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Chisel Buying Advice
Purchasing new tools can be a daunting task. In this video, George answers a question from one of our Woodworkers Guild of America community members, giving his advice on how to purchase chisels. What can you expect to pay when buying chisels? Are some chisels better quality than others? Find the answers to these questions
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Product Spotlight: Bessey Clamps
When we come across products that we really like, we like to tell you about them. And that’s the deal with the new Bessey Revo clamps. You wouldn’t think a company could progress much with something as simple as a clamp, but Bessey has done it. Lots of other features Let’s have a look at
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Father’s Day Gift Ideas
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.
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Product Review: Nova Voyager DVR Drill Press
Lots of tools cross our paths, and every once in a while a tool really grabs our attention. The Nova drill press is a great example of that. What makes it cool? Let’s jump right into one of my most-loved features on this machine; electronic variable speed. No step pulleys, no belt to move…Changing speeds
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Benefits of Parallel Jaw Clamps
If you’re working wood, you’re probably clamping parts together. That means you need to have good quality clamps in your shop. It’s really hard to beat the benefits of parallel jaw clamps. Why parallel jaw clamps? I tell you what. The feature I like the best about parallel jaw clamps is that the jaws stay
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Product Review: Portamate PM-1800 – Panel Carrier
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!
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Using a Bar Stock to Set Up Tools
Anyone who knows George knows that he pretty much hates measuring. He cheats whenever possible, employing a variety of tips and tricks, including using a set-up gauge. Set-up gauges are simple little things: brass bar stock in a variety of sizes, but they take a lot of the hassle out of setting up tools. What’s
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The Super Max 16-32 Surface Sander
Surface sanders, also called drum sanders, have really come a long way. It’s not that long ago that you’d only find surface sanders in large, commercial shops. Today, sanders have become way more prevalent in small shops, and way more accessible to woodworkers. SuperMax has been a name in the surface sander world for a
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How to Weather Wood
Have you ever wondered how to weather wood? Sometimes a project calls for a weathered look that just cannot be created with new wood and conventional finishing products because our typical finishing approaches render a look that is, well, just too new. Sure, you can sometimes find weathered wood for sale that has been salvaged
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Why George Loves Combination Squares
There are a handful of tools in the shop that I use nearly every day. A combination square is one of them. These are such versatile tools. I love that you can interchange the heads for different functions, getting even more mileage out of a nearly indispensable tool. Round stock, angles, marking and measuring. The
Buying Advice
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Hi, Im interested in purchasing a JET Drum Sander… Between the JET 1632 and 1836… I’m on the fence… Any thoughts on one vs the other… it is about $200 more for the 1836… also the 1836 is 2″ bigger and has the 1.75 hp vs the 1.5 on the 1632. I like the 1632 but hate the thought of a year down the road I should have spent the extra $200 for the 1836. Thank you for any advise/thoughts on which way I should go. My email is eilers2020@gmail.com. Thank you!
Hi James. Power and capacity are important with a drum sander. Between the two that you are looking at, I would lean toward the 1836. Before you pull the trigger, I’d also suggest taking a look at this one: https://amzn.to/2Lj2gCh. The same people who designed the Jet drum sanders left to start SuperMax, and these guys know what they are doing. George has one in his shop and loves it. It’s a very impressive machine, and roughly the same price as the Jet 1836.
Thanks
Paul-WWGOA
Looking for good 10″ Table saw blade sharpener
where do i start? i am wanting to make nice things not for money just to keep me busy. I have ran big saws chainsaws ect. not small equipment. I have a good table saw band saw router. It is overwhelming to me.
Hello Clinton,
I would start with one tool at a time. For me, the best place to start would be by mastering your table saw. Make a few boxes out of inexpensive wood. Experiment with different joinery techniques; butt joints, miters, splines, biscuits, etc. Once you feel like you have the hang of that, move to the band saw. Build a couple bandsaw-centric projects like a reindeer https://www.wwgoa.com/video/post-haste-project-how-to-make-wooden-christmas-reindeer-010244/. If you can get the hang of making those reindeer, and they are not that hard, you will be well on your way to mastering the bandsaw. Then move to the router, and so on. We have a section of free plans for beginner woodworkers that you might want to check out as well: https://www.wwgoa.com/projects/beginner-woodworking-projects/.
The trick is to start slow and be patient with yourself. We all start out by making some firewood in our early projects. It’s fun to learn, and you’ll be making “keepers” before you know it.
Cheers,
Paul
WoodWorkers Guild of America Video Membership
Want to buy a corded Miter Saw , looked at Dewalt 780 12″ < Jet 12" , Kaypex Festool 10' . Could you please let me know which corded Miter Saw to buy ?And if any other good ones to look at Thank You , Fred
Hi Fred. Those are all good options. You might want to also take a look at this one, which is what I have: https://amzn.to/2HUJu1K
In my opinion it delivers cut quality that is on par with the Kapex saw, although the Kapex is a smooth operating saw and people who own them seem to really like them. My choice came down to the DW 780 vs. the Bosch Glide. I went with the Bosch mainly because of the space savings vs. the 780. The glide mechanism is efficient and doesn’t require as much space behind the saw, which is nice in my small shop. I was able to upgrade my 10″ miter saw without re configuring my benches.
Thanks
Paul-WWGOA