It’s amazing what your questions have done for us at ToolCrib.com. Especially the ones we can’t answer.

Your questions have introduced us to the wider tool-using community, a group of kind and gracious people who are willing to offer their hard earned wisdom to folks who are following in their footsteps.

One such person is Michael Pleasant, or Obi as he posts in LumberJocks. I sent him an email interview recently to get a better understanding of how he thinks about his profession.

Be sure to check out Michael’s Atwater, California cabinetry site.

TC 1) Did you ever decide to be a professional woodworker or did it just happen?

Michael: My father was a carpenter and it just sort of happened. When I was looking for a job in my late thirties, a friend of mine needed a framing partner and it just took off from there

TC 2) Did you have a mentor?

Michael: Not really. In the construction industry everybody that knows more than you tends to be a mentor

TC 3) How long have you owned your own cabinetry shop?

Michael: I opened it in April of 2006

TC 4) Did you go “solo” all at once or in stages?

Michael: Unemployment happened all at once.

TC 5) What is your business’s “bread and butter?”

Michael: I’ve made more making cabinets than anything else, but one per household puts a limit on how many cabinets you can build, so I decided to go into custom furniture

TC 6) How does the web affect your business?

Michael: So far it hasn’t. All of my business so far has been word of mouth

TC 7) What are your hobbies besides woodworking?

Michael: I’m a computer Service tech so if I’m not in the shop, I’m at the computer

Thanks Michael, for giving us some insight into you and your woodworking business. If you’re in business for yourself, or just passionate about woodworking and stumbled upon us on the web we’d like to get to know you in an interview like this one. Send an email to GFrench@ToolCrib.com.

If you’re making a decision on a Bosch drill any time soon I’d suggest taking a look at the reviews on it the guys at WoodNet gave us.

Here’s the question we got that got them rolling:

How does the Bosch Compact 18V 1/2″ cordless drill stack up to other similar drills?

The Bosch was very well regarded there - check out the full thread though for more though: Bosch Compact 18V.

Thanks to the Woodnetters for help on this question.

Sometimes simple questions are… not that simple. Take this one we got from a visitor recently:

“Wondering what the best sander is–my husband was looking at the Porter Cable Profile sander–but I read some pretty negative reviews about this product.

What is the best quality profile sander?”

I posed this question to the WoodNet community and received 4 pages of response.

In my email to the questioner - based on the forum responses from WoodNet - I suggested that they check out the Festool LS 130.. or hire a helper to hand sand projects

Be sure to visit the thread.

Your drill’s served you well all these years. Recently its started to choke and you need parts. Where do you go?

That’s what a ToolCrib visitor asked us recently.

I went to the Woodnet forum to ask and got back some sources that the folks there have had good experience with.

I heard:
http://www.toolpartsdirect.com.

http://www.nphpowertools.com.

Do you have any other suggestions? Leave them here or head over to the drill parts Q/A thread on WoodNet.

Thanks to the Woodnetters for help on this question!

We got this question recently:

“What year was the Sears/Craftsman 12″ Electronic band saw with 1 1/8HP made, and what did it cost?”

I took a stab at it with Google and got nada.

(pic from cottonauction)

The guys at WoodNet put it at around 1990.

But the conversation in that thread turned into a pic swap of old ships saws. VERY COOL STUFF!

Check out For the thread at Woodnet.

Thanks to the Woodnetters for help on this question!

Some questions we get are easy to answer with Google. Some aren’t. This one had me backed into a corner so I asked the Woodnetters for help:

“What kind/type of tool do I need to make lengthy angle cuts on my table saw?”

One person who responded to this question gave a link to this “quick overview of a shopmade jig.”

Check out what tool needed for lengthy angle cuts? for more thoughts.

And big thanks to the Woodnetters for help on this question!

I didn’t know what kind of can of worms I was opening with this question… it’s sort of a Chevy vs. Ford kind of thing

Anyways, here’s what we got from our question submission box:

What’s the difference between right tilt and left tilt table saws?

In my own digging I came across a great write up on Left Versus Right Tilt Tablesaws

There is tons more debate and considerations for you in the actual forum thread of Left tilt vs. Right tilt table saws?

Thanks to the Woodnetters for help on this question!

Here are some of the clips we found on YouTube.

You can see more here.

Let us know if you find any other cool power tool videos. Post links in the comments section.

The Stats

• Tall sliding fence supports crown molding vertically up to 4-1/2 inches and easily slides out of the way for bevel cuts
• 0- to 50-degree miter ability for greater capacity in all cutting applications
• 11 positive miter stops allow for quick settings and improved accuracy
• Steel-on-steel detent plate and pin offers repeatable accuracy and worksite durability
• 0- to 48-degree bevel delivers increased capacity for out-of-square corners
• 33-pound weight, head lock-down pin, and built-in carrying handle for increased portability
• 15 amp motor, 5,000 rpm provides enough power for all cutting applications
• Works great with the DW723 miter saw stand

Review #1

Probably the best feature I’ve found is the light grip required on the
operating handle. I can’t see getting carpal tunnel syndrome from
overuse of the handle, for it is truly comfortable to use, unlike some
of the ones I tried that required both a hard grip on a safety device
as well as a tough pull-down on the handle.

Review #2

The only thing I wish it had was a laser. That’s why only 4 stars. I
purchased the Irwin laser attachment to use with this lightweight
miter saw. I also believe the sawdust bag is usless and I attach it to
the vac when I use the saw.

Review #3

This is a great saw for the homeowner. The professional might quibble with its lack of sliding capability, but for the price this compound miter saw is hard to beat.

Review #4

Yeah I know it only compounds in one direction and it’s only 10″. Tell yah what though, for under $200 it’s a real bargain (no lasers at this price). The saw arrived in perfect condition, spot on accurate out of the box and it now carries a sign stating “finish work only”.

Review #5

Power is good (takes a few seconds to come totally up to speed) and included blade is better than expected - I got additional blade at initial purchase becuase I assumed like most saws the included blade would be crap but standard blade is good general purpose. Dust collection sucks, though some reviewers have not been as “candid.”

This was compiled from reviews at Amazon.com