Value
I had become frustrated with my wooden, shop-made feather boards. I could never get the length of the “feathers” or the spacing/gaps between them to be just right for the type and thickness of wood being used. They were either too stiff or too weak. Knowing I was going to be ripping a considerable amount of thin stock, I wanted something safer, so I decided to give Harbor Freight a try. I’ve used this feather board every day for the past month – mainly on my TS b...
Steel stick on tape
After realizing that I had stretched my vinyl tape when assembling my tablesaw, I started searching for a replacement. I knew that I wanted a steel tape so as to avoid the issue of stretch. The only version that I found online was $17 so I postponed buying so I could search for a cheaper alternative. I was killing time in the tool department at Walmart and stumbled on this one. the Komelon 12’ x 1/2” Flat Tape Ruler. As soon as I saw that it was steel I was interested and whe...
Dave Richards makes SketchUp easy
I have been using SketchUp now for about two years. As I look back on my progress learning this complex and amazing software program, I have come to the conclusion I went about it the wrong way. Often, I would start a model and as I ran into a problem, I would search the internet for the solution. I was learning in small bits and pieces – never taking the time to participate anything that would resemble formal lessons. I think many other woodworkers learn the program the same way. I decide...
4" x 30" V-Drum Sander kit....Build your own Drum Sander!
I saw this link via the wood whisperer website. This company, Stockroom Supply (www.stockroomsupply.com) sells the parts to built a face sanding drum sander. Granted its not the full blown thickness sander, but this method suits my needs better. I teach high school woodshop and I would not feel comfortable letting kids run a thickness sander, but this is a machine that is nearly idiot-proof once it is assembled. It doesn’t squeeze the wood between two drums, it instead mounts just u...
