What Were Your Woodworking Highlights of 2008?

There were many for me so I have broken my answer to the question down into several categories:


Best New Power Tool: Ryobi Impact Driver (see http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...ductId=100049838&N=10000003+90401+527286+1688 )


Best New Handtool: Bacho Scraper (see http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=20094&cat=1,190,43040,43041) I had no idea that hand scraping could be this effective.


Best New Jig: Dowelmax (see: http://www.dowelmax.com/)


Highest Quality New Tool or Jig: Dowelmax. The precision is amazing. It’s a pleasure just to hold the jig. And when you assemble a face frame with 32 dowels spread over 13 feet in a single glue-up it proves that the pleasure extends to using the Dowelmax and the results that can be achieved with it.


Most Innovative New Tool: Dowelmax


Best Tool Value: Ryobi Impact Driver I paid under $100 Canadian for the driver, two 18 volt batteries and a charger.


Most Used New Tool: Ryobi Impact Driver


Most Used Tool: Festool Rotex 150 Sander: This tool just keeps going and oing and going. I have owned it about 4 years and, in that time have put 100s of hours on it (and worn out 4 sanding pads). Mine is the older model. Here is a link to the currently selling model: http://www.festoolusa.com/products/rotex-sanders/ro-150-feq-rotex-sander-571594.html


Best Completed Woodworking Project: Woodworking bench:


Best completed Construction Project: La Becosse:


Most Fun Project: Children’s Log Construction Kit:


Best Woodworking Item Built for Me: The new front door for the main cabin at Pellow’s Camp. This was built by Mack Cameron and Rick Thom at Wood Camp held for a week in the late summer.


Overall Highlight of the Year: Winning a Festool Tool as best project in October Contest on FOG. The winning project was the Children’s Log Construction Kit.

Best New Power Tool: I added two routers (each with two bases) to my current "collection" of 3 routers.

Best New Handtool: Do my Thompson bowl gouges count here? I also bought a bunch of clamps this year. All of my parallel jaw clamps (2 @ 40" old style Joergies and 4 each 18" and 24" Stanleys at the Big Lots sale), all of my Irwin Quick grip collection to date (2 @ 12", 4 @ 6" and 2 micros @ 6" as well as some miscellaneous squeezy types from a combo set) and 6 new 30" or 36" bar clamps of various brands.

Best New Jig: EZ Smart System

Highest Quality New Tool or Jig: EZ Smart System

Most Innovative New Tool: EZ Smart System

Best Tool Value: EZ Smart System - part of this I bought used from a friend and caught a sale on the rest, but mainly that this system opened up panel processessing to my shop - a capability I didn't really have before.

Most Used New Tool: EZ Smart System

Most Used Tool: I'm going to cheat and put "shop organization" here - the continual organization process has been the key to me using my shop.

Best Completed Woodworking Project: It's not going to be the jewelry box - but I made some progress! I have a few projects started but not completed yet. I turned my first pen while visiting Don Orr - that is completed.

Best completed Construction Project: The laminate floor install at my folks is down to detail work still needed. The laptop I am posting from was my payment for this project. 'Nuff said.

Most Fun Project: Toss up between turning my first bowl at Don Orr's or various shop organization projects. Lately the shop organization projects have had a disproportionate positive morale effect so even though they are unfinished free scrap plywood I can't discount them.

Best Woodworking Item Built for Me: The expansion of the planer stand including my very first drawer! I've started cutting the pieces for a second drawer for said stand, but it is likely to be 2009 by the time I get this drawer assembled - too cold to just stay out in the shop until it is done. Edit: Oh, wait, this was supposed to be built by someone else for me?? Closest thing here would be learning how to turn a concentric holed handle at Five Barns this summer.

Overall Highlight of the Year: Cutting the key slots for jewelry box using the 12" rip blade one the RAS using a 45 degree miter and the blade in horizontal mode. Has to do the cut without a guard. Still have all 10 digits and the scrape on my hand was from a blade carbide while not under power. Seven out of 8 key slots were perfectly cut - my most advanced joinery to date (I consider the setup / execution of a keyed miter joint to be more advanced than using a dovetail jig). I also did my first dovetails this year. I guess this whole year for my woodworking is about joinery. Part of my holiday gifts was a joinery book also.

Best New Power Tool: Makita 18 volt lithium impact

Best New Handtool: Gripper

Best New Jig:

Highest Quality New Tool or Jig: Beal Pen Wizard

Most Innovative New Tool: Beal Pen Wizard

Best Tool Value: Jet Mini

Most Used New Tool: Makita Impact

Most Used Tool: Wood lathe

Best Completed Woodworking Project: We are supposed to complete the projects we start???!!!! The 340 pens sent to the troops through Project Give Back!!!!!!!!!!

Best completed Construction Project: Corrals for the saddle horses.

Most Fun Project: Fruit Loop pen

Best Woodworking Item Built for Me: Medallions from wood by Pete Simmons from Laser Image Art, for the pen project for the supporters.

Overall Highlight of the Year: Have had a wonderful year, sometimes not so productive, but family is safe and healthy. AND,,,,,, I can still count to TEN!!!!!!!!!

Best New Power Tool: Jet VS Mini Lathe

Best New Handtool: A nice full set of Henry Taylor Kryo Woodturning Chisels

Best New Jig: Only made one for turning bottle stoppers, but it works well.

Highest Quality New Tool or Jig: Either the Wolverine sharping system or the Taylor tools.

Most Innovative New Tool: Makita 18v Screwdriver/Impact Wrench

Best Tool Value: Jet Mini

Most Used New Tool: Jet Mini

Most Used Tool: Wood lathe

Best Completed Woodworking Project: The seven ice cream scoops.

Best completed Construction Project: Getting my workshop finished.

Most Fun Project: Turning gifts for co-workers.

Best Woodworking Item Built for Me: Bowls for my collection.

Overall Highlight of the Year: Buying the lathe, joining my local woodturning club, and joining Family Woodworking.

Best New Power Tool: 18" bandsaw

Best New Handtool: a redone stanley no.4

Best New Jig: panel sled for table saw

Highest Quality New Tool or Jig: fein vac

Most Innovative New Tool: bosch p20

Best Tool Value: stanley 140

Most Used New Tool: fein vac

Most Used Tool: the new shop

Best Completed Woodworking Project: the blotchy cherry box

Best completed Construction Project: Getting my workshop workable

Most Fun Project: the cedar chest that i sent to washington

Best Woodworking Item Built for Me: my new shop aprons from my daughter

Overall Highlight of the Year: my "tour Dewood" that landed me in marty's shop as well as others.. already plannin on tour 2009still have openings available..

larry merlau said:

Best New Power Tool: Jet VS Mini Lathe

Best New Handtool: A nice full set of Henry Taylor Kryo Woodturning Chisels

Best New Jig: Only made one for turning bottle stoppers, but it works well.

Highest Quality New Tool or Jig: Either the Wolverine sharping system or the Taylor tools.

Most Innovative New Tool: Makita 18v Screwdriver/Impact Wrench

Best Tool Value: stanley 140

Most Used New Tool: fein vac

Most Used Tool: the new shop

Best Completed Woodworking Project: the blotchy cherry box

Best completed Construction Project: Getting my workshop workable

Most Fun Project: the cedar chest that i sent to washington

Best Woodworking Item Built for Me: my new shop aprons from my daughter

Overall Highlight of the Year: my "tour Dewood" that landed me in marty's shop as well as others.. already plannin on tour 2009still have openings available..

Click to expand...

Larry, DID YOU GET A LATHE???

Hmmm.... Frank and Larry have the exact same responses for the first half of the list... I wonder ...

garbel garbel grunge grung i was tryun to use proper english and not offend everyone .. no i aint got no dadn burned lathe tom i got caught with me britches down glad frnak didnt see it i almost thought he nailed me again but it was my own mess up he's ben after me like a duck on june bug and i havnt been runnin fast enuff

Could Larry be a closet turner?

Larry it is OK to embrace your real identity, no need to be ashamed. Besides you can not control it, I understand it is genetics.

Bill Satko said:

Could Larry be a closet turner?

Larry it is OK to embrace your real identity, no need to be ashamed. Besides you can not control it, I understand it is genetics.

Click to expand...

Larry!

Put down the chisel and step away from the lathe!

larry merlau said:

garbel garbel grunge grung i was tryun to use proper english and not offend everyone .. no i aint got no dadn burned lathe tom i got caught with me britches down glad frnak didnt see it i almost thought he nailed me again but it was my own mess up he's ben after me like a duck on june bug and i havnt been runnin fast enuff

Click to expand...

Whew thank goodness I thought you were crossing over, I was gonna have to throw you a rope. SCARRY

Larry, while you are not a turner, you did "turn out right" in my book. Happy New Year buddy!

Also you can use my lathe anytime you want to.

awh shucks i jist dont know what to say i send a copywrite infrigment fine payment directly

Best New Power Tool: INCA 12" Tablesaw, Festool OF 1400 router

Best New Handtool: Set of Soby Bench Chisels

Best New Jig: Festool guardrail with router guide.

Highest Quality New Tool or Jig: INCA 2100 Tablesaw

Most Innovative New Tool: Festool OF 1400

Best Tool Value: I got the INCA tablesaw in exchange for making a donation to a church school. No sales tax, plus I get a writeoff on my income tax.

Most Used New Tool: Festool C-12 Drill.

Most Used Tool: General 350 Tablesaw (now sold)

Best Completed Woodworking Project: Small traveling display cabinet for artwork. Knock-down.

Best completed Construction Project: 9 dovetail drawers for workbenches. Did the dovetails on my WoodRat.

Most Fun Project: Completing 20 feet of wall workbenches in my shopl

Overall Highlight of the Year: Getting my General 350 tablesaw with slider out of my shop and onto a truck. About 725lbs of it.

Gary Curtis

Best New Power Tool: Jet Mini Lathe

Best New Handtool: Lie-Nielsen low angle block plane

Best New Jig: I can't dance.

Highest Quality New Tool or Jig: Taylor 1/2" bowl gouge

Most Innovative New Tool: Barracuda chuck

Best Tool Value: Barracuda chuck

Most Used New Tool: Jet Mini

Most Used Tool: Drill press

Best Completed Woodworking Project: Mike Stafford knock-off lidded box.

Best completed Construction Project: Moving into our just finished house in Feb.

Most Fun Project: All of them.

Best Woodworking Item Built for Me: Bird feeder from my uncle.

Overall Highlight of the Year: Joining this forum and learning how to doo all this stuff

simply making it through the year, without cutting off, or damaging anything i may need later on in life. the rest is gravy.