kmmcrafts

If I remember correctly Fein only has one speed? or was it two speed.. the Festool does have two speeds or variable? I do not remember now but last year when i was doing the research on the two.. that was another deciding factor... I have really bad allergies.. not so much to wood dust.. but the wood dust is an irritant to my existing allergies.. so the Hepa would be a plus for me.. even though I'm quite certain I'll still be wearing my mask anyway.. LOL..

Yeah there are many colors in the auto paints that cost $300 for a pint.. and that pint only covers 1-3 panels.. so like a fender and two doors.. That was prices from when I was doing the work 25 years ago, LOL.. Thats not including activators reducers etc.. that's just the can of paint.. and you cannot use it without the activators etc.. So with that said.. you sure don't want to screw it up with cheap sandpaper and end up having to redo the work and buy the supplies again.. In these cases.. it's best to use the best IMO.. My older brother restored a 1971 Nova SS and did top of the line stuff to the whole car but cheaped out on the paint itself.. I tried to tell him he shouldn't use the paint.. He bought a gallon of burgundy for like $75.. normally that'd have cost me about $300 ish.. 2-3 months after painting the car faded to kinda a dark pink looking color.. He had to strip the whole car and start completely over.. Doing a whole car paint job is quite a big job..

The Festool dust exstractor is one of the next tools i intend to buy.. as you said Quality, quiet, and Hepa rated.. I really looked hard at the Fien.. was set to buy because it is quite a lot cheaper.. BUT.. The reviews I read and seen on the NEW models isn't very good at all.. watched a youtube video too and the guy pointed out several cost cutting things they did between the old one he was replacing it with and the new one.. Made my mind up to wait for a Festool.. Yes expensive.. but also quality is there on that brand still.. And the price point isn't that big a difference if you get all the gadgets needed to make it a Hepa vac.. still not "certified" Hepa..If I were just a hobbyist I'd probably go with the Fien..

Most all the info in that video.. I knew and studied at the career center when i studied auto collision repair.. The sanding pad / block is something very important.. I don't find wood nearly as critical or fussy as the autobody world of things.. For instance, I'd never use my $800 spray gun equipment for oil based.. or any based wood finishes for that matter.. With all that said.. I also wouldn't use ANY sanding papers from any store for autobody work.. the oils in your skin by just touching sanding papers can ruin a finish you apply on a car.. so I only buy sealed in a box sanding paper from the actual autobody supply shop.. Not trying to dis- woodwork here in saying this.. but.. I see no reason to spend $100 per box of each grade of sanding paper for my wood projects.. at least fretwork stuff.. maybe actual furniture and pieces made of large surfaced wood.. IF I was getting that technical about wood.. then I would need to sand the inside cuts super smooth so they took the finish the same as the face of the piece too.. So yeah I'm talking fretwork.. not a table or cabinet.. On something like this.. I would use the higher end sanding papers.. still would use a cheaper spray gun.. because any trace of a oil or whatever that gets into my spray gun will absolutely ruin a paint job on a car.. But then.. the average paint job on a table doesn't cost $4000 either.. You mess up a paint job on a car and your out some big money.. and a lot of reworking to get it right.. With all that said.. and the experiences I have with sanding paper.. The sandpaper that HF sells is just as good quality as the Norton brand I buy.. I just so happen to buy Norton brand because it works out cheaper when buying in quantity.. You can say what you want about HF sandpaper... I'll still tell you it's decent sandpaper.. At least the stuff I've used from them... Yes it's not the same stuff as the stuff I get at the Body Shop supply store or the Festool brand stuff.. But as I've said.. I'm not making furniture I'm doing fretwork... So maybe rather than saying what sand paper is good is better to say what sandpaper is good for a particular project.. as the video stated.. some sandpapers are better for certain projects than others.. just as with saw blades..

This seems to be what summertime is about here in Michigan.. I almost hate to leave the house in the summer... ... Funny too because everyone complains about the roads.. then they also complain about the traffic back-ups due to the road work..

You said Norton.. that rung a bell so i looked up what papers I use on Menards site.. that's the stuff I buy.. But I don't see the bulk / box packs like I buy.. Being in the autobody work for a few years.. you sure learn quick what is good sandpaper and what isn't.. we elusively used 3M back in the day.. I know they have some new stuff out there these days... but I've always went to the 3M because that was what I know.. when working on cars... bit pricey for me with the woodwork stuff when the Norton brand works wonders for me and it's cheaper.. Have to watch the 3M stuff though.. they do or did sell a low end paper too so don't be fooled with that stuff.. For some reason... The duragold stuff rings a bell.. maybe what HF sells? I know the stuff they sell is about as good as the Norton that I use.. I know because I was using it up until about two years ago.. Just because it's sold at HF doesn't make it junk or cheap.. Buying bulk boxed Norton is cheaper per sheet than HF stuff is the only reason I changed.. https://www.menards.com/main/paint/sandpaper-abrasives/power-tool-sandpaper-abrasives/norton-reg-5-8-hole-hook-sand-trade-sanding-disc-6-pack/50177-038/p-1444423450444-c-14240.htm?tid=4724280280341260904&ipos=11

I wasn't knocking HF at all.. I have a ton of tools from them that has served me real well.. I've used their sandpaper and I found it to be the best paper I can get locally short of the Auto Body supply shop.. But.. you pay a VERY premium price for that stuff too.. I'm currently using a brand I picked up a whole big box of from Menards.. actually I bought every brand Menards sold to give them a try.. None of them are as good as the stuff I used in the past from HF... But.. buying those my the box (50 I think in a box ) it works out cheaper than HF packages.. so i been using this stuff for about 2 years now.. While talking about sand paper.. I was at my local lumber supplier and noticed they carry Freud brand sandpaper that is what I though reasonable priced.. IF you buy the large boxes.. Not sure if anyone has tried them but.. I might give them a try when i run out of paper.. Can't remember the brand I get from Menards that I like.. it's blue color papers and in a white / blue box.. seems to be good stuff.. the Master Force brand is the worst I've used yet..

I've used the HF paper ( actually pretty good paper for the money ) on my Bosh and also other brands of papers from Lowes and Menards etc.. they all seem to be the same standard paper.. I'm doubting they would change it... unless maybe the high end sanders might to keep business with them exclusively...

Seems like it still shoots out a fair amount of dust... I shows to compare to Bosh that I have.. Not knocking it for the price.. and I printed off the coupon... If I get anywhere close to HF I'll grab one up and share my thoughts..

Those turned out great.. I think I've seen that design before.. I've monkeyed around with blades like that many times.. mostly just to remind myself that Pegas blades are still better, LOL.. Nice thing about a Hawk and having a boat load of clamps.. I keep several blades clamped up all the time.. when something seems like it's really hard.. I will switch through the blades to see of another works better.. I stamped the bottom of the holder with the number size blade in that clamp..and can tell what blade it is by looking at the teeth..

Yeah the one you posted with that stain really looks nice.. I was thinking of looking for that one..

Didn't want to bore everyone with just the desk clocks all the time so I changed it up a bit and made a few wall hang clocks.. These are actually pretty quick to cut.. Stack cut 4 of each one..

Well here is a couple pictures I just did real quick.. About nearly 100 F up in my loft where i do my pictures .. LOL.. I took more pictures of other project clocks that I'll be posting in a few in the Bragging section.. Anyway.. the Eagle clock backer is made from Walnut plywood.. the Bear clock backer is just BB ply with the walnut stain I mentioned using in my earlier post.. I kinda like the look of either one.. I only did one coat of stain and maybe will try two next time.. even though I think just the one coat looks pretty good myself..not sure how much darker the two coats would be.. I showed an actual Walnut backer side by side with a stained one on the same cutting to my family and they said they'd have never really known if I hadn't told them.. Being I work with wood I surely can tell but I wouldn't say its horrible.. Especially when you figure a sheet of the Walnut ply is just shy of $80 a 4 x 8 sheet.. and the BB ply is $12..

I worked for a body shop part time for several years ( best friend owns it ) and they was moving to a brand new location and buying brand new equipment.. Pretty much got this one for nothing.. I wouldn't probably have it otherwise as they are a bit pricey

I totally agree.. I was just using this to experiment with.. I do live in the boonies but actually there is a Do It Best hardware store about 11 mile from me.. funny to have that store out here when you can't even have a gas station, LOL.. That store is always busy too..

Okay, thought I'd update this since I have tried a couple of different backer options.. I went and bought some 1/4 BB ply.. I want to try some 1/2 but I have a boat load of clock movements that would require 1/4 so that is why I went with it instead.. First off, I have several can of spray paint so I was trying to just use what I have on hand.. I found a can of gloss black.. thinking satin or semi gloss may look better.. While I don't hate the painted backer.. I can't say I really like it either.. so.. while rummaging through my paint cabinet in my old shop I run across some Black Walnut stain that I forgot i even had.. Gotta be 10 + years old, LOL Anyway I put it on the paint shaker and ran it for a while.. seemed to look fine so I cut out some more backers.. Now I've heard BB ply doesn't stain well but this stuff came out looking ( what I thought ) good.. In fact.. I almost like the look of it better than the actual walnut ply that I had been using.. So, not sure if the wood glue sticks well to a stained surface I had bought some epoxy glue but the only one I found that self mixed with the special application tube sets up in 1 min. I had waited to glue up several clocks / backers so I could use as much of the glue as I could as the stuff only came with two of those application nozzles.. First glue up went well but I wasn't fast enough and my glue dried in my application nozzle before getting to the second one, LOL.. SO.. I then laid out all the clocks ad backers so the next one I was as ready as I could be to get these glued.. I ended up getting all but the last one.. believe I had 6 of them laid out and only got 5 glued because once again that nozzle dried shut on me.. I didn't have any thing handy to cut the end of the nozzle and by the time I got something the whole tube was harden shut.. LOL.. I threw away the remaining stuff.. I do like the quick set-up in that I can be done in a matter of minutes..rather than hours with wood glue.. Next time I'm going to hunt down the stuff with a 5 minute set time.. can do it in that 1 minute window very well.. 5 minutes would work perfect I think.. I just can't seem to locate the 5 minute stuff local.. so I may order some online... also haven't found the WeldBond glue that Dave uses.. so will probably order that too.. Anyway the last one that didn't get glued was the painted one.. which is one that I was hoping to be able to compare with the others as far as the final top coating.. I top coated with polyurethane because again.. what I had that I wanted to use up.. I do have a new can of Lacquer but wasn't sure how that would go over with the stained projects.. The stain is so old the label is basically gone, LOL so I don't really know much of anything about it other than it said Black Walnut.. Not a big fan of polyurethane but I sprayed really light coats on it and it doesn't look like it's covered in plastic LOL so it turned out okay.. Not a big fan of the minwax polyurethane spray nozzle.. it kept like sucking up air or sputtering which made it very difficult to make nice even coats.. Not sure if it's because of a old can or if that is somewhat how they are.. was a full can.. I bought a few months ago.. I should be posting pictures in the bragging section in a day or so.. heck maybe yet today if I get time to get the pictures etc.. gotta go out now and cut my Ramcharger clock that Jim was so kind to make a pattern of in the pattern request forum..

Just seen another brand name that I'm pretty sure was made by Hawk.. Called Nu-Mark https://yubasutter.craigslist.org/tls/d/yuba-city-nu-mark-scroll-saw/6894123654.html

Great job with the cutting.. and assembling too, That's the other reason I don't do the puzzles,

I spent 12 years in a injection mold factory.. we made shopping cart baskets.. and hand held baskets milk crates etc.. Your story of the wood dowels digging the item out of the mold reminded me of us having to do that... We used metal rod with a handle and a hook on the end of it to dig them loose... had to be quick at it or you'd be shut in the door... Had to be good with all the work crew because the coworker on your line had to stand by the kill switch, LOL... If only OSHA knew they was having us do that when the push pins on the mold stopped working but they needed to get the order out the door before they could shut it down.. Thankfully I never run the machines much as I was a fork lift driver..

I need 3 of them if you find some..

same.. There is a ton of patterns I'd like to buy on a couple different websites.. but they only offer to mail you paper copies.. I then would have to scan them and file them with my electronic files of pattern storage.. I have around 30,000 patterns.. yeah that's a lot.. and paper copies of that many is just stupid in this day and age.. BTW.. I keep more than 3 back-ups of my patterns too.. Had a hard drive crash once and lost a boat load of great patterns.. that taught me to keep a back-up hard drive as well as a burned copy on disc and a thumb drive copy as well.. I do keep a copy outside of my home too in case a fire burned up my stuff, LOL.. Maybe over kill but not loosing thousands of patterns again, LOL

This just come across my FB page.. I thought it was interesting enough to share it here..

Honestly, PDF subscription is probably the way to go these days.. I've always wanted the others to go PDF.. at least for their patterns.. Then instead of stacks of magazines.. you can have stacks of hard drives, LOL

Yeah I don't either.. that's why I sell my crafts instead of giving them away.. without selling the stuff I wouldn't be able to afford blades and plywood.. LOL Anyway.. what little I do have I try to protect it in anyway I can.. A lighter and free burn barrel is cheaper than a metal storage can.. too

probably not a bad idea... I don't wait for mine to " possibly com-bust " I set them on fire once i'm done with my finishing process, .. Living in the boonies like I do.. we have a burn barrel.. don't burn much really because I believe in recycling if possible.. my burn barrel mostly only burns receipts and bank statements etc.. anything with our names on it that's paper.. I just don't trust paper shredders.. too many smart young whipper snappers out there that watch forensics show and are smart enough to piece the shredded papers back together.. I shred it.. then burn it.. they probably can still get it but pretty hard to read the ashes especially after they've been rained on and turned into ash mush in the bottom of the barrel, LOL