I am shopping for a 1/4” bowl gouge and am trying to choose between a “cryogenic” or a “Powdered Metallurgy” gouge. They are in the same price range and both say they last “up to 3 times longer than HSS”. Do any of you have any experience using the two of them? Is one really any better than the other?

Oh & I am sure there is some sort of crazy controversial issue surrounding these materials and can’t wait to read about it. So please feel free to Rant away about how cryogenic is really alien material or PM is a FDA conspiracy. I love that kind of stuff!!!

This is why I always enjoy my trips to my local Rockler store. They are always free with the advice and have never steered me wrong, even when the answer didn’t result in them getting a sale. It was their store manager that suggested I try cheap oven cleaner for removing rust from the machines I was restoring. As a result of the employees great attitudes I am one of the top 25 customers in gross purchases at their store without ever even purchasing a power tool.

It is amazing what a little intelligence & a positive attitude can do!

-Here fishy fishy fishy!!

Anyone who posts any responses that could be construde as a politically based opinion will be blocked. There are quite literally thousands of websites devoted to politics, government, etc. This is however, a forum on Woodworking, please keep your replies on the topic of woodworking.

I recently I came across a great little pamphlet of finishing “Bob Flexner’s Finishing Facts”. I must say as a very novice finisher it did quite a bit to educate and clarify. Best of all it removed quite a bit of myth’s and replaced them with facts.

For me the most informative is the section on Food Safe Finishes. In that Section he cites Title 21, Part 175 of the Code of Federal Regulations, so you can check it out for yourself!!!!

In the article Mr Flexner states the following

“In fact, all ingredients used in common finishes, including metallic driers, are approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for food contact as long as the finish is made so it cures properly. Lead and Mercury are, of course, not on this list. But, neither Lead nor Mercury is used in common finishes anymore”

He then goes on to say the following:

“In spite of the fact that no health problems have ever been reported, woodworkers and ,especially woodturners, continue to worry themselves about the food safety of finishes. This has resulted in many wooden objects receiving inferior, non curing mineral or vegetable oil finishes.”

Please make up your own minds about what you feel is safe. Believe me I really don’t care what you decide is best for your own personal use.

Again, this IS NOT a forum for your own personal Political Views!!!! If you have a problem with the FDA or if You Love the FDA please feel free to write your own blog and tackle that topic. But as far as this thread goes leave the politics out. I am only sharing information from a a source I found and am in no way advocating for or against the FDA or any other Government Entity. If you respect this I will respect You!

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!!!

http://www.woodstore.net/nightstand.html

This one in Pennsylvania is exceptionally drool worthy. Especially the 20” Oliver Jointer!

http://www.irsauctions.com/index_lots.asp?pg=details&id=14544

Maybe one day…..........................................

True I had to sell my Festool Domino to get it but I made a quick $300 profit on that deal. So it was very much worth it. Now I just need to sell the Craftsman Lathe I just bought and get rid of the extra cabinets in my garage and I will be ready to go a turning.

I just bought a cool spindle adapter so I can use all my 1”x8 attachments on the 1 1/4”x8 spindle on the 1642.

I can’t wait to put it to use. Hopefully within the next week.

Pics to follow!

In other news I put a deposit down to take Darrell Peart’s Blanket Chest class at Woodcraft in late April. It’s been a dream of mine to take that class and it looks like it’s going to be a reality. Gosh one day I may be a real honest to goodness furniture maker!

I will be honest about the Jointer though. It is a little underpowered. First chance I get to pick up a 3HP motor I am going to take it. Sucks because I just sold a 3HP 60C motor last month that would be perfect for it. I am going to upgrade to the Helical head but I don’t know if that is going to keep it from bogging down.

It was pretty simple I wanted to make some small projects like cutting baords and some bigger projects like a Sofa Table or Greene & Greene Blanket Chest. What I quickly found out was my Shopsmith was a total and complete pain in the butt. I ended up not wanting to go into the shop because it would take 10-15 minutes every time I wanted to use the table saw. The Shopsmith 510 is a huge Table Saw system but it is a whole bunch to take apart when you need to drill a quick hole. It is also a whole bunch to take apart and put together when in Lathe mode and you want to use the Table Saw. So I made a decision to get stand alone machines instead.

There was a small problem with this little idea. I went on disability last August & the wife is going to college so I don’t have much extra cash to speak of. Luckily I had some cash flow I could take advantage. So I started wheeling and dealing buying restoring then re-selling all kinds of machines on Craigslist. I also bought a whole bunch of plywood and other sheet goods at auction then sold those on Craigslist. When all the dust had cleared I had a really nice woodshop full of nice tools and enough lumber to build a mansion full of furniture. And I did it all for Net Nothing! Yep I used my 20 years of sales experience and a bunch of elbow grease to buy myself some top of the line machines and I actually ended up with a handful of extra C notes!

But now it is time to shut the door on that and get started making some Sawdust!!!!!!

Mind you I still want a Top of the Line Lathe but they do not exist for under $2k, at least the form I want.

Until I get my big fancy Lathe I am going to use a hidden gem of a Lathe. The Shopsmith Mark V. I have gotten very well educated in the field of Woodworking Lathes and I can honestly say that with a couple of tweaks there isn’t a better lathe out there for under $2,000. After selling my original Mark V in December I decided I needed a new one. So in my daily CL browsing I found a “Broken” Mark V. All I had to do to fix it was solder the wires back to the motor. So hey I got to learn to solder. It wasn’t all that difficult and I have used the new found skill quite a bit since then.

If ain’t pretty and all the table and stuff are going on eBay but it is going to be a great Lathe!

Next Up is the main tool in every good woodworking Shop. Those of you who have followed have been witness to what a screaming deal I got on my Grizzly G1023 3HP Cabinet Saw. I added on the longer rails today then went at it with some Oven Cleaner so I could get the last bits of rust and dirt off of it. I have adopted Oven Cleaner as my Go to Shop cleaner after finding out it was what they used to use in the Delta Repair Shop. I really like it because it isn’t as harsh as some other stuff I have used and it won’t peel the paint. It worked really well taking the packing grease off my new Jointer, which is what we will see next.

In the meantime here is my beautiful Grizzly G1023 TS!! My first project is to build a Router Table to fit into the extension wing.

Up next is the MONSTER of the shop. My Oliver 8 inch Jointer. I picked it up last Friday brand new still in the box for just an amazing deal. I honestly am having a hard time not selling it for a large profit and going back to get another one at the same price, which I could….. Ok so this is the first brand new in the box piece of machinery I have purchased and it was quite the undertaking. Getting the motor wired up and attached to the base was not pleasant for a novice. Lifting the Jointer onto the stand took a herculean effort by myself and my 63 year old father. First time in 38 years I have ever seen him visibly falter when lifting something. But we got it on and our reward was a serving of my wifes Super Duper Yummy Chicken Pot Pie!

My goodness this thing is a beast at 537 lbs with 65” tables it is massive. It is actually a Powermatic Jointer painted Blue. I used the Powermatic 60C manual to put it together. I doubt that anyone could find a difference in the two outside of color. I got the straight knife version but will upgrade to the Helical head just as soon as I have an extra $350 laying around.

Next up is my big secret I haven’t posted about yet. I happened upon this little gem oneday last month and as soon as I got it home I had to shove in the back of the garage to make room for 28 sheets of quartered white Oak Plywood. But now that the wood is out of the way I can finally show off my new to me Delta X5 16/32 Drum Sander!!! Yep after blowin up my Planer I decided I should get one of these bad boys for making cutting boards and flattening laminations. Got it for half the price of new and I was lucky to get it as they hardly ever end up on CL.

The guy even threw in 12 boxes full of rolls of sandpaper for it!

Next up is what started my run of new machines last week. I saw that the guys down at the local Powermatic/Jet Shop were auctioning off a PM2800 Drill Press. So I sent an e-mail to Niell down at EQSS and inquired if they had anymore of them in stock. Since the one being auctioned was up to $700 I figured I wouldn’t get that great of a deal. I flipped when he replied back that they had one I could have for $500! I drove right down to buy it, and ended up with a truckload of tools.

I really like this drill press. It is hefty strong and easy to use. Not having to change the belts to change the speed is just a really cool feature to have.

Next up is the big impulse purchase. I saw they had a Powermatic 14” Bandsaw on special for $635 and I just couldn’t resist. I have rebuilt 5 Bandsaws over the past few months and in that time I got to know what the best features were and what I wanted in a Bandsaw. I had no doubt I wanted that PMBS-14 but I couldn’t justify spending $900 plus on it. I got a resaw block added on for another $60 and am just amazed I have it in my shop.

I was just flipping through the Iturra Catalog and the only thing I could find to add to it were blades. So I’ll be calling up Louis sometime soon and get some of those nice HSS Blades.

The last couple pics are of items I don’t have setup quite yet. A 3HP Porter Cable Production Router in a Woodpecker Quick Lift Router Lift. Lastly I finally stepped up to a sliding Miter Saw with a Dewalt DW-708. Not the top of the line but it will do. Honestly I end up using my chopsaw more than anything else in the shop outside of the lathe. It’s just so much quicker and easier than the TS.

1- PM2800

1- PWBS-14CS

1-Oliver 4230

When I am not trying to clear out space for them I am giggling to myself.

Oh yeah and the best part is the prices I got on thems thar tools.

The Brand Spanking new Powermatic PM2800 Drill Press cost me $500

The Brand Spanking new Powermatic PMBS-14CS Bandsaw with riser block installed cost me $680

The Brand Spanking new Oliver 4230 8” Jointer cost me $500

Geez at those prices I could re-sell them on Craigslist at a profit!

So Where may you ask did I get these bargains????

Equipment Sales & Surplus in Auburn, WA

They have a retail shop but sell nationally by phone or via eBay

They have more down there and a whole bunch of bargains on stuff from Jet, Powermatic, Oliver, & Wilton. So if you are looking for something specific call down there and ask for Neil. He runs the place and is one hell of a great guy to work with. They get all kinds of surplus items in down there. They had something like 25 PM2000’s last fall that they sold for about $1,300 a piece. They auction items on eBay as well, a PM2800 was just up there, with nationwide shipping.

Amazing how easy things are to fix. I swear a year ago I would have looked at my Grizzly Table Saw for $275 and said “Oh my god what a piece of junk! No Way I would even take it for free!”. My goodness how things can change in a year.

Beat up Broken Grizzly 3HP Cabinet Saw= $275

Removing the rust and buffing the top = 90 minutes and a bunch of Elbow Grease

Cleaning out the points by the fan= a little compressed air and 10 minutes of elbow grease

A Fully functioning beautiful Grizzly G1023 Cabinet Saw that you restored with your own two hands= Priceless!!!

Wooo Hooo Hoooo Hoooo!!!!!!! Here are scenes from my first cuts!!!! Bolt balanced on end while it is started, wood is cut, then stopped!

LOL that should get somebody all sideways ;)

Ok so I got a heckuva a deal on the old CL for an old Grizzly 3HP Cabinet style TS, a G1023 to be exact. Now the poor machine had been relegated to being stored in a steel shed and a few months ago the temps around here plummeted overnight and the evil Condensation hit!

Here is what I purchased

After less than 2 hours of work the rust was gone.

Here is what I did to get rid of it.

First I sprayed it down with the last little bit of Top Saver I had in a bottle, maybe about just under a quarter of a bottle. Then I went to work with a power drill and a wire brush attachment for it I had on hand. It made quite the mess and about a roll of Paper Towels to wipe it all off but man did it work quickly. When I was done with all the rust it was a pretty ugly mess on the top so I took my bowl sanding kit to it and power sanded it with 80 grit, then 100, 120, 150, 180, 220, 320, 420, 600, & 800. That gave me a pretty good finish on the top. It didn’t take much with each grit just enough to flatten and even it out. I then took a new bottle of Top Save and sprayed it all over the top, I let it soak in for about a minute then took a piece of 1000 grit wet dry and “massaged” it in creating a dark mud like goop of liquid and metal dust. I wiped it all off with paper towels then hit is with more Top Saver and some 1200 grit Wet Dry. Wiped it all off again and once it was all dry I buffed it with a cloth bonnet I use for buffing bowls and such.

This is what appeared:

I thought that was it. I wired it up with a nice new plug stuck it in my 220V outlet and ….... well it made a buzzing noise then cut out :(

Luckily Grizzly has a top notch tech support. I call them up and let them listen and the guy says it’s the whatchamacallits or the other deals. Transistors or the pins. I’m gonna open it up later tonight and figure out what’s going in. The tech guy made it sound pretty simple so I am guessing it won’t take me more than 8 or 9 hours to fix it. ;)

I’ll check in later. Ok first step to repair is too plug to tool in, right?? bbbzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz IT

First one is a Grizzly G1023 Cabinet Saw. Saw the listing last night and called 30 minutes after it was posted. I ended up being the 2nd inquiry but the first non bozo. The saw is in fantastic shape except for a minor rust issue. It looks bad but it’s really just some superficial rust. The inside of the cabinet has absolutely no rust and neighter do the sides. So a little elbow grease and I I should have a very very nice 3 hp cabinet saw. For the grand total of $275!!!! Ok so I will have to fork over $75 for a table insert, longer extension rails, and the above table guard/splitter.

From everything I have read it’s actually a really nice saw. Maybe not a PM2000 but hey for $1,500 plus less I am thinking I can make it work, I guess ;)

My next little gem is an old Craftsman 6” Jointer, circa 1930ish

It was a refurbish project that had been laying around a guys garage. But it is in great shape, motor works, everything is clean and nice, even has a newly built stand for it with mounting holes already drilled. Guess he just got bored of it, well it will keep me busy and is worth much more than the $55 I paid for it! I don’t know much about it yet but from everything I can tell it should be a real winner. Once I get it all setup I will run it head to head against my 6” Jet jointer and keep the one that works best.

My final grab of the day is a WHOLE big old bunch of Wood!

This cost the most of all my transactions but I got quite a bit for $300.

Here is what I got:

40 bf of 4/4 Khaya

50 bf of 4/4 Hickory

25 bf of 6/4 QSWO

3/4 of a sheet of 3/4” Walnut Plywood

Oh and all of this was done after my Dr’s appt this morning. The appt was to get a second opinion on the second opinion I got! Yep Surgeon 1 “You aren’t having any pain” Surgeon 2 “Wow you hip is really causing you pain but the typical solution (Slicing the ITB) won’t work so maybe you should do some PT. 6 months and no improvement later Surgeon 3 “Oh that’s easy we just slice your IT Band”. Uhm Yikes! Surgeon 4 “I wouldn’t want to see your ITB cut, it could criple you for life” Yep so my hip hurts and there doesn’t look like any kind of magic bullet. Driving around all day really didn’t do my hip any good either. A little reminder why I don’t drive more than 30 mins per day.

Oh & please no stupid comments about the political issues surrounding Sawstop. Nor about how you feel like a real man using a saw that is more dangerous. Those guys are the same guys that have never satisfied a woman so they go out and get big huge trucks to make up for their little tiny weenies. Real men don’t need to feel daring by using a table saw, we prove our manhood without thought or effort.

By the way Sawstop is now the only Table Saw made in America by and American owned company.

Now that isn’t so bad if you look at it from this angle

The problem is most people don’t really need bowls like this

Now if I can just figure out how to make the whole bowl without the HOLE!!!!

There is a great deal on a Jet 1642EVS on CL right now but I can’t get the poster to get back to me. I am hoping that if I get a real Lathe with a better motor and tool rest that instead of focusing on making the dang thing work I can focus on doing the work.

Look later for my review of the Harbor Freight Lathe and how it isn’t worth it, even when it’s free!

Yes I am sure that much of this has to do with my lack of turning skills but I don’t need to hear your f’ing opinion on that! I am well aware of my own shortcomings thank you very much!

As the year came to a close I discovered some absolutely amazing prices on some tools I really wanted for my shop. from late November to today I have added some very useful tools that should help me get quite a bit of sawdust made in 2011.

For the most part the items came from CL and folks that were in need of some extra Christmas money. It ended up being a win win for me and them.

First purchase was a 2 micron top filter for my Jet DC-1200. I really like my DC1200 but the amount of dust that came our of that 30 micron cloth top was awful on my lungs and the cleanliness of the house. Came across a guy selling one on CL for $100 bucks and jumped on it. The filter has made a huge difference in the amount of dust in the air, and on every surface in the shop.

Next I found a Jet 6” Jointer on CL for $200! It was a bit of a drive to get it but man it will make a big difference on all the non dimensioned wood I buy. Love the mobile base of course. Even came with 3 sets of extra blades.

Next up was the big sale at Rockler! $25 gift card with purchase of great Bessey Clamps. Picked up two sets and used the gift cards towards the purchase of a Jet AFS-1000. What a great purchase this has been. Along with the new DC filter I have almost no dust in the garage or the house (when I remember to close the door). It was a real pain in the butt to put up but I eventually rigged a system together to hoist it up onto eye bolts. The remote is an absolute must for this item.

Suddenly Christmas was upon us and Christmas morning I was suprised by the gift I had really wanted. A Dewalt 18v lithium 1/2” drill/driver, that I had purchased a week earlier from Tooliday.com. My wife is a great lady know that she should grab it before I could use it, wrap it up, and slip it under the tree ;)

Now as some of you may know I had a little issue with my portable planer exploding. Luckily the only thing damaged was the Planer. I was done playing with the damn thing as it has broken numerous times. I decided to take it back to Harbor Freight, where I got store credit. Their products may not be the best but they are really good when it comes to service. After doing quite a bit of research I decided on a Lathe which I picked up on New years day using the 25% off coupon. I ended up getting the Central Machinery 34706 12” x 33” reversible head Lathe. By researching I found out it is a knock off of the Jet 1236 Lathe with a couple major but easy to fix issues.

I have had the lathe for 14 days now and everything I read would go wrong has. First I eliminated the weak base issues by mounting it directly to my Universal Tool Stand, that has given me a nice solid base without vibration. Next up are the clamp handles which stripped within 2 days of use. Found good quality replacement clamps at Grainger for $20. They worked great but a secure tool rest caused the next known issue of the Banjo coming loose. Figured out that this is caused by the nut on the bottom of the banjo coming loose. I picked up some Locktite which secured the nut and took care of that. Finally two days ago the last known issue raised it’s ugly head, the crappy drive belt started slipping. That will be an easy replacement this afternoon when I go up to Napa after my Seahawks make The Greatest Comeback in NFL History!! Ok maybe not but hey I can dream!

All told the fixes cost me $35 and an hour of my time. Not bad way to get a decent Lathe. Instead of paying $700+ for the Jet 1236 I get the same exact Lathe for a broken crappy planer and a little time and effort. Plus it kicks but over my Shopsmith Lathe which vibrated violently when doing anything more than a 2” spindle. If I hadn’t done the research I would have been pissed but being fully informed I was able to make a decision and deal with the shortcomings.

So got my standalone Lathe which made it a must to get some new Lathe Tools!!!

2 sets from PSI and a couple of nice Sorby Bowls Gouges.

Then I needed to Sharpen those Lathe Tools with a Wolverine Sharpening Jig!

Of course a Pen Press/Drilling Jig for my Pen & Projects

Oh and some Bowl Blanks to get started on!

And a Large Sycamore Tree for Bowl Blanks later this year!

Having fitted the shop with all of these great tools I still had one BIG problem. That damn Shopsmith made it a pain in the butt to do anything quickly. No quick drill press use or quick rip cuts. So made the big decision this week to scrap the dang thing and get dedicated machines.

First off is the Drill Press, picked up a nice Delta on stand for $100!

Well that’s all for now! I am picking up a little Delta Bandsaw later today and in the next few weeks will be getting either a Powermatic or Sawstop Table Saw.

Hope you all have a fantastic 2011 making loads of Sawdust!

Browsing my favorite local Shopping Mall (Craigslist) I come across some nice looking hybrid & Cabinet saws priced all over the map. For the most part there are some amazing old Table Saws that would be very nice. The Grizzly 3HP saws are around $300, a couple older Unisaws are $450 and 3 beautiful amazing drool inducing Powermatic 66’s are all listed at $1,500. I know these are nice saws and all but are they really $1,200 better than the Grizzly? Are they really $1,000 plus better than the Unisaw? I mean thats a lotta Cheddar for a Gold Colored Saw!

Oh and I really don’t need to hear responses from people who don’t own a Table Saw or haven’t posted any projects. Looking for responses from people who have actually used these machines!

For those of you into Classic Woodworking Machines, take a look at this classic “20 Delta Milwaukee Bandsaw I am helping a friend sell. Built in 1953 it looks like it was built last week, but they don’t build them like this anymore. It has Cast Iron throughout. If I had a bigger shop I could buy it myself!

Thanks!

Merry Christmas!!!

When I started building my workshop I was on the tightest of tight budgets. So where do someone on a tight budget go for tools, yep Harbor Freight. While for the most part their products are ok if not cheaply built. I mean a cheap screwdriver may break but likely won’t cause serious injury(now some moron is going to post about how they lost their right ball due to a defective screwdriver). But man did I make a mistake buying power tools from them! Eeegad man!

The biggest mistake of all was to use my Father’s day gift card to buy a open box Thickness Planer. Within days of purchase I had destroyed the blade and the gib that holds it in place. I figured that was my mistake for attempting to make a cut 1/32” deep. So I replaced the gib got a new set of knives and was on my way.

Over the following months I would have kickbacks on occasion and tons of pull out but overall it did the job for my meager needs. Then today I finally got the brunt of it. Again I got all out of control and turned the hand by 1/4 of a revolution. A full revolution is 1/16” so what is that 1/64” cut? So I start slowly feeding it and BOOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE! Luckily I do know better than to stand behind any wood I am feeding into any machine. But it did catch the heel of my hand and that stung a bit. As for the rest you can see it pretty clearly. Blade Shattered, both gibs are destroyed. My one last Christmas present I was making for my brother, who surprised me with a present, Destroyed! It snapped that 6/4 thick board like dry spaghetti.

The guys at HF have been really cool to work with. So I am hoping when I take it in tomorrow I can get a refund or store credit for this piece of crap. For all the crap products they sell there their customer service is fantastic.

But really I am just glad I wasn’t hurt and my kids were inside.

Merry Christmas!!!!! (Yes I said Christmas cause that is what I celebrate. If you don’t that’s YOUR problem!)