Thursday, June 30, 2011

Band Saws and Burls

 So I love living where I can get good wood cheap. I got a truck load of maple and cherry burls for 120 bucks.  What can I say I am a sucker for a nice load of wood.  So what am I to do... get a band saw of coarse.  Amazon to the rescue, I ordered a Powermatic PM1800.  It is one bad ass saw, 5HP motor 18 inch resaw height and 18 inch width of cut.  Combine it with a Laguna tools re-saw king (carbide band saw blade) and you have a wicked burl slicing veneer making machine.
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Organic grapes

So we keep adding more grapes each year, we have a about 300 in the ground now.  I had intended to do them no spray but the upkeep is just too much so I broke down and burned down the grass under them with glyphosate this morning.  I did not really want to do this but the up keep was just killing me.  Mowing between rows is not to bad but running a weed eater around all the grapes is a major pain in the butt.  I find I am using more and more 2,4 D ad gluphosate.  I just saves so much time that I have less and less of.  I love my Kubota B6100 for work around the grapes.  It is only about 4.5ft wide so it fits down the 8 foot rows with ease.  The 60 gallon sprayer works just fine on it, the front end gets pretty light with the sprayer above about 45 gallons but hey that's what differential brakes are for.  Technorati Tags:
  

Two Days At Festool

I just spent two days at Festool in Lebanon, Indiana and had a blast!  They have wicked cool tools and the people there are super nice.  What really blew me away was the CEO popped in on the class.... let me say that again the CEO of the company popped in to say hi during the class.  What other large company would the CEO stop in on an end user class.

The class I took was advanced router techniques but the class should really be called things you can't do with any other router.  The routers are top notch but the accessories make them killer tools.  This class was my first exposure to the True 32 method for cabinet construction.  Quick summery True 32 is a European system where all things are metric and in increments of 32mm.  I cannot convey how easy this building method is to use.  Enough waxing the virtue of True 32 back on topic. O just a bit more Festool's LR 32 works with True 32 and makes drilling shelf pins and hinges super easy.  Its pricy but well worth it,  no crappy pin jigs or fumbling with hinge placement.  It makes setting the reveal for Blum hinges super easy. 

I could go on and on about True 32 but that is for another post.  On to the routers, I got to use the MFK 700, OF 1010, OF 1400 and OF 2200.  They are listed them in order of wattage and in order we got to play with them.  The MFK 700 is in the wattage class of laminate trimmers but calling it a trimmer is an insult.  The 700 comes with two bases one is a 1.5 degree base and the other is a 90 degree base.  The 1.5 degree base makes trimming edge banding stupid easy.  I am not just talking about the iron on banding for plywood.  We trimmed 10mm  thick cherry banding on a peace of maple plywood.  The cherry makes for a really nice contrast effect and gives the ply added strength but also gives you the option for running a round over on the edge for a nice effect.  The OF 1010 may be the prefect router. The 1010 is light handles really well and is easy to control.  I liked the OF 1400 it is basically an OF 1010 that grew up.  If I were forced to only own one router it would be an OF1400.  One look at the OF 2200 and you know this is one bad ass tool.  It is heavy, almost 20 lbs which put me off at first but it serves to dampen the vibrations caused by a large bit.  I love its one handed locking mechanism, it makes for easy plunge cuts and fast clean up cuts.  Speaking of clean up cuts, the depth control on all the Festool routers are crazy accurate.  The resolution on the adjustment is 0.1mm or 1/256th of an inch, yes 1/256th of an inch. What other router lets you dial in the exact depth to such a precise level.  Making repeatable datos and blind dovetails are a peace of cake.

I could go on and on and on waxing the virtues of the Festool products so I will leave you with some pictures of the class.  
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Monday, June 27, 2011

Glyphosate and Tomatos

So.. I found out that glyphosate and tomatoes don't play nice. I was burning down what is now pasture to turn into garden next year with 1.5% glyphosate. It drifted about 150 feet and yellowed the new growth on about 40 tomatoes. I was not happy about this! It hit the Brandywines the worst. I think the plants will survive but will be stunted. One of those deals it had been raining for so long I just wanted to get it out during a day or two of sun shine.   


The only easy day was yesterday

  In addition to farming I am working on getting a wood shop going. I am focusing on cabinets and moldings.  It's making for really long days but so far things are going well.  Makes for a some quiet idiot free time.  Trying to keep my sanity with three young kids and my mother in law in the same house is difficult.  The work day starts at 6:00-6:30 and usually finishes about 8 that night.  To say I am exhausted is an under statement, my mantra is the only easy day was yesterday.