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I'm a bit on the cheap side
I recently read (in Fine Woodworking Magazine # 197, April, 2008) a review of several brands of forstner bits and decided that my Harbor Freight 7 piece set (1/4” – 1”) bought on sale for $5.00 was obsolete. That set, by the way, served me well for the money spent…as anyone who has read anything I’ve added to this sight in the past may remember, I’m really cheap… but I really needed more larger bit sizes. After reading the article, I noted that the...
Shopsmith by Magna 11" bandsaw...small, simple, unchanged for a half century
I decided I’d review my 1956 Shopsmith band saw. Why would anyone care about a 50 plus year old band saw???(except for a couple of old Shopsmith nuts?)Because it’s a great saw and you can still buy one new today from Shopsmith, or used on ebay, and you’d be getting essentially the same machine as my 50 year old saw.(and I consider that a good thing) Now, why would anyone build the same tool for a half century while everyone around you changes stuff almost as often as car ...
My first planer... cheap, easy to use, and portable
Well, for anyone who expects an in-depth review that has it’s foundation in a thorough understanding of wood planers, you’re going to be disappointed. This is my first planer and I’ve only actually been near an operating one once before, so all you’re going to get is a novice’s impression of a machine that’s probably meant for a novice. Maybe that makes me the perfect guy for the job, after all. This model sells locally for $239.00 and (of course) lis...
Five Stars for 5 basic tools
The year was 1947. Hans Goldschmidt thought that post war America could use a quality combination woodworking tool. Most do-it-yourself folks at the time didn’t have the luxury of having a large basement or spare building to devote to a workshop. He was right. It became the largest selling power tool of its time. The ads talked of having 5 power tools in one, with accessories for at least a half dozen more. In 1952, my dad was listening. This is a long overdue review of that ve...
