I don’t know much about electricity, plugs, circuit breakers, and such, except that electricity can kill you if you don’t know what you’re doing and touch the wrong thing. I did once dare to replace a copper lantern outside my front door – turned the switch off, shut the circuit breaker off, wore my sneakers … Read more
We like our table saw. It’s a great tool for ripping plywood or other boards, but it can do much more. We use it often, maybe not as often as the chop saw, but still quite often. But what do you do if your woodworking shop is too small for a cabinet saw – a … Read more
How long does it take to charge a DeWALT battery, you ask? It depends, we say. Like many questions, “it depends” is an appropriate answer. We’ll tell you why and what it depends on in a moment. There are certain conditions of the battery, its age, its use, and the charger, among “it depends” things … Read more
The official brand name is BLACK+DECKER, but we will refer to it as Black & Decker or Black and Decker. What is good? What one might consider something as good for their particular use, while another might choose to go in a different direction. With so many power tool brand names to consider and choose … Read more
Our woodworking projects go in cycles. A burst of enthusiasm overcomes us, and we rush to the shop for the next project. Or, a particular need arises, whether it’s a desk for one of the kids or a new platform bed for another. Most of our projects have particular joinery needs of one type or … Read more
No matter how many times I watch the SawStop video demo using a hot dog to show how quickly the blade stops spinning when it comes in contact with the dog, it still amazes me. The mark left on the hot dog is minimal, at worst, hardly a nick, and had it been a finger, … Read more
Table saws are the beasts of the woodworking shop. They do a lot of “heavy lifting” in breaking down large pieces of wood and plywood of various dimensions. They are also a source of danger to the woodworker who is not careful and attentive when working with one, perhaps more so than any other power … Read more
DeWALT is a quality name in the power tool world, and most of us likely have at least one of their tools in our woodworking shop. Its cordless drill is a very popular tool, a generally reliable and durable tool that we use often. As with all things in the world, though, problems do occur … Read more
Air compressors are not the most common of features in a woodworking shop, although they do come in handy on job sites to power nailers and in painting around the house. But air compressors did not make our list of “Must-Have” tools for the woodworking beginner. Key Points: Still, they are handy to have around, … Read more
So many times on these pages, we have written “the right tool for the right job.” Expecting a tool to perform in ways it was not intended is a bad habit, as it can lead to injury or, at the least, frustration. A project comes to a standstill, and maybe we need to consider … Read more
My house is 130 years old, and the “cellar” is a dirt floor with original stone walls. I’m 6’1″, and have to stay low as there is only about 5 feet of space height. After tripping a breaker as I added appliances in the kitchen and laundry room too many times, I had the electrical … Read more
We all know of the DEWALT name in power tools, and most of us likely have at least one DEWALT tool in our shop, whether it’s a cordless drill, a bench planer, or a circular saw. It might surprise you to learn that DEWALT is part of a family of power tool manufacturers that includes … Read more
I own the DW735 and can attest it is a fantastic planer, the best “lunchbox” style planer on the market, in my opinion. Among the many power tools commonly found in the woodworking shop is a thickness planer. Depending on the types of projects and the types and sources of the wood you use in … Read more
Once again, with the acronyms. If there isn’t a terms and terminology book for woodworking shops, there ought to be just to keep up with the acronyms. Key Points: Today’s 3-letter term is CBN, and to understand the answer to the question of what grit CBN wheel to use for lathe tools, it is necessary … Read more
Woodworkers tend to be pretty free in expressing frustration or anger with their power tools. The things that get said to them are NSFW, to be sure. Bulletin boards among woodworkers are filled with complaints and venting just as much as they are filled with requests for advice, sometimes even in the same post and … Read more
The advancement of tools and their talents and strengths is pretty remarkable in the time we’ve been involved in woodworking. It was hammer and arm strength/fatigue we dealt with when I was framing back in the late 60s and early 70s. The job still got done, of course, and houses were built and lived in, … Read more
How steady is your hand? How accurately can you make a cut with a circular saw or a cordless drill? The answers will have something to do with your experience as a woodworker. Certainly, professional woodworkers are accustomed to having power tools in their hands and don’t think much about making that quick cut or … Read more
Whether it’s a piece of furniture, some new baseboard or window trim, or any other woodworking project, in most instances, there are going to be holes. Nails, screws, and accidents all make holes, and unless they are pocket holes out of sight, they need to be filled in order to give our project a professional … Read more