Recent content by ColytonJohn

I'm sure others will have their own preferences but... I built an enclosed porch (think small conservatory) including a large front door from cedar and used polyurethane adhesive. Ten years later and it's still standing (as is some garden furniture I made around the same time) so I'd be happy...

Assuming your mental aberration was temporary and that you promise to never, ever deposit anything so valuable into a skip again I'm prepared to give my two pennyworth... :D Buying 'quality' tools is always good practice as there is so much rubbish out there. However, are 'cheap' T bars so...

I had to make a sketch of this to understand your description and may still have it wrong - if so then I apologise! :D Anyway... A 20 mm x 100 mm length of walnut on end supporting the 25 mm top would probably add sufficient strength (assuming the adults aren't Russian weight lifters) but I...

Nice and simple so I'll be making my own but I thought diamond stones were lubricated with water not oil :? Cheers, John

Well thanks for the prompt and emphatic response folks it looks as though Tuffsaws will be getting a call in the morning :D Although justbandsawblades and Truecut will be well noted too :) Cheers, John

I have an Axminster floor-standing band saw, it's not a huge one but just right for me. Sorry, I can't remember the model and it's too cold to go and look right now. Using it the other day the cut wandered off meaning it's time for a new blade but, hang on, that one hasn't been in very long...

You may find that new timber lacks some of the characteristics you like such as tight, 'slow grown', growth rings and a patina developed over the decades. It may also be less stable. If possible, then, I'd suggest trying to track down reclaimed timber and, while reclamation yards are a source...

I recently bought a saw and had spent a lot of time considering my options two of which were the ones you've boiled it down to. Had I proceeded I would have gone for the Charnwood as, despite already owning a number of 'White' Axminster machines, have lost confidence in their products based on...

HI, I make tables from almost exclusively reclaimed timber and some of it can be pretty wet. The thing to bear in mind is that timber expands when it gets wet and contracts when it dries in all directions but mainly 'across the field' i.e. across the grain. So, if you make a simple top by...

A rule of thumb I use is, because an induction motor is such a good selling point if the manufacturer doesn't explicitly say that's what's fitted, then expect a brush motor. In addition to having some nice Bosch tools I also have some peaches by Makita and DeWalt (my DW RAS in particular has a...

Up until recently I also used a small portable saw but the motor blew, was BER which forced me to think about a replacement. A friend who regularly borrowed the saw (a drawback of portability! :D ) needed one urgently and his thorough research led him to buy the Bosch. My independent research...

I use almost exclusively reclaimed timber and my preparation is thus: Using a claw hammer I remove all the nails I can see (and if they've been holding battens then there will be hundreds!). Then I check with a stud and metal finder and mine, even though cheap, is quite capable of finding any...

There may be some 'patent' remedies suggested but I protect my cast iron with wax. It can be a light wood wax or even a candle rubbed over the surface. I cleaned and polished the ancient and rusty table saw I bought recently but didn't give the top anything more than a spritz of WD40 and a few...

Thanks Bob, I'll do just that and put in a 16a socket. If I'm going to the trouble of running a new cable there really isn't any reason not to as I won't be removing the existing 13a spur. Cheers, John

Thanks folks, that was useful :) I ran an extension cable out to the saw, removed the belts and it started fine with repeated stop-starts all good. I then reperformed the tests with the belts replaced and, again, all was well. As the feed to the saw is via an old spur I'll run a dedicated...