STL186: Machinery Placement Guidelines
Mike, Anissa, and Ben discuss sticky camelia oil, shop layout, broken toys on the workbench, the merits of the Delta Unifence, and their all-time favorite techniquesQuestion 1:
From Harry:
How can I prevent Camellia from becoming all gummy. After letting a plane set for a few weeks that had been wiped down with Camellia Oil it was next to impossible to get the plane apart. I actually caused some minor damage it was stuck so hard.
Rollie’s answer: On tools if you have areas that the oil is applied to that don’t see use it can build a bit, but not much and over a long period of time. A quick wipe with a bit of naphtha or acetone will clean it off. Those solvents are essential because they are fully volatile and won’t leave any oily residue, which mineral spirits will do.
Question 2:
From Mike:
In in a couple months I will be building a house and I will be putting my shop in the basement. Currently I have a small shop, but in my new shop it will be large (about 25×35). Since I have this rare opportunity, I want to put power in the floor and dust collection the floor. Therefore, I have to decide where to put my tools and I will not be able to move them. Are there general guidelines on placement of tools? How far should a table saw be away from a wall? What about a bandsaw, how far from a wall or in the sides? Same question for a router table, jointer and thickness planer.
- Grizzly’s online shop-layout planner
- A Layout Kit for Small Shops by John Yurko #174–Tools & Shops 2004 Issue
Segment: All-Time Favorite Technique
Mike: Using a bendy stick to hold in moldings as you glue them
Anissa: A Box Worth Repeating by Laura Mays #240–May/June 2014 Issue
Ben: Using blue tape and CA glue as a stand-in for double-sided tape
Mike’s double-down technique: Using a bendy ruler clamped in a pipe clamp as a curve bow
Question 3:
From Chris:
Do those of you with kids suffer like I do from a never ending queue of fix it items that are piled on the workbench and take precedence over projects? It’s fun to hack together solutions for beloved toys, and see the delight on their faces when it works, but it sucks up most of my limited shop time. Any tips on quick fixes, or do I just need to wait this period out until they are teenagers?
Question 4:
From Jim:
I recently upgraded table saws with a killer deal on a used Delta Unisaw with a Unifence. I’m used to a Biesemeyer fence, and have a number of jigs utilizing the parallel faces of the fence, such as an L fence. I do not think I can use these jigs on the Unifence because it lacks the parallel faces necessary to track or clamp the jigs. Any ideas for Unifence modification or other tricks to increase the utility of the Unifence?
Recommendations:
Ben – StewMac’s YouTube Channel
Anissa – Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Mike – Lee Valley – Lee Valley Toggle Clamp Plate
Every two weeks, a team of Fine Woodworking staffers answers questions from readers on Shop Talk Live, Fine Woodworking‘s biweekly podcast. Send your woodworking questions to [email protected] for consideration in the regular broadcast! Our continued existence relies upon listener support. So if you enjoy the show, be sure to leave us a five-star rating and maybe even a nice comment on our iTunes page.
Comments
The blue tape and super glue idea was on Crimson Guitars Youtube channel four years ago not StewMac. Great tip and it works very well so long as you can accurately line up the tape. It sounds silly but if you are using the tape to hold down a template to route to the tape only covers a very small portion of the template. So you need to align carefully or risk supergluing the template to your work.
Mike's 25x35 machine placement and utilities question: I have a 24X24 shop with electrical and dust collection in the floor. The entire area is clear span with no troublesome lolly columns. By all means insist on this, Mike, it is worth a bit of structural engineering effort.
My Unisaw is at an angle [get over it boys and Anissa, any modern machine shop will have mills and lathes positioned at an angle] to maximize infeed and outfeed space. The only time I need clearance is milling occasional millwork for a building project. The duct and electrical outlets are 7-1/2 and 9-1/2 from adjacent walls. My jointer snuggles under the Unsaw extension and share the floor port. I buried the 4" PVC underfloor duct in a trench below the slab. No floor to ceiling height was compromised. Transition fittings from PVC to metal and flexible ducts is commonly available. Note: NFPA 664 Safety Standard...Woodworking Facilities, in chapter 8.2.2.3.1.2 states "...PVC pipes shall not be permitted." However, The requirement of Chapters 4-9 do not apply to shops smaller than 5000 sq-ft.
Now retired. Sorry, but I have a ShopSmith with most of the doo-dads - on wheels. Not much built in except some cabinets on one wall. Sheetgoods? Am making the investment in a TrackSaw - had enough of Skillsaw/circular saw and a straight edge - and do that cutting outside the shop. Building the Shop: it's about 11 X 13, in a quonset hut that existed when bought the place, the cement was polished to a fair-the-well, so sweeps like a dream. The rest of the quonset, to the sliding doors that open the entire end-wall, is about 20-21 feet long, so can get the pickup in for minor work or heavy delivery. The shop has two doors in a double-door arrangement, dead center in the dividing wall, opening out. I had to insulate the cement floor in the shop - 2x4 treated sleepers, rigid 1.5" sheet foam in between, 1/2" ply on top. Might put cheap vinyl sheet-good down. So don't have quite 8' ceiling. (I'll survive.) ShopSmith dust collector (on wheels).) Hey, you make do; best shop I ever had. Live long enough, might build in a dust collector in lean-to outside. Tool cabinet? Black&Decker mechanic's tool chest on wheels, and a custom receptionist desk w/drawers (for free from non-profit upgrading, & it's heavy as sin.)
Oh yeah. Shop heavily insulated. This is South Central Alaska (80 air miles south of Anchorage) and i can't afford to waste heating oil in that Toyo Stove. Giant woodstove melts the room, so it makes a great table-top workspace, but can heat the "garage space" with fans.
After track-saw? Bench-top planer.
I'll try Sketch-Up for machinery arrangement - thanks for tip!
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