I learned about
this secret weapon from a former cabinetmaker. For me, it was like finding a
gold mine. This weapon was instrumental in showing me how to utilize scrap wood
that I used to toss in the scrap bin without a second thought.
Let me
tell you a little about me, I own Southern Ladies Showcases. My business caters
to most any collector who has knives, arrowheads, and NASCAR models or anything
they might want to showcase.
In
this business my biggest expenses are my wood and glass used to create the
displays.
In
days gone by, I would scrap all the leftover wood that was 2" wide or less.
No
more! Not in this lady's woodshop! With the discovery of this secret weapon, I
can easily make a display case out of wood as narrow as 1-1/8" without any
threat of harm to my fingers.
How? I bought a power feeder (See Sources). In
case you aren't familiar with what a power feeder does, it's a tool that
attaches to the top portion of your table saw, opposite the rip fence. Using a
series of rollers it runs your wood past the saw blade while your hands and
fingers stay well out of reach. With this tool, we can now safely run pieces as
thin as 1-1/8" without the use of a push stick.
Another
feature that we enjoy with this particular tool is the ability to "auto" feed
the pieces. I can position a helper on the other end of the saw to "catch" the
pieces as they come out the other side or even set up a drop bin and allow the
pieces to slide off and be collected.
But what about the glass for these showcases?
We
accumulate a lot of scrap glass due to offering our services of replacing
customers' glass in our showcases. Often, our customers will have a display
case that may get cracked, chipped or broken in some way. Usually, when this
happens however, there is still a lot of re-useable glass left especially in
the larger display cases.
Until
I bought my Delta power feeder we just recycled the scrap glass thinking we
didn't have any use for it. Not any more!
We
have found that there is often some of this second-hand glass in perfect shape
to make a 5" x 10", 6" x 8", or even smaller as you can see here for yourself.
We have learned to trim the glass down into these standard sizes going all the
way down to 5" x 5".
With
the aid of our power feeder we rip, run slots for glass and the backing. Next,
we router the edge and chop the strips to fit what WAS our scrap glass. Bang!
Now, we have assorted display cases with material expenses of just $0.16 per
case! That cost comes from the two screws we put in the back of the case.
But do you sell these "scrap" cases?Yes! By the hundreds! My biggest
customers for these are arrowhead and knife dealers who want to "frame" their
items for resale.I sell the little
displays at my regular shows for all sorts of personal collectibles such as
military coins, baby shoes, prize ribbons, or countless little keepsakes that
people have and want to display.
So the
next time you're working in your shop, pay attention to what you're throwing away.
Scrap? What scrap?
Sources Delta 36-380
Production Stock Feeder www.rockler.com (800) 279-4441
About Barbara Howell Barbara Howell is the owner
of Southern Ladies Showcases, a woodworking business specializing in custom,
hand-crafted display cases with locations in Tennessee
and Oklahoma.
Most recently, Howell has began penning her tales of
woodworking and her book, "Splinters: The
Pain, The Passion, The Point" shares her stories of life as a woodworker.
More information about Barbara and her book can be found at
SplintersBook.com
Submit your
favorite woodworking tip or technique to editor@wwgoa.comand you could earn
$100 if we publish your idea.
Thanks for the comment Jerry. The link that I included for Rockler tools www.rockler.com includes a demo of the product that includes all the specs and information you would need. Because they come in a variety of speeds and specifications, you'd have to choose the one that works best for you. You can also Google, "Woodworking Power Feeder Videos" for some great "in use" video demonstrations of power feeders in action! Hope that helps! Thanks again!
There is definitely no end to the ideas and tools that we can use to save scrap in our woodshops! Or recycle materials— as an artist AND a woodworker I actually recycle all the used blades, once they've reached their last sharpening days by painting country scenes on them. So I sell everything but the machines and sawdust! I love to get the "juices" flowing for new ideas and tools to check into. Anything to make life a little easier. Thanks for writing this article!
Woodnart, thank you for reading and adding your ideas. It's always interesting to share with other woodworkers and get their ideas. I've often wished there was a good use I could "sell" my sawdust for! If anybody's found that one, I'd love to hear it! For me, once I discovered that I could run strips through in less width, without having to get my fingers too close for comfort to the blade, I felt like a whole new world had opened up to me. Those little cases pictured are some of mine completely made using those thin "scrap" pieces and "scrap" glass.
These power feeders are also a great tool for cutting large pieces as well. If you are short handed and need to cut larger sheet goods the feeder will help guide the wood forward with slight pressure too kep it on the rip fence. Almost any size pieces that need to be cut repeatedly to the same size can take good advantagew of the feeder.
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