Love the hardware weigh-down boxes. I laughed so hard when you quipped, "You never will, of course, but at least you won't feel guilty about it." That was so hilarious because its so true! Love your videos. Very informative and professional. Thank you and keep'em coming.
Holey crap this was a good video! I've watched woodworking on RU-vid for several years DAILY and I appreciate the time and effort you've spent making this video AND researching/studying your craft. I'm now a subscriber because of this one video. Thank you.
I keep coming back to your videos. They are great. You are a combination of my 1988 HS Industrial Arts Woodworking Teacher (4 yrs) and my Band Teacher (3 yrs). You are the epitome of 'Form Follows Function.' Life Imitates Art... You simplify complex concepts SO well. Bravo. Please keep making more.
Thank you again for sharing so many really helpful ideas/plans and your priceless experience. I tend to notice conditions of the walls/floors etc of the shops people work in when making their videos and for me, the credibility is always higher when the shop is orderly/organized, clean and safe and you sir are a great example. And thank you so much for not hurting our ears with the “uhhh’s”, “and um’s” etc. You know what you are saying, the direction you are going and obviously an orderly train of thought.
Thank you for the kind words. I firmly believe that a shop should be a place where you like to spend time, and order is a desirable working environment. As for the uhhs and ums, our videos are scripted specifically to pack as much information into as few words as possible. I've written dozens of books and hundreds of articles back when people used to read to glean their information, so I know how to tell a woodworking story -- and I appreciate that you appreciate the amount of work and experience this requires.
Your comment about my "dominant pack rat gene" is so on the money that I broke out laughing. Thanks for another useful device presented in a marvelous video.
Good stuff, all. If you ask at the tire shop you can often get all the used wheel weights you can carry off for free. Even the rim of a space-saver spare can make a good base for a roller stand or bench grinder pedestal if you'll use silicone sealant to fix a particle board round to the bottom and fill the void with wheel weights. Be sure to take your own containers because you and anyone else can't carry a 5 gallon bucket half full of wheel weights.
I LOLed at using hardware odds and ends as ballast for the stand. Have you been looking in my fasteners drawer? In any event, I will add this as a future shop project.
You are such a wealth of knowledge! These stands are ingenious and thanks for always sharing a lot of great tips along the way too. Your beautiful dog wanted to play so badly, always standing there with a toy......so cute!
Thanks for the kind words, but you should understand that border collies are bred to work, not play. Frisbee is what Bella does for a living. I often think I should have taught her to sand instead of chase flying discs, but then my shop would just be a pile of sawdust.
Again, another great video!!! You are an amazing person Nick!! Thank you so much for your efforts and information on building a very versatile and valuable tool. I was considering making some simple saw horses, however this is by far a better option to build. I will definitely build a few of these and implement them into my arsenal of useful tools. I can't praise you enough for showing us such a wonderful and useful way to have that third hand in place. Please continue creating content to help people like me, it is definitely appreciated. Thank you again and I will see you in the next one.💯😁
So, I finally made one of these with two support head types. Absolutely love it! Especially the adjustability, which is much easier to get a precise position than commercial models. Thanks!
I made something similar to this a while back. Since I was cheap when buying the roller balls, they didn't roll smooth. I replaced them with small swivel casters. Worked much better. I like a lot of your design. I'm going to redo mine with your ideas. Thanks
Clever. I like the idea of the micro adjustment block. I can see it also used to keep the head of the stand from slowly lower, especially if your milling heavy stock.
Nice shop stands I had to skip this because I was busy then forgot about it lucky RU-vid good at still sending recommendations. Put the video in my save box for later very useful roller stands especially the outfeed attachments. You could also to the long router job with a hand router and guild.
Here I am; a beautiful sunny day in a Kent, England; having my first cup of tea and slowly coming together before I take the dogs out for a walk. A few minutes of peace and tranquility before the noise of the day. I take a quick look at YT and can’t resist a new video from WC. Suddenly, I’m not relaxed; I’m thinking; I’m drawing; I’m rushing to go into the shop. Thank you very much WC for ruining my morning tranquility. (That’s a joke but true for those who have lost a sense of humour) One more essential video not only for those establishing their workshop but also for those experienced woodworkers who are clever enough to know you can always learn so,etching and you can always improve something. As someone else has said, a folding base would be good. In fact, for me, it’s an essential. Currently, I’ve got 4 or those metal supports where the thin legs pivot to close or open to provide 2 x “T legs”. They are better than nothing but, not by much. I’m now thinking how I could take your design and make a folding base. The best way for me would be for the stem to hinge at the base. I don’t need variable degrees of slope between the base and stem - only zero or 90. So, do I have the 2 pieces (stem and foot) entirely separate and slot the stem(with a mortise at the bottom) onto to a tenon on the base; possibly but I would be worried about stability. I think I’m going to have to build one as a trial. I would also need a couple who are much taller than another pair. The height difference between drill stand and the lowest setting on my planer/thicknesser is too great to hope that one saw stand could do both.
The easiest way to make these stands break down for storage would be to make the lap joint in the "T" bolt-able; don't glue it. However, the idea of actually storing a saw stand in my shop is unimaginable -- they are always in use.
@@WorkshopCompanion I have 2 third-hands already. The first results from having my son in the workshop with me virtually all the time (currently we are part way through installing a lot of 2nd fix in a barn we are converting: perhaps 1,000 metres of prime European oak) - so, I am either his third hand or vice versa. The second is that I bought an electric height adjustable table (think Felder FAT 300 but electric) and made a torsion box with castors on the bottom and a torsion box for the top with an MDF style top. That wheels around to be an in-feed table, out-feed table, second workbench, stand for when we want something from the high storage - and a few things more. Currently, my 4 inferior metal saw stands get reasonable use but are stored away a good 50%of the time. Just a further example that everyone works in different ways and has differing demands for any piece of equipment. In any case nobody could do better than watch your videos and think about the “lessons” being presented. Please carry on
I've been on a new kick lately...how light can I make things. I sure get the advantage of using 3/4" ply. But when I made portable miter saw table extension and stops I used some 1/4" ply I had. It's nice that it's so light. Plus I just like figuring out the design. Seems that 90% of my projects are just making tools, remodeling my shop. I like that.
Great instructional Nick. When I built an outfeed stand I upcycled the platten from an old printer for the roller. Just needed to buy the roller bearings.
Thanks. This has been on my build list. I have commercial roller stands I don't like, mostly because they have 4 legs and rock a lot, and they are hard to adjust accurately. You gave me a couple of additional ideas to incorporate into my design.
I saw somewhere in the comments that someone referred to Nick as the Bob Ross of woodworking... I couldn't agree more. There's a calmness to these videos that's unmatched. Please keep up the awesome work!!
Fantastic, Nick! Thanks a lot! 😃 An interesting idea would be making at least the feet out of PVC pipes. Because, then, you can put sand inside them for the weight! Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Not only was your video informative and fun to watch, it gave me a chuckle at the end. I'm hoping you enjoyed your lasagna with a nice chewy ciabatta, focaccia, or a simple garlic bread.
Wow...I am just getting into woodworking and for me it helps to have a physical book to look at. So I went to a second hand bookstore and found a ton of your books! I bought 4 of them and love the projects and instructions in them. I saw this video and thought "hey he must have seen that book too." Nope your the writer! Thank you for your books and attention to detail in the instructions and illustrations in the books!
If you don't already have it, get a used copy of "Woodworking Wisdom." That's the book where I rolled up all the "core knowledge" in my other books and put it in single volume. Easily the most useful book I've ever written. We're about to come out with a PDG version for our store.
Love it - thanks much. I've purchased the plans (and some others of yours!) and hope to make it soon. I'm a relatively new beginner, so it will be a fun challenge. One suggestion: A supply list on your plans would be helpful also. Many thanks.
You're most welcome. Several viewers have asked about cutting lists and materials lists, and their omission is not an oversight. Years of teaching has proven to me that the "recipe" approach to project plans is a disservice to a craftsman in several ways. All the information you need to create a materials list and a cutting list is in the drawings -- they follow standard engineering formats. Making your own lists forces you to think through the project before you even buy the wood, consider alterations and substitutions, and create a plan of procedure that works for you. More importantly, it enables you to decide whether or not you have the required tools, skills, and funds needed to accomplish the project. And lastly, it requires that you be able to read plans (and, by extension, sketch your own). This is a skill so basic to good woodworking that it's right up there with sharpening and swearing.
Hi Nick, great video. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and skills with us in such an enjoyable way. BTW, as I purchased your plans for the support stand and was saving the PDF to my hard drive I noticed that I'd also saved an older article on a support stand from Popular Woodworking - not really needing a stand at the time, but tucked away for future reference since it looked so useful. Lo and behold, as I reread that old article I noticed it was a slightly younger Nick with an earlier version of this stand. Your excellent humor was evident then as well. I'm glad to have these new-and-improved plans and will build a couple of these soon as I really need them now - honest! Thanks again.
Most welcome. All of my shop jigs and fixtures have gone through an evolution. As I've used them, I discovered ways to make them more capable, rebuilt them, and started the process all over again. Some of these tools have gone though a dozen evolutionary cycles over the last fifty years, getting better as they go. Wish I could say the same for my jokes.
From Australia... Thanks for the great video Nick. So many useful ideas come to mind after watching your channel. Great to see your Kelpie helping you also. Have you thought about using sand in your boxes, or even mixed concrete. I'm eagerly looking forward to your next video. Cheers.
She does look like a Kelpie, doesn't she? Actually, Bella is a "red" short-haired border collie, somewhat shy and very persistent. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a little dingo in there somewhere. And I did mention sand and gravel, but concrete would do just as well if not better.
Mark Twain tells that he once had the lumbago, and a doctor advised him to stop smoking, drinking, swearing, and eating rich foods. He did so, "..and the lumbago became discouraged and left me." Later he encountered an elderly woman whose health was failing and he advised her to do the same. "Mr. Twain," she exclaimed in protest. "I have never smoked or let alcohol pass my lips. I would never take the name of the Lord in vain, and I eat very modestly." Twain was at a loss. "Well, there you have it. She was like a sinking ship with nothing to throw overboard," he warned us. "She had neglected her vices."
@@WorkshopCompanion Don't know about other people, but I can sense more than but also imagination in the things you do. I enjoy your videos and your approach to your work and designs.
That rag is the remains of the soft Frisbee that Bella carries around much the same way a small child holds onto a bedraggled but much-loved blanket. Using it for dusting or polishing would be out of the question for many reasons, not the least of which is because dog slobber has yet to prove itself as a reliable polishing compound.
@@WorkshopCompanion Oh that is so funny. Love your sense of humor. I have 4 dogs myself one of which is also named Bella. They make my day every day - that is when I am not watching you on youtube which makes my day any time.
@@MystiqueULH You're very kind. Another dog person once told me that dog owners tend to be a bit kinder than the general public because they are constantly striving to be the person their dogs think they are.
@@WorkshopCompanion I have to agree because they have a way to lay a guilt trip on me when I don't feel like going out and play with them either cause it's too hot, too cold or raining/snowing and it works every time but afterwards I get cuddles and kisses - I'd feel guilty if I didn't cause they give so much unconditional love without asking for anything but food and a bit of my time.
Love the design Nick! Also love your modified Shopsmith sanding station. I always suspected you were the "clever craftsman" mentioned in your Workshop Companion series.😉
Very nice design. Great presentation. I wonder if the base could be modified to allow the tripod base to fold up for low-foot print storage? Perhaps by rotating the pedestal 180 degrees, keeping it centered on the center point, and making one of the bolts removable, would allow the orthogonal foot to fold flat against the pedestal.
Perhaps. But in fifty years of designing, building, and using saw stands, I can't remember a single time I ever put in storage." They are always in use.
@@WorkshopCompanion On the chance I miscommunicated my original questions, I was exploring ways these very nice stands could work in my garage, and NOT suggesting improvements for your shop. I have been the recipient of some very sharp suggestions on how I should run my own shop. I know what it's like.
I’m too lazy to build such nice things. Even if I did in not worthy of them. For me and my 1920s garage floor (same tectonic plate?) it’s a couple of Harbor Freight roller stands, shims, and sand bags.
@17:25 "Thanks to our dominate pack rat gene." - The best joke I have ever heard on RU-vid. Also, these stands are amazing. Can't wait to make them soon. They won't be as pretty as yours though.
Mr. Engler, first another great video and very nice engineering with the different heads and accessories. And second, I usually check the links for more information on something and one of your links results in a "Page Not Found"! And unfortunately it's your RU-vid home page, (the one that ends with channel/UCK48.) Just thought you might like to know that, again great video!
Nick, just downloaded the plans, hoping to see what Wood Stock you used and the Roller Ball Sizes, but alas, I don’t see any info for them. Can you hint to us/me what wood you used and the roller sizes, or where you got them? Love the Humor! Mike
The roller ball sizes are completely up to you. Many woodworkers prefer 5/8" (16 mm) balls because they are less expensive and you can pack them closer together. I prefer 1" (25 mm) because they are less susceptible to sawdust. You can buy both 5/8" and 1" transfer bearings from Amazon. As for the wood, this too is your choice; all you need is some 3/4" (19 mm) stock. For jigs and fixtures, I prefer ash because of it's stability and durability. But you may not want to go to that expense. Construction-grade yellow pine would be fine provided you let it shop-dry for a few weeks to make it stable enough to work. (Two weeks of shop drying for 3/4" stock, 4-6 weeks for 1-1/2". Stack it horizontally with stickers in between and plenty of weight on top to keep it from warping.) Scraps of plywood would do just as well, if not better. And they don't have to shop dried.
Hoarding behavior, or caching as it's called by zoologists, is common in many bird and rodent species, not just pack rats, but also squirrels, mice, and hamsters. Hamsters, in fact, engage in a distinct type hoarding of called "larder caching" in which they store their entire hoard in their nest. Geneticists contend that there is only a 1% difference between the DNA of a human and a chimpanzee. I submit that there may be a much closer relationship between a woodworker and a hamster...;-)
