Top Secret: Converting the Paulk Smart Bench to a Smart Station
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- čas přidán 13. 04. 2024
- Ron, the designer, elucidates the straightforward process of utilizing the Paulk Smart Bench as the foundation for constructing a Paulk Smart Station.
thesmartwoodshop.com - Jak na to + styl
I love the flexibility of your designs. Great job and mahalo back!
A hui hou kakou😎🤙
Is there a set of plans, or instructions, about converting the Pauli bench into a smart bench, or did I misunderstand what was discussed in the video. I believe Ive had my Paulk bench for a decade now. Or close to it. I did purchase the smart bench plans but being metric I started building it but had to quit because i have severe brain trauma that makes things more difficult to do, and my brain was stuck in imperial.
I love my bench, we’ve been through a lot together. I’d love to keep it and modify it for a smart bench. Just curious because that would be awesome if there were instructions to keep it and just modify it. In any case, thank you, and I love your channel.
Kevin
@@kelexod This is a video about how to convert the flat pack of fully machined parts for the Smart Bench into a Smart Station, for which there are plans, but as yet not a flat pack of parts. However, the principle is that you can modify a Smart Bench into a Smart Station.
The second principle is that one may need to use some figuring even just to make a Smart Station from scratch, from plans, or even should there ultimately be a pre-cut kit... Because, the main feature change in the Smart Station vs. the Smart Bench, in the bench top itself, is that there is a cutout for a chop saw. That cutout needs to be adapted to whatever saw you actually own, or will use. There are videos on that process. The system is not unlike the Paulk Drawer system if you have made any of those. Basically a flat piece of ply supports the saw, at the correct height, on cleats. Not too difficult. czcams.com/video/Vc4_fM3hUYI/video.html
I buy metric/imperial tapes at the dollar store. I check them for accuracy against a known tape, but they always seem fine. This works as a conversion "table" for the two measurement systems as they are side to side on the tape. I prefer to build with single system tapes, but the two system tapes are nice to have on hand. My Paulk Bench plans have both metric and imperial numbers on them. I bought one of the plan packs with plans for both benches; a trailer build-out; router top; Smart Kart; and the table saw and other tool "cradles". All the up to date information, all have both measurement systems. AND there are separate diagrams for each measurement system, you will not have a single diagram that shows a mish mash of different numbers. Nice clean plans.
I think it is correct to say that if you don't even want a chop saw in your Smart Station, but have been dazzled by stuff like double router stations, and Table saws, etc... attached to the bench, then you don't even need a smart cart, you can add all that stuff to your bench. Of course, you would loose real estate for bench activities. Depends on your needs.
Call me crazy but I have space for just 1 bench so I have PSB & my miter saw next to it on a rolling cabinet (which sucks) … but I would love to figure out a way to have a PSB/PSS hybrid where my mitre saw rotates underneath when in PSB mode & back up to the top for PSS mode … all because I don’t have space for both (I told you to call me crazy😂!)
great idea
Thank you! 😊
I built my first PSB fully intending to eventually convert it to a total station
or build an independent PSS. They work hand in glove.
So here are three other reasons to buy a flat pack bench and plan sets:
1/ You will be getting the full plans and patterns of the Smart Bench in life sized models. I bought the whole planset, for the ART, which has all the bench plans in it. Well worth the money, support the cause. However, if you buy the bench, you now have full size pattern routing patterns for the Smart Kart The router patterns on the plans assume you are making the perimeter cuts with saws, then just rout the openings. Well, in this case you can use Ron's pattern cutting technology to cut with actual CNC accuracy all the internal cuts for your second bench, the only thing will be that they are 1/16th inch smaller cutouts. Who cares, otherwise perfect. I think the only thing that would have interference would be the spreader and the sawhorses. However, if you get a Smart Kart all you would have to do is slightly trim the feet to fit the Kart. If not you can use a ball bearing bit.
2/ You now have a full size CNC accurate guide for making MFT holes. A 200 dollar value. You want to be sure you don't damage the top using it as a jig? Here are 4 choices:
a) Drop the top on the thing you want to MFT (like those wings for the Saw Station, or a router table), and use one of those drill guide things (czcams.com/video/JyDF-_cRFQY/video.html) to drill through with a 20MM bit, you will not hurt your top so long as the bit will turn smoothly within the holes and not enlarge them
b) Use the cutout you might think you are wasting as you cut it out to use the Smart Bench flat pack to make a Smart Station, as a CNC quality MFT jig (czcams.com/video/IuheHzo9eTU/video.html).
c) Secure the top to your blank, drill undersized holes through the holes into the blank, and you can then use a ball bearing trim bit as a means of getting perfect copies of the holes in your new product. Set the bearing so it contacts the lower surfaces of the MFT top, that way, even if it did wear the holes slightly, it is a lot less bad than the top made by drilling both sides with the Parf jig (standard recommended procedure). The PARF guide is great. I love mine, but it was designed for MDF, it is hard to get absolutely perfect holes in the back side of 3/4" Ply. So my point is that if you reach through the hole you drilled from the top, then you can open up the holes in your copy with a bearing bit, and not contact with the upper surfaces of your table, it should be perfectly safe.
d) Use the top to mark out with a pencil or a center marker the copy. People who carefully layout MFT tops, and even sometimes if they freehand drill them, often get decent results. And they by no means have the speed and accuracy advantages a full top creates.
3/ Carefully cut out the center piece of the top, and make a router table out of it. My first reaction to the Paulk router table was how large it is. I don't use a router table with a miter gauge, so that is one thing. And it needs to be larger to hang off the table. I am making the Paulk table as designed in the plans, but still , I think one could make a router table out of the cut-out...
Well said! 😎🤙
@@TheSmartWoodshop Thanks Ron. I was a little anxious that I might be dancing all over your property. But when one starts to think about it... It isn't just a Smart Bench Flat Pack, it is a set of full scale, master templates, that builders can leverage like a crowbar.
Mahalo!
I will eventually have a closed in trailer to transport my smart bench to job sites.
You will love it.😎🤙
I originally built the Paulk Smart Bench and converted it into the Paulk Smart Station. The conversion only took a day since I had made miter saw wings and cut the dados in the side stretcher when I originally built the Smart Bench just in case.
I do wonder about a design that doesn't require cutting the top or a dado in the stretchers, and instead drops in place with the 32mm dog system. If the miter saw base had dog holes that match the bench's pattern, and the miter saw wings had risers, this would allow the conversion back and forth. The working height is higher, but I don't feel that would be too much of an issue. The wings would be slightly less portable, but it might be worth the tradeoff.
Curious if anyone's tried this approach. I wish I had first tried this before cutting my Smart Bench in case it's a usable setup. Obviously, if you build 2 benches it's much more efficient to have a dedicated miter saw setup with the Smart Station.
I had a temporary setup with the Kapex on top of the bench for a few months. Since I work with two benches, and one is dedicated to tools, having the saw bed flush met my needs more efficiently.
So bought several of your plans awhile back and i also recently got a CNC router table. It was brought up before but are there still plans to sell the DXF files for those of us with CNC machines? Just trying to save myself a lot of CAD work in translating the plans to CNC files
I am working on a solution, but it hasn't risen to the top of my to-do list yet. I am asked about it often, so I am planning on tackling it soon. I have a lot of if/then questions to address before moving forward. The DWG files will resemble the CNC version of the PSB, complete with tab and slot features, and I aim for uniformity across the system. Therefore, I will need to make changes to all designs, rather than simply exporting as .dwg files.
@@TheSmartWoodshop awesome! Would be greatly appreciated and I think you could diversify your revenue for sure! Would gladly pay to save me the time and hassle of designing the files myself from your PDFs