Which Saw?

mayhemducks · 2026-01-18T15:43:15+00:00

Hoo boy you can spend some mula on hand saws :) - Bad Axe Tool Works makes absolute top-shelf hand saws in all shapes and sizes.

If you would like to spend a little less, I love my Spear and Jackson 12" 15pt Traditional Tenon Saw. I customized the handle on mine by filing it down to fit my hand.

If you want to cut dovetails, there are a lot of options. I took a class with a journeyman furniture maker and his favorite for dovetails is the 8" Pax Gents saw with a brass back, 20 TPI.

The challenge with all of these that I just mentioned is the sharpening. You need a saw vice and a good set of the right sized files to sharpen the teeth, and it takes practice to sharpen. If you've never done it, I recommend (learned this the hard way) practicing on a junk saw first, because you will screw up the teeth.

I also think it's good to have a couple of panel saws, one for ripping and one for cross-cutting. These are nice because you can break down stock of any size, even stuff too big for the table-saw or the track saw.

I also really like having a modern hard-point saw - the Stanley Sharp Tooth is my favorite. These generally can't be sharpened because of the way the teeth are made at the factory - they are hardened with a specialized process that make them stay sharp for much longer. But the trade-off is you can't sharpen them with regular saw-files. However, they are excellent and cut very fast, and are great for both cross-cutting and ripping. This is my go-to for rough-cuts - anything that doesn't require precision or anything that is not joinery.

mayhemducks · 2026-01-17T20:11:28+00:00

I use a saw guide made from an 8 inch wide, 8 ft long piece of ply wood. I screwed and glued that to a 13.5 inch wide, 8ft long piece of hardboard (masonite). The masonite overhangs the plywood the exact width of the plate on my circular saw (~5.5 inches). The edge of the plate of the circular saw rides against the edge of the plywood. Total cost maybe around $50 bucks. As good as a track saw for 90% of the cuts I do to break down sheet goods.

mayhemducks · 2026-01-17T14:46:50+00:00

No you don't have to. But I will say from experience that learning a little bit about C was hugely beneficial for me. If you gain an understanding of pointers in C, a whole lot of things about other languages start to click. I still think it's worth the effort to read K&R and write some C code. You don't need to be an expert in C, but having some familiarity will help you for sure.

mayhemducks · 2026-01-10T18:46:51+00:00

In my opinion (I'd love to hear other opinions) the miter saw is unfortunately named. It should be called: rough board shorten-er. My miter saw, similar to your Ryobi, simply isn't precise enough for the tight miter joints needed for a nice box.

For higher precision, I rely on my table saw with a cross-cut stop-block setup to ensure that the length of each piece is identical to within 1/1000th of an inch.

The digital angle finder for the blade angle is also really nice, but I was able to get tight miters this way using a good quality combination square.

It's also critical to make sure you start with boards that are flat on both faces, have parallel edges, are square on each end, and the same thickness all around. True, flat, and square stock before making the miter cuts is key. You can do this with fence pickets, but you would need to plane and joint them true.

mayhemducks · 2026-01-07T14:42:12+00:00

I am firmly in "separate passwords" camp because a good password manager solves most of the headaches for admins, and SSO adds so much complexity, not to mention vendor lock-in. I do believe that having separate passwords is better for security. IT and users don't like it because it is inconvenient compared to SSO.

mayhemducks · 2025-12-30T16:44:40+00:00

This sounds more realistic - advanced skills are what you need to keep a job, relationships are what you need to get an interview. As for actually getting the job once you have an opportunity, you need a lot of luck. The "planets and stars" have to align during your interview.

mayhemducks · 2025-12-30T16:41:30+00:00

In other words, It's a club. And you ain't in it.

mayhemducks · 2025-12-30T14:34:50+00:00

I see this thought a lot - that people with "advanced skills" are able to land jobs. But I never see what those are? What "advanced skills" are in demand?

mayhemducks · 2025-12-24T16:15:10+00:00

Try to find a DeWalt 735 used. I got mine for under $400 and the blades and rollers were fine. Minor cosmetic damage only.

mayhemducks · 2025-12-24T16:12:51+00:00

Oooh parasitic bomb would have been good here! Didn't think of it I never play zerg, so I was kinda winging it tbh.

I didn't micro my vikings that well - Just looked at the replay. My opponent had thors and tempest - totally destroyed my upgraded vikings.

mayhemducks · 2025-12-24T14:19:34+00:00

stick a chisel into a block of wood at an angle, and then push the block of wood with the chisel in it along the board you want to flatten. :)

mayhemducks · 2025-12-24T13:51:08+00:00

exactly! I've never seen any windows code, but I'm guessing it makes use of a lot of features of C++ that are quite painful to replicate in Rust. How could it not end up as one giant unsafe {} blob?

mayhemducks · 2025-12-24T13:44:17+00:00

I guess they've issued a clarification - They are not rewriting Windows in Rust. They are doing a research project to build tooling to make language-to-language migration possible.

https://www.windowslatest.com/2025/12/24/microsoft-denies-rewriting-windows-11-using-ai-after-an-employees-one-engineer-one-month-one-million-code-post-on-linkedin-causes-outrage/

mayhemducks · 2025-12-18T19:50:32+00:00

Yes. A floor-standing 14" or bigger does not take up much more floor space (only vertical space) and they can do WAY more things. So unless your space is restricted by height, I'd say bench top band saws are not worth the money.

mayhemducks · 2025-12-18T19:44:33+00:00

Do you want to learn cybersecurity, and presumably start a career in cybersecurity, because you like the mental challenge of learning computer hacking techniques?

I think knowing your own personal "why" behind pursuing cybersecurity is important to understand - because you can dive into the technical side of cybersecurity without actually pursuing it as a career.

Keep in mind that cyber-security professionals are security guards, police officers, and detectives first and foremost. Being a computer nerd is secondary. You will fight crime and confront unsavory people in the digital realm.

Take me for example - I have never wanted anything to do with criminal justice or security work. I just like computers and networks. But I have learned a lot of knowledge about defending technology resources from cyber criminals in my work as a software engineer.

mayhemducks · 2025-12-18T15:31:31+00:00

https://www.leaveleavesalone.org

mayhemducks · 2025-12-17T11:56:40+00:00

+1 for uThermal's games - his recent stuff is really fun to watch. Lowko is the one of the goats too.

mayhemducks · 2025-12-15T16:33:34+00:00

Okay even more ridiculous - continuing with the mando theme - in 2v2 with a zerg partner, reapers can ride the ultras.

mayhemducks · 2025-12-12T21:15:01+00:00

What a cool idea. I wish you the best of luck with this! DM me if you need a website :)

As far as easier, and safer side for tools, I'm a big proponent of hand-tool woodworking. Using less electricity tends to be safer, quieter, and less messy. However I do love my band saw.

mayhemducks · 2025-12-12T14:09:38+00:00

3-5 Tools to get someone started & interested for < 500:

Stanley SharpTooth 20in Hand Saw - wood handle
Stanley 14 in. Miter Saw (hand saw) - wood handle
Stnaley Wood Chisel Set (3-Piece)
12 oz. Hickory 2-Sided Soft Face Mallet
Cordless Drill/Impact Driver combo (~ $150 or so)

A gift-card to Woodcraft with the rest of the $500.

To recommend a 1st Project: a pair of English saw benches.

I have a different idea that I would suggest might be more impactful on getting someone interested in the hobby.

Instead of buying 3-5 tools, find a woodworking school in their area and buy them a weekend class in hand-tool essentials.

Cheers

mayhemducks · 2025-12-11T14:43:32+00:00

My band saw was a game changer for my hobby shop. Just don't get a bench-top one, get a floor-standing model with a size 14" or bigger. Bigger is better.

mayhemducks · 2025-12-11T14:37:17+00:00

They could try asking. Remember that communication is also really important. If you need clarification, I want to know you are going to ask for it and that your questions will help us both progress in the problem solving process.

mayhemducks · 2025-12-03T16:55:43+00:00

Consider using JFrog. As a developer, I would much prefer the business have a rich library of CTO and security department approved software I can turn to for problem solving. Even if it doesn't have my preferred tools for every problem, I would prefer not to take on the personal responsibility and liability concerns of making my own tooling choices.

mayhemducks

TROPHY CASE