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Back to the Shop Now that the Summer heat wave broke ... and my commission piece is wrapped up, I've been working in my home shop more. I'm not the only one who's spending more time in the shop. Late summer and early fall is spider season. I don't really mind that they live there, but the webs collect dust and interfere with using my power tools. So out they go. I have enough trouble keeping my shop tidy, adding another routine of web clearing only adds to that.
Over the last weekend, my tidying turned into a full-blown cleanout and purge. There are some tools and accessories that I haven't used in several years. Their past usefulness, doesn't mean I need to keep those items. That gear doesn't represent the kind of woodworker I am. I've grown and changed, so the tools and shop setup adapts with me.
I used to think that tool buying required consideration to only buy once and forever. As a result, I avoided purchasing tools or dithered so much that I was paralyzed. I've heard the phrase "buy once, cry once" about buying the best tool possible. As all slogans go, it sounds good, but when you poke at it there's nuance and qualifications.
The main part of the podcast consists of John, Logan, and I discussing our views of tool buying, reviews, and where low-cost tools play a role in learning about this craft.
Tool Buying & Tool Reviews In order to give context, I start the discussion with an email from a Woodsmith subscriber asking about track saws. We can use this as a stand-in for tool buying in general.
This email is for Phil Huber...I hope he can take the time to answer my question. I purchased and watched ... several times ... the webinar/seminar with Marc Hopkins "Breaking down plywood." I noticed he is using a Festool track saw. One of the woodsmith sponsors is Kreg tools. I have looked at both the Festool track saw and the Kreg Adaptive Cutting Master Set. The Kreg looks more versatile and is $999.00. Festool is from $599.00 to $1175 depending on saw and options yet none that I see have the table and track and saw like the Kreg. Since I can only afford to purchase one track saw ... which is a better value for the money Phil?
ShopNotes 146 The episode wraps up with a preview of some of the projects featued in the newest issue of ShopNotes. Logan talked about the marking knife project he wrote. John designed an assembly cart that remixes some features of other projects. I wrote about gluing tools and cutting plywood without a table saw. The cover project is a Dillon Baker-designed tool rack. The goal here is to take a core design then riff on it to suit the tools you want to keep close at hand. It's a principle we want to keep front of mind in all the projects.
This episode of the ShopNotes podcast is presented by Epilog Laser. Quickly and easily customize your woodworking projects for added beauty and value. Learn more at Epiloglaser.com.
