Rings are always mentioned when it comes to power tool safety - in that list of things NOT to wear in the shop. Along with long hair, dangling necklaces and long sleeves, rings can get caught in the machinery and cause you serious physical harm.

That said, the LOYL (love of your life) may cause you serious physical harm if you go around without wearing your wedding ring.

76 of the finest woodworkers at FamilyWoodworking.org answered a poll regarding wearing a wedding ring in the shop… here are the results followed by some choice quotes from the 42 responses that this thread got.

25: I wear one and always will.
22: No way, a gesture of love isn’t worth losing a finger.
13: I take mine off, but only in the shop.
11: I wear one but deep down I know I shouldn’t because of safety.
7: I’ve had mishaps with my wedding band.

(there were a couple others that had less than 2 responses - check out the thread to see them: Do you wear wedding bands in the shop)

Great Quotes from “Do you wear wedding bands in the shop?”

1) “I’ve not worn my wedding band for over 42 years! The “Medics” had to fight like heck to get it off when my ring finger swelled up after it was hit with a maul by a Private! After that I never put it back on.”

2) “I wear mine. Death before dishonor!”

3) “The army safety poster they always posted showed the sheath of skin from a finger with a ring on it and the hand was not attached…”

4) “My dad is missing the ring finger on his right hand as the result of an incident with a truck, a loading dock, and a high school class ring. Because of this, he can only grab M&Ms out of a bowl with his left hand. The right hand leaks.”

I loved reading through the thread - great stories and great humor. FamilyWoodworking is a great woodworking forum! Check out the thread: Do you wear wedding bands in the shop?

In addition to our recent vendor additions so you can find the best price on the tools you need, we have also launched a Power Tool Personal Shopping Service for contractors with large orders or shopping lists, and organizations that buy with POs. TOOLCRIB.com will find you the lowest prices on power tools by cross checking with multiple vendors and using our volume buying clout.

Call 1 (888) 4TOOLCRIB to Place Your Tool Order
Our number is easy to remember so you can place your order by phone whenever you need us. If there is something you are looking for and can’t find it on the website, dont have time to get online or just don’t want to look for it, give us a call at 1 (888) 4TOOLCRIB and we’ll find it for you.

Call And We’ll Find You The Best Deal: 1 (888) 4TOOLCRIB
Great deals on power tools are a phone call away with ToolCrib.com’s new order by phone service. Give us a call at 1 (888) 4TOOLCRIB and we’ll find you the lowest prices on tools from top sellers in the industry like Home Depot, Tool King, Northern Tool, Rockler and Amazon.

This easy to remember phone number is a great way to order tools quickly and economically, and a wonderful service for folks who can’t find what they’re looking for on the site! Place your order by phone today: 1 (888) 4TOOLCRIB.

Don’t forget to tell your friends and colleagues about it!

We’ve been hard at work on our ToolCrib.com Catalog, aiming to ship it at the end of the summer of ‘07. Unfortunately we hit some technical snags that got us rethinking the whole catalog concept.

In Leu Of A Catalog, We Have Added Some Great Features And Services
We decided it was more important to put our time and resources into adding more vendors to our online store to insure we have the lowest prices for you. You can now buy from Home Depot, Tool King, Northern Tool, Rockler, and Amazon.com, so you are sure to get the lowest prices and best selection at one site, ToolCrib.com.

We also launched a Power Tool Personal Shopping Service for contractors with large orders or shopping lists, and organizations that buy with POs. ToolCrib.com will find you the lowest prices on power tools by cross checking with multiple vendors and using our volume buying clout.

If You Really Want a Catalog…
Send an email to GFrench@ToolCrib.com to tell us why you miss the catalog so much, and we will try to fine tune the catalog concept to your needs. In the mean time we highly recommend a subscription to our twice a month email newsletter, which offers LOW prices on tools plus buying guides, tool comparisons and shop tips to keep you safe and productive.

We also recommend catalogs from both of these fine retailers:

Northern Tool and Equipment Catalog

Rockler Catalog:

First Name: Last Name: Address Line 1: Address Line 2: City: State: ZipCode: Country: United States Other countries… E-mail: I’d like to receive the free “Log-On” e-mail newsletter.

Instead Of A Catalog: Call Us: 1 (888) 4TOOLCRIB
Great deals on power tools are a phone call away with ToolCrib.com’s new order by phone service. Give us a call at 1 (888) 4TOOLCRIB and we’ll find you the lowest prices on tools from top sellers in the industry like Home Depot, Tool King, Northern Tool, Rockler and Amazon.

This easy to remember phone number is a great way to order tools quickly and economically, and a wonderful service for folks who can’t find what they’re looking for on the site! Place your order by phone today: 1 (888) 4TOOLCRIB.

…You can’t find it at ToolCrib.com… you have to click beta.toolcrib.com.

Do a search for your favorite tools… you’ll notice quite a few differences in the results

Tell us what you think by commenting this post or emailing Garrett: GFrench@ToolCrib.com>GFrench@ToolCrib.com.

-ToolCrib.com Team

I wrote to Bosch recently with 5 questions about their tool reconditioning process. I hope their answers help you to make more educated decisions about Bosch reconditioned power tools!

1) What is a “certified factory reconditioned tool”?
A certified factory reconditioned tool has been through a complete inspection by factory trained technicians at the Robert Bosch Power Tool National Reconditioning Center.

Genuine factory replacement parts have been installed by the technicians as necessary. The reconditioned tool is guaranteed to meet all original specifications and to perform as new. Total customer satisfaction is backed up by a one year repair warranty by a nationwide network of factory service centers.

2) Why buy a certified factory reconditioned tool?

1. Quality - the power tool brands you know and trust
2. Like new - Tool has experienced very little or no usage; any necessary repairs are performed by factory trained technicians before resale
3. Full Warranty - Each reconditioned tool carries a full one year repair warranty

3) Where do reconditioned tools come from?
Reconditioned items are new tools that were returned by a customer to the place of purchase due to an initial defect or because the customer decided they wanted a different tool. The product has been used very little or not at all. These tools are sent to the Robert Bosch Power Tool National Reconditioning Center for inspection and any necessary repair to bring them to new tool factory specifications. They are subsequently sold as a reconditioned product.

4) Who repairs the tools?
Tools are repaired at the National Reconditioning Center by factory trained technicians using genuine factory replacement parts.

5) Do I get a warranty on reconditioned tools
All reconditioned tools have a one year repair warranty. Robert Bosch Tool Corporation operates factory owned service centers throughout the US. Factory centers can be located by calling the toll free number: 800-346-4103 or on the web at http://www.skil.com or http://www.boschtools.com.

Big thanks to Boscher Hank Wolman who’s the Manager of Reconditioned Tools!
Do you have questions for Mr. Wolman? Leave them in comments or send them to me at GFrench@ToolCrib.com and I’ll make sure he sees them.

(Hello Wood Whisperer readers

So… here’s the scenario:

1) You have no woodworking tools.
2) You have $1000 tool budget for a YEAR.

What tools would you buy?

I asked this hypothetical question of The Wood Whisperer Marc Spagnuolo and he answered here: Zero Tools and $1000.

Then I worked my way around ToolCrib.com’s favorite forums to get their opinions too:

WoodNet.net
FamilyWoodworking.org
LumberJocks.com

If you’re a regular reader then you can probably sense where this is headed… that’s right! I’m working on another Most Dangerous Power Tools and Most Influential Woodworkers kind of article

I can’t wait to get more opinions and then get started on this one… be sure to leave your thoughts here, on Marc’s blog post or in any of the forums above.

Sometimes you send us questions like this:

“I’m interested in making a stand for my fish tank and I would like a tool that allows screws to be drill into the wood at an angle. This tool makes the holes and it appears very common in cabinet making.”

I’m better with words than with wood so I took this stumper over to WoodNet: name that tool: what tool ensures consistent drill angles?

Woodnetters suggested three primary answers.

Here goes.

1) the Pocket Hole Jig

The Kreg Jig K3MS K3 Master Pocket Hole System $139.99

A mini Kreg. $19.99

I feel fairly certain that this is the tool you were describing… but there is always more than one way to get the job done. Here are some other tool suggestions…

2) a Drill Guide

Wolfcraft 4525404 Drill Guide $19.99

From the bit of reading I did on drill guides they may not be the very best choice for angled work…

3) Drill Press

JET JDP-17MF / 354169 Drill Press $424.99

Probably more tool than you were looking for, but hey, it should do the trick

And there you have it folks, 3 answers for one great question. Stay tuned for future episodes of “name that tool” as you ask your woodworking questions.

A ToolCrib.com visitor asked us recently what was the best DIYer table saw for ripping plywood and paneling… in the $300 range.

I posted his question at WoodNet and learned three key things.

Here’s the thread: best table saw for DIYer in $300>

The first and most important thing I learned is that he’s better off NOT getting a table saw for ripping sheets of plywood, especially at his $300 price range. Second, he’ll need good outfeed support. Third - a used Ryobi came pretty highly recommended for that price range.

Read for more details and resource links:

1)For that price range you’re probably going to be better off with a circular saw and a guide.

So… here are two circular saw cross cutting jigs I found:
Circular Saw Rip Cutting Jig (from Lowes)
Circular Saw Cutting Guide Board (from BenchNotes)

Also - check out this WoodWorking Online video of the top 10 best woodworking tips of all time. The very first tip is a method that involves a sheet of styrofoam on your shop floor, a jig and a just-deep-enough circular saw cut. NEAT!

2)If he goes the table saw route he needs to have outfeed and sidefeed support.

You can, of course, BUY some table saw outfeed support from our associate Amazon. Wink wink.

Or you can build your own using some of these links as guides…

Folding Table Saw Outfeed Table - great idea from a woodworker who built an outfeed table himself. There are no actual plans but you’re a crafty woodworker so I bet you can figure it out from his descriptions.

Construction ideas for an outfeed table with mounted router - so I’m not sure if you can get more boss than this, but here’s a discussion from WoodWeb with great pictures that describes a professional-grade solution.

Table Saw Outfeed Support - an idea for using cabinet drawer slides as long board outfeed support, unsuitable for sheets of plywood though.

Table Saw Techniques - scroll halfway down this wonderful article from Waterfront Woods for a description of cross cutting/rip cutting with table saws.

3) within that price range one potential table saw consideration (with proper sidefeed and outfeed support) is a used Ryobi BT3000/3100

Here’s a Ryobi BT3000 Owner’s Review

Also see http://bt3000.com/, which appears to be a user-written guide to the Ryobi BT3000.

And here’s a forum dedicated to the BT3000, where I’m sure you can learn more about finding yourself one. Also check your local craigslist if you’re interested in owning your own.

4) Craftsman table saws got one yes vote and one no vote…

Our ToolCrib.com visitor went over to the thread and joined WoodNet and asked specifically about the Craftsman series of tools. One Woodnetter says yes, one says no.

I’m not afraid to admit that I know nothing about woodworking First and foremost because I have very little shame, to the chagrin of the LOML when we’re out at dinner.

And secondly because I know I can rely on the guys at FamilyWoodworking and WoodNet for a healthy dose of woodworking wisdom.

Building from the collaborative success of our Ultimate Guide to the Top Ten Most Dangerous Woodworking Power Tools I went to both forums today and asked them about good questions to ask of influential woodworkers.

I thought I’d link to them from here so you can see the “conversations” emerge… I think I may have to re-ask my question in WoodNet cause I’ve got crickets there for now .

Anyways, check out:
Who are your top five most influential woodworkers?
and
woodworker interviews project

And please comment or email me: GFrench@ToolCrib.com about YOUR favorite woodworkers and questions you’d like to ask them!

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.