In a post about table saw blade storage reader Craig asked “what do you use to clean saw blades?” I dug in with Google and our trusty forum search engine to bring you this, the ultimate guide to cleaning saw blades and router bits.

Here’s what’s in this post:

>> Top 5 Reasons to Clean Your Saw Blades and Router Bits
>>WARNING: Don’t Use Oven Cleaner or ANY Other Caustics/Lye-Based Cleaners
>>Recommended Saw Blade and Bit Cleaning Products
>>Recommended Saw Blade and Bit Cleaning Tools
>>Interesting and Useful Cleaning System
>>Saw Blade Cleaning Resources

Top 5 Reasons to Clean Your Saw Blades and Router Bits
Just incase you’re not convinced that cleaning your blades is worth the time… OR if you already clean your blades regularly and just need 5 reasons to pat yourself on the back… here are the top 5 reasons to clean your saw blades and router bits.

1) Pitchy coating increases friction and therefore heat.
2) Pitchy coating increases insulation on blade, making it retain heat.
3) Increased heat accelerates the dulling process
4) Dirty blades “act” dull and require more push through force
5) Cleaning your saw blades saves money over replacing them

(From Tom Hintz’s Cleaning Circular Saw Blades)

WARNING: Don’t Use Oven Cleaner or ANY Other Caustics/Lye-Based Cleaners
In reading through forum threads I found lots of folks who still use oven spray cleaner. Then there are lots of folks who say don’t use it, but don’t have any proof or studies to back up their reasoning. Then there’s Freud’s “Charles McCracken.”

Here’s why he recommends in Tom Hintz’s article that you never use oven cleaner (especially on carbide tipped blades):
“These attack the binder in the carbide and, on Freud blades, they also deteriorate the special tri-metal brazing we use. This can cause carbide or brazing failure and could lead to injury.”

Here’s a link to pictures that Mr. McCracken posted in SawmillCreek showing what a caustic cleaner can do to the surface of a blade after immersion for 24 hours. Oven cleaner is bad for your saw blades and could deteriorate them to the point that they are dangerous for you to use. DON’T DO IT!

Recommended Saw Blade and Bit Cleaning Products
I read through numerous forums and articles to bring you the following list. It’s far from exhaustive, but it’s a great place to start. Note that some of the ideas are a little… on the creative side. Boiling your blades to loosen pitch, for example. Or the guy who soaks them in coffee overnight. Anyways, here are the cleaning solutions I found and the number of folks who suggested or recommended them.

Simple Green: 14 Recommendations

from simple green’s site:
“We do not recommend long-term soaking of Carbide blades in Simple Green. Long-term exposure like this can possibly cause cobalt leaching that will, in turn, affect the integrity or carbide. Shorter term “spray/wipe/rinse” applications do not create that kind of problem.”

CMT 2050: 5 Recommendations

Kerosene: 5 Recommendations
(Kerosene mentioned as a cleaning option by both Forrest and Freud, though not the sole cleaning option)

Woodcraft brand Resin Remover: 4 Recommendations

Great description of using Resin Remover to clean blades from Vanguard >>

409: 3 Recommendations

Washing soda: 3 Recommendations

Other Saw Blade Cleaning Chemicals and Techniques
-Orange Oil
-Goop
-TSP
-T-9 bit and blade cleaner
-”I use a 5 gallon bucket w/ 1/2″ of water/amonia 1 to 3 mix…” Joe Scarfo from SMC
- boil them in an electric frying pan: Put water in it an turn it on then soak the blade awhile,a quick scrub with a brass kitchen brush and usually its clean. threecreeks3 from Rigid Forum
- DNA (denatured alcohol)
- “I put some coffee in a pan place the blade in the pan and let it set overnight.” Tom W from the Rigid Forum

Recommended Saw Blade and Bit Cleaning Tools
Ideally you’re only having to brush away residue rather than apply elbow grease. Here are the top tools I found mentioned:

>>Plastic-brisled brush or tooth brush
>>Plastic scraper
>>Cloth
>>5-Gallon Bucket
>>Brass-bristled brush (it could be argued that if you have to use brass then you’re not using the right cleaner… but I saw brass mentioned frequently so I added it to the list.)

Post-Cleaning Treatment
Once your blade is cleaned you need to dry it well and coat it with WD-40. I also read someone suggest you rub paste wax on them after drying. Yet another woodworker suggested drying the blades with compressed air and then giving it the WD-40 treatment.

Interesting and Useful Cleaning System
I read this idea and had to put it in wholesale. This guy has thought cleaning all the way through. Here goes:

“What I use is a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. If you put a 10″ blade in the bucket (with nothing in there) you’ll see the blade fits in the bottom with only a little bit of room to spare. Get one of those refill bottles of a cleaner you like, 409, Simple Green, etc. and then pour it in the bucket. Now get some marbles or something else that doesn’t float to keep your blade from sitting directly on the bottom. The marbles also make it easy to get the blade out of the bucket, by giving you some room to stick a finger through the arbor hole.

When you’re done, put the lid on the bucket and store it away. In this way you can keep reusing the solution. Throw the solution away when it doesn’t seem to be working anymore, or there’s too much gunk in the bucket. I’ve been using 409 with good results. You can also use this bucket of cleaner for router and drill bits as well.”
Michael Faurot - SMC

Saw Blade Cleaning Resources Used in Writing this Post:
Cleaning Circular Saw Blades from Tom Hintz
Cleaning Blades from Vanguard
Saw Blade Savvy (from Industrial Strength Woodworking)
Cleaning Circular Saw Blades from WoodCraft

saw blade build-up SMC
What do you use to clean your table saw blades? LumberJocks
Saw Blade Cleaning SMC
Cleaning Resinous Buildup from Table Saw Blade Rigid Forum
Carbide and Lye (Oven Cleaner) - Problems? SMC
Cleaning Bandmill Blades

Drum sanders are a cheaper, smaller alternative to the wide belt sander. There are folks who’ve used wide belt sanders and find drum sanders hard to get tuned up… and then there are folks who are very happy with their drum sanders.

You should base your choice in size and type on the size and quality of material you’re sanding. The other main consideration is whether or not you’re running a production shop… We’re going to focus mainly on non-production shop drum sanders here and it’s my understanding that a production shop might just be better off with a wide belt sander.

Open-Ended Drum Sanders
Open ended drum sanders give you more room to maneuver your boards, thus making it more versatile with a smaller footprint. The drawback is that you lose out on stiffness of the machine AND you will more than likely have to run your material through twice to sand both sides.

Closed-End Drum Sanders
Closed end drum sanders are typically wider. They’re designed for quicker sanding of large pieces of material. Since it is wider you will be more efficient at sanding and work at roughly twice the rate of open-ended drum sanders.

Double-Drum Sanders
The double drum sander has twice as much sand paper as a standard drum sander and therefore doesn’t need to have the paper changed as often. Plus you can have two different grades of paper for two-stage sanding.

Widths Range from 10″-37″+
In my research I found drum sanders ranging from 10″ all the way up to 37″+. I came across one woodworker who suggested that at 16″ the extreme hobbyist woodworker should be fine, and at 24″ you’ll never run out of machine.

Dust Collection
Because of the amount of dust you kick up dust collection should be a major consideration. Consider buying or making a cyclone dust collector, because your sander’s going to do a number on your lungs if you’re not protecting yourself.

Variable Feed Rate
Deep scratches, snipe and burning - a drum sander can really ruin a great piece of wood if you’re not careful. A variable speed rate gives you more control and allows you to better adjust to various grits of sand paper.

Sandpaper Attachment Methods
There are two modes of attaching sandpaper to the drums - peel and stick and hook and loop. Hook and loop is preferable, especially for the hobbyist woodworker - you can remove the sandpaper before its used up. Peel and stick sandpaper has adhesive on the back. When you remove it from the drum the sandpaper is ruined.

Top Drum Sanders by Size
Now that we’ve gone over some of the more crucial things to look for in drum sanders, here are a few top models, organized by size. I selected these based on their prominence in forums as well as the reviews they’ve gotten from experts.

12″ and under Drum Sander
Grizzly G0459 12″ Baby Drum Sander

Grizzly Baby drum sander G0459 (SawmillCreek)

Jet 628900 Mini 10-Inch 1 Horsepower Benchtop Drum Sander, 115-Volt 1 Phase

18″ and under Drum Sander
JET 629004K 16-32 Plus 16-Inch 1-1/2 Horsepower Open Stand Drum Sander, 110-Volt 1 Phase

JET 16-32 Plus Drum Sander Review by Tom Hintz

Delta 31-255X X5 18-Inch 1-1/2 Horsepower Drum Sander, 120-Volt 1 Phase

Delta 18-36 drum sander-Mini review

25″ and UNDER Drum Sander
Grizzly G1066R 24″ Drum Sander

25″ and OVER Drum Sander
Powermatic 1791290 Model DDS-225 25-Inch Drum Sander

Grizzly G0450 37″ Drum Sander, 15 HP 3-Phase

More Drum Sander Resources:
What drum sander to buy LumberJocks
Drum Sander SawmillCreek
Drum sander - advise LumberJocks
Seeking Advice on Thickness Sanders LumberJocks
drum sander buying guide
Tool Buying - My Mistakes and Otherwise

Festool owners will tell you that ALL their Festool tools are their top tools. They are as fanatical about their Festools as Mac users are about their Macs. I think these two quotes, from the recent SawmillCreek thread “Which Festool tool could you not live without?“, show the position pretty well:

Paul B . Cresti:
“Festool stuff is nice but as anything you can live without them and still produce great work…..but they sure are fun to use and cool to own”

jason lambert:
“Life’s too short for bad tools…”

Of course, there’s an equal and opposing force. This quote, from the same thread, sums up the opposition:

Cliff Rohrabacher:
“I haven’t found any interest in anything they make adequate to pay the prices they want.”

Well, we have yet to have a Festool-only blog post here at ToolCrib, so here it is. I went through and counted up responses to Which Festool tool could you not live without so that those of you who are already converts know which tools to buy next. It also gives the non-converts an opportunity to cluck about the high prices As for me I’m just waiting for the iPod/Festool cross over tool

Top 5 Festool Tools:
1) Vacuum CT-22: 11 Votes

2) Festool Sanders: 11 Votes Total
–Ro150: 2 Votes
–RO125: 1 Vote
–Deltex DX 93: 1 Vote

3) Festool Domino: 7 Votes

4) MFT Multi Function Table: 5 Votes

5) Plunge Saw TS55: 4 Votes

Honorable Mention:
12v drill/driver: 2 Votes

Routers: 1 Vote

People Who Don’t/Won’t Ever Have Festool:
don’t use festool: 5 Votes

Note that a couple different people said that they didn’t like Festool’s jigsaw…

Festool has figured in some previous articles on the ToolCrib blog. Here’s how they did:
Festool placed 2nd in Top 5 Most Popular Random Orbit Sanders.
Festool placed 3rd in The 11 Top Woodworking Power Tools That Give 100% Satisfaction or Better
Festool placed 5th in Top 5 Woodworking Tool Companies with the Best Customer Service
Festool placed 7th in The Battle of the Power Tool Brands TOP TEN

I visited the family today over at FamilyWoodworking.org and found a great post started by Larry called What type of glue? and why? This thread started me off on an hour of woodworking glue research.

What I learned in that hour I could have learned if I’d just read the entire thread that Larry posted. Here’s what Bill Simpson said later on:

“Larry it seems that you are looking for an all inclusive and exclusive panacia of gluedom. It ain’t there. I don’t think there is one glue for all jobs, tasks, and screwups.

“In my stash I have a range of CAs from thin to thick as well as Polyurethane and the afore mentioned Titebonds I, II, & III.”

For this article I decided to stick with PVAs. If you’re interested in other types of glues and how to use them then first consider this glue use rule of thumb from Woodworking.com: “I use yellow glue for most applications; white glue when I need more open time; Roo glue for Melamine and plastics; Titebond II for wet areas and Gorilla glue for outdoor use.”

I also suggest you read Mark DeCou’s excellent “Using the Right Glue in the Right Place.” He writes about glue as a tool and describes uses for CAs (super glues) and epoxies.

Not surprisingly, Tite Bond was the runaway favorite in the PVA category.

Tite Bond brand: 63 votes overall

Tite Bond II: 25 votes

Bond Strength:
Room temp - 3,600 psi - 77% wood failure
150-degrees - 1,600 psi - 10% wood failure

Tite Bond III: 20 votes

Bond Strength:
Room temp - 3,750 psi, 72% wood failure
150-dgrees - 1,750 psi, 6% wood failure

Tite Bond I: 13 votes

Bond Strength:
Room Temp - 4000 psi, 57% wood failure

I got the bond strength data from an interview with a Titebond representative over at Newwoodworker: The Titebond Glue Family Nine ways to get stuck and like it!

Some other honorable mention PVAs include:
Elmer’s Yellow Carpenter’s Glue: 1

Wood Worx PVA glue: 1 vote

Some people put stock in what the pros use. Some people are just curious. Anyways, here are some of the wood glues used by the “celebrities:”

The Glue Marc Adams Uses
Paid for a class from Marc Adams (Big wood guru). He said 98% of the stuff he makes is with white glue. He said the other glues all have their uses (he even worked with the manufacturers on some of them). But again 98% of the time he uses white glue.
- Jim Holladay from What’s the best glue?

The Glue Norm Uses:
The glues in Norm’s kitchen cabinets are Titebond III and Titebond Molding & Trim glue, which are popular with both amateur and professional woodworkers.
from: New Yankee Workshop’s Norm Abram Uses Cutting Edge Materials, Glue and Fasteners

Glue Resources:
Best Glue for a Cutting Board
Hide Glue, Epoxies And Polyurethanes
Gluing dovetails and finger joints Which adhesive is best for these joints?
Using the Right Glue in the Right Place.
Best Wood Glue - Wood Glue Showdown
The USDA Bottom Line on Poly Glue
“How strong is your glue?”
What’s the best glue?

I stumbled on this useful post over at SawmillCreek: Ran over the router cord… The original poster asked: “I was cutting a circle out with the router and came back around and ran the cord straight over.. Anybody know who fixes things like this? It is hardwired to the router unfortunately unlike my Dewalt. Could i just splice the wires back together myself and wrap it with electrical tape?”

Here are some of the best responses, followed by other resources you can use to repair the electrical cords on your power tools.

Randal Stevenson:
You can strip back the wires, and solder them back to the new, just make sure you slide on some [electrical] heat shrink tubing first. (much better then electrical tape). That spot will not be as flexible as before, but should work fine.

Or, put an end on the cord there. Then use a short extension cord.

Jerome Hanby:
Just to be a little safer, if you make your splices on each wire where they wont overlap the splices on the others you have less likely wood of causing a short if your insulation “fails”.

Lee Schierer:
I found the lowest cost replacement for power cords on hand tools is to go to the store and buy a heavy duty extension cord. For what ever reason you can buy the extension cords cheaper than lengths of wire and plugs alone. Cut off the receptacle end and wire the rest of the cord with the plug into the hand tool. This gives you a new cord with a molded plug. This can be somewhat harder if the manufacutrer molded the strain relief by the tool into the cord.

Other Cord Repair Resources:
Replace a Damaged Power Tool Cord
“The entire replacement process should take less that one hour.”
Electrical Cord Repair
Electric Tools - Basic Safety (OSHA)

Big thanks to SawmillCreek posters… I put a nickel in the donation jar

To the uninitiated pallet wood can seem like a treasure trove of free wood. There are stories of oak, ash, maple and all manner of exotic hardwoods used in storage pallets. After all, according to one of WoodWeb’s technical advisors, “4 to 5 Billion board feet of lumber is used annually in the US to produce pallets and related timber packaging/shipping products.”

To some however, pallets are an enormous waste of time. Here’s a nice sarcastic quote from Rob Will to illustrate that point: “I would “season” those pallets outside until they become compost. Then, plant a nice walnut or cherry on that spot. In about 50 years, you can make something really nice.”

This article will first help you to identify if you have the pallet personality. Then it provides some tips on finding and then dismantling pallets. Finally it offers links, links and more links to pallet projects from around the web.

Here goes!

Do You Have the Pallet Personality?
Working with pallet wood requires patience, perseverance and pry bars. I found that Tim Thomas had a great way of putting it. If you’re the type who would rather dive for oysters to find pearls rather than just go to the jewelry store then pallets could be right for you.

“Lets say that you wanted a pearl necklace. To satisfy that desire you have several basic options: (1) Go to a jewelry store and buy the pearls, (2) Search through estate sales, garage sales, pawn shops, etc. to find a good deal, (3) Get some diving gear, travel to a place that has a lot of oysters and dive for hundreds of them in the hopes that you find enough pearls to make the necklace.

If option number 3 sounds like it would be the most fun to you (and it does to me) then you will probably enjoy the hunt for usable wood in pallets, and the subsequent work that is required to clean up that wood.”

So there you have it - you have to be a committed scrounge hound determined to get the value out of pallets. Further you have to learn how to work pallets, which will take time too.

Some of the Best Places to Find Pallets
Many stores leave pallets lying around back beside the dumpsters. However, if you just start off cruising your local dumpsters you’re going to take a lot longer to find the gems. You have to think… which local stores are getting huge shipments of foreign imports? It’s these foreign pallets that will have the sweetest lumber.

Here’s a list to get your mind turning (I got most of this list from Rick Brentlinger’s Pallet Wood Birdhouses):

1) tile stores
2) heavy equipment repair depots
3) machinery dealers
4) Motorcycle dealers
5) Snowmobile dealers
6) Major appliance dealers
7) Tool & die shops
8) Machine shops
9) Paint stores
10) Brickyards
11) Custom window & door builders
12) Electrical supply houses

Stores like Walmart use a pallet service - in other words, they want their pallets back. It’s likely too that they’re building pallets out of very very very cheap pine. You don’t want those.

As a general rule, ask before you take pallets that aren’t leaning up against a dumpster. If they’re piled by the side of a building and you’re pawing through them you’re probably stealing. Just make sure you ask before you take anything.

Some Tips on Breaking Pallets Down for Wood
First off you have to understand the nails commonly used in pallet building. They are doozies. Pallet nails, or annular ring nails, are typically ridged and unthreaded. Engineers designed these nails to STAY PUT.

Secondly, there are many chances in working with ANY reclaimed wood to seriously damage your tools… and therefore yourself. Be warned, be wary and be careful. Some folks advise using a metal detector to find nails, while almost everyone says to watch out for grit and pebbles ground into the wood. In short, you should consider working with your cheap blades while working reclaimed wood…

Here’s what Lumber Jock Teri found worked on those nails:
“In my search I came across all kinds of advice from drilling with a hole saw to cutting through the nails. But, the one I saw that made the most sense to me, drill through the head of the nail, looked like the way to go. So, with drill in hand and a few sheetmetal drill bits, away I went. It worked perfectly!”

Richard and Tracy, in their work with pallets, said:
“You will find that each good quality pallet takes about half an hour to dismantle. Also, while you theoretically have about 40ft of board available in each pallet, don’t expect to average more than 30ft of usable timber - you will inevitably break a few planks or need to trim off ragged ends.”

In a wonderful plan for a work desk built from pallets I found some great advice on breaking down pallets:
“Cut a good supply of scrap wood blocks. Two by Four stock about ten inches long works well.

Do not beat directly on the pallet wood with a hammer. Always place a short block of wood across the grain and beat on you scrap block.

Also use the blocks to hold the pallet up off the floor, so that you can drive the pallet pieces down. This is less likely to split the pieces than prying the up.

Any time a nail head comes up high enough to get the hammer claw on it, stop beating and pull out the nail. Again use scrap to protect the good wood. You will have to turn the pallet over many times.”

If you have projects that only require small pieces of wood you can follow this advice: “lately, since I have gotten lazy, I just cut the boards right at the stringers to separate them. This gives me small but usable hardwood boards.”

Pallet Building Inspiration
Many folks have documented their pallet building creations. I broke these up into woodworking with pallets and building structures with pallets.

Wood Working with Pallets:
projects with pallets (from boot racks to book cases)
Pallet Computer Desk
Crib Built from Pallets
Rustic Bird House Made of Pallets
Norm Abram’s Pallet Coffee Table
guitar made of pallet wood
Artistic Pallet Sculpture
Recycle a Pallet

Pallet Structure Inspiration:
12 Creative Ways to Recycle Wooden Pallets (mostly structures)
The Pallet Root Cellar
The Pallet Shed
The Pallet Fence
Pallet-House System – Triangular and Cubic Dwelllings
Pallet-House: Modular Refugee Housing

Woodworking Forum Q/A on Working with Pallet Wood:
Ever used the wood from a concrete pallet?
What to build with wooden pallets?

The reciprocating saw is the most versatile demolition power tool out there today. It’s also the goto tool for installers of windows, skylights, plumbing and just about anything else that requires removing a chunk of anything. With the range of reciprocating saws out there it can be tough to know where to start. This article first identifies a few recommendations for different categories of buyers and then offers 12 points that will affect how much you end up paying.

Reciprocating Saw Recommendations for Contractors, DIYers, Budget Shoppers
Reciprocating saws aren’t quite as prevalently used amongst woodworkers as with other trades, so it’s no real surprise that I didn’t find as many reviews and questions in my regular forum resources. I did find some great recommendations from a couple different sources online that should steer you in the right direction. And remember, you can always google search the make and model of the tool you’re considering to see if you’ve got a stinker on your hands.

1) Contractor: Milwaukee Super Sawzall
Time and again the Milwaukee Super Sawzall comes out at the top of the stack, especially in contractor and pro forums and articles. The Makita AVT is a close second. Here are the recommendation numbers I found for each:

Milwaukee 6538-21 15.0 Amp Corded Super Sawzall: 8 votes

Makita JR3070CT 15 Amp Reciprocating Saw: 6 Votes

Sources:
Best Reciprocating Saw? (Contractor Talk Forum)
Reciprocating Saws(ToolsoftheTrade.net from 2001)

2) DIYer:
Milwaukee 6509-22 Sawzall 11 Amp Reciprocating Saw

3) Budget:
Ryobi Reciprocating Saw - Model P510

(DIYer and Budget suggestions from Galt Tech Reciprocating Saw Reviews and Buying Guide)

12 Things to Look For in Your Reciprocating Saw
There are a number of factors that will make the price of your reciprocating saw go up or down… along with performance. Having a good idea of how often you plan to use the tool, what materials you’ll be cutting and the overall work environment will give you a good idea of how to pick the right saw for yourself.

1) Amperage
The higher the amperage, the more power you have. Reciprocating saws vary from about 9-15 amps of power. A 15 amp recip will run you $180-250 right now, but if you’re a contractor you might need that kind of power on a day to day basis. 11 amps should be plenty for the DIYer with a big demolition project. Here’s a bit more on amperage vs. horsepower: Making the Router Decision: Horsepower vs. Rated Amperage.

2) Stroke Length
The longer the stroke the faster the cut. That said, you don’t always want the blade protruding too far into your material. Most reciprocating saws run from 3/4 inch to 1 1/4 inch stroke length. Some are adjustable. Knowing your projects will be the best way to determine what stroke length will work best for you.

3) Blade Change Mechanism
Reciprocating saw blades need frequent changing, so how you change the blade has a big impact on your experience. More and more manufacturers have blade locks that don’t require an additional allen wrench. Blade lock mechanisms will vary widely from model to model though.

4) Shoe Adjustment
An adjustable shoe gives you more control over the depth of the cut and can make the saw more stable overall. Make sure that the adjustment mechanism is smooth and precise.

5) Orbital vs. Straight
An orbital reciprocating saw moves in a more elliptical or oval shape rather than just up and down. This makes it more aggressive and gives it a faster cut. Straight reciprocating saws move on a single plane, back and forth.

6) Strokes Per Minute
Reciprocating saws (both corded and cordless) run from 2300-3000 strokes per minute. Higher amperages usually translate into higher strokes per minute.

7) Variable Speed Control
Variable speed control - measured in strokes per minute - means that you can adjust how fast the blade cuts. Depending on your material or even your angle this can be a huge benefit. If you’re not using the saw very often it won’t make a bit of difference.

8) Weight
Weight can be a serious consideration for anyone who’s running a reciprocating saw at off angles or for long periods of time. A balanced saw design will minimize the feeling of weight, but it doesn’t help that much.

9) Rotating Blade/Handle
Many models come with blades or handles that rotate. This makes sawing in awkward positions much easier.

10) Corded vs. Cordless
To maintain fast, powerful cuts the corded reciprocating saw is your best bet. If you’re on a worksite without electricity then a cordless reciprocating saw could be your saving grace. A cordless saw also gives you more maneuverability and flexibility. Voltage options usually run from 18-24v.

11) Vibration
Some reciprocating saws vibrate more than others. This can put a powerful fatigue into your arms if you’re sawing for long periods. Some recent technologies help reduce vibration, so if you’re cutting for the long haul be sure to check out vibration.

12) The Case
It may seem kinda petty, but the right case can make all the difference. What’s it made out of? Metal is your best bet. Will you have to take the blade off before you stow your saw? If so you’re adding an extra little PITA for yourself. Is there enough storage inside of it for you to keep your blades? If not then you’ll have to keep track of extra storage space.

Best Resources:
Reciprocating Saw Reviews and Buying Guide
Best Reciprocating Saw?
Reciprocating Saws (ToolsoftheTrade.net from 2001)

More Resources:
Reciprocating-Saw Basics
Do You Need a Reciprocating Saw for DIY Home Renovation?
Remodeling Tools of the Trade: Reciprocating Saws
Top 10 Crazy Things Cut Up with a Reciprocating Saw

The SamillCreek. It’s a crazy kinda place. Mix those guys with the awesome demolition power of a reciprocating saw and you’ve got…. STORIES TO TELL. I’ve been researching a reciprocating saw article and found this thread: Things you have cut up with a “Sawzall”. Of course I could not resist reading the whole thing and reporting to you the top 10 things cut up with a sawzall.

Of course it goes without saying that you wear safety goggles and use your reciprocating saw according to the suggested uses in the manual. Remember… the sawzall/reciprocating saw got mentioned in the comment section of our Ultimate Guide to the Top Ten Most Dangerous Woodworking Power Tools.

1) Cliff Rohrabacher: a house
“I cut a whole house free of it’s sill plate once (with a Milwaukee Super Sawzall). Jacked the house and re-laid the sill plate and well you know the rest.”

2) Mark Rios: a prowler’s bicycle
“I cut up the bike into 10″ to 16″ pieces, tires and the frame, and put some of the bigger pieces, the ones that you could tell used to be from a bike, out in front of the rentals that I have so that everyone could see them. I left them for the day to make sure that the guy new that his bike was now not a bike anymore when he came back looking for it.”

3) Tim Mummert: a doublewide mobile home

4) Mike Jones: an elk

5) Kenneth Hertzog: a car
“I once cut a car in half so I could pick it up with the highlift to fit in the cleanup dumpster”

6) Per Swenson: a pontoon boat

7) Greg Narozniak: frozen ribs

8) Michael Schwartz: a large sleeper sofa

9) Bob DiGiacomo: paint stripping
“taped a brass wire brush to a sawzaw blade to help brush the paint from the door.”

10) Kent Fitzgerald: “I once sawed the door off a dishwasher for disposal.”

Joke-of-the-day Quote:
John Schreiber: “The Sawzall. The closest thing to a light saber I’ll ever have.”

See the Original Thread:
Things you have cut up with a “Sawzall”

There’s no such thing as the BEST all time dovetail jig. I learned that lesson most clearly from Jack Loganbill over at the Woodshop:

If there’s one thing you take away from this article it’s that you really DO need to do your homework. You have to know what kinds of dovetails you’ll be making the most and have a firm budget set.

This article starts with the top dovetail jig review resources I could find followed by a survey of a couple different forums discussing their favorite dovetail jigs. It closes with videos from some of the dovetail jig manufacturers so you can get a better idea of what they look like in action. The ‘Creekers set me off on this jig odyssey with the forum thread: Best Dovetail Jig?

Top Dovetail Jig Review Resources:
What is the Best Dovetail Jig?

woodshop demos dovetail jig shoot out

Top Dovetail Jigs from the Forums:
Don’t use these as a buying guide so much as a vote of confidence for the jig you have in mind…

1) Leigh Dovetail Jigs: 12 votes total
Leigh D4: 7

Leigh D4 Resources:
Leigh D4 Dovetail Jig Review (New Woodworker)
Leigh D4-24 Dovetail Jig Review (Benchmark)
Leigh versus Akeda dovetail jig (Benchmark)

2) Akeda DT Jig: 5 Votes

Akeda jig +100 for customer service
Jack Loganbill’s Akeda Review
John Lucas on the Akeda

3) Porter-Cable Dovetails: 4 Votes
PC Omnijig: 3 votes
PC 4212: 1 vote

4) Incra Jig: 3 Votes

5) Gifkins Dovetail Jig: 3 Votes

forum discussion: Any Gifkins dovetail jig users out there?

6) Woodrat: 2 Votes

Woodrat review

7) Trend jig: 1 Vote

Forums Cited:
What’s the best dovetail jig for the money? (Woodworking Talk)
Best Dovetail Jig? (Sawmill Creek)
Best dovetail jig? (Router Forums)

Dovetail Jig Videos From the Manufacturers:
Leigh D4R Dovetail Jig summary

PORTER-CABLE Jigs: OMNIJIG

Woodcraft Cutting Dovetails With The AKEDA Dovetail Jig

WoodRat: Through Dovetailing

How can you NOT read a forum thread like this: Canoe made from disposable chopsticks. Per Swenson posted this over at SawmillCreek.

Here’s the canoe:

A bit about the canoe:
“A former city employee in the Fukushima prefecture town of Koriyama has built a 4-meter (13-ft) long canoe from thousands of used disposable chopsticks recovered from the city hall cafeteria.”

More story: Canoe made from disposable chopsticks >>

Here’s the longboat (which someone linked to later in the thread):

And a bit more about it, from the BBC:
“The ship was painstakingly glued together by former Hollywood stuntman Robert McDonald and two friends - a job that took two years.

The sticks were collected by children all over the world. Mr McDonald is claiming the world record for the biggest boat made that way.

He hopes to sail the 15m (50ft) ship across the Atlantic.”

Viking lollystick longboat sails