Got these at Rockler, they looked really nice and work very nice as well.

Also got this at Rockler to replace the stock miter gauge on my PM66:

Got this at Sears, which I’ve been wanting to get to replace my 8+ year old DeWalt 14.4. I am really impressed with this so far. Light, powerful, quick charging. Electronic brake on the motor, no battery memory, etc.

Probably the biggest project was a complete tear-down, cleaning, and lubrication of my Powermatic 66. I posted about that here.

After doing that I added the Wixey Digital Gauge and Leecraft Zero Clearance Insert. It was interesting fitting the insert with the Biesemeyer splitter because I wanted to remove as little of the insert as possible. That worked out well. And I’m getting great cuts from my table saw with my new Freud blade.

Then I wanted a zero clearance insert for my miter saw, so I made one. That was a bit of a pain, but I used the old one for a template. I also added some baltic birch fence extensions, with a t-slot in the back so they can be adjusted easily. It really helped make great tight miters for the mantle. The laser I added is nice too.

I also wanted a drill press table like the ones I’ve seen here on Lumberjocks or the Craftsman one. I made my own out of baltic birch, hardboard for inserts, and some jig hardware. I made five inserts while I was at it.

Wifey got me the Rockler Forstner Bit Set for Christmas, so I hope to put those to use soon.

I also cleaned the planer rollers, installed new planer blades and waxed all my tools. Next I need to sharpen the jointer knives although I’ll probably buy a new set and install those. The set that is installed now will be sent out for sharpening.

The biggest upgrade is the addition of the Jet JFM-5, which I got for $380 delivered. Thanks adam77 for letting me know about this deal. I sold my benchtop model for $175 but I wish I had kept the chisels from it!

-Matt

However, Sears seems to be working to improve the reputation of the Craftsman line.

The introduction of the Craftsman 22124 Table Saw reviewed well here and the positive review of the Craftsman 21759 planer in the FWW Tools and Shops winter 2008 edition are two indicators of renewed quality.

So here’s some tools I saw at Sears recently, that I really want and think would be positive additions to my shop.

I’d love this driver, I used it when I was in the store and it really seemed to be well built and have a lot of power.

This one would be fine too, I wonder if the Craftsman model is made by Milwaukee

They seem to be innovating in the sander market as well.

This drill press table seemed pretty nice as well, although I recently built my own.

If anyone has this set, I’d love to hear how it is working.

They have also added hand tools (planes, saws, chisels, squares, marking gauges) from Footprint tools which are made in England. If anyone has used these tools, I’d love to hear it. It would be great to be able to go to the local Sears to buy good quality tools. Other woodworking stores are much farther away. Here’s a link to the Sears.com online selection of Footprint tools.

So, give Craftsman another try. They are getting better vendors and a better in-store selection.

-Matt

I look forward to another great year with all my woodworking buddies!

I’m kinda bored… time to get SWMBO to make a list ;)

After doing that, I started a new project :)

• I want to oil and wax more tools
• Build a planer stand
• Build a stand for my mortiser and get the crazy vise installed
• Tune up my Miter Saw (and maybe build a better stand with better Dust collection)
• Build an assembly table that can be an extension table for the table saw
• Build a cabinet that goes under the right side extension of my table saw
• Build a air compressor station that organizes air tools and nails
• Get things placed in the right spots
• Get the dust collector hooked up to everything, with blast gates