Tom93311

I have a set of chisels and don't know how to use them - I desperately need this DVD. Help!!

I have a set of chisels and don't know how to use them - I desperately need this DVD. Help!!

Well, I see a major flaw, the saw is now just as expensive as a Laguna - how is that a "great buy?" I think the better buy is a Grizzly 17 inch at under $1000.00 if you want to talk about most bang for your resaw powering buck.

Attaching sales-gimmicky statements like "great buy" to a new 14 inch saw model that will be more expensive than all the other saws puzzles me. I would expect such expressed enthusiasm only after the tests were complete so as to give a sense of credibility to the judging.

What struck me was thinking about the costs involved - the tuition, being unemployed for a year and then having to pay for those wide boards of walnut and other exotic material. I suppose that what Mr. Hadden must have spent was equivalent to one year of college education and in return he has something concrete, quantifiable and a marketable skill which I hope he is able to leverage into a career if he so chooses. Good for him.

Wood like Walnut is pretty expensive in California - I would guess the costs must be equivalent to a year at Stanford.

In my neck of the woods (or desert) woodworking is a dying hobby. If it was more popular, we would not be making such a big deal about this new show. The secret is how to make a dollar for the TV people so they will agree to produce more shows and branch out to fit in the finer woodworking categories us veterans wish to see. So let's not knitpick anything and be supportive at this point. When we have more than one show to choose from then we should make public our preferences. For now, let's stand united. Criticizing the show just gives more reason to pull the plug. Let's support our craft.

Pick me! Pick Me! Pick me!

I'd love to see that book - I have always wanted to make a chair but don't know how - this book would be a great first step.

I think power tools for the hobbyist are dangerous, harmful and create anxiety out of an activity that is supposed to be meaningful and creative.

The power tools sold to us create unacceptable decibel damage to your hearing. The cheap lunchbox planers should be outlawed and the failure of manufacturers to use the latest safety technology is borderline criminal (sawstop technology needs to me mandated). Power tools prevent us from working at certain hours or in crowded conditions (noise) - they create unnecessary tool purchases to clean up the air left by the power tools. Woodworking forums and magazines are replete with articles on how to work safe. Yes, a saw and chisel can also be unsafe if used incorrectly but just ask yourself whether you are enjoying the experience of power tool interaction when you are worrying about toxic dust, high RPM routering or fear of kickback, etc.

I say this as a power tool worker. I think the argument for/against hand tools is only necessary or interesting because we have failed to produce better technology to combat the noise, capacity for harm and the polluting effects of power tools. The argument for hand tools is a reflection of the poor quality of power tools.

However, too much technology is also bad - like those CNC routers where everything is carved or made by machine. Is that really woodkworking or just manufacturing. Likewise, who wants to spend multiple hours with a handsaw and hand plane to do what a bandsaw and planer can do to make 3/4 inch thick planks.

This is not an easy either/or discussion. I advocate a balanced approach and pressure by us to force manufacturers to improve safety as well as cut down on the decibels. Think about it - there is an article in FWW on how to close all the gaps in your contractor saw to improve dust collection. So we are fixing stuff that manufacturers did not bother to include in their products. I would rather buy a saw that has all those fixes - I hate spending money or time to make a machine better because of poor manufacturing - but others like to tinker so market forces drive sales of substandard products courtesy of harbor freight. We need to band together and stop buying crap and demand better machines.

I built this bench and the sketchup model I had helped a lot - however when it comes to the planing beam, the holes need to be not centered but towards the edge so that more area of the beam sits in front of the posts because otherwise the edge of the bench and the planing beam are almost co-planar leaving only a slight ledge for the piece to sit on when using the planing beam.


Also, the construction grade kiln dried douglas fir, though dry, still warped a bit - it would have been better if the top was not made of edge joined 2 by 4's o 2 by 6's but instead if they were turned on edge and face joined together.

Also, the board that serves as the front piece and is edge joined to the rail with screws, that sagged on me and I cannot straighten it with more torquing of the screws - my drill is torqued out so basically the top is really not dead flat.

The design is great and it was easy to build but I recommend better material for the top or modifying the design so you can plane the top to bring it back to flatness.

What a shocking news story.