Machinery, Tools, Research, Reviews and Safety

My dad purchased a Harbor Freight Saw Blade Sharpener a couple months ago, and had a hard time setting it up. He stated that his ol brain just doesn't work the best anymore for this sort of stuff, not too mention typically HF directions can be a PITA. So he asked me if I could take it home and set it up for him and show him how to use it. Before I even read the instructions I looked it up on YouTube and it seemed a pretty straight forward contraption to use. It actually came pretty much assembled out of the box. All I had to do was tweak a few of the settings on it to bring it into calibration sort of, then the rest went along pretty smooth. I wasn…

I suppose this is the right sub-forum. A friend of mine called to tell me he had a bandsaw that had to go and asked if I could use it. One of those "I got it from my dad years ago and it never has worked" sort of thing that usually means "I've never used it and the wife wants it gone". Well, after the liberal use of some electrical cleaner on the contacts, the thing fires up and runs. Now to see if it is worth restoring. I may need some help trying to find parts. I know the blade guard at the back is broken and I can't seem to find one online. Serial number (82L03109) tells me it was made in September of 1982, so if anyone knows o…

I had one aggravation when using my benchtop Wen drill press. The depth stop was a knurled nut that had to be tediously spun around a fine threaded post to set a stop. There are push button stops you can buy for some drill presses. Pricey, and usually for the larger shafts on floor standing drill presses. I couldn't find one for the M12-1.25mm post on my Wen. I've made push button releases for a few past projects, so decided I could make my own depth stop for my Wen. Photos below. A more complete How-To is now live on my blog: https://4dfurniture.blogspot.com/2023/01/making-push-button-depth-stop-for-my.html I consider this a prototype. Next is to see i…

I planned this out and put it together a couple years ago, it has a Thein style dust plate inside the seperator drum. I'm extremely happy, and proud of this project.

In my opinion some the open stand 6 inch jointers such as the Delta JT360, Jet JJ-6OS, General International 80-075L, Steelex ST1001, CraftexCT086, King CanadaKC-150, and probably a couple other brands that I may have missed, which all basically have the same type of open stand and dust collection setup where the dust port is directed very close to the floor of the dust chute, more then likely causing some air flow resistance and lowering CFM before it reaches the cutter head area. I feel that the port should be pointed in the direction of the chute's flow to be efficient. I had a JET JJ-6OS, and this is what I came up with for a more efficient dust hood.

I am almost embarrassed to say I have gotten by with a Harbor Freight table top drill press for 5-6 years and as I advance my wood working it just isn't good enough anymore. It is difficult to change speeds. The chuck is too wobbly. The 2 1/2" stroke is just too short. In fact nothing about it is good enough. I need to be protective of floor space but I am willing to go to a floor model if a suitable table top model isn't out there. Suggestions?

Saw recently Menard's is now advertising Craftsman tool boxes so apparently will not be exclusive to Lowe's. Wonder what impact if any it will have have Menard's branded Performax & Masterforce tool storage? I know many of you don't have access to a Menard's since they more regional to the Midwest & mid-South... Menard's Sale Circular

Lately I've noticed a few folks that are now using the small plastic and aluminum imported Jobsite table saws. In my opinion they are grossly over priced for what they are. For a comparably sized saw I have a old Rockwell 34-607 nine inch Contractors table saw that was made in the USA, and I consider it as a much better saw. I have added a paddle switch, my own dust collection hood, a mobile base, and a link belt to it. I luv this saw, I use it in the small shop that I use in the winter months.

What would be the best 10" table saw for a 4×8 portable workbench?

I found the Achilles heel of my Shopsmith, the casters, they are horrible! They are a beast to roll around. Any Shopsmith folks with any advise, I'd sure appreciate it.

So here’s the saga…it may be old news to some of you… I finally ordered the Garrett Super Scanner V from Amazon. I figured it was about time as I plan to start using reclaimed wood in the near future. It seemed that I could practice a bit to make sure the real run would not cost me blades for the 735… When it came in I opened the Amazon box, carefully packaged BTW, and found a white box with a serial number and barcode on it (see picture). Inside the white box was a brand new shiny plastic Super Scanner V…or so I thought…(feel the suspense building now…?) After plugging it in and turning it on I got the tell-tale beep and green light. I wondered, howeve…

John Moody and I were talking today about dovetail jigs. We both have the Peachtree version and the discussion got around to replacement bits and it looks like the Amana bit for the Keller system is identical to the Peachtree bit. I heard that Keller's patent ran out and Peachtree copied it. Any input on this? Anyone have a Keller system?

I bought it new in 1997 and used it off and on for the first 17 years but in the last 3 I have used it a lot, sometimes daily. It has always run fine but today I turned it on and it ran for 1/2 a second then quit. Here's what I know: 1) It is getting power, I even switched to different circuit altogether 2) I pulled the switch out to verify that it is good 3) The brushes, though original, are still 1/2" long and show no signs of chipping or abnormal wear 4) The wires on the brushes are intact and the springs have plenty of tension 5) The motor is easy to spins (took the side covers off to verify) 6) The 18 amp built-in breaker on the top of the mot…

For sale, Performax 16-32 Sander. Local pick up only in Southern CA. If you live in a 100 mile radius I can deliver. Conveyor belt has a small area that is ripped, other than that this machine works perfect. Purchased in 2006. Make an offer! Contact me via PM for details.

I just bought this CUTECH /40700HC-CT portable 12 1/2" planer and set it up the last week. I had an old Delta that ran good but the feed rollers wouldn't grab the wood and I would end up having to push the board through with a pusher stick. That is unsafe to begin with and a PITA besides. So I spent about a month reading reviews and pricing out the different planers. I settled on the Cutech because the reviews were good, and it has a spiral cutter head with carbide cutters for less than $500., $379. to be exact + shipping http://www.cutechtool.com/product-p/40700hc-ct.htm They make the General International portable planer. They have several models,…

This last summer there was a discusion on another forum of making diamond wheels for the WorkSharp. Bill @Schnewj did a lot of research and cost analysis on making diamond wheels for the WorkSharp Sharpening System. From that discussion I was able to get the sources for the materials thru Bills research. So I set out to make a set of diamond wheels. The idea behind all this was to make some MDF wheels and buy some magnetic sign material 6"discs with PSA backing. Then drill a hole in the discs and peel the cover off and stick them o the MDF wheels. He also found a source in Los Angeles that sold lapidary steel diamond discs for the lapidary trade that were 6" in diame…

10 Inch Ryobi Miter Saw Review. For Shopping Links The Home Depot website lists this item at 134 dollars plus tax if applicable in your state. https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-10-in-Compound-Miter-Saw-with-LED-TS1346/306939211 I did a search on Amazon.com and it appears that amazon does not carry the 10 inch Miter saw from Ryobi. So Set up with the Ryobi is pretty much PLUG AND PLAY. Of course youll have to hook on the clamp locking mechanism that it comes with how ever that you just drop into a hole thats pre drilled in the body of the saw bed. There is an OPTIONAL dust collection bag you can have on or off of your machine. The Miter Sa…

Was killing time in HF this afternoon while wife was shopping nearby. I could not believe this. I am still wondering what practical (and safe) use it has. Smaller than a breadbox. 6' cord

Looking the Menards ad last night. Saw they have a sub-$200 track saw. It's their private label so I'm not sure how good it is, but seems to have cracked the $700+ glass ceiling of Festool, DeWalt and Makita. And a 110" track, great for full sheets of ply, MDF, OSB, etc. https://www.menards.com/main/tools-hardware/power-tools-accessories/power-saws-accessories/masterforce-reg-6-1-2-plunge-cut-track-saw-kit-with-110-track/2410706/p-1489990860634-c-9082.htm?tid=4470200921871567213&ipos=1 Anyone seen or used it?

I was doing some rabbit hole YouTube surfing this morning and happened upon this band-saw review for Harbor Freights Bauer lineup. I've been looking for a good bench top belt grinder and in the past I have seen great reviews for the red Bauer brand by Harbor Freight, so this red bandsaw caught my attention this morning. I'm not in the market for a band-saw, but it was fun watching. I watched the entire video and I am impressed. At 600 bucks, looks like you'd be getting your money's worth as long as the longevity of the saw holds up, but I was very impressed with the well thought out features the saw has. One of the cool features I really liked was the thumb kn…