Failed experiments, learnings I: Rebate aiding jig

Hello and welcome back.

The tool, for making rebates is router.  Then again, a local made compression router bit (for plywood) costs around 2000 which is about a third of router price. I was thinking if it is doable with a circular saw.

May be doable but definitely not easy.  Consider this, a 10mm rebate for 8ft ply will required at the least 5 passes, assuming a kerf is 2mm.  In addition to this, adjusting the guide every time is cumbersome.  So, here is what I came up with.  (Download sketchup file, to play with)

I made this which is around 2ft long and 20cm wide.  It is good for rebates shorter than 2ft.

.It failed miserably, for,

1. I made it with a 12mm ply and forgot to mind its weight.  It is very difficult to set up with just two hands.
2. It requires three steps to cut a 8ft ply, which is almost 10min.
3. 3 clamps for a job of less than one minute.  It takes so much time just to set the jig.

The major learnings are

1. Jigs should attach to the tool itself.
2. It is better to have different sizes of the fences than to have one with slot.  I found there is always a slight movement even if fastened tight. (In the video, I used a clamp)

Here is what I came up with finally.  I was using 3 quarter ply for making a cabinet and need to cut a rebate 10mm wide and 8mm deep.  I made this jig exactly for this dimensions.

The next version of this has to be made for my circular saw.

Dremel's Saw Max blades: Cleaning

Hello and welcome back.

Saw Max cuts by grinding, not by cutting.

Yes, that is correct.  The blades have fine carbide grit on them.  This carbide grit is what grinds the wood.  While grinding it creates a lot of very fine dust.  This also make the blade very hot.  Though it is marketed to cut a 3/4 depth, in my experience it good for less than that thickness.  Most important once the blades get hot, they don't cut good enough and the burnt wood sticks to the blades, making them useless.  It is good to have a couple of blades so that work doesn't has to be stopped.

It burnt wood on the blades reminded me of the burnt oil on pans in kitchen.  Anyways, the blades were no good and I can't worsen them.  So, I thought of using the kitchen detergent to clean blades.  Soaked them for about 2 hours, yeah a very long, and then cleaned them with a kitchen brush.

Surprisingly, it worked!