That is a great point I didn't think about and I know that would have happened if you didn't mention it. Thank you.. I was going pay good money for a really good set and when it came time to sharpen them I'm sure I would've jacked one or two up. As far as what size I'm looking for?.... I'm not too sure. Besides the two Harbor Freight (noted on avoiding them), these are the two I keep looking at and honestly I'm not really sure why https://www.grizzly.com/products/Shop-Fox-16-x-46-2-HP-Variable-Speed-Wood-Lathe/W1758 https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-14-x-20-Variable-Speed-Benchtop-Wood-Lathe/G0844 That is about my price range too. The ShopFox is a little over it. Would like to keep it under a grand after shipping Which ever Lathe I end up getting I'm wanting to figure out how to attach some removable big wheels so I can roll it out by my fire pit on cold days.
I'd avoid that Shop Fox , all the reviews I read on it are terrible and its not a very well thought out machine. Its speed control is not very controlled either - Minimum speed of 600 is far too high. That grizzly model is interesting being a 14 inch swing on a mini lathe meaning you can turn up to 14 inch round pieces , most mini lathes are 12 or less. Honestly I'd recommend going with the highest quality full size lathe you can afford - You can turn small stuff on a full size but on the mini lathes you are limited by its size and eventually you are going to want to do larger / longer pieces. Doing the same old bowl over and over .... you'll either upgrade or it'll collect dust after you get bored. If the Laguna Revo is out of your price range (really this is an incredible machine) , I'd look at the Nova 16/24 as its closer to your price range. Its speed control is good 215-3600 , it also has outboard turning so you aren't limited to the 16 inch swing. Also has an 1 1/4 x8 spindle which is preferable over the 1x8. https://www.rockler.com/nova-1624-ii-wood-lathe Nova makes some solid products , I used one of these at a Woodcraft store and its not bad at all for the price , I also have several of their chucks / jaws and other accessories and they are well made. You can beat the shipping costs on any tool Rockler carries by going into the store and having it delivered to the store .... they'll call you when it arrives and you pick it up. There's two stores in Houston , one on 59 and Buffalo Speedway and the other in Spring 2920 and Kuykendahl. I assume the same for Woodcraft tho I cannot confirm that.
Oh right yeah So an inlay is like a piece of wood you put in another piece of contrasting wood in a special design or shape. I have a nice walnut piece I want some initials put in with maple.
@Corrosion What do you think about the Laguna bandsaws The 1412 https://www.lagunabandsaws.com/store/laguna-mband1412-175-14-12-bandsaw or the beefier model 14BX? https://www.lagunabandsaws.com/store/laguna-14-bx-110v-bandsaw-mband14bx110-175 The reviews I've read seem to be pretty good for both with a few bad ones thrown in mainly about the guides not being very good. I was also considering the Grizzly 55XH 14 https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-14-1-3-4-hp-extreme-series-resaw-bandsaw/g0555xh While I was reading up about some of these saw I've come across a lot of people raving about Carter Guides and how it is a big upgrade over other guides. Don't know if it is hype or a real noticeable improvement on the saws. They are pricey, $300 for a Laguna kit Good grief..
I have used one of those Laguna 14 inch saws but I don't recall which .... it was a really solid machine. I'm about to replace my table saw and likely going with their Fusion 1 or 2 , one is $999 , the other $1399. Main difference is the Fusion2 has cast iron table & wings while the Fusion1 has cast iron table and stamped steel wings. Anyone wanna take my Craftsman table saw off my hands for a real good deal ? .... absolutely nothing wrong with it , just isn't precise enough for the kind of things I do. I deal in tolerances of less than a thousandth of an inch .... I put those carter guides on my Jet saw about 6 months ago ..... they are worth every penny. Its like a totally different saw with them as compared to the stock guides. I think they cost me ~$200 .... On another note , I picked up a 10 inch benchtop jointer complete with a helical cutter head the other day for $800 New. Its an off brand so it was taking a big chance .... my old jointer was a 6 inch delta and had finally just had it so I had to replace it. I wanted at least an 8 inch width and a helical cutter , any floor standing model with those features was around $3000 and no one has them in stock right now , everything's on backorder until March / April .... So I took the plunge on the Wahuda 10 inch benchtop jointer I'm pretty surprised and relieved at how good this thing is .... only real complaints are you have to use dust collection as it doesn't self eject and the fence being aluminum , you can't be rough with it as it'll flex some if you aren't careful. I was able to run 8 foot long 8 inch wide cherry thru it and got the desired results. My latest projects ...
With smaller stock its great .... but you have to be really careful with longer / heavier stuff because of the fence. Its a steal for the price.
most of my stuff is on the small side, have been playing with wooden boat restoration the past couple of years. really appreciate your work too, it's beautiful.
Any tips or resources for using a router more effectively? I just have one that sits in a bag that I haven't used in years.
Thanks. You are doing it right. I made 4 of those cutting boards above , the rounded edges was the first time I broke my router out in 2-3 years. Some tasks need them , others just don't. Some people use a router as a milling machine to get oversized pieces flat .... or a replacement for a planer / jointer.
Use a fence. Secure your workpiece well. Take shallow passes. Use good bits and make sure they are maintained properly. A router is so versatile.
That’s some nice work. Do you just use glue for those cutting boards? Or do you use a different process?
