Separating Wood Shop from Other Tools

 I decided to separate my tools, and dedicate my detached building to wood related tools and projects, and move my other stuff to my attached garage. Maybe not such a big deal, but I think this is going to work out better for me.

Doing this has allowed me to be much more organized, and it also gets my other tools, such as auto related tools, out of the way. It's frustrating to have to move things around every time I want to use my table saw, for example. 

Another benefit, is not having these tools coated in saw dust.

I've experimented with several different ways of laying everything out, and still keeping plenty of room to park my automobiles inside the garage.

One of the most important priorities in the garage, is to keep related items together. Auto wash/detail tools all together, wrenches, sockets, etc. together. You get the idea.

I also took the time to hang some of the many signs I've collected over the years. Two purposes were served in doing so... they're no longer stacked on a shelf, taking up space .....and now I can see and enjoy them.

This is very much a work in progress, but that's fine. Just as my wood shop is always a work in progress. Everything seems to evolve. My interests evolve, my tools evolve, and what I place my attention on evolves.

Wooden Mallet | Woodworking Essential Tool

I've seen many videos that suggest a wooden mallet is essential to a woodshop. While that may be the case, I've made it so far without one. On this day, I decided to make one.

Ryobi 10 Inch Compound Miter Saw - Is It Any Good?

Like many woodworkers, I got interested a few years ago in actually putting a shop space together. This led me to adding stationary power tools as I was able. I always wanted a miter saw, but I put it off for a long time for some reason. When I purchased The Weekend Woodworker course a couple years ago, Steve put out a list of tools that were his recommendations to get started inexpensively. I already had most of the tools needed in the course, and decided to get this inexpensive Ryobi Miter Saw.

My initial concerns were, that a cheap saw from an entry-level brand name, wouldn't be worth the money. I knew I would have loved to get the Bosch 12 inch sliding compound miter saw, but at the time, it retailed for about $649. It was the kind of Miter saw you get, and never have to upgrade. Well, I was too much of a novice to make that kind of investment in it. So, I bought this Ryobi for around $130 at Home Depot.

Learning to Paint with the Graco Magnum X7 Airless Sprayer

I'm in the middle of doing a renovation on a house to sell. The house needs paint in just about every room, and I originally thought I would just hire someone to do it. As I thought more about it, I got the bright idea that I would buy a paint sprayer, do the job myself and $ave Money. 

My biggest lesson in this scenario, is that painting with a sprayer is the easy part. The hardest part is placing tape, plastic, and drop cloths everywhere you don't want the paint to go. Did I say everywhere? I mean EVERYWHERE.

Kobalt Air Hose Reel Malfunction

I bought this air hose reel sometime during this past summer, brought it home and installed it. I used it a number of times to air up a trailer tire that has a slow leak, as well as with my brad nailer, etc. I pulled the hose out a couple weeks ago, and holy cow there was this big bubble in the hose. I wasn't sure how dangerous this is, but I wasn't gonna take any chances of having something blow up in my face.

Make Moving Tools Easy with Mobile Tool Stands

So, I bought Steve Ramsey's course, the Weekend Workshop. I love his videos, and have watched most of them multiple times. I used his plans to make the miter saw cart, and I experimented with different approaches on the other two. I made all three of these the same week. 

Small Drill Press Table For Accurate Drilling

I have a mall Craftsman bench-top drill press. I watched Steve Ramsey's video on how to build a table for it, and thought that looked like a project I could finish in one afternoon. I already had the wood needed, but I did have to make a store run for the hardware.

The only thing I would do different, is make the table surface a little wider. Otherwise, I'm happy with it and it works excellent. So far, every time I've used it, I've put a board down between the table and my workpiece to deep from damaging the surface.

DeWalt 788 Scrollsaw - Best Upgrades

I upgraded my scrollsaw from the Wen 3921 to the Dewalt 788. First of all, no comparison. The improvements between the two saws is less about how well they cut, and more about everything else.

Incra Miter 100 SE - Precision Miter Gauge

My Ridgid R4512 table saw is one of the best tool purchases I've made. However, the included miter gauge is a no-frills piece of equipment. It's sturdy and does what it's supposed to do I suppose, but I had been seeing the Incra Miter gauge on multiple videos, and decided that's what I needed....which is the latest addition to my arsenal.

Perhaps the best and most basic function of the Incra, is how precise it is. It has a fence that will extend all the way to 31 inches. It includes a flip up fence stop, etc. I'll stop right there, as you can click the picture and read the features right off the box. I love how they claim that the Incra makes "devastatingly accurate miter cuts".

I have a table sled, but this just about eliminates any need for it. I haven't tried to make a picture frame using this yet, but I don't think the corner angles will be an issue. 

GRR-Ripper for Christmas

My dear wife knows how much I like watching woodworking videos on Youtube. Especially, Woodworking for Mere Mortals and The Carmichael Workshop. I really like both of these channels because I find them entertaining, and they don't take it so seriously. They don't present woodworking as a way to make money, but as a way to be creative and enjoy time in the shop. She bought me several things for the shop for Christmas, most notably, the GRR-Ripper.

I say this is most notably, because it communicates to me that she loves me. I don't tell her about everything that interests me in the shop. But she knows I love WWMM, and she knows Steve is sponsored by Microjig. She also knows I've been using a homemade push stick with my table saw. 

She took the time to find something that she thought I'd really like, instead of buying me a tie or sweater. This along with that new strap clamp will be nice additions.

*Now don't misunderstand, she may have ulterior motives. She does keep me busy fixing her antique furniture pieces and making things for her to sell. But, that's ok. It's what I'm here for.

Bosch Random Orbital Sander

My latest addition to the power tool arsenal is this random orbital sander from Bosch. I've used it enough to say that it works great as expected. I can't really compare it to other brands, as this is the only one of these I've owned.

The tool comes with this filter for helping with dust, or the filter can be removed so a dust collection system or shop vac can be attached during use.

Sanding is my least favorite part of woodworking. I'd imagine that's true for others as well. I bought this with the 3 grits that I generally use.

Steve Ramsey's Basic Mobile Workbench

This is the first project that I completed from Steve Ramsey's course, The Weekend Woodworker. The BMW, serves as a work surface for multi-purpose use. The 'bench' is built with very basic storage on the bottom, and places on casters to make it easy to roll around in the shop.

Ridgid R4512 - Smooth and Quiet Table Saw

I finally got a table saw. I've toyed with the idea for quite a while, but have held off until I was able to get what I wanted. I decided early on the steer clear of the job site saws, because of their noise level. Since I live in town on a heavily populated street, I want to do the best I can to keep the noise down, However, the drawback to getting a stationary saw, is the lack of shop space that I have. But in the end, I decided since the table saw would be one of the most used tools I have, I'd make room for it.

How I Use My Hand-Held Belt Sander As A Table Top Sander

This is a little embarrassing, but I think it's useful. I've seen some handheld belt sanders that have a squared off body - shaped sort of like a box. That would make it so much easier to flip and secure in order to use it like a bench top model. Mine is a cheap Black and Decker, which works great. But it has a shape that makes it a little more difficult to secure to a bench or table. Here's the solution I came up with.