I would call them if you are wondering about something. They have always been great on the phone and I wouldn’t put it past them to put your stuff on someone else’s load to help with shipping if you aren’t in Ankeny. I don’t know price wise where they land but they seem to have what we need.
Woodworkers Thread
- Thread starter AgronAlum
- Start date
I will second the idea of getting with Liberty Hardwoods. I have had great luck with getting dimensional wood and ply from them.
Would like some input from those of you that have used a miter saw with the laser light feature. After around 25 years of use I spun the gear drive on my corded Dewalt 12"compound miter saw and parts no longer available for repair. Extremely happy with it prior to that as I have used other brands (not mine) over the years and wasn't impressed. No need for a slider in the shop. The replacement model for mine is a pretty standard price of $429 but I searched and found Lowes has it on sale for $299 and in stock which may be cheaper than what I paid for this one (in case anyone is looking). The saw is accurate enough that where extreme precision is needed I cut long and can recut as little as a paper width off if needed. Pretty much made the decision but didn't know the precision (for the cost) of the laser light guidance and if it would even be helpful if the cut dictates whether you cut the pencil mark off or cut it in half.
I use the light on "doesn't matter" cuts and quick alignment, but lower and use the blade for more accurate precision.
Last edited:
Laser lights are fine for framing and decks. You will still want to watch the blade for the type of work people have been posting in this thread.
I created a sacrificial fence and top for my Bosch miter saw. The cutline then is zero clearance and helps with alignment and accuracy. I have never owned a saw that has a laser but seems like it would be a nice feature.
Attachments
Photo must be AI, not enough dust or clamps laying around.
How does it swap out for angled or beveled cuts? I've seen the inserts but never really full zero clearance tables.
Its made with a couple layers of MDF and I can swap out the top piece quickly for common angles. Or just use it as-is and when it gets messy looking with a variety of cuts, just swap it for a new one. Can get a bit annoying but I've had issues with keeping the Bosch in alignment/calibrated and this has helped overall. The pic doesn't show it but I've got Matchfit dovetail grooves as well which has been nice for securing boards. Dust collection - woof, haven't figured that out yet. Have tried a few solutions from Etsy which are "fine" at best.
I could never figure out any type of decent dust control, so I pulled my saw from my bench and threw it on a Rigid stand so I could just shoot it out the door. I do some occasional work for other people too so the stand, while bulky, is awesome for quick setups. I think the wings extend 4 ft each way.
That and the articulating arm on that Bosch seems like a way better setup than the straight bars on my Dewalt slider. There isn't a ton of room for dust control when the saw is so deep to begin with.
RIDGID Foldable Mobile Miter Saw Stand with Mounting Braces AC9946 - The Home Depot
Complete all your jobsite works easily and efficiently with the addition of this excellent RIDGID Universal Mobile Miter Saw Stand with Mounting Braces.
www.homedepot.com
I found the best dust collection system is leave your wife's car parked in the garage in her stall, while you work on your side of the garage. The dust will magically float, flow and even crawl over to the car so all dust in the garage is covering her car . . . . making cleanup much easier (unless she happens to look out and then you better be a fast runner).
Making sawdust in the shop lately I came up with another bowl. I have been informed that I could command $100 or more for some of these if I marketed them correctly. Not my thing and somebody will pick it up on my estate sale for two dollars if I don’t gift it before then.
I called this one “Ode to an Ash tree” as a tribute to the 30 some ash trees that I had to remove from my property. It is made from selected pieces of firewood machined down to usable dimensions, cut, stacked and glued before turning on the lathe by a very amateur wood turner (myself). The lighter colored wood is sap wood, and the darker is heartwood all from green ash trees. It is about 12 inches in diameter and 5 inches high and will hold enough popcorn to make it through a whole game
I called this one “Ode to an Ash tree” as a tribute to the 30 some ash trees that I had to remove from my property. It is made from selected pieces of firewood machined down to usable dimensions, cut, stacked and glued before turning on the lathe by a very amateur wood turner (myself). The lighter colored wood is sap wood, and the darker is heartwood all from green ash trees. It is about 12 inches in diameter and 5 inches high and will hold enough popcorn to make it through a whole game
This thread used to be fairly active with a lot of cool projects. I’m beginning to think I am one of the few that are not ashamed to admit that I play with my Wood.
Nothing too exciting but I turned another bowl from Ash firewood pieces. The more I think I’m getting better at Wood turning the less confident I become while I’m doing it. They turn out passable, but take a lot more work than by someone who is proficient.
Nothing too exciting but I turned another bowl from Ash firewood pieces. The more I think I’m getting better at Wood turning the less confident I become while I’m doing it. They turn out passable, but take a lot more work than by someone who is proficient.
I’m not particularly religious, but try to live my life so that those that are would accept me for how I treat others in my life. That being said, I do have some friends that are religious and would probably appreciate a gift on Ash Wednesday that is made from Ash. I’ve seen these made on YouTube videos and they all glue the pieces to a backer board. I figured that was not difficult enough for me so I did without.(and I don’t have a CNC router to cut the pattern). It’s not flawless, but I doubt anybody will condemn me for it. 
I am going to replace my old Delta 10in miter saw that was my Grandpa's. It still works OK but can't cut completely through 4x4s without flipping them (and then they break turning them) and since it is quite old there are no replacement parts for it and some of the things on it are broken but still work. I bought a Skil portable table saw and am really impressed with it for the price point (especially the rack and pinion fence and folding legs). I am looking at getting a Skil 10in sliding dual compound miter saw. I like that I would have more capacity due to the slider so I could do 4x4s and 2x12s if needed. I also like the LED shadow line feature rather than a laser. Does anyone have any feedback on this saw?
Thought you all would enjoy a good story. This young man, age 14, built us a new island top. He did have some assistance ... but handled 90% on his own. He wants to make it his career. 
Even a 10" slider will be pushing the limits of cutting a 4x4. You may have to rotate still to finish the cut. If you're not lugging it around to job sites, I'd look for a 12". The increase in price is pretty minimal. You generally get a cleaner cut off a 12" too because it has a higher blade speed at the teeth.
Skil makes a decent saw. Dewalt is Dewalt. I have the 12" slider and it works great other than being heavy. Metabo/Hitachi are decent. The Harbor Freight Hercules saws get some very good reviews for a budget saw as well.
10" - $339 (EDIT - Just realized this is a battery saw. They don't make a 10" corded.)
12" - $349
I usually toss the blade as soon as I buy a new saw and replace with an appropriate tooth Diablo.
Last edited:
I did confirm online that the Skil 10in slider would cut a 4x4 since it can go a bit further back (at least from my research). I thought about going to a 12in but if I go to a slider it gets kind of expensive for me. I thought about the 12in sliding hercules from Harbor Freight but can't get past the harbor freight perception of poor quality. One side note is that I have about $80 in amazon gift cards I am planning on using towards it so thinking of one I can get there.
That looks really nice!
Not trying to condemn his work, but countertops are generally end grain. Panels are generally constructed of pieces 3 inches in width or less to prevent warping. I know there are methods for doing so but trimming the ends of those boards can be an issue due to expansion caused by humidity changes, and I hope he incorporated those in your build.
Yeah I get it on the Harbor Freight stuff. I had that perception for a long time but still bought a bunch of tools thinking I'd just replace them if they broke. Well... nothing broke and I still have all of it. lol They've come a long ways on their stuff but still are very budget friendly. It's usually the first place I look if I'm not adding the my Makita cordless collection.
The Skil should fit the bill and looks to be a decent saw for the price. The only other thing to maybe check out is Ryobi. They make a lot of tools that hold up to DIYers pretty well. I think the Metabo might be out of the budget range.
