Technically, I’ve had a plier set for a long time! It was an old, mismatched set of pliers that had made their way into my toolbox over the past 20 years. Why I bought a plier set Most of my tools were bought for a specific project. I bought an oscillating multi-tool because I knew … Read more
I thought about making a circle guide – aka circle jig – for use with my router. There are plenty of how-to videos on YouTube and it looks easy enough. But I didn’t have time to try and have it fail, so I did some searching on Amazon and landed on this kit from Milescraft. … Read more
Nothing ruins a cart you just built faster than a crappy set of caster wheels! Why I bought these caster wheels I put a lot of time into a cart for my drill press. Most of that time went into the design because I wanted a cart that wouldn’t tip over even with a tall, … Read more
There are so many Makita miter saw reviews on YouTube, it’s hard to figure out what I can add that would be new or different. But I can try! Why I bought the Makita miter saw My first miter saw was a 10″ Ryobi, the sliding compound model. It was a great saw for my … Read more
If you’ve ever looked at a piece of cabinet trim that is cut to fit perfectly around something – it could be an ornate baseboard or the edge of a countertop – you’ve seen the benefit of a scribing tool! Why I bought a scribing tool One of my earliest projects was to build some … Read more
A random orbital sander is an essential item in every woodworking shop. Sure, you can get by with sanding blocks. Or you can go to the other end of the spectrum with Festool and Mirka. But the average woodworker is going be satisfied with a mid-tier brand. Why I bought a new orbital sander I … Read more
I bought an air filtration system after I had an asthma attack. I had done some sanding earlier in the day and I was wearing a mask, but I took the mask off after I was done sanding. There was some residual dust in the air and I think it was enough to cause my … Read more
The product title says, “hose for shop vacuums,” but that’s not quite accurate. There’s nothing about the hose that is unique to a shop vacuum. In fact, standard shop vacuums use a 2-1/2″ hose while this one is 1-1/4″. It does, however, come with an adapter that makes it easy to connect to a shop … Read more
Under-mount drawer slides are superior to side-mount drawer slides, in my experience. Side-mount slides are prone to breaking under heavy use. Sometimes they pull out too far because the plastic stop tab broke, or the wheel jumps off the slide, or the screws into the side of the cabinet strip out. I was eager to … Read more
Early on, I used my shop vacuum as a portable, multi-purpose vacuum. I would roll it around the garage as needed, carry it to the deck to clean out cabinets, and haul it downstairs to clean the basement. Then I learned about the value of a cyclone and added the Oneida Dust Deputy. It performed … Read more
