counter height stools and a bandsaw

All of the joinery is done for the counter height stool project and I bought a bandsaw.

48 mortise and tenons later, all three stools can hold themselves upright. I also went to Berkeley’s Famous Foam Factory to have the foam pads for the seats cut out. There are still plenty of things that could go wrong between here and the finish line but the joinery being done is a milestone.

I have been spinning my wheels ;) about a bandsaw purchase for quite some time. I knew that eventually I’d get one, mostly for rips and resaws and the occasional curvy cut. But unfortunately I suffer from over-research-itis. And my tendencies to spend six months reading old forum posts before going anywhere near an “Add to Cart” button were compounded by indecision about size (10” or 14”).

Clarity struck after two events occurred. Event one was listening to an episode of Fine Woodworking’s Shop Talk Live podcast. Dinkle of Dinkle’s Woodshop fame mentioned that she has a 10” Rikon and is totally happy with it. Good enough for her? Good enough for me. Event two was finding a $280 Rikon 10-3061 on Facebook Marketplace. The deal was too good to pass up, so I decided to go for it.

I spent many hours on YouTube watching videos of men in their garages in preparation for initial setup. This guy, Miles McGrew Woodworking, never has his entire face in the frame but is nonetheless the undisputed king of the Rikon 10-3061 genre — thorough and clear.

Despite my rigorous YouTube education, I promptly de-tensioned so much that the spring and the little plate that holds it fell right out. After a moment of panic that I had broken my new purchase w/ overeager knob turning, I channelled my mechanically-inclined brother and decided to figure it out.

I found the manual online and looked at the parts diagram. I had loosened the tension knob so much that the plate that holds against the spring just fell right off the bottom of its screw. So I just had to get the spring back in place on that screw and then get the plate below it re-threaded. It was fiddly because I was working through the top wheel, but I got there after some trial and error. What a high to get it back in action!

First order of business on the bandsaw will be making a jig to help produce the 48 wedges I need for the stools.

‘till next time.