illron

Marking parts is extremely valuable for several reasons beyond basic machine set up. I agree, if using machines to cut your joints you need repeatable methods for that, but laying out pieces accurately is vital for cutting joints by hand and making sure you cut everything correctly when you go to machines. Without proper layout it is easy to cut on the wrong side of a line or wrong end of a board when running through parts in a hurry on a machine.

I'm fairly new to woodworking, about 5 years in, but I use hand tools every chance I get. I find making quality furniture by hand is about 30% skill/experience and 70% having the right tool. I've purchased several lie nielsen planes including a jointer, smoother, shoulder plane, small and large router plane, multiple block planes, saws, etc. I've found their tools brought me up the learning curve very quickly because I was focused on execution rather than fighting with a poorly tuned tool. Having said that, I have gone back and purchased some millers falls and stanley planes, tuned them up, and they work quite well now, but only because I had my lie nielsen tools as a reference point for how a tool should work. Lie nielsen tools are worth every penny and I feel good spending extra knowing it's going to good people in my own country. Even if a foreign tool comes out that is every bit as good as a lie nielsen, blue spruce, or bad axe tool, I will still spend more for the American brand... and in my opinion, that's how it should be. If money is an issue, by all means, save money and buy old stanleys, sargents, millers falls, etc off ebay, even then you're getting a well made tool and putting your money directly into the pocket of another American.

Fortunately I already have a beast of a tablesaw which I will never replace... if I didn't, I might be buying one now before the new legislation goes through and makes purchasing a high quality, reasonably priced, and adequately safe tablesaw impossible to find.

Looks like Santa in the summer. Shaved head to stay cool, and 6 more months of toy building...

lie-nielsen #7 jointer under the tree... now i just need the 4.5 smoother.

For the shelf-pin jig, he mentions making sure you drill your holes to match the pin size for your shelves. If you do a lot of shelf construction you could make this jig a bit longer and offset pairs of holes with varying diameters. This way the one jig could accommodate a range of pin sizes simultaneously.