Buying guides
Choosing your first cabinet saw
Rip capacity, fence quality, and trunnion mass matter more than raw horsepower. A 3 HP saw on a stable trunnion outperforms a 5 HP saw that drifts out of parallel.
8 min read
Learning center
Practical guidance on picking machines, wiring them, ducting them, and running them without losing a finger.
- Buying guides
Jointer vs. planer: what each one actually does
A jointer makes one face flat and one edge square. A planer makes the second face parallel to the first. Neither replaces the other, and buying one without the other leaves you halfway to flat stock.
6 min read
- Setup
Aligning a table saw blade to the miter slot
Set a dial indicator in the miter slot, mark one tooth, and measure it at the front and back of the throat. Shim the trunnion until the two readings match within a few thousandths.
12 min read
- Dust collection
Sizing a dust collector for your shop
Work backwards from the largest single machine. A 12" planer wants roughly 800 CFM at the port; duct runs, elbows, and flex hose all take their cut before the air reaches the impeller.
10 min read
- Electrical
220V circuits, phase converters, and what an electrician needs to know
Single-phase shops running three-phase machines need a rotary or VFD converter sized above the largest motor's starting load. Bring the nameplate amperage to the conversation.
9 min read
- Safety
Guarding, riving knives, and push-block habits
A riving knife prevents the offcut from pinching the blade — that pinch is what kicks stock back. Keep it installed for every through cut, and keep hands out of the blade's plane.
7 min read
- Setup
Uncrating and leveling a 1,200 lb machine
Plan the path before the truck arrives. Pallet jacks need hard flat floors; machinery skates handle rough concrete better. Level to the table, not to the floor.
11 min read
- Dust collection
Blast gates, static, and shop-vac vs. cyclone
Shop vacs move little air at high pressure — good for sanders. Cyclones move lots of air at low pressure — right for planers, jointers, and saws.
5 min read