Questions tagged [tool-maintenance]
Maintaining tools, when, how, what.
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What is the proper configuration of a buzz saw cradle?
I am trying to make my old buzzsaw safer. I suspect that the cradle —the iron hand that holds the log — could be improved. There is no user's manual — both the company and the country where the ...
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Concerns about rust in garage workshop [duplicate]
I am just getting into woodworking. My garage is the only place I can set up a workshop. The weather in my area ranges from cold winters to hot, humid summers. I'm concerned about rust developing on ...
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How to remove a table saw blade held in with a hex nut and Allen bolt?
The saw disc on my KDR 103 N tablesaw looks like this:
As you can hopefully see, there is a big hexagonal nut. Inside there is an Allen bolt opening.
Inside of this Allen bolt is something ...
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Does the outfeed table have to be parallel with the rotating drum?
I realized that even though the edges of each knife are parallel to the outfeed table, the drum holding these knives isn't. The difference in vertical gaps between the barrel and the table is about 0....
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Do the springs pushing at a jointer knife do anything useful when the jointer is running?
I have a combined jointer and planer with three knives mounted on a rotating cylinder. Each knife is fastened using five screws. Additionally, two springs are under each knife, pushing it upwards — ...
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What's a quick, easy home-made honing guide?
What's a quick, easy, home-made honing guide for sharpening blades for e.g. a plane?
I'm thinking for a 25 degree surface, just cut a block of wood to 25 degrees on a mitre-saw and then screw the ...
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How to flatten stubborn hollow on the back of a plane iron?
I'm a completely new amateur woodworker, starting out with hand tools. To begin with, I want to get my new tools nice and sharp. I've been trying very hard to flatten (lap?) the back of my plane iron (...
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Is it needed to have the lever cap flat against the blade in a shoulder plane?
I bought an approximately cheap small (1/2" width) shoulder plane from Dictum.
However I observed that only the toe of the lever cap presses on the blade (see picture above).
Should I tree to ...
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Can you sand jointer infeed and outfeed tables? [duplicate]
My jointer tables are not stainless material, so they develop rusty spots. I already removed most of it using a rust-removing liquid product, but there are still some die-hard remnants.
Would it be OK ...
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Spirit Level Reading
I know this is a pretty basic question but I am not able to get an answer over the internet. So my question is, how do you read a spirit level. I am talking about the Starrett Machinist Level (98-6 – ...
CommunityBot
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Does it matter what kind of diamond stone I get?
I am looking into getting a set of diamond stones so I can start some serious sharpening. I am doing some now with sandpaper but I am starting to find aspects tedious and am looking at other options.
...
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Old drill press. How do I remove the handle/quill
My neighbor gave me an old drill press. He said it hadn’t been used in 30 years. I wanted to try to restore it, but I’m having trouble getting it apart. From what I can see, the handle shaft gear ...
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Retain smell of wood on a tool and also protect it?
I recently cut down a (dead) pinyon pine and I'm using part of it to make a handle for a hammer. While working with this wood the smell of it is out-of-this-world amazing.
Once the handle is finished ...
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How do I remove a stuck router bit from a plunge router?
I am borrowing a friend's "Skil 1823 Type 1 Plunge Router", and I am having some trouble removing the router bit that was already in it. Everything online has said that removing the collet nut should ...
CommunityBot
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What's a suitable lubricant for woodworking clamps?
I have several different types of clamps all of which I've noticed over time get a little harder to operate, the motion isn't as smooth or easy as I'd like. I'm thinking of F-clamps, "quick" ...
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How to preserve sole of transitional plane
My son found a Stanley #36 transitional plane in a local junk store and cleaned it up. The blade is now sharp and the metal parts rust free and repainted. He's looking to put it to use, not as a ...
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Table saw blade keeps jamming and slowing down
I have an old Sears tablesaw. It was my Grandfather's and it is well over 40 years old.
Please excuse me for not being the sharpest tool in the shed, but about a year ago I accidently started the ...
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How to keep the thread of a vice clean?
I'm finding that a lot of debris is falling onto the thread of my vice and sticking to the grease that's on there to lubricate it.
What techniques are there to keep either (1) keep this from happening ...
CommunityBot
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Should the smooth side or the rough side of a urethane bandsaw tire go against the wheel?
I am replacing bandsaw tires. I bought urethane replacement tires. There is a smooth side and a rough side. The manufacturers directions are clear on every step except for this point. The old tires ...
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Trim router - Arbor has small amount of play along its axis, is this normal? (DWP611)
Last week I was using my router and I think the guide bushing vibrated loose -- it chipped the bit, chewed up inside of the bushing a little (luckily it was only brass or it might have been more ...
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What kind of wax will keep a crosscut sled sliding well?
I'm making a crosscut sled for my table saw, and I want it to slide freely. I've read various places that waxing the under side of the sled helps a lot. My question is, what kind of wax should I be ...
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Preparing New Tool for Use and Ongoing Care
I've recently purchased a mini metal lathe. I've finished unpacking it and I've noticed that it's come coated in Cosmoline or some other packing grease like another of my tools. In the past I've just ...
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Storing a chainsaw for occasional winter use
I'm curious if there's any difference in storing / maintaining a chainsaw for occasional use in winter. I live in the northern US and temperatures are typically around freezing, with some occasional ...
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Table saw top treatment
For years I've used Bostik TopCote (apparently now called GlideCote) to protect the cast iron top of my table saw. It has always worked very well: I have no rust on the top, and it provides a nice ...
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Help getting Delta fence accurate
I bought a Delta 36-725 on Craigslist after seeing a lot of really positive reviews on it, especially about its fence. However, I can't get my fence to lock down accurately at all. When the fenced isn'...
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Will waterproof toolbox prevent rust
I have quite humid workshop and I would like to protect some smaller tools like chisels and hand planes without waxing/oiling them.
There are some waterproof toolboxes(for example https://www....
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How does one aggressively sharpen chisels and plane irons when damaged?
I have a lot of finds from garage sales and from picking out tools from my grandfather's old shop. While he mostly keeps his tools in great working order he had some that I would guess he didn't feel ...
CommunityBot
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Should I put mineral oil or wax on an axe head to stop it from rusting? [duplicate]
I have an old ax head that I soaked in vinegar and salt to remove the outer layers of rust. That worked just fine, but after I removed all of the rust and let it sit while I shopped for a new handle. ...
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How should I store the batteries of my cordless drill?
I have a nice cordless drill that came with two rechargeable batteries. However, there are times when life gets in the way and I'm not using the drill at all over the course of several months. When I ...
CommunityBot
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deciphering different grits of diamond-plated sharpening stones
I recently purchased two diamond sharpening stones from amazon. One of them was a medium grit (600) and the other was a fine grit (1200). They arrived in the mail about a week ago. When I unboxed them ...
CommunityBot
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Can I use a 12” granite block for fettling a #5 plane?
I have used a 12”x9” granite block to fettle the #4 I use bit recently acquired a #5 that belonged to my great uncle. It looks good, and I’m looking forward to cleaning it up, but I assume that I need ...
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How to treat tools immediately after de-rusting treatment (molasses)?
I have a set of tools (handplanes, to be precise) currently swimming in a molasses bath for de-rusting. I can find a lot of comparison data with other de-rusting methods, but not so much information ...
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Where to get end caps for chisels or what to use instead?
Often, chisels bought new will have end caps, as shown in the image below.
However, I have a number of old chisels and gouges that lack end caps. What can I use to protect their edges and protect ...
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My band saw blade consistently slips off. What are some common causes of this?
I have an older Craftsman band saw that is very difficult to get the blade back in place and it tends to toss the blade often. It makes it annoying to use the tool. I'm wondering if there is a ...
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Is it ok to clamp down squares and i-beam style levels?
I often make fences on my work surface by clamping down levels and squareslike so:
I only ever use my speed square to overlap another square because that is thick and its accuracy is rough enough ...
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Can I get away with using bonded leather for a strop?
I had been saving some leathers swatches for use on a strop for when I finally get off my behind and start sharpening my tools. I apparently didn't notice that I had been saving bonded leather instead ...
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Will a steel guide bushing harm a drill bit?
I want to build a jig to speed up production of a furniture item. The jig will hold a piece steady while the user hand-drills a hole in a certain spot. I want to use a steel bushing to guide the ...
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How can I properly sharpen my knives with power tools?
I have drawers full of knives and blades that have never been as sharp as when they came from the factory. I have some whetstones, Lansky sharpeners, and leather strops. I have tried to use those ...
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What should I do to maintain a saw blade?
In an answer, rob ♦ stated that:
Many other factors also influence the longevity of a blade between sharpenings, such as the hardness (e.g., steel vs. carbide, or one grade of steel or carbide vs. ...
CommunityBot
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How to remove the upper wheel of a bandsaw?
I am in the process of restoring an old 14" bandsaw. I would like to disassemble it as much as possible and clean each part and remove as much saw dust and rust as I can.
My first major step is to ...
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Is my orbital sander fixable?
[previously asked in Home Improvement, perhaps better here?]
I have a Bosch PSS230 orbital sander (1990's vintage I think) which has served me very well until recently when it made a nasty noise and ...
rob♦
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How should I go about restoring rusty clamps? [duplicate]
I've inherited about thirty or so clamps that I'd like to restore. Except for some rust and a some missing plastic/rubber pads, they work great. The clamps include a bunch from Bessey and ShopFox that ...
CommunityBot
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What can cause a table saw to make this rattling/clacking noise?
I've just put my used Powermatic 64 Artisan's Saw together. When the belt is attached to the motor, it makes a sound that seems like something is unbalanced. When the motor spins freely without the ...
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How do I properly care for my paintbrushes?
I have been diligently cleaning my paintbrushes after use by rinsing them in the recommended solvent (in this case mineral turpentine). Nonetheless, this last time my paintbrush hardened into a solid ...
CommunityBot
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How to properly sharpen a Forstner bit?
I need to sharpen some Forster bits, which are made of steel. What is best to be used and is there a proper way of doing it? Some people use sandpaper and others say diamond. Could I use the sandpaper ...
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How to store equipment no longer being used
I have a nice mortise press that rarely gets use. It's a full sized standing unit made by General.
It's located in a basement shop and I'm wondering how to best preserve the machine. I haven't turned ...
CommunityBot
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How to clean and maintain my table saw top
We obtained this very nice JET table saw a while back but the surface had gotten some water sitting on it and started to get a rust spot. Unfortunately, someone got a bit overzealous and thought it ...
CommunityBot
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Do I need to clean my miter and table saw after each use? [closed]
A contractor told me that I need to clean wood dust from my table saw and miter saw after each use. He explained that leaving wood dust can impact the tools’ longevity and I should use a compressed ...
CommunityBot
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To change a blade on a table saw, do I pull the wrench toward the front?
To change the blade on the table saw, do I pull the wrench toward the front of the saw to loosen the nut?
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How do you reliably set all your jointer knives to the same, correct height?
I have an older delta model jointer, and I always struggle to get all three knives consistently set at the same height.
I've tried a large magnetic jig that purports to help, but.. it really doesn't-...
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