A machine question -- on topic!

Ok, here's my contribution to more woodworking set of topics:

We just had a thread about favorite tool, here's the alternative:

What tool did you buy, that 1) you never used beyond once or twice or

2) ended up being worthless and you kept it anyway.

Here's mine:

Years ago, I bought a guide for cutting sheets of plywood. Cost me over $100 and I only used it once. I still have it.

Your turn.

MJ

Reply to
mjmwallace
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Some times the "quality" of the tool and the "ease of use" and the "what you would expect" factor in as to whether you would use the tool more than once.

I am very close to buying "another" guide for cutting plywood sheets. My first one sucked, and was a PIA to use. My next one made by Festool will come with a Festool circular saw. That guide is stupid easy, conveinent, and probably more than what you would expect from a guide.

After that

PC Detail Sander tops the list.

Reply to
Leon

I still use a guide to cut down sheet goods. Much handier for my style of work.

The biggest waste of time and money I own is the DeWalt version of the Rotozip. One of my buddies bought one and convinced me you could use it for about anything.

Quite the opposite is true. I tried to cut 3/8" plywood with it, and got smoke with the proper bits. I tried to used it as a laminate trimmer, and not enough torque. I don't need the mess it makes to cut a hole or two in sheetrock.

However, it was a Christmas gift, so it is still with us. It sits on the shelf, unused unopened for about the last 8 - 10 years.

What a waste.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

Got the Dremel Detail Sander, rather use a piece of sandpaper in my hand.

Reply to
FrozenNorth

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Yep.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

" snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com" wrote in news:6c0720d1- snipped-for-privacy@n20g2000prh.googlegroups.com:

I think the HF nailer was one of my most disappointing. It often failed to advance the nails at random times, often resulting in damage to the wood. The bottle of oil that was included had what looked to be a spout on it, and when you turned around the spout and punctured it the seal would be permanently broken and oil free to spill all over.

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

My plywood cutting guide story.

I needed a saw guide of some kind and asked the guy at my local lumber yard what he reccommended. He told me about a special order item that would work. I bought it and went in and paid for it. The manager went nuts on me because I did not prepay for it. I told me to chill out and just take my money. When that didn't work, I walked away. That got his attention. I paid and left.

I got it home and set it up on a sheet of plywood. I made several cuts with it. Then when I went to assemble the plywood, none of the surfaces mated well. I checked them and they were not straight! I picked up the guide and looked down it. It had a nice curve right in the middle. At least an inch and half dip right in the middle of this extruded aluminum saw guide.

I took it back and showed this to the manager of this local lumber yard. He informed me since this was a special order item, he couldn't do anything for me. I told him that I liked it. I just wanted a straight guide and I would be happy. He told me to go home and straighten it out! (That didn't work)

I wasted money on this thing. I ruined some plywood. I lost a bunch of time. I never went back there again. He lost thousands of dollars worth of business from me. I told this story to as many people as I could. I know of several people who decided they would get their lumber elsewhere after hearing this story.

They are out of business now. I wonder why. Good riddance.

Reply to
Lee Michaels

I think I have one of those - along with a "trim tramp"

Reply to
clare

1) Sears pad sander. Got it before I started woodworking. Tried using it to re-finish a cabinet. It vibrated lots, made my hand numb, but didn't really sand wood. I almost didn't get my PC ROS because I was convinced that electric sanders were worthless. 2) PC detail sander, used it a few times and decided it just didn't do all that much. 3) Sheet handling jig from Woodworkers Supply. It looked like a good idea

-- I loaded a sheet of plywood on it, as I went to re-orient, the sheet twisted, broke loose, and bent up several parts of the jig. To their credit, WWS took it back, I was only out the cost of shipping.

Reply to
Mark & Juanita

Same here. An Exact-a-Cut...big T square with a plate that can be positioned along T square, mount saw/router on plate, shove saw/router along being mating guides on T square and aluminum extrusion mounted to another piece of ply upon which the one being cut sits.

Worked well enough but takes too much room. Not having a table saw at the time, I found room. Used it to build my kitchen cabinets, not since. Cost $180 in 1995. I'd sell it if I could find a sucker...er, buyer. I'll look for one someday.

Reply to
dadiOH

That's easy - the Ryobi detail sander. Otherwise known as a hand buzzer.

Reply to
Larry Blanchard

Looks like all detail sanders suck. PC, Ryobi, and my Dremel, any more votes for these useless tools.

Reply to
FrozenNorth

"Lee Michaels" wrote in message news:4bae633d$0$14013$ snipped-for-privacy@news.astraweb.com...

I've posted about this before, but one of the handiest and most accurate cutting guides is made from scrap. In my case, I used

1/2" plywood for a couple of the long guides and 1/4" scrap for the shorter ones. As I recall, they were 8', 7', 4' and 2' long. In all instances, I sized them for BOTH of my circular saws.

To make a guide, rip a piece of plywood to the required length and make the piece about 12" or so wide. Don't worry about the cuts being too straight. Then, get a piece of hardwood that is as long as the plywood and around 3/4" or so thick. Approximation is fine. First, run it through a joiner to get one edge as square and true as possible. Then, rip along the trued edge about 3/8" in, making a straight strip the thickness of the board by 3/8" by the length of the board.

On the plywood, snap a chalk line or use the straightest thing you have in the shop to make a line down the middle. Apply glue to one of the 3/4" sides of the hardwood strip, then place it along the line. Sight along it and use brads to make sure it doesn't move when drying. The strip should be as straight as you can make it and extend the length of the plywood.

Then, put your favorite rip/combo blade in the circular saw, place its base on the straight strip and rip off the excess plywood from the side. Magic Marker an ID for which saw/blade you are using. Then, if you want to use a second saw, do the same thing with it on the other side of the strip. If you will only use one saw, just do that other side with the same saw, or with a different blade. For instance, one side could be with a combo blade and the other with a pure rip or crosscut, depending on what you normally use.

Since a circular saw cuts upward, the edge of the shooting board will act as a break-off for splinters as you rip or crosscut. To use it, clamp the edge on the marks you make for where the cut is to go and just grab your saw. There's no guess work, the cut will be clean and your accuracy will be improved.

Reply to
Nonny

I have one of those......somewhere.

Max

Reply to
Max

Survey says: A satisfied customers shares his experience with three others. A dissatisfied customer tells ten others...

Reply to
Steve

Not a tool, but a "Craftsman" miter saw stand, from Highland Woodworking or somesuch, $149.99 on closeout for 39.99, and Leon literally twisted my arm and made me buy it! (I think he was interested but needed to see what it looked like before he spent his money!)

Anyhow, the rubber feet wouldn't fit the tubular legs, the wheels are in an awkward place, and the whole thing is basically an accident looking for a place to happen ... it's been stored in a corner with never a saw mounted on it yet.

It's for sale ... if anyone is interested! :)

Reply to
Swingman

"Swingman" wrote

Was this because Laguna or Festool didn't offer a miter saw stand?

Reply to
Lee Michaels

Same here. I use the inserts for it by hand. But could have gotten a set of those for a fraction of the price.

Reply to
J. Clarke

You worked too hard at it. Whole thing is made of one sheet of plywood and a few screws.

Mark the factory edges so that you don't lose track of them later. Cut a strip off one edge of the plywood about a foot wide. Now clamp the strip so that you can use its factory edge as a guide to clean up the edge you just cut (like cut a quarter inch or so off of it. Now move it and cut off a strip two or so inches wide. Now lay that strip on the plywood flush with the edge (unless you want a double-sided guide, in which case set it back however far you need). Glue and screw the narrow strip down, pressing it tightly against the clamped strip so that the factory edge keeps it straight. When the glue dries, cut the the completed guide off the plywood using the narrow strip to guide the saw. If you're making a double sided guide, trim the other side, and you're done.

Reply to
J. Clarke

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Reply to
Lew Hodgett

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