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Didn't pick up any new tools but went to my local lumberyard to pick up wood for my vaulted ceiling project. Ended up buying Fir as it was half the price of Devdar ( Indian variety of Cedar). These are 35 pieces of 10 foot long 10x5. Unlike US, the pieces are a tad oversized over here because jointing and planing will remove the outer edges. They are also longer than the stated 10ft as the edges have some splits. Most pieces are in the 10.5-11ft range. This is the Cedar that I already have. Most of the window frames and stuff has already been built. The remaining cedar will be used to build 16 doors and 22 window panes. I really wanted to buy Cedar for the ceiling as well but the price difference is huge. Those 35 logs of Fir cost me $1500. I wanted to go for Pine as it was even 40% cheaper than the Fir, but Pine is a lot more susceptible to borers over here and I didn't want to take the risk.

Many such videos are available where you can build a simple jig to joint/plane big boards with just a router. Any of those jigs should be good enough to true your workbench top.

Yeah. Even the new Audi has that system with their Matrix lights. Technologies like these should be made to trickle down a lot faster as they take care of a huge safety aspect rather than just being a luxury feature. Ironically, in India, people would rather pay for a luxury feature and most buyers end up buying the non-Matrix models which are cheaper by $4-5k.

Is the Bosch GKS 235 not available in UK ?

Sorry mate. Don't have enough money in the bank to afford a bandsaw right now, so will have to make do with my table saw for now.

Have been eyeing the DCH273 for a while now. Just waiting to see when a friend is coming down from US and can hopefully carry one for me. I could use a corded Bosch one but working on ceilings becomes difficult with them. Base structure of homes in India is built using rebar enforced mortar. Thankfully the walls are made of bricks which are easy to work through with a normal hammer drill. However, if I am right, when using a core holesaw, you have to use normal drilling mode, right.

Hi guys, I have a specific task that I need to accomplish on a Table Saw. The table saw has a 4HP motor and should easily accommodate a 14-16 inch blade. The lumber to be worked on comes in at 5"x10" in varying lengths of 6-12 feet. The wood is a resinous softwood similar to Cedar. I need to cut panels from the above mentioned stock for my vaulted false ceiling of around 3000 sq feet. I was hoping to cut 15-18 panels of 4-1/2" x 3/8" from a single piece. In total would have to rip around 50-75 (depending upon length) such pieces and that means a lot of re-sawing while ripping. So I need to order a blade which will see me through this task. Since I will be resawing, I have the option to use a speed ripping blade which will leave an acceptable finish but goes through the 5 inch stock in 2 passes. This blade usually has a kerf more than 4mm. It results in more wasted wood but will get the work done quickly. Other option is to go for a blade with less cut of depth ( 1-1/2 to 2") but which leaves a mirror finish. The blades of this type are available with a 2.5-3mm kerf in the 12-16 inch range. Using such a blade will result in lot less wastage of wood and even though more time will be spent during re-sawing (ripping 1 inch in each pass), it will save me time not having to joint/plane/sand the panels. Which option makes more sense for me in this scenario and do you guys have a preferable saw blade that you recommend in both categories.

So, the jointer-planer combo machine has arrived. I will get around to making the sliding table for the saw next week. I need your help in choosing the clamps which will be needed to hold down the stock on the sliding table. I have decided to build a modular table, whose length I can increase or decrease depending upon the length of the stock. I am going to be doing a lot of re-sawing on this table saw. Also the blade I am looking to order will leave a mirror finish when ripping and hence only 1-1/2 to 2 inches could be ripped in one go. So I need to decide on which clamps to go for to hold the stock down with enough force that it doesn't go flying off in case of a kickback during re-sawing.

Tenryu got back to me and said that a 14 inch table saw should have a max depth capacity of 5 inches, but they don't recommend ripping such thick stock on a TS in one go. And that's what basically every blade manufacturer says. Each one of them, whether it is Freud, CMT, Forrest etc. state the max depth of cut at 3-1/2 inches even for their 18" and 20" blades. They do add that higher thicknesses can be cut but will result in a loss of finish. I have seen people report that they cut 5-6" stock with those blades with great finish, so it is just a ploy by companies to post conservative numbers to cover their butts. Since, I am not sure when I will be getting the 3 phase connection, I'll just go with a 3/4HP motor and a 12 inch blade for now. What people generally do with such blades is that they cut halfway through the stock and then flip it over and cut it through from the other side to achieve the rip. In my design, the blade is fixed, while the table moves up and down. So, I won't even have to flip the stock. All I'll have to do is lower the height of the table appropriately after the first pass and that should allow me to rip stock even thicker than 5 inches. The stock will be secured from all sides by push clamps providing more than adequate force that keeps the stock stationary even in case of a kickback. I hope it works as I have envisioned it in my mind.

You seem to be right. All table saws with 14-16 blades have 7.5-10HP motors. That's why, I was looking at the Freud Thin Kerf 16 5-16" D1632X beam saw blade. It is generally used in a handheld circular beam saw and is powered with a 2000-2200 watt motor. So a 4 HP motor with stabilizers might work for the same in a table saw. A reviewer on Amazon has been using the same on his table saw with excellent results. It's just that the blade is ATB and I would have preferred a true ripping blade which is thin kerf. I'll follow your advice and mail the manufacturers and see what they have to say. Both CMT and Freud are being imported by third -party vendors here in India while Leitz, Kanefusa and Tenryu have physical presence, so they might be a better fit for me.

I have been in the same boat as you, for the past 2 months or so. I also just needed tools to do work at my home and farm. My work is however a bit extensive, but still not something that guaranteed buying the best or top-notch stuff out there as I wouldn't be using these tools every day, once the current workload is finished. However, due to the scale of the current task at hand, I was able to justify buying top level stuff, despite just being a home user. I have however, decided to be a little smart about it. I have decided not to wander off when buying the tools and only buy what I am going to use for sure. I ordered Knipex Pliers worth $230 recently, but I chose them very carefully and hence with just 5 pliers, I will be able to tackle all the plumbing and electrical work at my house and farm. So, if you have the money to splurge, then it's great. But even if you don't, you can slowly build your collection by buying top flight tools, but only those which you need at the moment and not buy big kits just so that you can get your hands on every single tool out there. For example, I would have loved to buy a cordless circular saw and recip saw, but I decided to wait as they were not that important for me right now and instead ordered the best Hammer Drill and Impact Combo I could. Same is the way I am going with accessories. I could have bought big sets of Impact bits from Dewalt/ Makita/Hitachi etc. , but since I know I will only be using either Phillips or Hex head screws, I decided to buy them loose. That way I am able to buy Makita Golds, although I am currently looking at Wera Impactor as well.

Guys, The main machine, which is a jointer-planer is nearly ready. The design for the sliding table is also nearly finalized. I however need to decide on which blade to buy and size the motor accordingly. The stock that I get over here is 5x10. What size saw blade will I need to buy to rip such thick stock in one go? I am hoping to buy a thin-kerf blade and use stabilizers so that I can get away with using a smaller motor. From my research, I should be able to get my hands on the following companies, even if it means waiting for a few days - 1) Freud 2) CMT 3) Leitz 4) Tenryu 5) Kanefusa. Recently came across this discussion which made me even more confused when chosing which company to buy the blade from - http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/forum/jlc-online-peer-to-peer-forums/tools-equipment/39323-forget-freud-cmt-blows-them-away The only blade I have come across which is big enough and has a thin kerf is this 16"+ beam saw blade from Freud - https://www.amazon.com/Freud-D1632X-16-Inch-General-Purpose/dp/B0002AJQQM If I can employ this blade, I might be able to get away with a 4HP motor. I don't have a 3-ph connection yet, otherwise I would have easily gone for a 7.5-10HP 3ph motor instead, but my 3 ph connection is still a few months away.

That seems to be too close for comfort. For someone who is new to power tools, it is making me want to order a full face setup even for woodworking.

Ended up ordering two more pieces 1) 13 96 200 - Knipex Electrical Installation Pliers VDE 2) 16 95 01SB - Knipex Ergo Strip Really fell in love and wanted to order the Multi Strip 10, but considering I have to buy many more tools and accessories this month, I had to settle for the Ergo Strip for now. Will definitely order the Multi Strip in the future once I start dabbling with micro-processors again. So, in total, I am out $230 for these 5 pliers. I'll post pictures when I get my hands on these beauties in second half of March. 3 of the items are in stock but I'll pick them up together when the other 2 items arrive from Germany. I am going to start a thread, asking advice on choosing other tools and accessories, so please don't hesitate to make my pockets lighter by pitching in in that thread.

Thanks for introducing me to this brand guys. I found the Indian importer/distributor and he is a tool geek like you guys. Also imports other quality tools like Bessey Clamps and Wera tools among many others. Pricing is also on par with US prices. Just placed my first order for 1) 12" Pliers Wrench 2) 12" Quickset Cobra Pliers 3) 10" Siphon and Connectors plier with plastic teeth. These should be more than enough for all my plumbing needs for now. P.S. - I think I should start my own thread so I could ask for advice regarding the different tools and accessories I am looking to buy in the next month or so. Need advice on drill bits, router bits, saw blades etc.

I'll also have to put a strong rubberband on the battery. Although the wobble due to the battery fitment issue isn't a lot, but it does wreak havoc on my OCD mind now that I know it's there.

It is doing the same on my brand new 996. Seems like I will end up using only speeds 1 and 3. It just doesn't want to go to 1 from 2. Also the battery fits a bit loosely at the back.

Yes, it will have either a riving knife or a splitter whichever I find easier to implement. The featherboard, IMO, also helps in making sure the thin rip crosses the blade and doesn't get stuck. I am hoping the clamps which will be pushing the stock downwards ensure that the wood doesn't bind. The fences won't be setup to exert huge pressure, rather just ensure that the stock is square to the fence. Compared to that pressure, the downward pressure from the clamps will be much stronger. That alone, I am hoping, ensures that the stock doesn't move at all and hence it doesn't bind.

Guys, why does one need to buy different sizes? Won't the bigger size one take care of all the things one would use the smaller sizes on. I mean, isn't it the jaw size that should matter ?

I have applied what we Indians call 'Jugaad'. I had recently ordered the Ferm oscillating tool to do sanding of installed window frames in my under construction house. The very first day, the velcro on the pad became non- functional. I could have ordered Chinese replacements available for around $11 for 2 sanding pads. However, considering I had to sand 50 window frames, I would be changing these pads every day for 2 weeks. That would have ended up costing more than the tool itself. So I took off the velcro portion off the sanding pad and decided to use double sided tape and normal sandpaper instead. That setup also ran into trouble that the foam on the sanding pad started coming off whenever I had to take off the tape. So the current setup, with which I have sanded over 50 window frames, is that I applied a used sandpaper permanently over the foam and then I attach the sandpaper I need to use on top of it with double sided tape. Works like a charm for me.

For someone who doesn't have a lot to splurge, which Knipex pliers would you guys suggest that would help achieve 90% of the work if laying plumbing for a house. I am gonna be using GI Pipes although plastic pipes are also available. I wouldn't mind buying 2-3 different types, but I just don't want to end up buying ones which serve similar purposes. I am thinking of ordering at least the 12 inch Plier Wrench and Pipe Wrench S-type. If ordering more than one, it is cheaper for me to purchase from Amazon.de than Amazon.com, for someone ordering from India. I also have the option to buy from Indian distributor but I know that their prices will be over-inflated. For a moment, I was tempted by going for more mainstream DIY options like Irwin Groovelock, but considering I am starting to build my tools collection, I think it would be wiser to splurge on a quality product now than a cheaper one which I might have to replace a lot quicker in the future.

Yes, they have had the Anti-Kickback technology since the HDS183/DDS183 days.

The last few days, I have been reading a lot of articles and forum discussions and watching a lot of youtube. The main priority, for me to even think of attempting something like this, has been to incorporate SAFETY, in what are quite capable but unsafe machines we have available over here in India. My usage will be a lot of ripping of 5"x10"x10' of medium to good quality cedar and other softwood. There will be cross-cutting as well but that would only constitute 15-20% of the workload. Sheet goods might be needed to be cut but that would not even be 5% of the entire workload. Keeping that in mind, I am looking to inculcate a lot of features of something like a Hammer K3 Winner, but mine will probably have an even longer sliding table if things stay in budget. So the plan is to have a machine in which both sides of the table slide, instead of just one side in regular sliding table saws. I need to get your opinion on something before I put my plans into action. When you are feeding wood, especially when ripping thin strips of wood, a feather board is needed to provide support to keep the stock pushed against the fence. So my idea replaces the feather board with another fence that support the other edge of the stock. So now, we have two fences that support both sides of the stock. Since my fences will be made from Aluminium Extrusions, we can go ahead and add clamps which will clamp the stock down on to the table. Now that all four faces of the wood is supported, we can just move the whole table through the blade and achieve the rip we were looking for. I would love to hear opinions of experienced wood workers on here as to what problems can occur which make implementing such a setup a failure. Are there chances of burning the wood on the cut faces because the clamping of the wood from all four sides makes it too tight. I was thinking of not applying too much pressure with the fences, just enough to hold the wood square against the fence and not too much that could make the stock move upwards due to the pressure. So basically, instead of feeding the wood through we clamp it to the table and move the table through the blade, while keeping a safe distance from both, the blade and the stock.

The design has changed. I am not going to use a circular saw anymore. Instead I will be adding a proper sliding table saw to what is essentially a 3HP Jointer-Planer combo sold in India. The machine comes with a clutch that allows one to run either one or both simultaneously. They already come with a table saw that is very rudimentary design and I'm going to work with the manufacturer to design it along the lines of a modern European table saw like a basic Hammer. Good thing the manufacturer I have chosen manufacturers their own bearings as well apart from the basic multi-purpose woodworking machine, so using linear bearings for a sliding table is going to be right up their alley. I am going to their factory next week and that will be probably when we finalize the design. Meanwhile, I will be picking up a few precision measuring devices like a Dial Indicator, Ruler, Protractor and a Straight Edge from Insize. All the above mentioned devices will come with both German and US certification and I deem them to be a worthy investment at this stage so I can make sure that the manufacturer maintains precision when manufacturing my custom machine. I am thinking of asking him to increase the thicknessing capacity from 8" as well. Will then move on to an aluminium fabricator and make him design and manufacture the fence and a few jigs for precision work. I was first thinking of mounting the precision measurement devices directly onto the machine, but I think it would be better to get the scales and guides manufactured with the reference of the devices than mount them directly to the machine. I know someone who works in the Legal and Meterology department and I might save some money by borrowing his instruments rather than purchasing mine, but that will be decided next week as well. I would definitely love to do a build thread on this. These are the kinda machines I will be modifying for my use. http://www.professional-power-tool-guide.com/power-tool-forum/index.php?/topic/12004-Have-you-guys-seen-or-used-such-a-woodworking-machine

The big furniture shops that make quality furniture use products from SCM and Felder. In India, in old days, houses might have used wood in construction, but in today's world, wood is limited to just doors and windows and in my part of the woods, for a vaulted false ceiling. So, the wood workers don't have a choice but to work with such combo machines as they don't have a booming business and hence low budgets when it comes to investing in machines. Also most of the work is done at the site and hence easier to lug with one heavy machine than several. About me, I am a complete newbie when it comes to working with wood. I have been screwed over by my contractor who has been doing sub-par work and hence I decided to let him go and take a shot at it myself. I will be hiring a skilled worker who has been doing this work on such machines for some time now. He will be working on a daily wage and I will try and learn the basic skills from him. Hopefully, I will be able to teach him a few things as well about safety and using different jigs to make work easier as these guys don't have any awareness of the modern preferred safety methods. They don't even wear a mask and work with bare hands. Never seen any of them use a push block. However, since they are usually 2 guys working in tandem, they are able to keep their hands away from the blade. One stands at the infeed and the other at the outfeed sides. The person at the outfeed side ensures that the wood doesn't bind together after clearing the table saw blade while the other person feeds from a safe distance. They don't have to usually make small cuts as they are usually making window frames and similar big stuff only. I however, will make them build and use push blocks and hopefully they carry these lessons forward with them. As for the machine, I might hold on to it for some time longer as I will be having to build some kitchen cabinets in an year or so and then I might probably sell it. But if I fall in love with woodworking, who knows. After the work at my house is finished in 2 months or so, I have promised to build a Bassinet for my sister whose first child is due in July. So the machine will stay with me till I have at least built that.