NikonD80

Hi Joel,

Just wanted to say I really like your shop. I looks like a nice place to work in. I hadn't really considered pegboard for tool storage - maybe I should have a rethink.

2dtenor writes: NikonD80: "To use an analogy; You don't blame the car manufacturer when someone is killed in a road traffic accident despite the fact that cars today are made to achieve speeds well in excess of the most liberal of speed limits." Actually, Ford was held responsible when Pintos were being sold with gas tanks that exploded on impact. SUV manufacturers have been held responsible in rollover accidents. Firestone was held responsible for defective tires. Etc.

2dtenor - you've just proved the point I was trying to make. Theses are ALL design and/or manufacturing faults. You don't blame the car manufacturer if someone is driving recklessly. If I drive at 80 in a 30 zone, that's my fault not the car maker's.

I've been reading all this with great interest.
People do seem to be blurring two separate issues here. There's the issue of the court case and the other issue of should the new tech be mandatory.
The Court Case
Personally, I believe that there was a grave miscarriage of justice when the court awarded the money to Carlos Osorio. Nobody but the harshest of critics can have anything but sympathy for the injuries suffered but these injuries are not the fault of the Saw manufacturer. The device WAS being used in an unsafe manner and had been (in effect) partially dismantled.
I understand that it is possible to turn off the Sawstop breaking device. If this is true then how long before Sawstop are sued for allowing its safety device to be able to be deactivated? I see this as a logical extension of the arguments used against Ryobi.
To use an analogy; You don't blame the car manufacturer when someone is killed in a road traffic accident despite the fact that cars today are made to achieve speeds well in excess of the most liberal of speed limits.
Mandatory Safety
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Who will guard the guards themselves). This might seem a little pompous but it strikes right at the heart of the argument – in this case; Self Regulation (For Self Regulation read ‘Voluntary Standards’). Self Regulation never really works (look at the UK press hacking scandal). It’s all too easy for the regulators to rewrite the book if they need to. It would be much easier and cheaper not to require dust masks, protective clothing, safety wear and training and I suppose we could force the use of that old equipment that needs to be replaced but the law is there to protect workers from this kind of thing. Once upon a time, workers were forced to carry on in conditions that today would be considered Dickensian then the laws brought in standards and mandatory safety requirements. These things didn’t come in out of a feeling of charity.
I believe it is the fact that these requirements became mandatory that lead to improvements as companies tried to achieve the same level of safety at a better price. The expensive innovations filter down through the budgetary levels and so become incorporated into the less expensive kit. If you want to know what sort of budget car you’ll be driving in 5 years time, take a look at a high end car today. In years to come, the Sawstop technology we have now will be looked on as incredibly crude but these things have to start somewhere. This tech will get both cheaper and easier to work with as time progresses. The debate shouldn’t be about should this tech be mandatory but rather how best to implement change over the coming years.

Nice to see Father-hood has brought you to new levels of maturity Ed :D

Poor old Matt - if it's any consolation, this is the first build that's excited me enough to pre-order the DVD. I really can't wait to get building.

Oohhh Second shots. Count me in.

It very much looks like you're asking the question of speed Vs Safety; does the speedy result justify the added inherent dangers that this technique can come with? In my opinion, the answer is NO. Not because of the obvious problem of lateral pressure on the blade but because the readership of Fine Woodworking is quite broad. Experienced readers will know that a fine cut is all you can take using this method but less experienced readers are more likely to give in to the temptation to take heavier and heavier cuts to get the job done quickly - after all, you're already calling it a 'Speed Tenon'.

When John Tetreault built his workbench he showed a way of using the Table Saw to make a series of cuts to make a Tenon that is just as effective and much safer.

So, to answer your question Asa, NO, I don't think this approach should be included in the pages of FWW.

If this is only half as good as his book on box making then it'll still be better than most other books - count me in.

The glass jars are one of those ides that you see in someone elses shop and promptly steal (I mean adapt for use in your own shop). Mine just have the lids screwed to the lowermost part of the ceiling joists. It never occured to me to have them setup the way you describe; I might just have to 'adapt' that idea for future use ;)

That's amazing. A real work of art.

Ed, that's exactly why I took out my online subscription with Fine Woodworking. I learn far, far more from watching those video workshops than I do from all the other sources combined. In fact, those videos are the reason why I'm a woodworker.

Many congratulations to both new parents.
Little Gweneth looks like a real cutie. Treasure this time, it goes by so fast.

I downloaded this after being inspired by the new video workshop. Last Saturday I decided to 'have a go' and see how things turned out. I'm not quite finished yet but I'm thrilled with the way things are turning out and I'm already planing to build another box when this one is finished. Several members of my family are going to be getting boxes for Christmas this year.

This would be so useful to me - count me in.

Sounds like you got a good deal there Asa.

How about some photos though?
(Please)

Little did Matt realise that he'd just glued his elbow to the worktop.

Well I think it's brilliant. 9 out of 10 to FWW for this.
To make it the perfect 10 you'd need to be able to have an online archive of previous issues. [hint-hint ;) ]

Only just found this and I must say I think that far from 'stumbling' you've done a really great job.

By a nice co-incidence, 'Kona Industries' is an anagram of 'desks urination'. Is this your really clever way of forewarning us it was a pXss take by the office guys?

Anyway, it made me smile.

You know, I can't help but wonder just how jingoistic you'd all be if the US tools were badly built and terrible to use.

Luckily for me, my disposable income is not very great so I can't even afford to consider such names as Lie Nielsen (the lucky bit is that my choice is much narrower and thus choosing becomes more straightforward). Most of my tools are strictly of the bargain basement kind and I have to make up for their deficiencies by building my own skills. Personally, I can't afford to care where the tool comes from, I can only worry about getting the best tool I can in my price range.

Thanks for taking the time to do this Tim. This resource just gets better and better.

My wife has seen the PDF I downloaded:
"That'll make a nice bedside table" says she.

I guess I'm building a couple of Splay-legged Tables then
:)

I'm perfectly hapy to use MDF if it's appropriate for the job. Like others have already mentioned, it's great for jigs and patterns and as a sacrificial surface. I also use it a lot when I'm making plugs that will be used to make molds for fibreglass work. MDF can be tough as old boots if it's properly sealed.

Having said all that, there is, at the heart of me, something that simply abhors MDF for furniture work. MDF is wood with all the life taken out of it. Sure it's flat and stable but it simply dead too. When I pick up a piece of timber (even if its cheap Pine) I'm aware that this was once something growing in a forest somewhere. That makes me respect the wood and so I produce work of a higher quality. Don't think I'm being all romantic about this; I simply feel that wood is a precious resource and MDF is part of a more 'throw away' culture. When I build something really well out of proper timber, the first thing people want to do is touch it. They'll literally stand there stroking a piece of furniture. That never happens when I use MDF.

Hi, I just re-downloaded the file and it does contain the Connecticut Stool now.

Thanks for the quick fix.

Hi Tim,

Just been reading my newly downloaded ebook. This is the book that I've been wishing for ever since I started trying (and failing) to learn SketchUp. Even with a quick flick-through, things that have been puzzeling me have become clearer. I can't wait to get home tonight and get cracking.

Thanks,

Jon

You guys are so lucky to have shows like this. It looks like it's going to be a great show. There is nothing (and I mean nothing) like this in the UK. Actually, now I come to think of it, unless you're into Gardening I can't think of a single show that covers hobbies. Lots of good drama but other than that its 'How to sell your House', 'Soaps' or 'How to make a fool of yourself on reality TV'.

I'm so jealous of you.

That's really nice Dan. Are you going to build any storage underneath?

I'm in the very early stages of planning my shop (as opposed to simply having somewhere that is not planned out that I use to work in).

That little Vid has already given me a few ideas so please keep this sort of thing coming.

This sounds like a great book - count me in.
:)

Like most of you, I'm self taught.

My first turning point was when I finally developed the patience you need instead of rushing through things to get to 'the good bits'. I now regard the entire process as one big 'good bit'.

Another big point for me was finding this website. The video tutorials are so inspirational. I'm currently making a mock-up version of Garret Hack's small tool cabinet just to try out the entire process before I build the real thing.

And I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I cut a mortice and tenon joint that was a perfect fit. The triumphant feeling when the joint slides together and there's no wobble or rattle. In a word - 'Fantastic'.

Dello Dave,

Thanks for that info (and the very quick response). My inches have been transformed to cms.

Regards

Jon

I'm a relative newcomer to woodworking and I'm finding Sketchup to be invaluable in helping me try things out before I start cutting up valuable timber. I notice Derval's comment about being able to change the measurements from inches to centimeters but can't find a way of doing this - how do I find out?

Thanks

Jon

I'm after a nice cordless drill to replace my old one that just gave up the ghost - and clamps, lots of clamps :)

Here's my avatar. I'll be interested to see how many people know what it is.