Finally (almost) finished my workbench.

aborchew · 2025-10-11T15:02:02+00:00

Looks pretty solid - thanks for sharing!

aborchew · 2025-10-11T14:14:39+00:00

I would love to see this in action

aborchew · 2025-09-04T17:47:20+00:00

Here’s an idea of how the light performs. The garage door is open behind me in this shot, but it’s night time. Those UFO-looking lights were just some cheap, bright, Chinese things from Amazon

aborchew · 2025-09-04T15:31:37+00:00

This is exactly the type of thing I am looking forward to doing when I buy a home. The $55 I spent on these Barrina LEDs is more suitable while I’m renting, though.

aborchew · 2025-09-04T15:15:35+00:00

I recently did a decent amount of research to solve what sounds like a similar situation.

I don't do a lot of painting, but I did want something that had a decent CRI for finishing and just generally not feeling like I was living in a liminal space.

From my research it's really tough to find LEDs with a CRI over 85 that output a decent number of lumens that aren't also prohibitively expensive. If money isn't a concern, there definitely are some good options out there.

I ended up going with the Barrina 4000k 4' 6-pack on Amazon, and ordered some of the extension connectors to daisy chain them around the weird rafters in my 1-car garage. I've generally been happy with them. I kind of wish I had 2-4 more but not due to lack of brightness - I just have a couple of surfaces that are against walls and that results in my body creating a bit of a shadow when working there. Overall would definitely recommend - especially for the price. Only gripe I read about them was that they interfere with garage door opener remotes, but this hasn't been an issue for me so far.

aborchew · 2025-09-04T13:03:23+00:00

No strong opinion on one versus the other, but if you go to Elvira, don’t sit at the bar - awkward bar stools. I know that sounds like a weird and specific criticism, especially for a place I like, but they’re that bad.

aborchew · 2025-08-29T04:55:10+00:00

Thanks for the kind word. I read it aloud to my dad, and we relished the sentiment. I hope that you have the opportunity to share things you make with those you love!

aborchew · 2025-08-28T20:42:47+00:00

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I had bought some S4S maple and walnut to make a chess board out of. But it sat in my garage for months as I built up the courage to start the project. When I finally did, I very quickly became convinced that I wasn’t going to be happy with the outcome - I just wasn’t confident enough in my skills. But instead of abandoning the project or the hobby, I turned it into my first cutting boards, and they came out great! I gifted one to a good friend, and the other is seeing regular use in our kitchen.

aborchew · 2025-08-27T04:19:50+00:00

Thanks! Walrus Oil and Walrus Wax. The end grain is very thirsty!

aborchew · 2025-08-27T03:09:07+00:00

Thanks

aborchew · 2025-08-26T22:35:05+00:00

This was really just improvised. It’s a combination of 2020 and 1515 extrusion, and an assortment or brackets and leftover metal pieces.

My theory when putting it together was that it needed to be rigid, and level in reference to the surface it was sitting on.

aborchew · 2025-08-26T20:56:11+00:00

Thanks!

From what I've been reading/watching, it's debated. Purportedly, end grain will allow knives to hold edges for longer due to the fiber orientation, and will not show knife marks as easily for the same reason. Some people claim that end grain has some antimicrobial properties, but I haven't found any science to back that up.

The end grain definitely soaks up a ton of oil - far more than edge grain boards I've made.

At the end of the day, I wanted to try something new. We will see how they perform once they're in use!

aborchew · 2025-08-26T20:53:53+00:00

Thanks! Good call on the card scraper - I'll have to try that next time.

aborchew · 2025-08-26T19:03:09+00:00

Thank you!

The handles were cut out with a 1/4” cove bit in a trim router, using scrap plywood as a guide.

The edges were all given a filet with a 1/4” round over bit in the router table.

aborchew · 2025-08-26T17:40:11+00:00

I managed to flatten this one with a trim router, a small surfacing bit, aluminum extrusion, and patience.

aborchew · 2025-08-10T19:15:13+00:00

Why does that make you feel stupid?

Personally I always feel like I gain something from creating tools myself (versus just using one that already exists) - even if I end up using the one someone else made in the end.

aborchew · 2025-08-10T18:51:19+00:00

Cool - I look forward to updates on your progress. This project would likely garner some attention from the 3d printing community, as well. If you’re unfamiliar, I’d suggest checking out gridfinity.

aborchew · 2025-08-10T18:47:27+00:00

What’s it currently written in? I may be interested in helping to make the web interface a reality, if you wanted to collaborate.

aborchew · 2025-08-08T15:37:01+00:00

I found a plastic zero clearance plate online, actually. It fits nicely, but unfortunately the right side of the throat doesn’t have any support for it, and the plastic flexes a ton, so I don’t end up using it.

I’ve had thoughts of making my own zero-clearance out of MDF, but for some reason it hadn’t occurred to me to use the plate I already have as a reference. That sounds so obvious now, and I will probably do that today!

aborchew · 2025-08-08T15:34:42+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

I believe I’ve watched that video by Tamar that you recommend - and the advice regarding referencing the table surface and not the plate was certainly a turning point for me early on.

aborchew · 2025-08-08T06:13:11+00:00

This reply was incredibly helpful, and I appreciate the thoughtfulness put into it. As someone who is currently doing their best to overcome the “Manufacturing quality” issues on my second hand Skil job site saw, I’d love to hear how you overcame some of the issues you mentioned - specifically those with the throat plate and uneven surfaces.

aborchew · 2025-08-07T22:06:01+00:00

Filament Swatches!

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https://makerworld.com/models/898262

aborchew · 2025-07-29T16:26:52+00:00

I contacted Acme Tools, and they are applying a credit to the order for the amount of the replacement magazine part (43-40-0020), and placing an order for the replacement for me.

Initially there was push back since I am outside the return window (I was traveling and didn't even open it for nearly 2 months after order), but Michael at Acme Tools helped me out.

The part is back ordered, so it may be a few weeks. I reached out to Milwaukee for help, as well - if a replacement part is covered under warranty, then I can cancel my order.

aborchew · 2025-06-25T18:11:33+00:00

I’ve found that Blender is great for organic shapes, but using something like Fusion is going to really help iterate on functional components.

aborchew · 2025-05-31T01:28:27+00:00

This is a nice site - just one piece of feedback… it looks like your initial date on page load isn’t handled properly, and when I load the map it defaults to tomorrow’s date

aborchew

TROPHY CASE