Before continuing with the other tools in my shop I wanted to add a few comments in regards to my table saw; specifically sleds and jigs. A great way to practice and hone your table saw skills is to create sleds & jigs that will save you time and help you with more precise cuts. Since my table saw is relatively small it came with a rather inferior miter gauge which I improved by simply adding a longer piece of MDF to the gauge. I’ve also built a sacrificial fence and a couple of jointer sleds that have saved me time and money in “squaring up” my rough wood. Although all sleds will get their use and help...
I blogged before on some shop essentials like safety, workbench, electrical outlets, etc but here I wanted to hone in a bit on what kind of tools I use and how effective they are. I don't have a massive shop,so having a large table saw or full size drill press is not practical for me, but if you have limited space and a limited budget there are still ways to create quality products. I have a portable Kobalt Table saw, a bench top drill press, bench top bandsaw, benchtop lathe....are you noticing a theme? Although bench top tools limit the size of the work piece they do not limit the quality. Take my table saw for instance; it's a Kobalt 15-Amp,...
I recently purchased quite a bit of rough sawn hardwood from someone closing their woodworking shop. Beauties like 8/4 walnut along with cherry, mahogany and maple were a welcome addition to my inventory; however since these boards were rough sawn they did not all come with a straight edge. In lieu of dropping $300 on a benchtop jointer or plenty more on a floor model I came up with a DIY solution for around $25.00. I purchased a pair of 3-Inch Hold Down Clamps (Grizzly G9589) and made a sled to run along my table saw fence. Starting with a squared up piece 3 ½ “ wide oak (choose your length) I glued a piece of ¼” plywood to the...
After doing some research I purchased a WEN 8” 5 speed benchtop drill press as the latest addition to my workshop. (8" denoting that an 8" wide piece of wood is the maximum width one can center a drill hole) This particular drill press received great reviews while having a very affordable price point ($77). Delivery came within a week, the setup was easy and within no time I was drilling straight, consistent holes that were not achievable with my handheld drills. About a month earlier I had agreed to make some small, simple wooden cars that would be placed in boxes and shipped around the world as part of our church’s Operation Christmas Child. I used basic 2...
Ok, we've talked about some basics for planning a shop so it’s time to have some fun. To a woodworker there is nothing more satisfying than building or creating things. A workbench is the perfect place to start as it’s simple and essential! The workbench is a must to our shop but it also needs to be personalized. I’m 6’2” so I want a bench that fits my height so I made mine 40” high. This left me plenty of space underneath to put a full size, stable shelf and further room under the shelf for more storage. My benchtop is 3’ X 5’ as I wanted a large enough work area that fit the space I had available. The...
