Lets talk wood (working) and tools

[Caesar 516]

I'm trying to pick back up a hobby I used to have in woodworking, but I made a cabinet over the weekend and my skills have deteriorated.  I was never really able to get in a lot of practice due to the military life before, and the working/family life now, but I am going to rededicate some time to it and see if I can get better.

Tools I own:

Porter Cable table saw.  Just found out that it won't accept a full dado blade, but I'm not in the market for a new one.

Dewalt circular saw. Brand new after the POS Ryobi wouldn't spin anymore.

Skil Router.  Not my favorite brand, but at the time was new at routing and didn't want to overspend on it.  It does have a fixed and a plunge base.  Looking to get it (or another) into a router table.

Kobalt sliding Chop saw.  I like this one.  it's a 10" blade and I love this thing, but it takes up a lot of space.

Delta drill press.  Its about 50 years old, made back when tools were built to last 100.  

POS mouse sander and a deck sander.  Not even sure where I got these.  Need to get a nice disc sander.

I have a corded and cordless dewalt drills.  Makita cordless drill.  A couple other drills just in case, ya know.  

Looking to buy:

Jointer and Planer.  Probably the Porter Cable version.  Combined about $600.  I hate working with bent wood.

 

Who else has this hobby or just wants to list their tools?  I would be interested in what people think of their brand.  We use a lot of Milwaukee tools at work, and they are pretty good, but I don't have any.

 

 

[parasaurolophus 4,576]

Ha! I was literally just going to start a thread asking for some help from woodworkers and saw this. 

So my question. I told my daughter we could make a bird bath out of an ash stump. Thought i could drill a ton of holes and then wood rasp the leftovers. Well i fried two bits and it is exhausting smashing the wood rasp through. Ash is freaking hard, especially against the grain. I dont care how smooth it is, i just need to make a concave bowl deep enough to hold some water. Stump is about 18inches in diameter. 

Anybody with any ideas? 

Edited June 13, 2019 by parasaurolophus

[Ron Swanson 1,946]

Build fires in each area you want to remove, let them burn, then a new little fire in next spot.

[Caesar 516]

16 minutes ago, parasaurolophus said:

Ha! I was literally just going to start a thread asking for some help from woodworkers and saw this. 

So my question. I told my daughter we could make a bird bath out of an ash stump. Thought i could drill a ton of holes and then wood rasp the leftovers. Well i fried two bits and it is exhausting smashing the wood rasp through. Ash is freaking hard, especially against the grain. I dont care how smooth it is, i just need to make a concave bowl deep enough to hold some water. Stump is about 18inches in diameter. 

Anybody with any ideas? 

I would think a hammer and chisel would be a little easier than rasping out.  Once you get a starting hole, you should be able to line the chisel up along the grain and just chip away little chunks until its a enough hole.

Without a lathe, I don't know if I would try any other power tool.  Are you using forstner bits on the drill or are you just using a big ### drill bit?  

The only other idea I have is to pour some oil in the holes you have already drilled and wait a few days and then try to do a controlled burn out of the center wood.  

Its a good question and exactly what I hope gets people talking in here.  Good luck.

[Ron Swanson 1,946]

23 minutes ago, parasaurolophus said:

Ha! I was literally just going to start a thread asking for some help from woodworkers and saw this. 

So my question. I told my daughter we could make a bird bath out of an ash stump. Thought i could drill a ton of holes and then wood rasp the leftovers. Well i fried two bits and it is exhausting smashing the wood rasp through. Ash is freaking hard, especially against the grain. I dont care how smooth it is, i just need to make a concave bowl deep enough to hold some water. Stump is about 18inches in diameter. 

Anybody with any ideas? 

Fire.  Build small fires in each area you want to remove and let the flames work for you.

[parasaurolophus 4,576]

2 minutes ago, Caesar said:

I would think a hammer and chisel would be a little easier than rasping out.  Once you get a starting hole, you should be able to line the chisel up along the grain and just chip away little chunks until its a enough hole.

Without a lathe, I don't know if I would try any other power tool.  Are you using forstner bits on the drill or are you just using a big ### drill bit?  

The only other idea I have is to pour some oil in the holes you have already drilled and wait a few days and then try to do a controlled burn out of the center wood.  

Its a good question and exactly what I hope gets people talking in here.  Good luck.

The stump is still in the ground. I am just using spade bits and a cordless since it is far from the house. I saw a 20 pack of kobalt bits at lowes on one of the clearance green racks for 4.99 so i bought it. 

I thought about burning it, but that seems very difficult. Also wondered if the charred remnants would keep the birds away. I guess i could just  seal it off with sf-1 first and then pour epoxy on it. 

[parasaurolophus 4,576]

I also have tons of ash logs from the many ash trees we lost. Any ideas on fun projects i would love to hear.

Turned one of them into an address number holder. Painted it matching colors of house. 

Took the biggest stump and put a right angle cut into it and made it a chair. A 600 pound chair. 

Made a bunch of path markers by just cutting rounds. 

I used the wedges that got cut out falling the trees and painted them into watermelon slices. 

 

[Spike 687]

.

[Fat Nick 1,611]

56 minutes ago, parasaurolophus said:

Ha! I was literally just going to start a thread asking for some help from woodworkers and saw this. 

So my question. I told my daughter we could make a bird bath out of an ash stump. Thought i could drill a ton of holes and then wood rasp the leftovers. Well i fried two bits and it is exhausting smashing the wood rasp through. Ash is freaking hard, especially against the grain. I dont care how smooth it is, i just need to make a concave bowl deep enough to hold some water. Stump is about 18inches in diameter. 

Anybody with any ideas? 

While I do think fire would work, there's also challenges getting it to burn just where you want it to...

The comment re. forstner bits is key - Spade bits have a lot of bite and take a lot of effort when making big holes.  Forstner bits typically are much smoother and don't put as much force on the drill since they sort of scrape out wood.  Much more efficient.

If it was me, I'd go the chisel route.  Maybe drill a few pilot holes for depth gauges, then start chiseling - once it's roughly chiseled out, you could use a belt sander to sand it smoother.

[Philo Beddoe 52]

I just redid our mud/laundry room in a day using nothing but the Kreg jig, their adaptive cutting system, a mitre saw and a 16 gauge finish nailer. The cutting system is just like the Festool version for half the cost. 

[Fat Nick 1,611]

I'll list out what I have and what I want:

• Dewalt Job Site table saw - in general, I hate table saws and ripping sheet material.  I just find it cumbersome and too easy to mess up.  Probably my least-favorite wood saw.  I have a VERY limited shop space, so I had to get a small saw.  I want to get a track saw, which will basically make this an even more seldomly used tool.
• Dewalt Miter Saw - my favorite wood tool.  REALLY Precise - no slop at all, not too big to transport around, clean cuts, good power.  The LED cut line add-on is a must.
• Dewalt router in a Rockler Pro Phenloic router table with a lift - I don't love the Dewalt router, but it works fine.  The router itself is a little buggy with speed settings, but otherwise works well.  I use the table 90% of the time and go hand-held the other 10%.  If you want to start making cool stuff, IMO, a router table is where to invest your money.  Decorative edges and such take a "nice" piece to a fantastic one very easily.
• Delta scroll saw - Want to start using this more, but just haven't had time.  Great saw for detailed cuts, christmas ornaments, etc.
• OLD Delta Planer - was my grandfathers.  I haven't personally used it yet...
• Full array of Dewalt 20V cordless tools (Circ saw, Jig Saw, Drills, Drivers, etc.), a corded Dewalt Circ Saw and a BIG corded Dewalt Drill - The only one I use in woodworking is the circ saw occasionally to just quickly lop a board to length if it doesn't need to be super precise.
• Two palm sanders and a belt sander - Unless I'm working down raw lumber (i.e. live edge table or something) I tend to hand-sand 75% of the time
• Preppin Weapon Sanding block - if you don't have one but you hand-sand, get one.  Best sanding block I've ever used.
• Harbor Freight dust collector with custom chip extractor - It's kind of a conglomeration of HF dust collector and an Oneida cyclone mounted to a bucket.  I use it when I'm doing bigger jobs with the router or miter saw, and when I'm sanding.  The rest of the time, I just vacuum it up.
• Ceiling mounted air filter - again, my shop is small and i my basement.  This keeps the dust down a decent bit.  Amazon purchase, don't even know the brand off hand.  NOT a Jet.
• I've got a ton of clamps of all different sizes - just buy things when I see sales.  Rockler clamp racks really help to keep them organized.
• I'm sure I'm missing something...If I had more room, I'd get a drill press and a band saw.

[parasaurolophus 4,576]

6 minutes ago, Fat Nick said:

 

If it was me, I'd go the chisel route.  Maybe drill a few pilot holes for depth gauges, then start chiseling - once it's roughly chiseled out, you could use a belt sander to sand it smoother.

Lol. I just realized i have been calling a wood chisel a rasp. I always thought a chisel had a slant on both sides of tip and a rasp had one slanted side and one flat side. I was getting so confused with the chisel suggestions. 

Literally never knew a rasp was just a rougher file. I am sure it is because my set is like this. When i got it like 20 years ago i am sure it was the first time i saw the word rasp and just assumed it described the different blade. 

So anyway, i have been pounding away at this thing with a wood chisel and it is really hard to get through. Pounding against the grain with ash is freaking hard. I guess that is why they used it for baseball bats. 

[The Commish 10,242]

Hobby of mine that's fallen by the wayside a bit.  I stay in the furniture, countertop arena, but love working on stuff like this when I have the time (therein lies the problem).

Don't have a ton of tools but I get by just fine.

Bosch worksite table saw...love this thing.
Dewalt Jigsaw
Corded and cordless drills....more drill bits than I know what to do with.
Craftsman 10 inch compound mitre saw
palm sander (REALLY need a belt sander just never bought one)
air compressor with porter cable nailers (finish, brad and 1 1/2 inch nail)
Kreg Jig....not sure why it took me so long to invest, but worth every single penny especially when making cabinets
Craftsman "professional" router with table (though the table's pretty useless on most things...on large jobs I drop it in a "jig" for longer/larger pieces.  Use my saw horses for the legs.
Circular saw Skil...also have a two foot rip jig for it..useful when I don't want to get out the table saw
Myriad of clamps, straps and grips.
 

ETA:  Forgot my Rockwell multi-tool.  I love that thing.  I've regrouted three shower floors using that thing and cut all kinds of complicated cuts with it.

Edited June 13, 2019 by The Commish

[Caesar 516]

11 minutes ago, Fat Nick said:

I'll list out what I have and what I want:

• Dewalt Job Site table saw - in general, I hate table saws and ripping sheet material.  I just find it cumbersome and too easy to mess up.  Probably my least-favorite wood saw.  I have a VERY limited shop space, so I had to get a small saw.  I want to get a track saw, which will basically make this an even more seldomly used tool.
• Dewalt Miter Saw - my favorite wood tool.  REALLY Precise - no slop at all, not too big to transport around, clean cuts, good power.  The LED cut line add-on is a must.
• Dewalt router in a Rockler Pro Phenloic router table with a lift - I don't love the Dewalt router, but it works fine.  The router itself is a little buggy with speed settings, but otherwise works well.  I use the table 90% of the time and go hand-held the other 10%.  If you want to start making cool stuff, IMO, a router table is where to invest your money.  Decorative edges and such take a "nice" piece to a fantastic one very easily.
• Delta scroll saw - Want to start using this more, but just haven't had time.  Great saw for detailed cuts, christmas ornaments, etc.
• OLD Delta Planer - was my grandfathers.  I haven't personally used it yet...
• Full array of Dewalt 20V cordless tools (Circ saw, Jig Saw, Drills, Drivers, etc.), a corded Dewalt Circ Saw and a BIG corded Dewalt Drill - The only one I use in woodworking is the circ saw occasionally to just quickly lop a board to length if it doesn't need to be super precise.
• Two palm sanders and a belt sander - Unless I'm working down raw lumber (i.e. live edge table or something) I tend to hand-sand 75% of the time
• Preppin Weapon Sanding block - if you don't have one but you hand-sand, get one.  Best sanding block I've ever used.
• Harbor Freight dust collector with custom chip extractor - It's kind of a conglomeration of HF dust collector and an Oneida cyclone mounted to a bucket.  I use it when I'm doing bigger jobs with the router or miter saw, and when I'm sanding.  The rest of the time, I just vacuum it up.
• Ceiling mounted air filter - again, my shop is small and i my basement.  This keeps the dust down a decent bit.  Amazon purchase, don't even know the brand off hand.  NOT a Jet.
• I've got a ton of clamps of all different sizes - just buy things when I see sales.  Rockler clamp racks really help to keep them organized.
• I'm sure I'm missing something...If I had more room, I'd get a drill press and a band saw.

I almost went with the cordless dewalt circ saw, but at $300, I just couldn't justify it.  I'm not sure how much I would need one to be cordless with what I do.  Now that I have said that, I will probably need one within 3 months.

I have a 11' by 21' garage that I can use, so it is not too big, but not too small, either.  I am working on space efficiency ideas right now.  

Next project is a rolling workbench that will incorporate the table saw, router, and possible dust collection into one movable unit.  I built a rolling workbench before and it turned out great.  It was my first big project, and it still works fine, but now that I know what I know, I need to expand on the idea of it and make it more of what I need.  The router table being one of the biggest things I want to have.

 

[Spike 687]

34 minutes ago, Fat Nick said:

While I do think fire would work, there's also challenges getting it to burn just where you want it to...

The comment re. forstner bits is key - Spade bits have a lot of bite and take a lot of effort when making big holes.  Forstner bits typically are much smoother and don't put as much force on the drill since they sort of scrape out wood.  Much more efficient.

If it was me, I'd go the chisel route.  Maybe drill a few pilot holes for depth gauges, then start chiseling - once it's roughly chiseled out, you could use a belt sander to sand it smoother.

What about figuring out the depth of the bowl and using a skilsaw to work your way down starting from the middle?

It makes sense in my head but I realize it reads pretty funky. 

[Caesar 516]

5 minutes ago, The Commish said:

Hobby of mine that's fallen by the wayside a bit.  I stay in the furniture, countertop arena, but love working on stuff like this when I have the time (therein lies the problem).

Don't have a ton of tools but I get by just fine.

Bosch worksite table saw...love this thing.
Dewalt Jigsaw
Corded and cordless drills....more drill bits than I know what to do with.
Craftsman 10 inch compound mitre saw
palm sander (REALLY need a belt sander just never bought one)
air compressor with porter cable nailers (finish, brad and 1 1/2 inch nail)
Kreg Jig....not sure why it took me so long to invest, but worth every single penny especially when making cabinets
Craftsman "professional" router with table (though the table's pretty useless on most things...on large jobs I drop it in a "jig" for longer/larger pieces.  Use my saw horses for the legs.
Circular saw Skil...also have a two foot rip jig for it..useful when I don't want to get out the table saw
Myriad of clamps, straps and grips.
 

I can add these to the list.  i bought the air compressor and the nailers in some kind of bundle.  Have come in handy a few times.

Are you talking about the pocket hole jig or some of the cabinet making jigs?  I have several of these as well, and they are handy when that is the kind of work you are doing.

I also have a jigsaw and I don't know what brand, but I hate it.  Its capable of doing mitre cuts, but it doesn't have the capability to lock in at 90 degrees, so if I even slightly take pressure off it moving forward (for example to make curves), then the damn thing tilts downward.  I have cracked my knuckles on the board many times with that stupid thing.  

[WDIK2 579]

1 hour ago, parasaurolophus said:

I guess i could just  seal it off with sf-1 first and then pour epoxy on it. 

You're going to want to seal it anyway.  The water sitting in a bare wood bowl will absorb and rot it pretty fast.

[The Commish 10,242]

2 minutes ago, Caesar said:

Are you talking about the pocket hole jig or some of the cabinet making jigs?

Just a straight up pocket hole jig.  It's such a better way to assemble...it's not even close IMO.

[Caesar 516]

21 minutes ago, The Commish said:

Just a straight up pocket hole jig.  It's such a better way to assemble...it's not even close IMO.

totally agree.  It makes a nice tight joint and very easy to do.  Love the pocket hole jig.

[Fat Nick 1,611]

1 hour ago, Caesar said:

I almost went with the cordless dewalt circ saw, but at $300, I just couldn't justify it.  I'm not sure how much I would need one to be cordless with what I do.  Now that I have said that, I will probably need one within 3 months.

I have a 11' by 21' garage that I can use, so it is not too big, but not too small, either.  I am working on space efficiency ideas right now.  

Next project is a rolling workbench that will incorporate the table saw, router, and possible dust collection into one movable unit.  I built a rolling workbench before and it turned out great.  It was my first big project, and it still works fine, but now that I know what I know, I need to expand on the idea of it and make it more of what I need.  The router table being one of the biggest things I want to have.

 

$300 for a circ saw?  I'm just talking a basic Circular Saw.  I think you might be confusing with the new FlexVolt Mitre Saw.  The Circular saw is really useful if I just want to grab it and trim a 2x4 to length or something.  I think I paid right around $100 for the bare tool.  I already had batteries.

My shop is about 1/2 of the unfinished side of my basement.  Probably close to your 11' x 21'...maybe more like 11' x 15' when you consider i have our oil tank in that space too.  I have some lumber storage on the wall behind our HVAC.  It's tight.  EVERYTHING is on wheels or shelves.  When I'm not using stuff, I'll roll it into any free corner and block stuff in just to have space.  I have a big 6' x 4' work table on wheels that is the basis for most of my workspace.  My Router table is on wheels and rolls in front of the AV closet door when not in use.  I store the table saw on some heavy-duty wire shelves up high, along with plastic bins with my sanders, finishes, nail guns, etc.  Clamps go on racks against the wall.  Mitre saw stored under the rolling table, and planer stored under the router.  My scroll saw is the one thing I don't have a good place for, so it's just on the floor.  I've got a long 14' section of floor-to-ceiling pegboard that I do put hoses, cords, and such on...but that space isn't wide enough to work in.  

I sometimes think I spend more time organizing than I do working...

[Fat Nick 1,611]

1 hour ago, Spike said:

What about figuring out the depth of the bowl and using a skilsaw to work your way down starting from the middle?

It makes sense in my head but I realize it reads pretty funky. 

Like adjusting the depth and just plunge cutting over and over?  I get it...that might work, but I'd think you'd want it a little deeper than a saw can go, no?

[The Commish 10,242]

3 minutes ago, Fat Nick said:

1 hour ago, Spike said:

What about figuring out the depth of the bowl and using a skilsaw to work your way down starting from the middle?

It makes sense in my head but I realize it reads pretty funky. 

Like adjusting the depth and just plunge cutting over and over?  I get it...that might work, but I'd think you'd want it a little deeper than a saw can go, no?

What about chipping away at it with a multi-tool?  Seems like that tool with a wood blade would be perfect if you just took small amounts at once.  It would even let you shape it as you removed material.

[parasaurolophus 4,576]

3 hours ago, WDIK2 said:

You're going to want to seal it anyway.  The water sitting in a bare wood bowl will absorb and rot it pretty fast.

I was planning on only sealing using timber oil. Wasnt planning on using sf1. 

[parasaurolophus 4,576]

3 hours ago, Spike said:

What about figuring out the depth of the bowl and using a skilsaw to work your way down starting from the middle?

It makes sense in my head but I realize it reads pretty funky. 

I like this. Could do multiple pie cuts. The slope on the edges would automatically be handled now too. 

Should i fresh chainsaw cut to start over or try on the already bludgeoned surface? 

[parrot 1,112]

54 minutes ago, parasaurolophus said:

I like this. Could do multiple pie cuts. The slope on the edges would automatically be handled now too. 

Should i fresh chainsaw cut to start over or try on the already bludgeoned surface? 

If you have a chainsaw, I would just use that.  The bottom of the tip of the bar can be used safely to plunge cut.  I would just crosshatch it with the chainsaw at like 1 inch intervals, then knock the wood out with a hammer and chisel (or a pulaski if you have one).  Then clean it up with the chainsaw.      

Edited June 13, 2019 by parrot

[Caesar 516]

3 hours ago, Fat Nick said:

$300 for a circ saw?  I'm just talking a basic Circular Saw.  I think you might be confusing with the new FlexVolt Mitre Saw.  The Circular saw is really useful if I just want to grab it and trim a 2x4 to length or something.  I think I paid right around $100 for the bare tool.  I already had batteries.

My shop is about 1/2 of the unfinished side of my basement.  Probably close to your 11' x 21'...maybe more like 11' x 15' when you consider i have our oil tank in that space too.  I have some lumber storage on the wall behind our HVAC.  It's tight.  EVERYTHING is on wheels or shelves.  When I'm not using stuff, I'll roll it into any free corner and block stuff in just to have space.  I have a big 6' x 4' work table on wheels that is the basis for most of my workspace.  My Router table is on wheels and rolls in front of the AV closet door when not in use.  I store the table saw on some heavy-duty wire shelves up high, along with plastic bins with my sanders, finishes, nail guns, etc.  Clamps go on racks against the wall.  Mitre saw stored under the rolling table, and planer stored under the router.  My scroll saw is the one thing I don't have a good place for, so it's just on the floor.  I've got a long 14' section of floor-to-ceiling pegboard that I do put hoses, cords, and such on...but that space isn't wide enough to work in.  

I sometimes think I spend more time organizing than I do working...

The one I saw was a 60V max system circular.  I think they had another cordless one by dewalt, but I was worried it wouldn't be powerful enough to do what I needed it to.

[CletiusMaximus 7,021]

7 hours ago, parasaurolophus said:

Ha! I was literally just going to start a thread asking for some help from woodworkers and saw this. 

So my question. I told my daughter we could make a bird bath out of an ash stump. Thought i could drill a ton of holes and then wood rasp the leftovers. Well i fried two bits and it is exhausting smashing the wood rasp through. Ash is freaking hard, especially against the grain. I dont care how smooth it is, i just need to make a concave bowl deep enough to hold some water. Stump is about 18inches in diameter. 

Anybody with any ideas? 

There are a couple attachments for an angle grinder you can use to carve through wood and shape a bowl.

carving disk

carbide cup wheel

I think the other question is what you would treat the wood with that would allow it to hold water and not be toxic to birds.

 

 

[falguy 961]

[CletiusMaximus 7,021]

7 hours ago, Caesar said:

 

Porter Cable table saw.  Just found out that it won't accept a full dado blade, but I'm not in the market for a new one.

 

Reminded me of something that happened a couple weeks ago - one of those "always be careful" stories for us weekend wood workers.  I was making some shelves for my daughter's room and was cutting dados in some trim pieces on my table saw.  One of the dado blades caught and it backfired the 2 inch piece of trim, about 8 inches long, out my garage door and across the alley where it slammed into my neighbor's backyard fence about 20 fee away.  I was standing off to the side, which is lucky because this piece of wood probably would have done serious damage if it had backfired into my chest or belly.  Even more scary for me though - the thought one of our neighbors would have been driving down the alley or one of the kids riding a bike past at that moment.  Scares the #### right out of me.

 

[Worm 1,819]

I have more woodworking ideas and items on my (or my lady's) wishlist than I have time. Have most tools, but need a jointer and planer (and MORE CLAMPS).

TBD:

- Simple pine folding table for the laundry room

- Outdoor sofa-table-ish table to go under the covered patio to store some outdoor dining items

- Nice farm style dining table to accommodate our huge family. When I get to this I will do it right, with a hardwood top, joinery, etc

[Fat Nick 1,611]

1 hour ago, Caesar said:

The one I saw was a 60V max system circular.  I think they had another cordless one by dewalt, but I was worried it wouldn't be powerful enough to do what I needed it to.

Yeah - I agree with you on those.  If I go through the trouble of dragging my miter saw out of the basement and setting it up, it's usually for a big building project - far too big for batteries.  

[Caesar 516]

14 hours ago, Worm said:

I have more woodworking ideas and items on my (or my lady's) wishlist than I have time. Have most tools, but need a jointer and planer (and MORE CLAMPS).

TBD:

- Simple pine folding table for the laundry room

- Outdoor sofa-table-ish table to go under the covered patio to store some outdoor dining items

- Nice farm style dining table to accommodate our huge family. When I get to this I will do it right, with a hardwood top, joinery, etc

I know what you mean.  One of the reasons I want to devote some time to it.  I have at least two projects on every level of the house, plus a few in the garage.  

Top floor:  shelf for laundry room.  small bench to go between sinks in master bath.  

Basement:  Finish the unfinished area into 5th bedroom.  Make a cabinet to hold toys and hide wires to sound system.

middle level: chair moulding in dining room.  Large shoe rack with sitting bench for mud room

Garage:  New workbench.  Cabinets for tools and stuff.  A couple more tables for other tools that can roll out of the way.

Outside:  Build out deck.

This will not get all done this year.

[Caesar 516]

22 hours ago, Philo Beddoe said:

I just redid our mud/laundry room in a day using nothing but the Kreg jig, their adaptive cutting system, a mitre saw and a 16 gauge finish nailer. The cutting system is just like the Festool version for half the cost. 

I'm waiting on THIS to arrive.  It's expensive and a long lead time, but this is the kind of system I need to maximize the time I have for this hobby.

Edited June 14, 2019 by Caesar

[dkp993 3,841]

6 hours ago, Caesar said:

20 hours ago, Worm said:

I have more woodworking ideas and items on my (or my lady's) wishlist than I have time. Have most tools, but need a jointer and planer (and MORE CLAMPS).

TBD:

- Simple pine folding table for the laundry room

- Outdoor sofa-table-ish table to go under the covered patio to store some outdoor dining items

- Nice farm style dining table to accommodate our huge family. When I get to this I will do it right, with a hardwood top, joinery, etc

I know what you mean.  One of the reasons I want to devote some time to it.  I have at least two projects on every level of the house, plus a few in the garage.  

No doubt. Becoming a woodworker 15 or so years ago was the best and worst thing I've done.  I love the hobby, the de-stressing it provides and the satisfaction from a nice piece that you've built is super rewarding.  But the non-stop "oh it will be easy" projects my wife has for me is relentless. Build a new dinning room table- "it will be easy", shiplap the stairway wall - "should be easy", "honey you know I was thinking, I've got this project for you, should be easy"......

[Polish Hammer 443]

.

[Philo Beddoe 52]

On 6/14/2019 at 7:23 AM, Caesar said:

I'm waiting on THIS to arrive.  It's expensive and a long lead time, but this is the kind of system I need to maximize the time I have for this hobby.

That pretty sick. I think I need that as well 

[dkp993 3,841]

4 hours ago, Philo Beddoe said:

On 6/14/2019 at 4:23 AM, Caesar said:

I'm waiting on THIS to arrive.  It's expensive and a long lead time, but this is the kind of system I need to maximize the time I have for this hobby.

That pretty sick. I think I need that as well 

Yeah that’s pretty bad ###.   I first need to get rid of my $200 Ryobi table saw.  It’s time to step my game up.  

[Caesar 516]

1 hour ago, dkp993 said:

Yeah that’s pretty bad ###.   I first need to get rid of my $200 Ryobi table saw.  It’s time to step my game up.  

This is why I am not in the market for a new table saw.  I think its ok for now, but I do need some new blades, I think.  I just looked up some prices for some good blades, and OMG, for the price of 3 new blades (combination, crosscut/plywood, and rip cut) I can almost get a new table saw.

[dkp993 3,841]

17 minutes ago, Caesar said:

This is why I am not in the market for a new table saw.  I think its ok for now, but I do need some new blades, I think.  I just looked up some prices for some good blades, and OMG, for the price of 3 new blades (combination, crosscut/plywood, and rip cut) I can almost get a new table saw.

For sure, that’s been my battle for years.  My Ryobi has performed just fine for 10+yrs but when I was just starting out I didn’t want to invest a lot of money in something I was even sure I’d enjoy or be good at so I bought a lot of entry level tools.  At this point I’m pretty confident I’ll do this in way or form for the rest of my life.  Might as well but some decent core pieces.  

[IrishTwinkie 339]

I am in the same boat with the table saw. Have a cheaper Delta saw. Wasn't sure this hobby was going to take. Its a pain to get set up just so. I find I like turning and making curvy things more anyway, so I keep putting off upgrading it. I have a nice lathe and bandsaw, just never upped the table saw.

 

 

[dkp993 3,841]

54 minutes ago, IrishTwinkie said:

I am in the same boat with the table saw. Have a cheaper Delta saw. Wasn't sure this hobby was going to take. Its a pain to get set up just so. I find I like turning and making curvy things more anyway, so I keep putting off upgrading it. I have a nice lathe and bandsaw, just never upped the table saw.

 

 

Haven’t tackled these aspects yet.  Bandsaw is next on my list though.   

[falguy 961]

On 6/14/2019 at 1:28 PM, dkp993 said:

No doubt. Becoming a woodworker 15 or so years ago was the best and worst thing I've done.  I love the hobby, the de-stressing it provides and the satisfaction from a nice piece that you've built is super rewarding.  But the non-stop "oh it will be easy" projects my wife has for me is relentless. Build a new dinning room table- "it will be easy", shiplap the stairway wall - "should be easy", "honey you know I was thinking, I've got this project for you, should be easy"......

You: **** **, should be easy. ;

[ChainsawU 5,508]

I read all three of Nick Offerman's books, one of which is called Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop. As a kid I grew up helping my old man in his wood shop and found it very interesting and rewarding to read. At the very least it'd give you some ideas and stir up some action in your subconscious, plus there are a lot of cool, specific tools he talks about that you'd probably be interested to know about.

Nick and his ragtag crew of champions want to share their experience of working at the Woodshop, tell you all about their passion for the discipline of woodworking, and teach you how to make a handful of their most popular projects along the way.

[ChainsawU 5,508]

In Nick Offerman's second book, Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers, he dedicated an entire chapter to Japanese woodworker George Nakashima. You could tell that dude really inspired Nick a lot and that Nick really harbors a ton of respect for that guy's entire life, philosophy, and body of work. Nakashima passed away in 1990 when he was 85 years old, but his daughter kept his legacy going and their studio still turns out work to this day, just with a touch of feminine perspective and influence.

[Caesar 516]

On 6/16/2019 at 5:05 PM, dkp993 said:

Haven’t tackled these aspects yet.  Bandsaw is next on my list though.   

Same here.  I think a lathe is pretty far down my list.  Not because I don't want to learn, but there is just so much else to do first.  I do have a bandsaw on the list somewhere, but there again, my list could be 100 items long if I just gave it an afternoon to think about it. 

On 6/16/2019 at 4:08 PM, IrishTwinkie said:

I am in the same boat with the table saw. Have a cheaper Delta saw. Wasn't sure this hobby was going to take. Its a pain to get set up just so. I find I like turning and making curvy things more anyway, so I keep putting off upgrading it. I have a nice lathe and bandsaw, just never upped the table saw.

 

 

I think it really depends on what you like to do and what projects give you the most satisfaction.  If you like turning, then maybe that's really all you need.  

It will be cool if people start posting pictures of their work they are proud of.  I'm hoping to make something to be proud of eventually.

[Caesar 516]

So, I moved some money a bit, and talked to the wife.  I have decided to splurge and buy a contractors Sawstop table saw.  

The safety feature is pretty important to me because my son, who just turned 11, has shown an interest in doing some woodworking with his old man.  I think that cost is well worth it to get him into a skill that doesn't involve a PS4 controller.  And if his interest fades, well, at least I will be safer.

This will be incorporated into a mobile work station to include a router table and dust collection.  I'm hoping to have this built by the end of September.  

[higgins 435]

 

[dkp993 3,841]

On 6/19/2019 at 4:49 AM, Caesar said:

It will be cool if people start posting pictures of their work they are proud of.  I'm hoping to make something to be proud of eventually

I have a few pieces of furniture I’m proud of but don’t think you can post pics here with using a third party site and I haven’t taken the time to set something up.  Would love to see some pics too though.  

[tonydead 5,305]

Since I don't have a shop, yet, I built a bench table that holds my table saw and router complete with gates, sleds etc.  It's on casters that I roll out into the driveway.  My miter saw is also mounted on the end.

Other tools that are seperate from my main bench:

Second router so I don't have to remove the one in the bench every time (actually I have 3 or 4 at any given time).

Industrial size jointer.

Planer.

Worm drive Skilsaw.

Band Saw.

Jig saw.

Scroll saw.

Drill press, grinder and vice on a smaller bench top.

Belt and disc combo sander.

All the normal hand tools: cordless drill, hand sanders, rotozip, oscillating tool, etc.  Biscuit joiner.

I think the only tool I don't have yet is a lathe.  

I also collect and like to use old fashioned hand working tools when I have the time.  I have just about every type of planer, drills, several full sets of auger drill bits, carving knives, draw knife, hand saws, mitre boxes, japanese saws, bow saw, chisels, wooden mallets, files, sanding blocks, you name it.

I make most of my jigs myself. But, I am a big fan of the kregg pocket hole jig for quick jobs though and I do have a dovetail jig I bought to do quick dovetails with the router.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 22, 2019 by tonydead

[El Floppo 22,303]

dot.

design the stuff, can't build it. but I can post some fun things as they get built.. if people are interested.