Every year I put away a bit of money for a ‘chick trip’. For a variety of reasons, the trip didn’t take place last year and the money got sucked into the vortex of household expenses.
This year my travel buddy had to bail. Rather than doing something practical with my money, I hit Home Depot yesterday. (Of course some of you will say that this a practical thing to do, and I would tend to agree)
Here’s what I left with:
-7 2×4s and a dozen lag bolts for the lumber rack I’m building today
-A six gallon Ridgid shopvac to replace the old Shopvac that I’ve hated for years.
-A 2hp Ryobi plunge router. I had bought a second hand Bosch plunge router but there was something seriously wrong with it…. donated it to someone who might be able to fix it. I chose the Ryobi because it will accommodate the 1/4 inch bits I have for my palm router. It took a few modifications to the plexiglass insert on my router table, but it’s now set up and operational.
A 7 1/4” Makita circular saw to replace the crappy tire (aka Cdn Tire) cordless 5” one that I bought back when I thought I needed girly tools.
and la piece de resistance is the Ridgid 13” planer.
I don’t think I’ve ever turned as many heads as that before!! Yes boys, I’m buying them all! And I ain’t got no wife to ask! BWAHAHAHAHA!
(okay, so maybe the planer is behind the wheelbarrow at the moment, but that’s truly just out of necessity ;) )
-- No, I don't want to buy the pink hammer.
9 comments so far
Robb
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644 posts in 2131 days
#1 posted 264 days ago
Nice score! I can’t wait to see what you make next with all your new toys, er, tools! :)
-- Robb
HalDougherty
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1820 posts in 1434 days
#2 posted 264 days ago
Great early Christmas gift to yourself! I think your purchases were very practical. You’ll get years of enjoyment from both the tools and also everything you make using them. I make all my shop tables from 2×4’s. Last fall I cut a red oak log into 2×4’s that are dry enough now to build a couple more tables.
-- Hal, Tennessee http://www.first285.com
joewilliams
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88 posts in 321 days
#3 posted 264 days ago
Merry Christmas! have fun with the new tools!
-- Joe - - - something witty should go here - - -
DocSavage45
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3019 posts in 1039 days
#4 posted 263 days ago
LOL! now what? don’t get rid ofthe 5 inch saw, as it will have a few purposes.
-- Cau Haus Designs, Thomas J. Tieffenbacher
Sandra
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1488 posts in 272 days
#5 posted 263 days ago
So far so good
:) Got my lumber racks finished yesterday. Hopefully can now get the birch planed and finished for the shelf in the basement – which is what started off this bit of frenzy in the first place. Once it’s planed, will use my new router. I plan on practicing on many scraps first… I’ve used a table router before but never on hardwood.
Have a good day
-- No, I don't want to buy the pink hammer.
Roger
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9479 posts in 1001 days
#6 posted 262 days ago
Tis the season fer sure. Christmas is always nice, any day o the week.. :)
-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Kentuk55@bellsouth.net
BigTiny
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1652 posts in 1085 days
#7 posted 256 days ago
Hi Sandra.
“On the first day of Christmas
I went and bought myself
A Ryobi plunging router.
On the second day of Christmas
I went and bought myself…”
and so on. (big grin)
Paul
-- The nicer the nice, the higher the price!
Sandra
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1488 posts in 272 days
#8 posted 256 days ago
five brand new tooooools!
Four feet of maple,
three drill bits
two new pipe clamps
and a gift certificate from Lee Valley!
-- No, I don't want to buy the pink hammer.
patron
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12166 posts in 1538 days
#9 posted 256 days ago
safety tip sandra
on a table router
doing freehand work
have a ‘starter pin’
to rest against first
feeding the work rotating from it
once you are moving
(counter clock-wise
or against the cutters)
move from the starter pin
and proceed
freehand routing without the pin
or a fence
can rip the wood right out of your hands
or worse towards the cutters
i have made them like feather boards before
(without the slots)
take a stick or board and round the end
clamp to table however appropriate
(use 2 clamps to keep from sliding)
and work from that
-- david - only thru kindness can this world be whole . If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. Dan Quayle
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