Buying Guides

Woodworking Saws Buying Guides

• Table Saws: The Workhorses Of The Wood Shop
  The Table Saw is undoubtedly the most versatile machine in any shop, and should be the woodworker's first machine purchase.
• Woodworking Tips for Using Your Circular Saw
  A circular saw is a absolute necessity for a carpenter on a construction site, but there are a number of uses for a circular saw in fine woodworking projects as well.
• Reciprocating Saws Buying Guide
  With a reciprocating saw, you can quickly cut out old framing and sheathing to make way for new doors and windows, and with the right blade you'll be able to power through pipes, nails, shingles, and wires, sometimes all at once.
• Miter Saws & Compound Miter Saws Buying Guide A simple miter saw is essentially a lightweight circular saw mounted on a spring-loaded pivoting arm supported by a metal base.
• Jig Saws Guide: No Need To Be Puzzled
  Jig saw may look like the weakest member of the saw family. But its ability to cut graceful curves, as well as its portability, make it one of the most sought-after power tools.
• How To Purchase A Scroll Saw
  Scroll saw is a delight for the hobbyist. It is a favorite for turning out thin wood panels known as fretwork that can be used for boxes or wall decorations, and for creating fancy details for brackets and even the Victorian gingerbread trim used on porches.
• Insider Information About Circular Saw
  Cut through a two-by-six or a piece of plywood with a hand saw, and there's likely to be not just a lot of huffing and puffing, but a meandering line as well.
• Band Saws Buying Guide, Finding The Right Tool
  You can't just toss a band saw into your toolbox the way you can a circular saw. The biggest floor models, which can cut massive beams lengthwise, weigh nearly a ton. There are more modest versions that sit on special stands, but even smaller bench-top versions, which might be considered portable, would be hefty to tote.

Sanders Buying Guides

• Random Orbit Sanders: Gguide To The Real Nitty Gritty
  Orbit sanders maneuver with greater delicacy and are more forgiving. Fitted with small pads of sandpaper, they buff the surface of wood rather than strafe it.
• Belt Sanders: The "Bulldozer" Tool, Understanding The Sand & The Fury
  Used carefully, belt sanders can make quick work of stock that would otherwise have to be laboriously sanded by hand. But like a grinder, the belt sander has a relentless fury. If held in one place even an instant too long, it will make irreparable gouges in the very surface you're trying to smooth.

Jointers Buying Guides

• Jointers Buying Tips: Taking Rough Wood To Next Level
  Like many shop tools, jointers come in bench and floor varieties. Bench jointers are relatively small units that are meant to be bolted to a stand or a tabletop.
  

Dust Collectors Buying Guides

• Choosing a Portable Wood Shop Vacuum
  In addition to keeping the tools' work surfaces cleaner, these dust collection systems will help keep sawdust out of the tool motors, which should lead to longer life for the machinery.
• Dust Collectors Buying Guide: Work Cleaner! Breathe Easier!
  Many manufacturers make vacuums, dust collectors, ambient air cleaners, and dust collection filters, fittings, and hoses. Some of the best-known brands are Delta, JDS, Jet, and Fein.

Generator Buying Guides

• Buying Guide to Generators: Power up
  Before buying, you'll need to determine how much power you'll require from a generator, which is rated in watts.
  

Drill Presses Buying Guides

• Drill Presses: Get The Hole Story
  When it comes to making holes of a uniform angle and depth in wood, metal, and synthetics, you just can't beat a drill press.

Cordless Tools Buying Guides

• Cordless Tools: Figuring Out Today's Cordless Tools
  manufacturers have long pursued the idea of cordless tools with all the ardor of a quest for the Holy Grail.
• How to Buy a Cordless Drill
  It's rare that you'll find a woodworking shop that doesn't have at least one cordless drill. It's actually two tools in one: a drill and a power screwdriver.

Routers Buying Guides

• Groovin With Routers: The Right Tool For Building Furniture & Cabinetry
  If you're going to build furniture or cabinetry, you have to be able to make grooves and create profiled edges. In other words, you need a good router.

Planers Buying Guides

• Hand Planes for Home Projects
  The purpose of all planes and planers is to shave, shear, reduce, or smooth a wooden surface. There are several categories of planes, but this guide focuses on hand-held planes, with a brief detour into motorized portable planers.