I am building a bunch of stave tubes, something like this:
http://www.btinternet.com/~patrick.scphotographic/home.htm
My cheap table saw is very inexact when it comes to exact angled cuts and
precise ripping.
I thought about using a router or a shaper but finding some of the needed
angles might be hard and with use the bits will lose their precision.
I am on the verge of purchasing a Delta Unisaw. I am guessing this stable
saw will give me the precision and consistency that I am looking for.
Anyone have any suggested tools that might help with my quest for
perfection.
Thanks for any and all suggestions.
John
Thanks for all the help. Please don't convince me out of a cool new table
saw ;)
In all seriousness, I would cut 24 staves with my table saw, measure them
all and take the best cuts.
I would always be pretty close, but I would always end up with gaps. After
measuring the pieces it
was obvious that the saw cuts had some serious deviations. That's why I
wanted to look at a more stable saw.
John
"Jay" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "John Pilhoefer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > I am building a bunch of stave tubes, something like this:
> >
> > http://www.btinternet.com/~patrick.scphotographic/home.htm
> >
> > My cheap table saw is very inexact when it comes to exact angled cuts
and
> > precise ripping.
> >
> > I thought about using a router or a shaper but finding some of the
needed
> > angles might be hard and with use the bits will lose their precision.
> >
> > I am on the verge of purchasing a Delta Unisaw. I am guessing this
stable
> > saw will give me the precision and consistency that I am looking for.
> >
> > Anyone have any suggested tools that might help with my quest for
> > perfection.
> >
> > Thanks for any and all suggestions.
> >
> > John
>
> I haven't used them, but Pricecutter has bits for edge joining for 8 -
> 16 side polygons:
>
> http://www.pricecutter.com/html/catalog/productGroup.asp?id=486
>
> Might be worth the $28 gamble to save the couple of thousand on a new
> saw. Not that the saw wouldn't be cool.
[email protected] (Fred the Red Shirt) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> If you have not done so already, perhaps you should research the
> cooper's (barrel maker's) trade and tools.
I traded my old cooper's tools for a couple of Stanley #2's and a
chute board plane. Have you seen the _price_ of these things ?!
Similarly, bookbinding tools seem to be making crazy money these days.
Even with a cheap table saw you can do something like
this - it just takes a little more setup work.
The link below is for just a lot of staves glued
together, but it's not a compound miter cut - just
ripping with a bevel. With that you only have to
worry about one angle and can ignore your probably
pain-in-the-ass miter gauge (I *hate* my miter guage).
If the diameter is not absolutely critical, then
it becomes a little easier as you don't need to worry
as much about the width of your pieces.
First - get some cheap but square 2x4's. Cut into
short ends (1' or so). Then adjust the angle until you
think you have it about right. Make some test cuts using
one of 2x4's. Then chop that 2x4 into short (1-2") ends.
If you can arrange those ends into a half-circle that
sits flat against a straight edge your bevel is correct.
If not - then adjust the bevel on your table saw and
repeat with a new end of 2x4.
You will make a bunch of kindling and take a lot of time,
but it does work. (been there and done that!)
Google around and read up on tuning up your table saw.
Make sure your blade is parallel to your miter slots, and
then when setting your fence in place measure 3 times
to make sure that the fence is the same distance from the
miter slot on both the front and back end.
Good luck!
Dan
"John Pilhoefer" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I am building a bunch of stave tubes, something like this:
>
> http://www.btinternet.com/~patrick.scphotographic/home.htm
>
> My cheap table saw is very inexact when it comes to exact angled cuts and
> precise ripping.
>
> I thought about using a router or a shaper but finding some of the needed
> angles might be hard and with use the bits will lose their precision.
>
> I am on the verge of purchasing a Delta Unisaw. I am guessing this stable
> saw will give me the precision and consistency that I am looking for.
>
> Anyone have any suggested tools that might help with my quest for
> perfection.
>
> Thanks for any and all suggestions.
>
> John
"John Pilhoefer" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I am building a bunch of stave tubes, something like this:
>
> http://www.btinternet.com/~patrick.scphotographic/home.htm
>
> My cheap table saw is very inexact when it comes to exact angled cuts and
> precise ripping.
>
> I thought about using a router or a shaper but finding some of the needed
> angles might be hard and with use the bits will lose their precision.
>
> I am on the verge of purchasing a Delta Unisaw. I am guessing this stable
> saw will give me the precision and consistency that I am looking for.
>
> Anyone have any suggested tools that might help with my quest for
> perfection.
>
> Thanks for any and all suggestions.
>
> John
I haven't used them, but Pricecutter has bits for edge joining for 8 -
16 side polygons:
http://www.pricecutter.com/html/catalog/productGroup.asp?id=486
Might be worth the $28 gamble to save the couple of thousand on a new
saw. Not that the saw wouldn't be cool.
"Dan Oelke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> First - get some cheap but square 2x4's. Cut into
> short ends (1' or so). Then adjust the angle until you
> think you have it about right. Make some test cuts using
> one of 2x4's. Then chop that 2x4 into short (1-2") ends.
> If you can arrange those ends into a half-circle that
> sits flat against a straight edge your bevel is correct.
> If not - then adjust the bevel on your table saw and
> repeat with a new end of 2x4.
>
> You will make a bunch of kindling and take a lot of time,
> but it does work. (been there and done that!)
Couple of formulas to reduce the trial and error:
N = number of staves
D = drum's diameter
W = width of the staves measured on the outer side of the drum
A = angle in degrees of the cut with respect to the vertical
SQRT stands for "square root of"
Tan stands for the function Tangent of the angle
D and W must be in the same units of measure
If number of staves "N" and the diameter "D" are known:
A = 180 / N
W = D / [ SQRT ( [1 / (Tan A x Tan A) ] + 1 ) ]
For instance: If N = 10 and D = 20"
** A = 180 / 10 = 18 degrees
Tan 18 = 0.3249
W = 20 / [ SQRT ( [1 / ( 0.3249 x 0.3249 ) ] + 1 ) ]
W = 20 / [ SQRT ( [1 / ( 0.10557 ) ] + 1 ) ]
W = 20 / [ SQRT ( 9.4721 + 1 ) ]
W = 20 / [ SQRT ( 10.4721 ) ]
W = 20 / 3.236
W = 6.18
.18 x 128 = 23.04 then:
** W = 6 23/128"
Guillermo
"John Pilhoefer" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I am building a bunch of stave tubes, something like this:
>
> http://www.btinternet.com/~patrick.scphotographic/home.htm
>
> My cheap table saw is very inexact when it comes to exact angled cuts and
> precise ripping.
>
> I thought about using a router or a shaper but finding some of the needed
> angles might be hard and with use the bits will lose their precision.
>
> I am on the verge of purchasing a Delta Unisaw. I am guessing this stable
> saw will give me the precision and consistency that I am looking for.
>
> Anyone have any suggested tools that might help with my quest for
> perfection.
>
> Thanks for any and all suggestions.
>
If you have not done so already, perhaps you should research the
cooper's (barrel maker's) trade and tools. In particular, you
might find a cooper's jointer to be useful. It would not be
hard to make one yourself.
Also a Stanley #6 foreplane with a # 386 jointer fence might prove useful.
They were popular with boatrights.
--
FF
[email protected] (Andy Dingley) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> [email protected] (Fred the Red Shirt) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>
> > If you have not done so already, perhaps you should research the
> > cooper's (barrel maker's) trade and tools.
>
> I traded my old cooper's tools for a couple of Stanley #2's and a
> chute board plane. Have you seen the _price_ of these things ?!
>
> Similarly, bookbinding tools seem to be making crazy money these days.
I have a couple of #2s bought at auction, one with the lateral
adjustment lever broken off and an improper chipbreaker that
is _almost the right size. Oh, and the totes on both are cracked.
That's about the best I could afford. Even the #2 sized Fultons
are outrageous and chuting board planes are out of my league.
But a cooper's jointer would be easy and fun to make and it is
hard to enjoy woodworking more than with tools made in one's
own shop. A cooper's jointer is a stationary jointer, turned upside
down and usually set at an angle. The cooper slides the board
over the jointer, rather than vice-versa. I've neve seen one with
a fence for precision beveling, but it woudl not be too hard
to incorporate one.
Besides, the OP has some dynamite honduras rosewood he can use
for the jointer.
--
FF
"John Pilhoefer" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I thought about using a router or a shaper but finding some of the needed
> angles might be hard and with use the bits will lose their precision.
There are router bits made especially for this. Just look around a
bit (ha ha). Another thing to consider is a bird's mouth bit like
this:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=45160&category=1,46168,46176&abspage=1&ccurrency=2&SID=
With that, you would only need to cut one side of each board. Glueup
would probably be a lot easier also... the boards would be less likely
to slide around.
The down side to using a router bit is that you're forced to use a
certain number of boards, although the diameter of the barrel could be
controled by adjusting the width of the boards. With a good table saw
and some math, you could make them however you wanted.
> I am on the verge of purchasing a Delta Unisaw. I am guessing this stable
> saw will give me the precision and consistency that I am looking for.
Don't let me get in the way of a perfecty good excuse to buy a unisaw.
:-) FWIW, i wouldn't hesitate to attempt this on my delta
contractor's saw.
brian