What have you made lately?

Tools

Lubricated tablesaw worm gears — The hand cranks for raising and tilting the blade on my General cabinet table saw were getting progressively harder to turn so I decided it was time for a little maintenance. The blade tilt mechanism was particularly in dire need: not only was it difficult to turn the crank but it produced a horrible screeching […]

Table Saw Clean and Lube

This entry was posted in Safety Tools on February 23, 2021 by Bill Kovalick

I recently purchased a Makita track saw to help cut some panels for cabinets that I was planning to build. Before buying the saw, I read a number of online reviews and concluded that this product offered the best bang for the buck, especially if one is not a full-time carpenter/woodworker. In terms of cutting […]

My Very Brief Experience with a Makita Track Saw

This entry was posted in Reviews Tools on February 15, 2018 by Bill Kovalick

DIY scrollsaw mount for magnifying lamp — I’ve been the proud owner of a government surplus 1970s-era magnifying desk lamp for more years that I can remember. For most of that time, it sat unused in a closet collecting dust but I finally found a use for it – as a magnifying light for my Dewalt 788 scroll saw! But the trick was to […]

Mounting a Magnifying Lamp on a Dewalt Scroll Saw

This entry was posted in Jigs Tools on February 15, 2017 by Bill Kovalick

Flex-drum sanding station made from a repurposed variable speed grinder — I recently decided to try my at intarsia and I quickly realized that it involves lots of sanding. Much of this sanding involves rounding the edges of pieces in order to create a 3D effect and perhaps the best way to perform this task is with either a flex or pneumatic sanding drum. The softness of […]

Intarsia Flex Drum Sanding Station

This entry was posted in Jigs Projects Tools on November 10, 2016 by Bill Kovalick

Side-by-side comparison of Milwaukee and Ryobi adapters — More than once I’ve found myself in a situation where I needed to drill a hole or insert a screw in a hard-to-reach location but lacked the technology to easily accomplish the task in a satisfactory manner. Typically, these are situations where there is insufficient room to position the drill directly over the hole so I usually resort to […]

Milwaukee and Ryobi Angled Drill Adapters

This entry was posted in Accesories Tools on May 27, 2016 by Bill Kovalick

With the new year upon us, it has me thinking about what I want to accomplish woodworking-wise for the next 12 months. New tools to try, new projects to tackle, new techniques to learn, etc. Here’s what I have so far: Learn to scroll saw. I’ve always been intrigued watching someone cut out intricate shapes with […]

Woodworking Goals For The Year

This entry was posted in Techniques Tools on January 19, 2016 by Bill Kovalick

Shelf Deflectometer

This entry was posted in Jigs Projects Tools on December 23, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

A miter saw, also known as a chop saw, is an indispensable woodworking tool for cutting molding, making picture frames, or other applications involving bevels and angled cuts. They also work well for general purpose cross-cutting. In many woodshops, the miter saw has replaced the radial arm saw. There are several different types of miter […]

Miter Saw

This entry was posted in Tools on December 23, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

A Japanese saw is a thin-bladed hand saw that cuts on the pull stroke, unlike most other hand saws used in the U.S. and Europe that cut on the push stroke. Because they cut on the pull stroke and thus are not subject to compression tension, Japanese saws have thinner, more flexible blades than their […]

Japanese Saw

This entry was posted in Tools on December 23, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Handsaws (aka, hand saws) have been around in one form or another for thousands of years. Nowadays, handsaws have been largely supplanted by power saws but a quality handsaw with a properly sharpened blade can still work wonders (plus you’ll get a good workout using it). A typical handsaw has a wooden or plastic handle […]

Handsaw

This entry was posted in Tools on December 23, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Most of the heavy lifting in woodshops today is done with power tools but there are many situations where hand tools can get the job done just as well or even better than power tools. Some woodworkers even rely on hand tools exclusively. Roy Underhill of Woodwright’s Shop fame, comes to mind. The eco-appeal of […]

Woodworking with Hand Tools

This entry was posted in Tools on December 23, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Sheet Sander Versus Random Orbital Sander

This entry was posted in Techniques Tools on December 23, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

If you cut enough wood, you’ll eventually encounter situations where the saw blade is burning the wood. This usually happens with ripping operations but can also happen with crosscuts. If the burning is really pronounced, it may be accompanied by smoking and a noticeable increase in feed pressure. Although there are a number of causes […]