carvewright

Perhaps for home/hobby use an RAS may not make sense, but I use mine almost as much as my table saw in making cabinets and built-ins. A lot of my work consists of units with 12 - 15" shelves and there is no way to cut those easily on an SCMS, and since I don't have one of the new track saws, hard to cut accurately with a skillsaw. Moreover, with permanant support systems in place, I can quickly and easily crosscut pieces of any length up to 20 feet on the RAS, out to about 15" of width. In addition, it is easy to set up dust collection for an RAS, but almost impossible for my Makita SCMS. In my small shop dust collection is paramount, so that is a huge factor. That said, I do all of my angle cutting on a SCMS, leaving the RAS set for perfect cross cuts. I wore out my first RAS and am into my 18th year on my second one now (both Craftsman). As with any tool in the shop, a decision must be made relative to the work done, the skill level of the operator, and the space available. I would not give up my RAS as it meets my needs and space.

The great thing about Norm was that he was an excellent teacher. His "lesson plan" for each show was well thought out and sequenced for learning. Learned a lot from him, and inspired to do things I probably would otherwise have thought beyond my skills. Thanks Norm! Some day I too hope to build a piece of furniture in 30 minutes!!

I am fortunate to have a very good tool repair shop locally, so will go and ask their advice unless it is a simple fix, like a power cord or brushes. Since they also sell tools I had worried about their advice, but they have been very good and usally have beena able to fix with reasonable expense. Also, I have a ton of jigs so am reluctant to change key tools like rounter because then the jigs are scrap. My rule of thumb is if it is a good tool, I'll see about fixing it, if it is a cheap knockoff, I'll replace it.

Interesting and beautiful lines, done with an eye to simplicity of form that does not result in lessened function. A truly outstanding piece, both in design and execution. Bravo!