Buying Advice

New Product: Yeti Smart Bench

February 28, 2020 By George Vondriska & filed under Blog, Buying Advice.

Every once in a while, I come across a tool that makes my jaw drop. The Yeti SmartBench, $5,995, is a great example. It’s a portable CNC that’s capable of cutting 4’ x 8’ sheets. What looks like an aluminum sawhorse or scaffold is a fully operational, small footprint, portable CNC router. Broken down, the…

Product Review: Slab Stitcher

February 28, 2020 By George Vondriska & filed under Blog, Buying Advice.

Cutting bowties into slabs, cookies, tabletops… is quite the rage. Slab Stitcher has created a complete package for this process that includes the required templates, guide bushing, router bit, AND the bowties. Complete starter kits as shown here range in price from $80 to $115. A handful of companies make templates. What’s unique about Slab…

Cool Products from AWFS

February 10, 2020 By George Vondriska & filed under Blog, Buying Advice.

I love going to tool shows. I attended AWFS 2019 in Las Vegas, and here are some of the great products I spotted while I was there. Hollowing Chisels and Wire Burning Kit Easy Wood Tools is ready to help you turn smarter, not harder. They’re Mini Hollower Set, $286, is designed for smaller-scale hollow…

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

May 15, 2018 By George Vondriska & filed under Blog, Buying Advice, Product Review, Skill Building.

Looking for the perfect gift for the woodworker in your life? With Father’s Day right around the corner, this is timely. But whatever the event, your favorite woodworker is certain to love these gift ideas.

Product Review: Portamate PM-1800 – Panel Carrier

February 28, 2018 By Bruce Kieffer & filed under Buying Advice, Product Review, Skill Building.

This is an ingenious and invaluable back-saving tool for a one-person shop. It works better and easier than I imagined. Being able to maneuver sheet goods around my shop, and then flip them from vertical to horizontal, and do that all myself with very little effort is HUGE. There are other heavy-duty plywood carts available for large shop use, but those are big and expensive. This one is compact, folds flat for easy out of the way storage, and it's a real steal at around $100!

Do I Really Need an Impact Driver?

December 27, 2017 By Paul Mayer & filed under Buying Advice, More Portable Power Tools, Portable Power Tools, Tool Education.

Impact Driver vs Drill I’m going to spoil the ending. Yes you do need an impact driver, right away. Stop reading. Go to store. Buy an impact driver. Thank me later. If you feel the need to understand why, read on. Impact drivers are creating a lot of buzz on the internet these days, and…

Must-Have Woodworking Apps for Your iPhone Pt. 1

October 21, 2017 By Paul Mayer & filed under Blog, Buying Advice, Tool Education.

In the earliest days of woodworking (or even just a few years ago for that matter), who would have ever thought that we would be talking about how to best utilize our telephones in the woodworking shop? Well, times they certainly are a changin’, and smart phones are capable of performing tasks that we would…

Laguna 1412 Bandsaw: A Cut Above

October 9, 2017 By Paul Mayer & filed under Buying Advice, Product Review.

I’m not the most patient soul, but after a long search for a band saw upgrade I finally found the one that I wanted; the Laguna 1412 Band Saw. The problem lied in the fact that it was still in prototype phase when I learned about it, and would not ship for another year. Could…

Product Review: ISOtunes Pro

April 25, 2017 By George Vondriska & filed under Buying Advice, Product Review, Skill Building, Woodworking Safety.

If you’re going to be around tools, you’ve GOT TO use hearing protection. If you don’t want to have to choose between music, phone calls, and hearing protection, you should have a look at ISOtunes Pro. Learn more about them with this product review. I have my share (or more) of electronic devices, and I…

Product Review: Dowel Wizard

March 22, 2017 By George Vondriska & filed under Buying Advice, Product Review, Skill Building.

Looking for a way to easily incorporate dowel joinery in your woodworking projects? The Dowel Wizard may be an answer for you. It’s self-centering, and easy to align. Check out our review of this new product. Dowels are a time-tested means of joining parts. They’re easy to come by, and very strong. The down side?…