- Joined
- Jun 29, 2014
- Messages
- 4,078
This has been a COVID project for me and it is 95% finished. I had to put it aside for some other projects and is fully functional as is. I need to bolt down and level the mill to the top and eventually build some doors for the sides and front.
This is a mix of various hardwoods from oversize pallets that were used for transported sheet steel. The top and legs are laminated sections. The shelves are glued up from the pallet slats. I wanted to be able to store at least what I have for tooling and clamping for the mill. There are a couple of spare chucks thrown in there for ballast for the time being.
My first foray into woodworking in a serious manner. I used only handtools since I don't have dust collection and I really hate cleaning. No power tools were used in this case. I probably have 100 hrs. into this but I learned basic joinery, glue-up techniques, squaring up boards, sharpening tools and I even made my own beeswax and linseed oil finish for the top just for fun.
The unit weighs about 80-90 lbs. by my estimate.
The right side will be populated with dowels for hanging the cutters used on the mill. There is a recessed panel in the back of the unit where I will eventually place a coolant tank and pump. I know that the mill is capable of holding coolant in the base, but this seems like it would be easier to fit up, monitor and maintain.
This was fun. I really found that I enjoy woodworking - especially hand planing and getting wood damn square and precise. I made a bunch of mistakes and some of them are visible in the photos but I don't really care. I have a nice mill stand now for my Atlas that doesn't wobble when I turn the hand wheels.
This is a mix of various hardwoods from oversize pallets that were used for transported sheet steel. The top and legs are laminated sections. The shelves are glued up from the pallet slats. I wanted to be able to store at least what I have for tooling and clamping for the mill. There are a couple of spare chucks thrown in there for ballast for the time being.
My first foray into woodworking in a serious manner. I used only handtools since I don't have dust collection and I really hate cleaning. No power tools were used in this case. I probably have 100 hrs. into this but I learned basic joinery, glue-up techniques, squaring up boards, sharpening tools and I even made my own beeswax and linseed oil finish for the top just for fun.
The unit weighs about 80-90 lbs. by my estimate.
The right side will be populated with dowels for hanging the cutters used on the mill. There is a recessed panel in the back of the unit where I will eventually place a coolant tank and pump. I know that the mill is capable of holding coolant in the base, but this seems like it would be easier to fit up, monitor and maintain.
This was fun. I really found that I enjoy woodworking - especially hand planing and getting wood damn square and precise. I made a bunch of mistakes and some of them are visible in the photos but I don't really care. I have a nice mill stand now for my Atlas that doesn't wobble when I turn the hand wheels.