Hello from MN

[TJ Cornish]

Hi all.  I posted a little introduction in another thread, but this is a better place for that sort of thing, I suppose.  My background is home improvement/remodeling, but now that I've pretty much finished my second house now, I'm running out of the more construction-oriented projects.  I've been working on making laundry room cabinets and my next project will be a built-in desk for my wife.

It has really amazed me how little there is in common between "normal" carpentry and finish carpentry - both tools and skilsets.  I have always thought I had great tools, until trying to do the last few jointery projects - some complicated stair trim and the bannister, and now building the cabinets.  After struggling through a few things, it became clear that 2010 would be an expensive year for me - SawStop and ClearVue Cyclone, Kreg jig, rail/style router bit set, and now TS-75 and Domino.

I Got the TS-75 because it was on sale with plans to break down the melamine for the cabinets.  It works wonderfully.  I got everything built with the Kreg jig, but was really unhappy with the slop in alignment - it seems every time you pull a screw in, the joint moves 1/32" or so - super frustrating! 

I just bought the Domino yesterday, unfortunately after I've finished the carcasses for the upper cabinets.  I'm kicking myself for that already, but am glad I bit the bullet before taking on the lowers and the built-in desk.

The next project is refinishing a church pew - our church is pulling all of the circa 1951 pews out on Sunday, and I'm grabbing one for the house.  This will trigger a Rotex and a vac.  Any recommendations on which Rotex to pick and what sandpaper to use to remove the gross thinned paint used to make the wood look blonde without killing the veneer?

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Hey TJ,
Welcome to the FOG!  Sounds like you are building a swell arsenal of tools!

If the pew is veneered, I would use a chemical stripper to remove the paint.  It would be very hard to sand it off and not sand through some veneer at some point. 

Hope you will post some pictures of your progress - we love pics here. [big grin]

 

[Rick Christopherson]

I got everything built with the Kreg jig, but was really unhappy with the slop in alignment - it seems every time you pull a screw in, the joint moves 1/32" or so - super frustrating! 

I just bought the Domino yesterday, unfortunately after I've finished the carcasses for the upper cabinets.  I'm kicking myself for that already, but am glad I bit the bullet before taking on the lowers and the built-in desk.

Hi TJ,
The alignment issue you are experiencing with the pocket screw construction is due to a gap between the boards before the screw draws them tight. If there is a gap, when the screw first enters the second board, it will be lower than it should be. As a result, when drawn tight, the screw will lift the second board. The most common cause for this is that you are not drilling deep enough with the pilot tip on the stepped drill bit (the screw pushes the boards apart before the threads bite into the second board).

You're in luck, because the guy that developed the concept for the Kreg K2000 guide lives a couple miles away from you. Rumor has it, he knows Festool pretty good too, and his display of Festool tools rivals that of the largest distributor in the area.  [tongue]

If you want, send me a PM and I could give you a quick tutorial on using your Kreg jig. Also, if you are going to begin using your Domino for making faceframes, I'll show you the MGS-guide, which I developed specifically for making faceframe and drawer joints.

 

[TJ Cornish]

I just got back from taking Rick up on his offer of a little Kreg jig and Domino training at his shop. Rick - thanks again for your generosity - that was some of the most educational time I have had in a long while.  Thanks again for all of those extra Festools you gave me - i won't mention it to anyone else.

It is a heck of a welcome for a new forum member to get a personal invite to another's shop, and even better yet when that shop time is spent attempting to give a clue to a clueless greenhorn such as myself.  I'm looking forward to using your Domino jig too - i wish I got it before doing the last batch of face frames!

 

[peter halle]

Rick,    [thumbs up] [thumbs up].

TJ,  you are lucky indeed!  Rick is a great guy and so well versed in woodworking tools - even Festools  [poke]

Peter

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Thanks again for all of those extra Festools you gave me - i won't mention it to anyone else.

Yeah, I noticed how you scurried out the door with a load of something or other under your arm when the phone rang. I may have been distracted, but the Ninja Kitty doesn't miss a thing. When you came back into the shop, the Ninja Kitty paid a little visit to your truck to retrieve the missing systainers. Of course, since he can't read, he just grabbed all of the systainers from your truck.

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After a quick inventory revealed an extra TS75 and Domino, he was pretty proud of his cat burglary escapade, and gave me a high-five for the new acquisitions. This was of course a mistake on my part, and I have some blood to clean up from the shop floor.

 

[Wood_Junkie]

[scared]

That high five photo is hilariously menacing!  One would die with a smile and Ninja talons embedded in your spleen.

 

[Corwin]

... Just be careful. The last person that tried to remove a tool from my workshop is buried in the litter box.

Oh, we were wondering why Laurie hadn't been posting for awhile.  [blink]

 

[TJ Cornish]

Rick - I'm happy to report that my TS-75, Domino, and all of my skin and clothing are intact. Inky must have gotten bored hunting animals and turned to hunting Festools from your neighbors. This shouldn't surprise you as you said yourself that he opened your shop door to lure either an animal or a Festoolian in to play with and/or torture.

I need to stop posting so I can get back to using me recently "acquired" vac clamp...

P.S. You are right about one thing, though - Inky is way more scary than you are.