Well now that the major projects for the holiday season are out of the way.  It’s time for a little Shop reflection.  Doing a lot of projects for the holiday season really lets you know what does and doesn’t work in your shop.  Especially, if you have a small shop.  Everything in a small shop needs to be carefully thought out to serve a purpose and use as little space as possible.  Plus, there are the things that have been bothering me for a long time.  It’s a good time to look at all of the issues I have with my shop, and figure out what can be addressed now and what needs to wait.

One thing that is in immediate need is my lumber storage.  My lumber storage consists of two shelf brackets attached to the wall.  Now, this worked well for the first

Well, this year’s holiday season was a productive one in my shop.  I made lots of presents, baby blocks for my twin 1 and 1/2 year old nephews, a bunch of cutting boards, and a couple of other projects that I won’t mention because they’re not done yet.  Yep, that’s right it’s well into January and I am still not done making Christmas gifts.  I tried blaming it on the elves but that didn't work.  So I tried doing something unusual I told them the truth. 

I tried to get them all done on time, but I started to rush and like most people when I rush I make mistakes. Not only in the project, but also in safety.  I get rushing around and don’t put on my respirator, because it is all the way on the other side of the shop.  The floor of the shop looks like a sawdust and scrap wood monster exploded, and tools become strewn all about the shop.  I kept pushing and pushing to make that Dec 25th deadline.  It was the week before Christmas and I started to realize that some of the projects were not going to get done.  And for the first time in that hectic month I looked around at the mess.  The sawdust covering every thing, the scrap wood tripping hazards all over the floor, and the tools left out all over everything.  It was time to step back and take an unsawdust filled breath.  I decided to finish the one project that was almost done. As well as put the finish on the ones that were done.  I told all that were supposed to get presents that they would be late.  They really didn’t mind. I guess no one likes getting presents handed to them from a bloody stump!

Remember when Christmas was fun?  Every year I would get ready for Santa with my Christmas list clenched in my fist.  Mommy, mommy can we send the list.  My mom would always send that list off to Santa for me.  Right there is where my Christmas workload ended.  The only other thing I had to do all season long was to eat Christmas cookies and wait for Santa to arrive.  As I got older and holiday responsibilities increased, Christmas became less magical and more and more a hassle, almost to the point of hatred.   Long lines in that dreaded place called the mall left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and all the Christmas cookies I ate couldn’t wash the taste out of my mouth.   Last year Christmas around my house was hard.  With my mother’s failing health and my hours cut at work I needed a way to get gifts for my nieces and nephews, as well as something to focus my mind on to help relieve the depression from dealing with my mom’s situation.  So, I turned to the shop to help me with both.  I made a couple of projects mainly for my nieces and nephew.  One of my favorite toys as a kid was this block of wood that was turned into a tic tac toe game it had to holes drilled into the side to keep the marbles in.  I made a bunch of those and the kids loved them.  Unfortunately, this Christmas season is no better then last, with the passing of my mother this past summer.  I know this year is going to be hard. So this year once again I turn to my shop for comfort, making hand made gifts for family and friends.  Making gifts instead of buying them seems to have done a couple of things, one it keeps me out of the mall, which is always a good thing, second it has seemed to have restored my faith in Christmas.  And that is the best gift of all.

Let’s see where were we.  Oh yeah I called Shop Fox and I found out that shop fox does not handle their parts they gave me the info on the company that does.  I gave them a call and they were pleasant to deal with.  They helped me with ordering the part.  They only had three left in stock, so I ordered two.  If I didn't order the second part the 1st part would fail, and I would not be able to order a replacement part.  That’s just how my luck rolls.

The part got to my house in 5 days shipped UPS Ground.  I opened up the box and pulled out the bag.  I took out the two spindles and compared them with the original.  Everything matched so I proceeded with the repair. I took one of the two new spindles and set it aside.  The other I put back in the bag and put a little motor oil in the bag and made sure the spindle was covered.  I then sealed the bag. I think that this would do a good job of preventing the part from rusting.  I had already taken the small spindle out of the spindle holder I lubed up the new spindle.  I placed the spindle holder in my face vice and hammered the spindle into the bearing.  When I did this, the top bearing (located on the bottom the spindle is upside down in the vise).  I was not able to get the bearing in easily.

I had to devise a way to reseat the bearing.  My solution was to drill a hole in an MDF block for the shaft to slip through.  I used my face vice like a hydraulic press squeezing and tapping the bearing into place.  This worked.  Once the spindle and bearing were back in place, I could reinsert the clip ring; the clip went on with no problem now that I had the right spindle.

Inserting the spindle assembly back in the press was pretty straightforward.  I attached the spring and gave the handle a try.  I did not have enough tension on the spring to lift the assembly back up after lowering it.  I tightened up the spring and all good. 

I powered up the drill press and hooray a working drill press.  I did without a drill press for quite some time before I bought this press.  Now that I own a drill press it was really difficult to do with out...

I was working on a 35mm lens adapter for a short film I was working on called Two of Hearts.  A romantic comedy about four poker playing friends.  As I was working on the adapter, I was using a drum sander on my shop fox 16-speed bench top drill press to sand a PVC fitting.  I was in a hurry because production was two days away, and I needed to get the adapter up and running as soon as possible.  I was sanding pretty aggressively at high speed and had the drill press table down and was sanding pushing somewhat hard and the chuck and arbor fell out of the spindle.  The chuck and arbor got caught between table and the spindle bending the spindle by the bearing and scaring the crap out of me.

I called grizzly to order the part and customer service was very helpful.  Going back and fourth between the tech people and customer service, we were able to track down a part from another drill press that would work with my machine.  I bought my drill press last summer and have not had it for a year.  So, I was a little surprised that they were no longer making the drill press, and even more suprising, that parts were no longer available.  I just hope nothing else breaks because I might not be able to get parts.

The shipping was straightforward and came to my house in a couple of days.  The part that they sent looked like it would work with my drill press, and was packed in a plastic bag.  I pulled out the part and it looked like it would work in my drill press.

So, I went ahead and started the repair.  I got out my manual, which had the exploded diagram.  I like to think that I am a pretty technical kind of guy.  It took me a while to find the best way to take this thing apart. I realized that taking out the arm assembly first was the best way to go. I undid the screw and removed the spring.  Once the spring and nut were removed the arm assembly slid right out. Leaving the main shaft only being held in place by the depth adjustment screw, once removed the assembly came right out.Removing the spindle from didn't seem difficult but I needed to get the ring clip off the shaft.  I did not have ring-removing pliers so it was off to the big box store.

I had a hard time finding the tool but when I did I treated my self to a foot long hoagie (sub sandwich to the rest of you).

When I returned I was able to get the clip off no problem, and the spindle came right out.  I sat the two spindles side by side to compare them, and everything matched exeped for the length.  I didcided to try it anyway I put the spindle in the shaft and was not able to get the spring clip back on, and the spindle did not go high egnof in the drill press to engage the pulley.

So now what are my options.  Well according to Grizzly I should try calling shop fox directly,  and that's what I did.  So I will leave it there for this week.  Yes this is a two parter.   ( In Batman announcer voice) So tune in next week for the exiting conclusion of My Drill Press Repair! On this woodworking Blog! At the Same Woodworking Time

These last couple of months have been so hectic I have had hardly any shop time what so ever.  I start to long for my shop the way you long for home when you are away for a long time.   Am I alone in this or is it something that happens to every woodworking hobbyist?   I found myself putsing in the shop the other day.  I knew I only had about 20 min so I didn’t want to start anything, I put away a couple of things and then started to plane the edge of a pine scrap board for no reason.  Just decided to make a bunch of shavings with my block plane.  If woodworking is my drug, then going into the shop and planing a board for no reason must be my methadone.  I am curious though; I wonder what others do to get their woodworking fix.  Other then TV and Internet stuff, I think we all do that one let me know.

I saw the plant stand I built for my wife's classroom, and it is a reminder that when you build a item for a specific spot it might not always be in that spot.  Originally, the plant stand was meant to go in-between the back of her desk and the window.  The plant stand was one of my earlier projects, and like many of you I’m sure you pick apart every mistake made on a piece.   What I told my self at the time was don't worry about it no one would ever see it.  The stand will be behind the desk.  Well the wife likes it somewhere else, and that’s ok it's her stand.  Now the plant stand doesn’t have any plants on it, and is prominently displayed in the classroom.  I just have to remember things change.  Just because I built something for a specific place or purpose, doesn’t mean that years down the road it will be doing either of those things.  I need to keep my standards up because some day, the front may be the back.   And if I want to build things that last, I need to build things that change too.

Like so many of us in this struggling to recover economy.  It was difficult to do a lot of holiday shopping this past Christmas season.  The money just wasn’t there.  So what I wound up giving my wife was a lot of promises, promises I am finding difficult to keep.   There were three projects that my wife wanted me to do.  A bookcase for our basement / office area, she is a teacher and could use some more storage (it looks like a library threw up down here, don't tell her that I said that).   A corner kitchen hutch, that she saw while I was watching The New Yankee Workshop, and last but not least two closet organizers for the master bedroom.  We are now in June and I haven’t started working on any of them.   The financial situation is not any better then it was in December.   So what is a loving really good-looking husband to do?   Well I think I have a couple options.  Option 1 is to run away to a cabin in northern Canada where she will be unable to find me.  Option 2 Convince her that I never told her that I would make these projects for her.   Option 3 (the only one that doesn’t result in castration) Scale back the projects.   The corner hutch is a painted project that is made out of butch ply and poplar so that wouldn’t be too bad cost wise.   For the bookcase, I was going to make a solid wood case with glass frame and panel doors in the arts and craft theme.  I think I will be able to scale back on this project.  If I scrap the doors and make the carcass out of oak ply, I will be able to cut down the cost considerably.  And the project that will cost the most the closet organizer.  I could only do her closet, but I think it would be better to do them at the same time so that the wood will match.  This is the one that worries me, so I might have to let this one go.  Well two out of three is not too bad right?  I guess I could always reconsider option 1 and 2, oh wait castration that’s right never mind.

I took some new pictures of my shop.  They are all in the shop section on my blog. The old ones were taken with my cell phone, so the quality was not the best.  Still working out a few things with my blog (trying to get some things with Google search worked out).  I'm having trouble getting this site to show up in Google search. Hope to get this stuff worked out soon.  If anyone can help it would be grately appreaciated.  Also, I have been editing away,  I have taped and edited the shows out of order.  Episode three Welcome To My Mess is in the can, and it looks like episode one My Pine Sented Oasis will be two parts, pretty much because of time.   So keep a look out.

I was fortunate to have participated in the Sawdust Chronicles fall 2009 build challenge.  I built a media center for my wife’s classroom.  It’s a table where kids can sit and listen to music and stories and other activities like that.  They need it moved out of the way, so my wife will be bringing it home for a couple of weeks.  This will give me an opportunity to see how it is faring and fix some things that have been bothering me since the critique for the contest. Neil Lamens Of  http://furnitology.blogspot.com  brought up some design issues with the upper shelf, and I agree.  So, now I will hopefully get a chance to fix them.  I’m not sure what I will do with the upper half to make it more fitting with the lower half.  It will have to be somewhat simple because I don’t have a lot of time and money, we will see.  I am looking forward to it, how often do we get to go back and fix past projects?  I am planning on turning the fixing of the media center into a podcast so look for that in a month or so.