Something you should have gotten LONG ago….
Anybody have theirs NOW..?
Mine was that Pattern Makers Vice I have looked at MANY times.. And walked away..
Big MISTAKE… IT IS WONDERFUL! ….
Ya talk about being DUMB and getting that ‘other thing ya wanted’ instead!
Woodcraft http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?DeptID=2081&FamilyID=3516
I’m sure you can get it other places cheaper…
EDIT:::
NO.. I do not work for woodcraft or the vice maker…
Edited 6/25/2005 12:28 pm ET by Will George
Replies
Something I should have gotten long ago???
That's REAL easy... I should have gotten a rich wife instead of a beautiful wife!
SawdustSteve
What's that old saying, "It's as easy to fall in love with a rich woman as a poor one."
I should have gotten a rich wife instead of a beautiful wife!
I did both! Well, her parents were rich.. We never got a cent!
I got a beautiful girl friend that enjoys seeing me buy new tools.
Jerry
I got a beautiful girl friend that enjoys seeing me buy new tools...
DANG.. that is HEAVEN... Now if you can get her to do all the finishing work for ya.. You got it made... Well, unless you like finishing...
My wife was like that.. She would be happy as a lark going shopping..
Well, if it was something for me or the kids.. She would not spend anything on her self.. Got be mad sometimes.. But that was the way she was...
You know...
I somehow seem to think we never threat them well enough even when we think would couldn't do any more.
Some people shouldn't be together and others shouldn't be apart. We shouldn't be married but should be together. 8:)
This lady can do a complete home restoration, [minus the carpentry], and anything outside imaginable. Can but doesn't like to cook and that is where I come in [also do the carpentry and mechanicals].
Why, she will sit in a Woodcraft store for almost 1/2 hour before she gets board [no pun intended but pretty good] and heads to the rest of the mall.
Think I will line up a set of deep 3/8 sockets for her Christmas present this year.
Jerry
[minus the carpentry].. I'll bet she could 'but' all THAT dust!'
EDIT:
Think I will line up a set of deep 3/8 sockets for her Christmas present this year.
Geeeeeeeeee.. How about having one of them trucks that pull up in the 'shops' all the time visit her.. And let HER PICK!
Edited 6/29/2005 4:45 pm ET by Will George
Hey, that was a great idea!
I have seen them at the auto garages. Heave to get her on the route. Thisk of all the things I can fix if she has the right tools.
I wonder how many ladies read these posts and are adept with woodworking. Woodcraft Magazine has a lady that makes beautiful wood centerpieces. I would love to see how she does it. They only show her finishing a piece, not making it. I wonder what the writter was thinking. Not show how she made it???
Good tool hunting
Jerry
My very first TS. From this very simple purchase (which I still have and use) all things have become possible. Although it is a cheap (inexpensive) item, almost all my projects start at this one simple item. Won't tell you what kind, as I don't want to be ridiculed off the board. I'm happy with it, that's all that counts.
Lucky fellar,
If I hit the start button on my table saw, she runs away.
What is the general consesus out there, who should be the main COOK in the home?
The man, the woman, or must it be a joint effort?
Simple. My planer.
Mark
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.
My (soon to be purchased) General 650 Left tilt cabinet saw. Instead I have suffered with a cheap impulsive purchase from 3 years ago and hated every minute of it.
I wish you would stick around and tell that story on the many "what TS should I buy" threads that come up so frequently around here.********************************************************
"I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."
-- Herb Caen (1916-1997)
Will
I waited 15 years to build my new shop, and now I wished I'd done it way back when. I don't have to move all the tools out of the way, and get the one powertool I need out, set it up, etc.... I know you all know what i'm talking about here. What a joy it is to just work, and not move stuff around the be able to!!
#2 would be any of my Lie Nielsen tools.
Jeff
Digital caliper! I bought a cheap ($20) one at Harbor Freight a couple years ago, and couldn't believe how great it is to have it.
#2 -- putting a big horse of a router (3.25HP) in the router table, rather than the small Porter Cable.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Harbor Freight engine hoist. I am now Superman, able to pick up 1000 lb. tools and move them around effortlessly.
Will:
About a year ago I purchased fractional calipers from Avenger. It is fantastic.
The fractional calipers replaced the digital one that I could not stand to use. I spent more time doing conversions to fractions than woodworking.
I would highly suggest the Avenger fractional calipers -- they work easily and they are dependable-- no LED to go bad.
thanks
MArko
Thank you,
The Great Marko
What I should have gotten a long time ago you ask?
A good table saw. I bought a Delta TS-200 to see if I would enjoy woodworking and have been using it the last 2 years. It sucks, but for $99 bucks new it's not that bad. I added a Forrest blade and stabalizer and it improved the machine alot.
Then I took a wood working class at the local community college and got to use the Powermatic and Unisaws there. WOW!
My new Grizzly 1023SLX is being delivered tomorrow.
GeneralKael aka Scott
That one's real easy,
Dust collection system, I feel better and enjoy myself more. LN low angle block plane almost ties for first place.
Brian
by far my dumbest mistake was waiting over a year before biting the bullet and buying my first Lie Nielsen, their #62... I hummed n hayed every payday... should I... shouldn't I... the power tools couldn't cope with wide boards and the Stanleys just couldn't handle figure...
Then came the eureka moment... you know what I mean... that sudden realisation that finally, finally you're commanding a tool you know is capable of gettin it done, enough and on time..!!
Everything prior to that had been..... is it me or the tool that isn't cuttin it... but with that #62 in my hands....
staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand back n let the dog see the rabbit...
I haven't looked back since...
Mike Wallace
Stay safe....Have fun
"...that sudden realisation that finally, finally you're commanding a tool you know is capable of gettin it done, enough and on time..!!"
Mike,
You may have just succeeded in convincing me to go ahead and fork over the cash for a Virutex edge lipping planer.
I don't know whether to bless you or curse you!-Jazzdogg-
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." Bertrand Russell
I don't know whether to bless you or curse you!
let me know after you've used it... preferably not by throwing it at me...
<chucklin...Mike Wallace
Stay safe....Have fun
A proper cabinet saw. I got my unisaw back in the winter. Makes working tons more fun.
Next big purchase. A decent jointer.
Hi, Will....
Amen on that vise. It's on my list. Another on my list that's made it to my shop in real life is decent roller stands. I was actually in the throes of designing "The S.S. SuperStand" when Lee Valley announced their new stands. They're a little spendy, but they solve every inherent problem, set up easily, and are especially stout - and are therefore a bargain, in my book. They are SWEET! I bought two for outfeed use, with the thought in mind that I can use my standard roller stands for infeed support when needed.
Everyone else's lists are making me salivate to the point of risking being kicked out of the house ... it's great to read them.
I totted up a wish list of top hand tools and shop helpers a while ago that amounted to well over $5,000. My wife is incredulous, and I am treading rather lightly as I go about trying to acquire most bang for the buck. Problem is, everything I need at this juncture is pretty spendy - like that vise and the LN planes and the Stabila levels and ...
There was discussion in another thread about the value of good tools, versus the old maxim that "it's a poor craftsman who criticizes his tools." The advent of so much junk tooling aimed at the DIY market validates the discussion, in my opinion. There is no excusing poor effort, but excellent tools go a long way in making good work possible.
In "the old days" e.g. turn-of-the-(20th)century, most tools were made to be as good as possible, because the only purchasers were those in the trade - a maker of poor just tools wouldn't last long in that environment. (Witness the outstanding quality of the old Stanley stuff - I wouldn't touch their new lines with a long stick.) Nowadays, there are a zillion of the uninitiated who will buy anything that looks like a duck, whether it quacks or not - and second-class manufacturers milking them for every last dime they can get. Thank goodness for places like this forum where good - and expert - advice can be had for the asking!
"Old Days " - - when I was about 14 (48 years ago) my Dad brought home 2 brand new True Temper Rockets. Mine's been through the mill with a LOT of hard use, but is still in great condition and thinks it's an extension of my right hand. (And my son now uses Dad's.) Ditto the Stanley brace and honest-to-goodness Yankee ratcheting screwdriver. Wish they were all that way ... Actually, I think good tools cost relatively less now than then.
---John
"Nowadays, there are a zillion of the uninitiated who will buy anything that looks like a duck, whether it quacks or not"
John,
You ain't lying; in fact, you may be understating the situation: There seems to a tremendous growth industry in the production of tools and gizmos that are little more than nonsensical novelties - things that bring huge belly laughs to seasoned woodworkers.
In this day and age of immediate gratification, short attention spans, and the widespread acceptance of unapologetic acquisitiveness and disposable goods, things don't even have to be duck-like, much less quack, for newbies and wannabe's to buy them - leaving me scratching my head in amazement.
The market for these products seems to include the same folks who'll cobble together contraptions that would have made Rube Goldberg blush in an effort to overcome their conspicuous lack of skill, e.g., taking hours to design and build a router jig for a task that would have taken mere minutes to complete with a modest assortment of hand tools - and hand-tool skills.
It won't be too long before someone who spends his or her day sitting at a computer workstation program CNC machinery - and never gets sawdust on their clothing - will be calling themselves "woodworkers." Hopefully, I'll be dead by then.
Sorry for the rant,
-Jazzdogg-
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." Bertrand Russell
Yah, but I agree with you entirely. Just because it CAN be done with a power gizmo doesn't mean it SHOULD be! I am often amazed at some of the new tools' capability or purpose descriptions - to do WHAAAAT? Love the new stuff that really makes a time-consumer go more quickly - like a good outfeed setup - but I've otherwise little use for non-traditional tools. (But love the power gizmos for what can't easily be approached by hand, like coped rail-and-stile assemblies.)I'll be forever grateful that I had to learn to do "it" by hand before being allowed to tackle power tools (not that I know every trick in the universe - but I hope to never quit learning.) The manual knowledge imparts enormous and precious insight into what the power tool is supposed to do, and is, in cases just such as you mention, often faster - not to mention more satisfying. Anyone who disagrees with all that should go take a look at a medieval cathedral - the work is stupefyingly exacting, and they sure as h... never had a power doober.Ask Lee G. if he uses a power carver....Re: something like cobbling up a router jig -
I generally agree with your observation. However, if I've a pile of 'em to make, I may indeed take time to build a SIMPLE jig in the interests of overall time efficiency. Always have an argument with myself over that, as buzzing 'em out takes away a goodly chunk of the fun... If I need to shave a few thousandths off a tenon, ain't no way I'm turning to a power anything, period. On the other hand, if I need to make 100 of them exactly the same, you can bet there's a jig in the offing just because it'll slice time away from what would otherwise become seriously tedious.Don't know that I agree that a "handful" of tools is sufficient. For instance, I must have at least 25 different kinds of hammers, sledges, tappers, bonkers and whappers, and the right one for the task at hand is a blessing when it's needed. Not in that quantity, but the same is true for chisels, planes, screwdrivers ad infinitum. It ain't the fact of having them that matters - it's understanding of the nuance of each that makes them a joy to use. I do agree that a "modest assortment" of the right tools is sufficient for most individual jobs.I've a grandson who's blessed with good hands, and is interested and willing to learn what it FEELS like to butcher a hunka wood. Maybe I'll have a place to send all these goodies when the time comes...Boy - guess I'M ranting now. See whatcha started?I think a contributing part of the problem we're discussing is related to the age of instant gratification. Lotsa people want easy paint that never fades, bookcases that appear out of the ether, etc., and want to invest no time in actually learning the requisite skills. If you can invent a good enough sales pitch, you can sell garbage at a premium. Bah.Have a good'un - I feel better already....---John
Those folks you are referring to probably don't know who Rube Goldberg was. . .and don't care.
It won't be too long before someone who spends his or her day sitting at a computer workstation program CNC machinery - and never gets sawdust on their clothing - will be calling themselves "woodworkers." Hopefully, I'll be dead by then.
Gee probably some man or woman that understood youe needs did the programming.. Even if they just did the MATH!
"Nowadays, there are a zillion of the uninitiated who will buy anything that looks like a duck, whether it quacks or not"
I use Duck Tape ALOT!
I agree that those old time good tools were exensive in their time. I remember buying my Stanley #5 plane in 1959 for $17. I had just gone into medical practice and was charging $4 for an office-call. That plane was the equivalnt of $200 2005 dollars. I srill love that plane.
Tom
Sliding panel saw....problem is, up until recently I could not have afforded this....so for me it's always been a matter of what my resources allowed...
One thing I would however, have done differently, is not have multiple interests, but instead focused solely on woodworking....
Easy....my 16-32 drum sander. I waited for years thinking the stupid thing couldn't possibly work. My wife forced me to buy one. (bless her pretty little heart) and....sigh!
Thing is wonderful. Already saved me so much time I've made back the cost of the darned thing.
Live and learn? Nah!
Toshio Odate's dovetail saw. What a great tool for the money!
Veritas striking knife.
And, my sharpening stuff; granite flattening plate, water stones, green rouge, etc.
Charlie
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