# Bee shop in progress



## cbay (Mar 27, 2017)

After making around a 100 plywood nucs with a 100 dollar cheap table saw i finally made the jump to a good one.
Wow what a difference!! 
Between that and a new sliding miter i'm blown a way with what these two tools can do. 

























Excited about getting going with building my bee shop and had to share. Any advice on shop related stuff feel free to share!


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

My stuff is not as high class but even getting it was exciting and so I understand wanting to share. I am not a good wood worker and so about the only tip I could give is that you will probly get more use out of the things you have bought then you would if you would have spent your money on say a treadmill or work out station.
Cheers
gww


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## cbay (Mar 27, 2017)

gww said:


> My stuff is not as high class but even getting it was exciting and so I understand wanting to share. I am not a good wood worker and so about the only tip I could give is that you will probly get more use out of the things you have bought then you would if you would have spent your money on say a treadmill or work out station.
> Cheers
> gww


gww i assure you there is not much high class around here. Aside of my bows and a few guns i keep things on the thrift side. This was definitely a one time deal i plan on using till i'm gone. 
I didn't really know enough to shop for a used one. Nobody in my world works with wood so i was on my own with this stuff. Dewalt has one i was going to get but this one was less than 200 more and seemed like a much better saw.


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## GarrickG (Nov 29, 2014)

(You must be a lefty...) If you'' re left handed all is good. I, as a righty, would want the stops on the left side of your sliding compound miter saw.


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## cbay (Mar 27, 2017)

GarrickG said:


> (You must be a lefty...) If you'' re left handed all is good. I, as a righty, would want the stops on the left side of your sliding compound miter saw.


Ha. I'm a righty, and you are right. I wish i had put the miter station on the other end of the bench.


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## justin (Jun 16, 2007)

i had an older version of both those tools and loved both, especially the grizzly. be careful of your cut-offs, it is a powerful saw. Have you gotten a dado blade yet?


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## cbay (Mar 27, 2017)

justin said:


> i had an older version of both those tools and loved both, especially the grizzly. be careful of your cut-offs, it is a powerful saw. Have you gotten a dado blade yet?


Yes, got a dado set when i got the saw. Tried making first hive with it yesterday. Not the cleanest cuts and had to re-arrange the spacers and then it was better.
That dado blade is a little intimidating and looks like it will take some time to figure out depth and getting the boxes joined right.
A bee came in the shop and was buzzing around the light bulb right above me and would ya know it just as i was half way through a dado cut the bee landed on my hand and there went the board.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Cbay
I have one or two little tips that could be considered good or bad depending on your personality and your ability to stand a little cluster insted of neatness.

Lots of times for things I make a lot of, I will make little short cut pieces so that I don't have to get out a measuring tape. If I am making frame side bars, I will keep one that is good and then I can set it over the blade and bring the blade up to it to get my depth. If I am making frame rest on the boxes, I will make them with two cuts. 

So what I do is set my fence at 3/8th inch and lower my blade where I know it will not go too deep and then hold the board edge ways and make a cut. Then I will set my fence to some where close (a little less than) 1/8 under the measure I need (for the rest that would be 5/8th) and with the blade down and raising it only slowly, I will make a coupe cutts till the depth is to the 3/8 of my very first cut using the first cut as a rough guide. It sounds like a lot but I have found that it is quicker then raising the blade and using a tape measure. 

I make my hand holds with a dado cut and make that cut deaper then other dado cuts that would be normal. I will take a board that is about 3/4 inch wide and make several dado cuts of differrent depths that I use and then leave it near and so I just pick that stick up and put it over the dado on the depth I want rather then use a measure tape. I don't know if you can even understand what I said but you will find little short cuts that work for you as you go along.

I hope I did not just waste your time. Good luck
gww


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## Hogback Honey (Oct 29, 2013)

Nice, and nice set up, I am envious!


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## cbay (Mar 27, 2017)

gww said:


> Cbay
> If I am making frame rest on the boxes, I will make them with two cuts.
> gww


Do you do it with two cuts because it is easier for the saw to get through or to work up to your measurement?
Reason i ask is because when making the 3/4" Rabbit the saw grinds pretty hard and being new to this i'm pushing down really hard - like i'm not sure if it will get away from me or not.
Was thinking of doing it in two passes and hoping it would make it easier?
When making the 5/8" frame rests it is going with the grain and not as wide and the saw goes through it very well.

Thanks for the info. My local bee guy is becoming a good friend and he had given me a template with the two dado cuts i would be using. Had no idea what it was for but already discovered it's use for setting the depth last night.


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## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

Very nice! I try to buy the best tools I can afford and it is always worth it in time energy and results. Enjoy.J


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Cbay
I do it with two cuts so that I can use a regular blade rather then put a dado on. I have a differrent saw that I leave a 3/8th dado on all the time and even when I need a wider dado for like bottom boards I just make two passes on the dado. I did not have a dado for quite some time and made multiple passes with a normal blade to make my dado cuts. I now have a freud dado but still don't like changing the blades. Part is because I hardly ever make more then 4 of anything at a time. This makes for slower building but keeps the boardom factor at a min.

I have never cut a frame rest with a dado and I am basically doing a box type joint for my boxes where I cut out 3/4 x 3/8th off the ends of my short side of my boxes and cut the long boards of my boxes at 19 and 1/8th rather then 19 and 7/8th. I have did finger joints but have decided that I like what I do better and I make up for it with tons of bradds. Then I don't have to change the blade or use a sled jig to build boxes.

So, It depends on if you want absolutly top of the line stuff or stuff that works just fine but may not be quite as strong. I also don't use glue or paint. I may be forced to replace my stuff sooner but have more time and wood then I have money for paint and glue. I do not claim to be smart on this and think others should do the same, it is just what I do and am happy with so far. 

One other thing about doing the thing the way I do. Making a hundred boxes and changing to the dado might make building a lot faster but it also takes more confidence then I have right now. If I build in twos and fours and make a mistake in some measurement, my loss of matirial is also less. 
Cheers
gww


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

Nice choices on the equipment. I have the same miter saw. As for the table saw, I was toying between the Grizzly (my jointer and drill press are Grizzly) and the Steel City one. Steel City was cheaper, and I could get it in a granite top (no rusting to worry about). Plus the Grizzly was on back order. The Steel City is nice, but I wish I went with the Grizzly. Too many plastic parts on the Steel City.

Anyway, nice miter saw stand. Did you use plans for it?


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Nice setup. Tip I gleaned from Scot Hendriks, I used my planer and a digital micrometer to make blocks that are exactly 3/8", 1/2", 5/8", and 3/4" thick. Makes setting up the blade depth and fence for the rabbet cuts a snap with excellent repeatability. My DeWalt miter saw doesn't slide like yours. Makes it real hard to cut the boards for the deeps.


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## NorthMaine (Oct 27, 2016)

I wish I had the room for a big saw like that. Thinking of next year adding a new metal building so I can have a proper shop, but it's a question of which thing to put the money into.


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## cbay (Mar 27, 2017)

Specialkayme said:


> nice miter saw stand. Did you use plans for it?


No plans. The uneven wood floor had me scratching my head quite a bit but it's close enough for now.
I was trying to think of a way to have repeatability with common cuts and found info on saw/fence stops, but what i saw like the Kreg fence stop setup didn't address the short cuts and saw nothing that attached to the fence on the Dewalt...
So i made a permanent stop past my typical longest cut, then made pre-measured blocks to put in for all my common cuts.








It's really handy with making the nuc ipm bottom boards where i use lots of firring strips at different lengths.


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## NAC89 (Jun 1, 2016)

gww said:


> My stuff is not as high class but even getting it was exciting and so I understand wanting to share. I am not a good wood worker and so about the only tip I could give is that you will probly get more use out of the things you have bought then you would if you would have spent your money on say a treadmill or work out station.
> Cheers
> gww


Funny you say that, I just sold my workout station Monday that has been in the way of my bee shop for far too long. I then promptly ordered a grizzly bandsaw with the money from selling it
Cbay that is a nice setup!


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Nac


> Funny you say that, I just sold my workout station Monday that has been in the way of my bee shop for far too long. I then promptly ordered a grizzly bandsaw with the money from selling it


It would be nice to be you right now.
Cheers
gww


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## mbear (May 18, 2017)

I live just down the road from grizzly and so I went to thier showroom to pick out my saw.
You can find out how to use your saw for just about anything on the new yanke videos on the net.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

mbear


> so I went to thier showroom to pick out my saw.


Stop it, you guys are killing me. I am going to have to get a job just to keep up.
No really though, congradulations.
Cheers
gww


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## Hoot Owl Lane Bees (Feb 24, 2012)

cbay

I don't see any kind of dust collection?
If you don't have any that would be the first thing you should invest in.

As far as a fence for the miter saw, I made a board that is square to the saw but flush with the face of the bench.
It just sets on the bench and I use a quick clamp to hold it in place.
I then draw a line on the bench with inches and what the cut is for.
I have one for each side of the saw but use the left guide 99% of the time.
My saw is centered in a 30" deep buy 32' bench so I can start with some long boards.


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## cbay (Mar 27, 2017)

Hoot Owl Lane Bees said:


> I don't see any kind of dust collection?


Not yet, but will have to do something soon. Everything is on hold until the rut is over......


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## Hoot Owl Lane Bees (Feb 24, 2012)

Or your tags are filled.
I will be out all next week also.
Good Luck


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## psm1212 (Feb 9, 2016)

Count me in the jealous camp.


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## JConnolly (Feb 21, 2015)

High quality tools make a world of difference. Add a new hobby and use that beeshop as a woodshop in the winter. I love hanging out in mine in the winter under a radiant heater - time to putter around and think about existential stuff I can't do anything about. :scratch:

I suggest first projects be some shop jigs for that table saw. Make a sled for making box joints. I made a sled last year that has stops on it for the bee box sides plus a key for box joints. Now bee boxes are zero measuring. I drop the board on the left side of the sled for sides, right side for ends and then do the box joints all with the same sled.

I've pretty much quit making my frame rests on the table saw. I make them after I assemble the boxes with a router and a 3/8" bearing guided rabbet bit. It is faster than futzing around with the setup and I don't spend time trimming the box joint finger to fit. The little radius left in the corner hasn't been a problem so far, and having the board full thickness in the joint is stronger, I think the frame rests will be even less likely to split.


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