I Want This To Be A Woodworking Tool...

[Joe Scarfo]

Well... The GF bought me an iPad for my birthday and I'm asking myself.... how I can use this for my fav hobby...

Other than surfing for tools, and drueling at pjcts others have done... how can this thing enhance my woodworking?

Anyone know of any real useful woodworking apps? The only thing I've run into is a basic board foot calculator and there's gotta be something better than that...

Thanks
Joe

[Brian Deakin]

Ideally if it was possible to view videos on an i pad you would be able to take your i pad into the work shop and view eg a video on how to adjust a plane and practice the process while watching the video

regards Brian

[Rich Neighbarger]

Turn that ipad into a nice hand plane... the magic of craigslist

[Bill White]

You could be like my stepson and keep your face in some sort of electronic device 24/7. If the screen is flat enough, use it to hone your chisels. ;)
Bill

[Dave Gaul]

What about cad like sofware for drawing up plans and diagrams?

[John Coloccia]

I've had my iPhone for a year. Sometimes, I use it to order lunch. Other than that, it doesn't help me much in the shop. There just aren't any useful apps I've found. If I could think of one, I'd develop it myself.

[Matt Day]

Personally, I like to keep those things out of the shop! I like to go into my shop and get away from the computer and cell phone, though I do always have my phone in my pocket in case my wife needs me.

Out of the shop I use the computer quite a bit for drafting, and tool porn of course. I wouldn't think an iPad would be good for drafting, since it's a touch screen w/o a mouse. Does it have speakers? Might be a good radio (pandora, etc)!

[Shawn Pixley]

Other than the videos and plans noted by others, I use it to track supplies I need, dimensions, things I learned that I want to record. I play iTunes through it as well. There is an app called "my measures" that I find handy with home improvement projects.

[Dick Thomas]

What about cad like sofware for drawing up plans and diagrams?

GOOD GRIEF Dave? You must be a young pup! With my eyes I run my cad software on a desktop with a 20" monitor, and THAT doesn't seem big enough at times. I can't imagine trying to do design work (Or watch videos, for that matter) in a rediculous 2 1/2 " postage stamp-size screen. The bigger the better! :)

[Dan Karachio]

Use it to read and post to SMC when you are NOT in the shop!

[Zach England]

There is an ap to convert measurements, but other than that it is probably useless.

[Steve Griffin]

I don't have an eye-pad, or pea pod or a dingleberry or a I-phoney, but I will say my desktop is an invaluable woodworking tool.

Besides drawings, it's main use is to organize cutlists. Sort by width/length, generate cutlists for doors/drawers, talley up quantities and linear feet. And then print out on a piece of paper. I prefer to have typed cutlists, as you can fit so much more a page than handwriting and there is less chance for a typo error with my clubby fingers.

-Steve

[Tony Joyce]

This is an interesting app for iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad. Made available at Woodshop Widget (http://woodshopwidget.com) by "The Wood Whisperer". The link is actually the free for all web version.

It's available at the iTunes store. I just wish they made it for android phones. I could use it about every day.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=127641&d=1252624454

[Shane Sura]

I use mine to view various podcasts, specifically for woodworking would be the Wood Whisperer. You can subscribe in iTunes and it will automatically download new episodes. In addition some Wood Working magazines have started putting their magazines online for subscribers. Wood Magazine does this. They look beautiful on the iPad and perfect for bringing plans to the shop. Also you can of course put PDF and other such documents on for viewing magazines or plans.

Finally, one Sunday while spending the day sharpening on my WorkSharp I put on Netflix so I had something to help with my boredom. :eek::rolleyes:

[Keith Outten]

Here is an idea that you could easily transfer to your workshop. I load floor plan drawings on my IPad in PDF format that I use for sign installs. When I am installing signs I no longer have to take a large role of drawings with me and believe me it is a blessing not to have to role them out on top of my install cart. My IPad fits nicely on my cart and it is so easy to zoom around a drawing as I move down the corridors to get the door numbers. I downloaded a PDF reader that alows me to annotate or make comments right on the job. This works great for making notes on a pre-install walkdown or an inspection.

Obviously just about any kind of drawing, project plans and documents can be converted to a PDF so you don't need to lay paper on top of your workbench anymore. If a project has video with the plans iTunes will easily convert and copy them to your IPad so they are right at hand. Pictures are definitely worth a thousand words when you are working on some projects and I have used my video camera while taking things apart so I didn't have to make sketches. The videos are easy to start and stop while you are reassembling or rewiring.

I have recently started making notes on my IPad for CNC Routing projects. Bit speeds and feeds plus any comments about a setup or toolpath.

My short term memory is fading fast.......the IPad is a tool that helps me remember a lot of things that I couldn't possibly keep in my 59 year old file cabinet as long as I remember to charge the battery.
.

[Rick Markham]

Honestly the Wood whisperer app is disappointing. There is a contractor calculator app that has gotten great reviews that is a full function construction calculator, and cheaper than buying the actual calculator. If you need one of those, I personally don't, my brain takes care of that, or my scientific calculator if I'm having a bad day. Keith's idea is a great one, if your a hobbiest ya probably don't need it for that though. You could put rest your orbital sander on it, or use it as a paint platform... though that is a total waste :D

My vote is "Jailbreak" it, and then sell it on the popular auction site. Use the money to buy a tool you really want, and tell the GF your saving the monthly service charge. If she objects too much you can always get a new one (I'll leave that up to you to decide if I am talking about the I-pad or the GF ;))I'd love to have one of those I pad's but I am not going to pay for 3G service on top of my I-phone bill already :mad:.