Got Table Saw Skills?

MenacingTourist · Jun 5, 2008

My yearly trip back to Utah (where all my woodworking tools are) has been postponed until sometime next year or later and I'm looking for someone who can trim some lensboards.

These are boards I made myself that fit a Kodak 2D and they now need to fit a Wisner which uses a little smaller lensboard. If needed I can send the one Wisner board I own to ensure an exact match.

There is a somewhat sense of urgency as I'd really like to make some pregnancy portraits of my wife who is getting rather close and is also going to be gone for a month.

I sorely miss my table saw in times like these and am more than willing to talk price with whoever can help me with this.

Thanks,

Alan.

eclarke · Jun 5, 2008

Are there any cabinet shops in Princeton? I think they would be happy to buzz them off for you..EC

bdial · Jun 5, 2008

My saw is up and running. PM me if you like and I'll send you my address, I'm in New Hampshre.
How much needs to be trimmed? It's probably something a cabinet shop could do, for just a few $'s, if any.

Fotoguy20d · Jun 5, 2008

Alan,

I'm in Bergen County. My garage is a bit of a mess at present but in the near term I want to get my table saw out to my garage for the summer. Task number one was going to be making some 4x4 lensboards for my Speed Graphic. I can probably help you out - how soon do you need them?

Thinking about it some more, if it's a light cut, I would probably just do it on the router table.

Dan

epatsellis · Jun 5, 2008

or just use a hand plane laid on it's side, should only take 5 or so mins of not too tiring work.

erie

jonw · Jun 5, 2008

There is a small table saw which is sold by Harbor Frieght for less than $50. I it is about an 8x8 square power saw which I have found is very handie for making lensboards. Hope this option may help you or others which wish to make their own lensboards, but without a large cash outlay. Jon

Fotoguy20d · Jun 5, 2008

jonw said:
There is a small table saw which is sold by Harbor Frieght for less than $50. I it is about an 8x8 square power saw which I have found is very handie for making lensboards. Hope this option may help you or others which wish to make their own lensboards, but without a large cash outlay. Jon

HF makes decent enough stuff for the price (and are now in NJ) - I use one of their drill presses among other things. You can also get a Ryobi 10" TS from Home Depot for $100 - maybe not any better than the HF unit.

Dan

df cardwell · Jun 5, 2008

Go to Woodcraft, have a guy run a nicely tuned Lie-Nielson plane over the board.

If a saw blade isn't just right, you'll trash the board. A good plane makes it easy.

Barry S · Jun 6, 2008

jonw said:
There is a small table saw which is sold by Harbor Frieght for less than $50. I it is about an 8x8 square power saw which I have found is very handie for making lensboards. Hope this option may help you or others which wish to make their own lensboards, but without a large cash outlay. Jon

Thanks! I've been looking for a small inexpensive table saw to fabricate small parts like lensboards and shutter boxes. That seems perfect.

Sparky · Jun 7, 2008

If you want to send me a CAD file or a scan of a measured drawing or something I'd probably be able to knock something off for you - the only problem is I don't have a thickness planer... but maybe it's not a problem. E-mail me and I'm sure we can work it out.

MenacingTourist · Jun 9, 2008

Thanks for the replies everyone. To give an update, I've talked to a few cabinet shops and I'm getting the "$65 per hour" thing. This is what I'd tell someone if I didn't want to bother. I guess I don't blame them since it's kind of a dorky little job.

I'm leaning towards the kindness of others at this point.

Alan.

Jim Fitzgerald · Jun 9, 2008

The harbor freight saw works fine. I used one for parts on the 11x14. Just make sure to get the warranty on this little buggar! I took mine back when it stopped working for no reason and they gave me a new one. This was after some time and no questions. You can cut about 1/4" thick max with the saw. I even used it in my apartment! Made some boards with mine. Good luck!

Jim

paul ron · Jun 10, 2008

Oh just go to HomeDepot and ask the guy to demo a table saw for you. Most HD have one avaialable to rip wood for customers. Be sure to tip the guy too.

richard ide · Jun 10, 2008

I would not let the cretins at Home Despot even touch something I was doing.

MenacingTourist · Jun 16, 2008

Final update

I called a few more local woodworking places and found a guy who perfectly trimmed and rabbited 6 lenboards. He called to tell me they were done about two hours after I dropped them off. He asked for $10 but I gave him $20 since he was so fast and accomidating.

Thanks for all the suggestions and offers of help.

Alan.

bvstaples · Jul 13, 2008

Plans...

Greetings all:

Does anyone know where I can acquire plans for an 8x10 folding field camera? I've got all the equipment and skills needed to make everything, both wood and metal parts, except the bellows, which I would acquire through the auction sites. If I could get a set of plans, rather than going through the excercise of drawing up plans, I could spend my limited time on construction.

Thanks in advance.

BVStaples

Steve Smith · Jul 13, 2008

Have a look here: http://www.raymentkirbycameras.co.uk/

Not a full set of plans but some very detailed instructions and sketches. Based on 5x4 but could easily be scaled up to 10x8.

Go to the 'Workshop' section and look through all the pages for inspiration.

Steve.

barryjyoung · Jul 20, 2008

bvstaples said:
Greetings all:

Does anyone know where I can acquire plans for an 8x10 folding field camera? I've got all the equipment and skills needed to make everything, both wood and metal parts, except the bellows, which I would acquire through the auction sites. If I could get a set of plans, rather than going through the excercise of drawing up plans, I could spend my limited time on construction.

Thanks in advance.

BVStaples

Hello:

I sell a set of plans for an 8x10 folding field camera. Please email me off list at barryjyoung@yahoo.com if you are interested. Thank you.

Greg_E · Jul 20, 2008

I was in Harbor Freight the other day and looked at that saw, it is the cutest little thing I've seen in some time. The also have a tiny little cut-off saw that I'm going to pick up for some metal work I need to do.

Kilgallb · Jul 20, 2008

I took a lens board to one of those custom u-frame it shops. They can use that little picture frame chop saw to trim small pieces accurately.

jimgalli · Jul 20, 2008

You should just go to harbor freight or Sears (does Sears still sell this stuff?) and get a router table with a cheap router and a fence. You can quickly trim all 4 sides and flip them over to put the new recess in. It will cost less than paying someone else to do it.

Fotoguy20d · Jul 20, 2008

jimgalli said:
You should just go to harbor freight or Sears (does Sears still sell this stuff?) and get a router table with a cheap router and a fence. QUOTE]

I have a Sears Router Table with Skil router. The table is one of Sears' better ones. But, I went to use it to trim up a board for a miniature graphic the other day and found the opening in the fence was too wide for the board. They give you filler rings for the table but not for the fence (unless I've lost them). I'm going to make an auxilliary fence I can attach to the one on the table to make the opening smaller or better yet variable. Should take care of it.

Dan

jimgalli · Jul 20, 2008

Fotoguy20d said:
jimgalli said:

You should just go to harbor freight or Sears (does Sears still sell this stuff?) and get a router table with a cheap router and a fence. QUOTE]

I have a Sears Router Table with Skil router. The table is one of Sears' better ones. But, I went to use it to trim up a board for a miniature graphic the other day and found the opening in the fence was too wide for the board. They give you filler rings for the table but not for the fence (unless I've lost them). I'm going to make an auxilliary fence I can attach to the one on the table to make the opening smaller or better yet variable. Should take care of it.

Dan

Click to expand...

Mine found me used from God knows where and the fence is long lost. I just clamp another piece of wood with a striaght edge where it needs to be and have at it. I also cut and / or enlarge my holes in the boards with this thing freehand which is dangerous as hell. I count my fingers when I'm done. So far so good. I have a 3/4" Carbide cutter and it never gets changed.

Fotoguy20d · Jul 20, 2008

I have an under $50 Harbor Freight drill press and a set of their forstner bits for cutting the lens openings (I drill undersize and then use a dremel to open them up if necessary). My router bits are a set of something like 15 carbide bits from HF at under $30. Their stuff is fine for light use - I can't imagine a contracter using it.

barryjyoung · Jul 20, 2008

Greg_E said:
I was in Harbor Freight the other day and looked at that saw, it is the cutest little thing I've seen in some time. The also have a tiny little cut-off saw that I'm going to pick up for some metal work I need to do.

My wife has one of those saws. They are not worth the cost to have them hauled away. The blade depth adjustment is done by loosening a wing nut then sliding the table up and down in a cast guide. The table flexes, the blade flexes. Nothing ever repeats. They are nearly impossible to adjust. A Dremel table saw would be MUCH better. I made my first cameras and lensboards on a Dremel table saw. Dremel saws are now going for big bucks on Ebay however. If you have room, virtually any other table saw besides the mini saw from HF is a good choice by comparison. The mini chop saw you mentioned is a much better tool but also suffers from flexing.

I think that the ultimate setup for someone tight on space would be a minilathe with a saw arbor and an adjustable table. It seems like most of the small saw manufacturers think small needs to mean junk.

Got Table Saw Skills?

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