Chuck, I have one of my routers in a downdraft cabinet router table, so
dust AND noise is minimized. I can hook up my Fein shop vac to the
fence, and the DC to the downdraft. That pretty much covers the mess.
The cabinet muffles a lot of the noise, but because my ears are
sensitive (actually ONE ear -- lost the hearing in the left to an
acoustic neuroma a few years back) I wear ear protection.

I spent several hours last night perusing the Lee Valley catalog where
some things were jumping off the page, screaming for a home. Namely a
Veritas low angle block plane, some gouges, and scraper.

Which leads me to a question(s): There are scraper blades that you bend
with your thumb, scraper handles almost like a spoke shave, and scraper
inserts for a plane. Is one style more popular and useful, or does each
style have it's proponents, OR is there a need for each type in one
woodworkers arsenal? I work oak and will be working cherry and maybe maple.

Conan the Librarian wrote:

Bay Area Dave wrote in message y.com...


For me that would only include a minimum of "Neandering", as I don't
like wasting time.


Some folks don't consider doing things by hand to be wasting time.

Back to the original question: I'm in the camp of those who very
rarely use a routah. When I bought my PC I spent all of my time
trying to use it for everything possible (when the only tool you have
is a hammer ...). As I developed my handtools skills and acquired
various tools, I started to move away from it.

After we moved into our current house, it stayed packed up for
about two years. I finally got it out a few months ago when I was
working on a flybox and later a fly-tying station, because it was the
right tool for the job. Since then, it's been relegated to the back
wall of shop where it will sit until needed again.

I never enjoyed working with the thing. Carbide bits spinning at
21,000 r.p.m. right at crotch level just isn't my idea of fun. Plus
the fact that it spews dust and chips all over the shop, and one slip
can destroy a project (or a finger) in a millisecond. Naw, for the
most part I prefer to "waste my time" with plow planes, molding
planes, and scratch stocks.


Chuck Vance