New Table Saw

I got a new saw last month and have finally gotten a chance to do some work with it. so look for a complete review in a week or two of this Ridgit 10" portable bench top table saw. I can tell you so far I have been quite pleased with it!
Joey

Change of Focus

Theres a change in the air as fall comes to Ohio and here at The Sleepydog Wood Shop. When I started this blog my focus was on starting a day to day working shop, but then the economy went south or somewhere and the shop never happened, and with the way things look now with my health it never will. Over the summer I finally accepted that I am not going to have a shop for a while if ever and started working on a way of start doing more project in the space I got rather than what I was doing, which was saying, I will wait till I get a shop to build in.

Now working out of a closet should not be a problem for me since I was a carpenter, it's no different than working out of a truck, so I am ahead of the game there. One of the first thing I started doing has been downsizing my tools which meant selling most my large shop tools and buying bench top tools to replace them and more hand tools. The next thing I want to do is change the focus of this blog to help the numerous other woodworker out there who work without a shop just like me. I really want to start including some video, but not till I can do it  the right way, I do not want to but crappy video on my blog just for the sake of butting up content. I always welcome comment, suggestions and thought from you guys out there and I hope to keep improving my blog in the future, so if your out and your reading this drop me a line even if its just to say hi, or go to hell.

Heres to great and peaceful day
Joey

Sawdust Challenge Build Pt 2

Today,  I worked on the mock up for my table. I was going to use cardboard to make the mock up, but found some OSB that I had and I thought I would just use it instead. I decided to build the model @ 1/2 scale. I wanted to play with a couple of different designs one of which has parts that nest into each other when the leg fold up. This is the one I will be building the as a model, while the other design is a little more rugged that design will more that likely will be the full size stand I build for my table saw.  

Doing a 1/2 scale drawing on a piece of plywood is not something I normally do for project like this, but I have been trying to show my grandson's how things are designed and build from idea to finished piece; however, doing the drawing did show me a couple of possible spots that are going to cause me some trouble. I noticed that I going have a tough time driving the screws for the hinges in the two upper leg sections because of the steep angles. Now that I know this and will not come as a surprise to me I have time work something out before I build it, and with building the model I can play with what will work and look the best, something you really don't want to do with the finished piece.

Joey

The Sawdust Chronicle's Build Challenge

Surfaces: That is the the challenge for the build, That Rick Walters at The Sawdust Chronicle's has presented us this year, which fits prefect with something that I have been working on in my head for the last couple of weeks, It started with a friends son going off to college, and him complaining about not having a table to use his laptop on when he is sitting in his chair watching the TV. His dorm is small and the desk is cramped and he can't see his TV from the desk, so to solve the problem they got him a fold up tray that was designed to eat dinners off of, you know the type, every one has them in the closet, the old TV trays! not an idea solution.

Well that got me to thinking, there has to be a better design for a fold up table that has a little more style that could be used as a all propose desk or table and still fold up and placed out of the way when not needed.


Then last week I was ripping some boards with my table saw up on my portable work table which is to high for the task, and I got to thinking that the same type of folding table could be used as a tool stand as well as a portable computer desk.

That night I started doodling while watching TV and after about five sheets of drawings I came up with something I liked, then I drew it in SketchUp just to play with an idea I had, next step I want to get some card board and make a mock up before building the table.

When I do build the first table I think I will use plywood and 2x, because it will become my saw stand, after I know it will hold up I can tweak the design for style. I think this would be a great work surface for college student or any one with limited space, the surface can be used as a computer desk, art desk, dinning table, outdoor tables for the scouts, or a number of other possibilities that haven't even thought about.

Joey