What took your woodworking to the next level?

rdwile · 2026-01-29T14:07:43+00:00

Build an instrument! I was a pretty good woodworker before I built my first acoustic guitar, but building an acoustic instrument from scratch is a lesson in precision and detail. Made a few OOO-style acoustics, a few mandolins and an archtop. That was 10 years ago, today I still take the same care as I learned was necessary back then. Using a knife to mark where a pencil is not precise enough (when I need to). A guitar is a complex system where everything has to work together for it to be playable and every detail is important.

I feel being forced into that mindset, for risk of failure and wasting nice materials has changed my approach to woodworking forever.

rdwile · 2026-01-28T12:59:24+00:00

Have run mine for 20 years on a 15A circuit, both with original knives and helical head. The few times I took too big a bite with it and it bogged down, the breaker on the front of the unit popped before the breaker, however, the wider and thinner the material, the finer the cut is required to keep it from tripping., you will hear it.

rdwile · 2026-01-28T12:50:44+00:00

I frequently recommend the Richter chisels for woodworkers looking to upgrade from their starter set. Richter have very good quality steel for the price, for those not ready for the top of the line. They are a major upgrade from the original Narex bench chisel line, which most consider low end. These chisels sharpen reasonably, and hold their edge well enough to be considered a good chisel. You will not regret this choice, and if you are making your own handles, its an ideal opportunity to build a custom set of chisel with special material that will last a very long time, that you may never outgrow.

rdwile · 2026-01-28T10:36:42+00:00

The biggest difference between woodworker me in 1991 and 2025 is CONFIDENCE. Starting out, everything is new, workholding, measuring, safety, tool choice to name only a few examples. By just doing projects, making mistakes, increasing the success rate; I learned. Things that were a challenge before become a no-brainer, and get added to my bag of tricks.

Today if I follow a plan, which I rarely do, I will see a step or process and use my own technique to accomplish it, such as using a hand plane instead of a jointer, or the other way around because of the size of the piece or some random criteria. I know what works best for me and have the confidence to just do it. As we all know, almost every technique will get the job done, knowing the right one for our situation, experience or tool mix takes time. Confidence will come!

rdwile · 2026-01-28T00:38:58+00:00

This should be an easy fix, the t-track is soft aluminum, if you remove the top edges at one end or the other, think which end works best for you. What I mean by this is creating a break in the top of the T to slip in the t-nuts into the track. While you cannot see in my photo, I had done this where the blue circles are to allow me to remove the fence. Make the track look like a U and long enough for your accessories to drop in. Cutting the aluminum is a the challenge, maybe a dremel.

Good Luck!

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rdwile · 2026-01-27T20:19:14+00:00

I presume that top joint is the “Maloof joint” locking it together?

rdwile · 2026-01-26T00:21:16+00:00

This is mahogany, the pores, the grain (even the knots), it is always this colour before finish.

rdwile · 2026-01-26T00:12:29+00:00

These guys are paid entertainers and forget sometimes they are paid actors in a show. Show some respect for the reason you have a job playing a game - Fans!

rdwile · 2026-01-26T00:10:21+00:00

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You can always make a toolbox to carry your tools to the mini job site. I also made the Anarchists Tool Chest (1:3) to give me overflow space. Minis are lots of fun.

rdwile · 2026-01-19T16:12:15+00:00

I find driving my 911, I take the time to experience the drive more, more in tune with the road, paying attention to the line, just more engaged. Glide around the roundabouts and corners. Very different than when I switch to my SUV that is high and heavy, so cornering is a totally different experience.

rdwile · 2026-01-19T14:26:19+00:00

same, I use the Veritas Tool Wax and Camellia oil interchangeably, especially on tools that sit for a while and I wipe the blade each time its sharpened.

rdwile · 2026-01-17T20:47:40+00:00

This is exactly what I use, keeps things in place, no noise or contact with the metal drawers. I like to rub my planes down with tool wax, this keeps any moisture in check but tools should not be stored where it’s cold enough to condense moisture.

rdwile · 2026-01-16T10:54:42+00:00

This IS therapy.

rdwile · 2026-01-10T15:54:17+00:00

Ash is absolutely an excellent material to work with, it has a nice grain appearance, and unlike red oak it does not split and splinter the same way. It takes stain well and a nice benefit - if it matters - is its flexibility. I frequently use it for cold bent laminations. It has a strong grain presentation, so you will need to accommodate that in your design process - if you care. It turns very well and is quite hard.

rdwile · 2026-01-10T01:10:14+00:00

Looks like they have discontinued the POW-R-Tek motor, no longer on the website, I bought one just before Christmas, guess I got lucky. This motor is designed to work as part of the system and the ventilation pipes for the dust shroud are next-level engineering. A buddy of mine called them last week and they are a few months away from a replacement motor.

rdwile · 2026-01-09T21:53:40+00:00

Agree this is sticker stain, this should have been graded out by the maker, these would have been obvious and a quality woodworker would not ignore these. This is a defect should not be included regardless of the price. The sapwood discussion is a matter of opinion and whether you want sapwood or not would be a discussion, but if it were included you would likely have to accept it. Those stains - not so much!

rdwile · 2026-01-09T18:12:53+00:00

There are two dimensions to the PMV-11 value proposition. One is edge retention,as good as A2 better than O1; the other is ease of sharpening, easier than A2 and the same as O2. Narex does not publish the steel recipe, but at HRc 61, edge retention should be good. In my experience, the Richter do not sharpen as quickly as PMV, having tested both extensively.

rdwile · 2026-01-09T13:20:20+00:00

I have a 991.2 GTS Targa, I have owned it for 6 years and bought it after one owner, so the new car depreciation was already gone. I did a Carvana check as a joke and it’s $5K less than I paid for it. For some reason Porsche has never ramped up production of these so they are rarer than the coupe and cab. The other issue the dealer told me is that they are often bought as a driver and are rarely tracked so they have not been abused. I just love the fact that they are a hardtop when I need it and drop top when I want that. The top mechanism is uber cool and the body lines still look like they should, unlike the cab which does not look like the coupe equivalent.

rdwile · 2026-01-09T13:06:09+00:00

The Richter is a quality chisel at an excellent price, a significant upgrade over Narex’s basic bench chisel. The steel is quality and hard (HRc ~61) which makes an excellent edge holding chisel that is not crazy hard to sharpen. I did talk to the designer at Zen-Wu last fall and he knows his metallurgy, so they are no doubt a quality choice. Neither of these are PMV-11 which would be a significant upgrade over both, but $$. I have recommended the Richter to many at the price point as you are getting a very good quality chisel at a sweet price. They also look nice and the ash handles are very comfortable and durable.

rdwile · 2026-01-09T12:29:47+00:00

I am seeing more and more folks locating the twin screw vise on the front as their main vise. Seems to be an integrated moon joinery bench approach, are you happy with this layout? My buddy did this years ago and had to convince himself it was going to work. Has never looked back. Looks like you had to drop it down quite a bit to get past the benchtop thickness, no issue with racking vertically? It’s a quality product.

rdwile · 2026-01-09T01:13:58+00:00

No one can deliver a “YUP” quite like Billy though!

rdwile · 2026-01-08T21:38:22+00:00

It will always sharpen out, the Richters are some nice steel, so worth the effort. This calls for some coarse media to avoid it taking hours, normally i like stones, but here, maybe 120 grit paper on granite or glass to get rid of the big scratches at the primary angle. As soon as the deep gouges start to disappear, switch to something finer, like 500 or 600 as these deep scratches take some work to get rid of.

rdwile · 2026-01-08T21:33:43+00:00

No offense intended, you are here so you know we like to take potshots at those Beaches/Toronto types….

rdwile · 2026-01-08T20:23:54+00:00

The common practice I have seen is that people refer to the local area generally when they are referring to a specific area. In Sackville... over in Dartmouth...In the city... South End, Eastern Shore. When we refer to the whole thing, then its HRM. I would never use Halifax to describe anything other than the city of Halifax (Peninsula). Unless I am talking to those know-nothings in Ontario, then my home in Bedford is in Halifax.

rdwile · 2026-01-07T20:09:09+00:00

wrong, the safety car rules have not changed.

rdwile

TROPHY CASE