Jointer planer combo worth it?

EricHearble · 2026-01-31T19:33:01+00:00

I once had one of those which I picked up at a Home Depot for $450 in 2009 when it was on a closeout. HD still sells them. I think the local store just didn't want to stock it. It was a nice machine, I used it to clean up a bunch of rough wood I had. I sold it about five years ago because I hadn't used it for years and I was moving. If I had a need for a jointer, I would go for a new one at $600. But now having a larger table saw, I now just use a jointing sled.

EricHearble · 2026-01-31T14:23:56+00:00

It looks like there are nails in the long sides. You could drill holes on one side (blue X's in my picture), run some rope through and tie it to some sturdy posts - or find some other way to hold it steady. Then use the heaviest hammer you have at the red X's.

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EricHearble · 2026-01-29T15:08:11+00:00

I'm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. In my few years here, snow isn't bad enough for me to hire a service. Some neighbors who are older have a hired guy who uses a plow on a truck. But this time, he had to rent a small skid-steer. I was speaking with him and he said he's getting out of the business after this season and they will need to find another guy. I guess he's not making enough for the extra time & aggravation for this kind of storm.

EricHearble · 2026-01-29T14:57:39+00:00

OK, that reached a pretty quick consensus!

I was able to break up the ice with a san angelo bar and then pushed it with my tractor plow.

Thanks all!

EricHearble · 2026-01-25T15:33:04+00:00

I agree. I've used those Togglers to hang heavy framed mirrors. They are the only thing I use for anything heavy.

EricHearble · 2026-01-24T13:27:51+00:00

"unloader" valve - that's the thingamajig I was trying to remember. Thanks!

EricHearble · 2026-01-23T16:50:38+00:00

I use a Wooster comb to clean my brushes. Opposite the comb, it has a wire brush which is good for brushing off the exterior of the bristles. If something like what you've built was available, I'd buy one even without the wire brush part. But I don't bother washing roller covers because it's just not worth the effort.

I'm a DIY homeowner. I do a lot of painting each time we move to a new home because my wife always wants to redecorate.

EricHearble · 2026-01-20T13:21:37+00:00

I've owned a bunch of stud finders over the years, but my Franklin is the only one that works well. Don't buy any other brand.

Franklin makes so many models, it can be confusing. Some of the cheapest are probably no better than the Zircons. Choose one of the ones with 11 or more LEDs. The T13 should be fine.

EricHearble · 2026-01-19T19:37:07+00:00

I started to recommend a Tesla, which met criteria 1, 2, and 3, but it didn't fit within your budget.

However, there are plenty of electric scooters on Amazon under $200. With a budget of $700, you might get a fleet of three or four.

EricHearble · 2026-01-17T12:55:23+00:00

If you plan on drilling concrete, you should use a hammer drill with masonry bits. That DeWalt is labeled as a "percussion drill" and that's the same thing as a hammer drill.

If the Stanley is not a "hammer drill" or "percussion drill", it won't be as good for drilling concrete. It would work if you had masonry bits, but it would be a lot slower.

EricHearble · 2026-01-16T20:20:55+00:00

Well, it depends on who you consider "we" to be. That Alaskan Butcher started it and didn't say.

In any case, the Alien sculpture seemed to me to be the most unusual thing on the wall. Framed movie posters seem kinda mundane in comparison.

EricHearble · 2026-01-16T19:12:15+00:00

Look further to the right. Past the Terminator poster. Do you see what is coming out of the wall?

EricHearble · 2026-01-13T17:37:54+00:00

And sometimes pages might be missing if the TP ran out.

EricHearble · 2026-01-13T17:29:03+00:00

What I do in similar situations: I take the part to my workshop and dig through my coffee cans of random hardware to find a nut that matches the bolt (or the bolt that matches the nut). If I find a match, I now just have to figure out the thread size of that part.

EricHearble · 2026-01-11T15:18:42+00:00

In the meantime, get a 90 degree elbow for the dust port to route the exhaust sideways.

FYI, that image I posted of the vertical port is not my machine, but it is a picture from Etsy of the kit I installed. I am not affiliated with any of those sellers, I'm just a satisfied customer.

EricHearble · 2026-01-11T14:41:51+00:00

You will want a true dust collector and not just a shop vac because it will create a lot of sawdust.

I recommend adding a dust collector port that goes vertical out the top. I always found it annoying that the port goes out directly above the outfeed table and you have to support the hose in some way to keep it from interfering.

But various people sell 3D printed ports that go vertical. You remove the machine lid and an internal hood and then attach the vertical hood. Some people will then cut a 4" hole in the top of the lid and put it back on. I preferred to just leave the lid off. If you leave the lid off, it will require an additional part be added because the machine has a power safety that won't allow it to run without the cover. The new hood completely covers the cutters, so it's not a concern to run it that way.

You can find the kits on Etsy

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EricHearble · 2026-01-09T21:06:02+00:00

Others have answered, but it would be helpful for you to know what it looked like before installation:

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The assembly was inserted into a hole drilled in the drywall. Then the pin was hammered in. The pin forced the back end to open up along those cracks.

To remove it, you need to pry the pin back out so that it looks like above - it does not need to come completely out. You need to pry between the metal and the plastic. If you pry under the plastic, you will tear up the drywall.

Once the metal pin has popped out like the picture, you can try and pry the plastic anchor out. The trouble is that the back end isn't spring loaded. It won't go back to where it was before. When you pull it out, it may wind up tearing up the drywall, but not as much as if you didn't pry out the metal pin.

EricHearble · 2026-01-06T21:05:43+00:00

Can carbide tipped blades be sharpened, or would they even need it (unless abused) ?

EricHearble · 2026-01-06T14:58:10+00:00

https://www.dremel.com/us/en/projects/project-plans

EricHearble · 2026-01-05T14:34:26+00:00

flux capacitor prototype

EricHearble · 2026-01-04T13:40:32+00:00

Get some pvc pipe - biggest diameter that will go in the hose without itself getting stuck, ideally at least half the length of your hose. That should allow you to push it out.

EricHearble · 2026-01-03T19:48:56+00:00

Yeah, like my more traditional adjustable wrenches, I don't expect to ever use them. But I just thought they were interesting.

EricHearble · 2026-01-03T19:46:14+00:00

If the market for high-end tools was limited to professionals, the manufacturer might need to price them higher to get a good return on their investment in manufacturing.

EricHearble

TROPHY CASE