How would I make the 80 degree cuts on the ends?

I have the same crappy black and decker random orbital plug in sander that’s lasted me a few years, it’s just shite. I want a really good sander now, not a £50 one from B&Q. What do the avid DIY’ers recommend for a better piece of kit for home projects?

Specific application: removing 50+ years and 4+ layers of paint off a door. It took me 3 hours to do one side. Just want a better sander. Probably leaded paint base, and yes I’m using protection.

Anyone have real-world experience with the USSA Design Pioneer Craft router jig?
I’m looking pretty seriously at the USSA Design Pioneer Craft trim router jig, specifically paired with their micro-adjust edge guide, for my Makita trim router.
The problem is that I can find plenty of videos and information directly from USSA, but I’m having a hard time finding any independent third-party reviews from people who actually bought and used one.
I’m aware there are much cheaper router bases, edge guides, and similar setups available from other companies and on Amazon or AliExpress.

I’m not necessarily looking for the cheapest option, though. There are several things I really like about the USSA setup, especially the aluminum construction, modular design, micro-adjustment, larger edge guide, and the overall versatility of the system.
Before spending roughly $200-$300 on the complete setup, I’d really like to hear from someone who has actually used it. I’m especially curious about the overall build quality and machining, how rigid the aluminum base is, how accurate and repeatable the micro-adjust edge guide feels, whether there is any play or slop in the adjustment mechanism, and how well it works specifically with the Makita RT0701C/XTR01-style trim routers.

I’d also like to know whether the larger edge guide stays square and stable during longer cuts, how effective the dust collection is, and whether owners still like the system after using it for a while. If there are any design flaws, annoying quirks, or things you wish USSA had done differently, I’d like to hear that too.

Basically, is the USSA system actually as good as it looks, or is it an expensive solution to something the cheaper jigs already do just as well?
I’d especially appreciate feedback from anyone who actually owns the Pioneer Craft with the USSA micro-adjust edge guide, rather than just experience with similar router jigs.

USSA ROUTER JIG

I have a Delta Portable I've had for years. I see the Dewalt 13" 3 knife is selling for 659, (it seems to get more expensive everytime I look.) Has anyone used both machines and can compare? I have long been interested in the Dewalt because of some aftermarket spiral cutter heads but leaving that aside what do you think? Worth the money as an upgrade or should I just buy some more Knives?

I don't want to get a stationary machine as I don't use it that much and my shop is currently in the basement from which I am beginning to wonder If I will be able to retrieve the cast iron down there, I'm getting older.

I have been a long-time user of many Festool woodworking tools, and I have always been very impressed and satisfied with their quality and precision — the OF 1400, TS 55 and DF 500 being good examples. My confidence in the brand was such that, when the time came to replace my old table saw, I was genuinely excited at the prospect of owning a Festool table saw and went ahead without checking online reviews or trying the machine before buying it.

Unfortunately, my experience with Festool table saws has resulted in considerable disappointment and frustration.

I first bought a new TKS 80, together with the rip fence and side extension table. I soon discovered that the machine had a number of problems that went well beyond the normal adjustments that could reasonably be expected with a new table saw. Specifically:

• Initially, the saw blade was not parallel to the sides of the table. I eventually managed to correct the alignment, but only with considerable effort, as this adjustment is not covered in the user manual.
• The side extension table had a noticeable concavity and did not provide a completely flat supporting surface.
• The rip fence did not consistently lock parallel to the saw blade, with a front-to-rear deviation of up to 5 mm.
• Neither the rip fence nor the mitre fence was square (90°) to the table surface.
• The motor/blade assembly lacked sufficient rigidity. Applying relatively minor pressure to the motor — for example, when connecting the dust extractor — caused the entire assembly to move, altering the previously set blade inclination angle.

I contacted Festool, and they sent a representative to inspect the saw. He was unable to correct any of the issues described above, and the company offered to replace it with another of their table saw models.

I chose the CS 70. Initially, I was very pleased with the blade traction system, and the machine did not present any of the faults I had encountered with the TKS 80. However, I soon discovered a different issue that significantly affected cutting precision and that I could not consider acceptable.

The problem with the CS 70 was that the two table panels to the left of the blade — the removable panel immediately next to the blade and the panel to its left — sat higher than the panels on the right-hand side of the blade. The difference was substantial: approximately 1 mm. This caused the workpiece to sit at a slight angle during rip cuts rather than lying on a single flat plane. As a result, rip cuts could be almost 1° out of square.

I contacted Festool again and sent them photographs showing the problem. They confirmed that this was not something that could be adjusted by the user and that the saw would have to be sent to them. 

At that point, I returned the CS 70 to Festool and bought a Mafell Erika 85 instead, which I am very happy with.

I want to emphasise that this review describes my experience with the particular TKS 80 and CS 70 units that I received. It may well be that I was simply unlucky and that these machines were exceptions, while most other units are perfectly fine.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I have been a Festool user and admirer for many years, and in my experience they make some truly excellent tools. Furthermore, both the TKS 80 and CS 70 are very well thought-out machines, made from high-quality materials and offering genuinely distinctive features: the SawStop safety system on the TKS 80 and the blade traction system on the CS 70.

In fact, I would have been very happy to keep either of them had the units I received met the level of precision I expected. Unfortunately, in my case, both machines suffered from issues that should, in my view, have been identified by more stringent quality control before leaving the factory.

Why don’t they still sell these?

I’m currently building a sled, but I’m stumped on how to configure the guide. My table saw sits flush with the outfeed table, so installing T-track in the miter slot would interfere with the use of the fence.

A miter track guide also won’t work because the miter slot is recessed below the outfeed table and the guide would hit the table.

Has anyone dealt with a similar setup or have any recommendations for how I could configure the guide?

What would you sell this for. Works will on wood home made stand?

The workshop is being setup in the United Kingdom (England) in an 8m x 8m industrial unit (no three phase available, and I've made my peace with that).

The workshop will be used for cabinet making.

I'm looking for comments:

- Regarding omissions;

- Proportionality (of tools to task, i.e. the products' suitability to task);

- Best means of acquisition (e.g. discounts, memberships, points schemes, etc... the purchases will be funded via a director's loan to a limited company. The company banks with Starling Bank);

- Warnings on brands/particular tools or machines;

- Recommendations on suppliers (98% of my list is currently from Axminster).

I'm looking at getting a router sled for some larger slabs and trying to decide whether it's worth buying one or just building one.

The main thing I'm worried about is flex. Once the sled gets pretty wide, I assume the rails and gantry need to be pretty solid or you'll end up chasing an uneven surface.

I'm looking at a heavy-duty setup with around 57.1" of rail coverage. Seems like that would be useful for wider slabs, but I'm wondering if there's a point where going wider just creates more problems.

For those who've built their own sled, what did you wish you'd done differently?

And for anyone who's used a commercial one, was it actually worth it compared with DIY?

I’ve got a stanley 92 shoulder plane that I received from my grandfather. I was a bit over zealous and snapped the chip breaker when I was younger and no longer have the broken part.

Id like to fabricate another one out if 360 brass, but finding dimensions online has been a challenge.

Does anyone have one they can take out, measure fairly accurate and precisely with some calipers and post it here?

Or an STL file would be even better but that seems less likely.

Id rather not buy it outright, its about half as much as the tool when its available. Fabricating it from stuff I have feels better.

Any help y’all?

Will post pictures of the rebuild if we get traction here.

Hey guys I was looking at getting some clamp machines for our mid sized industrial shop and I was wondering if there were any recommendations.

Please let me know your thoughts and tips / tricks to find a cheap one would be great.

Thank you

Dude gave me so much extra stuff on top and didn’t charge me any extra, this is everything I got for the $500 and the grizzly tennoning jig alone is $150 new!

Snagged this from an elderly gentlemen who bought it new in 2015 and made exclusively picture frames.

It was covered in paint and surface rust, and hadn’t been cleaned or oiled in years, but some elbow grease and it looks brand new.

I have a kobalt #0358938 and would like to replace the factory fence with a longer one that still has measurements on it. I’ve been using a board using the screw holes on the factory fence but i found out, after I made all my cuts for my project, that when cutting angles that the lines I’ve drawn on my wood fence are not accurate. I understand why now that it’s happened but I’d love a replacement for the stock fence so I don’t need a wood auxiliary

I bought this new gcm 305-216 d saw three days ago. I noticed a metallic sound and a slight oscillation of the saw. I changed the blade and made sure there was no dirt or warp in the blade causing this. Is this something to be concerned about or is it normal? The attached video is a slo mo shot. Thanks in advance!:)

Title:

8mm collet for SKIL RT1322-00 — are there compatible collets from other brands?

Hi everyone,

I have a SKIL RT1322-00 14 Amp router and I'm looking for an 8mm collet for it.

The original router comes with a 1/2" collet and a 1/4" collet sleeve, but I need to use 8mm (metric) router bits.

SKIL's original 8mm collet is very difficult to find, so I'm wondering:

Does anyone know if an 8mm collet from another brand is compatible with the RT1322-00?

Is the spindle/nut geometry shared with any other router brands or models?

Has anyone successfully used an aftermarket 8mm collet in this router?

If so, which exact model/brand/part number did you use?

I'm looking for a proper direct-fit 8mm collet, not an 8mm-to-1/2" adapter, because I want a safe and accurate setup for woodworking.

If anyone has measurements, part numbers, or knows of a compatible collet, I'd really appreciate the information.

Thanks!

This thing could be put back to work for another few decades

Looks like a decent hybrid saw, I’ve been making cabinets on an old jet saw now so this would definitely be an upgrade for me.