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Long time lurker

1939 Views 22 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  jw2170
I’ve been lurking around the forum for a while and figured it was about time I signed up. Most of my “construction” experience is with metal framing and rough carpentry, but I’d like to hone some finer woodworking skills and maybe build some things I can hand down to my kids. Looking forward to learning and sharing.

Dave
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Welcome to the forum Dave
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Welcome to the forum, Dave! Add your first name to your profile to clear the N/a in the side panel. Add your location, as well.

What sort of woodworking are you doing or planning? What tools do you have? We like photos of shops, tools, projects, etc. so post whenever you're ready. And ask questions when you have them!

David
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Hi Dave and welcome. Our members have a wide range of skills so we can usually help you with what you want to do.
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hello and welcome to the router forum.Dave
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Hi Dave, glad you decided to join the fun. A tool list is a really good idea so we have an idea what you can take on as a project. For me, making a bookshelf, cabinet or a stand for tools is the perfect early project. What you'll learn from such projects will teach you skills you'll be using for all your projects in the future. It will also tune you into the degree of precision you need for woodworking.
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What sort of woodworking are you doing or planning? What tools do you have? We like photos of shops, tools, projects, etc. so post whenever you're ready. And ask questions when you have them!
Most of my experience has been in building custom boxes for home and car stereo. Eventually I’d like to build a few dressers, chests, jewelry boxes, etc... for my daughters. It’s going to be a while before I get rolling, as I’m having wrist surgery in a few weeks and will be out of commission for a while. It’ll give me time to figure out exactly what I want to do.

As for tools, I have 2 Bosch 1617EVSPK kits, a small craftsman router table, PC table saw, Milwaukee 6955 12” DBC miter saw, Milwaukee circular saw, and various Sanders, drills, etc... I build cars on the side so I have a garage full of mechanic tools as well.

My first “precision” project will probably be a router table with an Incra lift and fence. Once I start on it I’ll be sure to make a thread to document the process.

Thanks for the welcome!!
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Welcome to the Forum...looking forward to your projects...
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Most of my experience has been in building custom boxes for home and car stereo. Eventually I’d like to build a few dressers, chests, jewelry boxes, etc... for my daughters. It’s going to be a while before I get rolling, as I’m having wrist surgery in a few weeks and will be out of commission for a while. It’ll give me time to figure out exactly what I want to do.

As for tools, I have 2 Bosch 1617EVSPK kits, a small craftsman router table, PC table saw, Milwaukee 6955 12” DBC miter saw, Milwaukee circular saw, and various Sanders, drills, etc... I build cars on the side so I have a garage full of mechanic tools as well.

My first “precision” project will probably be a router table with an Incra lift and fence. Once I start on it I’ll be sure to make a thread to document the process.

Thanks for the welcome!!
You sound like me Dave . I used to live for car audio and loved building my systems .
Here’s a few pics .
Custom door pods for my 84 gmc . I was a huge mb quartz’s fan back then .
And the beginning of the amp rack build. Was going to have 1/2” lexan in between the amps ,backlit with a blue led like the pods

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Hey, Dave; welcome! Would you mind putting that tool list and bio material into your profile? The comment above
will disappear soon and the info won't be lost but it'll be really user unfriendly to dig out.
You can edit, add or remove info from your own profile at any time. The only real security concern would be stuff like your actual address or contact info, other than the PM function, ie don't put those in.
You sound like me Dave . I used to live for car audio and loved building my systems .
Here’s a few pics .
Custom door pods for my 84 gmc . I was a huge mb quartz’s fan back then .
And the beginning of the amp rack build. Was going to have 1/2” lexan in between the amps ,backlit with a blue led like the pods
That’s a sweet setup! My system back in the day was MB Quart 8”/4”/1” 3-ways and a pair of JL Audio 12w6’s running off PPI art series amps. I still have the Quarts boxed up in my closet.
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Welcome aboard, Dave. Looks to me like you have a lot of the tools to start building stuff. Later, a planer and a jointer will prove helpful if you buy material at a real lumber yard in "rough" form. That way, you can straighten the edges, flatten the faces, and plane the thickness to your desired thickness.

But in the mean time, there are lots of things you can build using plywood. Or, if you have a Lowe's nearby, they sell project panels that come in various widths up to 24 inches wide, and lengths up to six or eight feet in length. I have used this material to build several toy boxes for the grandkids. If you have a jig saw, you can do it also with very little trouble.

Also, since you have several routers, I have the ideal project for you. It is a dual router table that has adjustable height so it can also be used as a work table or lowered to make it easy to assemble projects. The secret to the adjust-ability is a screw jack from Harbor Freight - RV model. It has a nut welded on the end. A simple drill will run the table up and down with ease. My wife has stood on it with no problems.

I will add a couple of pictures, and later search trough the forums to find my router table project.

Careful what you wish for. You end up remodeling your kitchen like we did! :)

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Here are a few links to some of my projects. Feel free to browse my other projects. Maybe you will get some inspiration for your projects.

Exact Width Dado Jig
https://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/49738-exact-width-dado-jig.html

Adjustable Height Workstation/Dual Router Table
https://www.routerforums.com/show-n-tell/46562-adjustable-height-workstation-router-table-more.html

Mobile Workstation
https://www.routerforums.com/show-n-tell/44118-mobile-workstation.html

Mandi's Wine Rack
https://www.routerforums.com/show-n-tell/47254-mandis-wine-rack.html

Refrigerated Wine Cooler/Refrigerator Cabinet Cover
https://www.routerforums.com/projec...d-wine-cooler-refrigerator-cabinet-cover.html
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Welcome aboard, Dave. Looks to me like you have a lot of the tools to start building stuff. Later, a planer and a jointer will prove helpful if you buy material at a real lumber yard in "rough" form. That way, you can straighten the edges, flatten the faces, and plane the thickness to your desired thickness.

But in the mean time, there are lots of things you can build using plywood. Or, if you have a Lowe's nearby, they sell project panels that come in various widths up to 24 inches wide, and lengths up to six or eight feet in length. I have used this material to build several toy boxes for the grandkids. If you have a jig saw, you can do it also with very little trouble.

Also, since you have several routers, I have the ideal project for you. It is a dual router table that has adjustable height so it can also be used as a work table or lowered to make it easy to assemble projects. The secret to the adjust-ability is a screw jack from Harbor Freight - RV model. It has a nut welded on the end. A simple drill will run the table up and down with ease. My wife has stood on it with no problems.

I will add a couple of pictures, and later search trough the forums to find my router table project.

Careful what you wish for. You end up remodeling your kitchen like we did! :)
That's a great table setup! I've already got my router table planned out (32x48, 2x 3/4 MDF w/hardboard face, Incra lift and Super fence on top of a cabinet with lots of storage), but that definitely gives me some ideas for a future workbench project, or maybe even a modification to my perfectly good welding table using hydraulic rams and a 12v pump. I have a feeling you guys are going to be a bad influence on me. Ha!

A jointer, planer and track saw are a the top of my "to-buy" list. I'm not in a huge hurry as i'll be in a cast through January and have 6-9 months of rehab/therapy after that. After that, the real fun begins.
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That’s a sweet setup! My system back in the day was MB Quart 8”/4”/1” 3-ways and a pair of JL Audio 12w6’s running off PPI art series amps. I still have the Quarts boxed up in my closet.
Awesome woofer . I only used JL for subwoofer duties back in the day . I think I had a pair of 12” JL W3’s though, can’t remember it was so long ago
Welcome to the forum Dave.
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Most of my experience has been in building custom boxes for home and car stereo. Eventually I’d like to build a few dressers, chests, jewelry boxes, etc... for my daughters. It’s going to be a while before I get rolling, as I’m having wrist surgery in a few weeks and will be out of commission for a while. It’ll give me time to figure out exactly what I want to do.

As for tools, I have 2 Bosch 1617EVSPK kits, a small craftsman router table, PC table saw, Milwaukee 6955 12” DBC miter saw, Milwaukee circular saw, and various Sanders, drills, etc... I build cars on the side so I have a garage full of mechanic tools as well.

My first “precision” project will probably be a router table with an Incra lift and fence. Once I start on it I’ll be sure to make a thread to document the process.

Thanks for the welcome!!
Cool. Before you buy a lift, consider getting a Triton TRA001 3.25 hp router for the table only. I see them going for about the same price as a good lift, and far lower than top of the line lifts. That, and the extra power is very nice. It will handle whatever you can toss at it. The 1617s work fine in a table, but the extra power is a treat.

Also, check out the YouTube videos by Marc Sommerfeld, who uses that router. He was a cabinet maker before getting into the tool business, and watching him do various things with the router is like going to a woodworking school. I watch the one closest to the project I have in mind before starting on it, just to bone up on how to do it.

I predict you'll be wanting a table saw pretty darn soon. You can use a circular saw with a good blade to rough cut pieces for the furniture you have in mind, but only a table saw will produce the precision and end result you want. One thing this pasttime isn't, is cheap. Do ask lots of questions, you'll save yourself from making a lot of firewood that way.

And start collecting metal clamps, you're going to need them. I started with a lot of Harbor Freight clamps, which I've gradually replaced with heavier duty ones when I found them on sale. I've been at it for about 12 years, but did home repair and carpentry projects all my life. Grew up in an old farmhous built in 1913 that needed constant repairs. Spent a couple of summers working with an old time finish carpenter. Only power tool he had was a table saw. Still have a couple of tools he gave me.

At any rate, I think you're going to have a lot of fun at this.
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Cool. Before you buy a lift, consider getting a Triton TRA001 3.25 hp router for the table only. I see them going for about the same price as a good lift, and far lower than top of the line lifts. That, and the extra power is very nice. It will handle whatever you can toss at it. The 1617s work fine in a table, but the extra power is a treat.
My eventual plan was to put one of my 1617’s into an Incra Mast-R-Lift II and later swap it for the PC 7518 3.25hp motor. I’ll take a look at the Triton as well!

I predict you'll be wanting a table saw pretty darn soon. You can use a circular saw with a good blade to rough cut pieces for the furniture you have in mind, but only a table saw will produce the precision and end result you want. One thing this pasttime isn't, is cheap. Do ask lots of questions, you'll save yourself from making a lot of firewood that way.
No doubt! My current table saw is a basic PC model I could just toss in the truck and take it to a job site and run it off the tailgate. Eventually I’d like a good cabinet saw.

And start collecting metal clamps, you're going to need them. I started with a lot of Harbor Freight clamps, which I've gradually replaced with heavier duty ones when I found them on sale.
I’ve got a small collection of clamps already that I use for welding, but not nearly as many as id like to have.
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@Speedfreak11 Man, you definitely belong in this group!
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