On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 20:17:34 +0100, PoP wrote:

I bought a copy of the New Woodworking magazine yesterday for the
sheer hell of it. It has a feature article about the top 10 tools that
Alan Withey (woodworker) couldn't live without. Herewith:

1) Tablesaw
2) Chopsaw
3) Lathe
4) Thicknesser
5) Planer
6) Sander
7) Bandsaw
8) Router
9) Dado set
10) Smart tool digital level

I'm not sure I agree with the above, though I don't class myself as a
"serious" woodworker. I don't have a table saw (but I do have a radial
saw), lathe, thicknesser, planer, or digital level.

I'd maybe come out with the following ordered list:

1) Radial arm saw with accessories
2) Band saw
3) Chop saw
4) Router
5) Vertical drill
6) Sander

Anyone else?

Hmm, Tenon saw, a Diston panel saw, hammer, chisels, square, straight
edge, decent ruler?

In article ,
PoP wrote:
I'd maybe come out with the following ordered list:

1) Radial arm saw with accessories
2) Band saw
3) Chop saw
4) Router
5) Vertical drill
6) Sander

Why do you need a chop saw if you have a radial arm one?

--
*If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

In article ,
Wanderer wrote:
Hmm, Tenon saw, a Diston panel saw, hammer, chisels, square, straight
edge, decent ruler?

Solder/desolder station, cutters, screwdriver. ;-)

--
*We are born naked, wet, and hungry. Then things get worse.

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

"Dave Plowman" wrote in message
...
Solder/desolder station, cutters, screwdriver. ;-)

Mousemat?

On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 22:07:33 GMT, "Fred" wrote:

Mousemat?

Haven't needed one of those since I invested in a Microsoft optical
mouse. Those things are the bees knees, and I mean that in all
seriousness if you haven't actually tried one.

With my trusty optical mouse I can navigate on just about any surface
very reliably. When I'm using my notebook I can even navigate using my
thigh as the mouse mat - doesn't need to be a flat surface!

Highly recommend an optical mouse for anyone who hasn't tried one! And
they don't suffer from furry balls either!

PoP

On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 22:30:41 +0100, Dave Plowman
wrote:

Why do you need a chop saw if you have a radial arm one?

I often have the radial arm tooled up in a different combination (I
have all the optional extras like dado head, sander, etc). Not very
convenient if I want to chop a couple of lengths of rough sawn timber
and then go back to whatever I was doing on the radial arm.

Besides which, radial arm saws tend to be a little inaccurate, unless
you spent a whole lot of time setting them up before each cut (and
even then they may not be accurate). Whereas a good chop saw can
repeat a cut again and again.

PoP

"PoP" wrote in message
...
I bought a copy of the New Woodworking magazine yesterday for the
sheer hell of it. It has a feature article about the top 10 tools that
Alan Withey (woodworker) couldn't live without. Herewith:

1) Tablesaw
2) Chopsaw
3) Lathe
4) Thicknesser
5) Planer
6) Sander
7) Bandsaw
8) Router
9) Dado set
10) Smart tool digital level

I'm not sure I agree with the above, though I don't class myself as a
"serious" woodworker. I don't have a table saw (but I do have a radial
saw), lathe, thicknesser, planer, or digital level.

I'd maybe come out with the following ordered list:

1) Radial arm saw with accessories
2) Band saw
3) Chop saw
4) Router
5) Vertical drill
6) Sander

Anyone else?

This reminds me of the enquiry I made a while back, about essential tools
for a simple house maintenance tool kit. I ended up with about 50 tools,
only one, the drill, being powered.

Colin Bignell

PoP wrote:
On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 22:07:33 GMT, "Fred" wrote:

Mousemat?

Haven't needed one of those since I invested in a Microsoft optical
mouse. Those things are the bees knees, and I mean that in all
seriousness if you haven't actually tried one.

I long ago left mice and have used a trackball for years (a Kensington
one). Much more natural to use for me anyway. I use an optical mouse
at work but still prefer the trackball.

--
Chris Green )

"nightjar .uk.com" nightjar@insert my surname here wrote in message
. ..

"PoP" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 22:07:33 GMT, "Fred" wrote:

Mousemat?

Haven't needed one of those since I invested in a Microsoft optical
mouse. Those things are the bees knees, and I mean that in all
seriousness if you haven't actually tried one.

With my trusty optical mouse I can navigate on just about any surface
very reliably. When I'm using my notebook I can even navigate using my
thigh as the mouse mat - doesn't need to be a flat surface!

My experience is quite the opposite. I'd not used a mouse mat for quite a
while, until I changed to a cordless optical mouse. That works much better
on a mat with a finely textured surface than it does on the smooth formica
I
had been using for my traditional mouse.

Colin Bignell


I think that the problem is the shiny surface of the formica - they don't
cope well on shiny surfaces.

Works perfectly on my (unfinished - never _did_ get round to doing that job)
MDF desk top.

cheers
Richard

--
Richard Sampson

email me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk

In article ,
nightjar nightjar@insert my surname here.uk.com wrote:
My experience is quite the opposite. I'd not used a mouse mat for quite
a while, until I changed to a cordless optical mouse. That works much
better on a mat with a finely textured surface than it does on the
smooth formica I had been using for my traditional mouse.

My 'workstation' is black ash, and an optical mouse won't work on this at
all. Besides, a mat is easy to clean and protects the surface.

--
*In some places, C:\ is the root of all directories *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

In article ,
PoP wrote:
I often have the radial arm tooled up in a different combination (I
have all the optional extras like dado head, sander, etc). Not very
convenient if I want to chop a couple of lengths of rough sawn timber
and then go back to whatever I was doing on the radial arm.

Right. You must have a large workshop - I'd need to physically change the
radial arm saw for the cutoff one if the timber was of any length.

Besides which, radial arm saws tend to be a little inaccurate, unless
you spent a whole lot of time setting them up before each cut (and
even then they may not be accurate). Whereas a good chop saw can
repeat a cut again and again.

The only experience I've personally had was with an industrial 3 phase
DeWalt radial arm, and that was very good indeed - but then probably
anything was by my standards of hand cutting. ;-)

--
*Rehab is for quitters.

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 07:52:29 +0100, nightjar wrote:


"PoP" wrote in message
...
I bought a copy of the New Woodworking magazine yesterday for the
sheer hell of it. It has a feature article about the top 10 tools that
Alan Withey (woodworker) couldn't live without. Herewith:

1) Tablesaw
2) Chopsaw
3) Lathe
4) Thicknesser
5) Planer
6) Sander
7) Bandsaw
8) Router
9) Dado set
10) Smart tool digital level

I'm not sure I agree with the above, though I don't class myself as a
"serious" woodworker. I don't have a table saw (but I do have a radial
saw), lathe, thicknesser, planer, or digital level.

I'd maybe come out with the following ordered list:

1) Radial arm saw with accessories
2) Band saw
3) Chop saw
4) Router
5) Vertical drill
6) Sander

Anyone else?

This reminds me of the enquiry I made a while back, about essential tools
for a simple house maintenance tool kit. I ended up with about 50 tools,
only one, the drill, being powered.

Yes, it was rather the point I was making in another branch of this
thread. Seems like typical Yankee overkill with the powered tools.....

On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 10:10:50 +0100, Dave Plowman
wrote:

Right. You must have a large workshop - I'd need to physically change the
radial arm saw for the cutoff one if the timber was of any length.

Just a double width garage, one side used for the car, the other the
workshop (when the car is out during the day I set up a collapsible
workbench though.

The only experience I've personally had was with an industrial 3 phase
DeWalt radial arm, and that was very good indeed - but then probably
anything was by my standards of hand cutting. ;-)

I suspect the industrial saw might be made to more exacting standards
than the job sold for the home market, though I've had mine for some
25 years now and it's one of those tools that has "well made" all over
it.

PoP

On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 06:48:16 +0100, PoP
wrote:

On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 22:30:41 +0100, Dave Plowman
wrote:

Why do you need a chop saw if you have a radial arm one?

Besides which, radial arm saws tend to be a little inaccurate, unless
you spent a whole lot of time setting them up before each cut (and
even then they may not be accurate). Whereas a good chop saw can
repeat a cut again and again.

PoP

I find a radial much better than a chop saw, I have two Dewalt Radials
built in to a long bench with long fence and cut off stops along one
side of my workshop, (before anyone comments, I obtained the second
Dewalt from a friend who sold me his entire workshop kit and having
two does come in handy!)
IMHO I reckon that the Dewalt is more accurate and safer to use than
a chop saw (FWIW I do have a small chop saw which I hardly ever use) I
certainly don't need to set the radial up before each cut, I find that
once it is set up correctly it stays that way until I hit a knot or it
jams and this sometimes puts it out of square.

For cutting mitres and angles I have made a jig which offers the wood
to the saw at an angle rather than altering the saw angle and
disrupting my 90deg cut off accuracy.

I bought my First Dewalt 20 years ago and it has been worth every
penny, I use it almost every day.

John.

"Wanderer" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 07:52:29 +0100, nightjar wrote:

Yes, it was rather the point I was making in another branch of this
thread. Seems like typical Yankee overkill with the powered tools.....

Yup. I've often wondered what sort of stuff old Norm would produce if he was
stripped of most of his power-tools, and reduced to the level of
'enthusiastic amateur on a low budget' type kit.

--
/Slugsie