Well, there was one contributor that I never cared for (who shall remain nameless).   I have become really annoyed with one personality type, the "know it all". or as I've recently aliased, the arrogant a-hole.   Over the years I have worked with some very brilliant people and they normally don't have to try to impress you.  I can spot them.   Re-reading some of his comments and columns just reminded me of why I never did like this contributor and reading one of his articles yesterday was the pivot point.

Just read this ad for a "push-pull saw".  Didn't seem to go anywhere.  IIRC Shopsmith had something similar for a very short time.  "Upside down RAS" 

 

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=34472

 

4 hours ago, kmealy said:

Over the years I have worked with some very brilliant people and they normally don't have to try to impress you

That’s how you can tell the people at the top of their field from the hacks. Who’s doing vs who’s telling them about everything they’ve done.

Lately, I've seen a lot of the suppliers that I've not heard anything about in a long time.  When they have an address posted with their ad, I look it up on Google Maps.   Everyone I've tried is no longer there; the building is occupied by someone else.  Sad they all disappeared.

I'm up to the late '80s and was a bit in awe of the amount of ads.  I checked one issue and the first article started on p 42 and the last ended on 94.  There were a few pages at the front (table of contents, letters to the editors) and a couple of wrap-up on the back.  All in all about 52 pages of articles of 126 pages of magazines.  My estimate of "half" was a bit low.

old versions

 

 

vs, newer

 

Pass

Don't think I would even read that article. Wonder if anyone built it.

Curious if that predated the radial arm saw.  

4D

Looks like a model 911

Read a letter to the editor yesterday from one of the companies that was making wooden workbenches (and there were a number of companies making them back then ('80s)).   The writer went thru the cost of 1000 bf of lumber that they used, how much it weighed, how many benches they got out of that and reduced that to "cost per pound" of various benches.  Never knew that was a thing.

 

My current project (a nightstand/end table/tv table/whatever) is being made of hickory and boy is it ever heavy.  Roughly 4.5-5 lbs per board foot.