Woodworking Tools Videos

All About Hole Saws Including the Freud Quick Release System

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Hole saws have a confusing name so I don't blame anyone for being unclear about them, I was too a one time. Holes saws are really nothing but another form of drill bit with saw teeth at the bottom for cutting nice, usually fairly clean, round holes.

The good thing about hole saws is you can often make nice holes in hard to get at places, or even places that are impossible with pretty much anything else. I thinking here about plumbing and electrical installs, but holes saws can be just as handy and effective on flat easy to get at places too. Have you ever hand to drill and nice round hole in a door for a door handle or lock? Hole saws make quick, easy work of things like this.

Like most things there is good quality versions and ... well, not so great quality versions, and like many things the price will often tell you which is which. Often the cheaper hole saws are more for one-time or very rare use and often don't have the depth for things like doors and floors, only the better quality saws have deeper cutting capabilities. The biggest bug bear with every hole saw is getting the plug out after the hole is cut.

Installing and Tensioning a Bandsaw Blade

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I can understand why some people leave dull blades in their bandsaws. If you are uncertain on how to install and tension a new blade, it can be a bit daunting to re-set all the guides, bearings and other setting on a bandsaw, but after you have done it a few times, and you understand the process, it's really not a hard thing to do.

The reason it is so important to know how to change bandsaw blades is because they do become dull quite readily owing to the fact that most of them are made or steel because they need to flex around the bandsaw wheels. Most bandsaw blades for smaller saws, 10, 12 & 14 inch are pure steel blades. These blades heat up during use and over time become dull, and as they become dull, we push harder on the wood, making them even duller and eventually they need to be changed.

The most important step in changing bandsaw blades is to unplug the power to the bandsaw. Some saws have switches in weird and wonderful places that can easily be flipped on by accident when working on the saws. Next the blade tension needs to be released so that the blades is quite loose. At this point you can open the wheel doors to look inside ...

Making and Using A Lumber Rule

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Back in the day ... before mobile phones, tablets, computers and even hand calculators people invented amazing devices to aid in mathematics and calculations. In fact, many of these devices are still in use in some industries today because they are still as fast and as accurate and anything invented since then.
One of the items that fits this category is something called the Lumber Rule. They are still being manufactured today, though in much smaller quantities. The only real disadvantage of a lumber rule is that anyone who uses one is probably also carrying around a smart phone, which ... will do the same thing, kind-of, though often slower, and the smartphone still needs a tape measure to go with it.

Click here to see a Lumber Rule on Amazon ...

I have seen these Lumber Rules listed on a different auction sites, for some pretty serious money, I guess anything that is perceived to be "old" must be expensive (???)  So I decided to make my own version of a lumber rule to help me quickly figure out the board feet contained in a board so that I can know how much that board is worth.

If you are at the lumber store and are only buying one of 2 boards, or some small quantity, who cares? ... a smartphone, or even just a tape measure will work fine. IF - however you are buying a quantity of boards, or you are wanting to compare prices of different species in the lumber store, and do it quickly - nothing will beat a Lumber Rule for accuracy and speed.