Tools Happen

Shopsmith or Wen Thickness Planer: Help Me Decide Which to Keep

Come winter, I'll be sharing my garage workshop with two cars. It'll be here before you know it. So I have to thin out some of the tools and materials that I accumulated over the summer to make it work.

woodshopnerdery said:

Shopsmith or Wen Thickness Planer: Help Me Decide Which to Keep

Come winter, I'll be sharing my garage workshop with two cars. It'll be here before you know it. So I have to thin out some of the tools and materials that I accumulated over the summer to make it work.

Click to expand...

keep them both, put one in front of the other, the rear one slightly thinner cut so you feed into one, it feeds into the other and you get twice as much work done

woodshopnerdery said:

Shopsmith or Wen Thickness Planer: Help Me Decide Which to Keep

Come winter, I'll be sharing my garage workshop with two cars. It'll be here before you know it. So I have to thin out some of the tools and materials that I accumulated over the summer to make it work.

Click to expand...

keep them both, put one in front of the other, the rear one slightly thinner cut so you feed into one, it feeds into the other and you get twice as much work done

- Notw

Click to expand...

Good Idea! I had also thought about putting them outfeed to outfeed grudge match style and have them chew on a 2×12 until one of them gave out.

woodshopnerdery said:

Shopsmith or Wen Thickness Planer: Help Me Decide Which to Keep

Come winter, I'll be sharing my garage workshop with two cars. It'll be here before you know it. So I have to thin out some of the tools and materials that I accumulated over the summer to make it work.

Click to expand...

Feed through both, but run one of them upside down for a jointer-planer setup.

Masterforce Ratcheting Clamps: Disappearing from Menards' Shelves Soon?

I've noticed that some of my favorite woodworking clamps are not being re-stocked at my local Menards store. And, I saw on the Menards Website the fateful "Low Inventory Alert" and "While Supplies Last" tags on these items. In my experience that means Menards will no longer carry those items.

Here's my take on these clamps and why it would be a shame if they disappeared.

woodshopnerdery said:

Masterforce Ratcheting Clamps: Disappearing from Menards' Shelves Soon?

I've noticed that some of my favorite woodworking clamps are not being re-stocked at my local Menards store. And, I saw on the Menards Website the fateful "Low Inventory Alert" and "While Supplies Last" tags on these items. In my experience that means Menards will no longer carry those items.

Here's my take on these clamps and why it would be a shame if they disappeared.

Click to expand...

They look pretty much like my old Wolfcraft clamps that I bought almost 20 years ago. A couple are broken, but I use them all the time.

It seems they still make those.

woodshopnerdery said:

Masterforce Ratcheting Clamps: Disappearing from Menards' Shelves Soon?

I've noticed that some of my favorite woodworking clamps are not being re-stocked at my local Menards store. And, I saw on the Menards Website the fateful "Low Inventory Alert" and "While Supplies Last" tags on these items. In my experience that means Menards will no longer carry those items.

Here's my take on these clamps and why it would be a shame if they disappeared.

Click to expand...

They look pretty much like my old Wolfcraft clamps that I bought almost 20 years ago. A couple are broken, but I use them all the time.

It seems they still make those.

- Ocelot

Click to expand...

I agree they are identical to the Wolfcraft clamps and most likely made by Wolfcraft. In the video I hold up a wolfcraft clamp side by side with the Masterforce clamps and a 18 year old Craftsman clamp that are all nearly the same.

woodshopnerdery said:

Masterforce Ratcheting Clamps: Disappearing from Menards' Shelves Soon?

I've noticed that some of my favorite woodworking clamps are not being re-stocked at my local Menards store. And, I saw on the Menards Website the fateful "Low Inventory Alert" and "While Supplies Last" tags on these items. In my experience that means Menards will no longer carry those items.

Here's my take on these clamps and why it would be a shame if they disappeared.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a Road Trip to evry Menards in the area may be in your future. I hate it when a good product is replaced by what most often ends up being something not nearly as good for the same price or higher.

woodshopnerdery said:

Masterforce Ratcheting Clamps: Disappearing from Menards' Shelves Soon?

I've noticed that some of my favorite woodworking clamps are not being re-stocked at my local Menards store. And, I saw on the Menards Website the fateful "Low Inventory Alert" and "While Supplies Last" tags on these items. In my experience that means Menards will no longer carry those items.

Here's my take on these clamps and why it would be a shame if they disappeared.

Click to expand...

With this type of clamp, I only purchase Irwin Quick-Grips.

I don't recall seeing the Masterforce clamps in this post at Menards. I did a online check with our Menards store here in South Dakota. They showed 6" & 12" options. They currently have four 6" and no 12" Masterforce clamps.

Diamond Sharpening Stones System: Moving on From Waterstones

UltraSharp Diamond Stones are broken in and prepared for use. My old waterstones are great and produce a fantastic edge, but in my garage woodworking shop dealing with the soaking the stones and the clean up is simply not practical. By upgrading to the diamond stones I will be able to sharpen much more conveniently, which mean I will ACTUALLY DO IT!

woodshopnerdery said:

Diamond Sharpening Stones System: Moving on From Waterstones

UltraSharp Diamond Stones are broken in and prepared for use. My old waterstones are great and produce a fantastic edge, but in my garage woodworking shop dealing with the soaking the stones and the clean up is simply not practical. By upgrading to the diamond stones I will be able to sharpen much more conveniently, which mean I will ACTUALLY DO IT!

Click to expand...

Good luck, actually found Arkansas oil stone easier and better edge than Diamond stones with out stropping?
Always end up back at the Water stones for the best edge, quick strop between to maintain.

woodshopnerdery said:

Diamond Sharpening Stones System: Moving on From Waterstones

UltraSharp Diamond Stones are broken in and prepared for use. My old waterstones are great and produce a fantastic edge, but in my garage woodworking shop dealing with the soaking the stones and the clean up is simply not practical. By upgrading to the diamond stones I will be able to sharpen much more conveniently, which mean I will ACTUALLY DO IT!

Click to expand...

Good luck, actually found Arkansas oil stone easier and better edge than Diamond stones with out stropping?
Always end up back at the Water stones for the best edge, quick strop between to maintain.

- Andre

Click to expand...

I agree, the diamond stones simply are not giving me the same edge as my Waterstones. But bother are they a lot easier and less messy. So I am using them a lot more so I hope that makes the difference. If I had room for a permanent waterstone station, I would definitely do that.

HSS Shaper Cutters: Worthless in the Age of Carbide?

I explore the value of the old style three edge shaper cutters made from high speed steel. Should I continue to develop my woodworking skill around these tools or toss them in the trash?

woodshopnerdery said:

HSS Shaper Cutters: Worthless in the Age of Carbide?

I explore the value of the old style three edge shaper cutters made from high speed steel. Should I continue to develop my woodworking skill around these tools or toss them in the trash?

Click to expand...

I don't think those are the only two options. Carbide definitely remains sharp longer than high speed steel, but once the bit gets dull it's a lot easier to sharpen HSS. If you have the profile you want in carbide, use that. The HSS is particularly useful when you don't have the carbide version, or if you want to modify a profile yourself. Used bits can be very cheap, though you need to watch out for mistreatment as you found.

Depending on your tooling, another place where you can find utility is when you want to profile both edges of a board simultaneously, for instance adding a tongue to one edge and a groove to the other. With the two-bit set and two tools, you may be able to do it. A reversible motor and upside down bit may be helpful to avoid a climb cut on one profile.

woodshopnerdery said:

HSS Shaper Cutters: Worthless in the Age of Carbide?

I explore the value of the old style three edge shaper cutters made from high speed steel. Should I continue to develop my woodworking skill around these tools or toss them in the trash?

Click to expand...

I don't know about shaper cutters, but there are a handful of very small / thin dovetail cutters I use that are still HSS. Supposed to be stronger than carbide, but I break a lot of them because they are so thin at the neck.

USA Made Hand Screw Clamps: Worth the Additional Cost?

Hand Screw Clamps from 5 brands are compared; Harbor Freight Pittsburgh, Dubuque Micro-Moose, Jorgensen, Menards Tool Shop, Rockler.

Taylor Toolworks Replacement Plane Blade: Answer to Stanley Blade Problems?

Will the TayTools replacement blade be the answer? I've lost faith that the stock Stanely blade will ever shape up no matter how much lapping I do. Before I give up on this plane completely, I give the inexpensive blade from Taylor Toolworks a try.