Tools that are much better than you expected

[anne watson]

Don't laugh,my old Geenie Shopsmith. I have all sorts of power tools, BUT having a horizontal boring drill, and 2 types of sanding disks, flat and round with the variable speed function. On the other end I have a fine grindstone for touching up lathe tools. I could go on and on about the other functions but these are the ones I use the most.

[Jon Wolfe]

My new Craftsman 10 inch bevel cutting sliding miter saw. Don't laugh, Craftsman used to be a great brand and I did a lot of research before settling on this saw. I thought I was downgrading from a Dewalt but this saw will cut 12 inches and the best thing is the way the rails are stationary and the saw slides (forward) on the fixed rails. I can set it up almost against the wall in my shop and get full cuts. I got it online for less than $200 delivered and new. Nice construction. I am VERY impressed and happy with this saw.

Here's my set up.
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....er-Saw-Station

and a link to the saw...

https://www.craftsman.com/products/c...iter-saw-21237

I had to join Sears "Shop Your Way Max" club but it was a free trial... got free shipping and some bonus bucks that brought the price down something like $40.

Bonus... Sold the Dewalt on CL and it was an even exchange (few bucks in my pocket).

[Carlos Alvarez]

I had the Fein Multi-master as well as the cordless HF version. Both served a purpose, and the HF was surprisingly good. The Fein was better, but corded. When I switched to all DeWalt Li-Ion tools, I got their version of it, and it's the best of the bunch. Sold the Fein (for more than the DeWalt cost). I love it. Another DeWalt battery tool that is shockingly good is the grinder. Sold the corded one, no need any more.

A decent impact driver will change your life. I have the 12v and 20v DeWalts; the little one is so light and easy to use, the big one is not huge, but very powerful and controllable with its brushless motor. I can adjust a screw in half turns with it, instead of using a hand driver. I rarely reach for the hand driver any more at all.

My Ridgid belt/spindle sander is shockingly good. I got it for $25 on CL. It's not on the order of a high-end sander, but it's excellent for a small cheap machine. Very flexible.

[Peter Kelly]

Festool Domino XL. Somewhat expensive though compared to a stationary slot morticer it starts to look fairly reasonable. Well worth the money imo.

[Carlos Alvarez]

Festool Domino XL. Somewhat expensive though compared to a stationary slot morticer it starts to look fairly reasonable. Well worth the money imo.

There seems to be a general consensus that this is the best domino machine by far.

[Peter Kelly]

Other than the tracksaw, I think the XL the best thing Festool has made.

[Johnny Barr]

Jessem table saw stock guides. ...... I use them for about 99% of my rips including narrow ones despite everyone saying you can't. Believe it or not I have ripped down to 1/2" using them. As the guides do an excellent job of holding the stock down and towards the fence you only need to worry about pushing and that can be done horizontally. I made a few thin push sticks that travels under the rollers. This way I can rip narrow pieces. So they are not just for large sheets. They are also a great safety device. The push sticks that I've made are fairly long, that way I can stand back from the table and be no where near the blade. If my shop got destroyed and I had to buy another table saw then they would be the first add on I would get. I forgot to say that the other 1% of rips is using the Grripper when the stock is small.

[John Jenkins4]

+1...........

Jessem table saw stock guides. ...... I use them for about 99% of my rips including narrow ones despite everyone saying you can't. Believe it or not I have ripped down to 1/2" using them. As the guides do an excellent job of holding the stock down and towards the fence you only need to worry about pushing and that can be done horizontally. I made a few thin push sticks that travels under the rollers. This way I can rip narrow pieces. So they are not just for large sheets. They are also a great safety device. The push sticks that I've made are fairly long, that way I can stand back from the table and be no where near the blade. If my shop got destroyed and I had to buy another table saw then they would be the first add on I would get. I forgot to say that the other 1% of rips is using the Grripper when the stock is small.

[Brian Nguyen]

So your push stick is just a long stick? (God that sounded like the dumbest question I've ever had to ask) If not, can I just use a long stick to push stock through?

Jessem table saw stock guides. ...... I use them for about 99% of my rips including narrow ones despite everyone saying you can't. Believe it or not I have ripped down to 1/2" using them. As the guides do an excellent job of holding the stock down and towards the fence you only need to worry about pushing and that can be done horizontally. I made a few thin push sticks that travels under the rollers. This way I can rip narrow pieces. So they are not just for large sheets. They are also a great safety device. The push sticks that I've made are fairly long, that way I can stand back from the table and be no where near the blade. If my shop got destroyed and I had to buy another table saw then they would be the first add on I would get. I forgot to say that the other 1% of rips is using the Grripper when the stock is small.

[Chris Parks]

My new Martin tablesaw.
I obviously had extremely high expectations buying arguably one of he best made saws in the world. The fit and finish is amazing as I expected. I had seen Martin machinery many times at all the big WW shows.
Operating this fully automatic, motorized machine is really a joy. But, the biggest surprise is how much safety and precision this saw brings. I knew a "slider" was going to take a bit to get used to as I have operated only cabinet saws for the last forty years. Another concern of mine was that a slider is generally not considered a saw used for fabricating small, intricate work? I have read here that many guys have a slider for large case-work and a cabinet saw for small work.

My greatest realization is that a slider can not only do the most intricate work you have ever dreamed of but also 100 times safer than any cabinet saw ever could. The slider holds the wood so you don't have to. Your hands never come close to the blade. I had a Fritz and Franz jig made as soon as I received my saw. This jig combined with the sliding table has completely changed my approach to cutting wood on a table saw.

Here are a few pics of fabricating the stops for the T-track on the F&F jig. I plan on posting another thread just on the Fritz and Franz jig and the safety benefits.

Attachment 366112Attachment 366113Attachment 366114

I knocked up an F&F jig out of two bits of 18mm MDF and used it for about three years, it greatly exceeded my expectations as it was an experiment to see how effective the jig was when we learnt about them initially. $1 dollar for three years works for me.

[Timothy Shouldice]

For me...

+1 on the Jessem table saw stock guides, I too don't think I could live without them.

Digital depth gauges, angle finders, calipers and protractors - not every project lends itself to cutting or thicknessing everything at one go so its nice to have the repeatability at a high level of accuracy

Carbide tipped bandsaw blades - we use carbide table saw blades, why fight ever dulling steel bandsaw blades?

Incra Mitre 3000SE + Mitre Express - this is my only crosscut sled

Whiteside Ultimate flush trim bit - beautiful results with great flexibility

Rockler Dust Right Quick Change system - I have a centrally located dust collector that I attach to each tool as needed using the dust right quick change system - works great and time to attach hose to each tool is pretty close to opening a blast gate. Plus when done you can quickly get any dust missed by detaching and using the quick connect handle as a portable vacuum. I also have the floor sweep attachment and that is really handy for getting the fine dust off the floor.

Dylos Air Particle Meter - you can't manage what you can't measure. Takes the FUD out of workshop dust control and makes it scientific. Let's me know when to wear a dust mask, when to run the overhead cleaner and when to run the dust collector open to the shop - all to manage real measured dust levels. It also helps demonstrate which activities produce the most dust - the dust raised by just sorting through my wood pile really surprised me.

Rockler Silicon Glue Applicator kit - bye, bye PITA acid swabs, wood sticks and fingers.

LED shop lighting - more light for the same wattage - win, win

Lee Valley Magnetic-Mount LED Work Light - gives that extra light to see pencil lines when bandsawing, mortising and using my Domino - quite indespensible

[Johnny Barr]

So your push stick is just a long stick? (God that sounded like the dumbest question I've ever had to ask) If not, can I just use a long stick to push stock through?

Any thin stick(s) will work as long as it goes under the rollers and you push horizontally and its long enough to keep your hands a fair way from the blade. Then you can rip narrow pieces.

[Don Jarvie]

HF 8 inch grinder. No vibration right out of the box. Tool rests stink but I can live with that.

[Larry Frank]

I agree with the Shopsmith. Mine is over 50 years old. I just had the head rebuilt with all new bearings, belts and alignment. It is such a versatile tool for me. It is a great horizontal boring machine. I use it for several types of sanding. I built a flat sander to go on it, a pneumatic drum sander, 12" disk sander, and other sanding. The variable speed is great. I also use it as a lathe...

I would not be without it.

[Ron Kellison]

I've been surprised a lot by tool purchases but if I had to pick just two it would be the 1st generation Lamello biscuit joiner complete with a wooden box, wrench, extra blade and manual ($20) and a big Elu router ($50) that is just a jewel of a tool. The plunge mechanism is just so much smoother than the big Dewalt it replaced and I'm convinced that my grandchildren will still be using it long after I'm gone. Elu was every bit as good in it's time as Festool but then they were acquired by the Black & Decker/Dewalt borg and the brand just disappeared.