next »

[Canuck]

Hey guys, just been thinking that it might be useful to post what each of you own/use/have used, by way of power/hand tools, it might be good to give a short/long critique of your personal experiences with them also   Here's mine, I'll likely re-visit this post to add to it as I think back over time:

Sears Craftsman Radial Arm Saw - circa 1970's  I mention this one because it's really where I started in woodworking, it was my Dad's and he used it for everything, yes he even had the 'cutterhead('mauler')option.  I've seen a ridiculous amount of wood fly from this crazy machine and I likely could write a book on it's horrors.

Skill worm drive circular saw 8-1/4", one of my first power tool purchases circa 1980.  Still have it and use it for outdoor projects usually.  Oddly enough I had an antique one years ago that from what the factory rep told me was a 'first run' after the prototype phase, somewhere along the way lost track of it, don't ask

Ryobi table saw, more of a hobby machine than anything else eventually traded it for my current table saw.  The aluminum top marked everything so I used masking tape to cover the entire top only to realize that was probably the worst thing I could have done, don't ask

Leigh D24 dovetail jig,  I bought this because I was making a lot of furniture and it came in handy to make some nice looking pieces with all the variably spaced joints and such, seldom use it anymore although made some toolboxes for my two boys with it, a little while back, something for them to remember me by I guess   Yeah as I get older I'm starting to think of these things

Delta Mortiser, again more for furniture making, but now have converted it to a very rigid drill press with a very long stroke.  I use it quite a bit for drilling my 'pen blanks' You knew I'd eventually mention 'Pens' didn't you!

Delta tenoning jig, furniture use again, but invaluable for 'case' construction.

Freud biscuit joiner, useful for gluing boards together, used it a lot in furniture making

Mastercraft 9" bandsaw, practically useless for anything, but quicker than hand cutting.

Mastercraft 8" grinder with Wolverine sharpening attachment, use this constantly to keep my turning tools sharp.

Craftex 14"x43" variable speed lathe, use this lathe for all my pens now.  I switch it over to 'Beall buffing system constantly, I use the buffing system all the time and everything I make gets the 'shine'!

Freud jig saw, another useless tool, threw it away.

Jobmate 8" drill press, junk, It's now laying in pieces somewhere in the corner of my shop!

Rigid Oscillating edge belt sander, this thing is still going strong use it a lot for 'cubes' and 'boxes' very versatile machine!

Craftex dust collector, I use this for mostly the tablesaw and switch to planer chip collection as well.

Jet 10" contractor table saw, this is the workhorse of my shop, hope to someday move up to a 'cabinet style saw.

Mastercraft 12-1/2" planer, Delta clone, very inacurate and underpowered, gave it away.

Dewalt jig saw, only ever used it once, although good quality tool.

Craftex 6" jointer, use it all the time, the one tool I could never do without!

Dewalt 12" compound/miter saw, I made auxiliary adjustable fences and a zero throat clearance and with a forrest chopmaster blade very accurate, it's only drawback is it's speed, I really wish I could slow it down.

Dewalt 735 two speed 13" planer, nice planer but as Eric will tell you blades are crap, but with new blades very smooth finish, especially on the slower feed rate.

Dewalt orbital sander, use this sander quite a bit when finishing boxes.

Porter-Cable palm sander, this is what I use for my final touch on boxes before being lacquered.

Porter-Cable plunge router 7539, I use this router in my router table mounted in a modified top from my original table saw wing, works really well with my Veritas router fence, very nice combination!

Taig mini-lathe, this lathe is what started me on my 'pen addiction', believe it or not it was a gift from my niece!  Very robust and accurate lathe that can be used in 'metal' or woodworking mode.  It also makes a very nice horizontal drill press.  I don't use it for penmaking anymore as I now turn between centers so I use my larger lathe exclusively, I'll probably switch it to 'metal turning' eventually.

Sears Craftsman Radial Arm Saw, I just recently set this beast up to cut burr pieces and dang it, if it didn't perform very well.  I always thought it was the best tool for dadoes as the piece can't be lifted of the table like in a tablesaw application



I'll likely update this list as I think of other tools and accesories.

[Robert Yarger]

I will have to add my tools later, as it is a busy day.  Just wanted to mention that "like John's pens", I am ever so slowly pulling you all over to the usefulness of the radial arm saw beast. 

There is also an attachment for this thing nobody has mentioned yet.  The 5 lb metal plate (identical to a thick saw blade but without the teeth) that you can glue sandpaper to.  Very cool for sanding bevels in off the wall angles.

[Andrew Gurvey]

So I see one vote for the Jet table saw... any others?  I've inherited my my father's Delta 10" benchtop saw, but its woefully inaccurate. I've been eyeing a variety of saws ... not necessarily on a budget, but I'm not ready to dive into the $5K cabinet saw that I would WHEN I win the lottery.  Powermatic, Delta, Ridgid (TS2424), Hitachi? Any suggestions on what to aim for or stay away from?

Thanks.

[Robert Yarger]

There are several other sections on the forum that cover the best equipment and where to get the best price for it.  Delta makes one hell of a plainer, but I would not recommend thier table saw.  I use a Hitachi table saw which is cheaper than a Jet.  Still, if you are on a budget, I would recommend any 10" table saw that has a 2 hp - 4 cycle motor, and getting a belt driven model is key for reducing vibrations and making exact cuts.  However, before tossing your table saw completly in the trash, you might just try getting some hig quality blades.  A good table saw will preform poorly with a warped or dull blade.  The forum also has serveral places where blades are recommended.  Just type "saw blade" in the forum search engine.

By the way John, can I borrow your table saw for the weekend?
 

[Canuck]

Hey Robert, can you post a pic of YOUR Hitachi TS, I'm curious why you mentioned you wouldn't recomend a Delta TS???  Are you saying you don't think it's quality, they're Cabinet saw really is generally regarded as the 'gold' standard that everyone other company 'clones'.  A few years back I had an issue with my Jet which gave me fits, and it had to do with the main mechanism to raise and lower the blade.  Apparently the pin holding the arm which attaches to the height wheel had come out and the only way to get to it was to remove the top and flip it over and remove the trunion to access this 'pin'.  Major PITA, but what I noticed from all of this was the poorly designed set-up for the arbor, which to my knowledge is where the 'higher end' cabinet saws have a vastly improved set-up. Buying a 'higher end' TS right out of the gates would seem the best way to go IMHO

[Robert Yarger]

I will post pics when I get a chance.  I love my belt driven Hitachi, all though the special braket on the motor requires you to buy an expensive replacement from the company, or know how to weld.  You would not know anything about welding, now would you John

I also have a delta 36-546 Type 2 series table saw.  I bought it brand new a few years back, used it one time, and promptly shoved it into a corner of the garage.  Delta probably does make really good models, but that particular one sucked so much that I never used it again.  I now use it only as a stand for my delta planer (which by the way is extremely rugged and constanly produces excellent results).

My Hitachi has a low hum and sounds like a high powered fan when I turn it on.  That delta saw sounds like a bag full of angry screaming banshees fighting over running jet plane engine with an amplifier.  It also did not have a high enough RPM for my taste and I had to go slow or it would burn the wood and set off an electric circuit breaker.  Still, like any brand name, you have a high end and low end.  I'm sure Delta make a decent saw as well.   

[Andrew Gurvey]

Anyone ever heard of, have, or used a Grizzly BRAND table saw - (not just a grizzly saw)? Opinions of quality between a Powermatic and Jet?  There are several used models on Craigslist ... just looking at my options. I had read somewhere about a Hitachi model where if the fence wasn't locked square it bent the rails and would never be true.... so that has kept me away from looking at Hitachi. Thoughts?

[Kerry Verne]

Here's a couple recent threads from the NCWoodworker forum about someone else pondering table saws, Grizzly included. I'm not sure which you were looking at, but it may prove insightful.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/f31/opinions-wanted-14460/
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/f31/table-saw-opinion-12843/

[Johan Heyns]

John, sounds like you can put up a hardware store on your own.  What else do you do besides pens and puzzles with all that tools?

Saw : Rececently aquired: Ryobi Contracter saw with 2.2 kW motor belt driven.  Works very well and cut cleanly. Nice and Quiet. Motor sit right outside the body and the blade shaft is mounted on two bearings.

Belt disk sander combination : No Name brand but it does the job.

Ryobi tile cutter converted to a cut-off saw.  Very stable and clean cuts.

Electra Beckum Planer Thicnesser inherited from my Dad.  Very good and accurate.

Ryobi 850W Router mounted on a homemade table.

Two bag type dust collectors.  One permanently hooked to the sander and the other one swithed between the rest of the equipment with a 4m long 110mm flexible hose.

Thats it.  The old Ryobi table saw I had was a real piece of junk with an unstable blade etc.  Sound like the same thing John had.

Guys, what I can say is this.  No matter what the quality of the tools, the hands that use it makes the difference.  Some of my tools are 20 to 30 years old and still going strong.  If you look after them, they return the favour.

I would in hindsight suggest a better vernier/callipher than the one I posted previously.