SHOP TIPS

WIRELESS AM/FM/MP3 HEARING PROTECTION

CORDLESS TOOLS BATTERY REBUILDS

CENTRAL DUST COLLECTION

DOWN DRAFT TABLE

DUST FILTERS

FILE CABINET BASES

MAKING JIGS

ROLLER SUPPORT BRACKET

ROLLING WOOD RACK

PLYWOOD CUTTING TABLE

PLYWOOD SHEET SPLICING

Pocket Screw repairs

SAW DUST CONTROL

 SECURING TRUCK LOADS

SAW INFEED TABLE

SHOP COOLING

SHOP AIR CAPAPACITY EXPANSION

SHOPSMITH ACCESSORY TOOL CART

V CLAMP JIG

One of the downsides of cordless tools is the expense of replacing worn out batteries.  I have often found it cheaper to buy another drill on sale, that comes with batteries, than it is to buy a replacement battery.  An 18 volt Dewalt battery runs about $90 at most "big box" stores, although there are occasional 2 for 1 sales about once a year.  After dealing with this for years, I finally decided to see if I could have my battery packs rebuilt.  The answer was yes and for about half of a new battery.  Additionally, if your battery has an upgraded version, you may be able to rebuild your old battery pack to the new standard.   I found this was an option when I rebuilt my original battery packs to the new Dewalt. XP versions at a cost of only $52.  Now that's a 2 for one sale!

Basically when a battery pack is rebuilt, they just replace the old worn out cells with new ones an reuse the old battery case.  Not all manufacturers or battery types allow this as opening the case may destroy it or cut the main lead permanently.  Also single cell batteries such as used in screw drivers are not cost effective.  One way you can ensure you have a rebuild capable battery is to buy batteries cases that are held together with screws. 

You can see the Dewalt 18v and 14v batteries, at the left, have screw together cases.  These cases can be rebuilt,  unlike the glued or welded versions.  If you take care of your cases they will last indefinitely, as I have rebuilt some of mine up to three times so far.  Most likely you will be able to find a local vendor who can rebuild your battery packs or a one that you can ship your pack too.  I have used Sunn Battery in Jacksonville, FL for several years and they have proved to be fast and dependable, giving me good results.  They have the capability to rebuild many kinds of batteries including telephone, lights, etc.

You can save on  Jet AFS-1000B filter pads by placing a standard furnace filter (12" x 24" x 1") over the front of the filter box.    These are easily obtained at any home center and are less expensive than always replacing the main filter.  Mounting clips can be  home made or obtained at Rockler Hardware.

Jet 708732 AFS-1B-WOF Washable Electrostatic Outer Filter

Most commercial jigs and shop helpers are made of MDF or particle board, faced with a thin laminate surface.  While this is adequate for most applications, it does have some drawbacks.  It's heavy, doesn't take abuse well and is susceptible high humidity and moisture.

Looking for a better idea, I decided to try using some left over laminate flooring to make some jigs.  I used a heavy duty spray adhesive to glue a piece of 1/4" laminate flooring to a piece of 1/2" plywood.  The laminate is stable, has smooth square surface and is much more robust to abuse with the plywood backing.  So far I have had better luck with this surface than anything I have made out of MDF.

Laminate Saw Fence

Laminate & Plywood Substrate 

My neighbor offered me a couple of old filing cabinets, which I readily accepted.  These metal cabinets make great storage, especially the 15" deep ones.    Since they are quite heavy when filed I placed them on a rolling base, for ease of repositioning.

The base is made out of scrap 3/4" plywood, 1" x 1" ripped 2" x 4"s and some 175lb casters.     I chose to use full swivel casters with the two front ones having locking brakes.  If you come across some used filing cabinets, at reasonable price (free) this an easy project to increase the storage capacity on your shop.

WIRELESS AM/FM/MP3 HEARING PROTECTION

Hearing protection is always a must when operating power tools, but makes listening to a radio or iPod difficult.  Peltor solved part of this problem by offering a hearing protector with an AM/FM radio .  Naturally, soon after I bought one of these headsets, they came out with a version that included an iPod hookup integral to the sound protection.  This was a huge improvement to my "listening pleasure", but it soon became obvious that the iPod chord was going to be problematic, constantly getting caught on things around the shop.  The final straw was when I snagged the chord so hard, I broke one of the internal wires.  There had to be a better way.

Bluetooth headsets are rapidly coming on the market (I even have one built into my ski helmet) but no one has taken the "hint" on sound protection headphones.  However, the solution was as simple as adding a Bluetooth receiver to the hearing protectors.  The first thing was to find was a small receiver I could mount on the hearing protectors.  The latest iPod "gizmo" is a pendant style receiver that works with iPod type earbuds.  You could just wear the earbuds under the headphones, but you would still have the chord dangling around machinery, which is a safety issue. 

I first found the BSH-02 headset which seemed perfect for this application.  Unfortunately, the performance of this receiver was marginal and would lose the signal when more than a few feet from the transmitter or blocked by a shop tool.  Not even close to the 33 foot range of most Bluetooth signals.  Additionally this small receiver utilized a 2.5mm plug, while the Peltor headset and iPod use a 3mm plug. Solving this problem was accomplished by making a small jumper with both types of stereo plugs. .  An adapter plug would also work, but add a little bulk.  The lack of range really made this receiver unsuitable for my needs, so more research was necessary.

I next found the Motorola S705 Sound Pilot Bluetooth Stereo receiver .  Although a little larger, this receiver had the advantage of using 3mm plugs and having a screen to show what mode the receiver was in.  Performance of the S705 was more than adequate and worked as well as any other Bluetooth headset I had used.  The clip that came with the S705 made attaching to the Peltor headset easy and allowed the use Peltor supplied iPod jumper chord.   Another benefit is that both of these receivers can be paired to your cell phone, allowing you to receive incoming calls.

The next part of the puzzle was to pick a Bluetooth transmitter.  I had gotten a set of  iPod speakers which had the benefit of a remote control.  The source of sound for these speakers came from the plug in the bottom of the iPod.  I also discovered that if the upper earphone jack was used simultaneously, sound could be sourced from both.  This meant with the proper setup a Bluetooth signal and the speakers could work together.  Now I could go from headset sound to speaker sound without missing a beat.  It was great to be able to take off the headset and still hear my broadcast.  The plug type receiver would also allow for Bluetooth broadcast from the TV or any other device that had a headphone jack.  Another type of transmitter would also work, it just depends on what kind of setup you wish to make.

   The Sony TMR BT10  transmitter was my choice due to customer reviews and the fact that it used a 3mm plug to connect with the iPod.  Pairing of the transmitter was easy and range more than advertised.  What can I say, it works great. 

All in all this project has proven to be a success and I am pleased with no longer getting snagged on the iPod chord.  If you like to listen to music, podcasts, etc. while working this is the way to go.

 Motorola S705 Bluetooth Stereo Headset:   

lip-on Bluetooth Stereo Headset, BSH-02: With Bluetooth wireless technology, the BSH-02 gives you the convenient wireless way to enjoy the streaming stereo music transmitted from the Bluetooth A2DP Source device such as a mp3 player, PC or PDA in the available range. Moreover, you can use the BSH-02 to remote control the music playing functions of your Bluetooth device if it supports Bluetooth AVRCP.  Range: 10 meters (30 feet) in open space;  Sample Rate: 48 KHz, 16 Bit;  4 way button (Vol+, Vol-, Previous, Next);  4 way button (Vol+, Vol-,Previous, Next);  2.5 mm audio jack & USB charging port;    Battery life: about 4 hours.

  Connect this portable stereo music Bluetooth transmitter to your non-Bluetooth portable music player to transmit music to your Bluetooth heaphones, Bluetooth speakers or Bluetooth car audio system.  Wireless trasmission from player to compatible devices;  Compact, rechargeable unit for portable use;   Universal connection to any portable music player;   Bluetooth1 version 2.0, A2DP profile;   Gold-plated stereo mini plug.

Listen to music instead of your power tools! The built-in AM/FM tuner in these comfortable headphones now features an easy-to-read LCD display, seek/scan tuning buttons, a low-battery indicator, and the ability to pre-set up to ten different stations. Everything is designed for convenient radio browsing. For even more options, use the stereo input jack (cord included) to connect your iPod or other portable devices and scanners. Soft gel/foam ear pads and an adjustable stainless steel headband guarantee long lasting comfort. Plus, with an EPA noise reduction rating of 22 decibels, you’ll receive stellar ear protection. Great for the shop or any loud environment.

The Old Scrap Bin       The New Wood Rack

Utilizing scraps from other projects is made much easier if you can find them.  My old scrap bin was not only a mess and unworkable, but it was also taking up a lot of "real estate" in my cramped garage shop.  I found an interesting solution in a book Workshop Projects  (available Rockler Hardware) that showed a mobile wood rack.  Making a few modifications to meet my own needs, I decided to build one. The project was not a difficult one, with the only problems caused by my forgetting to adjust one measurement, based on my changes-OOPS!.

Actually the most difficult part of the project was to find some heavy duty casters.  I finally located some at Tractor Supply that had a 550lb. rating. I used four swivel casters on the corners and two fixed ones in the middle. The center casters were shimmed up on 1/4" plywood to allow for pivoting the rack as it is moved. (I always wondered why the carts rocked at Home Depot?)  (Note ensure the total height of your rack will clear the opening in your garage with the door open.)

The other material that took some searching was the UHMW plastic (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene) that the plywood sheets slide on in the center of the rack.  Most suppliers had pre-cut pieces at a high price. I found some big sheets of 3/4" at  Interstate Plastics which I cut to size and counter sunk SS deck screws to fasten to the cross braces. UHMW also makes good sliding surfaces for jig and tables, etc.

Since I was unable to find a load rating on the planned shelf racks, I decided to use two racks specifically designed for wood storage. Woodcraft had a 50% off sale on the TRITON Wood Rack (#144756) , (pic links to Woodcraft) so that seemed to be the best way to go.  A good feature of this rack, it that the "fingers" are pre-set with an upward tilt to keep the lumber from falling off.  The smaller pieces can be stored on the shelf on the top of the rack.

One of the two modifications I made was to increase the sheet goods section to 12" as to hold more plywood.  4' x 8' sheets of plywood are the most unwieldy material I have to deal with and are hard to maneuver in garage with and 8' ceiling and a garage door that cuts out another 12"+  when opened.

The other change was to add two shelves on the base of the rack to hold bucket bins of small, but usable scraps of plastic, PVC, dowels, etc.  Since we have an in-exhaustible supply of cat litter plastic buckets (and the fact they were rectangular) made recycling a win-win.  I made the shelves of 5/8" plywood with a 1' x 2" edge to keep the buckets from falling off.  I also added a 1/4" plywood back to keep the buckets from falling off the back of the shelves and a PVC tube on one of the end uprights for holding long dowels. 

Once I got the rack loaded it was apparent that it was holding a lot of weight.  Still it is easy to move and maneuver.  The only modifications I think would be advantageous would be to put more cross piece supports in the center section to support smaller pieces of plywood sheet.  If you have a lot of plywood to store a larger center section is advisable.  I did find that you could put full sheets in one end of the rack and smaller sheets in the other end  for more capacity and ease of finding.  Having ease of access to large sheets of plywood is a major improvement (Ever try an handle an 8' plywood sheet in a room with an 8' ceiling?).

This project turned out to be a winner.  I was able to store all of my materials in a much more organized manner and it is much easier to find and access small pieces than before (I actually found stuff I forgot I had).  Further I can now recover and huge amount of "real estate" on the shop floor, by moving the rack out of the way when I'm working.  If it looks like rain, I'll just cover it with a tarp. The rack is also handy for storing my saw guides, etc. while working.  I may add some eyelet screws near the wood rack frames for bungee chords if I have problem with wood falling off, but so far it hasn't been needed.

Total cost of this project was around $300 with two thirds of the cost being dedicated to the heavy duty casters and wood storage rack and hardware.

  Cutting up 4' x 8' sheets of plywood can be daunting at best.  Even with a table saw modified with tables, ripping a 3/4" sheet solo is difficult.  I found various techniques on the internet, but they all had the common thread of a rail system.  This is a great way to handle this task and can be adapted to any kind of saw horses or work stands you happen to have.  I made my stand by simply making four 1 1/2" x 2" notches  in a couple of 2" x 6" boards and connecting them with four 8' 2" x 4" studs, set in the dados.  When you are done just pop the 2" x  4" free and store them on your wood rack.  The notched cross bars can stay or be removed from the saw horses.

  The beauty of this setup is that you can cut into the studs while cross cutting the plywood without hurting the notched bases that required some effort to make.  2" x 4" studs are inexpensive and if they get too cut up, you can use the remains for other things.   The gaps between the rails will support the entire sheet of plywood when you cut it across the lengthwise or width, preventing the fall off from binding the saw blade.  When coupled with the EZ Fence guide is one tip I wish I'd learned years ago.

  In use at my shop.

    Nick Engler on Cutting Plywood Sheets

Nothing is more aggravating than running out of plywood late on a Sunday, with your project nearing completion.  Short of waiting to the next day to buy an entire sheet of plywood, what can you do?  Naturally "Necessity is the Mother of Invention", so when faced with this problem I decided to splice some plywood sheeting.  I first attempted to join two sections of sheeting with a spline joint.  The resulting joint was strong, but not flush.  A little more fitting of the spline, probably would have eliminated the bulge in the joint, but I wasn't satisfied with the result.   This idea would have worked better on a thicker piece of material, but then again jointing plywood edges square isn't a good idea.

Next I hit on the idea of using a lap joint to make the splice .  This turned out to be a success and solved my problem . The joint was flush and would easily slide into the rabbet in the drawer bottom.  The tricky part of the glue-up  was getting good clamping pressure across the breadth of the joint.  One solution for this would be to lay weights along  the joint, which would work.  Another idea is to use the flat side of two bar clamps to get good clamping pressure . The resulting joint was perfect for my application of a drawer bottom.   Since the bottom sheet was supported by the drawer sides,  it had plenty of strength.  Depending on your needs, you may find this technique a handy tip should you get in a similar situation.

                                                                                                                                                                      Left screw repaired

After installing this Drill Press Roller Support (available at Woodcraft)  I got the idea I might also be able to use it on the fixed end table of my Shopsmith Mark V.  I made this bracket using a Shopsmith (Part 51335601) and some 1 1/4" and 1" square steel tubing.

Cutting large sheets of plywood or long planks on a table saw has always been awkward at best.  When you working by yourself, its even more of a challenge.  After trying saw horses, roller stands, etc.  I decided to look for a more substantial solution.  I found several commercial versions on the market in various models of roller platforms, none of which met my specific requirements.  My big problem was that the Shopsmith saw table moves up and down to set cut depth, not the blade.  I finally decided to take features I liked and build my own infeed table.

I ordered some rollers I liked off the internet and then bought some 1" square steel tubing, etc at the hardware store.  I also ordered some Shopsmith specific replacement parts to mount my table to the  Mark V.

                                        Rollers and Steel Tubing

Since my old miter saw is all metal, I changed the blade out for a metal cutting disk and used it as chop saw. This worked great, but the saw kerf is much larger than a hacksaw.  After cutting the steel, I welded the frame's crossbars together with my Arc Welder and then ground the weld beads flat.  Unfortunately, I did this before the Shopsmith part arrived and I found the length of the studs on the mounting tubes were not as long as I had thought.  Time for "Plan B".  I added an extra crossbar and then had to drill holes large enough allow a deep socket to reach the nuts.  I also had to allow enough room, between the crossbars, for the socket and the ratchet to fit in.  Additionally, when I drilled the holes for the support tubes I tapped holes for the set screws that hold the removable cross tube in place.

After the frame was assembled it was necessary to shim up the socket rollers so that stock would be flush with the table. I used two layers of  1/8" x 2" aluminum stock for this.  Once cut, I marked the mounting holes for the rollers, drilled them and then used the shims as a template to mark the hole location on the frame. Then I drilled and tapped all the roller mounting holes on the frame.  The Shopsmith brackets that hold the infeed table to the Mark V,  were attached with carriage bolts.

After clean up and painting I reassembled the entire table and added plastic caps to the open tube ends and hole plugs, where the mounting tubes were secured.

              Infeed Table           Shopsmith support tube and friction lock  /  Side Roller    Shopsmith mounting bracket

  I put my infeed table to use the other day and it worked exceptionally well.  I was able to maneuver 4' x 8' sheets of  3/4" plywood with ease.

Carting all that lumber home can sometimes be a challenge, if not secured properly.  Then on an episode of "Cool Tools" I saw the answer the "Load Latch"     and it's partner the "Gap Strap".  These tools are designed to keep your load from sliding out the back of your pickup truck bed, by taking advantage of the gap between the bed and tailgate.  Even though these are made just down the road from me, I could not find a retailer that carried them.  The other problem I noticed was that the "Load Latch" bowed the plywood sheets and could damage pre-finished plywood.  Not to be deterred I came up with my own version, that was a lot cheaper too.

My version of of a "Gap Strap" is composed of a piece of 1 1/4" PVC pipe and a ratchet load strap (available at most Home Center or Auto Supply stores).  Construction consists of cutting a slot in each end of the pipe .  Then the strap is threaded through the slots . 

When load up your truck, just lay the pipe in the gap and tighten the strap around   Now your load will be unable to move aft when you accelerate.  If you have to transit bumpy roads, I do recommend that you add a second strap to prevent your load from bouncing out of the gap.  All in all a quick little project that has proved very valuable at little cost.

Your old "little compressor" has finally pumped its last PSI and you have to go out and buy another BIGGER one with MORE capacity.  Naturally you'd like one of those huge commercial versions, that are as big a door, but cost and sheer size make you settle for a smaller more portable version.  Once you get your new "Toy" back home, you look at your trusty old compressor and try to decide if you want to scavenge any parts off it, or just dump at the curb and salute it as the garbage truck rolls off into the sunset.   Before you dump it, it still may have some life left in it, if the reservoir tank is still in good shape.  The extra tank volume, of your old compressor can augment  the capacity of your new portable compressor and give you an increased air storage volume nearly as large as the commercial version "you really wanted".

The purpose of a compressor reservoir tank is to store a volume of pressurized air for various uses. The rate at which that air is used, determines how fast the pressure will decrease in the tank and the compressor's pressure switch will restart the compressor to re-fill the tank.  Naturally the larger the tank, the longer the interval between compressor runs and the longer a pneumatic tool will have the  necessary volume of air to run at the optimum speed.   So the benefits of a large reservoir tank are better air volume to run tools and less noise from and wear and tear on your compressor.

Depending on how your tank is configured , making use of your old compressor can be accomplished for under $20.  After removing the old compressor's motor and plumbing, determine what pipe fittings you will need  to close up the "big hole" in it and plan how you will install it in your shop system.  There were two other plugs on either end of the tank that could have been used, but the original manifold worked best for my planned usage.  I needed two galvanized pipe reducer bushings ( 1" x 3/4" and 3/4" x 1/4") to close up the "big hole" and reach the standard 1/4" NPT size of pneumatic fittings.   Then I added a 1/4" "T" fitting and two pneumatic quick disconnect (QDC) couplers.  The couplers are important as they allow connecting or removal of air lines without the loss of pressure.  One QDC will function as the infeed air line and the second QDC can used to connect air hose supply line.  Naturally you could add more connections or a manifold, depending on your needs.  You can even recycle on of the old compressor's pressure gauges, if you want to monitor pressure in the tank. TIP: Be sure you use lots of teflon tape or pipe sealant on the threads to prevent air leaks.  You should also use some soapy water to check every connection in your system for leaks.  Even small leaks will cause your compressor to run often.  When I did this on my shop setup, my compressor runs less than once a day in a static state.  This was quite an improvement, considering it used to run twice an hour.

I chose to stand my old tank up vertically next to my new compressor to safe space make hookups easier. The old tank gave me an added 24 gallons of air storage capacity.  The supplemental tank was connected to the manifold of the compressor tank via a flex-air line, with two male QDC nipples on either end.    The air line that was originally connected to the compressor manifold was now connected to the supplemental tank's other QDC.  When the compressor run, it fills up its integral tank, the supplemental tank and all the other air lines in my system  The extra volume has greatly reduced the time my compressor motor now runs.  Another benefit is that I now have a portable tank I can use for small jobs located past the range of my air lines.

This low cost "recycling" project has added to the capabilities of my shop and reduced the electricity and compressor's wear and tear, not to mention increasing it's longevity.  Since I wore the last one out that's a money saver.  Maybe one day I'll get that BIG COMPRESSOR!

Port-a-Cool (front)       (rear)

My shop is located in the SE part of the country so heat and humidity are a real problem, especially when working outdoors.  There's nothing like being covered with saw dust when you are "hot and sticky". 

I had previously installed a portable AC unit on my patio that worked fairly well, especially when augmented with the house central air. However, this is a closed space, so I wasn't sure it was the answer. Not to mention the fact I would have to add a 220v circuit and find a place to vent  the portable AC unit, if installed in the garage.

When I replaced my central air system in the house, I had a closeable duct added in the garage. Again this worked moderately well with the main door closed and central air augment.  It was soon apparent that this was not the answer due to saw dust getting into the house (via the open laundry room door) and humidity increasing in the entire house when the garage door was open.

While looking for a solution, short of building an entire shop complex (I wish), I started to wonder if the "swamp coolers" I saw on the side lines at football games might be the ticket.  I was skeptical, due to the fact that the inherent high humidity would diminish the evaporative cooling that enables these devices to work.  Still I saw these things everywhere, so I was interested.  After a little research  I found that the current models overcome a lot of the evaporative cooling/humidity issue via modern design.

My hopes were dashed when I started pricing these coolers, BIG BUCKS!  I could install a separate AC system for the same price.  Then by   "divine intervention", I saw a portable version, when I walked into my local NAPA store.  The salesman told me the way they market these coolers, is to drop them off at local garages during the day and then pick them up after it gets hot.  Once people see the difference they make, they're sold.  I was sold too when I got a great deal on the end of season model.

I'm impressed with the Port-a-Cool.  Temps have only been in the 80's with low humidity, but the cooling is noticeable.  The fan is big enough to make a "breeze" even sitting on the driveway.  It's easy to move around can be used during any outdoor activity. So far this has been a great and cost effective cooling solution. 

Tip:  Add ice to the reservoir for even greater cooling effect.

I published this idea years ago in Shopsmith's "Hands On" magazine.  It's compact way to store all your accessory tools under the Mark V.  It works like an auto creeper.  The height is base upon the length of your dust box. 

The mounts can either be made out 4" x 4" stock or use an accessory base.