Woodworkers Thread

[throwittoblythe]

Chris Schwarz is one of my favorite authors. He does a great job and has a quirky passion for traditional techniques. While I don't love the chest he builds in that book, the rest of the book is the first thing I suggest any new woodworker buy before going crazy with tools. If I was going to build a new tool chest it would be a dutch style.

The Woodwright's Shop | Dutch Tool Chest with Christopher Schwarz | Season 33 | Episode 12

Learn to make the simple and useful Dutch tool chest with its slanted lid.

www.pbs.org

Ah, sure, I've seen him before. I like TWWs idea of hybrid woodworking. I deeply respect the traditional techniques, and I actually would like to learn more about them, but I also think a hybrid approach is best for me. No need to be a purist either way. Nick Offerman made a good point in one of his books about how woodshops tend to be very loud and dusty when you factor in power tools, music, etc. If you spend some time using hand tools with your music off, it can be very therapeutic. Hell, I used a block plane for the first time this year just to flatten out some boards to make a small clock and that was a blast. I got some great satisfaction knowing nothing did that work other than a single tool and my elbow grease.

Btw, here's the tool chest I was referring to. It's from Fine Woodworkings FB page.

 

[do4CY]

Ah, sure, I've seen him before. I like TWWs idea of hybrid woodworking. I deeply respect the traditional techniques, and I actually would like to learn more about them, but I also think a hybrid approach is best for me. No need to be a purist either way. Nick Offerman made a good point in one of his books about how woodshops tend to be very loud and dusty when you factor in power tools, music, etc. If you spend some time using hand tools with your music off, it can be very therapeutic. Hell, I used a block plane for the first time this year just to flatten out some boards to make a small clock and that was a blast. I got some great satisfaction knowing nothing did that work other than a single tool and my elbow grease.

Btw, here's the tool chest I was referring to. It's from Fine Woodworkings FB page.

View attachment 78750

That is nice looking. I believe I have heard back when they had apprentices they had to make something like that using all of the tricks that they had learned

 

[JM4CY]

Ah, sure, I've seen him before. I like TWWs idea of hybrid woodworking. I deeply respect the traditional techniques, and I actually would like to learn more about them, but I also think a hybrid approach is best for me. No need to be a purist either way. Nick Offerman made a good point in one of his books about how woodshops tend to be very loud and dusty when you factor in power tools, music, etc. If you spend some time using hand tools with your music off, it can be very therapeutic. Hell, I used a block plane for the first time this year just to flatten out some boards to make a small clock and that was a blast. I got some great satisfaction knowing nothing did that work other than a single tool and my elbow grease.

Btw, here's the tool chest I was referring to. It's from Fine Woodworkings FB page.

View attachment 78750

Good lord!

 

[mramseyISU]

Good lord!

You think that tool chest is nuts? The Studley chest is next world.

 

[CyJeans]

Agreed. I think that Festool only makes sense if you're doing production furniture and need to get it done quickly. For the weekend woodworker, I can't see how it's worth the price.

Rockler has a product that is an order of magnitude cheaper and accomplishes the same task:

https://www.rockler.com/beadlock-pro-joinery-kit

And like you said, you could make your own system in the shop and get the job done, too.

I just saw it for the first time recently and I was definitely curious about it. Jessem takes a similar route with there version but they have you use the drill to clear out all of the excess in between and make it a domino. Using a drill for that always seems a little sketchy to me in terms of the final quality.

I have bought a handful of Rockler branded products and honestly I have been pretty unimpressed. There products are always a little overpriced for what you actually get and the quality control I have seen is very hit or miss. Not that tools need to look pretty but it does feel like they skip out on aesthetics, even woodworkers buy with their eyes.

 

[CyJeans]

Back onto the Christmas list. Instead of a new tool how about some books on the subject? Here are some I have that I really like.

The Anarchist's Tool Chest is about getting started and buying tools that useful and what order to buy them. When you're all done you'll have the tools you need to build a toolchest to store them in (but I prefer a Dutch Style chest to an English style one)

The Anarchist's Tool Chest: Revised Edition

“The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” paints a world where woodworking tools are at the center of an ethical life filled with creating furniture that will last for generations. You'll discover the fewer than 50 hand tools you need to get started, and step-by-step instructions to build a full-sized...

lostartpress.com

The Woodworker: The Charles Hayward Years is a 5 volume set that blends hand tools and power tools nice with lots of detailed techniques. Whenever I start doing something I hadn't done for a while I look up how to do it again in the Hayward books. I have 4 of the 5 books.

Vol. I of The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years: Tools

Download an excerpt from Vol. I here. There is little doubt that Charles H. Hayward (1898-1998) was the most important workshop writer and editor of the 20th century. Unlike any person before (and perhaps after) him, Hayward was a trained cabinetmaker and extraordinary illustrator, not to...

lostartpress.com

Vol. II of The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years: Techniques

Download an excerpt from Vol. II here. There is little doubt that Charles H. Hayward (1898-1998) was the most important workshop writer and editor of the 20th century. Unlike any person before (and perhaps after) him, Hayward was a trained cabinetmaker and extraordinary illustrator, not to...

lostartpress.com

Vol. III of The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years: Joinery

You can download an excerpt of this book via this link. The third book in our "The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years" series covers all types of woodwork joints, including how to design them, cut them and fix them when things go awry. It’s difficult to overstate the importance of the book...

lostartpress.com

Vol. IV of The Woodworker, The Charles H. Hayward Years, The Shop & Fu

Download an excerpt here. The fourth book in our series "The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years" covers three different topics. 1) The Workshop, including the design and construction of workbenches, tool chests and wall cabinets. There's also an entire section devoted to "appliances,"which...

lostartpress.com

Honest Labour: The Charles H. Hayward Years

You can download an excerpt of this book here. “Honest Labour” is a collection of essays from The Woodworker magazine while the legendary Charles H. Hayward was editor (1936-1966). This book is the fifth and final volume in our series from The Woodworker. When we started on The Woodworker...

lostartpress.com

Hybrid Woodworking gives you some options for deciding where to go with hand tools and where to go with power tools.

Hybrid Woodworking Book - The Wood Whisperer

In Hybrid Woodworking, author and Internet woodworking personality Marc Spagnuolo offers a more efficient approach that combines the strength of power-tool and hand-tool techniques. The end result: You save time and effort while producing furniture that still has that stunning handmade look.

thewoodwhisperer.com

The last book is a book full of workbenches. If you're doing any woodworking you need a bench and this book will give you tons of good ideas. I built a version of the Holtzapffel bench from this book.

The Workbench Design Book: The Art & Philosophy of Building Better Benches: Schwarz, Christopher: 0035313651564: Books - Amazon

The Workbench Design Book: The Art & Philosophy of Building Better Benches [Schwarz, Christopher] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Workbench Design Book: The Art & Philosophy of Building Better Benches

www.amazon.com

Definitely going to invest in some of these.

 

[CyJeans]

And yes, I can't understand why anyone would pay for the Festool brand, even the pros. They have some tools like the domino that are unique enough that MAYBE you pay for because you can't really get it anywhere else. But I see people using their miter saws, oscillating sanders, etc and I don't get it. Is it high quality? Of course. Is it worth a 2x premium over any other top brand? I seriously doubt it.

A great example: Festools cordless drill kit is $300+. For a DRILL. You're telling me it drives screws that much better/faster than something less than $100? I really doubt it. I imagine all the pros (I see This Old House guys use their tools a lot) that use them get a steep marketing discount because otherwise, you'd have to be insane to pay that price for those tools.

From what I have heard on their miter saw, it is worth every penny. It is well ergonomically designed and the guide shafts are forward so you can put it up against a wall. All of the details on that saw are what makes the difference. Again, this is all word of mouth from people who are probably trying not to say a bad thing about their $1000 purchase.

I have heard good things about their sanders and shop vacs as well. I know with sanders there is more competition now with Mikra but the price tag is all based on the feel of the unit, balance, and the dust collection. They want you to buy the vacs with it. The best thing I have seen about festool is they are one of the few companies that designs their own vacs and doesn't rebrand from a third party (Mikra does this). Unfortunately most of the tools these days are made in the same factories and basically the same thing with a new shell.

Power Tool Manufacturers and Who Really Owns Them

It may surprise you that only a handful of larger companies own your favorite power tool manufacturers. Here's who owns who...with lists!

www.protoolreviews.com

 

[JP4CY]

From what I have heard on their miter saw, it is worth every penny. It is well ergonomically designed and the guide shafts are forward so you can put it up against a wall. All of the details on that saw are what makes the difference. Again, this is all word of mouth from people who are probably trying not to say a bad thing about their $1000 purchase.

I have heard good things about their sanders and shop vacs as well. I know with sanders there is more competition now with Mikra but the price tag is all based on the feel of the unit, balance, and the dust collection. They want you to buy the vacs with it. The best thing I have seen about festool is they are one of the few companies that designs their own vacs and doesn't rebrand from a third party (Mikra does this). Unfortunately most of the tools these days are made in the same factories and basically the same thing with a new shell.

Power Tool Manufacturers and Who Really Owns Them

It may surprise you that only a handful of larger companies own your favorite power tool manufacturers. Here's who owns who...with lists!

www.protoolreviews.com

I have the new Makita (two 18v batteries) and you can do that with it as well, its a huge space saver. HPT Metabo has a new one as well that can do this.

 

[CyJeans]

I have the new Makita (two 18v batteries) and you can do that with it as well, its a huge space saver. HPT Metabo has a new one as well that can do this.

Nice, I had not seen Makita and Metabo have them. I knew Bosch and delta did as well. The thing I have heard with the bosch and delta is that the knuckle joint on the slider makes it less accurate but I have never tried one. My father in law has one so whenever I am over there I always stare but have never used it lol.

 

[JP4CY]

Nice, I had not seen Makita and Metabo have them. I knew Bosch and delta did as well. The thing I have heard with the bosch and delta is that the knuckle joint on the slider makes it less accurate but I have never tried one. My father in law has one so whenever I am over there I always stare but have never used it lol.

 

[CyJeans]

Sexy

The forward sliding rails is a better design vs the knuckle IMO. Makita was my number 2 choice when picking a tool platform to build out. I like the fact that they are not owned by a larger corporation and can kind of do their own thing. The only think I didn't like is that they use the older 18900 battery cells vs the 21700. It isn't even really a knock because at the time only Milwaukee (who I went with) and Hilti used them.

 

[CloniesForLife]

Damn that is nice.

 

[JP4CY]

Sexy

The forward sliding rails is a better design vs the knuckle IMO. Makita was my number 2 choice when picking a tool platform to build out. I like the fact that they are not owned by a larger corporation and can kind of do their own thing. The only think I didn't like is that they use the older 18900 battery cells vs the 21700. It isn't even really a knock because at the time only Milwaukee (who I went with) and Hilti used them.

Damn that is nice.

The only thing that is semi concerning right now is there's no 36v to 120v plug in wall adapter. I had to overcome that in my head before purchasing.
It's very well built, stout. The dust pickup is maybe the best I've seen.

 

[JM4CY]

Alright fellas, one more sawquestion as I compile my wishlist for Santa. I need replace this little guy. (Don’t laugh) Any suggestions?

 

[CyJeans]

Alright fellas, one more sawquestion as I compile my wishlist for Santa. I need replace this little guy. (Don’t laugh) Any suggestions? View attachment 78781

Do you have any other tools on a battery platform? Circular saws are pretty standard these days, can't go that wrong. It is nice to invest in a battery platform too. I've found that ebay is a good place to get cheap batteries.

My only advice outside of that is to buy the saw you will want 3 years from now. It's better to spend a little bit extra for something you won't want to get rid of right away.

 

[JM4CY]

Do you have any other tools on a battery platform? Circular saws are pretty standard these days, can't go that wrong. It is nice to invest in a battery platform too. I've found that ebay is a good place to get cheap batteries.

My only advice outside of that is to buy the saw you will want 3 years from now. It's better to spend a little bit extra for something you won't want to get rid of right away.

Well, before I realized craftsman stuff is not great, I got a couple drills, a light and that circular. I feel like it doesn’t have the power or rpm’s that will be most useful. Lots of chipping on cuts. I was thinking a corded one might get me what I’m looking for but I could be wrong.

 

[AgronAlum]

Well, before I realized craftsman stuff is not great, I got a couple drills, a light and that circular. I feel like it doesn’t have the power or rpm’s that will be most useful. Lots of chipping on cuts. I was thinking a corded one might get me what I’m looking for but I could be wrong.

I had that same battery platform before the better lithium batteries came along. It was a night and day difference when I switched to Makita.

I have a hitachi circular saw that does its job. They all do unless you go for the 30 dollar special from menards. Any corded name brand saw will be pretty similar and have more power than the cordless ones I’ve used. That being said, if you’re switching up battery platforms, a tool only (no battery) circular saw is about the same price as a corded one.

Worm drive saws will have the blade to the left of the handle making it easier to see what your cutting. Go to the store, grab a few of them and pick one. You won’t go wrong.

 

[CyJeans]

Well, before I realized craftsman stuff is not great, I got a couple drills, a light and that circular. I feel like it doesn’t have the power or rpm’s that will be most useful. Lots of chipping on cuts. I was thinking a corded one might get me what I’m looking for but I could be wrong.

Craftsman got bought by stanley black and decker in the last couple of years. There intent was to make porter cable the entry level, then craftsman, and then Dewalt for the more contractor grade. I'm not sure if it has changed much though to be honest.

I'm not sure if it's a power or rpm issue. All battery saws are either 12v or 18v( the ones that market at 20 are the same as 18 they just say max voltage vs running voltage). Corded would generally be more powerful I believe. Sometimes the blade could just be toed in or out which can throw off the cut.

Makita, Ridgid, and Milwaukee are good platforms to go with if you are looking to change.

 

[mramseyISU]

I had that same battery platform before the better lithium batteries came along. It was a night and day difference when I switched to Makita.

I have a hitachi circular saw that does its job. They all do unless you go for the 30 dollar special from menards. Any corded name brand saw will be pretty similar and have more power than the cordless ones I’ve used. That being said, if you’re switching up battery platforms, a tool only (no battery) circular saw is about the same price as a corded one.

Worm drive saws will have the blade to the left of the handle making it easier to see what your cutting. Go to the store, grab a few of them and pick one. You won’t go wrong.

Take a look at what Acme tools sells for saws. If they don’t sell it then you don’t want it.

 

[JP4CY]

Take a look at what Acme tools sells for saws. If they don’t sell it then you don’t want it.

Acme sells Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Bosch, etc.
They definitely sell the quality/known stuff.