Creative Woodworks & crafts 2001-01, страница 34

M

WES' WORKSHOP

Subject: Scroll Saw Dust Collection

Assembly Woes

If you have been scrolling for any length of Lime, I'm sure you have encountered the need for some tool which can Lhin down lumber in your own shop. That way, you wouldn't have to wait for mail ordered stock. Just think, all you would have to do is adjust the thickness, turn the machine on, and presto—thin lumber. Now, 1 have had a surface planer for a number of years, starting out with a 12" portable model and stepping up to a 3 hp 12" wide jointer/planer with a variable speed in-feed motor. It does an excellent job. ft will plane stock down to a 1/8" thickness, unless of course the wood has any figure or erratic grain. I know, I should be smart enough not to try that type of stock, but 1 have deadlines and schedules to meet thai do not always allow enough time lo wait for mail ordered wood.

After ruining my last two boards of beautifully figured cherry, I broke down and shopped for an abrasive planer. I have kept abreast of developments in these types of tools over the years and was torn between the wide belt type and the drum versions. Both have strengths and weaknesses, however in my case, cost was the determining factor.

When I saw Delta's entry into the market, I felt that would be the way to go. Their machine offers an additional 2" in width as well as an exLra 1/2 hp all for under $1,000. At the lime, Woodworker's Warehouse was offering a 10% discount on nearly everything in their store (including the Delta sanderj, so off we went. I released a few moths from my wallet and trundled off with a large grin on my face.

The first, and most important, thing is to read the instruction book immediately after opening the box. I did that. Following the instructions to the letter as explained very thoroughly in words and pictures, I began assembling the legs, crank handle and finally, the table. Guess what? The table would not raise. All I got was a clicking noise. A check of the exploded view indicated Lhat there is a set of beveled gears and apparently they were slipping some reason.

We removed the table and observed that the raising screws were at different heights. Needless to say, the mechanism was binding up, so I stopped for the night, planning on an early morning assault on the problem. The next morning, I went through the instructions oncc again. There, stuck to the back of the safety sheet, was an addendum regarding the installation of the crank handle. Whereas the book instructed installing the crank handle first, then turning it to lower the table supports, the addendum advised installing the table firsl, THEN the handle, and then lowering the table. To make a day-long tale of failure readable, 1 packed the whole thing up and returned iL Lo the store and bought a Performax 16-32, which I had no problem assembling.

It seems Lhat the Delta sandcrs are driven with a small cogged, rubber like, belt through a set of plastic bevel gears. One of the raising screws had a tendency to bind up when the table was raised. The other three screws would continue turning, ultimately binding up the whole conLraption. Yes, my friend, 1 called the service department and spoke with a mechanic and followed his recommendations. Heck, I even got the table to within an inch of the drum once, before it loeked up. By that time, it became obvious that if it would not

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Here is a neat little adapter from Seyco which attaches a vacuum hose to the underside of the Excalibur saw table.

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work properly now, what would it be like a year down the road.

I own tools of many different brands, and many of them are made by Delta. I have experienced assembly problems with other brands as well as Delta, and no manufacturer is immune to them. So why am I writing this, you ask? Because I have learned from a person that assembles tools in anoLhcr store that he had the same problem. I'm sure the problem is minor and I may have overlooked something that would have been obvious to someone else. I'm just reporting this to you so that you can make a more informed purchase. Definitely try one that is pre-assembled if at all possible.

More on Wood Dust-ParL I

In the last column, I brought up the subject of wood dust. Since then, 1 acquired a small Shop Vac All Around 6 amp model from Scyco, The Scroll Saw Specialists. J was impressed with the one that Ray JSeymore uses at shows because of its power (and how quiet it runs. Plus, Ray includes a fgang outlet adapter LhaL allows the vacuum to ^operate with the saw's foot control. He has (also created a neat little adapter that attaches ;to the underside of the Excalibur table with (double-lace tape (see photo). It does an excellent job of extracting the wood dust from (beneath the table. It is made for the vacuum's §1-1/4* hose, and only available with the purchase of the vacuum. With a little thought, it will work on other brands of scroll saws as swell, although if the table is ribbed underneath, you will have to be a little more creative.

(Still More on Wood Dust-Part II (We met Paul Revere at Sloan's Scroll Saw Picnic. Maybe you remember that he is the ijgny who invented and sells a lift mechanism for DeWalt scroll saws. The counterbalance one, not Lhe spring one. Well, he too is concerned with wood dusL hazard and so set his fertile mind to work and came up with an inexpensive way to collecL wood dust from the top as well as the bottom of the saw table. He will send you a full set of plans which include photographs for $4.95. The plans are for the DeWalt, but can be adapted to any other brand with a little thought.

and Finally . . .

One other item I have Lried is the cyclonc lid that goes on a 30 gallon metal garbage can. I found that it reduced Lhe overall efficiency of my collcctor by about 30%, although it did improve a little when I duct taped all the connections. I do find it handy, however, when atlachcd to my surface planer. I use clear plastic collcction bags on the collector that are a pain to remount after emptying them. Now, when I see shavings entering the bag, I know it is time to empty the can, and that is a lot quicker to empty than the bags. It may not be perfect, but 1 can live with it.

The next thing I intend to try is a more efficient bag for my collector. I see several on the market that claim to trap particles less than .5 microns in size. I'll lei you know. T'or more information on the Shop Vac and accessories, contact Seyco, The Scroll Saw Specialists, Inc., P.O. Box 1900, Rockwall, I X 75087; (800) 462-3353.

For more information on Paul Hevere's plans, contact P.O. Box 5195, Navarre, FL 32566. C-i

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