Sounds like your SWMBO is a keeper! If you have a minute, would you
mind asking her if I can get a plasma cutter? I figure that it is OK as
long as it is SWMBO approved!

Tim

Ehvee8or wrote:
Hi folks,

I've got some gloating to do, then I have a couple of questions.

GLOAT MODE ON

A couple of weeks ago, SWMBO and I were laying in bed one weekend
morning, drinking our coffee and watching Norm build an Adirondack
love seat. I suggested that it would make a nice replacement to the
delapidated bench sitting in front of the house that we got from the
Borg a few years ago. She agreed. As I watched the construction
proceed, I soon realized my current tool inventory was not up to the
task. There's a lot of curved pieces in this project, and I don't have
a bandsaw.

"I might be able to build it if I had a decent jigsaw, but the one I
have is a POS" I murmured between sips of coffee. It's a 20+ year old
teeny tiny Craftsman with a shoe that won't stay at a right angle to
the blade, and vibrates so badly that any tools laying on the
workbench have to be tied down to keep them from falling of the edge.
Its ability to actually *cut* anything, even with a new blade, also
leaves a lot to be desired. "Well you should get a new one" she said.

Having recently received a couple of HD gift cards as a result of some
hand tool purchases, I merrily invaded the Borg hive and picked up a
Bosch 1587AVSP. Oh baby. The difference between this thing and my old
POS is like the difference between driving a Cadillac and a .....
roller skate. And, as luck would have it, it was packaged with a
couple of "free" clamps. As long as I was there, and since the jigsaw
was almost free (due to the gift cards) I was pretty easily able to
talk myself into a PC 333 ROS to complement/upgrade the B&D 1/4 sheet
finish sander I've been using for years. I haven't taken it out of the
box yet, but it won't be long.

Well, yesterday the plans and video for the love seat arrived in the
mail. After watching the video a bit more carefully, and looking at
the plans, I realized the jigsaw wasn't going to cut it (pun
intended). "Hey honey, I'm not going to be able to do this with a
jigsaw. I need a bandsaw......and a planer". "Okay, get what you
need". Gawd, you gotta love her.

About 15 minutes later, my new bandsaw was ordered. As I speak, a
Grizzly G0555 complete with riser kit and movable base is being
picked, packed, and readied for delivery to sunny Tampa Florida. I
haven't quite picked a planer yet, but I'm leaning heavily toward the
Ryobi. The consensus in the group seems to be that it is a pretty good
machine for the money, and I've spent a sh*t load of money lately on
tools, so this might be a good opportunity to save a few bucks. After
all, I still have to buy some good bandsaw blades, Duginske's book,
and even though SWMBO and I decided to forego exchanging Xmas gifts in
favor of recarpeting the house, I'm feeling the need to go to the
jewelry store to show my appreciation.

GLOAT MODE OFF

QUESTION MODE ON

I need some advice on bandsaw blades. By all accounts, it seems
Timberwolf blades are the way to go, but the selection seems a bit
overwhelming. Since this love seat is going to get painted, I plan to
make it out of PT pine instead of the Cypress Norm calls for. My
immediate need then is for a blade to cut fairly large radius curves
in 1 to 1.5 inch PT. Future projects undoubtably will call for smaller
radius curves in harder wood and some resawing. I'm looking to buy two
or three blades, and I'd like some suggestions on blade width/tooth
count combinations to get me started.

On a somewhat unrelated note, I've got a Makita 3612BR router that's
about ten years old. Until recently, it sat unused in the garage for
about 6-7 years. When I put any kind of significant load on it, I can
see sparks through the vents in the top of the motor housing. With no
or very little load, I don't see them. I checked the brushes and they
have a good 3/8" left on them before they wear down to the little
replacement indicators. Are the sparks normal? Am I trying to remove
too much material too fast? My most recent experience was cutting a
groove 3/8" deep (in one pass) with a new 1/2" straight bit in PT
pine.

QUESTION MODE OFF

If you made it this far, thanks for your kind attention.