Bosch Oscillating Multi-Tool

Ok, these kind of tools have been around in the woodworking world for sometime.  Only recently have oscillating tools become in vogue in the general handyman world, and I have had my eye on one for a while.  So when my wife said would I like to try one I jumped at the chance.

Ok, so first thing first this is the Bosch GOP300SCE (professional model).  It is the sturdy high end version of the popular multi-tool.  Unlike most saws it cuts with a very small but high speed oscillation (blade going back and forth), so is safer.  According to a competitors advert these things can’t cut you, however I am not game to try that and I am sure I've seen the doc on CSI opening a skull with one.  Perhaps I will try it on the next leg of pork my wife brings home. This rapid oscillation also makes it an effective grinder and sander (hence a multi-tool!).

This test model comes in a great sturdy case.   Usually I hate the plastic case as they take up room and the tool lead can never fit back in it.  Bosch however had provided a great box with plenty of room, fold down handles and it clips to other Bosch product boxes.  When you open the box you also find another box full of goodies (a little Aladdin's cave).  This contains the myriad of different accessories that come with it.  This is good if you want to travel light and not carry the whole box around.

Now down to business.  It looks sturdy, and feels sturdy.  I was always told you can tell the durability of a tool by checking out the power lead – its thick and solid. The unit is a little heavy (1.4kg) but easy and ergonomic to hold.  The great thing is the Tool less accessory change lever.  Just pull this to release the current accessory, place on the required accessory, snap the lever back and keep on working.  The lever is a little stiff to move but not beyond on the realms of normal strength, and it is certainly better than cursing and muttering while you fiddle will Allen keys or lock nuts.

There is a generous amount of power (300Watts) controlled by a variable speed dial at the rear of the unit which allows from 8000 to 20000 Oscillations per minute  With this high rate of oscillation you would expect a lot of vibration, however it remained smooth.

So what can it do?  I used it this afternoon on a few little projects.  Firstly it cuts, I trimmed out a small shelf from a sheet of melamine to put in a cupboard (my wife has been asking me to do this for a while).  It would have been quicker to use a jig saw but it cut a nice straight line, smoothly and fairly quickly.  The small tooth and lack of motion left the cut smooth with no tear out on the melamine sheet.  Then a very quick change (love the tool less change) to the sanding pad (this particular model comes with about 12 sanding sheets from 80grit to 120 grit), and sanded the edges.  I was impressed with the sander and definitely think it be useful in tight spots when sanding furniture and will probably find some good uses in the wood working projects. 

Next was a kitchen knife that had the tip broken.  I put on the grinding attachment and quickly re-shaped the blade and put a rough edge on before honing on a water stone. There are lots of other attachments for plunge cutting, removing grout and nearly any DIY project.  Next week I have to build a deck for my parents so think the other cutting blades will get a work out.  Bosch also sell a wide range of accessories check out their website.
Overall opinion? Its a nifty bit of equipment that covers the need for multiple tools.  There is little vibration and not too noisy.  This model is aimed at the professional tradesperson at $350, however there are more basic model starting around $150 for the weekend handy man.

What is your favourite go to tool in the shed?
I didn’t pay for this product, it was given free to my wife to trial but I stole it.  All opinions are that of me and me alone.

Beginnings

As I sit at my parents house pining for my workshop I have got to thinking about my woody beginnings.  I’m not really talking my poor attempts at high school woodwork, but my first attempts at a new found hobby.

This was it, not really inspiring.  I just put a peace of scrap pine between centres, spun up the lathe and with no knowledge of what each tool did, speed changes, or what was safe.  This was it, tear outs galore, no objective shape, but about 20cm of pure joy.  I still have it hidden away in a box somewhere.
I soon wanted to investigate more.

This was my first bowl.  It was made of layers or scrap pine stuck together (pine is very under-rated).  It has thick walls where I was too scared to go too thin and lots of chips and tears.  Again it was a work of enjoyment.  Now I would be horrified to produce something, how shall I put it, rustic?  Also turning wood has made me a better photographer, these early shots are not so well composed, or even focused.

And finally my first pen.  This was a slimline made from, I don’t know what……wood.  Its turned too thin, the ends are undersized and it looks a little wrong, but I still use it today.
Of course these are all learning experiences.  With each creation comes knowledge, and enjoyment.  I am happy to look back at where I came from, and compare to the things I turn now, and it always makes me smile.  I wonder what my old woodwork teacher would think of what i am doing now?
What was the first thing you made?

The Plywood Palace

We have a Guinea pig, well its my daughters pet but we all get the odd cuddle.  It is only a baby and still small, but lonely.  It was decided at a recent family meeting (well I was told it was decided) that Tickles needs a friend.  No problems with me, as long as it is male as I do not wish to accidentally enter the Guinea pig breeding business.  Anyway, to accommodate the new impending arrival we needed a bigger cage.  Being a red blooded male with a fetish for wood working I was excited about building the Guinea Pig Taj Mahal.  Even though I have no work shop at the moment I was not put off and started sketching up some ideas.

I had great ideas for multiple levels, penthouse and tunnels.  Obviously room in the house wasn't a consideration.  Unfortunately the operations manager had other ideas.  She had done her research and taken into account my love of over engineering things and lack of shed space, and presented me with a big box.

Obviously in the box was a prefabbed, do-it-yourself flat pack plywood palace.  It was a good price, made in China and broke my heart.  I soon put the disappointment that my palatial plans were on hold, and set myself to the task at hand.

I am not one for instructions, which real man is?  On this occasion this was of benefit as the supplied instructions, were poorly written and didn't really represent the bits in the box.  This just added to the challenge, as did the fact that pre-drilled wholes didn't line up, nor were they always completely drilled.

However perseverance paid off and before long the plywood palace was constructed.  It does however need a few modifications and a good sand before I'll be happy.  Mr Tickles however does like his new home.

Perhaps when this one falls apart, and looking at the quality it wont be long, I will be able to create the true master piece that is lurking in my head.  Do you think solid Mahogany would be too much???

Red Gum Clock

I love hunting for wood.  I can't resist it when a fellow turner is selling some of his stock.  A while ago I came across a slab of what looked like Red Gum in such a sale.  As soon as I saw it, it screamed "Clock".  I hadn't delved much into clocks before and was excited about the prospect.

The wood was a relatively flat slice so all I needed to do was sand it smooth and finish.  I worked it with the orbital sander and some elbow grease from 120grit through to 1500grit.  At 1500 grit I rubbed it with some sanding sealer to raise the grain and repeated the sanding process a few times to get a silky smooth finish.

Being quite a thick (the wood not me) I bought a mechanism with a 24 mm drive shaft from Carbatec.  I used a suitable sized Forstner bit to drill a recess for the mechanism to fit in, and a smaller hole for the shaft to fit through and sanded the inside.

I gave the clock a few coats of Danish Oil to bring out the colour and shine plus it helps protect the wood.  The next step was to build the clock face.  I took a while to think about how this was best done.  I didn't want the numbers looking crocked or in the wrong place, how to get it round and spaced correctly?  My wife as always is the real brains of the operation and came up with a simple suggestion only seconds before I had the same thought.  Why not create a cardboard template to fit over the shaft.  To do this (wish I had taken photos!) I cut a circle of card just smaller than the diameter of the face I wanted.  I used a protractor to mark out 30 degree lines of bearing for the numbers and made a hole to fit over the clock shaft. Putting that on the face I decided where twelve wood be and taped the template into place.  From there it was easy to stick the numbers to the clock face. 

I used 20mm Gold numbers and straight gold hands that screw onto the shaft.  Although the mechanisms come with numbers and hands you select, I had chosen poorly at the time so these additional ones came from timberbits, my favourite on line pen store (and also clocks and many other wonderful things!).  I think the clock turned out fantastic and I can't wait to hang it, now I just need to wait for the new house to put it in!

What sort of clocks do you like?