...and then find out you don't use them nearly as much.
After 20+ years I'm moving my shop out of the basement to a new shop and while boxing things up and going through drawers/boxes that haven't been opened in years, I've discovered all the 'stuff' Norm made me buy!
Lamello Dosicol - Looked like good idea, but I guess I don't do enough biscuits to keep it filled with glue - kind of hard to clean out, especially if only gluing a handful of biscuits - I've found it easier to just squirt a little extra glue into the biscuit slot from the glue bottle.
Toolbelt - Again, nice idea, however I find that the pockets fill with saw dust when routing or using the table saw... it's also pretty damn heavy, I probably have too much stuff in it. Maybe Norm only wears it during final assembly, I never noticed.
Angle Wright Height Gauge - I keep it in a drawer by the router station, the times when I remember I have this and take the time to get it out, it works great, but the ruler/tape in my hand is often more convenient. Funny, but I when I do use it, it is usually with a dado on the table saw... maybe I should move it to a different drawer.
Bessey GRZ Super Grip Clamp - They clamp well enough, but getting the pressure just right is a bit fussy, I usually reach for a Bessey KliKlamp which work in a very similar way, but somehow are much easier to use.
Osborne Miter Gauge - Can't really complain about it, it does exactly what it should, but since I use the table saw primarily for ripping cuts I never use this. I do probably over 90% of the crosscuts on the miter saw.
Porter-Cable Speed-Bloc Sander - No dust collection, need I say more? I don't think I've ever loaded sandpaper on it.
Porter-Cable Corner Chisel - Neat little tool, but unless you're routing a ton a hinges with square corners, this gets buried in the bottom of the drawer and forgotten. Still in package, tells you how little I've used it! Actually, I somehow managed to end up with two of them.
Whiteside Router Inlay Set - Norm used it to make 'patches' to cover bad spots in some reclaimed wood he was using - seemed like a handy item at the time, never used it, then again, I don't find myself very often using reclaimed wood either.
Jevons Tool 3D Square - Once again, I think if I remembered I had these I may reach for them more often. Norm seemed to like them, maybe we're just doing different kinds of projects, because I can't think of the last time I used them.
Join me next time when we discuss Norm's jigs/fixtures I've made that never used.
Please don't think I'm bashing Norm for one second... after all, who else do you know that has their very own "The New Yankee Workshop" sign?
And just to end on a positive note... the most useful thing I bought because I saw Norm use it (and I probably wouldn't have found it on my own otherwise) is the Jack Rabbit Driver - if you have never tried it, I suggest you do. Norm used it all the time in the NYW and it truly is a great way to drill/drive screws.
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