JTTHECLOCKMAN

I totally agree what Bill has said.

Interesting. I never kept tract of how many crosses I cut over the years but bet I am close. But then again I never kept tract of any project I have made. Nice work on both but like the second the best.

May I ask why you want to use a gel stain? To me an oil stain is the way to go and just dip in a container and then pour rest back into the container. My opinion only. I think I used a gel stain once in my life time on some pine furniture I was restoring.

Now you know why the cost of homes has gotten rediculous. Everything that goes into building a home let alone furnishing it has gone up. No end in sight. Supply and demand. This goes for shipping things as well. If you get free shipping with an order you think you won the lottery.

Yes finishing products are expensive but still cheapest part of what we do. When you buy finishing products it is for multiple projects. Materials such as wood is costly unless you have a source. You buy wood for 1 particular job at a time.

It is plywood. You are contending with multiple layers of wood that when are glued together are rotated 90 degrees from each other so the grain pattern makes it tough. Plus cutting into adhesives is not easy on the blades. Stacking 1/4" just adds to it. Just the nature of the beast. remember BB plywood has even more layers than regular plywood for stability.

Carbide is your best bet. Always carbide for longer lasting drilling in anything. Lennox is a good brand.

In that link I think there were some misinformation. There has not been any major problems with that saw. Not sure what Kevin and where he was reading that. Also the 788 is still made in Tawain not China. Now many people associate China with Tawain so maybe that is how that started. The 788 saw is still a proven good saw and mid price range. I have no problem recommending that saw. As far as the rocking of the table, I could not find the fix that was always recommended for the 788 saw but am sure it is out there. Something to do with adding a washer or something like that. Memory is not what it use to be.

Going to go way out on a limb here and say you are talking about this scrollsaw. When you said table top I had no idea what it is you want. Can you be more specific please. Those type saws are known for table top wobble in many brands including the Dewalt 788. Can you take a few photos and show us what you are trying to do. This can help others with a solution. https://wenproducts.com/products/wen-ll2156-21-inch-1-6-amp-variable-speed-parallel-arm-scroll-saw-with-extra-large-dual-bevel-steel-table

gets some glue in there and use slurry of sanding dust.

It is like any vendor you buy from they usually start offering discounts. I get this alot from pen turning sites such as Penn State Industries, Woodcraft, Turners Warehouse, Crafts Supply USA and so many more.

https://www.uline.com/BL_3853/Industrial-Packing-Tables https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/60-w-x-30-d-maple-butcher-block-square-edge-workbench-adjustable-height-black?msclkid=1e3d4515a5cb15899e7722bacb3fdd44&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=[ADL] [PLA] [tROAS] (Workbenches %26 Shop Desks - Workbenches) - {Boost}&utm_term=4583108132736650&utm_content=(Workbenches %26 Shop Desks - Workbenches)&adlclid=1e3d4515a5cb15899e7722bacb3fdd44 Take a look in Costco, Walmart, as mentioned Ikea, Home Depot in dent and scratch section, desks, adjustable work stations and so forth. Your favorite store Harbor Freight.

Either Laser people are dumb or lazy from what I am reading out of this. They can not be cheap if they are spending big money on a tool. Buy once and set for life. As I said a workbench can be custom made to any dimensions and any needs. Takes a little know how yes but there are a ton of videos on just about anything you want on the net today. The expense depends how much you want to put into it. There is no set price. Yes there are tables specifically made for lasers out there. This is not a new concept but again what are you looking for and what do you want to spend. Then there are tables of all kinds. Knock downs, workbenches, adjustable workbenches, coffee tables that can be repurposed, Tool boxes that are rollers so they can be moved around or not, do you want with drawers or shelves, Want a larger section of the table, add a piece of plywood to match the laser dimensions. Home Depot will cut to any size you want. No tools needed. Lay on top of table top. here is an example of a guy who like the Huskey tables and the adjustability and wheels for his big laser. An old desk or one in a store that has nicks and things to it could work. If you want to build here is a guy who builds them cheap and easy. Not rocket science here. Can build from down and dirty to extreme work of art. I saw one on FB yesterday. I wish I had saved the link. All parts in the kit. Varible height adjustment. Came with the top and all. Screw driver and pair of pliers and if you can read instructions. If i see it again I will link it. https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=laser+work+benches&refig=16c274c285c84ee5914bf99bb4452b71&pc=HCTS&pqlth=0&assgl=18&sgcn=laser+work+benches&qs=HS&smvpcn=0&swbcn=10&sctcn=0&sc=10-0&sp=1&ghc=0&cvid=16c274c285c84ee5914bf99bb4452b71&clckatsg=1&hsmssg=0&FPIG=0AB33D9D3C0F479790C0EA766185E7C3&first=4&ajaxnorecss=1&sid=20B3F0D837B2624722CEE54A361A63BA&jsoncbid=0&ajaxsydconv=1&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dlaser%2bwork%2bbenches%26refig%3d16c274c285c84ee5914bf99bb4452b71%26pc%3dHCTS%26pqlth%3d0%26assgl%3d18%26sgcn%3dlaser%2bwork%2bbenches%26qs%3dHS%26smvpcn%3d0%26swbcn%3d10%26sctcn%3d0%26sc%3d10-0%26sp%3d1%26ghc%3d0%26cvid%3d16c274c285c84ee5914bf99bb4452b71%26clckatsg%3d1%26hsmssg%3d0%26FPIG%3d0AB33D9D3C0F479790C0EA766185E7C3%26first%3d4%26FORM%3dPORE%26ajaxnorecss%3d1%26sid%3d20B3F0D837B2624722CEE54A361A63BA%26format%3dsnrjson%26jsoncbid%3d0%26ajaxsydconv%3d1&mmscn=vwrc&mid=B4B89AF3E0B29CD0A976B4B89AF3E0B29CD0A976&FORM=WRVORC&ntb=1&msockid=73b38f27ea2611efb1f75d926c020f22 https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=laser+work+benches&mid=DB84C91FCC0461CB3462DB84C91FCC0461CB3462&FORM=VIRE

There are entire kits out there that have all the parts you need if that is the way you want to go.

It is not a VS that I see. Not sure if they ever made a belt and pulley system. There are parts laying on the shelf. I do not see the wedge. There is no up front blade tension system. I would pass on this and keep looking. Unless you want a challenge but would not offer $300. Not sure what motor is on that one either.

Yea I mentioned this in another thread where some one was looking for a bloodwood substitute and Padauk was mentioned. That dust is nasty stuff. Some woods are just that way.

I posted it on my pen turning forum and the answers to some questions were. The product he is using to melt it is Xylene . Suppose to be safer than acetone. yes it can be used as an adhesive. No one on pen turning site is interested in try as a finish. I know at one time with the pen world we are always looking for that perfect hard shell finish that stands up to abuse and wear and tear and that is why CA has become the finish most use. But at one time the melting of plexiglass in acetone used as a finish was big too. The biggest problem is the use of acetone can be hazardous and the off gas is not good to breathe. Do not know what the off gas is with this stuff. He was not wearing any respirator but how smart is he.

Interesting. Never seen anything like this. Brings out questions. First is what is he melting it with? I assume acetone. Next is what is the odor and gas smell and air quality like? next how durable is this? is it a hard shell finish or like a rub on wax? next can it be polished to a high sheen finish? Finally I am thinking of a use in the pen turning world. We use CA as a finish most times on wood pen blanks. Could this work on that? Has anyone else seen this or if there is a chemist amongst us could you explain what we are looking at in better detail That guy was a little hard to follow being it was being translated. Going to have to do some investigating on this.

Some people go all out when they build these. Full of detail. They display them on wood tracks too with little scenes. I want to get into that before I pass on.

It will turn brown. A finish will slow it down some.

I may have mentioned this some time ago but at some time I am going to get into makeing very detailed wood model trains. I have seen these on other woodworking sites and one in particular where I was storing photos and info and threads and conversations from members. They since updated their web site and that portion of storing things never made it over. I hate when owners do that stuff. At least give a warning so I could have downloaded to a drive. Sort of pee me off. Anyway I am in the process of restoring some info and photos. I am not talking about toy trains. That is for kids. These are life like and many parts are turned on a lathe and other woodworking tools. Always fascinated by them. If anyone has done any I would appreciate a few photos. I picked up some plans years ago as I was collecting info and have to find them again. This will probably happen next winter. This winter I am working on a few other cool ideas I always wanted to try. I use winters as my play time because I have house work that I need to complete this summer hopefully. Here is an example. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/731342426966824631/ One other thing and all ties into the train theme. I have bought years ago a pattern by Dirk Boelman of a train clock with working lights and sounds. Somewhere I have this pattern so that is another project I want to incorporate with the wood trains collection. Has anyone made this pattern clock and if so do you have photos and any thoughts to share. I am bookmarking this thread for all this. Thanks in advance. https://theartfactory.com/product/train-depot-clock/

A workbench has to be one of the easiest things in the shop to build. Yes you can get fancy and start with drop down leafs and drawers and things like that but it basically a couple boxes and 4 legs and a top. Now the frame can be supported with cross members depending how much weight and how large you build it. When I made my main work bench I was able to get a couple old office oak doors from a job i was on and that made the top easy but man is that freakin heavy. They are filled with some kind of sheetrock or something but again so easy to do.

Well what size bench are you looking for. You know you are going to spend good money on it. Look at HF and see what they have and adapt something. Cheapest place.

If you find a bench then just add a 3/4" piece of plywood any size you want. Make it so you can store tools and things on it. The 24" should not deter you. The height maybe. What height would you like? Maybe find a bench and cut the legs down. Or it is so easy to build a basic bench. I made one just to hold my TV last year while I work on my rooms. I will replace with cabinet at later date when done. Had some 3/4" plywood laying around and bought a couple 2X4's. Very easy. Not even a day to build. Come on you do not plans to build a bench. Frame with 4 legs and put a top and shelf to stabilize the lower half.

I can not say if that is a good idea or not. I am one of those that never touch that cam lever once I had it set. Never seen a need to. My tension is set up front with the blade lever. Now if I use thin blades I adjust the position in the clamps just a tad. That is all it takes to release some tension. Been doing that ever since I owned the saws. Works for me. Good luck with your idea. Hope it does what you are looking for.