The reason most of us hobbyist woodworkers go to the shop is to have fun. Designing our own projects. Working with beautiful wood. Skillfully cutting joints. Unveiling the finished project for display and admiration.
But, it’s not all fun and games. In fact, some of the tasks we have to do are tedious, time consuming, and many woodworkers will put off doing them because they would never be considered fun. “I’ll clean the shop tomorrow.” “I hate dragging out all of my sharpening equipment just to touch up that chisel.”
This week, we want to know what woodworking task you consider the absolute worst. I mean, we’re talking about the kind of task you would build a robot to do if you had the time, skill and the robotics degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
While combination woodworking machines have long been the norm in European shops, the one combination machine that has been sold for decades in the United States has been the Shopsmith. It’s touted as the Swiss Army Knife of woodworking machines, with the current model – the Mark V – able to serve as a table saw, drill press, disc sander and lathe right out of the box.
While, at first glance, it might seem like the perfect tool for a cramped woodworking shop, opinions about the tool run the gamit from deep, abiding love to an intense loathing.
So, this week’s poll is trying to determine whether or not you own a Shopsmith, and what your thoughts are about this interesting woodworking machine.
If you have ever plunked down good hard-earned money to buy a new tool, I’m sure you wanted to make the right purchase. Does the tool work as advertised? Can it be set accurately? Is it a good value? Sure, you can read the product literature, but, if you want some advice, where do you turn before you cough up some serious cash?
With tropical storm Fay threatening my house, now’s the time I start thinking about the worst case scenario – what happens if I have damage at my home and I lost my tools? Would I have enough information to give my insurance company to get things back to the way they were? One of the most important things to have on hand if you were to experience a hurricane, tornado, fire, flood or other catastrophe is to have an inventory of your possessions to give your insurance company. While it seems elementary, many people haven’t taken this important step.
So, how well do you have your tools documented should the unthinkable happen?
OK, whether you like ’em or not, woodworking magazines offer outstanding information month after month. Whether project plans, new techniques or reviews of the latest tools, there’s bound to be something for everyone. Now, while each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and every issue of every magazine does offer something new and exciting, I’m sure that each of you has an opinion of what your favorite magazine is.
OK, most of us build from some type of plan when we go into the shop. Some are commercially available, professionally drawn. Others are developed on the fly. So, what are most of your woodworking projects built from?
Problem? Who has a problem? Some woodworkers are wood hoarders, snapping up bargains on any supply of boards they can get their hands on. Others buy what they need, refusing (or unable) to keep a stockpile on hand. So, where do you fall?
The reason most of us hobbyist woodworkers go to the shop is to have fun. Designing our own projects. Working with beautiful wood. Skillfully cutting joints. Unveiling the finished project for display and admiration.
While combination woodworking machines have long been the norm in European shops, the one combination machine that has been sold for decades in the United States has been the