Month: February 2021

I have a couple jointer tools, but they’re not assembled. (A jointer makes the edges of a board very flat, so that it can be joined to the edge of another board, like a butcher block arrangement) I would need to get the right motor and pulley size, then install new knives. For the time being, I’ve been using a table saw with a very long fence to guide the wood.

Since the position of the saw blade isn’t adjustable, the fence had to be moved instead, in order to adjust the width of the material. This can be done in three steps, but being 20 feet long, it’s still time consuming.

One day I thought that I might be able to use the 1950’s radial Arm Saw I rebuilt to do this job. So I made an elevated walkway along the table in order to stand at a more comfortable height along that side of the long bench. Then I turned the saw so that the blade was parallel with the fence. I tried it on a board about 4 feet long and it worked very well.

Below is a diagram to show what the process does. The shape of the board is exaggerated. If I ran the board through with edge A against the fence, it would wobble as it made the cut, and the cut wouldn’t be straight. By running it through with edge B against the fence, it won’t wobble, and I make cut 1 first. Then I turn it around with the new edge 1 against the fence, and make cut 2. Both sides are straight and parallel.

Below is a picture showing the two edges trimmed off the test board. One is thick in the middle tapering out to thin on the ends. The other piece is the opposite.

#toolsintn #jointer #radialarmsaw

We usually put sunflower seeds out for the birds to eat. The whole thing has been other peoples’ project. My daughter rebuilt the bird feeder, my oldest son buys the seed, and my youngest son fills the feeder.

n My oldest son has been very busy lately, and has overlooked buying the seed. So I bought a small bag the other day. It was labeled “Songbird Feed”. That part is true, it also attracts a variety of birds. The yard is quite busy and the sounds are great, while the feed lasts. I’ve been using a 20 ounce coffee cup as a measure, and that only lasts a few hours. I took these pictures of the feeder, there have also been a pair of doves, and a woodpecker landed on the tree nearby.