Archive for the ‘Tools’ Category:
It has been a year since I got started remodeling my shop. I haven’t exactly finished with what I had in mind, but then I think a guy’s shop is always under construction. I have completed the basics and have made some nice projects as well as continuing to make the improvements I set out to complete. With that said, there is one area I have completed that has been a little more than disappointing… Dust Collection.
My shop is fairly small and I really didn’t have the budget to buy some large cyclone and really go overboard with the collection. I purchased a fairly standard 2hp collector that should be plenty for my shop. I installed the collector in a small room in the corner of my shop and ran 4″ black hose through the wall to one of the trash can separator lids. Out of the lid, I ran 4″ hose about 18′ down the wall and put a Y at each machine with a plastic blast gate. Each machine is on wheels or a mobile base and is very easy to pull out for use.
This is where my disappointment comes in…These blast gates clog with wood chips in no time and render the collector almost useless. When the gates stop closing all the way due to the chips, the effectiveness of the collector is greatly reduced.
I did a little research (I wish I had done more research when I first bought all my equipment) and found these self-cleaning gates through Lee Valley.
The main problem with the plastic gates is that wood chips and sawdust get caught in the grooves which prevent the gate from sliding closed all the way. With the Lee Valley self-cleaning gates, the grooves or channels go all the way through the gate allowing chips to be cleared out as the gate closes. They also have a knob that you can tighten to lock down the gate to keep it in the open or closed position.
I have just installed these gates as of this morning, but so far I am thrilled with them. The increased performance of my system is more than noticeable, it is like I installed a new system.
The Lee Valley gates are steel and cast aluminum as well as about $7 higher than the plastic gates, but I think they will more than pay for themselves just in cleaning time and frustration.
The first photo below shows the old gates installed in the system. The second photo are the plastic gates after removal. This is as far as they could close due to the chips wedged in the gate channel. The last two photos are of the new gates installed in the system.
Share on Facebook
I mentioned in a post a couple of weeks ago about picking up an HVLP turbine unit at Harbor Freight. I picked the unit up for somewhere around $65 (normally $89.99 but had a 20% off coupon and I think it was on sale on top of that) and as far as I can tell it is the exact same unit that Rockler sells for $120+. (**NOTE As I am typing this, I see that the Rockler unit is on sale for $89.99).
Now I am no expert on spray systems or even spraying for that matter, but I was looking to get into spraying and learn without making a big investment until I figure out what I am doing. I originally planned to buy the $340 Earlex Spray Station Pro and I probably still will, but I wanted to get my feet wet and make sure that was the direction I wanted to go before making more of a commitment. In my book $65 is a very reasonable cost to get started and if the unit wasn’t all that great, I wouldn’t have wasted a ton of money.
So this past weekend I finally put some finish through the thing. I was very pleasantly surprised. It came with 3 needles and tips (1.0mm, 1.5mm and 1.8mm) and after determining that the water based lacquer I was spraying needed the smaller needle set, I was on my way to spraying my test pieces.
I divided a board into two parts. On one side I applied water based grain filler followed by wb stain, a seal coat of shellac and then the lacquer finish. On the other side, I applied wb stain followed by grain filler, more wb stain a shellac seal coat and then the wb lacquer finish. I completed the extra stain step on one side because I wasn’t sure about the grain filler filling the pores and not allowing the stain to penetrate. The test piece turned out great and the gun sprayed flawlessly (to my untrained eye) as long as you cut down on the fluid control adjustment. I have posted some pictures of the unit along with the test board for reference.
I have sprayed another test piece in which I simply went with water based grain filler to water based stain and then straight to water based lacquer. It turned out great as well and will most likely be my preferred method for the finish job I have ahead of me.
I can only speak from my limited experience, but this unit was a joy to use and I will use it often. As I said previously, I will still probably buy the Earlex in the future mainly because of the stainless steel parts (compared to brass and plastic on the HF unit), but this unit might delay my purchase and allow me to focus funds toward other things like nicely figured wood for awhile. Overall I say if you are new to spray finishing, you can’t go wrong with this unit (or the Rockler unit for that matter).
Share on Facebook
All I can say is WoW! I received this via FedEx after ordering from Woodcraft on Black Friday. I have been looking at it for about 3 months or so, but I finally pulled the trigger. I honestly don’t know what took me so long… I wish I had ordered it the moment I saw it. Compared to the other guides, it is very reasonably priced at $120.00. After putting it together, it was dead on right out of the box. I absolutely love the flip stop that extends out to 42 inches, the longest I have found. I really don’t have anything bad to say at all, but then I’ve only used it for 1 day so far…if something comes up, I’ll be sure to post an update. Back to making cabinets for now…
Share on Facebook
