VanLewis's Workshop

I use machines for the heavy work, mostly milling and cutting, and I use hand tools for everything else. I hate routers and hand-saws, so my prejudices are equal-opportunity. Routers scare me, raise a helluva lot of dust, and make bland-looking details with their expensive bits. Handsaws take a lot of work and don’t cut well compared to a nice carbide-toothed blade at 5,000RPM. I’ll list the machines first, and a few of my favorite hand-tools.

Roughly in order of use for a typical project:

Laguna LT 18” bandsaw
Delta 8” jointer
Makita 12” planer [upsizing soon, but I love this tool]
Powermatic 66 tablesaw
General tilting-head mortiser
General 17 drill press [new!]
Makita 12” mitersaw
Oneida air cleaner
My routers are Porter-Cable
Milwaukee circular saw
DeWalt biscuit joiner
Porter -Cable sabersaw
Can’t think of the brand of compressor.
I’m sure I’m missing stuff.
If business improves: Oneway lathe. I’d like to do more turned work, which now I job out to a specialist. It looks fun.

Hand planes are mostly old Records with Hock blades and cap-irons, with a few Lie-Nielsens. Chisels are mostly old Sorbys, with a set of Lie-Nielsen’s A2s. Carving tools by Barr and Kestrel. Measuring and layout tools are mostly Starrett. Tons of Jorgensen clamps, and a growing collection of handscrews. Lots of cheap Chinese-made spring clamps. I made the workbench. My favorite old Record vise was stolen, and I’m building a new Lee-Valley vise. Also building a new torsion-box assembly table, 4’ x 8’ this time. I think that’s about it.

-- Van