No Comment #2 - Bandsawing the Tapered Octagon

Cutting the assembled tapered octagon was a lot of fun during this build because I got to use the bandsaw in a way I hadn't before.  Certainly a technique I'll be exploring more in future builds!

Basically, we built a sacrificial jig to hold the tapered octagon "spatially" in the correct orientation for the bandsaw blade to remove planes.  While we could have computed the compound cut at the top of each triangle for the octagon to get a level top, to do two more cuts on each triangle to then remove the part for the table top would have been a lot of error-prone work... any deviation in length would have to be sanded out later (end grain!).  Then add the work of triple the glue-up.  Cutting the plane on the bandsaw, especially with a smooth-cutting Laguna Resaw King, left nothing to sand (sure there were tool marks, but those surfaces were perfect for gluing in this project).

Ah, the mysterious holes in the jig are explained, too.  Had some questions about those :)

Do remember the design episode where I explained how the top part of the octagon changed.  Originally, I wanted the octagon to continue through the table so the top piece needed to be exactly positioned so Dominos could go through the octagon top, the table, and into the octagon bottom.  In the video flashback, I explain that cut that ultimately we didn't keep (but did use).

However, properly cutting off that top piece does have an importance that we'll see in a future episode on the assembly.  As a spoiler, I'll tell you :)  That top piece was used as a template for where the Domino holes in the table top were needed in order to get them to go smoothly into the octagon bottom.  Without that template, it would have been long and messy to position those Dominos; with that template, it was as simple as tracing the revealed mortises.  But you'll see that in more close-up detail in the assembly episode.

I think the next episode will be another bandsaw episode; editing all this old footage with some new narration mixed in has me busy in the video editor, not in the shop.  Not a good thing.  The next planned episode will at least have me running a tool or two!



Here's a link to the video for my email subscribers: http://youtu.be/-6ID7hQwCHE

No Comment #2 - The Full Build

Finally!  There, thought I'd say it for you since I've been saying it all week :)

I had a lot of fun with No Comment #1.  Enough that I'd thought to continue the series with a small but fun build aptly named No Comment #2 (clever, no?).  Like No Comment #1, I won't tell you what I'm building.  This video is a full project build from start to finish in high-speed sections and multi-cams to keep you busy watching instead of snoozing!  Guess as you watch it what I'm making.  Some clues have appeared on this blog to, you know, build intrigue.  My version of foreshadowing!

Unlike No Comment #1, I'll be following up this initial build video with videos detailing different aspects of the build.  There were some interesting techniques used in this build that can be applied to many of your projects.

If you write a comment on this video here or on YouTube (which I'd appreciate!), please don't put a spoiler in there as to what the project was.  Latest comments appear on the homepage so someone not trying to see the comments may see "hey, nice grain elevator!" and it'll just ruin the effect :)

The video is an hour long although my test victims who previewed many early versions never thought it too long; hopefully it'll be as interesting for you.  Maybe go pee before you hit play!


There are two versions of the video!  It wasn't enough to drive myself batty with all this video editing that I mixed two soundtracks.  One uses the songs you've heard many times on previous podcasts.  The second uses new music!  It's all progressive guitar and rock instrumentals.  It is very much what you'd hear in my shop, especially the newly-found favorite Daniel Bautista.

Since the video is all music between a short introduction and final conclusion, you could always hit mute and play your favorite hair bands if you prefer.

I shook the dust off the walls listening to the guitar edition after rendering it tonight; the middle three songs might be a bit much if you're not into the guitar as much but fear not as the songs after those three are very melodic; modulate with the volume control!

Here's the version with the sounds you've often heard on this podcast:



Here's the guitar version: version 11.0!




While sometimes the scene is messy in the video, what's behind the camera is usually piles of whatever I wanted out of the scene.  Here's a panorama of the shop during some of the shooting (the project was in the house so no spoiler here):

A secondary goal of this video was to get better at video editing, lighting, etc.  The biggest thing I learned is that for the total time of this project, easily 9/10th (or more!) of it was video work, whether it was setting up cameras, correcting clips, editing clips, or figuring out some silly thing I wanted in the video for no other reason than I didn't know how (at the time!) to do it!  This really wasn't that long of a build if you don't have red record lights pointing at you :)

For the curious, here's the info for my dedicated video drives:

Crazy that two 4Tb drives are full of the raw and optimized footage for this thing.  As I render the build videos to follow this one, I'll get to delete some footage.  At one point, I found myself drooling over an 18Tb raid stack.  Someday... (no, Friday! :)

Angle Madness, my other project in process, will continue, too, while I put out detail videos for No Comment #2, as I've recorded a lot of the content for those videos already.  The slow pace of Angle Madness needed an intervention for myself and for you.  Now you know why I was in the dark for so long :)

Bridge City KM-1 Kerfmaker User's Guide

In many of my podcasts, I've used the Bridge City Toolworks KM-1 Kerfmaker to create exactly sized grooves and dados.  It can be shrouded in mystery if you are just looking at the catalog.  Come to think of it, it can be shrouded in mystery when you are reading the "user's manual".

In this video, I'll give you a tour of the KM-1, show how to effectively set the kerf using the actual cutters, and show how to use it in many situations on the tablesaw, router, mitersaw, bandsaw, and even the Bridge City JMP Jointmaker Pro.  There'll be a number of demonstrations with close-ups to unveil the shroud!

The KM-1 is part of Bridge City's "Essentials".  While many commemorative tools are made only once never to be made again, the KM-1 is generally always available.

If there's one thing I could say to convince you of its utility, it would be this:

I've only used my dado stack in two sizes: 1/4" and 1/2"; the shims are still shrink-wrapped

(I've always wanted to use the word 'shrouded' in a blog posting; hurrah!)

EDIT: at the time I posted this, Bridge City was regrettably out of the KM-1s.  I just got confirmation from Bridge City that they will be back in stock in 6-8 weeks.  That puts them as available around the last week of July 2011/early August.  Put yourself on the list to get one when they are available.  Worth the wait.  I waited much longer as I got in on the first run!

Sculpted Mahogany Vanity - Stock Preparation and Top Segment

And we're off!  In this episode, we'll sort through the rough stock (ahem, in my neighborhood, 'rough' stock is regrettably S2S) then use a Festool TS-75 to straight-line the boards before using the table saw for the parallel cut.  The upper segment of the vanity's structural insides will be Dominoed (I love how in English you can verb anything).  We'll talk about a couple different Domino techniques that come up in this segment.

The underside of this top segment is in three sections.  The two outer sections will have drawers so we'll make part of the structure into drawer runners and resaw some Mahogany for two panels on the underside. You'll see a quickie tour of the KM-1 being used to exactly size the panel groove.  I'll be doing a video user's guide to the KM-1 soon.

While not on the video, the next step is to sand or scrape the panels and put finish on them before gluing up the upper segment.

In the next episode, we'll make the lower segment, the drawer webbing, and glue up the panels that will wrap this wireframe structure.  Then we'll get in touch with our inner-Rodin and sculpt! ...but hopefully it won't look like the Gates of Hell.   :)

Using the KM-1 on a Table Saw

The Bridge City Toolworks KM-1 is a clever instrument for perfectly sizing a dado, groove, half-laps, or anything, really, if you treat it as an instrument for perfectly calculating an offset.  Visit the linked page for Bridge City's description of it, or, if you're not the type to "read it for the articles", watch the video of how it's used.

I'm currently making a simple cabinet for inside a closet.  This will be a wonder of plywood case construction with plywood shelves dadoed into plywood sides.  That said, I will be using the KM-1 liberally to ensure that I get exact dados for the "nominal 3/4" and "nominal 1/2" ply.

In the demonstration video, the KM-1 is registered against a stop block on a fence used while cross cutting to create the half-laps.  Naturally you can do the same on a table saw crosscut fence, but what if you're using the rip fence as I will since these sides are 4-5' long by 22" deep?  All you need is a stop block of sorts for the KM-1 to register against.

This is my stop block for the table saw along with a MagSwitch from my magnetic feather board and the KM-1 (I feel as though I should have anodized my MDF jig, but I digress...)

The MagSwitch has two flat sides so I get a very snug fit and it locks the jig to the cast iron like a rock.  Use the shoulder of the jig to register the KM-1 for the first cut...

...the flip the KM-1, move the fence, and make your second cut that will finish the perfectly fitted dado.

I have a router table in the extension wing so the MagSwitch won't work out there.  However, my fence rail is steel so I can move the jig there when I need to be out 22" or further.  Here it's shown with the KM-1 ready for the first cut...

...and flip it and move the fence for the second cut.

When I documented how I did a walnut inlay into cork flooring, I described how I used the KM-1 with the Festool OF-1400 router to make the inlay groove exactly match the inlay pieces.  Basically all you ever need is a stop block of some kind.  This MDF jig for the table saw will definitely make the KM-1 easier to use when dealing with the rip fence.

French Knot Walnut Inlay in Cork Floor

I took several pictures while doing this project because the Festool "system" surrounding the OF-1400 router was key to its success (yes, yes, you could make your own rail or do it by hand, but this was fast, easy, and, uhm, smart :)  I also posted this entry in a shorter form on FestoolOwnersGroup.com as part of a contest I won't win.

Here, I have my new entryway :)  I took 2 sheets of 1/8" luan plywood and cross-laminated them together to form a substrate that was water resistant and able to be directly attached to my slab foundation.  I covered it in a nice cork in a herringbone pattern; in dry-fitting the layout, I found the herringbone pattern didn't telegraph the seams as much as others.  I then laid out a French knot pattern with masking tape that by chance was very nearly the same width as my extremely bowed scrap of Walnut :)  Center stage is the OF-1400 router and a guide rail.  Those two made this process ridiculously easy.

To route the recesses in the cork, I'm using a 1/4" down-spiral bit.  My process is to route away the outside edges of the recesses then go back and eliminate the part left behind with another bit.  I just don't want to buy another bit to avoid the 10-minute pass with another bit to finish it off.

To make sizing the recess dead-nuts accurate, I'm going to use the KM-1 by Bridge City Toolworks.  The KM-1 works by using the size of your cutter (a router bit in this case) and the size of the dado (recess here) to create 2 offset fences that you'll see as I go along.

Set the 'orange' jaw of the KM-1 to the width of the bit your using.

Next, set the grey jaws of the KM-1 to the width of the walnut we're inlaying.  Keep it close by :)

Okay, this picture has several important points.  I swapped the stock base with the table widener.  In this case, I don't need the added stability the widener gives the OF-1400, but rather the added thickness that lets me use the guide stops off the back of the rail so the router is sitting on the stock instead of on the rail (I generally don't like it sitting on the rail since I never get the compensating support foot to lock solidly).  Note how I do not have the micro-adjusting screw of the guide stops attached between the stops.

Position the bit so it will cut the inside edge of the recess (inside meaning closest to the guide rail).

 I do use the dust guard, but find that I had much better visibility if I left the front part of the guard open.  It didn't change the dust collection much.  Remember that this is a down-spiral bit so most of the waste was left in the wake of the recess.

Measure from the guide rail to the inside edge of the recess as you'll use this to properly align the guide rail to the recess for all future cuts after the initial setup is completed.  Note that using a triangular bench rule like this one is nice since it butts up to the guide rail eliminating some error.

At this point, the router is ready to route the inside part of the recess, but we want this to be as "faster, easier, smarter" as can be so we need stop blocks calibrated with the KM-1.

In this picture, the leftmost guide block is first locked in place.  The KM-1 is placed between the guide blocks in the "long" position and the rightmost guide block is moved to touch it and locked into position.  The rightmost guide block will never be moved again in this project.  You'll notice something to the left of the leftmost guide block (apologize that it wasn't in the previous pictures).  That is the microadjuster for the MFK-700 as it fits perfectly on the rods and locks.  I use it as a well-sized stop block.  Butt it up against the left guide block and lock it in place.  You won't move it again.  Note that the "microadjust" ability is not used; it just sits there like a dumb brick marking a stop location; I plan on ordering another by digging through the Festool EKAT parts system.

Next, flip the KM-1 to use the "short" fence.  Loosen the leftmost guide block and move the router over until the KM-1's short fence is between the guide blocks.  I have a stop collar from a drill-bit set to the right of the leftmost guide block (right behind the KM-1... it's small).  It doesn't fit as well as I'd like, but worked.  Tighten this stop collar to mark the short fence location.  You can return your KM-1 to its hand-made walnut keeper chest now; the collars will mark our offsets.

This is where your router bit should be located right now after the adjustments using the KM-1 (if not, verify you didn't budge the guide rail).  Also remember that in my case, the tape is nearly identical width to my walnut; YMMV.

So now you are ready to crank through the routing operations.  Note in the original picture that several recesses line up within a French knot and to an adjoining French knot.  This is by design.  Even if your tape isn't perfectly laid out, using the guide rail aligned across all co-linear segments will make the whole that much better looking.

Here's the steps:

1. Place the guide rail the distance noted above from the inside edge of a recess to route.  Clamp the rail because patching this cork is not an option.
2. Loosen the leftmost guide block (one between stop collars) and slide the router until the guide block abuts against either stop collar.
3. Plunge and route; I usually scribbled with a red Sharpie at the ends of a segment so I could be forewarned when looking through the router window.  Stop early as it is easy to square the corner with a sharp chisel.
4. Loosen the leftmost guide block again and slide the router until the guide block abuts against the other stop collar.
5. Plunge and route.
6. Go to step 1 until you have no more recesses.  This is a very fast cycle.

Once the recesses are done, chuck up a straight bit (1/2" in my case) and freehand between the "moats" you just made to clear the waste between the edges.  This won't be neat.

Occasionally the rail didn't make it the whole way across the board.  It missed by inches.  For that, I inserted the rail connector into the rail and put a small piece of home-sawed veneer under the connector before clamping it down (veneer simply takes up the space under the connector so it doesn't pop the rail up).


Next up, cutting the walnut to length and mitered corners.  This isn't difficult, just tedious.  One tip: when 7 segments go in first-try and the eighth is being, uhm, fussy, check for new posts on your favorite forum.  Really, you just need to walk for a second.

So the rest of this has less to do with the router, but finishes the story of the floor.

Here's the walnut dry-fitted into the recesses.  You want a very snug fit, but try not to fully seat anything while dry-fitting since pulling it out can shred edges of the cork (this is why an up-spiral bit isn't appropriate).

 Paint the recesses with contact cement and let it flash off (about 30 minutes).

Paint the back of each inlay piece as well.  Note that I labeled each piece on the back to know where it goes.  Put pieces in order into the recesses.  I found that gently pushing them in and aligning the neighbors was the best way before pressing down hard.  Once you press down hard, it's done.  You'll want a scrap of cork glued to a block so you can use it to mallet the inlay pieces afterward to ensure they are seated and glued.

I used a shoulder plane to flush the walnut to the cork.  I preferred the medium shoulder plane mostly because the blade was just marginally wider than the walnut.  This greatly reduced the chances of striking the cork.




Voilà, the finished inlay!

For context, it will be in the entryway at the bottom of a set of stairs I refaced almost 2 years ago.  Here are some photos.

Bottom step will have the riser attached after the entryway is installed over the tiles you see to the right in the photo.

The landing has a French knot, as well.  It was done in a much more difficult manner; I was more stupid back then.  Oh, the lopped off corner of the entryway inlay is where the door is for the entryway so the entryway and landing will look the same from the top of the steps.  I have since installed base molding.

The bullnose of the existing treads was cut off and replaced with triple-beaded walnut.  Risers are home resawn lacewood veneer.  The corner molding you see here was custom cut and has continuous grain from the topmost step to the bottom.  Now, that molding is trivial, back then, it was tricky.  Guess I learned something :)