Read Time: 5 mins

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I always amazed at just how effective shop made jigs can be. With a small investment in time and the knowledge of how they work to be most effective, anyone can build jigs like this sharpening jig and get good results. Years ago I purchased a somewhat expensive commercial sharpening jig, and it works well and is very versatile, but you know what? When I first set it up to sharpen my blades at 25 degrees angle, I have not adjusted it since then, so all the extra settings and things it will do, I have never used. The sharpening jig I am making in this episode is equally adjustable, but most people who make it will probably do the same thing I did, set it up to sharpen at 25 degrees angle and leave it there because the results are just what we need.

To start off making this jig I used a piece of dowel that was 1-1/4 inche in diameter and 4 inche long. That lenght seemed to a nice size that would accomodate all my blades and still have room for something larger if I ever acquired it ...

Read Time: 4 mins

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Yep, it can be done quickly and easuly, and with no accessories or adapters, take off the 10" blade that is in your saw, replace it with a 7-1/4" blade, it's that easy.
Many new woodworkers do not know that the arbor in a circular saw is the same diameter as most 10" table saws which means the blades for circular saw fit nicely onto most 10" table saws.

What this does is open up a whole new world of ideas and options for using circular saw blades in your table saw, with lots of benefits and only a could of slight drawbacks. Since I have been using Circ Blades in the Table Saw for some time, I thought it would be benefical for others to see what kinds of cuts they can expect from a couple of different blades that I use all the time, the Freud 24 tooth ripping blade, that is most often used by carpenters in building construction, and the Freud 40 tooth "Plywood" blade, also used by a few carpenters, but more for specialy work like cutting plywood and trim that needs a bit finer cut. 

Like many things, there are advantages and disadvantages, so here is the list of Pros and Cons for you to dwell on ...

 let's talk about the disadvantages or Cons first or all ..

 - Circular saw blades may not give you the cutting depth you need, if you need to cut deeper than about 1-3/4" and you can't flip the wood on end, that is the biggest draw back.
 - Some of the better quality circular saw blades are made of a harder steel which mean they can be manufactured even thinner, like the Freud Diablo blades, this also means the blades can flex a little bit so you don't want to force wood through the blades or your cut may not be quite as fine as you would like.

OK, not bad, only a couple of cons, lets look at the Pros now ...
 - Circular saw blades are smaller and therefore cost less than 10" blades
 - Most circular saw blades are thinner than even the thin kerf table saw blades
 - Thin blades mean less wased wood, which is particularly valuable for small quantities of expensive specialty woods
 - Thinner blades also mean less saw dust and they slide through the wood much easier too
 - Cutting through nails often damages 10" blades, the Freud Diablo blades will cut through nails easily
 - There are a variety of different blades to choose from for different woodworking needs

I often leave a circular saw blade in my table saw, not necessarily to save wood, but more to save my health by producing less saw dust and less noise. I also like the fact that it take less effort for me to push wood through the blade, not a big deal on one or 2 boards, but when making a bigger piece of furnture and pre-cutting all the wood which can take an hour or so, all these things add up.

Circular saw blades in the table saw are not the kind of thing that everyong can use, but it's nice to know that they are an option for times when you need some other specialty cut, and the cloeset blade might just be sitting in your circular saw.,

Copyright Colin Knecht
Woodworkweb.com

Read Time: 4 mins

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My list of woodworking projects seems never ending and from time to time and make an effort to finish some of my "priorities", like this tool holder and stand for my woodturning tools. I have had my tools sitting in a cardboard box for to long, yes it keeps them together but the problem is that some of the tools are carbide tipped and if the carbide is allowed to bump against steel from other tools, there is a high risk the carbide will chip or break because carbide is very brittle.

The other issue of course is that cardboard attracts moisture, or at least it retains moisture which means if the boxe is not stored in a warm dry place there is a risk the tools will start getting rusty. I need to avoid this risks by finally making myself a storage place and something I can use whenever I am using my lathe.

The best way to solve this issues quickly is to finally make some sort of working tool rack that can also double as a storage unit and maybe even something that I could put doors on to help keep out dust and to a degree recuse moisture exporsure.

I had a quick look on the Internet so see if there was anything I like and I decided there were a couple that fit my situation and with a bit of modification I could make something unique to what I need. The first step was to lay out all my tools on my workbench to see exactly what kind of space I would need and what the dimensions of the storage/stand would be ...