New Tools and Techniques

It's been a while since my last post and a lot has been going on in the shop. I've added a couple new tools in preparation for my next project.

The first new addition is a band saw. There are any number of uses for a band saw, including ripping and cross cutting, but I usually accomplish those operations with the table saw, miter saw or radial arm saw. Where the band saw stands out in making curved cuts and resawing, and these are the reasons behind the purchase.



Like a jig saw, a band saw will cut curves, only with more accuracy and less blade deflection. My saw accepts blades as narrow as 1/8", which allows curves of approximately that radius. Unlike a jigs saw or scroll saw, the band saw blade moves in only one direction: down, through the table, so there's no chance of kick back.

Another useful feature of the band saw is it's ability to resaw. Resawing is the operation of ripping boards into thinner boards. This is useful for making narrow pieces without wasting large quantities of wood in the thickness planer. It's very useful for making veneers, which is something I plan to do often now that I have the capability.

The other new acquisition is vacuum press. In woodworking, a vacuum press can be a very useful tool for veneering, laminating curved forms, powering vacuum clamps for templates, hold-downs and jigs, infusing pigments and who knows what else. I bought my system as a kit from Joewoodworker.com. Check out there site for lots of info and ideas about veneering and vacuum presses.



My first use for the press was to power a vacuum clamp which held my resaw fence in place while resawing veneers. This proved very useful since clamping the fence to my band saw table proved cumbersome and difficult to adjust otherwise. The vacuum clamp solved the problem easily.

The next use for the vacuum pump was veneering. My latest project calls for plywood parts 12' long. Not an off-the-shelf material. But by laminating layers of thin plywood with overlapping joints in a shop made vacuum bag, I was able to make my own relatively easily. Then I used the press and bag again to veneer my band sawn veneers to the plywood, creating 12' long white oak plywood.




The vacuum press only took a couple hours to make, and the 12' vacuum bag took a bit longer (I recommend starting with something smaller for your first time), but once complete, both will serve me for quite a long time. And by making the bag in the shop it cost me less the $100, not including labor.

Since a 12' long vacuum bag is unwieldy and far more than I'll typically need, I also bought a 4'x4' bag (pre-made) to accommodate more typical projects I anticipate.