I can't tell if it's just that I'm feeling narcissistic or lonely, but it's just been too quiet around here for me. So let's do something about it. Click on the title link above to get to the page where you can leave a comment, and tell me what Shopsmith tools you own and what you like to build. If you play along I'll put you in a drawing for a free mug like the one shown below in your choice of colors shown at the link. This little game will run from now (4/7/11) until some time next week. I'll announce the winner right here next week. Scott
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Hey Shopsmith Owners... Wanna Win a FREE Mug?
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See, it pays to shop at the Habitat for Humanity Restore
As I rounded the corner I noticed something that stopped me in my tracks. It was a shopping cart parked next to the Mark V that contained a Shopsmith bandsaw. The table was cast iron, so it was probably purchased with the Mark V in the mid to late 1980's. Just behind the bandsaw in the shopping cart and standing uptight was a Shopsmith 4" Jointer. Now I had to know what all was included in this sale, and if these items were priced separately. I looked around the outside of the cart and found another $275 sign. Is that just a coincidence, or are they trying to say that it's included with the Mark V?
The cart also contained push blocks and what looked like most of the Mark V's accessories, and as I looked-up to take a better look at the Mark V I finally notices the SECOND SHOPPING CART! This cart also had a $275 sign. I looked over at the check-out counter and saw that despite a line of a half-dozen customers ahead of me, the cashier was just wrapping-up with a customer, so I made eye contact with her and while pointing at the tools asked "Is that $275 for each, or for all? She replied "It's for all", and I said "I'LL TAKE IT!
I still had to check on the cabinet that I was there for, and after anxiously loading one onto a flat-bed cart I made my way back to check-out and paid for my new Mark V!
There were a couple HFH workers on the loading dock, and their supervisor had them each grab a load and bring to to the back of my van so I could load it. They were amazed that I was able to load the Mark V by myself, and I explained the little trick that I learned while working for Shopsmith about moving the headstock to the low end while lifting one end of the MKV, and then sliding the headstock up the waytubes and then lifting the other end.
The guys then brought the shopping carts out and a large Rubbermaid tub. I hadn't noticed it before, but without questioning it I popped the lid to make sure that it was Shopsmith related. Inside was a stack of new, boxed bandsaw blades, the Mark V's owners manual and several other things. Yep, they belong together, so I tossed it into the front seat and returned to load the rest of the stuff.
The first cart contained the bandsaw and jointer and to my surprise an early Shopsmith lathe duplicator!
The second cart contained a few surprises too. It had a SS jigsaw and better yet a SS 6" belt sander! The pic shows my van with everything including the cabinet jammed into my van. (Click the pic to Biggie Size It.)
Everything needs some TLC, and I'm thinking about shooting some video as I clean her up and do a few repairs and upgrades.
Finally, let me encourage you to drop by your local Habitat for Humanity Restore or Goodwill or Salvation Army store and leave some of your money. I used to think that these stores were for folks who were down on their luck; but after working on a few HFH bulids and with a couple Christmas toy builds with St Vincent DePaul, I learned that these stores employ some sweet and hard-working folks who may otherwise be considered unemployable, and the cash that they make from the sales help them do the good works that they do.
Lots more to come. Scott
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How can someone let this happen to a perfectly good Shopsmith Mark V?
My adult daughter gave me a call yesterday to tell me that she just visited a yard sale where there was a Shopsmith Mark V of some sort that was for sale for $150. What's funny is that I'm still driving around with the Mark V and accessories in my van from last weekend because my shop has a dirt driveway and it's been raining all week. $150 is a great deal if the tool is in even half decent shape, do I drove to my shop and off-loaded the other Mark V and the four SPT's, and after popping a few Tylenol I was off the the other end of Greensboro.As I approached the drive of the home I could see the Mark V out in the lawn near the road, along with an old washer, a table full of glassware and a couple other lawn and garden odds and ends. Sweet, it's a 510!
I jumped from my van and casually walked past the other items, feigning interest in a few, but all the while trying to assess the details of the Mark V. Finally I was standing in front of the tool and my heart sank.
Now, to put this tool into perspective I need to tell you about the Mark V that I saw that was in the worst condition ever. It was when I was working at the Shopsmith Factory store back in 1990ish and some poor fella had an almost new Mark V that went down in brackish water on a boat he had been restoring. It had been under water for ten days when they finally raised the boat, and his insurance man advised him not to touch anything until everything had been inspected. Several weeks later he was finally able to start the clean-up process, and by that time rust had begun to seriously eat away at the way and bench tubes and the quill, and who knew what was going on inside the headstock.
He decided that a trip to the factory in Dayton was in order, so he strapped the Mark V to a borrowed flat bed trailer and started to pull away. Now, I don't know what clued him in, but after a few seconds on the road something made him stop to investigate and what he found was that the Mark V had fallen over and was hanging off the bed of the trailer and riding on one corner of the headstock casting!
By the time we received this dog at the factory it was totally beyond repair. I'm sure his insurance company gave him something for it, but there was really nothing we could do. After an act of God, followed by poor moving skills, his Mark V was dead.
Back to this weekend.
The Mark V before me was missing a few items. No, it was missing a lot of items! The fence, the miter gauge, the upper and lower saw guard, the floating tables and support tubes, the support legs, the sanding disc, any saw arbors, and any safety equipment were all gone. It did have the drill chuck mounted on the quill, but the hex hey and the chuck key were missing, so whoopty freakin' do! But here comes the worst part: The tool was covered in rust, corrosion and for some unknown reason about a quart worth of white paint drippings. It looked like someone had left this poor machine on an open porch and had used it as a work bench for painting bird houses!
Now, I don't know about you, but when I purchased my Mark V back in 1987 it was my most valued possession. To this day I cherish that very tool. The few times that I've entered my shop to see a little rust on the surface of my jointer, I dropped everything I was doing and nursed her back to health.
It is behind this backdrop that I ask, "How can someone allow this to happen?" I mean, I suppose the original owner may have died, and the new owner didn't value it. Or perhaps it was purchased in an auction for a song. I don't know, but I left that Mark V where I found it, and in a weird way I actually felt a loss not unlike the loss of a family member. I debated negotiating with the owner just so I could part it out and perhaps get some benefit from her death; but I just couldn't bring myself to talk to him.
Sorry but this isn't a happy post. I think I need to go wax my Mark V and assure her that this will never be her fate.
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Harbor Freight Tools? Really?
It never fails to stop my tool-snob buddies in their tracks when they walk through my shop and past my Shopsmith Mark V's, my Powermatic 66 table saw, my Delta 14" bandsaw and jointer, my DeWalt planer and other very nice tools that I've been blessed to own, only to find my Harbor Freight tools on a shelf next to my bench. "Do you really use THOSE tools?" usually comes next. Of course I do!Sure, I've purchased my share of duds, but that can also be said of all the brands listed above too. The key is to first know your tool options well and study their construction and use them HARD the weekend you purchase them. If they're going to have a problem it'll be when you need them most, so put them to the test as soon as you get them and return them if something goes wrong.
I'm also a big proponent of buying their tools whenever they are on sale and you can always find a couple of their coupons in my money clip. (click the photo at right of today's actual haul)
The trick is knowing where to get the coupons. Of course you can keep an eye out on the mailers that come directly from HF, but the real trick is to find the coupons and the codes that they use to entice new shoppers. There are the truly sweet deals!
I have three favorite places to get these every month: Popular Mechanics, AAA magazine, National Geographic (Seriously!) and at this link: Harbor Freight Super Coupons: Save 30% to 60% Off!
I'm NEVER without a "20% off a single item" coupon, and usually I have another "Free Gift" coupon worth an LED flashlight, a set of screwdrivers or something generally useful.
Check the link above from time to time because those deals change often. You can either print them and take them to your local store, or click on them and purchase them from the HF site. With the price of gas these days being around $3.50 a gallon I've been finding their shipping charges to be less than a trip to my local store!
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But I digress...
This just made me smile.
![I dream of a better world... shirt]()
I dream of a better world... by PatentPlaceUSA
Become a t-shirt affiliate for Zazzle.
"I dream of a better world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned" Tee shirt.
I dream of a better world... by PatentPlaceUSA
Become a t-shirt affiliate for Zazzle.
"I dream of a better world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned" Tee shirt.
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Giving Bogsy app on my iPad a try
With as much time as I spend on my computer, smart phone and iPad you'd think I could be better about posting on my blogs and Twitter. One problem is that there are large spans of time between useful thoughts! Seriously, I've been looking for a way to get better at this so I recently purchased this iPad (I'm typing on the silly screen at this very moment) and at my son's suggestion I purchased the app "Blogsy". What's Blogsy? Good question. So far it looks a lot like a Word document or even typing a Blogger post, but the real magic seems to be when you add photos and multimedia to a post. I'll have to do a lot of playing with it, but it promises to make this process a little easer. I'll let you know how that works out.
I've just used the drop and drag feature to add the Youtube video to this post. That was very easy!
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Rockler Pock-it Hole Clamp
Whenever I can I love to stop by Rockler. Understand that isn't as easy as it once was because they closed the High Point NC (home) Rockler a couple years back, so I have to drop-by their stores wherever I happen to stumble upon them. I'm in Torrance (LA) CA this week and my hotel is less than 1/4 mile for Rockler, so I had to visit today. As usual they have a sale going on and there were two things that I had to tell you about.
The fist one is a simple little do-dad that is simply a rare-earth magnet in a little plastic housing that slips smugly not the end of a tape measure to help you measure over long distances. What's funny is that I've got a rare-earth magnet on the tip of one of my tapes back at home for just this very thing, but because it isn't attached it's always getting attracted t metal stuff and slipping off when I lease expect it. This little thing is called a "Magnatip", and it normally sells for $3.50, but during the sale they are three for $3.49. I left with four of them.
The other thing that I couldn't walk out without was a Rockler exclusive item called Pock-it Hole Clamp. This neat little tool is designed to hold a butt joint together while you drive a picket hole screw into place. This simple little task has caused me countless hours of frustration with parts slipping around, so I was thinking abut picking-up one of these $20 gadgets. In the Rockler catalog they are $19.99, or four for $17.99 each. I had one in my hand and was reading the back if the package when I noticed the sale sign that said they were only $12.99 each!
Check out this new pocket hole joinery clamp in this video from Rockler and get a couple today while they are on this excellent sale.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RYU2dhUaHs
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HEADS UP! Shopsmith to appear on PAWN STARTS tonight! (7/25/2011)
I know that this is short notice, but Pawn Stars will feature a look at a 1950s Shopsmith woodworking machine! Being a '50s era machine means they won't be offering much for it, but I'll be curious to see if they bring in an expert to give some background on it. It's on th History Channel at 10 p.m. tonight, July 25th, 2011.
Revised: Ha ha! Just as I thought. They had a guy call them and invite them to his home where he wanted to show them his old Shopsmith. Rick and the "Old Man" went and it turned out to be an 10ER. As you would imagine, the conversation went something like this:
Rick: What a pile of junk!
Old Man: No it's not, that a piece of Americana!
Rick: How much do you want for it?
After some haggling they paid the guy $50
The 10ER sells for $250 every day on eBay, so as long as they don't put too high a ticket price on it in their store, they'll do just fine on it.
Revised: Ha ha! Just as I thought. They had a guy call them and invite them to his home where he wanted to show them his old Shopsmith. Rick and the "Old Man" went and it turned out to be an 10ER. As you would imagine, the conversation went something like this:
Rick: What a pile of junk!
Old Man: No it's not, that a piece of Americana!
Rick: How much do you want for it?
After some haggling they paid the guy $50
The 10ER sells for $250 every day on eBay, so as long as they don't put too high a ticket price on it in their store, they'll do just fine on it.
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Woodcraft has a great deal going on a nice 170 piece Brad Point Drill Bit Set
Until the end of August they have sets of 170 titanium nitride coated brad point drill bits for $29!, which is $10 less than the last time I found it on sale!
The set has 5 - 10 bits of each size: 1⁄16", 5⁄64", 3⁄32", 7⁄64", 1⁄8", 9⁄64", 5⁄32", 11⁄64", 3⁄16", 13⁄64", 7⁄32", 15⁄64", 1⁄4", 17⁄64", 9⁄32", 5⁄16", 21⁄64", 11⁄32" & 3⁄8"
The set is in a nice box, and it also includes a drill size gauge.
I'm not usually a sucker for TiN coated bits, because I've seen too many sets at Harbor Freight where the manufacturer obviously coats the bits that have the worse edges in order to hide their sins. What a scam! They take their defective bits and put 50 cents of electroplating on them and charge a premium! Anyway, TiN coatings help to reduce heat on the cutting edge for increased bit life, and this Woodcraft set looks very nice.
Take a look at this set at Woodcraft.com
Pleas note, this sale ends Aug 27th 2011
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KILLER DEAL on Woodcraft's WoodRiver 4-Piece Parallel Bar Clamp Set
OK.
That was a very odd request, seeing that we didn't deliver, set-up, or align tools for anyone! It turned-out that this was heading to the home of WGBH's Russell Moreash to be used on the set of a new show called The New Yankee Workshop.
I've written about what happened next elsewhere on this blog, but what I've never written about was the one tool in Norm's shop that left me completely amazed. Norm had a stack of the then-new Bessey K-Body parallel bar clamps! These things were AMAZING! I asked if it was OK to play with them a bit, and Russ said "Sure, Mark". My name is Scott BTW, but this time it didn't bother me because there were new tools to be discovered.
There were a couple lose but jointed boards laying on the bench near the clamps and for the next few minutes I stumbled and fumbled with the clamps until I realized that they wood was able to rest on the bars and would be clamped with even, square pressure no matter where they were against the tall jaws. Cool! Under pressure the thick steel I-Beam bars showed very little sign of bowing, and to my pleasure I learned from Russ that they could be used to clamp wood on any side of the jaws. That means they can be laid flat on a board with the jaws running along the edge of the board and clamp with the full 6" or so of their jaw's face. Double Cool!
Over the yeas since this encounter with the Bessey K-Body I've amassed an impressive collection of a couple of these clamps. I mean, come-on, have you priced them? And the new version doesn't impress me at all. The removable/replaceable jaw covers are always slipping! No, for me I'll take the original style parallel bar clamp.
Fortunately several other companies have introduced their own versions of the originalK-Body design, and some of them are very nice. I've used the Jorgensen and liked them very much. The Jet is also very nice, and except for the fact that they aren't sold at many places they may be worth taking a look at. The Irwin was being used at our local SkillsUS contest where I was a judge, and they had a bit of a bending problem that showed itself by allowing the jaws do deflect way out of parallel.
I just noticed that WoodCraft is having a sale on their parallel clamps that's a really good deal. The regular price for this set is $169, but they have them on sale for $99.99! When I saw the flier I though to myself "Yeah, I'll be the set has four 20" clamps, or some such rarely-used size", but boy was I wrong. The kit has four clamps, Two (2) of the 24" and two (2) of the 40"s. This is exactly the sizes I use when assembling kitchen cabinets! The other thing that the set includes is a set of corner blocks that I'd bet a bunch of folks will never use. Big mistake! These four blocks allow you to create a four-sided clamping jig for assembling boxes and cabinets. I use my Bessey corner blocks almost every time I reach for the clamps, andI hate to think what I paid for my set. OK, I'll think about it; I paid at least $25 for my set!
This Four-piece Clamp Set is only $99 throughout Aug 27th, as are some of the individual WoodRiver parallel bar clamps, so this looks like a great time to stock-up for our soon to come Fall projects.
Click this link to be magically transported to the Woodcraft web page for the Woodcraft WoodRiver 4-Piece Parallel Bar Clamp Set
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WoodRiver Benchtop Mortiser with FREE Chisels and Bits!
Try as I might I was never able to get good results mortising with my Mark V. It takes a LOT of force to drive a four-sided chisel into a block of hardwood, and not only does the quill handle suffer from a size problem, but just as you make some progress the table wants to move on ya. This is not a good prize, especially because Murphy's Law dictates that you won't notice that your mortises are not as deep as you planned until some time after removing all of the mortising gear from your Mark V.
My mortiser is a PowerMatic 719, which wouldn't ya know I purchased just months before the 719T with tilting table was released. (Grumble). Before forking out the big bucks for my mortiser I researched all the tabletop units, and I just wasn't going to be able to cut the mortise depths that many of the projects I had planned would require. At the time the market was dominated by Delta, Jet and a couple questionable no-name imports.
As I mentioned in a prior post, I was at my local Woodcraft the other day and at a Rockler a couple weeks back and was amazed at the improvements that have been made in benchtop units. The one that caught my eye was the WoodRiver at Woodcraft, which as a huge base with extensions that expand to 35" in width to support for your stock. This unit has a firm fence and rollers that act as hold-ins to keep your stock firmly against the fence. The fence is made of cast iron and is adjusted with a rack and pinion that reminds me of a mini version of the fence on my Delta jointer.
One of the biggest hassles that benchtop mortisers tend to introduce is caused by very limited access to the drill chuck. The WoodRiver has two HUGE clear plastic doors that swing open for practically unhindered access. Another neat thing about this design is that because the doors are clear they allow plenty of light to make bit changes as easy as I've ever seen.
Another advantage of this unit wasn't obvious from a study of the manual: It's ambidextrous. The two access doors swing open on both the right and the left. Likewise, as you can see from the bottom photo, the lever handle can be mounted left or right. With the switchbox on the left I thought there might be a problem using it on the left, but nope, she worked just fine. 
The thing that really surprised me was that it comes with a full set of four chisels and bits and the mortiser has a full 5" depth of cut! Seeing this made me curious, so I measured my PowerMatic and learned that while it has a 6" stroke, all of my chisels are 5" long! So, if you are in the market for a great looking, reasonably priced mortiser, check the WoodRiver out at your local Woodcraft.
BTW, until Aug 27th this mortising machine is on sale for $234.99 at this link: WoodRiver Mortiser with Chisels and Bits
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Ever See a Hen's Tooth?
Lee Valley described it as:
More than just a record-keeping book, the Woodworker's Logbook is a compendium of essential information for the shop. Standard furniture heights, depths and widths, lumber and plywood standards, pre-drill sizes for screws, bit operating speeds (to ensure you never watch another expensive bit turn blue) and a guide to knock-down hardware are included along with numerous other tables and guidelines.
It also had a simple inventory record system that let you compile and readily update the cost and replacement value of your hand and power tools, lumber stock, etc., for insurance claims.
Additionally the indexed project section is designed by woodworkers to allowed you to record information specific to various pieces you built in an easily accessible format. Exact molding profiles, critical dimensions of a piece and the materials you used could be recorded conveniently, which makes it much more likely that you will keep the records you often wish you had.
The logbook was supplied with ruled, graph and tracing paper and was in a durable 2-½" thick three-ring binder that opens flat, allowing easy page reorganization or addition.
Why do I mention all this? Because I can't find my copy to save my life, so I decided to just hop onto the "Interwebs" and purchase another copy... and that's when I hit the brick wall. First off I couldn't remember the title, so I was searching "Woodworking resource book". Then I added the word "chart" to that search, because I knew it had charts. Nothin'. How about adding the name Lee Valley? Ya know, I think they were launching the name Veritas at that time, so let's add that to the search too.
I finally went to the Wayback Machine and searched a ten year old version of the Lee Valley site and there it was!
Good, I have the title, so now I'll just search THAT and I'll surely be bombarded with reliant hits. NOT!
This book, when it can be found, is selling for upward of $100! USED!
So, here's a link to an eBay search for this book, but keep in mind that it will rarely be posted for sale, and when it does I will be bidding against you!
Click this link to find your own copy of the Woodworker's Logbook for Sale on eBay.
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DEWALT DWP611PK Compact Router Kit Killer Deal!
DeWalt and Porter-Cable (Both manufactured by B&D) recently introduced similar compact router sets. The motor is slightly larger than a traditional trim router, but what you get for the extra girth is a height adjustment that is second to none.Below is a video from "John the TIA guru" that runs the Dewalt Owners Group. In the video John does a run down on the DEWALT DWP611PK Compact Router.
These kits are priced in the $199 range for a fixed base and a plunge base, but at this moment they are both on sale at Woodcraft. The DeWalt has an even sweeter deal going:
You can save 10% Now Through August 27, 2011 AND... Receive a FREE 1/4 Sheet Palm Grip Sander with Mail-In Rebate through August 15!
Click this link for the DEWALT DWP611PK Compact Router Kit
Click this link for the Porter-Cable 450PK Compact Router Kit
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Shopsmith Launches New Line of Ceramic Abrasives
I "liked" Shopsmith's Facebook page some time ago, and for the most part their posts are short versions of the same content that I read in their marketing emails. But every now and then a photo on their post will catch my eye and draw me in. If you didn't know, Shopsmith is promoting a new line of abrasive products, and some of the posts on FB have been about their excitement about being added to the inventory of LOWE's.
Here's the text from a recent post, and a couple pics.
We are proud to announce a ShopSmith line of professional quality abrasives that are sure to set the new standard in abrasive performance and quality for the "Next Generation"! A nation wide launch in coming in August, but a sneak peak of the product offering will be coming soon on future post.
Something about their packaging seemed familiar to me, so I did a little Googling and confirmed my suspicions: This product is made by Ali Industries. Ali is located in my birthplace of Fairborn, Ohio, and is a manufacturer of a lot of the private label "store brand" abrasives that you may have purchased over the years. Normally when I think of store brands I think generic, but after discovering Ali abrasives some 20 years ago I actually look for their little alligator logo in the small print on the back of the package. I've found it on Ace Hardware, True Value Hardware and a few other packages over the years, but so many of these products have gone to the lowest bidder now.
The most interesting thing that I learned was about the name or branding of the product. Here's the first part:
On Monday, July 18, 2011, a U.S. federal trademark for ALI INDUSTRIES, INC. registration number 85046037 was abandoned having the name G2 CERAMIC 2000. The Reason provided as ABANDONED - NO STATEMENT OF USE FILED
So, Ali Industries abandoned their trademark for G2 ceramic abrasives. Here's where it gets interesting though:
On Wednesday, July 13, 2011, a U.S. federal trademark registration was filed for SHOP SMITH ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH FINISHING. This trademark is owned by ALI INDUSTRIES, INC., FAIRBORN, OH 45324. The USPTO has given the SHOP SMITH ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH FINISHING trademark serial number of 85369944 The current federal status of this trademark filing is NEW APPLICATION - RECORD INITIALIZED NOT ASSIGNED TO EXAMINER. The correspondent listed for SHOP SMITH ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH FINISHING is R. WILLIAM GRAHAM of A PAT..., 3340 ..., P. O. BOX 752125 OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73120 . The SHOP SMITH ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH FINISHING trademark is filed in the category of Cosmetics and Cleaning Products , Machinery Products , Hand Tool Products . The description provided to the USPTO for SHOP SMITH ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH FINISHING is Abrasive products for sanding, namely, coated abrasives and sandpaper in the form of sanding strips, sheets, belts, spindles, and discs, emery cloths, and sanding screens in the nature of abrasive cloth.
Interesting, huh? RLFShop is the owner of the Shopsmith and Shop Smith trademark, but it looks like they've licensed the name to Ali, who has trademarked the "SHOP SMITH ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH FINISHING" slogan. So what does all this really mean? Nuthin'.
Ceramics are excellent abrasives, and I also see that some of their products are what is called "film back". Cloth and paper has a texture to it, and when you cover that texture with abrasive particles they points of the abrasives will protrude from the paper at different heights, which causes scratches that will be amplified by your finish. With a film back the abrasives are bonded to a dead-flat piece of film, so you don't get these flaws.
I've used a LOT of brands, and have been impressed by ceramics and film back products, so I can't wait to try it and to see how this all works out. As I said, Ali Knows abrasives, and I know that Jim McCann of Shopsmith knows abrasives, finishing and sharpening better than 99.999% of the Woodworkers you've heard of, so with their powers combined (like the Wonder Twins) this could be a very good thing indeed.
Here's a video of the man himself, Mr. Jim-Bob McCann, playing with this new abrasive on a Shopsmith Mark V.
Learn more at Shopsmith's site.
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Kreg K4 jig with a butt-load of free screws
I don't know if there is anything I can say about this jig beyond what you already know. I got my first aluminum K2 Kreg jig over 15 years ago, and though it is still in good working order I purchased the plastic K2000 Kreg jig a few years ago because my original jig was designed only for 3/4" stock.
The K2000 jig that I own and use today requires that I partially disassemble it and add shims if I change the stock thickness. Seeing that my old jig wouldn't even accommodate this I thought it was a huge improvement. The new K4 (shown at right) has a slick feature that allows you to quickly adjust it for a wide range of stock thicknesses.
I originally thought that I'd use the K2 in the drill press mode of my Mark V, and though I did use it that way once, it just didn't make sense. I now have a dedicated corded drill that I picked-up at either Big Lots or Harbor Freight for drilling with the step bit, and I usually drive the screws with a small cordless lithium ion powered driver.
My K2000 Kreg jig was used extensively in the construction of a sleigh that was the focus point of our daughter's winter-themed wedding, and on the six-cheese nacho cheese fountain that was featured at my son's wedding. Yeah, you read that right. We even made a build-blog about that one, but that's another story. Anyway, while I am still a big fan of traditional Mortise and Tenon joinery, there's no match for the ease and speed of a pocket joint for face frames and simple butt joints, and let's face it; not every project deserves that degree of craftsmanship.
If you don't already have one of the newer adjustable Kreg jigs, Woodcraft has a great deal going on the current K4 Kreg Master System that deserves your attention. They are throwing-in a bunch of screws that themselves make-up the difference between this offer and their standard $99 kit. In addition to the screws they also include a handy assembly clamp and a few other goodies that will come in handy.
Check it out. Scott
Kreg K4 Jig at Woodcraft.com
For fun, here's a link to our Instructable where we show how we built our 6 Cheese Nacho Cheese Fountain. You can even see the K2000 in use: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Build-A-8220Talladega-Nights8221-Insp/
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Congratulations to Woodcraft's sweepstakes winner!
While my subject line really says it all, here's a link to the Woodcraft blog where you can learn even more: http://blog.woodcraft.com/?p=16399
I love that the photo in the blog post shows the winner, Robert, with his Shopsmith Mark V! Even though for many years when I was a Shopsmith store manager, Woodcraft was my competitor, I developed a strong respect for the way they service their customers, not only with their product selection, but with their excellent corporate and retail crews.
Sweepstakes like this are an exciting way for tool manufactures to show-off their latest innovations, and a great way for Woodcraft to spread a little excitement. Congratulations to Robert, and thank you Woodcraft for being a true leader within our industry and more importantly, within our communities.
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The DeWalt DW788 Scroll Saw vs the Delta 40-690 Scroll Saw
If you’ve been paying attention you may have noticed that Delta has recently introduced two new scroll saws (the 40-690 & the new 40-692) that are dead-ringers for the popular and dare I say excellent DW788. Stanley, who owns Black and Decker, who owns DeWalt has sold or licensed this saw to Delta Power Equipment Company, as the Delta name is far more synonymous with stationary power tools, while for most folks the DeWalt name means portable tools.
One exciting advantage of this new Delta saw is that it now comes with a 5 year warranty! Anyway, as I’ve stated before, we LOVE our DW788, and as a Delta tool you can’t go wrong.
NOTE: This saw is currently on an incredible sale at Woodcraft! On a stand with a goose neck light, normally you’d pay $619, but at the moment it’s available for $349! That’s a $270 savings!
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UPDATE: Well, that didn't take long at all! These saws are all sold out, and now Delta is introducing an upgraded version. I guess that explains the blow-out price, huh? Anyway, the new model is the 40-695, and it will be available in March 2012. Here's a preview pic, which you can click on to Biggie-Size.
Certainly this will be sold by Woodcraft, so check it out here: Link to Delta Scroll Saws for sale at Woodcraft.
Certainly this will be sold by Woodcraft, so check it out here: Link to Delta Scroll Saws for sale at Woodcraft.
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Shopsmith Mark V sighting: Signature Custom Cabinetry
They've come a long way since their humble start. For example, for three years running Signature Custom Cabinetryhas been named one of the 100 fastest growing wood products manufacturers in the country!
Anyway, as I walked down the hall of their corporate headquarters with their VP of Development, I stopped dead in my tracks by the sight that you see in the photo.
I learned that the Martin's started their business on a Shopsmith Mark V, and that a couple years back the brothers had it restored and put on display just outside their offices, along with photos of their original shop and of each of them as kids on that very Mark V.
These men have sure come a long way as they built on their passion for excellence that was born on that amazing tool.
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Shopsmith sighting on the New Yankee Workshop
I'm sure that I've mentioned this, but just in case you are hearing it for the first time; Back in 1987 I was the manager of Shosmith's "Boston" store, and was called out to the site of a new woodworking show to help them set-up a bunch of Shopsmith tools. That show was the New Yankee Workshop, and though Shopsmith was an official sponsor on just the first season, Norm continued to use the Mark V and a few of the other Shopsmith tools over the run of the show.
I found a video on Youtube of one of those early episodes that features the Mark V. I'll post others below as I discover them
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Shopsmith booth at the 2012 International Woodworking Fair
The show ran from Wednesday through Saturday and when Saturday finally arrived the traffic at the show slowed down enough that I was able to slip away from our booth to walk the show a bit. It was then that I was surprised to learn that we were only four booths from the Shopsmith booth the entire time! The booths in the center of the show are very big booths (ours was 40' X 150'), while the SS booth was 20' X 20', so it was easy to miss. The other odd thing about their booth was that the Mark VII was not front and center, but instead the Shopsmith abrasives from ALI Industries abrasives were. I introduced myself the the guy in the burgundy Shopsmith apron and though he told me they really kicked butt I couldn't help but notice the clean carpet and the dust collector with the mostly empty bag. One of the non-Shopsmith guys manning the booth said that really it was a ALI booth, ans as I've written before, ALI is the trademark owner of the Shopsmith Abrasives brand.
I hope they were able to sell a few PowerPro upgrades, but I suspect it was a tough crowd. The vast majority of the folks in attendance are using CNC equipment and very large tools, and the Shopsmith line was as out of place as a Yugo at a Lamborghini rally.
Click the pic to Biggie-Size it.
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