What - non Festool - tool / workshop related gizmo/stuff did you buy today?

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Mini Me said:
ChuckS said:
Packard said:
Snip. Repeatability is the goal.  Snip.

Agreed. That's why a measuring tape from a dollar store is just as accurate as any one of those pricey or fancy tapes as long as all measurements and cuts are based on that same dollar tape.

But then we use machines that have measuring fences which have not been calibrated to the tape or all the other machine fences in the work shop.

They are where I work. There is a calibrated straight edge that is the "standard'' which everything is set to. It just simplifies everything.
 
Mini Me said:
Snip.
But then we use machines that have measuring fences which have not been calibrated to the tape or all the other machine fences in the work shop.

In my shop, I use the tape that I just took a measurement from a project to set the machine (table saw, router table or miter saw). I ignore the scale on the table saw. The only time I use the scale on the table saw is when I start the stock prep. That's, I use that scale to cut every sheet or piece using the cut list prepared beforehand. I don't think that the imperial or metric scale on the table saw (SawStop) matches the scale of any of the tapes (Fastcap, Craftsman, Stanley and Lee Valley Tools) I have around.
 
I just had to cut a piece of stock to match another in length.  I took the piece to cut and laid it atop the reference piece, and then marked the piece to cut with a sharp pencil.

When I need a closer fit, I will mark it with a marking knife.

I added a piece of stock to my miter gage and then ran the gage through to trim that piece to the exact cut line for that blade.

With the mark I made on the piece to be cut aligned with the edge of the miter gage,I made a cut.  The part fit precisely and no measuring tools were used.
 
Packard said:
A. Woodpeckers manufactured the gage blocks from aluminum because they manufacture everything from aluminum whether it is the material of choice or not.

1.  Aluminum has twice the thermal expansion rates as compared to steel.

2.  Aluminum is soft.  Adding hard anodizing will help, but steel that has not been heat treated has a surface hardness 8 times what aluminum does.  So aluminum dents and scratches more easily.  Hardening steel will increase that gap substantially.

Note:  Decorative anodizing will add nothing to the surface hardness (no measurable difference), but “hard anodizing” will.  Hard anodizing will bring the surface hardness to the equivalent of case hardened steel, but not to conventionally heat treated steel.

3.  You can surface grind steel to +/- 0.0001”. (One tenth of a thousandth) with commercially available grinding machines.  You cannot grind aluminum and milling cannot achieve that tolerance.

So, in my opinion, hardened steel gage blocks are a better choice for metal working, where tolerances are tighter and the risk of denting or scratching is greater.  Aluminum is OK for wood working.

A. That's not necessarily a bad thing...and in this case aluminum is the material of choice. If it wasn't, they would have chosen another material. Woodpeckers produces products manufactured from aluminum, stainless, phenolic, Delrin, nylon, cold rolled  and tool steel, If there was a better alternative I'm sure they would have chosen that alternative material.

1. Thermal expansion can be an issue, however if it's left in an environment to fully stabilize then it's no longer an issue. Besides, gage blocks are typically kept within the area that they will be used in. It's the raw materials that are sometimes kept in a colder/hotter holding area. So those materials then become the problem because you're waiting for those materials to heat stabilize...not the gage blocks.

2. Aluminum is soft but when working around sharp carbide tools it's a lot better than steel which can chip the carbide if adequate care is not taken.

3. You can surface grind aluminum to +/- 0.0002”. (Two tenth's of a thousandth) with commercially available grinding machines.

So, in my opinion, hardened steel gage blocks AND aluminum gage blocks are both good choices for metal & wood working, it just depends upon your needs at the time.

I also have a set of Starrett hardened steel gage blocks that I use for caliper & micrometer calibration. Incredibly nice stuff...incredibly expensive stuff. Nine very small gage blocks that cost $420 and they need to be carefully wiped down every 6 months to prevent rust from forming on the surface. They can be wrung together which aluminum blocks will never be able to do but then again Starrett claims the flatness accuracy of their Grade A1 steel gage blocks is in the neighborhood of .000004".  [cool]

I own both because I need both.

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Crazyraceguy said:
Mini Me said:
ChuckS said:
Packard said:
Snip. Repeatability is the goal.  Snip.

Agreed. That's why a measuring tape from a dollar store is just as accurate as any one of those pricey or fancy tapes as long as all measurements and cuts are based on that same dollar tape.

But then we use machines that have measuring fences which have not been calibrated to the tape or all the other machine fences in the work shop.

They are where I work. There is a calibrated straight edge that is the "standard'' which everything is set to. It just simplifies everything.

But I bet that 99% of this forum have not calibrated fences to each other and the tapes they use.
 
Cheese said:
I called Woodpeckers and asked if they would sell me multiples of the thinner gauge blocks, they agreed to. I added these to my collection. I now have 3 each of the 1/8", 3/32", 1/16", 1/32", 4 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm & .5 mm gauge blocks.

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[member=44099]Cheese[/member] - how much were these extra gauge blocks?
 
dicktill said:
[member=44099]Cheese[/member] - how much were these extra gauge blocks?

$8.99 each...not cheap but also not that expensive either considering they're guaranteed to be within .001".  The first person I talked to suggested I just order a couple of extra filler sets.  [eek]  I then mentioned that I had absolutely no use for the other 5 or 6 gage blocks in each filler set.

Ask for Eric Whitsel, I've already put him through the wringer and he's up to speed.  [big grin]
 
Finally got Dust collector. This is addition to CT15 and MIDI.  I was debating between this and CT26 but figured I really need something larger/stronger cfm for jointer, planer, table saw, and drill press.  Just assembled it and used for my drill press. So far very pleased :) I also added remote on/off switch which is somewhat similar(?) to Festool BT remote.  Any advise to add any additional accessories or directions will be appreciated! :)
 

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Get the dimensions for the plastic bag.  You will find 6 mil thick pclear plastic bags from Uline and others for less than Jet charges.

For example, 36” x 48” x 6 mil, 50 bags per carton @91.00 per carton.

The 50 bags will last several lifetimes, so post the size here and maybe someone will buy the overage.  That’s about $2.00 each.  So 10 bags = $20.00 + postage.  If your bags are an appropriate size, I’d be interested in 10.  My Grizzly bag is showing it’s age (you can empty it several times befor you have to replace it.

I have a long hose and I bring it to the other stations.  It had less pressure but far mor volume than a vacuum, and is more effective for dust collection.

 
ChuckS said:
You're right, JINRO. The CT26 is not good enough for those machines.

I use my DC with an auto switch for my SawStop -https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...013-ivac-automatic-vacuum-switch?item=03J6210

So there is no need to turn on the DC separately. When the SawStop is turned on, the DC and the shop vac (for the overarm dust collection) also come onboard, with three tools working at the same time.

Awesome! This switch seems to be much reasonable for my need.  This will save me extra step to turn on the DC whenever it's in use. Thanks!!!
 
Packard said:
Get the dimensions for the plastic bag.  You will find 6 mil thick pclear plastic bags from Uline and others for less than Jet charges.

Perfect! I'll look into buying them separately! I'm also thinking about adding ~55gal can. But we will see :P
 
I bought one of those switches, but I forgot that I had my electrician change my table saw over to 220 volts, so I was not able to use it as my dust collector is 120 volts.
 
The iVac switch is the only auto-switch I could find that provides two 15A power sources simultaneously, not one 15A source for two outlets. I have three iVacs in my shop, one for the table saw, one for the Kapex, and one for the drill press/sanding station. I really enjoy the convenience (and protection in terms of instant dust collection and lighting) the switches offer.
 
Packard said:
I bought one of those switches, but I forgot that I had my electrician change my table saw over to 220 volts, so I was not able to use it as my dust collector is 120 volts.

Not sure if this will allow you to turn on the dust collector with the table saw automatically:
https://www.ivacswitch.com/ivac-pro-auto-sensor/

The iVAC site is full of products and solutions. but the info. and multiple links included make it hard to digest for a layman like me. If they can use more diagrams or illustrations to present their products and uses, I'm sure I'll benefit from more of their offers. For now, I can only use their switch boxes.

I also came across on Amazon (but not on the iVAC site) this relevant info. about the iVAC switch boxes:

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Edit - Just found this more useful explanation about their various products (start from 2:10):


 

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I have been looking at this great dowel maker for some time now. Today they had a nice 10% discount on everything at Fine Tools (Dieter Schmidt), which was the perfect excuse for me to finally give in and buy it.  [embarassed]

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This system is flexible with adapters from 6 up to 26 mm and a cutting iron that can be sharpened or even replaced. I have seen it at a friends and it produces really nice dowels. Now I just have to think of a project to use it on...  [tongue]
 

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Packard said:
I bought one of those switches, but I forgot that I had my electrician change my table saw over to 220 volts, so I was not able to use it as my dust collector is 120 volts.

I'm pretty sure that they have one that can be triggered by 220 volts and only out-put 110 volts to your collector, if that is what it requires. We had one in the old shop, before the big central collector system was installed. The Powermatic 66 turned on the Jet collector.

ChuckS said:
The iVac switch is the only auto-switch I could find that provides two 15A power sources simultaneously, not one 15A source for two outlets. I have three iVacs in my shop, one for the table saw, one for the Kapex, and one for the drill press/sanding station. I really enjoy the convenience (and protection in terms of instant dust collection and lighting) the switches offer.
That's the one I had at my bench to run a cheap shop-vac from my first Domino. It worked flawlessly for several years, until the fire killed it. I bought a CT26 as a replacement, mostly because it was more portable. My I-vac was attached to the apron of my bench, which was a bit limiting.
 
Re: Crazy

I'm pretty sure that they have one that can be triggered by 220 volts and only out-put 110 volts to your collector, if that is what it requires. We had one in the old shop, before the big central collector system was installed. The Powermatic 66 turned on the Jet collector.

I will do a Google search for this.  Thanks.

Packard
 
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