Why oh why are all shop equipment fitted with a differant height table?
It would be so nice to roll the saw shaper up to the cabinet saw and use the table on the shaper as an outfeed table.. take another piece and use it as the infeed table
For example the tablesaw is at 35 inches, the jointer at 32 1/2 inches, the sliding compound mitre saw is at 36 1/2 inches the shaper is at 34 1/2 inches, and bandsaw at 44 inches..
All but the SCMS are Grizzly on rollers by Grizzly.
OK If you say that the bandsaw needs to be up higher because of your eyesight or the nature of the work fine! but as for the rest of them why an inch here a couple inches there etc. approach
What I do now is place infeed and out feed rollers on a pair of saw horses and then shim to what ever table height I’m working with..
Why not have planners with a fixed table and the cutter head above moveable? why should the table move up and down?
I’ll grant you that I often use extremely long pieces of wood but I like infeed and outfeed when I work with 8 footers too, don’t you? Or don’t any of you use pieces that long ever?
Replies
frenchy,
I completely agree. All machines should be at a standard height.
Regarding bandsaws, it's interesting that the larger the machine, the lower the table!
Rich
Rich,
AW that's not fair! <G>
How can you rant when nobody takes up the challenge?
Sorry,
OK then. I think you're full of cr*p. Every machine should have its own unique height.
That should get the ball rolling!
No need to thank me!
Rich
Yeah! Freedom of choice and individuality are just stupid!
ajoe,
OK freedom of choice, but why have differant heights.. Let Delta build their to say 36 inches Grizzly could build theirs to 35 inches, etc.. I mean if you look at my examples there is relatively little differance between them but it's there and significant.. just enough to prevent them from being used as a complete set.
I hear what you're saying, but I just don't think you can have conformity AND freethinking inventiveness at the same time.
Rich...and Frenchy can read over your shoulder, if he is tall enough
Since Frenchy won't thank you, because you asked him not to, I will ; Thanks for telling him he is full of cr*p; just to get the ball rolling.
I never noticed your observation about machine table height and bandsaws (interesting), but it is true that different machines have different table heights. I attribute it to the ergonomics of working on that particular machine.
As it is, tall people prefer machines that have the work surface higher (to reduce back aches) than shorter people, who need it lower to be able to work safely and accurately.
My advice to Frenchy is to spend a little time modifying all his machine stands so that he has the uniform height he is looking for...but then he will not have anything to rant about. Maybe I should say, then he can find something else to rant about. :-) JL
Jeanlou,
I tried that!
I put two and a half inch riser blocks under the jointer to match the table saw height and then promptly shoved it off the moble base.. It seems that you need to keep things down in the base or they can be shoved off.
But according to your observation about tall people and short people I should be able to order a machine according to my height. (I'm average) and all machines should be at that height..
Unless you mean that shapers should be operated by people so and so tall and table saws need a taller operator to use.. Which machine are you tall enough to operate?
Frenchy
In the shop where I learned my trade the master measured 6'-9" tall. The shaper specialist measured about 5' - 6". Both of them had difficulty working the machine comfortably, but both were master tradesmen and turned out beautiful work.
Fixed machinery in a shop is easy to adjust up but not so easy to cut down, if that is what you want to do.
I wonder if companies would even consider customizing their machinery...I am not sure.
Your main beef is with your infeed and outfeed additional support, if I am not mistaken. The roller systems I have seen on the market are adjustable. When we do shop production runs we always install our supplementary supports to suit the job, and then dismantle when we are done. If this is what you are trying to avoid, then you are looking for bread buttered on both sides and cake that you can keep and even eat, because, like you say, the machines are all different heights.
I am at a loss, so I offer you a cup of Fench roast coffee instead. JL
Jeanlou,
My shop is over 30x50 but it also has well over 5000 bd.ft., 7 cars, plus all sorts of stuff in it right now.To change my mind I have to go outside. <G>
I pull two cars out and have a decent sized work area but I need to have everything on moble bases.. sure would be handy to use one piece as an infeed and another as an outfeed instead of having to set up rollers all the time. (AND SHIM TO THE DIFFERANT HEIGHTS REQUIRED)
I hate those cheesy infeed and outfeed rollers I see in most shops.. They are too light for heavy duty applicationsand either tip over or collaspe. Besides you need to constantly adjust them for height depending on which machine you are using.. Ignoring my bandsaw all the other equipment is within 4 inches of height from the tallest (SCMS) to the shortest (jointer) Most are right around 35 inches.
What brand of mobile base do you use to move your cars around?
AlanWS
Couple of floor jacks
OK..OK.. I thought everyone knew this. I'll explain for those that don't know.
The tall tools are for big projects, and the short tools are for smaller projects.
There you have it.
P.S. Please don't ask me about the different size planes.
GRW
SO I'm not supposed to build my house with these tools? Or am I using the right size tools and everybody else should be making much, much bigger jewelry boxes?
GRW
Using your logic, short planes are for those little jobs that take less than 2 hours to complete and the longer the plane, the more time the job will take to complete. JL
I thought the size of your plane corresponded to ... oh never mind.
...you are thinking about the shoe size...of the plane of course. JL
FWW had a good article a while back on setting up shop ergonomically where it discussed working heights. I found it very intriguing although I haven't made my shop setup good enough to have employed it! It would serve to explain the comment that the bigger the bandsaw the lower the table - lower work is less detailed and more forceful. Shoving huge boards for resawing through a 20" bandsaw is less finesse and more force than scrolling a detail on a 1/8" blade on a 14" bandsaw.
Not to say that making a lot of uniform heights wouldn't be very helpful, but that article might give some additional insight into dividing your shop into more working heights, and why it might be beneficial. Like I said, I keep intending to read it really closely when I get that 'perfect' setup going . . .
Is it possible that manufacturers do that just eliminate interchangeability of parts, accessories, etc?I know...way to cynical.
Where I work, we don't need no steeenkin shimsto adjust work tables. We use IRON. Yes, Ironing boards easily adjust to fit the height of whatever machine I'm working on. Best of all, they grow by the roadside every Tuesday and Thursday. You usually don't need a permit to harvest these weeds, just a pickup truck and a some fast footwork. They fold flat and 3 or 4 store in almost no space at all.
running, grinning and ducking.... SawdustSteve
I like your ironing board idea. Do you know if LN makes them?
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