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Yoav Liberman
I recently was gifted a few old bar clamps from a fellow member who belongs to our local FreeCycle group. FreeCycle.org is an internet-based group that promotes the free exchange of items and supplies among its members. Everybody can join the site and post “I want to give for free” ads or “I am looking…
Collin Knoff
Tool: PRO Aware Shop Now Manufacturer: ISOtunes MSRP: $129.99 Every once in a while a new product comes along that’s a real game-changer in the workshop, and the new ISOtunes PRO Aware headphones is one of those tools. Many of you are familiar now with the ISOtunes family of OSHA-compliant hearing protectors with music streaming capabilities….
Brad Holden
Tool: 6-Amp Power Planer Shop Now Manufacturer: Porter-Cable MSRP: $69.98 Say you’ve got a huge, uneven roughsawn board. It would make a fantastic top for a coffee table, but how are you going to level it? Well, one way is to use a power planer, such as this unit from Porter-Cable. A power planer is…
Pop Wood Editors
Jointing with a Planer I across some wonderful oak boards for a small table I wanted to build. The problem was the boards were too wide for my jointer, and I didn’t want to rip them any narrower. I solved my dilemma with this planer sled that allows me to use my planer as jointer….
Andrew Zoellner
Harvey Tools recently released a new line of shop tools aimed at the hobbyist under the Ambassador name. We got a chance to put both the 14“ bandsaw and the C200-30 table saw to work in the shop, and overall, we were quite impressed—especially factoring in the bang for the buck factor. C-14 Bandsaw…
Tool: Installation Drill/Driver Shop Now Manufacturer: Milwaukee MSRP: $179 (bare tool) I use mostly 12-volt cordless tools in my shop. Modern technology helps you do a lot with lighter, more compact tools. But it wasn’t until I needed to install hardware in a kitchen full of kitchen cabinets that I realized how much that compactness and flexibility…
Christopher Schwarz
While we lust for a 20″ monster, most woodworkers would be just as well off (or better) with a ‘suitcase planer.’ When I started woodworking in about 1993, I wanted two things: a table saw with a decent rip fence and the biggest thickness planer on the planet. In my opinion, planers are the biggest…
Tool: Ryobi One+ HP Brushless Series Shop Now Manufacturer: Ryobi MSRP: $99+ I recently had the chance to sample the new line of ONE+ HP Brushless Power Tools from RYOBI. Like most brushless tools, they are more energy-efficient and powerful while featuring lightweight, compact design. There’s not a bad tool in the bunch, but a few were…
Grab your torch and pitchfork; the hand-tool guy has a table saw. Editor’s note: this article appeared in the November 2016 issue of Popular Woodworking People react with shock and horror when they learn I have electric machinery in my Kentucky workshop. After all, I’ve been writing almost exclusively about handwork for almost 20 years…
Tool: Veritas Side-Clamping Honing Guide Shop Now Manufacturer: Veritas MSRP: $39.50 When I saw that Lee Valley has release two new honing guides last month I knew that I have to give them a try. I love honing guides and I have quite a few. My favorite guide designs are offspring from the original Eclipse style….
While most newly-purchased chisels are supplied together with their integral guard, any vintage tool, mortise chisels, corner chisels, and all gouges do not come with such protection. A few years ago I wrote about a technique to protect the edges of your chisels and gouges using cardboard and rope to make a tailored-made guard. But…
American Woodworker Editors
Tool: Nx60 Shop Now and DX60 Shop Now Manufacturer: Lee Valley MSRP: $209+ These low-angle block planes from Lee Valley are beautiful marriages of fine art and sound engineering. Under each shiny, streamlined exterior lies a very serious tool-one that should please even the most demanding woodworker. The NX60 (above) and DX60 (below) are part of…
Tom Caspar
Tool: Small Scraping Plane Buy Now Manufacturer: Veritas MSRP: $139 Sometimes a wood’s grain direction is so unruly that planing just gets you in trouble–tearout is inevitable. Faced with this situation, the hand tool to pick up is a scraper. A card scraper is fine for small areas, but to avoid ripples or hollows, you’re better off…
Hand Tool Starter Kit Tool: 45th Anniversary Set of Three Woodworking Tools Buy Now Manufacturer: Garrett Wade MSRP: $253 For a long time, there were really only a couple options to get started using planes and other hand tools: shell out big bucks for new, premium-quality tools that are ready to cut out of the box or…
Tool: Sawhorse Supports Shop Now Manufacturer: Rockler MSRP: $17.99 An extra work surface is always handy in the shop. We’ve all thrown a large piece of plywood down on a couple of sawhorses when we need a temporary bench, but let’s admit it—a top that can flex and sag is less than ideal. This set…
One of the most mundane – but important- tools in our toolbox is a sanding block. We, and I include here my students in grades four to twelve, are using our sanding blocks during the last stages of completing our projects. To me, sanding is the finale before applying a finish. After planing and scraping…
Matthew Teague
Tool: Knife Hinges Shop Now Manufacturer: Lee Valley MSRP: $24.90+ The first time I installed knife hinges I did so with an inexpensive pair, thinking it would be a good way to learn the process without wasting a lot of money on what is a notoriously finicky piece of hardware. Instead, I learned why quality knife…
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