First of all, I love my Kregg pocket hole jig, except for all the drill-dust. I’ve had it for a number of years and I seldom do a project without it, even though clean up’s a pain. As many companys do, Kregg came out with a new model, one that includes the ability to attach a shop vac to the jig. No worries, I’m thinking I’ll just get a retro-fit part or something. No luck and No way I’m spending another $100+ on the new model! I’ve got my Kregg mounted on one side of my assembly table. A little scrap 1/2” ply, a little glue, a couple screws, a piece of plexiglass for the top and I’ve got a simple box. Drilled a hole in the side and fitted it with an adapter for my dust collector. Had to notch it a little to fit the contour of the top. I hold it in place with a wing nut attached to a threaded rod that screws into a threaded insert I put into the side of the table (easy to take off when not in use & solid as a rock in use). I wanted to keep the box as small as possible, I walk around that side of the table alot. Thats why I ended up with the adaptor to hook up the dust collector. There seems to just enough “air leakage” around the box to create perfect air flow. None, zip, zero, not-a dust left behind! Heck, now I’m waiting for their next model change!

I put more wood through this table saw in the last year than it probably had in it’s prior 50+
I can just barely remember my Dad using this saw to build mom new kitchen cabinets when I was probably about 5 and now I used it to build new cabinets for my wife! Say what you want about Craftsman tools, not many bells & whistles, but still gets the job done!

Ordered a new garage door, can’t “fix” mine anymore. Starting to look like a patchwork quilt.

Guy comes out to measure for new door: “you’re gonna have to move some of that stuff so I can install the new door”. I’m thinking, what, you don’t have right angle drills, wrenches, screw drivers, etc., to work around my “stuff”? Wife has that “look” on her face, don’t act like you don’t know the look I’m talking about…......

I’ve had just enough things happen over the years to warrant my packratedness. Replaced my hot water heater awhile back. Son-in-law helps me carry it to the basement. After we get the old one out to the garage, he watches me as I take all the fittings off, pressure relief valve, etc. Asks me if I’m going to use the old parts to install the new one, no I bought new fittings. So why are you taking the old stuff off? You never know…... He starts laughing.

He calls me a number of months later (Sunday night about 9pm): “My hot water heat is leaking all over the place!” After a few questions, I figure it’s his relief valve. I grab a few tools, a couple fittings and of course the relief valve and head to his house. About a hour later I got him all fixed up, he doesn’t laugh at me anymore, but now he’s worse than I am. He saves everything! Bent nails, 6” piece of wire, used molleys, everything!

But, here’s the question for you! How do you decide what to keep? Rule of thumb? How do you part with it? You know you’ll need it later! That’s gonna save you some cash…....someday! In this day and age, do I need theropy? Is there a pill I can take? Perhaps I need to add-on to my garage.

Birth of a project: My wife wanted new counter tops and I didn’t want to put a new top on tired cabinets. I had previously refinished them (about 10 years ago). So off we went to look at new cabinets. Wow, price shock! Not to mention the big box stores had what I thought was fair quality at best. I convinced her to let me give it try, and build them myself. I figured I had plenty of time, she’d only waited 14 years for her new counter top. I’m kinda off and on in the shop (garage actually – calling it a shop just sounds cooler). It took a while but I finally got it done and in the process collected some new stuff for the shop too; Shop Fox dust collector, Jet air purification system, Porter Cable dovetail jig and I certainly needed to build a Router table for my Bosch router. Based on the cost of what we wanted at Lowes/Home Depot, I think I saved close to a grand by building them myself, that includes my new stuff as well! Win-Win!

A few details: The uppers are deeper than standard, my wife has those big serving platters that never quite fit in the old cabinets. We don’t exactly have a large kitchen so I used full extension slides & build drawers for the dead air space in several of the lowers to create more storage. The 36” D style lazy susan holds a bunch of stuff (old cabinets were just dead space, not easly accessible). Side/back panels are 1/2 Oak ply, probably over-kill, but I didn’t want particle board.

I believe in E-Bay. I expected to pay north of $350 to replace my old sink (22G 6” 50/50), found a 16G 40/60 7” & 9” deep for $180 w/free shipping! My wife picked out a $240 faucett at Lowes, found it for $63. Found really neat “I.R.” lights to mount under the uppers for about $8 each, wave you hand, the accent lights come on.