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Sanding is not my favorite job, but I learned a long time ago that if you want a good finished product your have to put the time in on sanding ... sad but true. Like any true woodworker, in order to lessen the amount of time I need to invest in a chore I hate, I went out and purchased a power tool to make the job quicker, easier, faster and even less dusty (I think). To be honest, I have been looking at this tool for a few years and for one reason or another have always found an excuse to pass it up. I know when I first started looking at them the price was much higher that the price I finally paid so that will have had some bearing on it. I finally saw this sander on a sale for a price I could not pass up, now I am sad I didn't purchase this years ago when I first stated looking at them.
I haven't used a spindle sander in many years and had forgotten how handy they can be, and I happen to have a couple of belt sanders and hand unit and another that is permanently attached to a board that works ok, but with the Ridgid, I now have the added affect of oscillating, which speeds up sanding creates less wear on the belt in on specific area.
Ridgid Oscillating Edge Belt/Spindle Sander
The sander is very well designed with the front even able to drop down to various angles which means sanding at critical degrees is not only possible, but easy. I liked the dust port in the back too, anything that will help pull the dust away is useful, and the port is out of the way. By coincidence, ....
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I try and get involved with as many tools as I can so I can see which ones I like and which ones to avoid. Since I can't afford to purchase every tool, not do I have the room, I use every opportunity to check out new tools.
In this video I get to help a friend of mine, Bob, assemble his new Kreg router table. Since I have never had the opportunity to really look at this unit, helping to put it together is a perfect way to see the working details.
Assembling the Kreg Bench Top Router Table
When I first saw the box, I wondered how they could pack everything into such a small box, but everything was there, right down to every nut and bolt. If you have never assembled one of these before, you really do need to read the instructions. There are a lot of different pieces and a lot holes where things could get installed but shouldn't be. As usual, laying out all the parts before you get started, assuming you have the room is always best.
Putting the legs and braces together is always first and I liked how supplied nuts and bolts that really locked the frame solidly as you were assembling it.
Once the legs are assembled the next thing is to attache the top ...
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Every good woodworker knows that keeping your tools in good shape is paramount to good turning out good results. That is why we keep bits and blades sharp, why we make sure parts are installed correctly and why we do routine maintenance from time to time. And if you are like most other woodworkers, you will be doing most of that work yourself.
The latest tool to fail on me was my Bosch Random Orbital Sander. I love this little sander, it's quick, easy to use and it does a good job. I also happen to like the dust catcher actually works, despite the fact that I do almost all of my sanding out-of-doors to help cut down on the fine dust in my workshop.
Refurbishing a Random Orbital Sander
It seems that in time, all tools will fail, wear out or cease to work, and in my case the hook and loop base of the sander all of a sudden stopped holding sanding discs. I knew right away what the problem was, the little plastic hooks that form the bottom of the base had become brittle over time and and many had probably broken off to the point that there were not enough working hooks to hold the loops in the sandpaper discs.
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Smaller workshops are always looking for space saving ideas and projects, and this project, no matter how large your workshop is, can benefit a variety of storage constraints. Many modestly outfitted workshops these day either have a sliding mitre saw in them. These a great, handy saws, but all of the stands that are available for them are designed around the idea that the saw and stand need to be portable. If you are a carpenter, that may be true, but if you are a woodworker you may seldom if ever, have a need to move your saw. Of course the problem with all metal stands for these saws is when they are set up, they take up a lot of room with little useable storage underneath unless it is wood, which is still hard to get at.
I recently upgraded my compressor to one of the quieter models, and I love the compressor, but it's always in the way sitting on the floor of the workshop. I thought that if I could build a nice stand for my mitre saw and use the space underneath the saw to store my compressor I could solve 2 problems.
Building a Sliding Mitre Stand
Like many woodworkers, I HATE throwing out wood, even small chunks, and my neighbors know this so a couple of years ago when one of them did a basement reno, they gave me a number of very good sheets of 1/4" plywood that could easily be used for backing on cabinets and so on. But I had other ideas for it ...