Archive of 'Tool Review Archives - The Art of Woodshop Design'

• How to Get Production Results and Help Your Workshop Layout

  Written By Bobby.
  In Shop Systems,Tool Reviews/ Events,Workshop Layout

  

  How to Make a Mobile Panel Max Stand to Get Production Results from Your Woodshop Design. Not having enough clamps is kind of a woodworking running joke, but it’s annoyingly true way too often.

  Think about the last time you glued 5 boards together edge to edge. You may have used 4 or 5 parallel cabinet clamps, then some small mini-bar clamps or C-clamps to make sure the edges align and the boards dry flat.

  If you’re doing a batch of those, you’ll quickly run out of clamps, and that means waiting hours for the first batch to dry (which is why I like to have several projects running in parallel to occupy that time wisely).

  
  

• My New Dust Collection Filter Bags Arrived!

  Written By Bobby.
  In Shop Systems,Tool Reviews/ Events

  

  How to Get True Set-it-and-Forget-it Filtration for Your Dust Collector.

  In the previous post, I told you about how I thought my dust collection system was good enough and kept workstations clean, until I noticed a layer of fine dust all over the dust collector and the surrounding area. This made me realize that while the system is picking up fine dust, it’s also spraying it all over the shop.

  Fine dust stays suspended in the air and moves around at even low air speeds so for sure it’s making its way back to my nose.

  I decided to dig even deeper into my own system, and make it more like systems I’ve designed for larger shops. There is a balance of cost and performance, but if you make the right choices you can get a kick-butt system for relatively low cost, and upgrade in the future as your funds allow.

  It’s not often you think about your dust collector filter, but without a good one you aren’t accomplishing what your dust collection system is entirely meant for: dust extraction and containment

  
  

• Saving Money on Tools Will Cost You

  Written By Bobby.
  In Starting? Go here!,Tool Reviews/ Events

  

  Do you walk into a woodworking store with one hand on your wallet?

  When I’m in the shop, and something doesn’t work, I’m somehow willing to pay all kinds of money to make everything right again. But when I’m shopping, I get cheap. I think it’s because I’m not experiencing the frustrated feelings while shopping.

  There are times when buying a cheap tool is ok, but when can you get away with it and not wind up costing yourself more money?

  
  

• New Tool in the Shop: Powermatic 701 Mortiser Review

  Written By Bobby.
  In Tool Reviews/ Events

  

  This may sound sacrilegious, but I’ve long avoided mortise and tenon joinery. I’ve used lock-mitre bits, dado-based joints, biscuits, dowels, traditional and machined dovetails, and most recently pocket-hole joinery for a cabinet. I’ve done a few mortises out of necessity with my router, but it was such a pain I just avoided it and designed stuff using other joints. Well, now that I’m building a planer cart out of machined 4×4 stock, the most appropriate joinery to get the look I want is mortise and tenon.

  I did a few of the mortises on my router table, and then said screw this. The newest addition to my shop is the Powermatic 701 mortiser.