Machinery, Tools, Research, Reviews and Safety

Gang, I am officially out of room in my shop so I need to get creative. My pipe clamp storage consists of a peg board with the pipe clamps hanging on hooks. I have about 25 1/2” and 3/4” clamps of varying lengths (2 feet to 6 feet) hanging and I need ideas to consolidate them. So, whatcha got folks?

Learned something about rust prevention on cast iron and steel. NAOH, that's right, drain opener, Lye. Wipe a solution of NAOH on an otherwise unprotected surface, and it won't rust. I couldn't wrap my head around it not bing a chemist so I just had to try it. I took a spoon of drain opener in some water and immersed a hunk of cheap A-36 steel in it after grinding on the steel to expose it to the solution. a day later no rust. a day after taking it out of the solution and setting it unrinced on the counter and no rust. So I had to moisten it. Still no rust. Can't say this about chlorine but both are alkaline.

Anyone have any experience with a track saw less than $300?

Hey gang, I’ve been cleaning house (or the shop) and I have a gaggle of used 13” planer blades that I can send to one of you fine folks. I have about 10 sets for a Delta 22-580 and a couple of sets for a Dewalt 735. If you’re interested shoot me a message.

Kreg has a (newish, I think) dust separator that fits on a 5 gal bucket. $60 sounds like a good deal. I made my own Thien separator from parts off a Rockler Dust Right a few years ago and it keeps a lot of stuff out of the vacuum bag. dust separator

Many of you may know that my table saw is a 1947 right tilt Unisaw. A few weeks ago it refused to start up so I tapped the motor with a hammer and it took off. I figured it was probably time to do a little maintenance on the bullet motor. These motors are a beast weighing in an about 90 pounds and are a real pain to pull out and rebuild on a bench so I opted to rebuild the back end on the machine. After a ton of research on OWWM and our own Larry Buskirk I ordered bearings, brushes and a spring for the “necklace”. This motor was built before capacitors and is an induction reversing motor. I won’t bore you with the details on IR technology but it uses a spring loaded…

I have the above sander and have owned it for several years. Love the sander for the work it does and because it was so smooth and balanced. Well it hit the concrete last year and it now has a bit of a wobble to it. It drives me nuts as it's not the same tool anymore. I've taken it a apart to some degree to see if I could see anything that didn't look right but I came up empty. Does anyone have experience with something like this that might help me fix this tool? One option is to take it in for repair and if they could fix it, the cost would probably warrant a new tool I'm guessing. I may do that though to see what they say but thought I would check here first. W…

1/2" x 2 AS 163" timberwolf blades from suffolk machinery. Cutting green (wet) wood 12" height by 2" thick by length of log usually 4' for shorter. After 6 to 8 passes I start to see curved cuts like the blade like it has stretched or annealed. If i ignore this next very next pass the blade binds up in the wood and stalls the machine. I am tensioning the blade per their recommendation. Flutter method. These blades are not cheap and at only 8 good passes the old pin oak will take about 30 more blades to process. Any ideas? Then blade when annealed still are very sharp. Sent email to timberwolf asking for help.

My old Craftsman (13 model) keeps giving me fits. Pulleys won't stay lined up and that leads to a lot of vibration and heat. Looking at a new replacement table saw. I don't need anything fancy so a low end entry level small shop one should work ($1200 +/-). I also have to get it down to the basement and the doorway is 29 inches wide. Been considering the Laguna F1, but there seems to be a quality and alignment with them. The Grizz 962 looks promising, but the fence isn't the greatest ----- but I have a Vega fence on the Craftsman if it'll fit. Also looked at the Delta from Lowes, but there seems to be a motor problem with them. Jet is a maybe, too. There seems to…

Where do you think is the best place where I can get a decent (by decent, I meant cheap and high quality) reciprocating blade. Not quiet sure which brand is the most reliable.

I'm going to be making a long distance move and I'm trying to figure out the best way to move all of my larger woodworking tools. This list includes a radial arm saw, table saw, 13" planer, floor drill press, 2 jointers (1 big, 1 small), small router table, large dust collector (almost 8' tall) , band saw, 60 gal. air compressor, and a full-size lathe. Every tool is either on a custom built cart or factory stand on a mobile base. I'm an experienced mover, but I've never moved these types of large tools. I have a ton of my own shipping blankets and ratchet straps. The moving truck with be packed with barely an inch to spare. I'm concerned I'm not going to be ab…

Hi all running into a problem where I am milling up some lumber from logs" 12" high max. When cutting the logs the bandsaw deflects toward the inside. As I travel down the log it appears to get worse. What causes such an issue. Across the face I am probably out of flat by 3/4" in the middle. The tension on the saw is at or above the 3/4" mark which is what the blade is. Why is it doing this?

Need some help my 17" bandsaw or 18" saw as per the part no stamped into the wheels. i need to replace my tires and once peeled off the wheel. I guess after 20 some years the glue finally let go on the top wheel. The bottom wheel is showing its age. I will be replacing both with a supposed replacement. The wheels are 17.5" in diameter and the width is 1.5" . I assume i can cut off the bottom tire then remove any glue. What i am concerned with is getting the new replacement tire on that is not rubber. I will also you tube replacing the tires but thought i would ask here. This forum because the tools form is under construction.

I bought one of these many years ago. I was never happy with the pigtails it produced, so after I got my first ROS, it's been sitting in the (well somewhere). After reading all the glowing reviews of it in the 1980s FWW, I decided to get it out and give it another try. As you might expect, the foam pad was completely disintegrated. Knowing the PC is essentially a dying breed, I just pulled out some felt pad, punched some holes in it and will give it a try. The pad was stuck to a metal frame so I'll be using that on the felt pad. \

I have a habit of keeping tabs on Facebook Marketplace looking for bargains. Last night a guy listed a Bosch Colt trim router for $75. It had been used once and looked brand new. I have one already but being a Bosch guy (I have 3 1617EVS) I thought it was a pretty good deal so I would watch it. He reduced it to $50 and threw in a set of cheap bits. They are in my shop now. Bits are clearly not Freud but hey, they were free. I should feel guilty but I don’t.

I am a very tall guy, now with six spinal fusions. I cannot lean over lest more will be required. By the rule of thumb to have the table saw height at your elbow, I must raise this almost ten inches. This is basically a contractors saw in a cabinet (the sales guy actually talked me out of a Unisaw for what I do because most is on a lathe). It does what I want just fine. I can build some simple riser frame or platform yet I wonder a bit about stability. The saw sits on the outside black frame, though I suspect there may be some feet underneath (except I can't get to them without bending over and lifting it. I will bet there is wisdo…

I bought one of these sets a few years ago, mostly to work on the back screws for drawer glides that need repaired. https://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-85035-35-MicroDriver-Set/dp/B0062FSAVI It's turned out to be one of my favorite tools and most-used screwdrivers. Some of the things I like about it. * better in tight spots than a "stubby" screwdriver * more torque when needed * fast ratcheting action, especially over those L-shaped allen wrenches that you need to remove and reset every partial turn * can press down with your other hand on the ratchet and really help with partially stripped heads * knurled wheel so you can finger s…

We're on our second Kreg Foreman (and lots of bits) at the furniture bank and are looking for a more commercial replacement. We will go thru about 80,000 screws this year. About half of them are pocket holes and the rest are just holding parts together. Will let you know what we happen to get.

Numerous mistakes made. Could have been SO MUCH worse. Fortunately he didn't appear to be seriously injured during the making of this video. Lesson learned...turn off your video surveillance prior to using power tools.

Got my Wood Magazine yesterday and was reading a letter to the editor about why the P-C router was not listed in a recent review. For those not aware, Stanley Black & Decker, a large tool conglomerate, bought Porter-Cable a few years ago. Trying to figure out where to position their line with respect to DeWalt, Stanley, Black & Decker, and more recently Craftsman lines of tools, they apparently cheapened P-C to make it more of a DIY line of tools. My local tool dealer, who used to carry them, once told me, "They ain't what they used to be." Anyway, Wood Magazine said that P-C was discontinuing their routers and was just selling what was left in inventory. …