|
Bench Tools
(Back to Bench,
Hand, and Portable Tools page)
This is great bench
tool! The project comes for American Woodworker (May 2003). It
is perfect tool for sanding boxes or finishing finger joints. I
had a motor lying around the shop, so this drum sander was added
to my shop for less than $150. A great deal and it works like a
charm!
(back
to top)
Spindle
Sander
I am really pleased
with the performance of the Ridgid sander, although I did have
to take the first one back as I could not get the table to
square with the spindle. The stand is a simple shop built
cabinet with two drawers. The lever in the front lowers a third
wheel for the built in mobile base. I did not really need a
mobile base for this bench top machine as it is so light, but I
needed a prototype before I used the same technique in other
bases, so I was glad to experiment in this light cabinet first!
After MANY years of service, the rugged little machine finally
gave up the ghost and was replaced by a
Grizzly GO529.
(back
to top)
Drill
Press
I needed to drill some very accurate holes and my trusty
Walker-Turner does have a bit a of runout, so I picked up this
bench top Drill Press on sale.
It does not have all the bell & whistles you can find on new
Drill Presses today, but is a handy little machine. The laser
guide cross-hairs can be helpful when you have repetitive holes
to drill. In addition, it is very easy to make tool-less speed
changes! The built in light is slick too! I do not use the tool
tray so it just sits behind.
The small machine sits on top of the cabinet above that I
built for the sander.
(back
to top)
Bench Planner
The Delta 22-560 is
one HARDEST working machines in my shop! It has never balked at
any hard or soft wood that I have thrown at it. I even had it
strip some high-pressure laminate off a piece of plywood—I would
not want to do that everyday, but it worked just fine! I simply
added a dust chute (leave it to Delta to charge $18 for a piece
of plastic) and a couple ash feet so it would not mar up the
cabinet tops. Great machine!
(back
to top)
Mortise Machine and Scroll Saw
I purchased the Delta
mortise machine on a whim one day as I was walking through
Lowe's. They had one on clearance for $85 and I simply could not
pass it up. Although it works well (it drills square holes!) I
found that my mortise jig is
faster and takes less time to set up. In addition, a carbide
router up-cut bit makes makes perfect mortises!
The Ryobi scroll saw
works fine. I would not want to use it every day, but for
occasional work, the puffer and variable speed and dust
collection are welcome additions over the old Craftsman (right)
I have used for years.
Safety note: I
received my worst cut ever off the scroll saw. While doing a
bunch of repetitive cuts on the Craftsman, since there is no
puffer to blow away dust, I was using my fingers since I wear a
respirator to protect my lungs. The repetition and slow speed of
the blade lulled my onto complacency and I got a keep and nasty
cut. I certainly learned my lesson!
(back
to top)
Bench Bandsaw
My first bandsaw was
this Ryobi's BS901. It is a capable but small bench top saw. I
would not try to do any re-sawing on this machine, but for
cutting curves and general band saw work, this little saw has
done well. Upgrading the blade to a
Timber Wolf is a
must! Add a couple ash feet to protect the cabinetry, and you
have a good small saw.
(back
to top)
 Retired
Sander
Ever since I got the
spindle sander above, the belt/disc sander hardly ever sees any
use! Dust collection is OK and the power is underrated,
especially with hardwoods on the belt. Again, added a couple ash
feet to protect cabinet tops.
(back
to top)
(Back to Bench,
Hand, and Portable Tools page) |
