AWFS 2015 has come and gone, with manufacturers taking advantage of the venue to show off their products. Have a look at a few things George discovered at this year’s show.
Tool Education
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Hearing Protection for the Woodshop
Why Hearing Protection is Important My first job out of college was framing houses. The contractor I worked for was ‘old school.’ Protective gear like gloves, earplugs or safety glasses were generally viewed as signs of weakness. For a long time I tried to be a tough guy. After an afternoon of air-nailing fire blocking
Must-Have Woodworking Apps for Your iPhone Pt. 1
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
Tools We Love: JessEm Clear-Cut Stock Guides
I’ve long wanted some type of hold-down hold-in system that was faster, easier, safer, and more flexible than the traditional feather boards. Here it is! Thank you JessEm for figuring this out. Plus these new clear-cut stock guides are darn cool looking… and I’m a sucker for cool looking tools! What they are The system
Wobble Dado Heads
I find that I’m asked pretty frequently about wobble (adjustable) dado heads. You can’t blame folks for asking. A wobble head is a lot less expensive than a stackable head. So why don’t woodworkers use them much? About the Blade A wobble head consists of one blade mounted on a hub. Dialing the hub allows
Why I Bought a SawStop
I recently bought a SawStop tablesaw. (Is that the sound of applause I’m hearing?) On the one hand, it was an easy decision. Who wouldn’t want the blade brake safety feature only SawStop offers. On the other hand, it wasn’t a snap decision. In fact, years went by between the time I first used a
Tools We Love: A “Real” Burnisher Makes All the Difference
I tried my hand at using a cabinet scraper a couple years ago and was frustrated that in spite of my best efforts to roll a proper burr on its edge, I just couldn’t tune the scraper to produce more than dust and the occasional wimpy shaving. I followed all the instructions, and did everything
Self Centering Drill Bit: Vix Style
Have you ever struggled to get all of the screw holes perfectly aligned when you are installing hinges? If you do not pre-drill your screw holes in the center of the mounting holes on the hinge, the hinge can be installed at a skewed angle, and/or the screw heads can fail to seat properly, making
Fine Woodworking Tools We Love: Jigsaw
When I started woodworking, I had a lot of tools to acquire. Of course, the table saw was the first big purchase. After a while, I got a really nice sliding miter saw, and then a planer. One of the ‘big’ tools that took me a long time to acquire was a bandsaw. I love
Extra Long Drill Bits for Deep Holes
Long drill bits reach where ‘regular’ drill bits just can’t. Aircraft drill bits are long drill bits originally designed for use in the aircraft industry where they often need to drill holes reaching through deep cavities, and then through thin materials. I find them invaluable in my shop for drilling holes in tight spaces, and
