Power Tools Blog

Does anyone cut coves on their table saws anymore? Something tells me it’s a dying art – Popular Mechanics from the 50’s and 60’s wrote about it several times but it’s dropped off since then in the woodworking and handyman mags.
Anyhow, I hope this collection is useful to those who plan to cut their own [...]
how doe this impact my state

KnotScott knows what’s hot in the world of woodworking, and he’s got the forum picks to prove it! This week you’ll enjoy marveling at the picture frame assembled inside of a whiskey bottle – how did they do it? Also, the sobering results of the first ever non-occupational table saw injury study. Are you [...]
does anyone know when this will take effect

Thanks to the magic algorithm at HourlyPress, we bring you our fantastic finds from around the world of woodworking! Highlights include the free drawer pull plans – man those things are handy! Also be sure to check out the Scratch Awl Class from WoodZone – those WoodZone “igits” are cranking out some amazing build notes [...]
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So… I hope you didn’t start one of the workbench plans from last week, because I’ve got a BOATLOAD of new workbench plans for you
Thanks to the Google Book Project’s tireless scanning efforts, I assembled a list of workbench plans from days gone by. Many are from the “Popular” brand (Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, [...]
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The drill press may seem like a boring tool… (badump tchhh) With the right jigs and modifications (such as bike hubs, salvaged cordless drill parts etc) you can turn your drill press into a light – VERY LIGHT – lathe!
Lathe at your own risk though – I’ve read you can really mess up your bearings [...]
this is bogus, who would think

KnotScott does it again folks – he is the pulse of the woodworking forum world! From router fences, to cleaning router bits to plunge router selections, he’s got you covered! There’s even some advice on clamp selection thrown in for good measure. Enjoy!

1) Best Router Fence
It sounds to me like there’s a major quest underway. [...]
and i though i was the only one to see it this way

Wait… Are you SURE you’re shopping for portable table saws because it’s a space issue? Have you tried looking over our 17 garage shop organization plans? Ok… you’re back and you know you want a portable table saw.
But WAIT! Have you made a list of your upcoming projects and got confident that you don’t just [...]
it should be interested what change will this make

If you’re not a woodworking forum regular, knowing where to start can pose significant problems. KnotScott participates in over 10 different woodworking forums and sends us his favorite threads every couple of weeks. Thanks Scott!
This week he sends us on an interesting trip through power tool brand loyalty, the best first-tool for woodworking newbies, and [...]
it should be interested what change will this make

We’ve got router jig plans; we’ve got router table plans. I can’t believe we’ve gone this long without some router fence plans for you! How have you managed without us

We don’t typically link to for-pay plans, but I thought I should mention Pat Warner’s Precision Integrated Curtain Fence for inspiration. You can buy the [...]
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Coming from a writing background (I have an MFA in Fiction Writing), I find it is interesting to note the overlap and comparison of thinking about composition of images and composition of prose. The common quote “a picture is worth a thousand words” comes to mind. Interestingly it is said one of the ‘rules’ of photography is that images should tell a story. If it is true, who should be more likely to have an interest in photography than someone who has studied fiction writing…I find my experiences with writing help me see my progress through photography more clearly.Writing At CollegeTaking writing courses was a confounding joy. I might be handed an assignment to write a story, and might be inspired immediately to write a poem. With the suggestion that I write a poem, I might be at no short hand to write prose. Other students I know would claim to get the much-romanced ‘writer’s block’, often meaning they couldn’t come up with anything interesting to fulfill an assignment. While my reaction to assignments may just have been some perverse part of my nature, the imposed task would fill with obligation, rigidity and expectation…and I could find respite in doing almost anything but the task at hand. I enjoyed discovery and creativity; it was simply more fun to explore writing to whatever end than to perform a task.The upshot of structured courses was that while I was compelled to complete the necessary work to conform to the expectations, I wrote probably twice as much unstructured work in addition to the formal assignments. To stave off verbal constipation, I made a habit of keeping a scratch book (and still do) where I was free to experiment and explore words. In the abstract paths, scraps, and unfinished pieces may not be my best work and material, and much I’ve never shared or published, but some inevitably filtered back into other finished work, and it is still where I do my most intense learning. And After College…Later, continuing down a lawless path, I taught college English for several years, and tested ideas from my own learning, using my students like guinea pigs. I tried to abandon rules entirely as part of the curriculum — rules, I reasoned, were something no one really cared for, and college students should have had their fill by the time they met me — so I had my students exploring writing itself rather than tethering them to the rule book. They wrote a lot, improved tremendously by following their interests, and seemed to allow themselves to enjoy the experience of writing which, in turn, helped them learn from it, often coming in a back-handed way to the rules — whether they recognized them or not. Choosing Your RulesThe best of rules, when you know them, become simple, helpful guidelines built on common sense: suggestions as to what will achieve success with relative consistency. While anyone can resist rules, the essence of rules can’t totally be ignored. Rules of writing attach meaning to words and without that reference writing would never convey an intended meaning; likewise, you can’t take a picture without light in the absolute dark. Rules may not fit your perspective as you hear them, but they may have other meanings, and more fitting, creative, and personally meaningful interpretations. For example, the rule of thirds really says to me: “don’t be boring”, which can lead to a lot more than 4 suggested options. There are all sorts of writings, just like there are all sorts of photos. Some photos might tell a story, and might seem more like a poem, a story, or even a novel — and some may only be meant to be snippets, scraps, experiments, and vehicles for learning. If you following the rule that each shot needs to be a story as an imperative, you may hold yourself back from capturing some less structured frames, experimenting and exploring possibilities, and learning from and enjoying your time taking pictures. In other words, you will do well to follow the rule of trying to tell stories with your images — so long as it doesn’t oblige you to try and squeeze impossible imagery from an inappropriate scene when you might, instead, happily snap the shutter to learn some nuance about light, shadow, shutter speed, or color that may later help you ‘tell a story’ in better conditions.Pear Stems. Shot when I found my camera in hand and some interesting light after dinner. Practicing Lawless PhotographyAt times, when you are frozen, looking for the ultimate shot in a dramatic scene that is being elusive, it may help to put the rules out of your head a moment and just look through the viewfinder. Snap off some frames without expectations, move in and away, tilt the camera, shoot portrait and landscape, change your lens…Think of as many rules as you can while doing it, and break every one — for a reason if you can think of one, or just because. After you shoot a series, view the results to see if anything you shot suggests a direction, and then use that suggestion and refine the result. You can always use rules first if you feel naked — or you may find you follow them more naturally as you shoot view and refine.Visit the Hidden Power website for Elements users:
http://hiddenelements.com
maybe this will change things