Big Project, Stained Glass Shelving Unit - project #8

My wife makes lovely stained glass projects. 

  Stained glass has its own set of tools and materials.  My wife has accumulated many pieces of coloured glass, grinders, patterns and a kiln.  I made her a rolling storage unit Feb.3rd 2016 and she has out grown it, so it is time to make another larger unit.

  I have a plan, drawn by Eva to fit a particular space in her work area. 

  I'm about half way through building the shelving unit. Designing storage for glass must always account for the weight of the sheets and pieces of glass.  Once this unit is filled with 12 by 12 sheets of glass it will be carrying 100's of pounds.  To insure the shelves can carry the weight without twisting or sagging  it is framed in 2 by 4 lumber,

 with 3/4 inch shelving. The 2 by 4s are left over from construction work at our kid's house so much of the lumber requires attitude adjustment with clamps before it can be screwed together. Since this unit sits in the back of the basement and will be soon covered with glass and gear its minor eccentricities can be ignored, mostly.

 Once this unit is installed it will enable Eva to work much more comfortably and to enjoy even more making her projects.

  Interestingly this unit is being built without a table saw,  I used my circular saw, (Jan 23rd 2017) to cut some of the plywood to size. It needed set up which makes it slower than using a table saw, but...the result was good.   I really can see a shop  without a table saw. Getting rid of my table saw will free up serious floor space. Space is always at a premium in a small shop, you can see that I am building the shelf unit in the family room for lack of space in my shop.

cheers, ianw 

  

Circular Saw Jig(s) - project #6

  Until recently I had every kind of saw that there is. With my table saw dead I am one saw down and I'm trying live with that situation.  I have seldom used my table saw for cross cutting, I have a sliding mitre saw for that and I have a ten and fourteen inch band saw that can do ripping for me.  Also I have a scroll saw,  jig saw,  two circular saws and a whole bunch of hand saws. 

  Long straight ripping was the principle task for which I used my table saw and  now I am going to see what happens when I turn the ripping over to my circular saw and saw jig/guide.

  I searched the internet for ideas, there were many.  I opted to follow the directions from "this old house"  , it seemed to be straight forward and I liked the idea of having two cutting sides.

   Here is the finished project.  I waxed the top of the track/guide, and painted it Jig Red.  In the past I had made a cross cut jig for my other circular saw. 

 Am I ready to embark on life without a table saw?   

   While the glue was drying on the circular saw guide I took the time to clean up my work bench, and used my small parts bit to sort out the various bits and pieces.  Mostly stray screws, wheels(?) and corks. Mostly left over crafts supplies, not drinking supplies.

  Getting the bench clear is a nice bonus.  I was also able to sharpen  a knife and re-frame two pictures while the red paint was drying. Getting organised is a good thing.

  There maybe a bit of an interruption to my blogs. Eva and I are headed off for some vacation time in the Azores   I'll share some photos over the next week or two.  

Cheers, IanW