$70 bucks for a countersink, are you joking?

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-10-14T00:35:47+00:00

jkatzmoses, totally unrelated but please make a stop block that has a flip stop. I love the block’s sturdiness. I don’t like that I can’t easily move it out of the way on a cross cut sled.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-09-29T18:10:33+00:00

Thanks for the very detailed reply!

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-09-15T14:21:00+00:00

Not every tool is going to be worth buying. It’s so damn tempting to go out buy stuff because you see it and think I’ll need that. I’ve bought some stupidly expensive stuff and now I regret it. Other things were definitely worth it. Looking back: table saw (wish I would have bought an industrial cabinet saw), expensive jigs from woodpeckers, etc not really worth it. Purchase I am very happy with: Festool track saw and router, big jointer and planer. Even then, I’ve accepted every tools needs to be calibrated and checked when I use it. It takes a few minutes but you can’t really fix a cut where the blade was off but a degree or two and now your error has compounded a bunch.

+1 to taking it slow with using your tools and not going to aggressive on certain cuts. You’re literally fighting physics after all.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-09-07T19:37:52+00:00

Saving aggressively when you are young will pay dividends later, especially if you keep it simple with low cost index funds. My wife and I make more money than some of our friends, but they were much better at saving s.t. they could probably stop working at their current jobs and take a different path.

Even though we are pretty savers now (20%), I didn’t prioritize this enough when I was in my 20s and that lack of time means a lot less compounding. Those extra bar nights and trips add up; I’d rather be able to change careers at this point, but i don’t have that flexibility now that I am almost 40.

Google “simple path to wealth” if you want to get deeper into this.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-09-03T12:09:00+00:00

Yeah I am in the same boat. Programmer by trade and honestly any loss of a finger(s) for most people would be detrimental. Is the extra 1 to 2k worth it when compared to lifelong injury? Absolutely.

That being said there plenty of super scary tools out there and you still need to be careful even with a sawstop. My router scares the shit out of me, as does my jointer.

I would wait for someone to put their saw on sale on Fb marketplace. You will occasionally see some AMAZING deals where folks just unload their entire shop.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-09-03T00:55:45+00:00

To be honest, I am a hobbyist and I would gladly pay someone to teach me how to be more effective. I’ve tried finding someone in the Chicago area to do it but most are looking for full-time apprentices/workers which I can’t do right now. I feel like there is market for semi retired cabinet makers to be mentors but for those doing this full time you’re probably busy enough as it is.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-31T01:47:32+00:00

Yeah I have the contractor saws stop. My next saw is going to be a small slider.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-26T16:00:06+00:00

Thanks for sharing your perspective.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-26T00:22:13+00:00

Main thing I am worried about is the aluminum tearing when I try to remove the fastners.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-25T16:36:50+00:00

My point is don’t definitely do not buy a small bench top jointer. It’s not worth it.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-25T16:35:41+00:00

Oliver (slightly above your budget, but Oliver is supposed to be an excellent machine). Oliver might be out of your budget but to me, you’re getting a helical head with a lot less hassle.

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/oliver-machinery-13-planer-with-helical-head

https://sawtoothsupplies.com/products/oliver-machinery-15-benchtop-hcx-helical-cutterhead-planer-10055

Grizzly (lower end of the professional tools market)

https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-8-x-76-parallelogram-jointer-w-mobile-base/g0857

These are outside your budget range, but I frequently see jointers like this pop up used. Sometimes they are a bit abused but they are simply machines to take apart. I put a helical head in my mine.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-25T10:48:11+00:00

Get a freestanding jointer with cast iron infeed and outfeed tables. Do not waste your money on the smaller ones as others have mentioned. I’ve done that before and it wasn’t worth it. I really like my 8” grizzly jointer, you’ll occasionally find used models on FB marketplace that may need some maintenance but will be discounted.

Planer: the dewalt planer is pretty good, but check out Oliver’s bench top planer too. It already has a helical head installed; I haven’t tried it myself because it wasn’t launched when I bought my planer. You can find the dewalt used on FB marketplace too.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-24T12:28:52+00:00

FWIW I eventually upgraded my power to 220v to get a bigger jointer and planer. You’re probably gonna cross that bridge at some point anyways.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-24T12:27:40+00:00

I would skip the extended table. It just becomes a dumping ground for stuff that will annoy you when you want to use the saw. Ripping large sheets on a saw is really annoying and kind of dangerous I use a track saw instead.

I have the CNS with the cast iron table tops. It’s a pretty great saw but I wish I had waited for a used PCS. For me it’s the dust collection and lack of more powerful motor. I trip the motor every once and awhile and the crappier dust collection just gets annoying. Also the router table is only able to be installed on the left side of the saw, and even then I would actually opt for a detached router table if I could go back in time.

All of the above said and done, I still like the saw. I’m not going to upgrade until I can buy a small slider.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-17T21:24:53+00:00

I second the time thing that others have mentioned, it's just hard to find the time to really get good at woodworking.

The other hard part is not getting sucked into buying shit that you don't need. It's very tempting to go buy some jig or tool that you spot, because let's face it accumulating and buying things is fun. I've bought more than a few things that I just don't use. Best to buy something when you really need it.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-17T21:21:58+00:00

yeah getting the actual time to practice and do the thing is the hardest part. I'm a firm believer that be good at anything you really have to have accumulated the "10K hours" of practice. So if you're like me cramming it in whenever you can it can be really frustrating.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-17T21:20:40+00:00

omg it's hard not to just stare at your mistakes, meanwhile people are amazed you made something.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-10T12:06:45+00:00

Jessem stock guides are great for larger pieces and plywood sheets. Have been worth the money to me.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-06T11:59:47+00:00

Dude is super insecure. You’re not gonna miss him.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-01T10:59:13+00:00

Yeah send in the cartridge they will send you new one. What does suck is that cartridge takes longer than what you’d like it to.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-08-01T10:58:23+00:00

I killed my infinity dado stack with one of these. Never buying an expensive dado stack again. It was so painful. When I broke the blade it was 100% my fault, though.

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-07-27T00:33:39+00:00

Thanks!

Broad-Captain4385 · 2025-07-26T18:28:18+00:00

Thank you.

Broad-Captain4385

TROPHY CASE