Page 16 - Workshop Setup & Tool Maintenance

Even if you can't develop an intricate dust collection system like this, there are many simple ways to improve your dust collector's output. Whether it’s a broom and dustpan or a state-of-the-art central collection system, every woodworker I know has some kind of strategy for dealing with wood waste in the shop. Of course, some of these methods produce better results than others in terms of fire safety, cleanliness and respiratory health.

This auxiliary table doubles the cutting surface of your bandsaw, with T-tracks to assist in setting up jigs and cutting guides. The common 14" band saw is one of the most versatile shop machines. You can crosscut and rip on it, do circles and complicated curves, even scrollwork with the right blade. It easily resaws expensive stock up to 6" wide and turns that waste into additional projects.

Keeping Tools Sharp - One Size Does Not Fit All How seriously should you take keeping your tools sharp? Ask around and you'll get a range of opinions. For some woodworkers, sharpening is at best a necessary evil - to be taken up only when a tool will no longer successfully cut wood. For others, the practice of keeping every chisel, plane iron, gouge, saw blade and pencil in the shop in absolute razor-sharp condition carries an almost spiritual significance. Most, however, would take a more moderate position.

Does every woodworker need a complete set of Forstner bits? In truth, many other less expensive bits - like brad point bits - will do a nice job in many situations. Keep in mind, though, that Forstner bits have a few qualities that make them indispensable in certain situations. You may be able to get by without a set of Forstner bits, but if you stick with woodworking for a few years, you'll probably end up with at least part of one - purchased one at a time out of sheer necessity. When you weigh the cost of individual bits against the much more friendly price per bit afforded by a complete set, the set starts to look like a bargain.

If you're an occasional scroll saw user, you might think that one scroll saw blade is pretty much like another. The fact is, there's quite a range not only in type and purpose among scroll saw blades, but also in quality, and the differences can really show up in how a blade performs. How do you pick a good one?

Looking for value? How about a drill press that not only provides a big 3/4hp motor and 5/8" chuck but also the versatility of morphing into an oscillating spindle sander? Shop Fox packs two tools in one in the mid-priced W1668.

Grizzly brings professional grade power and many of the same elements that come standard with more industrial drill presses with a price tag that's astoundingly low. In fact, it has the same feature set as the floor mounted model.

General International’s 14" benchtop was a tall, smooth operator in testing. It showed excellent fit and finish in its castings and milling and has a silky feed action. The round table was slightly cupped in the center but locked solidly; so did the support arm to the machine’s rack-and-pinion column. It's quite quiet, considering the size of the motor.

Many woodworkers associate a drill press with accurate drilling, and don't really think of a handheld drill as an "accurate" tool. Still, not everyone can afford or has room for a bench top drill press - let alone a full-scale floor standing model.

A solid workbench vise is like an extra set of very strong hands, and having one can actually improve your work.

Whether you're drilling hinge cup recesses, hogging out a mortise, cutting a batch of wood plugs or countersinking some pilot holes, a drill press makes easy work of it all.