Machinery, Tools, Research, Reviews and Safety

We moved shops at the furniture bank and some of the crew decided it was time to put in permanent dust collection ducting. In the old shop area, a corrugated pipe ran across the floor and it was easy for someone to bump it out and the table saw filled up with dust. (IMO) they went overboard and put in a 4" corrugated to a 6" vertical up about 10' then across about 15 feet, a turn to a 8" for about another 8' to the industrial dust collector. We are having problems with the saw still filling up. One thought was thin slivers are getting in there and stopping it up. So this morning one of the guys looked and found some. He removed them, but an hour later, th…

This is one of those things that grew out of a need to straighten really long (10-12’) boards for a house we were doing back in the early 90’s. The plans called for all the interior doors to be 8’ high and the entry doors were both 10’. It was a big undertaking and we didn’t have the money in the budget to buy a long bed jointer. There were 28 doors in all. The other reason the jointer wasn’t practical is that in those days we did not have a permanent shop. The first structure on a house would be the garage which became the shop. That meant that when the project was over all the machinery had to be moved to storage until the next project. It is made primarily from on…

As you know, I've had to end my woodworking days because of age issues. I've been offered $800,00 for the Laguna 14/12 bandsaw- I feel it is a low offer. Just wondering what everyone thinks. Selling it is difficult, but I know I won't be using it again myself.

Been meaning to post this for a bit now. On my sister's recommendation I purchased this Hart studfinder at Walmart. I think it was about $35. I gave it a whirl this summer while working in the garage and I have to say it performs great. Without a doubt this is the best (of 3 or 4) studfinders that I have used. The three center lights come on when you are centered over the stud. And a yellow light comes on if there is an electrical run in the wall. I found it easy to use and accurate. I used it on both the wall and ceiling in the garage. The directions say it will work with lath & …

Looking to buy a electric pole saw so I don't have to climb. Not interested in another battery to keep up.. Saw the Sun Joe on Amazon . As would not use it that often looking at the under $100 range . I did notice the much cheaper ones have shorter poles and some have detachable saws. Any recommendations or suggestions appreciated.

Just an FYI in case you need a part or two for something you just broke https://www.repairclinic.com https://www.partswarehouse.com calabrese55

A local guy has a Domino machine for sale, includes extra bit and 300 Dominos. In a Systainer. "Never used" I'm wondering who dumps that kind of money into a tool and then never uses it. $1000

Bought a set of these from Amazon. They are solidly built and cut soft & hard wood surprisingly clean. I don't plan on using them for metal but for the jigs / fixtures i make and segmented pen blanks. I have no connection with this source other than I am a recent customer. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0865X881X calabrese55

I got one of these last year and the newer models come with a hex drive that you can adust the depth thru a router table. Well, I've been doing a number of things and on the next cut needed to change the depth a bit. There must have been a lot of sawdust in the drive because when I tried changing it, it was not working right. Took it out and found out the little retaining clip (External-E E-Clip) must have been stressed and popped off, so word to the wise, keep that thing clean and don't go beyond the stop.

I stumbled across this fellow and love what he does for DIY shop implements. I thought I'd post it here to give some folks inspiration, this fellow is brilliant in his planing. Have fun! Also, you can go to his YouTube channel and see how he builds this masterpiece, and many of his other jigs and holders and home made this and that. Here is his channel: Paoson Woodworking, he is a luthier like our own @Woodman. One thing I noticed about Woodman and other luthier's is they are very meticulous and clean with their work, and it makes sense, to build intricate pieces like violins and such, requires a meticulous mindset and surroundings. Also, here is Paoson's w…

The time had come to do some pretty serious maintenance on the big bandsaw and I upgraded a few things. The Carter guide bearings and Kreg fence completely changed the old Jet for the better. That is a 1/8” test cut after the upgrade. Within .008”, I will take that as a win.

Kreg gifted a Forman at least 8 years ago to the furniture bank. We use it regularly, last year we made 1100 tables and all the aprons are pocket holed and we go thru about 5000 screws a month. I should add that usually it's operated by volunteers with little to no power tool experience and no Foreman experience. Anyway a few years after we got it, there was a break in the wire to the motor. We contacted Kreg and they sent a new Foreman. One of the guys took the old one home and did some re-wiring and has been using it since in his home shop. When the replacement was starting to have some intermittent motor issues recently, he brought the old one in for…

Wow, I'm not sure most of the world needs this. I think I'll stick with my Stanley #4. https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/2524-20

Saw THIS else where. Pretty cool actually although pricey IMO. I could see applications for small production run shops or multiple one-off projects. WARNING: Some language in the video. Also see if you can figure this guy's favorite phrase.

Good evening. Am 65 and new to woodworking. Was recently gifted a Porter-Cable dovetail jig. Unfortunately, my ryobi router is not compatible as it has A 1/4 INCH shaft and 1/2 inch is required. Also, my base will not accommodate the template guide. Any suggestion on a router that will work with this jig would be appreciated. Thanx

I all the years I've been using drill presses, one detail has always irked me a bit and that was the knurled handle they all have to loosen and tighten the table to the post shaft. This is what I replaced: This is what I replaced it with: Found it at Amazon.com. Only review was that it was used to replace the handle on a drill press. Metric threads. Now a simple lift of the comfortable cam lever is all that is needed to loosen the table to adjust it up or down. Push the cam lever down to lock snug. Now looking for one I can use on my floor standing drill press in my garage. 4D

Got a hand me down delta TS and I can't find the actual manual for it, anyone know anything about this model?

I do regular volunteer work at a furniture bank. They have a Kreg Foreman, about 18 months old, that failed. When you plunge the drill bit, suddenly the power would shut off the motor. We determined the problem to be a broken wire underneath where it pivots. One of they guys called them and they acknowledged it was a known problem and would send him "parts." Yesterday, a whole new machine showed up. If you have one, you need to know about this before you throw it out.

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…