Table Saw Drum Mill
Introduction: Table Saw Drum Mill
Last year I made a new drum shell roller jig for my cabinet saw, so this year I wanted to try a milling attachment idea for rounding the outside face of stave and segmented shells.
There are two common methods rounding these types of drums:
1. Turning them on a lathe manually or with an auto feed setup.
2. Using a router and a DIY jig.
I wanted to determine whether or not it could be done with a table saw and dado stack.
This build is a departure from my usual process, because while I have visualized how the parts assemble, none of the measurements were determined. I'm fitting the parts and notating the measurements as I go, which I'll list in the final step for those interested.
Supplies
3/4" plywood
Screws
Dowels segments
Carriage bolts
5/8" acme rod and nuts
Star knobs
Step 1: Riser Panels
For the front and back panels of what I'm calling the risers, I wanted a dado for a spacer which lands right above the roller jig fences sides. Cutting the dado into the larger panel ensures that it will line up once divided into smaller panels. As you can see in Fig. 1, I cut it on the wrong edge. Fig. 2 is the correct edge.
I didn't have a dado stack for my cabinet saw at this time, so I just made several passes with a 3/16" blade until I had a perfect fit.
The large panels were broken down into a single panel for the inside and two for the outside to span the gusset. This gap doubles as the slot for the threaded axis rod, which will make more sense down the road.
The parts were clamped to the roller jig side in order to get an accurate width measurement for the spacer and top cap.
Step 2: Top Caps and Locking Knob Holes
For the top caps, I opted for rabbet joints. While I had the risers mocked up, I took the time to mark screw hole locations [Fig. 2].
While fabricating the roller jig, I incorporated two captive T-nuts in order to secure future attachments. 582
At that time I made a setup block, which I managed to not lose [Fig. 3]. I used this block to mark the hole locations and then drilled through holes with a small bit.
With that hole as a guide, I used a <PERSON> bit and drilled a 3/4" on the inside face - deep enough to accommodate a rubber O-ring. This will be the retention ring for the future knobs. The through hole was then enlarged to 5/16".
Step 3: Bearing Blocks
Next parts are the bearing blocks and an auto feed block. These are all 11 7/16" x 3".
Bearing Blocks
These will be the hubs for the threaded rod/axle/spinny bit, as well as the height adjustment to accommodate various shell diameters.
Hole: 1 3/8" hole drilled with a <PERSON> bit to the depth of the bearing [7/16"] - then a 5/8" through hole.
Grooves: 3/4" groove 1" in from each side - 3/8" depth.
Note: Mating grooves get cut into the inside face of the outside panels and the sides are mirror images, so pay attention. This will make sense down the afore mentioned road.
A section of 3/4" plywood gets glued into the groove and once cured, a 5/16" centered hole is drilled.
Auto Advance Block
Hole: 1" hole drilled with a <PERSON> bit to the depth of the nut [1/2"] - then a 5/8" through hole.
The shape of the nut is then traced and material removed with a chisel until the nut has a nice friction fit.
Hole Note: The holes aren't centered - they are inline with the straddled gusset, which is purposefully inline with the center of the table saw arbor.
Step 4: Panel Slots
The back panels have the fabricated gap, but the front panel is solid and therefore needs a slot cut.
Once the location was laid out, the top and bottom of the slot was established by drilling a 3/4" hole. The slot was then cut with a 3/4" router bit and you'll notice I took my time to set up and clamp several blocks to the router table top [Figs. 2&3].
The fence is set for the offset/location of the slot. The boards on each side are the stop points for the slot. The board at the front keeps the work piece tight against the fence [Figs. 2&3]. 56