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Understanding how chisels are constructed and their specific purposes will help you decide which chisel will best suit your woodworking needs.

Understanding how Japanese chisels are constructed and their specific purposes will help you decide which chisel will best suit your woodworking needs.

Angle grinders are great for quickly removing wood or metal, but the process typically involves a cloud of sawdust or sparks, and the results are often fairly rough. 

I started using HomeRight’s Finish Max HVLP (high volume, low pressure) sprayer about a year ago and am happy to report that the little gun is still getting the job done. Thanks to my shop time with it, I got hooked on the speed and quality of HVLP.

Bar, pipe and K-body clamps are your best bet for most glue-ups, but what about all those clamping jobs that simply require a third hand? There are plenty of times when speed and easy operation are more important than clamping pressure–like affixing a workpiece to a jig or workbench, holding parts together while you drive a screw, or keeping an assembly from falling apart as you position additional clamps.

Jet’s new 14" bandsaw enters a tool category with a large number of competitive models. But this saw has some innovative features that woodworkers will appreciate, especially with regard to heavy-duty resawing. For starters, there’s just over 13" of resaw height, and the saw can accept 3/4" blades. 

Traditional F-style clamps are a fixture in most woodshops for good reason. Thanks to their stone-simple design, these clamps reliably deliver pressure wherever it’s needed—most of the time. Whether you own a few clamps, or your collection numbers in the dozens, odds are good that you’ve encountered a few situations where the handle got in the way. 

It’s a joy to use a chisel with a razor-sharp edge, and a tragedy when a perfect edge gets ruined by an accidental drop or ding. WoodRiver chisel guards provide cheap insurance against damage. For less than ten bucks, you get a set of ten guards that will fit chisels from 1/8" to 1-1/4". These flexible silicone guards will fit and tenaciously grip a range of different chisel shapes, unlike hard plastic chisel guards. If you hate regrinding chisels as much as I do, you’ll appreciate these top-notch tips.

Keyhole slots are useful for hanging mirrors, picture frames and other items on a wall. But routing them requires an expensive bit and careful work with a plunge router. 

Most work stands are designed to provide simple but solid infeed or outfeed support, or to help heavy stock slide past a blade or cutter. You can accomplish a lot with most one-trick ponies, but sooner or later, you’ll encounter a job where you wish you had the stability of a fixed top, or rollers to help maneuver long boards or heavy sheet goods. Where some woodworkers might resort to buying or building another support, PM-5093 owners have 3 options, for only about $10 more than single-headed competitors.