Woodworker's Journal 2009-33-1, страница 64

Today's Shop

A benchtop planer is a great addition to a small or large shop. The tool allows woodworkers to mill rough lumber and thickness stock to suit their project design. The author sets his planer on a low utility table to present it at a proper work height.

chores. But if your projects often call for long stock or trim that's cut to precise length, consider adding a dedicated crosscut saw to your shop. Compound miter saws and sliding-compound miter saws cut with the workpiece stationary (as opposed to the table saw), allowing safe, accurate cuts on even the heaviest and longest parts. Either type of saw makes short work of not only square cuts, but also miters, bevels and compound angle cuts, all set with minimal effort. The majority of powered miter saws sport either a 10"-or 12"-diameter blade. Sliding saws offer the greatest crosscutting capacity — up to 12" for 90° cuts. If you rarely cut stock that wide, consider a pint-sized compound miter saw, like the Craftsman 21195 or 21180. This small, affordable saw (photo next page) uses economical 7V4¹' blades, yet it can crosscut construction 2x4s and tackle compound cuts in frame members, trim and moldings up to 3V2" wide and IV2¹¹ thick.

Combination Belt & Disc Sanders

A great complement to portable power sanders — belt sanders, random-orbit sanders, finish sanders, etc. — a benchtop combination (combo) sander doesn't take up much room, but it handles lots of different wood sanding chores. A combo model, like the Skil 3375-01 (see photo, following page), features a 4"-wide, 36"-long belt and a 6" disc. The horizontally running belt is great for flattening the bottom of a bowl or box, or for shaping small parts freehand. The belt's roller end is very handy for smoothing concave, curved surfaces. The disc sander's adjustable table and miter gauge allow you to accurately smooth part ends and edges, and the table tilts for sanding beveled parts. Just make sure to hook up your combo sander to a shop vacuum before putting wood to abrasive, lest you end up with a snoot full of fine dust.

Today's Shop continues on page 66...

"At some point in your woodworking, you'll no longer settle for building with pre-surfaced lumber that comes in standard thicknesses."

I like the two-speed feature of the DeWalt DW735, which reduces tearout when planing woods with figured or problem grain (knots, interlocked grain, etc.). To ready it for use, I like to mount a planer on a low utility table, as shown in the photo below, rather than setting it on the floor (too low) or on a benchtop (too high).

Power Miter Saws, for Crosscuts

A table saw and miter gauge can handle many wood crosscutting