Issue 407
Issue 407
What About Combo Tools?
Stationary power tools are big, expensive, difficult to move around and often stand idle. This has been true for a long time, and one response is the combo tool, a machine that combines more than one function into a single stationary tool. For example, I have a JET combo Jointer/Planer — and I really like it. I can face joint 12” wide panels and then put them through the planer; changeover takes just seconds.
And there are tools that combine more: say, table saw, jointer, planer and a slot-mortiser in one machine. But these tools have never caught on with woodworkers here in the USA in a big way … unless you include the Shopsmith (which I do).
So how do you feel about combo tools? Do you own one? Would you consider buying one? Let us know, and we will share your answers.
Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
Today's Woodworker
-
Gary Moore: Design Inspiration Everywhere
Gary Moore finds design inspiration everywhere for both whimsical and angular furniture items.
Tricks of the Trade
-
Making a Clamp Free Featherboard
You can make a clamp-free featherboard without breaking your wallet!
-
Storing Planes in a Wall-Mounted Tool Chest
To secure the planes in my wall-mounted tool chest, I predrilled holes and glued magnets flush to the storage surfaces.
What's In Store
-
JessEm CLEAR-CUT TS™ Stock Guides
Innovative featherboard substitute features spring-loaded rollers that prevent kickback accidents.
Q & A
-
My Chalk Paint and Wax Finish Didn’t Work. Now What?
Chalk paint and wax was a bad combination for my breakfast table. What should I try instead?
Reader's Project Gallery
-
Kitchen Counter Spice Rack
I made this spice rack of birch plywood, yellowheart, and bocote for my wife.
Feedback
-
Woodworking: A Hobby, Not a Job
Another woodworker shares the tale of why he doesn’t turn his hobby into a paying job.
