time to get back into the shop!

[HowardH]

You wouldn't think Dallas would be all that cold in the Winter but this year has been a doozy! It was 70 today so I knocked off a bit early and fired up the a3-31 and started cleaning up some hard maple and mahogony for a cutting board.  It felt great to smell the fresh cut sawdust for a change and see the metamorphosis from rough 8/4 timber to crisply milled and square stock ready for cutting.  We have a relatively small window in Texas between the cold and the seemingly endless days of 102 heat. Those days will be here soon enough so enjoying the brief respite.  SWMBO has given me my marching orders to build a 30' long lattice screen so I'm looking forward to using my Carvex for the first time.   I know you guys in the higher latitudes still have a ways to go but the snow will be gone soon enough.  How bout the rest of you guys?  Got any good projects lined up to share with the group?

 

[TomGadwa1]

I noticed in your signature that you have a Hammer K3 winner. How do you like it? Does it appear to be solidly built like the A3 31? Did you get scoring with it? Do you have the mobility kit installed? I am considering this unit as an addition to my shop. Thanks.

 

[HowardH]

I love it!  Solid as a rock.  I do have the mobility kit.  Helps a lot since it weighs about 700 pounds.  I don't do much sheet goods with it so I didn't get the scoring unit.  I have cut some ply with it and it doesn't seem to need it anyway.  The fence micro adjust is well worth the money.  I also added a Wixey digital fence gauge so I get very repeatable cuts.  It doesn't get talked about that much but being able go slide the fence back and forth is very handy to prevent kick back, especially when ripping thin stock.  I got the 48" table and sometimes I wish I got the 78" but I didn't have the room.  IMO, Felder/Hammer are the Festool of big iron.  I haven't had any problems with the units and it's nice to have that slider to rip shorter pieces.  Much safer than a conventional table saw as your hands are about a foot away from the blade. 

 

[stvrowe]

Hint - adding heat and air to your shop increases woodworking window to 100%. ;D

Took delivery of materials this week for a Greene and Greene style bed and an end table.  The materials are khaya, sapele, maple, and gaboon ebony.

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[HowardH]

Wow!  What a great project!  How long do you think it will take to complete? We moved last fall into a new house and my goal is to have it climate controlled this Spring, budget allowing.  I can't decide whether or not to put in a traditional a/c unit as we have room over the garage for another air handler or a big mini-split. It's a 600 sq ft garage so not sure if the mini-split would be big enough to adequately cool the space.  Gotta insulate the attic above the space and seal the garage doors first tho.  Steve, it looks like you a combo J/P as well.  What is that one? 

 

[stvrowe]

I hope to complete the bed by the end of summer as I am still working on my plans, trying to learn TurboCad, and recently exited retirement by working full time again.  The end table is the priority and will be complete by June since my son and future daughter asked me to make a matching end table (from one I made years ago) as a wedding gift.  It will end up in the Dallas area.

If you look closely, there are two combo J/Ps - a Minimax FS41 Elite S and a Felder AD741 with digi-drive.  It is a long story how I ended up with this arrangement but, I was helping a widow friend sell a lot of woodworking machinery and a number of sales opportunities did not pan out so I purchased it as she was stressing out over liquidating the machinery.  I had intended on deciding which one I like best and sell the other but after over 3 years still can't decide.  If I haven't decided by now, it is not likely to change.