Woodworking Tools Videos

Custom Steel Top Upgrade for Wood Router Table

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Here's a project I have had on my mind for a long time. Upgrading my wood router table to some sort of a new flat table. My existing table is one of those that is made from MDF, which when new is flat, but over time many of them develop a bow or dip in the middle. This appears to be partially due to the constant weight of the router on the MDF ...

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/_GfivHG_9C0

 but is also likely caused by the fact that the MDF does absorb moisture (like all wood products) and in the process it makes the wood or in this case MDF, expand. Since the MDF cannot expand on the top because of the glues on arborite or plastic laminate, the MDF can only bow upwards on the sides, which is what can cause the center to drop. In my case over a sixteenth of an inch.

Read more: Custom Steel Top Upgrade for Wood Router Table

Wobble Blade, Single Adjustable Dado Blade for the Table Saw

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30 years ago I purchased a wobble blade for cutting dados. Back then I didn't have much money to spend on tools, AND I didn't want to invest in much more expensive stacking dado set because I knew I would not be using it that much. 
Well, over the years I ended up investing in stacking dado set, which I don't use that much, but it does work well, but I still love my old "Wobble Blade" for doing other things ...

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/ymctM5tUgaQ

It's harder to find wobble blades these days, except at garage sales, swap meets and second-hand stores. Every time I stumble across one, I have a good look at it and most of them are in great shape having had very little or even no use ... 

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Saw Blade Kerf: Micro Kerf vs Thin Kerf vs Full Kerf - What You Should Know

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Full (or thick) Kerf versus Thin Kerf and what about Micro Kerf?  All the questions I get on blade kerf, including what size of blade should I use? Like many things when you know the answer it's easy, and when you understand the reasons "why" it just makes blade selection and blade purchases so much easier and ... getting the right blade for the right job. 

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/YZhpkqSuqEM

There are no standards on blade thickness, and some manufactures even vary the thickness, very slightly, within their own lines. Because of this, all thicknesses are given as approximate since thousandths of an inch or millimeter are typically insignificant. There are no secrets about blade kerf but there are pros and cons about what you should use and what you might need to purchase and to make things easier I have tried to lay things out in something of a point form ...  

Read more: Saw Blade Kerf: Micro Kerf vs Thin Kerf vs Full Kerf - What You Should Know

Terrible Tools - Colin's Most Hated Workshop Tools! 👎

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I am not going to focus on "terrible tools" in this article, instead, I want this to be positive so we can all learn how to select better tools and some of the things to look for. Not all "new advancements" in tools and tool designs are good ones. Sometimes old reliable tools are better, but how do we know that unless we are able to compare them and understand what makes a good tool or a poor tool

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/FfpWxPBxFI8

Obviously, if a tool does not do its intended job it's poor but some do a half job. Are these poor tools or not?  That really depends on many things, sometimes it's user error and I am certainly guilty of that sometimes, there is just so much to know, and not all things are transferable from one tool to another.

Read more: Terrible Tools - Colin's Most Hated Workshop Tools! 👎

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