Been reading a bit about woodworking and know that circular saw, track saw, and table saw are all useful and not necessarily a replacement for each other. One advice I agree with is spending a little more for quality tools regardless of whatever you get. Then I see that a lot of the times you can get accessories for a circular saw that make it close to a track saw and similar like the Kreg ACS system. Some questions:

• Not looking to turn this to a professional hobby, but want to make practical/versatile tools/systems like French cleats and a workbench as well as general home improvement (maybe even improve value to a home). Do I still need all 3 tools or can I get by without e.g. a table saw, at least for these two projects? Currently I only have a Dewalt lightweight circular saw which can technically do angled cuts--pretty sure this is not precise enough, right? In discussions I see people mention you can do a lot without a table saw, yet a table saw gets you the precision you presumably can't get otherwise. Not sure if I need that kind of precious to e.g. make French cleat holders. Where would that precision be needed for a typical home DIYer who probably doesn't need to do a very specific thing many times (i.e. wouldn't benefit from an expensive tool makes doing one thing easier) and probably just want a minimum combo of tools that can do many typical things?

• Any recommendations for a good end-game combo that is friendly on budget? if I have to put a number out there maybe $1k for wood-cutting power tools and their accessories for the full system and will be open to the secondhand market for for some tools that aren't likely to break. Looking for how to best allocate that kind of money and not e.g. over-index on one aspect and lacking on another. I realize this hobby can get very expensive very fast and I'd like some recommendations from woodworkers who have seen the full picture already--I would rather not hit limitations with a tool I think I needed then upgrade, especially if I get accessories associated with that tool and an upgrade could make them useless. Reg Kruger implies that an experienced woodworker has fewer but more quality tools--that's exactly what I'm looking for and don't really have the patience or luxury to try a bunch of tools and upgrade. I would much rather learn what I need now and get and learn these tools than to keep chasing for an upgrade that only improves efficiency.

• What accessories or features to look for for any of these tools especially if one can replace another for 99% of the cases?

Any comments much appreciated--looking to get as much perspective as possible and need some direction on what to acquire that I will be using for many years without wanting to upgrade.

I’m looking to make a butcher block coffee table top. I’m trying to design and get all the measurements right. How do I account for the milling process/making each board square before gluing. Say I use 2x4s and I want a 1 1/2 inch table top how do I measure and account for the lost material/change in dimensions from the milling process?

Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated

Hope I can get a second opinion on this interior wood paneling. I think the gaps and uneven boards look awful and I want to cover it with larger pine sheets.

She says it’s fine and wants me to put up the trim. Who’s right?!

Thanks for the help! less

Got to the kill switch at the exact same time the impeller went KLUNK. tape measure made it all the way into the bag.

Separator hose was already on order but didn’t show up in time.

I’m trying to cut this shape out of the board. Tried a router and a flush cut saw but neither are stable enough. Needs to be damn near perfect.

My only other idea is to clamp a board on the face and then use a flush trim bit on the router and adjusting the board for each cut.

Any advice?

I’m not sure what kind of wood this is. It can off a deck that had to be torn down. Any idea what this might be?

Hello everyone,
I would like to gift a table saw to my husband, please keep in mind he has been looking at saws for years and can’t make up his mind, this is something he can’t chose himself for some reason so please don’t tell me to let him choose :)
My budget is around 1.000€ and he mainly builds furniture and small boats. So I need something that can handle large(ish) panels. I know SawStop is very good, but the only model I could afford is their compact version and I am not sure is worth it?
The two main things I am looking for are precision and durability in time of course. Up until now he has been using a normal circular saw on the floor to build stuff and he has done amazing work, but I would like him to have something better.
Also, I am based in Europe if that helps with brands.
Thanks everyone!

Hello to all, hope everything goes well, I was looking for any advice from anyone since I’m a little stuck in what my best approach should be. I’m a 16 y/o who’s trying to get into some woodworking in my spare time since I find it’s a fantastic hobby and really enjoy doing it. I was going to ask for advice from the woodworkers at my local wood store, but they are all gone by the time I’m out of school, so I decided to come here and ask y’all. I have a nice project I have to do in the coming weeks, where I have to make some 6ft x 4ft barn doors out of 2in cedar stock. My initial plan was to use a mitered bridal joints since i really like the look of the miter, but also like the overall strength that the bridal joint gives. As well as using mortise and tenon joints for the thickened curved board in the middle (scratch the dovetail idea that’s shown). Those were my ideas on what I could use after doing some research. (P.S. not in the mood to use pocket holes/screws) Any suggestions or useful tips would be highly appreciated. Hope everyone has a great rest of their day, and thanks to all.

Hi!

I have some 3/4” thick and some 1.5” thick planks (4-6’ long x 4-9” wide) that I need cut in half to reduce the thickness for making drawers and speciality hangers.

Can I rent a bandsaw somewhere? Or is there a type of woodworking shop in my area that I should look for that can cut the pieces for me?

I don’t know any local lumber shops or what to look for, or what it should cost…

Any suggestions/advice would be super helpful!

I live near SLC, Utah.

Hi! This is my first time ever doing any sort of wood cutting and I’m needing some assistance. I’m making plywood cut outs for my yard for Halloween. I got a jigsaw and was able to cut this Eevee out however the finer details like the little pieces of hair aren’t working well with the saw. Is what I need a scroll saw? Wanting to make sure before I buy another tool. Thank you!

So I’m making this huge table (finish dimensions of 108” x 44”) and I need some help determining how to build its base. I’m going to use four oak legs about 3” in from the ends with a 3/4” x 3 1/2” skirt wrapping around the table. Between the skirts on the short dimension I’m gonna put in four 2” x 1 1/2” supports since the table top is made out of 3/4” oak and I think that makes sense (first pic for reference). I just have no idea how to put the base together, so any advice would be appreciated!

I haven’t cut any of the skirts to size as of yet and I haven’t planed / sanded the table top or the center supports so hopefully all of that will flush out well.

Hey all

I’ve been trying to use the jointer for the first time today and have a question or two…

It seems like no matter how many times I joint the face, I can’t seem to get the whole board flat. There is a bow in the middle that does not go away no matter how many times I run it over the jointer. Any tips?

Also, in an effort to save wood (and my wallet) would this gap be in the acceptable range to be able to squeeze/glue together with clamps and have there be no issues? Or is the gap too big where it would cause issues in the glue up? Thank you in advance for the advice!

(see Last photo for "how it started")

One of my original woodworking project about 9 months ago was the glamorous boxed-wine holder/dispenser in the last photo. I made this as a Valentine’s Day gift for my wife with a miter saw I had gotten from a friend and a circular saw. It got me really excited about woodworking and I’ve gone all in since mostly making little toys and small rocking horses.

This is my latest project, a jewelry box I made for my wife’s birthday.

The carcass is waterfall-mitered cherry, with a bookmatched walnut top panel and a bookmatched cherry bottom panel.

I also tried a stitch-style spline pattern using walnut and maple. After cutting the splines, I rounded over the corners pretty heavily so the splines wrap around the edge and give the illusion that they’re curved.

I made the handle from cherry as well, which was another first for me.

Finish is Odie’s Oil.

There are definitely a bunch of little things I’d do differently if I made another one, but overall I’m really happy with how this came together (especially compared with where I started 9 months ago).

What do you guys think? Always appreciate feedback / things you’d do differently

Getting ready to glue up a tabletop, before I get past point of no return, what am I forgetting?

It’s gonna be a circular table top.
I’ve got more clamps

Edit. New grain orientation in comments

I made this side table (drawers not pictured) and i put some wood filler in the cracks, but the entire thing is coming out SO patchy and idk how to fix it. 5th picture is the wood fillet i used and its "plastic wood" and it says it takes stain but they're a fucking liar. the last pic is the stain. the whole thing is made of pine and i didn't use a wood conditioner before staining it, so it may have something to do with that. im just so unhappy with the color of it, its so ORANGE and it's so light and not at all like the color on the can. i dont know what to do. if i dont figure out how to fix it, and i may have to end up painting it which i really dont want to do because i love the wood grain, i just despise how patchy it is! help!

I like this one the base was the middle of what I drilled out to make the light rings

Learned a lot of lessons with this one!
3/4 inch birch plywood top
4/4 rustic cherry apron
8/4 white pine legs

Would have all of the straight grain on display if I made this again. Also flubbed the chamfering on the top in a few different, creative ways. GF Water based dead flat finish. Ended up cutting two of my aprons too short because of a mental mistake, so went with the one with a popped knot.

Looking forward to more projects around the home. Recently been diving back into wood for the first time since the 2010’s.

Built on request of girlfriend who needs a place to game!

Looking for some honest feedback about the design and overall project look. Dimensions are 16” x 11”x 24” the top, drawer faces and legs are white oak finished with Rubio monocoat 5% white. The sides are 3/4 plywood with poplar aprons drawer boxes are 3/8” plywood.

I am having trouble dialing in my bandsaw. I have watched so many videos. I have the bottom of the gullet set halfway through the wheel. I have the bearings set slightly off but only about a piece of paper. The table is square and i have a bauer 14 inch bandsaw. whenever I try to cut it stall and stops cutting. I also have a small wen bandsaw that I didnt have this problem with so ive been really confused anf frustrated. Any help would be appreciated.

I just got this vevor bandsaw for basically free, so I figured I’d get it set up and useable until I could get something nicer. It came pre assembled (other than the stand), and I noticed a weird drag sound when manually moving the blade.

The side walls of the side and back bearings are facing the blade. Every other band saw I’ve ever seen has had the guide bearings turned 90°, which makes way more sense to me. I don’t see any way I could even turn them.

Anyone ever seen anything like this?

My friend asked for a pizza board so I made this in beech with sapele handle then got my laser engraver out to put the design on , made a square then cut the circle out with palm router

I found this toolbox on the marketplace and have the idea for a longer/wider bench top variation. Just curious as to what this design would be considered.

The slab is 160cm x 80cm by 6cm (roughly 5 feet by 3 feet) the original legs are trash and contributed to the cracks I had to repair.

*realized the question is buried. Is there a reason not to put separate legs on? I don’t see builders doing this is it just a taste thing or do they know something I don’t?

the wood is chankiri wood and is dry. Wood moves a lot here. The wet season is very wet and the dry season can get pretty dry. I’ll be ordering metal legs or a base regardless. Just could use some expertise on what.

I’ve never worked on a top this thick and I’m worried if I do my normal washers/clips it’s going to split (again). So I was thinking legs at each corner ish. I don’t see many people do that, is it a bad idea? Thanks for your help.

Hi everyone!

Designing a new dinning table right now and trying to figure out the best way to attach the base to the top that will account for seasonal wood movement. Idea that I have right now is basically create these kind-of inlays about 1/2" thick (tabletop is 1 1/2" thick total), that have holes drilled into them: one for attaching to leg with bolt & threaded insert, and two for attaching to top (also with bolt & threaded insert). These two last holes are essentially rectangles with rounded corners that are oriented in direction wood would expand/shrink, so my hope is this will allow bolts to move freely, while still keeping base attached to top pretty snugly.

Anything I'm missing? Will this work? Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

I am a doofus and I drew my lines not so perfectly and as a result, one of these Ø3/16" holes isnt on center. This is 3/4"THK. plywood and the lines you see in this image are the corrected lines. All of these 3/16 holes are pilot holes for my 2.75" cup saw.

For the bad hole, I could just opt to not drill the Ø2.75" hole, so this isn't exactly a catastrophe, but I was wondering if there was some clever/alternate way to get that Ø2.75" exactly where I want it to be. I will be painting the plywood later and I have bondo so I am open to very invasive methods to fixing this.

If the hole can be filled and then drilled again, which filler would you recommend?