panpipes out of all kinds of materials, Aeolean harps, beer bottle wind chimes, and so on. My co-workers are continually astounded because I can pick up almost any object and play it somehow. One of the things I would suggest is going to your local library and looking for books on making instruments. Most of the ones you'll find will be geared towards kids (coffee can drums, funnel & tubing tubas, etc), but they'll have all kinds of projects that will give you ideas for stuff. They also have an added bonus of usually being pretty cheap to build. There's a book at the library here that was written by a physicist/acousticist guy that made all kinds of really weird stuff. In the book he goes into how to make paper resonators, tube resonators, how to find the harmonic frequency of certain materials to get more volume from them, tuning slit materials, etc. I don't know the name of it off hand, but I'll go by the library and look it up for you this weekend. It gives a lot of good background for being able to make your own creations successfully the first time. I've also got a rather largish file of instructions for various instruments ranging from tissue paper and comb kazoos to a 3 octave celtic harp. If you're interested in specifics PM me and I'll send you a list of what I have directions for. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Deckman Date: 04 May 01 - 11:21 PM Very good thread Rick. Bride Judy and I are JUST NOW moving into our new shop. We started it four years ago, and then two heart bi-pass surgeries, one for each of us, 6 weeks apart, caused something of a delay in our project! It's an absolutey glorius experience to be able to start building YOUR own workbench, where your tools are where you want them, etc ... we even have 3 shop cats that love it! Congrads to you. Enjoy your space ... it's yours, you fought for it, and you darned well deserve it. Often, and the end of my deck building day, I just sit in the shop with my cat "Kissa" on my lap and smile. It's a special grounding" place. CHEERS, Bob (deckman) Nelson |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Cap't Bob Date: 04 May 01 - 11:43 PM As far as weird instruments are concerned, I have been toying with the idea of building an instrument that would have the sound of rain, running water, or just dripping water and would be tunable to some extent. My current thoughts (no pun intended) would consist of an elevated reservoir that would allow water to flow into something like a pvc pipe with various holes. The water would then drop onto a thin piece of metal, (pie tin er whatever) that would resonate and produce the sound. Ideally the water could then be pumped back up toe the reservoir. Any ideas? O.K. so I'm nuts ~ I think I might call it a pea a fone? Seems they want me to go back to my room now. Cap't Bob |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: DonMeixner Date: 04 May 01 - 11:47 PM Ah Rick, a shop. A special place away from other places where great thoughts are thunk and great enterprises are begun. There are no requirements that great things be completed. Always save wood, it's akin to quilters saving cloth scraps. Don't mess with babyfood jars, too small, but the large Miracle whip container is fine. Have a Chair of Contemplation, best if its near the woodstove, but its the chair thats important. That way when pals stop by you can discuss politics, religions, and fishing. Its best if the door to the shop is not visible from the house. An old frigidaire is better than a new one. You can't have enough light or enough shelves. Congratulations, Don |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Mark Clark Date: 05 May 01 - 12:01 AM Rick, I hope you understand that the one who dies with the most tools wins. I'm happy to say I seem to be holding my own so far. Of course your guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, accoridan, wife, etc. are going to miss having you around. - Mark |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Cap't Bob Date: 05 May 01 - 12:12 AM Don, you have described my shop to a TEA. I have a great chair of proscrastinatio.... er guess that should be contemplation right next to the wood stove. There is some wood in the corner that has been drying for nye onto fifteen years. I was splitting the wood for the stove until I discovered that it was curly maple. By the time I made this discovery all the pieces had been cut into around 20 inch pieces. I did make a lovely beater for my bodhran that really worked great until out dog found it and apparently through it was a bone. One question..... Why is it that flat surfaces tend to collect stuff (junk) er whatever? My main problem is keeping a work bench clear enough to use. Cap't Bob |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: marty D Date: 05 May 01 - 12:21 AM I'd be in a lunatic asylum without my (garage) workshop. My dad had one, and so did my grandfather. I actually made a guitar from a cigar box when I was a kid and wrecked a tennis racket for strings. It was pretty awful but so was I. I don't think I'd try an instrument now, especially after buying my new pride and joy Martin, but I sure love it for listening to ball games and practicing. Another thing it comes in handy for is an alibi."Got to fix the thingamigig hon, I'll be in the shop"! marty |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: DonMeixner Date: 05 May 01 - 12:35 AM Capt Bob, Thats why we try to have as many shelves as possible. I hve two great honkin' benches in my shop with wood screw vises and bench dogs. They are maple tops with ample below deck storage. I have an exhaust system that gives me a pretty much dust free environment and two band saws. One for resawing up to 22". I still end up using the table of the Unisaw for assembly and I can never fing more that three of the 60 "C" clamps I have in the shop. Still sound like your shop? :-) Don |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: catspaw49 Date: 05 May 01 - 12:43 AM All good stuff! I did the coffee table hammered, but didn't use the glass top. I used one of the rectangular ones I used to build for use as bracing and soundbox experiments and made it part of the structure of the table. I'd suggest a lift up rather than a removable glass top and the hardware for that is readily available. Also, I still have 3 of the rectangular test jobbies and one of them sounds pretty decent. If you want it, it's yours. What you need to make instead of Niles' biggies (or in addition to) is a 4 Player Table Dulcimer. Four fretboards sharing one soundbox about the size of a cardtable. Get an old cardtable and steal the legs! I guarantee it will be the most played thing in your house at any party!!! It can make some nice music, but nothing will get people laughing and more relaxed regardless of ability or lack thereof. Have fun. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Cap't Bob Date: 05 May 01 - 12:57 AM Well almost Don, I would love to have a dust collecting system but at present I use my 18 gal. shop vac and move it from place to place. Wow that's some band saw if it will cut 22 inches thick? Also have two band saws the big one has a 3/4 inch wide blade that will work on wood as thick as six inches and make nice straight cuts down to about 1/16 inch (good for the sides of instruments). Then there's the surface planner, shop smith, table saw, edge planner, sander, router table. Guess that's all of the big stuff. Lot's and lots of hand tools and I don't have any wall space remaining to put shelves on. I'm currently putting shelves in the barn (now that the horses are gone). I figure anything that's been around for 20 years and not used should be moved out to the barn. This will free up some space in the shop. Cap't Bob |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Justa Picker Date: 05 May 01 - 01:08 AM Rick, I've got a custom order request. Do you think you could modify my D-28 and give me an adjustable pivoting synchronized neck and bridge, so that when I'm performing on stage I can adjust the neck angle to make playing more comfortable (like being on a couch.):0) |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: catspaw49 Date: 05 May 01 - 01:19 AM Tell ya' JP......I doubt if Rick is up to that as you can only do so much with a Dremel and a pair of toenail clippers. However, one of us could break your collarbone and dislocate your left shoulder which SHOULD do the trick! So whaddaya think? We're having this bi-monthly bloodbath right now so I'm sure we can find someone around to bust you up til things fit just right........ Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Justa Picker Date: 05 May 01 - 01:43 AM I'll take it under advisement 'Spaw. (LMAO) |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Margaret V Date: 05 May 01 - 08:55 AM Hurrah for Rick! That sounds like a ton of fun. Glad you finally have a space. Margaret |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Mooh Date: 05 May 01 - 08:59 AM Hey Rick, are you hopelessly addicted yet? I hope so. I spent part of yesterday ripping up half my back deck, the remainder of which will still be too big. (More patio and garden space...) The planking is cedar, and among them there is one that's close enough to quartersawn that I can piece together an instrument top from it by judiciously resawing it. (I did the same from an old spruce board one other time.) Poor man's solution. I've got some good maple too, but all my cherry ended up as a new floor in my music room, except a new 4 foot log of black cherry which came from my sister in Toronto. I like to scronge indigenous woods. I'd like to attempt a Weisenborn (spelling?) type lap guitar, among other things. Maybe in cedar and cherry. I used to like to position myself in day-jobs where I had access to decent woodworking tools, but over the years I've acquired most of what I need anyway, though the planer at work is alot bigger than my own, so big planing jobs go there. (I work in a high school.) Remember, you should always put your hobby needs ahead of other requirements, to the point where the hobby becomes the job. Now, how was I gonna feed the family? Mooh. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Naemanson Date: 05 May 01 - 09:37 AM Grump! Grump! Grump! I lost my shop in the divorce and have missed it terribly. Now I live in a two bwedroom apartment that I share with my daughter and have no room to have a shop. Don, boatbuilders have a different name for the Chair Of Contemplation. It might have been either Pete Culler or Dynamite Payson (boat designers and builders) who christened it "The Cussing Chair". Another important "tool" for the workshop is a radio/cassette player. I cannot work without music. Some thoughts on power tools: While I understand the happiness at getting a new dremel tool I would advocate for minimal power tools. I have always considered them to be the fastest way to make mistakes ever invented. I once had, and loved to use, a very nice router. My only problem with it was that I had to put on safety goggles and hearing protection everytime I wanted to use it. Naturally I couldn't hear the music when cutting. Then I burned it out while building a set of oak treads and risers for my home. I finished the job with a borrowed router and then had to consider a replacement. I looked long and hard at all manner of new routers with all manner of bells and whistles. And I kept thinking of all that noise and how badly I had mangled so much wood so quickly. Then I found an old Stanley Number 45 plane. I took it home, sharpened the blades and cut a rabbet in a plank. The wood curled up from the blade and the rabbet emerged, clean and precise, and the music played on and on. When I finished I put the plane down and contemplated it with joy and happiness. I love that piece of steel and iron. Don't get me wrong. I have a bandsaw, and would have a table saw too. But you cannot beat the feeling of satisfaction when you create in quiet contemplation. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Peter T. Date: 05 May 01 - 10:13 AM A "Low D" Toilet Whistle - sort of like those Indian snake bean flutes crossed with a snake pipe and the toilet bowl for resonance. You can find the makings on street corners in Toronto during a house renovation. "Polonaize-E-Boy" - A chair that plays Chopin when you lay back in it. "Nukelele" - combination H-bomb and small guitar, just right for strumming on Bikini Atoll or other tropical isles. "Lewis D-28" - the crazed partner to the classic Martin. "Tunette" - electronic tuner for feminine instruments -- just the thing for the feminist in your house. "Vacuum Cleaner" - As in: "Honey, it is time to get out of that damn workshop and clean this basement. Ah what beautiful music!!!!"
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Big Mick Date: 05 May 01 - 10:41 AM You lucky load of shite, you!!!!!! In this place I am in right now, I don't have room for a shop. Lake living has its friggin' drawbacks. I just may have to daytrip to Toronto to hang out in your shop...............if I can make my way through Heathers' garden without destroying it, that is. And Peter..........my new system works..........read that post without the first drop of foreign liquid contaminating my sinuses..........just a chortle.......... Mick |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Rick Fielding Date: 05 May 01 - 11:17 AM WELL THANK YOU! Nice to see some other Shopophiles and Inventoholics here this morning. Just put the boom box in (baseball, CDs, talkradio shows featuring conspiracies and spaceship abductions etc.) A couch for contemplation. kat, no, no, no,...a Hurdy Gurdy requires SKILL, not just enthusiasm. Bob, you've given me an idea about the tuner...gotta think about it Margaret. Yah, 54..and my first workshop. If it weren't for my profession, my hobbies and my interests I'd actually feel like an adult. Question: Does the smallest "Shop Vac" actually work? I'm gonna get one, and wondered whether I need a bigger one than the el cheapo. marty. I bought a discount book on "making folk instruments".(sounds like one you saw Homeless) It's got things like your Cigar box guitar, harps, drums etc. The problem is I have to LEARN to use these tools. Doing leathercarving and instrument repairs has meant that I'm pretty handy around a wide variety of "little weird tools" but know almost nothing about "BIG DANGEROUS ONES". I still have some of my dad's hand tools including his plane (Brett, my problem is I gotta learn to SHARPEN it properly) and brace and bit (now THERE'S an antique) Anyway, the door's always open (and it doesn't face the house Don). I'll be there whenever I can. Topics for discussion are open to anything (even religion and politics...although my Dad said those were impolite...but he was a salesman so I guess riling up the customers wasn't good business) Just one more question: If you cut your hand off, can a tourniquet be applied with the other one? Rick |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Naemanson Date: 05 May 01 - 11:26 AM Rick, if you can play a barre chord you can sharpen a tool! Actually the sharpening might be easier because I still can't do a Bm without thinking about it and interrupting the flow of the music. Thank God for transposing and capos. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: catspaw49 Date: 05 May 01 - 11:34 AM Peter must be on a new and unknown med because his posts of the past few days have gone far over and above his usual brilliance and taken on a...............hell, I dunno' what! Between the Tavern stuff and then a couple of others like the one above.................unreal man........ Rick.....serious note (C flat)..........Please use great caution with some of the power tools. Ask Don Meixner. Remember what you are first and foremost before you do anything with a table saw. I am completely serious. Spaw
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: JenEllen Date: 05 May 01 - 11:54 AM Rick, If you keep a length of rope tied into an 'O', and a screwdriver handy, you have the makings for the one-handed tourniquet. Works equally well for both lefties and righties. Radio with a cd player, a necessity. Music, and the radio tuned to the AM for ballgames. Another thing to think about (besides the ubiquitous shop 'mascot') is a really big, talkin' economy-size here, box of band-aids. The one with every size from paper-cut to transfusion. They keep pretty well, and it will save you dripping blood all over Heather's flowers on that trip to the house. ~Jen aka the OrangeStripper |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: reggie miles Date: 05 May 01 - 12:11 PM JP, there was a maker that included a neck that was adjustable via a large wingnut inside the body at the neck block. A friend ran across one once and I had a chance to look it over briefly. I would have bought it from him had I known he was going to part with it. I can't recall the maker's name. It may have been a Kraftsman. I thought it was a fantastic innovation. Loosen the wingnut and you could slide the neck back to adjust the pitch and lower the action. Rick I've had to make due with little space to work with for years as well. It never dampened my enthusiasm for tinkering though. Like so many, I've yearned for something more substantial. I have not been as fortunate as you. I'm still confined by too little room, too few tools to work with and no real knowledge of how to approach much of what I start. So I improvise. I feel more like an inventor by following my assumptions about the "how to" of creating my musings. Fortunately I still have all my limbs and general use of most of my body parts, er, I think. The act of creating from this perspective can be both rewarding and disenchanting. For example, I once began to search in various hardware sites for and item I thought must certainly be available, a simple "H" channel grommet. Before I was through I had spent hours researching where I might find this item only to come to the sad conclusion that this item would have to be custom made at such great cost and in such quantities as to place it out of reach financially. It was such a shock to me to find that the standardization of certain items has made seeking anything slightly out of the ordinary almost impossible to obtain. Impossible, that is, for someone seeking small quantities and with a limited budget. That attempt at seeking a handful of grommets all took place some years back. Fast forward to just the other day, there I was sifting through a box of stuff that should have been thrown out long ago when I run across a curiously shaped item. Upon closer inspection I realized that I had found what I'd spent so much energy looking for years ago. I simply was looking in the wrong store for it. The grommet I sought was being manufactured by folks who make goggles for swimmers. I guess what I'm trying to say is hold on to your dreams and visions. Some take longer than others to come to fruition. I'm glad you are a step closer to yours and you as well Bob (Deckman). I got so excited at my discovery that I went downstairs and began cleaning up my tiny workspace so I could have some room to once again begin to tinker with all those ideas. The world needs more dreamers. I'm glad to be in the company of so many. Reg |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Cap't Bob Date: 05 May 01 - 12:39 PM Rick, on the shop vac, the little tiny ones do not work. You have to empty them every time you turn around and they tend to plug up. I bought one and luckily the place where I bought it took back as long is I purchased a larger model. I doubt if you would be happy with anything smaller than a ten gallon vac. The quiet ones (QSP) are a lot easier on the ears. Cap't Bob |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: John Hardly Date: 05 May 01 - 01:20 PM I know three..count 'em 3 slide guitar players who used to play exceptional standard guitar. If that's not incentive enough to be careful, think of the awkward angle of attack one must have to take when picking the nostril opposite one's remaining good hand. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Bert Date: 06 May 01 - 04:21 PM Rick, Here's a good site The Hurdy Gurdy is just on of his instruments. In a recent thread I tried, without success, to con someone into building a bass stick dulcimer. Bert |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: John Hardly Date: 06 May 01 - 04:33 PM Risky behaviors best avoided by guitarists.
1. Making sure that the banana goes all the way to the bottom of the blender.
Risky behaviors that are OK for guitarists;
1. mumbletypeg—toes are almost superfluous to a guitarist. A metronome is at least ALMOST as good.
…Okay, maybe there areonly two risks you can take
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Homeless Date: 06 May 01 - 05:23 PM Rick - the book I'd mentioned earlier is called "Vibrations - making unorthodox musical instruments". It's by David Sawyer and was published by Cambridge University in 1977. If you plan on coming up with your own creations, as opposed to strange adaptations of common instruments, I'd suggest trying to get your hands on this book because it gives a lot of good information on the subtleties of getting things in tune and getting more volume from them. If you want to do a real esoteric instrument, you could have a go at a left-handed courting dulcimer. Regarding shop safety, about the top rule is don't put your fingers in front of the blade. Push with your hands so they aren't in line with the blade, or, if the piece is too narrow, use another piece of wood to push with. Regarding shop vacs and dust collection systems, tho I've never done it, I once saw simple plans for turning a squirell cage fan and a 55 gallon drum into a dust collection system. Has anyone else seen anything like that? One last thought - for learning how to use all the tools safely and secrets to using them better, hit the library again. They've generally got a lot of power tool books. Have fun. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: catspaw49 Date: 06 May 01 - 05:31 PM Hey Homeless......Screw you and Bert and the horse you rode in on! I mean there are bound to be lots of lefties marrying lefties everyday who are in drastic NEED of such a fine mistak.....uh, product. Yeah Rick, there are lots of books and safety guidelines and such, it's just that I'd ask you to consider your abilities everytime you turn one on. I know Django did it and Don does a great job, but do you really want to emulate Django that much?!?!?!?!? Sorry.....Gettin' to be an ol' woman here................. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: John Hardly Date: 06 May 01 - 05:36 PM I have a whole day to edit properly and STILL miss a line break! Risky behaviors best avoided by guitarists.
1. Making sure that the banana goes all the way to the bottom of the blender.
Risky behaviors that are OK for guitarists;
1. mumbletypeg—toes are almost superfluous to a guitarist. A metronome is at least ALMOST as good.
…Okay, maybe there areonly two risks you can take
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Bert Date: 06 May 01 - 05:37 PM Have you STILL got that bloody thing Spaw? Why not try asking the guys at Lark in the Morning to sell it for you. If you ask a really high price for it, it should get snapped up quickly. Bert. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Helen Date: 06 May 01 - 07:22 PM Slit log drums - o knew there would be a name for them. The one I saw had straight lits, not curvy ones, but looks like the same type of instrument. Helen |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Dave Swan Date: 06 May 01 - 11:22 PM Rick, Get the biggest suck a golfball through a garden hose, twenty eight inches of mercury up a column, Harley on a cold morning shop vac you can lay your hands on. Stash it out of the way and run piping along the walls of your shop. A few valves to isolate the vacuum, flexible hoses extended to you work area and/or tools, and you'll do a HUGE amount to keep a small shop clean and reduce your clean-up time. The shop I worked in had carpenters working cheek by jowl with painters, so dust was always a problem. We were successful in mitigating the problem by having vacuum outlets everywhere. It really helped. Jumping on 'spaw's wagon about safety, let me add that gloves are a terrible idea around power saws, drills, sanders, et al. In short anything which can grab the glove and drag it into the blade or bit will eventually do so. You're far better off with your own skin and some caution where power tools are concerned. This won't take too much time away from your duties with Lane, Fielding, Patterson & Swan, Layabouts at Large and for Hire, will it? We've got a busy summer season ahead. D |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: marty D Date: 06 May 01 - 11:31 PM Where's he gone anyway? Maybe he's already sawn (sawed) himself in half. Catspaw, I know a bit about Django and I now own one of his albums, but I've never been sure whether he lost his fingers or simply lost the use of them. He seems to have compensated pretty well, that's for sure. Marty |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: catspaw49 Date: 06 May 01 - 11:46 PM Hi Marty......The burns were pretty extensive and although he lost no fingers, the first two were pretty severely mutilated. Some great stories about him both before and after the fire........Whatever else he had or didn't have, there were two things he had in abundance......talent and desire. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Naemanson Date: 07 May 01 - 09:21 AM I'm just sitting out here reading about shop things and sulking. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: GUEST,Don Meixner Date: 07 May 01 - 10:15 AM Rick, As you can imagine shop safety is a bug a boo with me. Safety glasses are a must. So is illumination. I will tell you to make your own determination about table saws and blade guards. My injury was caused directly by the saw guard and I won't have one on a table saw everagain until one is designed that works up to my requirements of safety. I am not a fan of radial arm saws. I find them innaccurate at best and also marginal when it comes to ripping. I concurr whole heartedly about gloves in a wood shop. Your muscle memory knows where your skin begins. But add the thickness of gloves and your mental gauges are uncalibrated suddenly. It doesn't know how close it can get any more and you will surely have an accident because of the gloves. Get a sliver now and then, its good for you, keeps you honest. Gloves are more for cleanliness thn anything else anyway. Go to the Amway thread and buy some soap. Tools I can't be without in my wood shop. 1. Table saw, biggest heaviest most powerful I can afford. 2. Band saw, same as above. 3. Drill press, either floor or bench mount, otherwise same as above. 4. Thickness planer, I used to say this was an expensive luxury but they are so cheap now I have added them to this list. They aren't too good for less than 1/4" so buy or build a ...... 5. Thickness sander. 6. Can't have enough clamps. 7. Hand tools, sort these out as to what you like or don't like. Small power tools, I find battery powerd tools a blessing and a curse. My shop would be totally air driven with overhead lines if I could do it affordably. Good saws, deadblow hammer, Forstner type bits, Very good high speed drill bits, counter sinks, nail sets, Screw drivers, Decide early on whether you will give space to slotheaded screws, I don't and am a less aggrivated man there by. The biggest shop vac money can buy is too small. 8. Sharpening stones for all your cutting tools. Good Arkansas stones are costly but worth it. 9. A hand powered twist drill, don't laugh. 10. That new tool you see on TV and can't live without. Rick, I'd suggest a built in vent fan, ambient dust is a pain to deal with and unless you are using Teak the dust won't hurt the lawn. It will be better breathing and it will evacuate fumes in a hurry too. Also it will cool the place quite nicely in August. Don Naemanson, I think that sounds like Dynamite Payson to me. I imagine Pete Culler had a similar name for the spot but I don't remember it in Skiffs and Schooners. The boatyard I worked in had no space specifically set aside for cussin'. I was a way of life. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Homeless Date: 07 May 01 - 12:20 PM One thing I won't be without that Don didn't include is a dust mask. Even a bandanna tied around your face is better than sawdust caking in your sinuses. Of course if you have a dust collection system (which I didn't) this isn't quite as important. And while teak isn't good for the lawn, walnut is not good for animals. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Rick Fielding Date: 07 May 01 - 12:27 PM SAWN MYSELF IN HALF??!!*# Hell no. I was buying, lugging and lifting great plastic bags of Houmous (not on pita either) for Duckboots who is gardening at a rapid rate. Talked bands etc. with Big Mick on the phone, got info on how to compile a separate mailing list (for info on my new band) from katlaughing, watched three innings of BlueJay baseball, and brought all the suitcases filled with heather's summer wardrobe down from the attic...she'll fill them with winter clothes, and I'll struggle them back up again. Do you good folks know just how helpful this stuff is? It's like synthesizing a 500 page book on shop stuff, but with personal experiences. I shall wait a couple of days til it drops down and print the whole thing out. T'will go on my shop wall. Django was an AMAZING character. He was NOT driven, ambitious, cut throat, even (some would say) overly dedicated. He was simply one of a kind. Bios suggest that after the initial trauma he simply changed his left hand fingering and was playing at a world class level again with hardly a blip. But music was not his REAL love (apparently). Fly fishing and billiards were #s one and two. Rick |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Naemanson Date: 07 May 01 - 12:31 PM Gloves in the workshop. I agree completely with Don. There are only two uses for gloves. One is to keep your hands warm when you are outside. The other is to help you lift heavy objects. My sister's Mexican father-in-law says that a pair of gloves is like adding another man to the job. You can lift and carry much more weight if the load isn't cutting into your hands. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler Date: 08 May 01 - 06:36 AM Rick, when you've finished all Peter T's projects here's a couple more : A fotdella: just to see how Jesse Fuller did it! A one-man skiffle kit: a washtub/teachest bass with built-in washboard and kazoo holder! But if your new band (what are they called?) means you got to rehearse...when will you have time ! Good Luck RtS |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: gnu Date: 08 May 01 - 07:36 AM Haven't read the whole thread, but as soon as I get time... Anyway, I figure this probably wasn't mentioned above and it's a safety device that should be considered, especially when using anything like a router. Cut a 19mm piece of hardwood plywood just big enough to fit tightly into the largest pocket of your carpenter's apron. When you use the router, grinder or similar, swing the apron so that the plywood covers your most valued possessions. I was cutting a fence post point yesterday on the tailgate of my truck with a circular saw and didn't bother to go all the way to my basement workshop to get the gnunads protection system. My next door neighbour is a Pentecostal (sp ?) Minister, but I kinda forgot that for a few minutes and had to apologize after I was able to stand up. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Mooh Date: 08 May 01 - 09:49 AM Wear ear muffs any time a machine is running, even if it means not hearing the stereo (perhaps the best piece of equipment in the shop, so long as it's a multi disc unit). The vacuum is the loudest thing in my shop, and if it were possible to soundproof a space for it...wait a minute, it is...soundproof any machine with remote motors like a vac or compressor. Consider hearing protection on par with eye protection; put the glasses on and keep them on. Use the muffs as required. Use gloves when handling wood but not when machining, unless like on my planer there's no way of getting near danger. Table saws and jointers are merciless to gloves. Take off the jewelry too. Proper lighting is important too. Shadows will really screw up measurements. Invest in high quality measuring tools, including straight edges and calipers. Organize the shop with lots of space between centres of work, even if it means having to put away a large tool when not in use. The planer gets most of its use outside so it doesn't rate a dedicated space inside. Bending over sucks. Store things where they can be reached. Keep the floor clear. Oh yeah, and don't take on so many jobs for others that your own don't get done. Peace. Mooh.
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: John Hardly Date: 08 May 01 - 10:19 AM Here's the invention I'd like to see; A Time Machine. Not musical? Maybe not, but the reason I want one is to transport myself and a friend or two back to 1939. I would then go to Nazareth and Kalamazoo and beg borrow and especially STEAL all the "pre war" Martins and Gibsons I could get my hands on. Then I would find a place (pre-planned on this side of time) to safely store 3-400 of these pristine guitars. What guitars I didn't share with my friends (I'm taking orders now),I would sell and, of course, the proceeds would go to my favorite charity. Yeah right. My grasp on reality is slip-sliding away....... |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Rick Fielding Date: 08 May 01 - 10:58 AM John, my grasp on reality started slipping away the first time someone actually payed me twenty bucks to sing folksongs in a coffee house. Ruined me for doing "real" work forever. Gnu, that's hilarious (and practical!) Hmmm, that hurdy Gurdy DOES look do-able, and it fits into my "weird instrument" category. "Orange Peeler"...a first aid kit will be high on my priorities. I've just lugged my Grandmother's big antique easy chair into the shed (she's been gone for 25 years so not likely to object). So currently I've got: Table, with lamp, boombox,(with CDs of Jody Stecher, Stanley Bros. Beethoven, Kendall Morse and Flatt and Scruggs) Easy chair, 10 cans of iced tea (I'll worry about a mini-fridge later) Black and Decker Workmate, Saw horse, folding chairs for visitors, Peg boards (empty at the moment) Halogen light suspended from ceiling (those things are BRIGHT!) little heater (for when neccessary) Big platic box filled with wood scraps, reading glasses from "everything fer a buck" store, and small book for children (or carpentry beginners) called "Building boxes". Gonna start with a square fiddle case. Roger, haven't got a name for the band yet. Rick
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Naemanson Date: 08 May 01 - 11:47 AM Rick, the first project is always a work bench. The workmate won't do the job! You'll need workspace and vices (the clamping kind, not wine, women, and song). Check out the Fine Woodworking publication The Small Shop. It has tons of info on how to get the most out of a small space as well as suggestions on workbench designs. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Bert Date: 08 May 01 - 11:52 AM Rick, let me know before you start building a Hurdy Gurdy, I have a design but don't yet have time to build it myself. Bert. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: gnu Date: 08 May 01 - 03:39 PM Screw, repeat, screw the working surface of your workbench down. I'd never nail anything if screwing didn't take so long. BTW, I built my bench so that the front is 52" from the wall. Trust me. Quicker than you can say fiddle case, your wife will say corner hutch. Ceiling mount light fixtures every four feet, grid, and switch em all. Or invest in Luxo lampssss. That bright light will leave really dark dark spots. Gee, I'd better go back and read the whole thread like I said I was gonna ! Sorry. Just enthusiastic. I love to make furniture, tippers and, next, Hrans ! |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Lonesome EJ Date: 08 May 01 - 04:03 PM I used to spend a lot of time woodworking, used the power tools: router, circ saw, jig, electric sander. Always avoided the masks because they inhibited my breathing. You could have chinked a small log home with what came out when I blew my nose. Seriously, Rick. Use all precaution, including breathing devices when working with power tools, and make sure Heather is in shouting distance. And NEVER get in a hurry. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Naemanson Date: 08 May 01 - 06:04 PM Hurrying is a big mistake! Build your bench at a comfortable working height. Lots of light. No gloves. Plenty of electrical outlets. Music. I think we've pretty much covered it all. Now, here is a question for the other shop people. When someone drops in to visit, do you keep working or do you stop. Can you converse and work? |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Naemanson Date: 08 May 01 - 06:05 PM I mean, after all, we need to make sure Rick understands proper shop etiquette. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Homeless Date: 08 May 01 - 07:54 PM Piff. Converse or work? Get for real. You've got to tell them all about what you're making and what you need to do next and how it will look when it's finished and where you got the idea and the latest tip you're using so that this piece will be something special and the struggles you went thru finding the right wood and ... It's more of a lecture than a conversation. Pretty soon they'll make quick their escape and you can get back to work. It's worse than being trapped by a grandma with picture of her new grandchild or a musician who just added to his G.A.S. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Lonesome EJ Date: 08 May 01 - 08:05 PM Woodworkers! What project are you proudest of? I built a pine firewood box from original Shaker drawings. The joining on it was very good, the design (as in most Shaker work) simple, functional and elegant. I did, in a quite un-Shakerlike way, add a carving on the face, of a strawberry blossom. I used a Tung Oil hand rubbed finish over a rust-hued stain. It became the repository for all board games in the house, as I couldn't stand to put damp, dirty firewood in the thing. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: gnu Date: 09 May 01 - 07:40 AM Homeless... excellent answer. LOL. Never converse and work unless you have extra money and fingers. Did any one mention a phone as a piece of safety equipment in a separate shop ? The wire & phone are cheap and you could do the hookup yourself. You just have to make sure that the ringer doesn't work. You should turn off your cell, too. Don't skimp on that fire extiguisher by the door. And a bucket of sand or a hose will work better on shavings than a fire extinguisher - cheaper, too. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Rick Fielding Date: 09 May 01 - 10:15 AM Leej, I'm definitely not a "woodworker". My skills lie in drawing pictures and making songs, but I AM proud of something I made a few weeks ago. It's a four-person music stand (I built it to facilitate rehearsals of the new band). Central is a box (table) 26" high with 16" sides. The top of the box comes off so I can store music books, charts etc. inside it. Each side has a piece of plywood (15" by 20") that lies flat against the side and can be raised up to hold the music or charts. I used a couple of leather carving tricks to "antique" the wood over a pale green finish (complete with 1880's stencils). When I'm not using it for a music stand, it's heather's "glass o' wine" table next to her easy chair. There are times I wish I'd let my dad teach me how to REALLY use the tools, but in those days it was "baseball baseball baseball" My first project in the new shed? Started it yesterday. Simple dividers for my numerous book, CD and record shelves. Can't screw those up too badly. I'm really gonna learn this stuff slowly......before I try a Hurdy Gurdy! Hmmm, measure twice, cut once..... Rick |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Naemanson Date: 09 May 01 - 10:38 AM Homeless, I agree that serious heavy duty work is focus stuff. But what about sanding, or the first coat of finish, or any of dozens of "minor" tasks that can be done with only partial attention. I have, in the past, been criticized for continuing to work while there was a guest in my shop. To my mind, sanding down the previous coat of finish wasn't working. I was just keeping my hands busy. Favorite Project? I build the most comfortable Adirondack chairs ever designed. I got the pattern out of a book by the guy who followed Bob Villa on This Old House (can't remember his name, Norm?) These chairs fit well and have enough space between the arms to allow you to hold your guitar. The arms are wide enough to hold your drink, and the back is high enough to allow you to nap. When I built my first one I created a set of pattern pieces out of luan to make subsequent chairs quicker to build. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Rick Fielding Date: 09 May 01 - 10:47 AM I chatted with visitors while carving an elaborate guitar strap. Did the fucking first letter of the customer's name UPSIDE DOWN! They discovered that I had full command of a vocabulary that I rarely use on Mudcat! Rick |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: gnu Date: 09 May 01 - 01:49 PM Naemanson's post reminds me of a good piece of advice for everyone. Don't watch Bob Villa on This Old House. You'd think he'd do SOME research or hire someone who knows at least a little bit to tell him when he's spewing nonsense or making out like he's in charge. I always wondered why Wiley or Norm didn't say anything.... enough rope, maybe ? don't bite the hand that feeds ? He wouldn't last a half-shift on a real job. However, if you pay no attention to "Starts with a B and ends with a B" Bob and just listen to Wiley, Norm and the other experts, it's a pretty good show. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Naemanson Date: 09 May 01 - 02:44 PM Actually, gnu, I have never cared for the show. It has no basis in reality. On that show you see them renovating a very good house into some kind of mansion with all the amenities. The reality is that you do the job yourself, while living in it and scraping too little money together. You spend half your time moving the detritus of the people living in a house out of the way so you can work. You always watch over your shoulder for curious kids who might hurt themselves on the tools. You stumble over extension cords and watch the rest of the family traipse off to the beach while you try to figure out how best to rewire the outlets in the kitchen or build a new set of stairs. And when you aren't doing that you spend your time arguing with the spouse because the job isn't done yet and you've lived in the house eight years.... Nope, Bob, Norm, and Wiley really don't know what they are talking about. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Rick Fielding Date: 09 May 01 - 03:01 PM Hmmph! I told Heather to read this nice thread, and she said it was boring "guy stuff" about tools and bonding! The nerve. Now which one of you said "make sure she can't see me in the shed from the house"? Rick |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: GUEST,Guest - Shug Date: 09 May 01 - 03:53 PM Reading between the lines Rick, it looks as if everything has come together just fine. Now have a fun summer, and enjoy the fruits. Shug. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: gnu Date: 09 May 01 - 04:33 PM Naemanson... Wiley and Norm DO know what their talking about. I'd be damn proud to carry their tools. Hmmm, that didn't sound right. Anyway, Bob IS a tool. And don't go on about Wiley's - or is it Riley ? - missing fingers. That's just the "Calculated Risk Badge" which many experts can put on their resume, although they might get someone else to type it up. Rick... re the sight line. Although it was only said by one, we all agree. Well, all the bitten ones, anyway. (I meant to write bitten - I am NOT bitter, darn it.) |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Naemanson Date: 09 May 01 - 05:17 PM NONONONO! Gnu, I don't mean they don't know what they are doing in the shop or in renovation work. I mean they don't show the reality of renovation work. Look at one of those shows. You've got contractors pouring tools, men, and materials into the worksite. Whoever is paying for that job is paying big bucks. They have the best of everything there, fancy countertops, the very best flooring, etc. The reality is that most of us who want to renovate have to do it on a shoestring, scrimping and saving, losing precious days that would be better spent doing something else, and ending up with something to be proud of if we we ever manage to get the job done. |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: gnu Date: 09 May 01 - 05:58 PM OH ! Sorry ! I agree totally. They make it seem so easy when they cut to the finshed product, don't they ? They never show the eight/eighty hours in between. My first furniture project, a corner hutch - that's right, more than I could chew, although it looks pretty good, if I do say so, myself - took me fourteen days. If I had Norm's shop, I could have done it in a mere four days. Then again, if I had Norm's money, I could have done it in forty minutes, including delivery - VISA. The only tool you need, less the satisfaction !! |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Mark Cohen Date: 09 May 01 - 11:54 PM Well, I'm not the shop kind but I did find one question on this thread I can answer. Capt. Bob asked, Why is it that flat surfaces tend to collect stuff (junk) er whatever? My main problem is keeping a work bench clear enough to use. Tilt your workbench 90 degrees so it's vertical. No problem. Aloha, Mark |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Rick Fielding Date: 10 May 01 - 12:25 AM Hi Mark. Damn, you have a way with words! Rick (still with my digits) |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Mark Clark Date: 10 May 01 - 12:38 AM I remember one TOH renovation where they started to turn an historic barn into a castle while maintaining it's appearance and value as an important landmark. It turnd out the fram was rotten and the stone foundation was worthless. They wound up razing the entire structure and building a brand new barn/house that not only had to meet code but satisfy the historians as well. Boy, talk about reality. I remember attending the American Woodworker show one year. People were lined up for blocks waiting to pay Norm Abrams for his autograph. Meanwhile, world famous cabinet makers were demonstrating world class skills for small groups of three or four people. Sort of like a bluegrass festival featuring Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanly, Bill Keith and Bobby Thompson and the crowd all clamoring to hear Jerry Garcia play the banjo. - Mark |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: DougR Date: 10 May 01 - 12:48 AM Rick: carving a clients initials upside down CAN be signs of serious aging problems. Do you take Saw Palmetto? Doesn't do much for memory, but it's supposed to be great for the prostate, and with the onset of old age and the dementia that sometimes accompanies it well ...you know. DougR |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Naemanson Date: 10 May 01 - 09:11 PM Wasn't there an old Cary grant movie where he painted the name on a boat while it was upside down? (Not a lot of thread drift.) |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: Cap't Bob Date: 10 May 01 - 10:09 PM Mark, thanks for the suggestion. Although it was rather difficult and required some major adjustments I was finally able to tilt the bench 90 deg. Now I have no place to walk, and everything I attempt to put on the bench immediately slips off. Please test your theories before you advise others. Cap't Bob |
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Subject: RE: Now that I've got my workshop, heh, heh! From: DonMeixner Date: 10 May 01 - 11:20 PM Naemanson, I think it was "Father Goose," Grant plays a Coast watcher. There is also a bunch of kids plus Leslie Caron and Trevor Howard. Don |
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