How about something different

[kingslug]

Just bought a Ryobi drill press..for under 200 bucks its pretty well made. Been working in the shop a lot now. Keeps my mind off this mess for a while. Looks like NYC will be in pause mode until June...Guess I'll build more stuff.

 

[BenedictGomez]

My newest COVID19 purchase is a portable workbench so I can be out of the dang house. Only cost $95, and I'm totally happy with the solidness of construction. WORX is definitely a lower-end tool manufacturer, but this is filling its' need quite well.

 

[granite]

Would that make a good ski tunning bench?

 

[kingslug]

My latest creation
A fancy pushstick for the tablesaw
Cherry,ipe and maple...

 

[BenedictGomez]

Would that make a good ski tunning bench?

That's not why I bought it, but I intend to use it for waxing as well.
It's a little short, probably about 5 or 6 inches shorter than one of those SWIX travel waxing benches, but I think it will do fine. I have a 3-piece ski vice I'll use on it.

 

[kingslug]

I need one of those benches..going to build some bookcases for my wifes office

 

[kingslug]

My ski tuning bench is a table top I made on saw horses...time for something a little better now that I;m in woodworking mode.

 

[BenedictGomez]

My ski tuning bench is a table top I made on saw horses...time for something a little better now that I;m in woodworking mode.

That was going to be one of my next projects; then I got this bench and said screw it. Ironically my next small project is now a couple of saw horses - again, so I can work more outside rather than at the inside work bench.

 

[mister moose]

Will few exceptions you dont need to buy the more expensive tools from Milwaukee or DeWalt. I do buy DeWalt as I like to be matchy-matchy as well as for the battery interchangeability, but frankly those cheap Ryobi tools are typically pretty darn good. The few Black & Decker tools I have seem fine to me too. For a hobbyist the cheaper brands are perfectly okay.

There is a place for everything...

Impressions last a long time. I bought a Ryobi palm sander and a die grinder in the 80s. Both still work, but the sander pad size is 1/4 inch off a quarter sheet and leaves more swirl marks, the die grinder nose piece keeps rattling off and the bearing sound close to end of life, and the Ryobi weed wacker I bought in 2005ish was woefully underbuilt, blew the bevel gear in a year. So no more Ryobi after that.

Black and Decker put out a homeowner grade rechargeable drill that never had oomph or endurance.

Milwaukee 1/2" drill, excellent. Dewalt 14V drill, radio, 18V Sawzall AWSOME! 18V skillsaw, excellent. Nothing beats it when on a ladder. And my Dewalt 13" planer is unsurpassed in price/value. The rollers sometimes slip, but to get a better planer would cost thousands.

Porter Cable router, biscuit joiner, nailer, pinner, jig saw, 4" belt sander, all excellent. Their 690 router is legendary.

I have an old Rockwell 10" saw, great table and lousy fence. Still haven't pulled the trigger on $350 Shop Fox fence upgrade.

Hitachi 8 1/2" sliding compound miter saw. I think this was the first compound one out. Still going great.

Worst ever: Harbor Freight 4x36 bench belt sander. Chipmunk strength motor, belt slips, keyways crude, tensioning system sucks, tracking drifts. And yet I keep it for lightweight stuff, and dream about a big boy bench sander.

Best no-name tool: Enlon. It's a Grizzly cousin, one of the many Taiwanese machinery re-labelers that didn't make it past the 90's. I bought an 8 inch 2 hp 220V joiner from a cabinet maker that was retiring and didn't use it much. Needed some leveling of the tables and rust clean up, but for $225 I have a very nice version of a $2,000 Powermatic. It's one of those tools you never had but once you have it you use it all the time. I'll do everything from putting a perfect straight edge on a long plywood cut to the usual flatten a board, or true up an edge.



So my take is cheap tools frequently leave you disappointed. Quality tools last a lifetime and cut easily, true, and steady. When I went from a $30 Black and Decker jigsaw to the $150 Porter Cable, the difference was enlightening.

 

[BenedictGomez]

And my Dewalt 13" planer is unsurpassed in price/value. The rollers sometimes slip, but to get a better planer would cost thousands.

Is it the DW735? As I mentioned, I've become a DeWalt loyalist & a planer is one of the next things I want to buy. There's a lot of old barn wood laying in a barn where I live & I think it would be great for some projects. They're kind of spendy though.

 

[mister moose]

Is it the DW735? As I mentioned, I've become a DeWalt loyalist & a planer is one of the next things I want to buy. There's a lot of old barn wood laying in a barn where I live & I think it would be great for some projects. They're kind of spendy though.

Yes, DW735. I bought it when I had a need to run a few thousand feet of resawn boards though a planer. It's heavy, it is at the far end or the "portable" end of the spectrum, but there is nothing else like it. Below it is a plethora of lighter built 12 1/2 inch planers, and above it is $2,000 for a 15 inch. There's always the used option. When I got mine it was only out for a few years, but by now there must be some driven to church on Sundays used models out there. I've done well at a few tool auctions too.

I'm in the middle of a dining table for the ski house, so it's been seeing some use.

 

[kingslug]

I always try to buy the best tools I can. Or make them if possible. A lot of great DIY vids on youtube for making almost any tool. My favorite is the jigsaw table...Its on the list. Also going to start looking at used tools. Maybe restore some old Stanley planes. I did manage to get my Japanese plane all tuned up and shaving.

 

[Dickc]

This is a Shop Smith 10 ER tool. I have one of these. Its a multiple tool device. It can be 10 inch table saw, a drill press, a shaper, a disk sander, a drum dander, and I also have the jigsaw attachment, plus its capable of setting up as a router. It is a VERY capable tool. Dad bought in new in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1952.


I also have two "Driver line" tools from my grandfather. A 4 inch jointer,



and a 12" bandsaw.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Beastly!

 

[Dickc]

Family hand me down tools are the best!

 

[jimmywilson69]

yeah and those are legit tools! They don't make em like that anymore...

 

[kingslug]

A friend of mine whos father passed away says her mother has a bunch of machines in the basement...hmmm.....wants to get rid of them. Guess its road trip time.

 

[Dickc]

A friend of mine whos father passed away says her mother has a bunch of machines in the basement...hmmm.....wants to get rid of them. Guess its road trip time.

Go for it. I bet there is some really good stuff there.

 

[kingslug]

And probably a bit on the heavy side..

 

[Not Sure]

First attempt at a slab Desktop for my office. I cut down a Norway Maple in 2017 . The piece is about 30” x 78”x 2” ” . Added some gold metallic in the gaps . Used stone coat epoxy. Cool thing is I have a picture of my grandfather walking past the tree when it was 4” in diameter.