Adam Stone - Stupid Little Tricks That Work

This thread was originally posted on SMC by Adam Stone. It is here with his permission.

Fellas,

I find that I'm using EZ components for a multitude of little chores. In fact, most of the set ups are simple but accomplish extremely useful tasks. I've included pictures of one example from today.

We needed to join rails and stiles in a cabinet grade joint to accept bead board panels in the same manner as a glass door rail and stile bit set. Instead, we cut rabbets in stock with a straight bit, then cut the full width of door frames in the standard EZ method (PC 325 in our case). After pieces were cut to length on the miter saw, we needed to create a compound type lap joint for a neat look on both sides of the doors. I pulled the EAC-1s out of a 50" rail, grabbed EZ square, grabbed 2 spring clamps (which served as clamps and stops), used the center of the rail as a guide and routed the compound joint with the same straight bit. I decided not to use the SRK because I needed support for small pieces against the square and routed as close to the rail as I could get to help with that. The results were fantastic as indicated by my Happy Fist.

I realize this is not a major discovery and there may be many fancy ways to accomplish the same task, but we benefited enormously from it. This happens all the time with EZ.

I find it interesting how simple set ups can yield some of the most helpful results.

Anyone else have some?

Thanks,

Adam


Burt Wadell Posted:

Adam,

A perfect example of thinking "EZ".

Burt


Allen Bookout Poster:

Adam,

I hope that people start posting on this thread. I am new to the system and every little bit helps. "Stupid Little Tricks That Work" would be perfect for me.

Dino Makropoulos Posted:



I realize this is not a major discovery and there may be many fancy ways to accomplish the same task, but we benefited enormously from it. This happens all the time with EZ.

I find it interesting how simple set ups can yield some of the most helpful results.

Adam.
We can't discover ez at once.
We can't forget easy what we learned the hard way.

Enjoy the ez in music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqM86SjqA_U


Adam Stone Replied:

Allen,

I have another one for you (no picture this time).

We were trying to make exact width dados in plywood using an undersized bit based on some of my reading from an old EZ thread. It worked great for some cubbies we were making. Unfortunately, we ran out of the stock for the shelves with only one shelf left to cut. All dados had already been routed in backs and sides which were not glued yet. My SRK was in the shop and we were assembling the cubbies in a different location. The only similar piece of ply available for the last shelf was thicker by a tiny bit and would not fit the dados (different manufacturer/supplier perhaps). I said, "pass me the 50 and the saw" (PC 325). I placed the white strip just next to the same dado location on two sides and one back within less than a sixteenth, set the depth of the blade (Freud 40T) and ever so slightly widened the dados with zero splinters and no measuring - perfect. I needed to get it done that day and we glued em up. I got a couple of funny looks while in progress on that one because ruining those pieces would have set us back. No body even blinks at stuff like that anymore.

Thanks,

Adam




I've got a lot more. I wish I could type better. Thinking of some of these is making me laugh - excellent!

Hi Guys,

I've attached pictures of one of the most helpful little EZ tasks yet.

I mis-measured shelf depths by about 3/16" large. When dry-fitting in dados in sides and back, they stuck out but we were in a huge rush. I decided to glue them and come up with an EZ solution later.

I ended up placing 2 rails on the face of the verticals, one on either side of the shelf and paralell to the shelf. I then pulled the router off the SRK arm and installed a sharp straight bit (Freud 1"). I placed the router on the rails and zeroed the bit with the vertical sides of the shelf unit. I then ran the router over the shelf and ended up with shelves and sides in exactly the same plane ready for face frames.

After the experience, I believe that fitting shelves a little large at the face and fixing them later is much more accurate, much easier and much faster. I was thinking of starting a thread called something like, "My Dopey Bridge Aint So Dopey."

It's the little things that make EZ so great.

Adam

Dino Makropoulos Replied:

Adam.
It's you and all the smart ez guys that made the ez great.
Now we can screw up just the fun of fixing it ...ez.

Remember some old posts?

Burt Wadell Replied:

...It's the little things that make EZ so great.

Adam,

There is so much truth in that statement.

I have used the srk in a method similiar to what you did but I hadn't tried using two rails like that. Each tip like that generates a surge of ideas about how to use the EZ differently. Should we ask Dino to make connectors to to join two rails parallel like that? It could be sized to fit his green bases.

This morning, I got a call from a customer that we had just completed a kitchen for. He said the installer was there and the hole for the double wall oven was 1/2" to narrow. In the past, that would have been panic time. I said "I'll see you in a couple". We threw the EZ rails in truck and took off. With the EZ enlarging the hole was a piece of cake. The installer super liked the rail. The home owner appreciated the Makita cement siding saw too.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I ordered my first EZ 100 set to cut plywood. The things that we do with the EZ make it sound to good to be true. Now if we could just get people to believe us!!

I use to say that I use the EZ more and more each day. I think that I am going to change that to the EZ gets more and more valuable to me each day. It does!!

Thanks Adam. I enjoy stealing your ideas.

Burt


Adam Stone Replied:

Hi Dino,

It's funny how a screw up with a great fix can become a preferred method and not be considered a screw up anymore.

Thanks,

Adam


Hi Burt,

"Each tip like that generates a surge of ideas about how to use the EZ differently."

"I use to say that I use the EZ more and more each day. I think that I am going to change that to the EZ gets more and more valuable to me each day. It does!!"

I couldn't have said it better myself.

I'm glad a stand-out pro like you finds this latest idea useful.

Thanks,

Adam