I was wondering what kind of tools you guys use to get the most precision when you're building your racks.
I'm thinking a jig saw would produce the most accurate cuts.
any opinions?
Arthur Brown
August 2nd, 2009, 03:27 AM
If you are a amateur firer doing once or twice a year then it doesn't warrant buying special tools! Get a hand saw and learn to use it well!
If you are a pro firer doing several shows a week then maybe a woodwork shop on site would help, but then you have to find whether it would be cost effective vs getting a pro chippie to make to your drawings.
stuntborg
August 2nd, 2009, 07:18 AM
I have never gotten accurate results when using a jig saw. 99.9% of all the wood cutting I do is either with a circular saw or a compound miter saw. The miter saw works great for cutting 2X4s and stuff like that. Good clean cuts. When cutting wide pieces of stuff (plywood) a circular saw with a guide will give good results.
bbd4193
August 2nd, 2009, 07:56 AM
I do a lot of my own home improvements so i have a few tools available to me. To cut the lumber I use a circular saw with a saw guide, table saw and miter saw. To assemble the racks I use either a brad nailer or a 1/4" narrow crown stapler. I have the Rigid NC stapler. I love this thing. I find myself using it more and more for all kinds of projects.
Crackerjack
August 2nd, 2009, 08:17 AM
Since racks are alot of cuts of wood the same length, use a chop saw for dimensional lumber, and a tablesaw/radial arm saw with a to rip plywood.
Jig saw is NOT the way to go...the cuts are not consistently duplicatable and it's not very fast either.
billebouy
August 2nd, 2009, 08:29 AM
Here's a quick and dirty guide you can make for accurate rips with a circular saw (or a jig saw, if you've got all day...):
Circular Saw Cutting Guide Plan (http://wayneofthewoods.com/circular-saw-cutting-guide.html)
TurboGTU
August 2nd, 2009, 11:43 AM
If you are a amateur firer doing once or twice a year then it doesn't warrant buying special tools! Get a hand saw and learn to use it well!
If you are a pro firer doing several shows a week then maybe a woodwork shop on site would help, but then you have to find whether it would be cost effective vs getting a pro chippie to make to your drawings.
I have many many specialty tools up for for my use as my brother is a handyman, so I really would only have to buy the materials I use.
I have never gotten accurate results when using a jig saw. 99.9% of all the wood cutting I do is either with a circular saw or a compound miter saw. The miter saw works great for cutting 2X4s and stuff like that. Good clean cuts. When cutting wide pieces of stuff (plywood) a circular saw with a guide will give good results.
I just thought that a jig saw would be more accurate since you can see where the blade is all the time... thanks for that tip.
I will use a miter saw when I build my racks. that should shave some time and would produce Identical length cuts all the time. correct?
Here's a quick and dirty guide you can make for accurate rips with a circular saw (or a jig saw, if you've got all day...)
I don't mind taking time, I really just want precision. Im a bit of a perfectionist when I build things. haha.
wingsfandwd
August 2nd, 2009, 01:03 PM
I will use a miter saw when I build my racks. that should shave some time and would produce Identical length cuts all the time. correct?
Correct. Set up the board stop and you can cut quite a few almost identical end, bottom and side boards in short order. Also works great for spacers, but since there are so many, it always takes awhile. For the side boards, a circular saw with a guide will do a good job cutting the OSB and/or plywood to width. BTW - I had better luck with a carbide cross-cut blade than I did with a plywood blade.
TurboGTU
August 2nd, 2009, 01:10 PM
BTW - I had better luck with a carbide cross-cut blade than I did with a plywood blade.
thanks for that tip.
masterblaster
August 2nd, 2009, 01:57 PM
Just bribe the guy at home depot. :D
Your first 2 cuts are free,then 50 cents a cut there after.
:lolbash:
kingofquartz
August 2nd, 2009, 02:20 PM
Last time I took all my measurements and built one rack to make sure everything fit right and then I clamped the wood together and ripped it with a skill saw.
Cut all the wood I needed for 10 racks in about 30 minutes.
Only time I would use a jig saw is for making complex angles or circles. It would be one of the worst tools to use for making strait cuts.
Swash
August 3rd, 2009, 09:16 AM
when cutting dimensional lumber, especially when making several racks at a time, use a miter saw and stop block. A stop block can be anything from an actually stop block that comes with the saw, or cinder blocks (or something else that is heavy and will not move). For plywood and OSB use either a circular saw w/ a guide or a table saw if you have another table that you use (easiest and most accurate thing to do).
Using a stop block requires you to only measure once for all of the pieces of the same length. Once you have it set up all you need to do is butt up wood, cut, repeat. It is the best way to get every piece exactly the same length. It also goes a lot faster than measuring every piece individually.
ben
August 3rd, 2009, 09:53 AM
when cutting dimensional lumber, especially when making several racks at a time, use a miter saw and stop block. A stop block can be anything from an actually stop block that comes with the saw, or cinder blocks (or something else that is heavy and will not move). For plywood and OSB use either a circular saw w/ a guide or a table saw if you have another table that you use (easiest and most accurate thing to do).
Using a stop block requires you to only measure once for all of the pieces of the same length. Once you have it set up all you need to do is butt up wood, cut, repeat. It is the best way to get every piece exactly the same length. It also goes a lot faster than measuring every piece individually.
Exactly what I do!
Something i have started doing is drawing/labeling my racks. Since most of the times I can/will have more racks than tubes. I just cut all the piece to a rack and stack them in the shed. They all get a number/letter on them. Then if I have a blowout or need to build another rack. I just look at the # or letter and build it. You do get some wood laying around with racks DR11-5"
Ben
TurboGTU
August 3rd, 2009, 02:17 PM
Something i have started doing is drawing/labeling my racks. Since most of the times I can/will have more racks than tubes. I just cut all the piece to a rack and stack them in the shed. They all get a number/letter on them. Then if I have a blowout or need to build another rack. I just look at the # or letter and build it.
Ben
8o8o8o
that's pretty freaking genius!
I just might do that. haha.
ben
August 3rd, 2009, 04:40 PM
8o8o8o
that's pretty freaking genius!
I just might do that. haha.
Trust me. Being able to grab a drill and screws and have a rack together in 5min is a real time saver. Im running low since I built all I had! I do try and keep one whole rack un assembled on hand. Blow out repairs suck because you keep putting it off and then you need the rack!!
Ben
TurboGTU
August 3rd, 2009, 06:50 PM
Blow out repairs suck because you keep putting it off and then you need the rack!!
Ben
I don't know about blowout repairs since in September Ill be building my first rack (yes, I'm a Mortar Rack virgin. ahhaha.)
but I do know that part about putting off repairs,
one day your car overheats, you just cut some hose and reclamp, and three overheats later you find out the culprit wasn't just a leak in radiator hose, but a rip in a gasket on the water pump too.
you buy a complete gasket set A MONTH later just to get all major gaskets replaced because you think your going to prevent future problems and you take off the intake manifold and heads then...
you discover that your performance Cam is toast and you need new lifters too and you discover that its going to cost you $300 for another performance cam and lifters...
THREE MONTHS LATER, your car is just sitting in the garage with a disassembled motor and awaiting to be repaired and you're just sitting on your butt posting on Pyro U, being too lazy to order a new cam but you continue to rant about something you're doing nothing about.
:brick:
sorry for the yelling, I get carried away sometimes. hehe. :oops:
ben
August 3rd, 2009, 10:06 PM
sounds like some experience in that post :lolbash: