NEW TOYS - Help My shop's caught Yellow fever [PICS]

[John Hedges]

Well it all started a while back when I picked up this tool during the $209 Amazon Orgy and my shop had it's first yella tool.

[John Hedges]

Well I recently decided to upgrade my TS and planer. Even after I put a lot of time and $$ into the Contractors TS, I really wanted a larger saw with more power, a larger fence, better dust collection etc., so this landed in my shop the other week

[John Hedges]

putting it together was interesting. I was flabergasted at how easy it is to align the blade to the miter slot on a cabinet saw. That task used to take forever with my old contractors saw and would need to be done every now and again (I know I know I should have gotten pals, but just never got around to it). One of the first things I noticed was the size of the arbor nut. It was huge compared to what I was used to, and the arbor itself was milled extremely tight, to the point that changing the blade was a real challenge, because it was so tight.
While setting it up I noticed that the fence faces were pretty wacked out when I ran the dial indicator on them (noted in a previous thread), so I had them send me out another set which was very true (and interestingly enough had a different texture on the face). Also I noticed that the models I saw in the store had 2 lines on the cursor preventing paralax problems. I really liked this feature, however when my saw arrived I noticed that it only had one line. When I ordered the replacement fences the girl who answered stated that they no longer made the double line cursors and the single line cursor now ships with the new saws. Since I had to talk to the rep about the fence faces he told me he thought he could dig one up for me (real nice guy), and lo and behold when the replacement fences showed up there was a double line cursor in the box (WOO HOO).

One other problem was the fence rails. While they were perfectly useable the front had a number of chips in the powder coating. Since I paid as much as I did I asked them to ship me a new front rail. When the replacement arrived it was a replacement for the rail that comes on their contractor saw, so they sent me another replacement and actually sent me a whole new set of rails and guide tube, so I guess if I ever have to cut the rails for a sliding table I will have a spare set to do it with.

One note for anyone getting this saw. The riving knife is a real pain in the A$$ to adjust. Mine was out of alignment and since it is aligned with 4 screws (which are not easy to get at) you have to be real careful because if all 4 screws are not set right the RK will tilt or not be square with the blade. Of course once you set it you never have to deal with it again, unless you want to use it with different kerf blades, so I may make some shims for the different blades I have that I can slip in to set the knife correctly when I change blades. For this reason alone I think I would have gotten a right tilt if they made one. Also got the low profile riving knife which is very nice when using an overarm guard.

The real WOW factor with this saw came when I used it for the first time. It just cut so clean and true and made a sound like a laser cutting. I was also amazed at how quiet the saw runs. I was using a new FS tools 40 tooth combo blade on it and I will add that I am very impressed with the blade. Cuts as cleanly as my WWII which I just had sharpened.

Well enough about the TS already, this finally arrived last week. This is when I really started to get concerned about my shop catching yella fever.

[John Hedges]

It is a 15HH. Actually I originally ordered a 15 with the tablesaw from Timberline Tools, but the shipping company destroyed (and I mean destroyed) the 15, and since it was a floor model and no longer available I decided to replace it with the 15HH. I was a little concerned when the 15HH arrived and had a hole in the side of the crate from a forklift, but the unit was unscathed.

[John Hedges]

I have seen a lot of conversations here about this planer and eliminating snipe, and I will say that after spending the better part of the weekend adjusting it in different configurations, I found that adjusting extension tables dead flat level with the bed, setting the bed rollers so they are also level with the bed, and easing the tension on the feed rollers has virtually eliminated snipe. I cant believe how quiet this runs and how fast it can chew through wood.

My wife gave the best compliment I could have heard when she saw the new TS and Planer. She got a disgusted look on her face and asked "Are these the new tools?" When I said "Yup". She said "they look old, like they are out of the 50's". To which I got a big grin and said "YUP".

Lastly I decided to add a compressor to the shop (also the subject of a recent thread, so I had them slip in these to the order as well.

[Jim O'Dell]

Do you want pickles and onions on that sir? :D Nice additions! Jim.

[John Hedges]

I thought the shop was getting over the yella fever when I saw the compressor but then I saw the nail gun.

It is really nice to have compressed air in the shop to clean things out and the nail gun has come in handy, as I am retrofitting my BenchDog ProMax table into a new outfeed/assembly table (gotta conserve space in a garage shop). Since the TS has a bigger table I couldn't put the router table into the wing on the new TS and I really like the ProMax, so I hope the design will work out.

Well I think I am done for a while (at least until I can talk the wife into a new MM16 Bandsaw :D). Time to get back to making stuff which is why we collect all these tools in the first place.

Oh I wanted to add that if you are thinking of buying any large equipment I strongly recommend calling Jeffery at Timberline tools. He had great prices (quoted me a lot lower than their website) and was great to work with.

[Justin McCurdy]

Nice acquisitions, all you need now is DUST!

[Don Bullock]

And to think that the LOML thinks I've been spending a lot on tools.:eek: Those are some great additions to your shop. Enjoy.