So this is a little out of the ordinary for the ToolCrib blog but I thought I’d throw it out there and see what you think… I found a site that lets me make quizzes so I wrote one that determines your inner power tool. Take the quiz: “What Power Tool Are You?” Here’s me: “What Power Tool [...]

The humble sawhorse. It’s often the woodworker’s first project. You often inherit them from woodworkers who’ve passed. No matter where they come from they are the unsung heroes of many woodworking projects. I found a great thread over at woodnet (show me your saw horses) that got me hunting down all the sawhorses I could [...]

Sniff sniff… is something burning? Burn marks on your wood can be early indicators of some serious issues down the road. Learn to correctly diagnose any burning your table saw blade makes and you will extend the life of your blades, table saw and appendages. 1) Dull Blade A dull blade doesn’t move as quickly through the [...]

If you ask a woodworking forum which contractor saw you should buy at least one guy will tell you: “take your contractor saw money, shop craigslist and buy a used cabinet saw.” This is great advice IF you have the space for one and you NEVER need to move it. It’s also great advice if [...]

Moving your woodshop can be a major hassle and a MAJOR expense. There are a number of options out there though, and a wealth of ideas and suggestions from those who have gone before. This write up is more for the home owner/extreme hobbyist woodworker than for the pro, but I think there might be [...]

We’re going to the mail bag today to field a question regarding brick removal. Not our normal woodworking stuff I know, but bear with me - we’ve got people in need Question: looking to tear down a brick fireplace in which I need to save and reuse the brick, also plan on tearing out [...]

The question of a shaper vs. a router and good table is an evergreen question in the forums and magazines. Every few months someone comes by and asks about the advantages and disadvantages of a shaper over a good router and router table. It’s a good question - by the time you’ve purchased a solid [...]

In a post about table saw blade storage reader Craig asked “what do you use to clean saw blades?” I dug in with Google and our trusty forum search engine to bring you this, the ultimate guide to cleaning saw blades and router bits. Here’s what’s in this post: >> Top 5 Reasons to Clean Your Saw [...]

Drum sanders are a cheaper, smaller alternative to the wide belt sander. There are folks who’ve used wide belt sanders and find drum sanders hard to get tuned up… and then there are folks who are very happy with their drum sanders. You should base your choice in size and type on the size and quality [...]

Festool owners will tell you that ALL their Festool tools are their top tools. They are as fanatical about their Festools as Mac users are about their Macs. I think these two quotes, from the recent SawmillCreek thread “Which Festool tool could you not live without?“, show the position pretty well: Paul B . Cresti: “Festool stuff [...]