03-05-2017, 08:20 PM
I'm in the backyard and I hear a skilsaw turning and turning and laboring. It goes on for some time and I'm wondering what could take so long to cut.
I go back to the neighbors and ask him what he's doing. He's building a bookcase. Simple thing with cleats for the shelves and nailed together. No frame. He's splitting closet pole to put on the front for trim.
He's using a home made TS made from an old direct drive skilsaw mounted upside down on a 3 x 3 piece of ply mounted on a 2 x 4 table. The fence is a piece of hardwood he unscrews and resets where he wants. He's splitting 1" round closet pole and using a dull dull blade cause its taking him forever to cut. I offer to let him come over and use my Jet cabinet saw and he declines. He's showing this contraption off and is proud of it. I'm not going to say anything but offer him a nice carbide blade for it as I have several (I toss them when the paint wears off). He says he started using a handsaw but it wasn't giving him a clean cut. The handsaw is a Chinese ninety-nine cent cheapie about 15" long and its rusty and no doubt never been sharpened. Again I offer to let him come over and make his cuts, glue, clamp, etc. He says he might take me up on the belt sander to sand the rough edges on the split doweling.
Makes a person grateful to be able to afford the nice tools, but hey, he was having fun with what he had and was proud of what he'd built. If it were me, and I'm sure this applies to all of you, the first hiccup in the project and I'd be out buying just the right tool for the job. I left my invitation open but I doubt he'll take me up on it. Count your blessings.
I go back to the neighbors and ask him what he's doing. He's building a bookcase. Simple thing with cleats for the shelves and nailed together. No frame. He's splitting closet pole to put on the front for trim.
He's using a home made TS made from an old direct drive skilsaw mounted upside down on a 3 x 3 piece of ply mounted on a 2 x 4 table. The fence is a piece of hardwood he unscrews and resets where he wants. He's splitting 1" round closet pole and using a dull dull blade cause its taking him forever to cut. I offer to let him come over and use my Jet cabinet saw and he declines. He's showing this contraption off and is proud of it. I'm not going to say anything but offer him a nice carbide blade for it as I have several (I toss them when the paint wears off). He says he started using a handsaw but it wasn't giving him a clean cut. The handsaw is a Chinese ninety-nine cent cheapie about 15" long and its rusty and no doubt never been sharpened. Again I offer to let him come over and make his cuts, glue, clamp, etc. He says he might take me up on the belt sander to sand the rough edges on the split doweling.
Makes a person grateful to be able to afford the nice tools, but hey, he was having fun with what he had and was proud of what he'd built. If it were me, and I'm sure this applies to all of you, the first hiccup in the project and I'd be out buying just the right tool for the job. I left my invitation open but I doubt he'll take me up on it. Count your blessings.
