There are lots of wood working blogs out there, and I know some are far better then mine will be. So whats my angle, what will make this blog different? Well in short as of a few years ago I was all but a complete idiot. Other then a shop class in high school my only exposure to building anything was prefab shelves from big box stores. These shelves began to sag and fall apart so I thought I can do better, and I found an OLD craftsman table saw at a yard sale, and the adventure began. I am not sure how I managed to keep my fingers. Even though I did not know the difference between a rip and a cross cut I set out to build a book shelf and learned a few good lessons...
1- Free hand cross cutting is a bad idea on a table saw.
2- kick back is not just a myth and can in fact dent siding on ones house at 20 paces
3- Pine is a pain to stain
4- weekend projects always take more than a weekend.
5- Some mysterious force makes the shelf move out of square to the left or right depending on relative humidity and temperature. I now know this is called wood movement, and is normal and not a sign of a haunting, or demonic shelf possession.
The picture ablve is not my saw. That saw is long gone, but the model above is pretty much the same beast (I stole the picture). I hope to take pics of the shelf and post soon. So I am going to look at the tools I have (the good to the very bad), projects I have made (the fantastic to the plain F'd up), and lessons I have learned (and I will wonder how I am still alive). Also I will post plans for those interested.
