Woodworker's Journal 2009-33-1, страница 60

Today's Shop

"... and now that your stock trading hobby isn't much fun anymore, it's time to clear an area in your garage, shed or barn and start gearing up to make some sawdust!."

Sometimes you just don't want to cut a straight line. Here, the author uses a benchtop band saw that can cut delicate scroll work or slice through 3'i" stock — and many tasks in between. While it can't handle really heavy-duty work, it can be a small-shop workhorse.

the power or table size to handle heavy, long stock, I've found it perfectly adequate for light edging or surfacing duties with shorter lumber commonly used for small projects. If you have heavier, longer boards to joint, you can switch to a router table (see page 62).

Band Saw for Cutting Curves

If curved woodwork is your thing, a band saw is an important purchase. For cutting out smallish-size curved parts, scrollwork and light resawing duties, benchtop band saws with 9"- to 10"-diameter wheels work well. Models including the Skil 3385-01 (photo above) accept

A true "woodworker's" drill press, this Ryobi model has adjustable drilling speeds "on the fly" and a round table. Add to that the advantage of laser hole centering, and the machine becomes the whole package for a small-shop craftsman.

blades up to 3/8" wide and can cut wood up to 3V2" thick. Fitted with a narrower (1/8") blade, a small band saw can cut curves down to a 1/4" radius, so it can do many of the same cuts you'd do on a scrollsaw. If a compact band saw's throat depth isn't deep enough for cutting large panels or long/wide stock, you can always switch to a portable jigsaw. Just don't expect a small band saw to handle heavy cuts, such as sawing logs into turning blanks or resawing wide hardwood boards into veneers; step up to a 14" or 15" cast-iron band saw for these kinds of jobs.

Drill Press for Holes and More

You can drill holes in wood with any portable drill, but when you need straight, true holes, it's hard to get along without a drill press. A bench-top drill press takes up very little space, yet it performs most of the hole-boring tasks that a larger, more expensive floor model does. Most 10" to 12" benchtop models sport l/2"-capacity chucks, 5 amp (or larg-

Today's Shop continues on page 62...

60 February 2009 Woodworker's Journal

without a jointer is like an iPod without earphones — your lumber has to have a straight edge to go against the saw's rip fence or miter gauge for safe, accurate cuts. A sharp hand plane will do the job, if you have the skill and patience to use it, but a jointer makes quick work straightening edges, as well as flattening cupped boards in preparation for thickness planing. A stand-mounted cast-iron jointer with a 6" cutterhead and long tables is the standard for a small shop, but it takes up space. There is currently only one benchtop jointer on the market: the variable-speed 6" Delta JT160 (see bottom photo on previous page). While it doesn't have