Here are four things that everybody (except for me and three other members) knew. This is for you three guys.
Background: For the last two months, I have been making adirondacks from some cherry Ivey cypress. Cherry, in this context, refers to a primo slab of wood, not that reddish, sweet-smelling blotchy stuff. While I had a fit with the BORG and HF plug cutters, the Snappy cutter from Woodcraft did a right fancy job. However,
1) In spite of the assertion that the Snappy plug cutter cuts a tapered plug, I have been unable to confirm that allegation. Now, obviously, if one were to design a cutter with tapered cutters, that it, having this / \ shape, the top surface would seem to be narrower that the lower surface. So, logic says you could make such a device. In my case, I marked the top surface before sawing the plugs out, and it didn't seem to matter which end I tried to fit into the countersink. Neither fit without some serious effort (not a BIG hammer, but a hammer nonetheless). Naturally, I pulled out the digital calipers. After checking 10 plugs, I could discern absolutely NO difference in the diameter of either end. Some of these plugs I cut to 5/8" deep, still no change. Does your mileage vary?
2) Thanks to the sagacity of one Mr. Travis Porter, I may now safely concur that a Q-tip is a marvelous glue applicator. I would have used a tiny brush and cursed each plug. Note that Q-tip is a brand name and any generic cotton swab would probably perform equally well. I think I actually used a CVS generic.
3) Having arrived home after purchasing the Snappy plug cutter and accompanying countersink bit array, I realized that I would need a flush cut saw to sever the portion of the plug that would stand proud of the surface. Even though gasoline is no longer exorbitantly priced (actually, it's quite the bargain, much cheaper than bottled water), and my time is worth absolutely nothing, and a trip to Woodcraft always induces the drool reflex, I did not fancy the return trip. In a stroke of what only may be described as pure genius, I got out my economy Japanese pull saw and my jumbo roll of duct tape (okay, some call it Duck tape, and you can buy it by that name, but since Duck tape is probably a brand name, I'll use the generic duct tape). By carefully slicing the duct tape in longitudinal half, having first torn it off to roughly the length of the pull saw blade, I applied the tape two layer thick in very close proximity to the teeth. This provided ample clearance from the tooth set to permit my saw to act as if it were in fact a flush cut saw. And, with the tape removed, it returns to its state of pull saw.
4) For the past ten years, I have somewhat impatiently held my Makita BO4552 1/4 sheet sander until it stopped vibrating. If I set it down, it walked around, threatening to amble to the edge of the elevated surface and fall perilously to the floor. Today, in a most serendipitious moment, I placed it, still furiously vibrating (although switched off) on a towel lying haphazardly on the bench. Eureka! Although it continued to vibrate, the towel acted as a vibration absorber and the little Makita sat right there until it tired of vibration. Just so you understand how hard the old habits die, twice during my plug sanding session I held it until it quit. Old dogs and new tricks take a while to become friends, I guess.
Background: For the last two months, I have been making adirondacks from some cherry Ivey cypress. Cherry, in this context, refers to a primo slab of wood, not that reddish, sweet-smelling blotchy stuff. While I had a fit with the BORG and HF plug cutters, the Snappy cutter from Woodcraft did a right fancy job. However,
1) In spite of the assertion that the Snappy plug cutter cuts a tapered plug, I have been unable to confirm that allegation. Now, obviously, if one were to design a cutter with tapered cutters, that it, having this / \ shape, the top surface would seem to be narrower that the lower surface. So, logic says you could make such a device. In my case, I marked the top surface before sawing the plugs out, and it didn't seem to matter which end I tried to fit into the countersink. Neither fit without some serious effort (not a BIG hammer, but a hammer nonetheless). Naturally, I pulled out the digital calipers. After checking 10 plugs, I could discern absolutely NO difference in the diameter of either end. Some of these plugs I cut to 5/8" deep, still no change. Does your mileage vary?
2) Thanks to the sagacity of one Mr. Travis Porter, I may now safely concur that a Q-tip is a marvelous glue applicator. I would have used a tiny brush and cursed each plug. Note that Q-tip is a brand name and any generic cotton swab would probably perform equally well. I think I actually used a CVS generic.
3) Having arrived home after purchasing the Snappy plug cutter and accompanying countersink bit array, I realized that I would need a flush cut saw to sever the portion of the plug that would stand proud of the surface. Even though gasoline is no longer exorbitantly priced (actually, it's quite the bargain, much cheaper than bottled water), and my time is worth absolutely nothing, and a trip to Woodcraft always induces the drool reflex, I did not fancy the return trip. In a stroke of what only may be described as pure genius, I got out my economy Japanese pull saw and my jumbo roll of duct tape (okay, some call it Duck tape, and you can buy it by that name, but since Duck tape is probably a brand name, I'll use the generic duct tape). By carefully slicing the duct tape in longitudinal half, having first torn it off to roughly the length of the pull saw blade, I applied the tape two layer thick in very close proximity to the teeth. This provided ample clearance from the tooth set to permit my saw to act as if it were in fact a flush cut saw. And, with the tape removed, it returns to its state of pull saw.
4) For the past ten years, I have somewhat impatiently held my Makita BO4552 1/4 sheet sander until it stopped vibrating. If I set it down, it walked around, threatening to amble to the edge of the elevated surface and fall perilously to the floor. Today, in a most serendipitious moment, I placed it, still furiously vibrating (although switched off) on a towel lying haphazardly on the bench. Eureka! Although it continued to vibrate, the towel acted as a vibration absorber and the little Makita sat right there until it tired of vibration. Just so you understand how hard the old habits die, twice during my plug sanding session I held it until it quit. Old dogs and new tricks take a while to become friends, I guess.
