•  
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • DeWalt DW788 Scroll Saw

    DeWalt DW788 Scroll Saw

    There are those who are great scroll saw masters who can make works of art using any scroll saw......then there's me. After trying the Ryobi and the Shop Fox scroll saws, I was beginning to think I could never scroll saw. Ryobi vibrated very badly (I have messed up hands and the vibration wreaks havoc) and the Shop Fox's easy pinless blade change system was a nightmare for me (again, bad hands). LOML just blessed me with the DeWalt DW788. This saw is amazing. Here's my review: Ordered from A...
    Go to post

  • DIY Table Saw Box Joint Jig for the BT3

    DIY Table Saw Box Joint Jig for the BT3

    It's really not very hard to make your own jig for very little bucks.
    1. Buy a wood square dowel 1/4" - they are usually quite square and accurate. Available at Ace, HD, Lowes. A buck or two for 36"
    2. Cut two, 4" pieces of the square dowel.
    3. Laminate two 1x4 by about 18" and attach this jig to your miter fence to allow moving sideways - easy with the BT3 fence with slot. Also easy with the Rockler fence clamps if you have them (get some if you don't have...
    Go to post
    Last edited by LCHIEN; 07-15-2023, 11:54 AM.

  • Cutting circles with a router - DIY jig

    Cutting circles with a router - DIY jig

    Cutting Circles with your Router
    Copyright 2012 by Loring Chien

    OK, so you need to cut a large circle or arc in a piece of wood or panel. Freehanding with a jigsaw is a possibility, but for a really smooth and accurate circle the router is the best tool.

    Theres a number of jigs on the market for sale and they cost around $40 to $60 like this one from Rockler:



    And this one from Jasper:



    They are nice but unless you...
    Go to post
    Last edited by LCHIEN; 10-29-2021, 02:32 AM.

  • Jigsaws; Hitachi CJ110MV vs. the Bosch CJ260

    Jigsaws; Hitachi CJ110MV vs. the Bosch CJ260

    Menard's had both these tools on sale and I bought the Hitachi from them. Lowes price matched on the Bosch tool, plus an extra 10% off, so I ended up getting the Bosch tool for about $1.50 cheaper. It gave me a nice opportunity to compare these tools. I was looking to replace my cheap - and broken - bandsaw and 20 year old B&D jigsaw. I acknowledge that the Bosch 1590 jigsaws are probably best - not that I've ever tried one - but since this is a tool I don't use every month, I was hoping for...
    Go to post

  • Groz #5 (Jack) Plane Review

    Groz #5 (Jack) Plane Review

    Recently posted about the clearance on Groz planes at Woodcraft (in the Bargain Alert forum). That posting received a lot of comments, so I decided to share my results once my jack plane arrived.

    The short story is that the workmanship from the factory was not great. But after a 1/2 hour of tuning it up the plane cuts great and I would not hesitate to do it again. I feel like it was a great value.


    Updated (1/31/2012 - adding text from pdf file to cover for my...
    Go to post

  • Rockwell Bladerunner

    Rockwell Bladerunner

    I rec'd the BR for Christmas from my wife. Based on the mixed reviews, I wasn't sure whether I'd like it or not. Finally got time to open it up today and try it out. Here's my 2 cents: 1. I didn't find the blades or allen wrench in the box. I thought they were missed at the factory or I'd rec'd a repackaged unit. I kept looking. After looking longer than I'd care to admit, I finally saw the little bin at the top with the picture of the white blade on it. Can we all say "Eye Exam"? The bin on the ...
    Go to post

  • Harbor Freight 2-in-1 18gauge stapler/nailer contractor series

    Harbor Freight 2-in-1 18gauge stapler/nailer contractor series

    I was wanting to get a staple gun and based on some good feedback from another poster here, I decided to give Harbor Freight a try on this model

    http://www.harborfreight.com/18-gaug...7524-3795.html This is the blue contractor series and not the red and silver. The gun is normally $29 and it was on sale for $15.99 so I thought I'd give it a try. Out of the box, the gun feels good in the hand. The trigger is metal as are all other major parts. The gun is slig...
    Go to post

  • Grizzly G0555P (Polar Bear series)

    Grizzly G0555P (Polar Bear series)

    My GrizzlyG0555P Polar Bear 14" Bandsaw arrived yesterday (Thursday) from the Muncy, PA warehouse. It was ordered Monday AM. Pretty quick for truck delivery over 1000+ miles. I was called on Tuesday by UPS and given a time between 1PM and 5 PM as delivery by a UPS freight truck (not their normal delivery vans). I was asked if anyone would be here to accept it. I said "SURE!" Well, they were here promptly at 1 PM. Light rain, 45°F, 200 lbs, no lift. I backed my Ranger up to the trailer and we slid...
    Go to post

  • HF 67241 3-Piece 11 drawer Tool Chest

    HF 67241 3-Piece 11 drawer Tool Chest

    HF had their 67421 3 piece tool chest on sale for $149 Thanksgiving weekend and I have been looking at that model for some time. Since moving back to the States, I have been "space short", especially for my mechanics tools and even woodworking tools. With permission from LOML, I purchased one and happily brought it home. I was a little concerned after reading a review on the HF web site that listed them as being dented and light weight. My impressions: The tools boxes were in great shape, not ...
    Go to post

  • Ryobi AR2074 Ryobi Speed Load Plus 17-Piece Titanium Drill Bit Set

    Ryobi AR2074 Ryobi Speed Load Plus 17-Piece Titanium Drill Bit Set

    What can I say about these? The bits are well made, each with a semi ball ended hex shank. When chucked directly into the drill, they are spot on accurate, or at least within a thousandth of an inch accurate. No discernible runout from any of the bits. The set consists of fractional bits in 1/16" increments up to 3/8", and a Speed Load bit holder all housed in a fairly well made plastic case. Where the inaccuracy comes into play is with the whole Speed Load thing. The holder and bits click t...
    Go to post

  • Harbor Freight Multifunction tool

    Harbor Freight Multifunction tool

    Out of the box: Comes with straight cutting blade, round cutting blade, scraper, and sander. Pros: Tool body is well made, machined aluminum and heavy abs plastic. Feels much more substantial than the orange Chicago Electric tools (it's maroon) Double insulated. Easy changing of attachments (30 secs or less) Good documentation with full diagrams $35 after sale & coupon Cons: Loud--wear ear protection There isn't much resistance between the on/off position on the switch, but it's managa...
    Go to post

  • How to use Digital Calipers for Woodworking

    How to use Digital Calipers for Woodworking

    Digital calipers like these are available for 10-30 dollars. The size quoted as in "6-inch digital calipers" refers to the maximum measurement. The resolution and accuracy of these are typically .001 or one-thousandth of an inch. Some have an additional digit that shows 0 or 5 for half a thousandth. I recommend the six-inch Harbor freight ones, they work very well and are of surprisingly high quality. The stainless body ones are better than the composite plastic body ones although the plastic ones ...
    Go to post

  • Excelsior Mini Lathe MC1018 (Rockler)

    Excelsior Mini Lathe MC1018 (Rockler)

    Received this 10x18 mini lathe for Christmas. LOML picked it up on sale week after Thanksgiving when on ad for $150. It was extremely easy to set up right from the box. Came with 6in tool rest, 3in faceplate, spur and live centers, in addition to setup tools. "Instruction manual" is only a parts list with warnings - in fact, section IV "Adjusting the main spindle speed" is dead wrong; its exactly the same as the HF though, including side-panel belt access on bed, rear panel access on headstock;...
    Go to post

  • Craftsman 22401 14in Bandsaw

    Craftsman 22401 14in Bandsaw

    I had an older aluminum frame Craftsman 12in bandsaw that finally gave up on me so I needed (read wanted) a new saw. I done a lot of research and found alot of saws I wanted but could not justify. I went to Sears and took a long hard look at the 22401 and was impressed but still not sold. I read all the reviews I could find and again was impressed but not sold. I went back to Sears and decided to go ahead and order the saw. The clerk gave me a number of discounts that brought the final cost of the...
    Go to post

  • Chicago Electric #98194 12" Sliding Compound Miter Saw Out of the box review.

    Chicago Electric #98194 12" Sliding Compound Miter Saw Out of the box review.

    This is NOT a usage, or long term review, this is just a fit and finish sort of thing. So if that is what you are interested in, read on... I picked up a Chicago Electric #98194 on Friday with a coupon I have been sitting on for a few months that expired on Sunday, so it was a use it or lose it sort of thing. The coupon brought the price for this 12" sliding compound miter saw down to $109.99, and then throw the 2 year warranty on top of that, and taxes and I walked out the door for just a few ...
    Go to post
There are no articles in this category.
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Please log in to your account to view your subscribed posts.

Affiliate Links

Collapse

Latest Articles

Collapse

  • BT3x00 Fence Micro Adjuster setup.
    by dbhost
    This article is for the aftermarket BT-Set Micro and BT-Set Max fence Micro Adjusters.

    To install...
    Remove end cap from front rail on right side. Slide adjuster into the track insuring the locking screw is backed out enough to allow free movement. you will want to take this opportunity to vacuum out your front track.


    Slide the adjuster over to where the fence will be, hook the right side of the fence head to the hook on the left side of the adjuster. Set the...
    07-15-2024, 01:34 PM
  • How to drill perfectly placed hole into outside corner
    by LCHIEN
    Trying to drill into a outside 90 degree corner, 45° to each side, is tough, the drill bit keeps wanting to walk off.
    You can whack a small flat on the corner.
    But here is a way I did it perfectly. Using this corner drill jig

    Using the drilling jig, One hand is enough to hold the jig while drilling. The small board touching the top of the jig is my measurement stick. I use that to set the precise reproducible location of the hole relative to the top of the workpiece....
    04-26-2024, 10:41 PM
  • BT3000/3100 Featherboard using SMT
    by LCHIEN
    Here's how I do my Featherboard operations. As you know, Featherboards are spring boards meant to hold the workpiece against the fence snugly to ensure accurate rips while freeing both your hands for hand over hand and push stick smooth, even feeding of the workpiece to avoid burning and sawmarks.

    The Feather board is the classic one that they suggest you make.... Mine was made 20+ years ago, apparently a 1x4 piece of pine wood with one end cut at 30 degrees. 15-16 inches long 3 to...
    04-15-2024, 06:19 PM
  • BT3000/BT3100 Belly pan easy dust collection
    by LCHIEN
    I made a belly pan dust collection for my BT3000, using a commercially available, cheap dust pan from one of the woodworking supply houses with a 4" hose fitting.

    It seems to work effectively very simple DC belly pan under BT3000. Not tightly fitting I wanted to allow air in to carry the dust to the DC, pulling on a closed cabinet is not a good idea. So the plywood sits on the stand, not screwed down or anything. So there's air coming in thru the ends and the Shroud dust port arc....
    03-16-2024, 04:37 PM
  • BT3000/BT3100 rip fence and miter fence stop block
    by LCHIEN

    With the small t-nut for the front of the rip fence and miter fence, I made a new stop block that can be used on both
    https://www.sawdustzone.org/articles...nce-attachment

    When used on the rip fence , it can set a stop for cross cutting fixed lengths off a piece against the miter fence without risking a kickback from continuous...
    02-17-2024, 12:43 AM
  • Small T-Nut for the Left side of Rip Fence and Front of Miter Fence on BT3x saws.
    by LCHIEN
    Small T-nut for the left side of BT3 rip fence or front of miter fence (Article Version)

    11-30-2023, 04:00 PM
    I have found a perfect T-nut for the front of the BT3 miter fence and for the left side of the rip fence (same extrusion used both places)

    Its actually a weld nut, but fits the T-slot described above.

    Weld Nut: #10-24 Thread, Tab, 1/32 in Base Ht, 3/8 in Base Wd, 5/8 in Base Lg, Steel, 50 PK
    Item 1LAJ3 Mfr. Model 1LAJ3​ (WW Graingers)...
    12-06-2023, 11:19 PM

The SawdustZone Statistics

Collapse

Topics: 61,382   Posts: 559,324   Members: 20,706   Active Members: 35
Welcome to our newest member, Cobykid.

What's Going On

Collapse

There are currently 1496 users online. 0 members and 1496 guests.

Most users ever online was 29,192 at 02:53 AM on 06-10-2024.

Working...