Shaper Cutter Choices
A small shop owner who has just purchased his first shaper gets advice on his cutterhead options. December 1, 2005

Wide Belt Sander Platen and Drum Issues
Understanding how the platen and the drum interact can help you get the best performance from a widebelt sander. July 15, 2012

Meilleur outil dédié pour une rainure droite
Encore et encore, jusqu'à ce que le monde comprenne. Défonceuse, toupie ou scie circulaire sur table ? 27 novembre 2007

Best Dedicated Tool for a Straight Groove
over and over, until the world gets the message. Router, shaper, or table saw? November 27, 2007

Rounding Over Corners on Blocks (Mass Production)
Woodworkers brainstorm in search of a high-volume, high-accuracy production method for a repetitive task of rounding over corners on small hardwood blocks. September 15, 2011

Finish and Feed Rates
Setup and operation tips for moulder operators. June 22, 2007

Accuracy of Planers
A woodworker looking for the finest piece of steel he can buy sets off an extended discussion of top quality planers. March 10, 2008

Fine-Tuning a Small Moulder
Less expensive equipment may need more attention to perform up to snuff. Here are some detailed tips on "tweaking" the machinery. October 14, 2006


Start-Up Manufacturing Millwork
It's harder than a beginner might think to make money producing mouldings on a shoestring. Old hands discuss the hard truths in this thread. April 4, 2011

Stroke Sanders and Wide-Belt Sanders
More thoughts on the choices in production sanding equipment. March 13, 2007

Getting to Know the Jointer
A beginner has trouble his first time out with a new jointer, and learns a few things from the experience. April 27, 2007

Capacitor Explodes on Bandsaw
A long story about failure and repair of a capacitor (note: capacitors can kill you with live electricity even when the machine is turned off or unplugged). March 28, 2012

Dealing with Equipment Distributors
Here's a long, lively, and sometimes contentious thread about the middleman's role in the machinery market. April 29, 2012

Antique, unsafe shaper knives
Safety and operational issues regarding shaper heads. April 4, 2001

Scalloping Marks Left by a Helical Jointer Head
Helical heads reduce tearout, but leave a scalloped surface that some find objectionable. Here's a long and detailed discussion. April 10, 2008

Jointer Tolerances and Setup Techniques
A furnituremaker who wants super-fine tolerances gets advice on tuning and operating a jointer. May 2, 2011

Tuning Up an Out-of-Whack Jointer Bed
Pros ponder what could be causing a jointer to create a "belly" in every freshly jointed board. (In this case, turns out it was a misalignment of the infeed and outfeed tables.) April 27, 2007

Moulder Purchasing Advice
A woodworker going into the moulding business gets advice on moulder choices and related issues. December 26, 2007

Elliptical Moulding Jigs and Tricks
Simple curves are hard: elliptical shapes require a high degree of skill and experience. Here's a long discussion with photos from some seasoned old hands. April 12, 2013

Upgrading Shapers: One High-End Machine, or Several Cheaper Ones?
Here's a long, detailed, and thoughtful thread with lots of first-hand stories, about the choice between using one top-end shaper for everything, or setting up four cheaper ones for dedicated tasks. June 22, 2012

Evaluating Industrial Shapers
Woodworkers discuss the characteristics that define quality in a heavy-duty industrial shaper. April 30, 2006

Interior Door Construction Questions
Here's a long and detailed discussion of lumber choices and construction methods for thick custom interior doors. March 20, 2012

Are Machinery Trade Shows Worth It?
A machinery supplier gets feedback from shop owners about the value of showing his equipment at national and regional shows. Bottom line: shop owners go to trade shows looking to choose and buy. August 29, 2005

Shopping for Mortising Machinery
Woodworkers discuss the practicality, cost, and operation of horizontal and vertical mortising equipment for door construction. June 2, 2009

Troubleshooting Planer Tearout and Snipe
An intensive discussion of the causes and cures of tearout and snipe in planing work. July 13, 2006

Troubleshooting Feed Problems with a Four-Head Moulder
Woodworkers offer suggestions about what could be causing the feed system to stick on a four-head moulder. January 17, 2011

Climb Cutting Door Parts on a Shaper
Here's a long, detailed discussion of climb cutting, with some strongly worded cautions and many practical tips. April 21, 2011

Shaper Cutter Choices, Alignment, and Balancing
In this interesting thread, a question about good cutterhead choices for occasional use in hardwood evolves into a conversation about setting up and balancing the shaper. August 19, 2013

Troubleshooting Out-of-Square Moulders
Follow the saga of a woodworker trying to solve the puzzle of not one, but two, out-of-square moulders on the shop floor. April 30, 2009

Feed rates and spindle speeds
Programming CNC machines at the proper feed rates. August 13, 2002

Fence Adjustment Issues with Cope and Stick Cutting
A discussion of jigs and methods that make cope-and-stick setup efficient and simple. September 27, 2009

Choosing a Sliding Table Saw
It's wiser to buy quality used equipment than a low-end brand new unit. May 27, 2006

Increasing Shaper RPM for Use With Router Bits
A discussion of modifying a shaper to work effectively with router bits, versus shop-rigging a router table or integrating a router into a re-purposed shaper bed. February 14, 2010

Shop-Built Custom Shapers
Advice on motor and pulley sizing for a dedicated-purpose shop-built shaper, plus a discussion of the alternatives to making a special-purpose tool. March 3, 2009

Tapering Bow Laminations
Thoughts on how to make tapered laminations for glued-up archery bows, using either simple or advanced equipment. December 28, 2006

Drum Sander Options for a Small Shop
This thread wanders a little, but it sheds some light on the sander choices available for the owner of a one-man shop with space and budget limits. March 12, 2015

Moulder Fence Adjustment Issues
Woodworkers troubleshoot a problem with wood drifting away from a moulder's fence during operation. February 10, 2009

Grinding Your Own Moulder Knives
Here's a long, rich thread covering many aspects of moulder knife grinding. October 2, 2005

Safety Aspects of Reversing a Shaper Motor
Modern shapers can be reversed safely, with appropriate precautions. August 3, 2009

Troubleshooting problems when moulding MDF
A detailed discussion of challenges in getting a smooth finish when putting profiles on MDF material. February 13, 2001

Troubleshooting Chatter And Snipe
Is it a knife grinding issue or a moulder set-up problem? April 10, 2005

Machinery Choices for "Hollow Joints" on Rips and Glue-Ups
A conversation about the machinery and tooling required to create "hollow joints" for strong glue-ups. May 16, 2014

Hand Grinding Cutters to Make Reproduction Mouldings
Detailed advice on how to grind your own custom knives in order to match unique profiles. March 28, 2010

Sharpening Jointer Knives on the Machine
Woodworkers discuss various ways to dress or sharpen jointer knives without removing them from the machine. August 1, 2011

Entry Level Equipment for Making Mouldings
A woodworker ponders what to buy for a first foray into producing small runs of custom mouldings. February 10, 2009

Maple Hassles
Woodworkers kick Maple's reputation around on this thread — but there's plenty of good information here about how to get the best out of it. April 9, 2008

Tooling for Teak
Teak is hard and abrasive, and takes its toll on knives and blades. This long, informative thread delves into the heavy-duty tooling choices for handling extra-hard woods, and also touches on useful techniques for working with teak. December 1, 2005

What's the Best Machine for Ripping?
His tablesaw produces curved rips, so a shop owner wonders: should he buy a ripsaw, a bandsaw, or what? August 19, 2013

Gang Ripsaws, Movable Blades, and Optimizing Production
A question about buying a straight-line ripsaw with movable blades turns into a wide-ranging discussion about optimizing stock production on various kinds of ripsaws. January 17, 2011

Sanders
Basic descriptions of every type of sanding equipment commonly found in wood shops. November 13, 2008

Vertical panel saws
A comparison of speed and efficiency of vertical panel saws as opposed to sliding table saws. July 24, 2001

Multiple Dowel Moulders
Dedicated machinery to make more than one dowel at a time is an unusual application. Here's a detailed thread on the ins and outs of it. July 3, 2008

Tooling for a Five-Head Moulder
Advice on spiral cutterheads for quick, clean production of S4S stock. August 31, 2009

Chip Removal and Planer Finish Defects
A classic defect with a well-known cause: chips recirculating around the cutter head and being pounded into the wood. But how to fix it? May 15, 2012

Freeing a Welded (Spun) Head
Here's a long and detailed thread about the various approaches that may work when a cutterhead has been welded to a spindle. February 15, 2009

Antique Machinery and Stair Rail Fabrication
The old machinery is cool, but it can't compete with modern CNC equipment for productivity (or safety). October 19, 2013

Making Raised Panels Flat
Advice on how to joint, plane, and glue up the pieces to achieve a flat door panel. August 31, 2009

Moulder Blade Sharpening and Touch-Up Tips
Here's extensive advice about moulder knife sharpening and touch-up and other issues that can affect knife edge quality and moulding appearance. October 18, 2011

Ultimate Primer on 2 Head Wide Belt Sanders
Tips and advice on how to best utilize and achieve success using 2 head wide belt sanders. June 14, 2015

Double Spindle Shapers Explained
Double spindle shapers: how they work, what they're good for. February 15, 2009

Sharpness of High Speed Steel Versus Carbide Tooling
Here's a long, technically detailed, and authoritative thread that explains why high speed steel can be sharpened to a finer edge than carbide, but will lose that edge quickly in hard or abrasive materials. (And more.) February 22, 2011

Equipment for Cutting Knife Steel
Cutting with plasma versus grinding wheels. January 16, 2004

Modifying a Multi-Function Machine
Is there a way to make the shaper on a combination woodworking machine spin fast enough to use router bits. January 27, 2007

Choosing a Moulder and Shaper Knife Grinder
Advice on how to get into knife grinding for your own shop. August 31, 2010

Shaper and Moulder Choices
Observations on the relative capabilities of shapers and moulders. January 9, 2006

Troubleshooting a Noisy Moulder
Experts chip in to help diagnose a moulder that makes a growling sound for mysterious reasons. October 4, 2007

Rounding Over Hardwood Block Ends
This week's "stump the chumps" puzzler: how to round over the ends of toy hardwood building blocks in a volume production setting. No answers, but an intriguing question. January 27, 2008

Troubleshooting Cut Quality on Door Profiles
A cabinetmaker's knives are wearing out too quickly. The discussion leads into various aspects of door profile machining. September 17, 2008

Comparing European-Made Shapers
Woodworkers describe and compare the characteristics of shapers manufactured by Utis and Panhans. February 1, 2015

Accounting for Wood Waste
Woodworkers discuss how to estimate the waste of materials, and how it affects production and costs. April 7, 2008

Large Ogee Edge Profiling
Woodworkers discuss methods for machining a very deep edge profile onto a big, heavy countertop. April 18, 2015

Compound Curves: Circle Applied to a Cylinder
Problem: Create a curved molding shaped like a Frisbee wrapped around a drum. May 23, 2011

When an Equipment Auction Transaction Goes Bad
It's "buyer beware" at an online equipment auction — and it can also be "seller beware." Here are tales of some lessons learned. March 22, 2013

Does Helical Insert Tooling Create Glue-Ready Edges?
A shop owner asks about helical insert jointer knives for edge jointing, and sets off a long and informative discussion about the comparison between high speed steel, carbide knives, and insert cutterheads. April 18, 2015

Direct Drive Shaper Motors
A woodworker gathers information for designing a custom-made shaper for finish machining of door edges. August 30, 2010

Spiral cutters vs. knife cutters
Which type of cutters is best for this special application? July 24, 2001

Moulder chatter
Moulder operators help troubleshoot the problem. January 16, 2002

Insert Tooling Versus Knives
Machine owners weigh the pros and cons of standard planer knives compared to helical insert tooling. It gets complicated. October 27, 2013

Troubleshooting Moulder Tearout
Pros help a shop owner figure out the problem with his moulder. October 8, 2005

A Disappointing Auction
Cautionary tales about equipment auction disappointments, from both the seller's and the buyer's sides. April 10, 2012

Shaper Choices for Door Construction
Cabinetmakers discuss equipment selection and machining techniques for making raised-panel cope-and-stick doors. May 22, 2006

Custom Cope and Stick Shaper Knives
A shaper owner considers cutter alternatives for making custom door parts. July 16, 2009

Straight-Line Rip-Saw for a Small Shop?
Should a two-man cabinet shop acquire a straight-line rip-saw? The discussion balances cost against quality and productivity issues. March 13, 2014

Straight Knife Planers with Grinders
Here's a good look at the hows and whys of grinding knives on the planer. October 19, 2013

Jointer Adjustment Problem
After replacing jointer knives, you sometimes need to re-set or adjust the outfeed table. May 28, 2006

Troubleshooting Wide-Belt Sander Chatter
Track down the cause of chatter marks in the wood before trying to fix the problem. Defects in the belts, the drums, or the drive are the usual suspects. April 30, 2006

Troubleshooting Jointer Chatter
A chatter problem in a new jointer sets off a discussion of knife types and maintenance issues. December 26, 2006

Edge Sanding Curved Parts
Craftsmen discuss off-the-shelf and shop-invented solutions for smoothly sanding unique curved wood items. May 16, 2014

Axial Constant Grinding: Is It Worth It?
A discussion on the costs and benefits of switching to an axial constant system on moulder and shaper knives. August 18, 2009

Cloth Versus Paper Sanding Belts
Cloth belts are washable and last longer, but may mark the wood more than paper belts. Here's a detailed look at all the pros and cons. January 12, 2015

Value of a Vintage Tenoner
This discussion, started by a woodworker who is considering purchasing an old Powermatic tenoner for window reproduction, goes into lots of useful detail about how to get the best from this valuable machine. July 8, 2014

Troubleshooting Maple Moulder Tear-Out
Too-dry lumber, dull knives, complicated grain patterns, or other maintenance and operational issues could be causing this tear-out problem with Maple wood. February 25, 2009

Tooling Up with Your First Moulder
A woodworker gets advice on accessories to go along with his first moulder purchase. October 4, 2007

Getting a Square, Clean Edge on Face Frame Stock
Cabinetmakers discuss tolerances for face frame edges, and compare ways of prepping stock. April 6, 2007

Shopping for a Jointer
Woodworkers discuss desirable characteristics to consider when considering a jointer purchase. May 21, 2009

Shopping for a Widebelt Sander: One Head or Two?
Expert advice on good characteristics for a belt sander, with advice on effective sanding and some first-hand reports on a few models. April 19, 2015

Sleds and Fences for Cutting Stiles and Rails
Extensive advice on how to set up a shaper for accurate and consistent coping and profiling for door stiles and rails. April 27, 2007

Gang-Resawing Thin Strips with a Frame Saw
The "frame saw" allows rapid high-volume production re-sawing. October 12, 2007

Keeping cutterhead balance
Number of knives and other factors in cutterhead balance. (From WOODWEB's Solid Wood Machining Forum) March 5, 2003

Whether to Mill Your Own Cabinet Mouldings
Is it practical for a cabinetmaker to mill his own mouldings? Shop owners say that depending on your situation, investing in a moulder might be worth it. July 29, 2007

Changing Wood-Mizer from gas to electric
Process and parts involved in converting an engine. February 19, 2002

Compression and Chatter
Pros discuss the meaning and causes of "compression" and "chatter" in moulder operation. October 4, 2005

Straight Line Ripping on Two Edges
Cabinetmakers discuss the difficulty, cost, benefits, and drawbacks of buying lumber that has been straight line ripped on two edges — or buying the equipment and doing it yourself. October 13, 2012

Whether to Rip Your Own Stock
Cabinet shops consider the pros and cons of setting up to gang-rip and surface stock, instead of ordering it that way from a supplier. February 12, 2009

Moulder Tweaks and Modifications
A post on stabilizing the open end of a moulder turns into a long thread on shop-rigged moulder modifications. April 30, 2009

Cutting Steel Blanks for Custom Moulder Knives
Recommended cutoff saws, blades, and cutting techniques for sharp, clean cuts in tool steel. December 2, 2006

Specialty Planer Heads
Pros discuss the options and their preferences. April 10, 2005

Cutterhead Knife Angle
Long and detailed discussion of knife grinding, focusing on back bevel and side clearance. February 19, 2006

Modifications Cure Woodmaster 718 Chatter
Pictures, descriptions, and accounts of changes resulting in a finish as smooth as a baby's... well, you know. February 27, 2005

Accurate End Cuts for Entry Door Parts
Advice on machinery and tooling to make highly accurate cross cuts on wide lumber for architectural door construction. April 17, 2013

Servo vs. stepper motors
What's the difference, and how does each work? April 17, 2002

Limitations of a Five-Head Moulder
For deep cuts in heavy profiles, a six-head moulder offers better capacity than a five-head unit. May 3, 2011

Jointed Moulders Explained
Here's the rundown on what makes a jointed moulder different from a regular moulder, how it works, and what it's good for. October 4, 2007

A Tale of Two Grit Sequences
Sophisticated practical advice on the wise sequence of grit choices for a belt sander to optimize sanding effectiveness while removing final scratches and preventing burnishing defects. November 12, 2014

Resharpening Bandsaw Blades
Arguments for and against sharpening your own bandmill blades versus sending them out to a resharp service. May 11, 2005

Moulding Cutters for a Shaper
A newcomer seeks advice on tooling up to make mouldings on a shaper. In a long discussion, pros explain some of the options. August 31, 2005

Tooling a Moulder for Kerfing Jamb Stock
Can a saw blade or dado blade be adapted for use on a moulder to cut 1/8-inch kerfs? August 18, 2009

Troubleshooting Finish Problems on the Through Feed Moulder
Checklist table of problems and solutions for moulder operators. December 1, 2006

Minimizing Planer Snipe
Wood machining pros discuss the causes and cures for "snipe" at the end of planed boards. August 23, 2005

Grooving with a Shaper: Tearout Prevention
Solutions for a tearout problem encountered while cutting tongues and grooves. March 6, 2008

Tenon Cut Quality Problems and Tooling Issues
Woodworkers trace bad cuts on tenons to defects in shaper knives. January 29, 2009

Electrical Problems with a Bandsaw
Most electrical problems are caused by loose connections, not bad parts. February 27, 2007

Machining S-Curved Crown Moulding
Woodworkers weigh in on a complex machining challenge: crown moulding with both an inside and an outside curve. September 5, 2006

Four-Side Planer Versus Moulder
A discussion of the relative capabilities of four-side moulders and planers for straightening, smoothing, and cutting profiles. May 12, 2005

Tuning up a Jointer to Acceptable Tolerances
There's art as well as science in getting a jointer adjusted. January 8, 2010

Shopping for a Planer Moulder
A woodworker gets advice on equipment for producing S4S stock in the shop. April 18, 2015

Fine-Tuning a New Planer
Careful sharpening and adjustment will give better results, but sanding after planing may still be necessary. August 23, 2005

Saw Blade Diameter, RPMs, and Rim Speed
A technical discussion of the thinking required to calibrate tool speeds to blade sizes. September 26, 2009

Mounting a Sawblade on a Moulder
It's a workable way to make multiple moldings at one pass, but it calls for special safety accessories. March 3, 2006

Setting Up and Using a Dual-Drum Sander
Some useful tips on drum-sander operation. January 11, 2007

Eliminating Snipe on Mouldings
Looking for the cause of moulder snipe, an operator finds his solution in a custom-fabricated chipbreaker. March 13, 2007

Streamlining Moulder Set-Ups
Shop owners discuss ways to make moulder set-up and changeover smoother and more efficient. August 21, 2006

Shaper Advice for Euro-style Outswing & Tilt-Turn Windows
Tilt-and-turn windows in the European style require fine tolerances and call for good tooling. January 28, 2014

Moulder Tearout Problems with Hickory
Hickory is notoriously difficult to machine. Here's a discussion on how to deal with tearout while making hickory crown moulding. February 19, 2006

Acceptable Runout Tolerances for a Shaper Spindle
High-quality machinery has minimal runout. Excessive runout is a safety risk and a source of trouble. December 20, 2005

Jointing Heavy Slabs
Furnituremakers discuss how to get a glue-ready edge on heavy Walnut slabs for a bookmatch table top. December 31, 2013

Surfacing Thin Walnut Boards
What's an efficient way to re-saw and plane (or sand) quarter-inch thick boards? Pros share tips and techniques for reliably achieving a smooth surface. June 20, 2005

Tablesaw blade guards
Choosing the best blade guard/dust collector. April 9, 2003

Cutting dadoes in sawn logs
Tools and techniques to get the job done. October 20, 2003

Lubricating a Jointer or Planer Bed
Wax or a specialty lubricant can improve the performance of a jointer or planer. July 11, 2013

Evaluating a Straightline Rip Saw
Information on straight-line ripsaws' capabilities, characteristics, and performance. April 21, 2011

Rip-Saw and Moulder Maintenance
A moulding shop owner gets advice on rehab for some machines that have done some hard living. January 12, 2009

More Thoughts on Grinding Moulder Knives
Pros add to an earlier discussion about whether, when, and how to grind your own knives. October 2, 2005

Equipment for Fine-Tuning the Fit of Inset Doors
Cabinetmakers talk about equipment choices for refining the edges of inset doors for a perfect fit. April 6, 2011

Tablesaw Lubricating Advice
Tips on lubricating a sticky mechanism for raising and lowering the blade on a cabinet shop table saw. April 18, 2010

Are Shapers Outmoded?
A CNC is versatile, but a good shaper is a workhorse. January 23, 2014

Troubleshooting Planer Chatter Marks
A pressure bar set too high may be the source of chatter marks on planed boards. May 28, 2006

Rapid Dulling in Planer Knives: What's Wrong?
Trying to figure out why knives go dull so fast in a planing operation that handles both reclaimed and freshly sawn lumber. January 14, 2008

Sizing a Phase Converter for the Load
Advice on matching the capacity of a rotary phase converter to the demands of the equipment it serves. May 28, 2010

Troubleshooting Nicks in Moulder Knives
Newly ground knives can be damaged right away by hard mineral deposits within some hardwoods. Here's advice on knife material choices that could help avoid the problem. June 11, 2010

Modifying a Moulder to Run a Deep Profile
Trying to push a moulder to perform outside the limits of its original design can result in serious injury. January 29, 2009

Milling Face-Frame Stock
Fastidious cabinetmakers find that S4S stock comes with too many imperfections. Here, pros discuss their methods for machining lumber that's straight, square, flat, and true. January 10, 2006

Making Custom Curved Moulding for Arched Doors
Ideas for curved moulding fabrication, including nice photos of a couple of router-table jigs. February 18, 2011

Steps for processing cabinets
Cabinetmakers share the methods they use for processing doors and cabinet parts. July 3, 2001

How Much Wood to Take Off Per Planer Pass
A shop worker tasks with dimensioning a large volume of lumber gets advice on improving productivity and reducing drudgery without damaging the product, the equipment, or his work relationships. September 8, 2014

Comparing Insert Cutterheads
Do the differences in cutting tooth alignment between different brands of insert cutterhead matter? January 8, 2010

Knife Characteristics for Best Moulder Finish Quality
This informative thread includes some expert discussion of the old-school method of back-beveling cutter knives, and also describes other knife characteristics that can improve the quality of machined wood straight off the moulder. August 13, 2014

Machining Humongous Crown
Thoughts on the problematic practicalities of milling and installing 16-inch-wide crown moulding. September 19, 2009

Troubleshooting the Air Tracking on a Widebelt Sander
A cabinetmaker gets help with the analog control mechanism on his widebelt sander. March 12, 2015

Jigs and Rigs for Cutting Tenons
Thoughts on how to set up for cutting tenons on a table saw or other equipment. January 20, 2010

Choosing a Moulder
Big industrial iron will outwork smaller machinery, but you need dust and chip collection to match. February 15, 2009

Running Tight Radius Trim on a Moulder
Short-radius curved mouldings are tricky to run on a moulder (a CNC or lathe works better). It can be done, though — here are photos and advice. May 17, 2011

Feed speed and knife life
How the former affects the latter. January 15, 2003

Computerized Straight Line Rip Saws: Worth It?
A shop owner shopping for a straight-line rip saw asks about capabilities and quality. September 25, 2014

Stop! Don’t buy that wide belt sander!
A tale of caution regarding purchasing a wide belt sander. June 14, 2015

Reversing a Shaper, Jam Nuts, and Lock Washers
For safety, make sure the shaper head is firmly attached and can't work loose. February 22, 2011

Table-Saw Power-Feeder Tips
Detailed advice on setting up and using a power feeder with a table saw. July 9, 2007

Machining Dadoes into Door Jambs
Ideas for high-volume production methods for cutting dadoes in door side jambs to receive the header jamb. April 30, 2006

Setting up a Combination Gang-Ripsaw/Planer/Moulder
Detailed comments on how to get good use out of a combination machine that gang rips, planes, and makes mouldings. December 29, 2008

Turning Solid Wood Drums
Woodworkers discuss the problem of turning and hollowing out large logs. March 3, 2006

Making Raggle Boards
Suggestions on how to tool up for volume production of raggle sticks, and speculation about what a raggle stick is. March 9, 2010

Cutterhead Options for a Five-Head Moulder
Shop owners who machine S4S mouldings discuss the relative merits of carbide versus high-speed steel knives, and 2-sided versus insert cutter heads. September 15, 2006

Avoiding Shaper Blow-Out
Various suggestions for achieving clean, sharp profiles without tear-out and blow-out when running moulding on a shaper. July 28, 2007

Milling Flooring from Old Barn Boards
With carbide moulder blades, it's no big deal — but check carefully for nails. May 13, 2005

Glue Joint Ripping Capability on the Gang Rip Saw
Tim Brown of Mereen-Johnson Machine Company offers tips on stock prepping, equipment setup, maintenance, and operation that can allow you to achieve a joint suitable for edge gluing directly off the gang rip saw. August 6, 2010

Keeping Wood Tight to the Moulder Fence
Advice on moulder setup to keep wide stock from drifting away from the fence during operation. December 27, 2008

Open or Sealed Bearings?
A shop owner struggles with a decision about after-market bearings for an older Italian moulder. March 4, 2009

Shopping for a Profile Grinder
Advice on getting into knife grinding, for mid-job touch-up sharpening or for needed custom profiles, without an excessive investment in time or money. April 21, 2011

Stick Profiles and Out-Feed Fences
Setting up the shaper to cut the stick pieces for cope and-stick doors. May 14, 2006

Machining and Tooling for Large Tenon Production
Woodworkers suggest workable setups for high-volume production of large tenons for heavy doors. April 24, 2006

Sharpening Jointer and Planer Knives In-House
Machines with built-in knife grinders can be a good investment. October 30, 2005

Jointer Chatter Marks
With help from the forum, a problem with a jointer is traced to the bearings. October 29, 2012

Machinery Layout Ideas
Shop owners discuss ways to arrange a straightline ripsaw, molder, and wide-belt sander, and how to efficiently move materials from one station to the next. March 6, 2008

Improving Moulder Efficiency
Two guys have their hands full trying to satisfy a busy shop's moulding needs. Here, they get some advice on how to streamline their operation. March 29, 2006

Older Moulder Spindle Alignment Problems
Expert advice on finding the reasons for a moulder spindle going out of alignment with the table. December 9, 2010

Flattening Lumber with a Power Feeder On the Jointer
Thoughts about jointer and moulder set-up and feeding technique for flattening lumber. August 31, 2009

Setting Jointer Blade Height
Experienced hands go over the fine points of setting up a jointer for snipe-free operation. June 23, 2005

Milling Raised Door Panels
Should you run the pieces face up, or face down, asks a cabinetmaker? Opinions, and the reasons for them, vary. October 30, 2005

Shapers Versus Router
Can a 1.5 horsepower shaper outperform a 3 horsepower router for cutting door panels? Yes, but best would be a 3 horsepower shaper. January 16, 2012

Custom Cope and Stick Cutters
What's the most economical way for a small shop to get custom cutters for special profiles? July 14, 2010

Single Knife and Counterweight Setup on a Moulder
Using just one knife rarely gives the best results. November 19, 2006

Shapers: Single-Phase Versus Three-Phase
A discussion of what makes a three-phase shaper different from one with a single-phase motor, and whether the difference matters. January 23, 2012

Flattening and Truing Big Matched Burls
A CNC is handy for dimensioning big, heavy awkward pieces accurately. But a shop-built router jig can also get it done. July 18, 2008

Sticky Nut Problems with Spindle Changes
Lock nuts on shaper spindles can be stubborn and awkward when it's time to change the spindle. Here's how some machine owners tackle the problem. April 29, 2012

Choosing and Setting Up Insert Cutters for a Shaper
A woodshop owner gets advice on how to make insert tooling work properly with his equipment. July 11, 2007

Rosette Cutting Speed
Drill press RPMs tend to be too slow for great success with machining rosettes, especially in difficult wood. May 21, 2009

Tooling Up for High-Volume Crosscuts
Jump saw, radial arm saw, miter saw — what kind of equipment would be cost-effective investment for work requiring thousands of cross-cuts on short pieces of solid lumber? April 27, 2011

Glue-Line Ripping Versus Ripping for Moulder Blanks
Thoughts on the equipment and technique required for smooth accurate glue-line cuts, as opposed to rough cuts that require further dressing before use. February 16, 2014

Straightline Rip Saw Kickback Concerns
A discussion of prudent safety precautions to take with a straight-line rip saw. July 18, 2008

Widebelt Sander Choices and Power
Advice on shopping for a widebelt sander, and supplying it with three-phase power. May 18, 2010

Inverter Cooling and Ventilation
Inverter power supply electronics generates heat, and the units should be adequately cooled and ventilated for good performance and long life.October 26, 2011

Shopping for a Shaper
Cabinetmakers give advice on how to select a good shaper for a decent price. September 21, 2005

Tooling Considerations with a Moulder Upgrade
Shop owners and experts discuss the tooling costs and choices relating to a new moulder purchase. June 23, 2006

One-Belt Versus Two-Belt Wide-Belt Sanders
Shop owners discuss wide-belt sander choices. March 13, 2007

Spiral Insert Cutter Finish Quality
Spiral insert cutter heads may leave faint lines on planed wood. October 2, 2005

Upgrading a Shaper Motor
Should a woodworker beef up the motor on his shaper when the original one breaks down? It's a questionable call. May 5, 2007

Increasing moulder knife life
Increasing length of runs between sharpenings. March 21, 2002

Finger-Jointing Moulding Stock
A discussion with pictures of using finger-jointing equipment to make long stock for running mouldings. November 19, 2008

Troubleshooting "Chip Beat" with a Small Moulder
Small dents in the finished moulding are a well-known issue, caused by chips and typically related to ineffective dust collection. October 27, 2013

Equipment to Rip Flooring Blanks
What's best, a straight-line or gang saw? Gang comes out ahead in this long discussion. October 2, 2005

Good Results with a New Helical Cutterhead
A woodworker praises his new helical planer head. July 29, 2011

Troubleshooting Snipe on a Jointer
An introduction to the wonderful world of jointer knife and table adjustment. October 15, 2010

Humorous Tool Definitions
Do not read this while drinking, or your beverage may go up your nose and on your keyboard. December 28, 2006

Moulders
Basic info on moulders. November 12, 2008

Cutting M2 Knife Steel
Is burning the steel while cutting a concern? January 16, 2004

Tips for Hand-Held Router Work
Pre-cutting shapes on a bandsaw or hogging out cuts with a shaper can reduce wear and tear on routers and bits. October 2, 2010

An Antique Wood Scraper
Woodworkers puzzle over an old piece of shop iron and share some old-time lore. September 28, 2006

M42 high speed steel
Information on M42 and jointer knives. April 2, 2002

Clogged Dust Collector Lines on a 5-Head Moulder
When dust collection lines plug up, the problem could be vacuum, wood moisture content, or other factors. April 10, 2007

Replacing Worn Bearings on a Planer
Changing out ball bearings may be a job for a specialist. Even so, here's a detailed description of how it's done. November 28, 2006

Tolerance For Knife Stock Thickness
A discussion of thickness variations in moulder and planer knife blank material, and the attendant problems for custom-ground knives. April 27, 2007

Troubleshooting Moulder Head Movement
Pros help figure out the problem with a moulder's top head. September 28, 2006

Sliding-Table Shapers for End Tenoning
Cabinetmakers talk equipment for machining tenons. May 11, 2011

Troubleshooting Planer Performance with a New Helical Head
After you install a new helical insert cutterhead, you typically need to make other adjustments to the machinery before it will run properly. February 15, 2015

Getting a Good Glue Joint with Cherry
Hard woods may burnish on the planer, interfering with the wood's ability to take glue for good adhesion. Here's advice on dealing with the issue. May 11, 2008

Modifying a Shaper to Run in Reverse
A question about setting up a second-hand shaper leads to an informative discussion about the fine points of running machinery in both forward and reverse directions. September 18, 2014

Horsepower Requirements for a Widebelt Sander
How much horsepower should a widebelt have? March 9, 2010

Tenoning Add-Ons for Shapers
Information on equipment choices when using the shaper for a specialized purpose: cutting tenons. March 26, 2013

Working with Sapelle
Notes on the workability and machinability of this exotic tropical hardwood. January 8, 2007

Troubleshooting Moulder Jams
Strategies for dealing with the problem when boards get stuck in the moulder. April 24, 2009

Rigging an Outboard Fence for a Shaper
A discussion of the best way to make a shop-built back fence for a shaper. July 11, 2013

Chip Clearing and Dents in Mouldings
Dents that occur when chips are pressed back into the wood by cutter ends are related to problems with the dust collector's suction. July 18, 2008

Grinding Wheels 101
A description of grinding wheel characteristics, and some helpful tips on grinding tools. February 14, 2007

Rounding Board Ends for Pallet Production
Equipment and methods for high-volume rounding work. May 4, 2005

Equipment Investment for High-Volume Wood Flooring Production
What's the capital investment to produce tongue-and-groove wood flooring in a serious way? And is it worth it, when outsourcing instead is a practical option? April 21, 2008

Rotary Phase Converters
Some modern three-phase machinery requires high-quality power, which requires careful shopping when you're buying a phase converter. March 16, 2015

Knife Steel 101
Here's a nice rundown of the various materials used to make cutter knives, along with some lively discussion. November 27, 2007

Shaper Spindle Replacements in Different Diameters
Customizing the spindle on your shaper could be a good investment. April 15, 2012

Slowing Planer Feed Rate
Advice and cautions on ways to slow down the feed rate of a planer. November 27, 2007

Finger-Jointed Wood from 2x Scrap
A discussion about the practicality of turning off-cuts into useable studs by finger-jointing. July 30, 2007

Removing Rust from a Table Saw
Advice on getting rust off machinery, from simple scrubbing to high-tech electrolysis. October 29, 2012

Shaper Outfeed Fence with Power Feeder
Advice on customizing the outfeed fence of a shaper so that milled stock runs straight as it feeds out. January 25, 2010

Drum Sander Ripple Marks
Ripple or chatter marks on boards run through a drum sander may not be a maintenance issue, but just the nature of the equipment. April 30, 2009

Machining crown moulding
What's the best way to run crown moulding? May 2, 2001

Getting Started with Finger-Jointing
Advice on tooling up to finger-joint moulding stock on an occasional basis. April 2, 2013

Hogging Blades on Gang Rip Saws
Equipping a rip saw with a hogging blade can have advantages. October 4, 2007

Whether to Make Your Own Moulder Knives
Info on how to grind moulder knives, and thoughts on whether it's worth the time and cost to do so. December 30, 2007

Regrinding Corrugated Knives
Is it worth it to try re-grinding an odd-lot batch of old knives to new, useful profiles? Or alternatively, is there a used-tool market for them? July 25, 2010

Helical Cutterheads and Clean Gluelines
Will a helical cutterhead leave little lines that may compromise glue joints? Professionals discuss finish quality, sharpening, and setting. March 26, 2007

Climb-Cutting for Stiles and Rails
Cabinetmakers suggest equipment and techniques for creating sharp-edged grooves with minimal tearout. May 22, 2006

Hardened or Coated-Steel Knife Material
Use and value considerations of plasma-coated or hardened cutters. August 30, 2007

Tooling Life: Assessing Cutterheads for Replacement
Straight-bore cutterheads can last a long time, under ideal service conditions. But here's what to look for if you're wondering whether it's time to replace one. April 21, 2011

Leveling a Jointer Bed
Clear instruction on how to tweak the infeed and outfeed tables on a Delta DJ-20 jointer. May 28, 2008

Suspending a Power Feeder from the Shop Ceiling
Pros and cons of mounting a stock feeder on the shop ceiling to be shared by multiple machines, plus advice from someone who has done it.November 28, 2014

Vertical Siding
Types of siding for "old barn" look. August 9, 2004

Radius Limitations when Machining Curved Mouldings
Very tight curves introduce shape distortions in moulding profiles. March 4, 2006

Machining a Three-Quarter-Round Door Sticking
This complex door frame profile is best tackled using a five-head moulder. August 27, 2013

Mortising fenceposts
A few methods for cutting holes in split rail fencing. July 29, 2003

Setting Up a Shaper for Door Parts
Advice on fences, cutters, and more for door production with a shaper. December 19, 2009

Shop Temperature and Wood Machining
Is it okay not to heat the wood shop at night? Could be, but humidity changes are a potential problem. August 26, 2008

Zero Clearance Table Saw Inserts
Buy 'em, or make your own? June 28, 2005

Choosing the Best Rip Saw for Your Application
Adding one or two moving blades to the straight line rip saw setup can boost your useful yield closer to 100 percent. December 22, 2010

Setup Tips for a Small Moulder
Tips on depth of cut, and on supporting the open side of the moulder to reduce chatter. September 30, 2010

Making Curved Mouldings on a Shaper
General direction on the jig setup needed to run arched casings or other curved pieces on the shaper. October 4, 2007

Variable Angle Chamfers in a Production Job
Shaper? Router? Table saw? A woodworker wants to know the best equipment choice for machining large quantities of beveled flat stock at various angles with high accuracy and ease of adjustment. June 4, 2012

Dressing a Wide-Belt Sander Drum
Here's a quick, full explanation of how to re-dress a worn drum on a wide-belt sander. January 18, 2012

Shaper Decisions
Reasons to buy a good shaper (and a power feeder to go with it). April 10, 2007

Ripping Stock Straight
Shop machinery and techniques for ripping straight stock with glue-joint quality edges. April 16, 2010

Mounting a Power Feeder to the Shaper
Drilling and tapping the shaper table, rigging a stand-alone mount, and other fine points of setting up a power feeder for the shaper. August 15, 2006

Manufacturing Pellet-Stove Fuel
Thoughts and information on how to process sawdust into fuel pellets. March 14, 2006

Straight Line Rip Saws for Glue-Up
A good straight line rip saw makes rips you can glue up with no further processing. Here's advice on choosing and maintaining your machine. July 28, 2008

Replaceable Cutterheads Versus Re-Sharpening
A quick discussion on the pros and cons of resharpening your own tooling on the planer. April 18, 2015

Setting Up for Lock-Miter Joints
Setting up machines for efficient production using lock-miter joinery. March 27, 2012

Old Jointer Accident Story
Jointers can send fragments of metal blades flying like shrapnel. You're lucky if all you get is a good scare. March 27, 2012

Wood Flooring Yield and Waste Factor
How much rough lumber should I order for milling into a given quantity of tongue and groove wood flooring? June 8, 2011

Sanding face frames properly
The proper tools and techniques to avoid rounding edges. October 30, 2002

Extension Table Advice
Tips on setting up and using an Aigner adjustable extension table with multiple machines. April 2, 2015

Raised Panel Bits for Routers
Shapers are more powerful, but vertical raised panel bits put door panels within the reach of a good router. April 30, 2009

Can Carbide Saw Blade Chips Kill?
There's no source for the rumor that a carbide saw blade fragment struck a woodworker in the heart. But woodworking kickback is deadly dangerous — no doubt about that.November 14, 2014

Squaring Up a Cross-Cut Sled
Getting a cross-cut table-saw sled jig squared up just right is a finicky and time-consuming process. June 30, 2007

Taper-Cutting Parts At High Volume
Pros discuss equipment, set-ups, and jigs. April 10, 2005

Using a Router Table for Cope and Stick Joinery
Here's a nice example of a shop-built sliding table for a router, set up to machine complex door parts on a budget, with a reasonable degree of accuracy and efficiency. June 18, 2009

Increasing RPMs and Feed Speed on a Jointer Moulder
In theory, upping the RPMs and feed speeds at the same time will allow faster production with the same number of knife marks per inch. However, there are a few practical cautions to keep in mind. February 27, 2007

Tweaking a Segmented Infeed Roller on a Wide Planer
A woodshop owner considers whether he can modify his infeed roller so it won't leave marks on the lumber. June 18, 2009

High-Speed Router End Mills for Mortising
Thoughts on end mill bits for high-speed mortise cutting. January 11, 2007

Sanding or Planing Edges
Ways to get drawer and door edges smooth while keeping them straight and square. March 3, 2006

Wide-Belt Sanding Maple: Burning Problem
Grit choice and other factors that can reduce burning when sanding Maple. April 30, 2009

Sharing One Power Feeder Between Two Shapers
Photos and description of a swing-arm-mounted stock feeder that serves two different shapers. July 28, 2006

Teak and Tool Wear
Teak contains silica sand, and it quickly wears down cutting edges on every kind of tool. October 27, 2011

Equipment Auction Bidding Strategy
A look at how online auctions work, and some discussion on wise bidding and buying strategies. December 24, 2012

Is It Necessary to Sand Mouldings?
Sanding equipment for your moulding operation shouldn't be needed if knives are sharp and well balanced and the machine is well set up. September 5, 2006

Turning the End of a Rod
Suggestions for tackling the problem of turning a 1.5-inch diameter rod down to one inch — but only at the ends.October 17, 2012

Infeed Systems for Moulders
A moulding manufacturer wants to set up a continuous infeed system for one of his machines. He gets tips and advice on what works and what doesn't. July 13, 2005

Running Baseboard and Casing in One Pass
Can you run baseboard moulding or casing on a four-head moulder, using the first knife to create the necessary back-relief? October 14, 2006

Truing Up a Jointer Outfeed Table
Gib screws on the back of some jointers allow fine adjustment of the infeed and outfeed table positions. May 14, 2006

Troubleshooting a Bandsaw Motor
Woodworkers swap tips on how to diagnose problems with a shop motor that won't turn. July 15, 2012

Finding Spindles for an Old Shaper
This thread about locating parts for an old Whitney shaper has some interesting info on the way the old iron was built. June 30, 2014

Moulder Operator Skills and Pay
Feedback on the going rate for moulder operators in different parts of the country, and thoughts on how to earn at the top of the scale. December 30, 2007

Dust Collection and Planer Noise
Airflow from a new dust collection made a planer noisier, but switching to helical insert tooling made it quieter again. January 12, 2015

Grinding Wheels for Carbide Knives
Advice on grinding wheel choices and grinding techniques for carbide tooling. March 9, 2010

Double Sided Planers Versus Carpet Feed Planers
A little insight into how two-sided planers work, and which machines are appropriate for which shops. January 17, 2011

Moulder and Shaper Setup for Curved Work
Wrestling with the issues of machining complex curved stair-rail parts. May 11, 2011

Troubleshooting Planer Setup and Tearout
Tips on setting up a planer to avoid tearout. January 2, 2012

Using jointing attachment on moulder
Proper methods for jointing knives on a moulder, and myths concerning their sharpening. February 28, 2001

Jointer Stones 101
A basic rundown on knive jointer stone types and preparation. February 14, 2007

Whether to Reverse Planer Blades
Short answer: Don't do it. Long answer: Take a look at spiral cutterheads or a widebelt sander. July 10, 2009

Wood Movement After Re-Sawing
It's common for boards to twist, bow, or cup after being re-sawn. Here's some explanation. March 4, 2009

Rip First, Or Sand First?
For an oak laminating shop, economy, efficiency and safety are all factors. April 10, 2005

Controlling Very Long Rip Cuts
A woodworker looks for a way to make long rips without the problem of managing large stock on a table saw. April 24, 2014

Moulder Motor Upgrade Options
Advice on swapping up to a higher-horsepower motor, and other modifications to add muscle to your moulder. May 24, 2010

Floor Structure and Moulder Chatter
An understrength floor system beneath a piece of heavy woodworking equipment is a recipe for trouble. February 4, 2011

Machinery to Replicate the Look of "Scrub Planing"
Suggestions on ways to get the scalloped-surface look of an old-style scrub plane, using power equipment. January 8, 2010

Uses for an Edge Sander
It's a handy machine for all sorts of things, if you know how to use it. October 2, 2006

Router Overworking on Raised-Panel Door Work
Why is a router struggling on door panels? Probably because it's the wrong tool for the job. October 2, 2010

Tooth Marks from an Upcut Saw
A cabinetmaker troubleshoots a cut quality issue with an upcut saw. April 2, 2015

Knife Weight Balancing Tolerances and Scale Choices
Paired knives on a moulder should weigh within a tenth of a gram of each other. Here's advice on measuring and achieving that. October 19, 2013

Tooling Up for Door Production
A discussion of the ideal machinery setup for efficient production of cabinet doors on a regular basis. February 26, 2007

Straight Line Rip Saw Accuracy
A discussion of ripsaw cutting tolerances (most variation is caused by natural variation in the wood). June 28, 2006

Minimizing Tearout on an Old Crescent Planer
Advice on tuning and sharpening tweaks to reduce tearout on an older crescent planer. March 13, 2009

Troubleshooting a Slippery Widebelt Feed Belt
Here's how to dress a slippery feedbelt on a new widebelt sander. July 13, 2010

Snipe Problems on a Through Feed Moulder 3: Left Side Snipes
A troubleshooting checklist table for moulder operators. December 1, 2006

Working with Resawn Moulding Blanks
Careful resawing can economize on material, but it can also introduce stress-related movement of the stock. September 17, 2012

Troubleshooting a "Wandering" Problem when Shaping Door Panels
A look at power feeder, fence, and cutter issues to address snipe at the trailing end of door panels being shaped. January 25, 2010

Troubleshooting Cross-Grain Scratches from a Wide-Belt Sander
A better quality of belt or a platen adjustment might solve the problem. January 29, 2009

Finishing the Ends of Cedar Chair Slats
Woodworkers suggest ways to automate end finishing of pieces. October 4, 2007

Using a Sliding Table Saw to Rip Boards
Thoughts on using a sliding table saw for ripping, with a description of a slick jig that eases the work and improves the result. June 30, 2014

Tuning Up a Re-Saw Bandsaw
Belt tension, blade selection, and sharpening can make a big difference. May 16, 2008

Cutting 5-sided timber
Hewing a pentagon-shaped ridge beam on a Wood-Mizer. October 9, 2002

Fix for a Slipping Planer Table
A shop-expedient modification locks down the table on a rebuilt old planer. December 1, 2005

Troubleshooting an Out-of-Whack Jointer
Woodworkers discuss what could make a jointer create taper on boards. January 10, 2006

Running Small Raised Panels on the Shaper
Advice on accessories, methods, and jigs to safely machine small pieces on a powerful shaper. March 26, 2010

Avoiding Tear-Out with Very Small Mouldings
Thin stock chatters going through the moulder or shaper, which can cause major tear-out. Here's advice on ways to overcome the problem. March 4, 2009

Snipe Problems on a Through Feed Moulder 2: Top Snipes
Checklist table of problems and solutions for moulder operators. December 1, 2006

Climb Cutting with a Moulder
A shop owner considers the pros and cons of climb-cutting cedar and redwood on a moulder. May 28, 2006

Making Crown Moulding on the Shaper
Tips on using a shaper to make crown moulding. August 26, 2008

Four-Head Moulder Setup
Setting up a 4-head moulder to run flooring and mouldings. October 2, 2010

Should I Make My Own Crown Moulding?
Is it worth investing in a moulder for the convenience of making your own crown moulding sometimes? April 20, 2008

Moulder Feed Problems 1: Caused by Machine
A problem-solution checklist chart for correcting moulder feed problems. November 27, 2006

Climb Cutting End Copes
Advice on a tricky machining technique for stile-and-rail door parts. August 15, 2006

Three-Sided Shapers Versus Multiple Machines
For making doors, what's better: an expensive dedicated machine that cuts all the profiles, or a setup using multiple basic shapers? February 2, 2011

Setting Up a Dovetail Machine
Tips on the tricky parts of dialing in an OMEC dovetail machine. October 15, 2010

Sharpening Machine for Brad Point Bits
Insight into getting set up to sharpen your own carbide brad point bits. November 15, 2011

Causes of Grain Ridging in Moulder Finish
This thread includes a nice concise summary of issues that cause finish defects in mouldings. August 21, 2012

Troubleshooting Sinusoidal Waves in Planed Lumber
We just like saying "sinusoidal." Seriously, here's a look at some issues that can affect planer performance. April 30, 2009

Choosing a Shaper for Tongue and Groove, Shiplap, and Flooring
Advice on machinery for running small volumes of edge-profiled lumber. January 17, 2011

Dressing a Widebelt Drum with Sandpaper
A detailed discussion of using sandpaper glued to a wood platen to return a widebelt sander's drum to useable condition. July 29, 2012

Diamond Saw Blade
It costs more, but rarely needs sharpening. Is it worth it? April 10, 2005

Straight Edge Options
Jointer bed too short to handle that long piece? Here's a grab bag of jigs, rigs, and tricks for making long straight edges. July 21, 2005

Sanding with a Flap Wheel Head
Jacob Malherbe of flap-wheels.com supplies a brief explanation of how flap-wheel sander heads work, with tips on getting the best from your machine. May 4, 2010

Running Radius Moulding: Shaper Technique
Tips for a newbie on making curved mouldings for an arched door jamb casing. January 26, 2008

Re-Sawing Machinery Options
What's the best equipment for re-sawing flat stock to make mouldings? September 17, 2008

Choosing a Power Feeder
Advice on matching power-feeder horsepower to the intended use. July 27, 2008

Setting Up Three-Phase Power
Owners share advice on ways to upgrade the shop's power supply. June 12, 2005

Cutterheads 101
Basic considerations for knife selection and machine adjustment and operation. February 14, 2007

Fine Points of Power Feeders
Shop owners discuss selection, set-up, and operation of power feeders. October 26, 2005

Troubleshooting Planer Snipe
An unattached snap ring left a chip breaker free to bounce around. January 12, 2015

Snipe Problems on a Through Feed Moulder 1: Bottom Snipes
Checklist table of problems and solutions for moulder operators. December 1, 2006

Roughening Cedar Boards
We know about planing rough lumber smooth. But how do you make smooth lumber rough? April 30, 2006

Machining Curved Base and Crown for Applying Over Bullnose Cornerbead
Shaper operation tips for making a challenging custom moulding. December 2, 2006

Working with Ipe Wood
Woodworkers air their objections to Ipe, which is heavy, hard, and rough on tools. The Wood Doctor adds a little technical detail to the discussion. March 12, 2014

Spiral planer heads
Descriptions, pros and cons of different kinds of planer heads, with an emphasis on the spiral type. June 13, 2001

Troubleshooting Uneven Pitch Marks from a Jointer
Pros suggest possible fixes for a jointer that's creating uneven pitch marks on lumber. May 18, 2010

Auxiliary Shaper Fences
Aftermarket and shop-rigged solutions for add-on outboard fences for a shaper. October 29, 2008

Sharpening a circular sawmill blade
Hand sharpeners vs. automatic sharpeners--their pros and cons. July 3, 2001

Folding Chair from Barrel Staves
A woodworker puzzles over how to achieve a straight edge rip on a curved barrel stave. October 17, 2012

Troubleshooting a Hard Start on a Table Saw
A woodworker searches for a way to solve a "hard start" problem on an otherwise great table saw. June 18, 2009

Lubricating and Protecting Shaper and Moulder Beds
Product choices to reduce friction and rust in a moulder or planer. July 12, 2013

Setting Up for Finger Jointing and End Gluing
Practical advice on tooling up to make long boards out of shorter lengths using a finger-jointed glued end joint.May 15, 2012

Gang-Ripped Lumber Yields
A discussion of the ways lumber is lost during ripping operations, and of what is a reasonable yield from the job. October 15, 2010

Carbide Tipped Versus Solid Carbide Knives
The comparison between high-speed-steel, carbide-tipped, and solid-carbide knives depends in part on what material you're machining. August 12, 2007

Turning Sawdust and Shavings into Fuel
Shop owners discuss machinery that makes logs or briquettes out of wood waste. April 30, 2006

Straight Line Rip Saw Problems 1: Erratic Cuts
Maintenance and troubleshooting checklist to ensure consistent, good-quality cuts from your straight line rip saw. January 4, 2007

Improving the Vacuum in a Planer
A woodworker solves a chip crushing situation in his planer by drilling new holes for vacuum flow — and it works. April 18, 2010

Understanding Carbide Planer Knives
A question about planer knives that can hold an edge with exotic hardwoods leads to a detailed explanation about quality grades in the carbide knife market. June 9, 2007

Salvaging painted heart pine
Ideas for removing lead paint and nails from heart pine beams. August 12, 2001

Shopping for a Slot Mortiser
Woodworkers and the slot mortisers they have known. December 8, 2012

Keeping sawblades cool
What to use and how to do it safely. October 24, 2001

Tooling Up for Production of Grooves
For high-volume production of stock with a 1/2-inch-deep groove, it's hard to beat a shaper.April 29, 2012

Supersurfacer or Wide-Belt Sander for Window Parts?
A discussion of the capabilities and limitations of "supersurfacer" machines. April 24, 2014

Loosening Seized-Up Machinery
It ain't no use if you ain't got the juice. April 21, 2011

Setting Planer and Jointer Knives
Shop owners discuss instruments, jigs, and shop methods for measuring and setting knife heights. October 28, 2005

Rip saw and moulder methods
Using a ripsaw and moulder to machine solid wood panels. July 24, 2001

African Versus Honduras Mahogany
Woodworkers compare the grain characteristics, color, and machinability of different Mahogany varieties. November 19, 2005

Making Beadboard Door Panels for One Job
Suggestions for how to make a small amount of beadboard for a custom cabinet door project. May 6, 2010

Cutter Profiles for Tongue-and-Groove Flooring
Tips on the fine points of profiling tongue-and-groove floorboards. September 10, 2007

Sanding Disk Preferences
Woodworkers discuss abrasive and backing characteristics that make various brands of sanding disk useful in particular applications. March 12, 2015

Troubleshooting Table-Saw Motor Vibration
Could be the pulleys, the belt, or the motor itself. September 17, 2008

Leveling the Feed Beam on a Moulder
Detailed discussion of some maintenance and adjustment issues with a nine-inch moulder. April 4, 2011

Getting Your Waterstone Back in Shape
If your waterstone isn’t flat, it can’t deliver a proper edge to your tools. Here's how to fix that. December 18, 2013

Custom Veneering for Sequence-Matched Cabinet Doors
When the veneer-matching requirements get extreme, it's time to outsource to a specialty shop. November 19, 2008

Advice on Shipping Used Shop Equipment
Advice on choosing a shipper, insuring your freight, and related topics. June 23, 2014

Jigs for a Moulder
Examples of jigs and rigs that can help you run custom crown moulding on your moulder. April 21, 2011

Adjusting a Jointer
Here are tips on truing a jointer to prevent snipe at the beginning and end of the cut. October 26, 2011

Motor for a Shop-Built Lathe
Pros discuss torque, RPMs, cooling, and other technical issues for the motor of a custom-designed lathe. May 27, 2006

Should We Sharpen Cutters In House?
Opinions vary: some see savings and convenience benefits, but others note expense, time, and safety concerns. July 30, 2007

Changing Heads on an Eighteen-Inch Planer
A woodworker who is swapping out straight knives for an S-helix head for his new Powermatic planer gets advice on the task.October 19, 2013

Rip Saws
Basic information about straight line rip saws. November 13, 2008

Jointer and Planer Purchase: New Versus Used
When budgets are limited, high-quality used equipment may be the better value for the dollar. April 18, 2010

Dialing In Fence, Cutter, Blade and Table Position
Once you know your machine, you can adjust it accurately from memory. March 10, 2008

Mortising for Monsters
How would you make a 2-foot mortise in a giant stick of Ipe wood? We don't learn that here, but we do learn something about why Ipe is so tough on tools. July 3, 2008

Soft-Starting a Compressor
A properly located buffer tank in the air line can keep a compressor from stalling or tripping the breaker on start-up. June 13, 2011

Economics of a Defecting Saw
For a big investment, you can get smart equipment that senses and cuts out knots in accordance with your cutlist. But that cost isn't worth it for every operation. May 23, 2007

Setting Shaper Cutter Height Accurately
Techniques to consistently set up shaper cutters at the correct height. January 27, 2007

Wire edge on planer knives
Tips for deburring freshly ground planer knives. January 24, 2001

Shaper cutters: Tantung or carbide?
Choosing between carbide tipped and tantung shaper cutters. July 3, 2001

Measuring Hook Angle on Moulder Heads
Here's a primer on how to measure the hook angle on a moulder head. September 28, 2006

Making Shoe Moulding with a Shaper
Thoughts on running small volumes of shoe moulding with a low-end setup. February 24, 2008

Shaper Fence for Raised Panels
A cleverly made auxiliary fence for the shaper makes it easier to accurately machine raised panels for cabinet doors. February 29, 2012

Steel Drums Versus Rubber Drums on Widebelt Sanders
The choice depends in part on how you want to use the machine. March 28, 2010

Shaper Setups for Raised Panels
Tips on knife and fence setups for making raised panels on a shaper. April 24, 2006

Tooling for Cope-and-Stick Doors
Pros describe machinery and cutterheads for coped mortise and tenon door part machining. August 23, 2005

M42 HSS Inlay Knife Steel
An explanation of what M42 steel is, and a discussion of its properties. August 30, 2007

Fine Points of Side Clearance and Draft Angle
Grinding a rabbet knife for accurate square cutting as well as good tooling life can be tricky. March 10, 2008

Tuning Up a Small Moulder
Advice on getting the best finish possible from a small moulder. May 21, 2009

Tweaking the Feed Rollers on a Moulder
Woodworkers suggest reasons wood might get stuck going through the moulder, and suggest ways to fix the problem. December 6, 2006

Understanding Drying Stress in Wood
A complaint about cupping in mahogany door stiles after machining leads to a discussion of what causes drying stress and related movement in kiln-dried wood. June 23, 2006

Getting Rid of Rip-Saw Cutoff Waste
Ideas for making a little spare change out of that pile of rip-saw off-cuts. May 26, 2008

Router/Lathe Combinations
Thoughts on coupling a router and a lathe for complex wood turning. October 3, 2009

First-Time Shaper Set-Up
A woodworker gets tips on setting up his first shaper. October 26, 2007

Shapers
Basic descriptions of various types of shaper found in wood shops. November 13, 2008

Chain Mortiser Versus Hollow Chisel
Woodworkers discuss the evolution of power mortising machinery: chain mortisers, slot mortisers, and oscillating chisel mortisers. September 17, 2014

Grain standards for radius mouldings
Standards methods for joinery of radius mouldings, with exposure of end-grain in mind. June 6, 2001

Tuning a Cabinet Saw
Description of a method for accurately re-calibrating a tilting table saw. February 19, 2006

Centered Drilling in Pole End Grain
Thoughts on how to drill centered, matching holes in the end of poles so the poles can be connected end to end. March 26, 2009

Re-Surfacing Old Painted Boards
It may not be worth the risk of exposing your planer to damage. But there are other ways. January 27, 2007

Tensioning Gang Ripsaw Blades
After proper adjustment, gang ripsaw blades should cut straight and true. May 23, 2007

Sanding Narrow Stock on a Drum Sander
Drum sanders and wide-belts can handle narrow stock ganged together, but it's a little tricky to manage. May 23, 2007

Off-Grid Power for an Antique Lathe
Here's an unusual problem: powering an old piece of equipment (formerly steam-driven) in a building with no existing electrical service. January 27, 2008

Sanding and Stock Removal for Large Burl Slabs
Advice on equipment and techniques to dress large burls before sale as raw material for table-tops. June 9, 2007

Operating European-Made Motors on U.S. Current
A discussion of the effect of United States alternating current voltage and cycle frequency on shop machinery wired for European electric power supplies. December 6, 2009

Shopping for a Power Feeder
Advice on choosing a power feeder for a shaper. March 26, 2010

Adjusting a Shaper Spindle
A bent spindle, bad bushings, or worn spacers could cause a shaper to wobble and make sloppy cuts. Here's advice on making precise adjustments or repairs. January 2, 2012

Achieving Clean Router Cuts on End Grain
A cabinet shop wants to machine their own rosettes, but has trouble getting clean end-grain cuts. Here's advice on routing wood end-grain, or on using MDF instead. February 9, 2008

Machining Jatoba
Like other tropical hardwoods, jatoba is high in silicates and wears out knives quickly. Here is some advice on tooling and other aspects of working with jatoba. November 18, 2006

Leather and Rubber Belts for Old Machinery
A little info about drive belt technology for olden-days equipment. May 18, 2010

12-Degree Versus 20-Degree Cutterheads for Poplar
A discussion of whether to use 20° or 12° cutterhead angles for machining Poplar. January 25, 2010

Working with hickory
How to get around the difficult machining characteristics of hickory. July 24, 2001

4-Head or 5-Head Moulder?
A 5-head or even a 6-head moulder is more versatile and produces better quality. November 8, 2007

Storing Moulder Knives
Shop owners trade ideas for keeping track of all those moulder knives. December 26, 2006

Advice for Working with Hickory
Use extra-sharp, hard tools and expect to see some waste anyhow. September 3, 2011

Saw Blade Rake: Negative or Positive?
The rake on a saw blade's teeth affects the tendency of wood to move during cutting. Rake angle should be different for blades used on different types of saws. October 1, 2010

Should I Sharpen My Own Moulder Knives?
The advantages may be worth the set-up cost and the learning curve. December 2, 2006

Oil Mist Lubrication Versus Sealed Greased Bearings
Woodworkers discuss lubrication systems and the pros and cons of machine modifications. June 28, 2013

Tuning Up a Reconditioned Profile Grinder
Advice on adjusting and maintaining a used Weinig 931 profile grinder. March 28, 2010

Knives 101
Technical tips on choosing, adjusting, maintaining cutterhead knives. February 14, 2007

Knife Sharpening Frequency
How many times can you sharpen moulder knives, and how do you know when it's time to do it? January 9, 2008

Grinding Wheel Glazing
Tips to minimize the problem of knife-grinding wheels loading up with metal during use. September 17, 2008

Moulding maple versus oak
Why such problematic tearout on one and not the other? September 23, 2003

Snipe Problem with a Four-Head Moulder
A mis-adjusted upper pressure bar is probably the source of trouble in this sniping story. November 18, 2006

S4S Moulder: Is It Worth It?
A shop owner is considering buying a 4-head moulder to dedicate to producing S4S stock. Opinions vary on the value of that investment — the difference may lie in the quantity he needs to produce. October 22, 2005

End-to-End Knife Marks in Maple
Knives in bad condition caused linear scratch marks in Maple moulding. What's the fix? May 11, 2011

Mortising Machine Options
Woodworkers discuss the pros and cons of various types of mortising equipment. November 28, 2006

Moulder set-up
Basic guidelines for setting controls. October 24, 2001

De-Glazing a Widebelt Conveyor
The standard method is to sand the conveyor with the wide belt, but you can just use a random orbital hand sander instead. October 15, 2012

Routing a Shallow Flute in a White Oak Stair Tread
Advice on router bit choice, hand techniques, and on maybe using a different machine for this. January 25, 2013

Tooling for Double End Tenoner
Cutterheads from some other equipment can be used with a double end tenoner. December 11, 2006

Shopping for a Straight-Line Rip Saw
There are different flavors of straight-line ripsaw for different parts of the industry. Here's advice for a cabinetmaker with a budget, shopping for a smaller machine. January 2, 2012

Jointing with a Shaper
Thoughts on setting up a shaper to joint (or edge-dress) lumber. November 14, 2009

Cleaning Sander Belts
Shop owners share their methods for cleaning wide-belt sander belts. November 14, 2009

Drilling Into End Grain
Thoughts and advice on bits and equipment for boring into hardwood end grain. October 8, 2005

Troubleshooting Split-Fence Accuracy
A split fence on the shaper allows for quick setup, but it takes time to learn how to set the fences accurately. August 29, 2006

Slot Mortiser Choices
Ideas on commercially available slot mortising equipment, and an example of a custom-built rig. January 29, 2009

Dowel making
Machines and techniques used in dowel making. June 13, 2001

Corner Cutouts on Large Tabletops
There's more than one way to notch out the corner of a big table top. January 11, 2007

Dovetailing Jig Quality
Woodworkers discuss experiences with various dovetailing jigs. June 12, 2006

Down-Draft Sanding Table: Buy or Build?
There are good units you can buy off the shelf, but people have also had good luck building their own sanding tables. July 11, 2007

Grinding custom shaper knives
Does it make sense to grind your own shaper knives? June 6, 2001

Straight Line Rip Saw Versus Table Saw
Even for moderate volumes, the productivity boost from a straight line rip saw will justify the price difference. May 28, 2006

Reducing Tearout in Fir
A handful of expert tips on reducing tearout on problematic wood in a moulder or shaper. January 28, 2014

Router Bits 101
Notes on router bit specs and characteristics. January 7, 2007

Tooling Up for Efficient Custom Wood Window Production
Advice on tooling and construction methods for speeding up the process of setting up to build custom windows in small quantities. July 15, 2012

Machining for Lap Joints in 2x Stock
Ideas for rapid removal of material for lap joining 2x4 and 2x6 pieces. July 13, 2006

Wide-Belt Sander Shutting Down
Troubleshooting a wide-belt sander that cuts out intermittently for no apparent reason. May 23, 2007

Cutter Choices
Carbide cutters, insert knives, or high speed steel? Pros weigh in on the options. August 31, 2005

Setting Up a Power Feeder
A cabinetmaker gets advice on adjusting a power feeder he bought second-hand with no manual. November 13, 2009

Dedicated vs. power-fed tablesaw ripping
Increasing productivity by upgrading to a straight-line, dedicated saw. August 29, 2001

Shopping for a Phase Converter
Woodshop owners offer opinions on phase converter choices in the market. February 1, 2015

Motor Change-Out for a Shaper
Does it make more sense to change from a 3-phase to a 1-phase motor, or to invest in a rotary phase converter? Alternatives are pondered in this thread from the Solid Wood Machining forum. November 13, 2005

Troubleshooting Chain-Drive Problems on a Bench-Top Planer
Cleaning and re-lubricating the drive chain on a small portable planer could be the solution to a slipping chain. January 17, 2011

Strange Stories From the Sawmill -- Part 2
Interesting artifacts found embedded in sawlogs. September 9, 2004

Grit Sequence for a Wide-Belt Sander
Thoughts on the coarse, medium, and fine grit selections for sanding solid wood on a widebelt. March 26, 2013

New Power Feeder, or Phase Converter?
Advice on how to run an old 3-phase power feeder when moving to a location without 3-phase power. May 18, 2010

Troubleshooting Snipe when Running Flooring
Experts advise on causes and cures of moulder snipe. November 26, 2008

Smooth-tracking sawmill
Keeping the track rollers on your sawmill running with ease. July 3, 2001

Troubleshooting Wavy Lines with a Widebelt Sander
Oscillation or chatter marks can be reduced with adjustments, but could be caused by a defective belt. September 5, 2011

Grit Selection for a Wide-Belt Sander
Advice and experience about sandpaper and the sanding sequence. June 29, 2005

Snipe Problems on a Through Feed Moulder 4: Right Side Snipes
A troubleshooting checklist table for moulder operators. December 1, 2006

Router Arbor to Accept Shaper Cutters?
To solve a one-time problem, a woodworker looks for a way to mount a shaper cutter on a router. February 14, 2010

Rabbeting Knives for a Moulder
Tooling suggestions to enable clean rabbet cuts, without burn marks on the shoulders. March 3, 2006

Correct Spelling of "Curtate Trochoids"
Clearing up the confusion about these ubiquitous machining marks called curtate trochoids. That's why we call it the "Knowledge Base," folks. You can't learn this stuff at those other websites. August 15, 2007

Entry-Level Shopping for a Straight Line Rip Saw
Advice on shopping for a used or low-end straight-line rip saw. November 12, 2008

Glue-ups and growth rings
Does ripping and re-gluing drawer faces reduce cup? June 24, 2001

Troubleshooting Drive Belt Alignment
A woodworker gets help with the belt tracking on a drum sander. January 8, 2010

Tear-Out Problems with Cherry
Tips on tuning up machinery to minimize tear-out when making end-matched wood strip flooring. May 16, 2008

Troubleshooting Widebelt Ripples
Experts suggest possible reasons for imperfect performance by a widebelt sander. February 1, 2015

Troubleshooting a Wide Belt Sander Oscillation Problem
Info on dealing with electric eye issues and sander belt tracking. June 12, 2014

Troubleshooting Surface Ripples with a Drum Sander
Wise advice helps a woodworker get better results from his drum sander. September 5, 2011

Splitting Moulding Profiles
Technical advice on running two profiles on a single piece of stock, and splitting the pieces as they come off the machine. November 12, 2008

Stile and Rail Shaper Cutter Options
A discussion of the pros and cons of reversible cutters, insert cutters, and more. October 30, 2005

Tooling for Laminated Flooring
Machining a clean profile on the plywood core of engineered flooring pieces is tricky. June 8, 2008

Straight Line Rip Saw Versus Gang Rip Saw
A discussion of the pros and cons of lumber ripping machinery. July 28, 2012

Table Saw Top Maintenance
Pros share tips for cleaning and waxing the working surface. June 17, 2005

Troubleshooting a Blown Transformer
Help with a woodworking machinery problem (repeated failures in a transformer that steps down 480 volts to 120 for a control panel). November 15, 2011

Mortising Large Timbers
Ideas about tools and techniques to efficiently cut lots of big mortises in 5x5 posts. April 9, 2008

Raised Panel Cutter Options
Shop owners compare the advantages of insert and tipped tooling for machining raised panel doors. October 20, 2005

Diamond Wheel Wear while Grinding Carbide Knives
Diamond grinding wheels can fail prematurely for different (preventable) reasons. April 11, 2008

Dealing with Planer Tear-Out
Craftsmen discuss tooling and operator techniques for minimizing tear-out from planing lumber. November 12, 2005

Choosing a Grinding Coolant
A discussion of the pros and cons of various coolants (or lubricants) used in cutter grinding for woodworking equipment. July 23, 2014

Mounting a Table-Saw Power Feeder
Ideas for attaching a power feeder to a table saw. October 2, 2007

Spindle Release Tool for a Vintage Shaper
Vintage SCM shapers came with a special toothed pipe tool for removing the spindle attachment collar. March 16, 2015

Router Table Versus Shaper
Which to buy? It depends on the intended use. The two are suited for different purposes, but there is some overlap. October 2, 2005

Straightening a Jointer Fence
A discussion of high-tech, low-tech, and caveman-tech methods for making a bowed cast-iron jointer fence straight again. September 27, 2008

Wide Belt Sander Tracking Marks
Troubleshooting wavy, snakelike sanding marks left by a wide belt sander. December 21, 2010

Drying Technique and Wood Hardness
Those in the know describe the effects of case-hardening (a drying defect) and how to diagnose it, as opposed to hardness that would affect machinability of wood. July 30, 2007

Upcut Saws for Precision Work
Upcut saws can be used for items like door parts, but you need a good one. March 12, 2015

Scheduling machinery maintenance
Creating an equipment maintenance schedule to ensure that machines provide peak proformance. January 16, 2002

Mounting a Ripsaw Blade on a Four-Head Moulder
Some moulders are set up to allow ripping, but there are safety issues to consider. March 31, 2008

Gang vs. straight line rip saws
Cutting straight blanks efficiently. January 16, 2001

Troubleshooting Noisy Startup on a 12-Inch Jointer
Could be a failing magnetic switch. November 16, 2010

Shaper Safety Accessories
machining, accuracy, set-up, milling, cutting, shaping, joints, joinery, cutters, heads, knives, sharpening, June 28, 2006

Regulating generator voltage
Dealing with voltage control and wiring for generators. January 31, 2001

End Grain Tear-Out on a Shaper
How can tear-out be minimized when running end grain across the cutter head? April 21, 2011

Measuring Line Feet Produced with a Straight-Line Rip Saw
Here's how you rig up a rolling measuring wheel to your ripsaw to count how many feet of wood you're running through the machine. July 9, 2007

Flush Joining Plywood to Hardwood Edge to Edge
Woodworkers suggest ways to make a plywood-to-hardwood edge joint smooth and flush. June 18, 2009

Using Router Bits with a Shaper
The proper spindles sizes are hard to find, and there's also debate about whether a shaper spins too slowly for router bits. Still, here is some practical advice. January 2, 2012

Cutting the Ends of Rough Lumber before Milling
Some shops make a practice of trimming ends before starting to rip, plane, or profile wood, because gravel or other contamination on lumber ends can ruin cutting edges. September 17, 2012

Number of Knives and Planing Quality
More knives is not always better, and RPMs also play a role. Here are tips on obtaining good cut quality at various feed rates and RPM settings. May 28, 2006

Machinery setup: Squaring up your saw
How to make sure your saw is cutting square. February 12, 2001

Keeping Straight-Line Rip Saws Ripping Straight
Several odd tuning issues may cause your SLR saw to stray from the straight and narrow. June 28, 2006

Tear-Out Problem When Machining Flooring Ends
Ideas for stopping the wood from tearing out when the cutters get close to the edge. November 27, 2007

Finding bent bandmill blade teeth
Locating and fixing teeth that have been pushed "out of set." January 24, 2001

Multi-Profile Knives and Heads
Shop owner gets advice on finding appropriate cutter heads for a set of nice knives (manufacturer unknown). Included are some set-up tips. July 13, 2005

Inset Routing with a Shaper
Advice on how to rout a cavity into the middle portion a long piece of solid wood. July 29, 2011

Anti-Kickback Table-Saw Fence Jig
For angled rips, a top-fence jig safely holds off-cuts down. June 17, 2005

Stock Power-Feeder Horsepower
Feeders come in 1/4-horsepower, 1/2-horsepower, and 1-horsepower versions. What you need depends on what you're doing, but more horsepower is usually better. June 12, 2006

Roughing Up a Wide-Belt Feed Mat
Tips on how to roughen the surface of the feed mat on a 2-head widebelt sander to keep parts from slipping as they're fed in. February 12, 2010

Ownership of Custom Moulder Knives
When a customer buys a run of custom moulding, are they also buying the knives you ground to produce the moulding? March 4, 2009

Static Versus Rotary Phase Convertors
A big rotary phase converter will give you room to grow as you add more equipment. February 13, 2009

Shaper Setup for Tongue-and-Groove Flooring
Tips on setting up to mill hardwood flooring. September 28, 2006

Sanding an Inside Profile
Cabinetmakers don't report much luck with machine sanding to remove cutter burns. July 11, 2007

How to Smooth and Flatten a Tablesaw Table
A palm sander will do a decent job of removing scratches, but you can also have the thing professionally ground flat. April 27, 2007

Streak Marks After Rotating Spiral Cutterhead Bits
It's common for spiral cutterheads to start leaving streaks after the bits are rotated. Prevention is laborious and time-consuming. October 3, 2009

Advantages of Higher Voltage
Switching to 240 volt equipment can boost performance and cut costs. October 30, 2005

Shopping for a Planer-Sander
Advice on the characteristics that make a combination planer/sander most useful in the shop. March 28, 2015

Carbide Versus HSS Tooling
Basic info on the differences between carbide and high speed steel cutterhead knives. August 15, 2011

Flooring Equipment
Basic descriptions of moulders and end-matchers used to make wood flooring. November 11, 2008

Five-Head Moulder Setup
Detailed advice on calibrating and aligning the chipbreaker, pressure shoe, and other key components of a five-head moulder. April 21, 2011

Tooth setter
Photos and descriptions of home-built tooth setters for band blades. March 5, 2003

Scheduling Routine Machine Maintenence
Ideas that can help you stay on top of regular shop machine maintenance tasks. July 23, 2007

Converting a Table Saw to Higher Voltage
The considerations include switch setup, coil capacity, and wiring. October 30, 2005

Aftermarket Drive Belts for Machinery
Woodshop owners discuss the difficulties of finding right-sized belts and pulleys for their equipment. November 8, 2007

Resawing Tropical Hardwoods
Resawing dense hardwoods like Bubinga, Cocobolo and Swartzia requires special care. October 1, 2009

Re-Roughening Power Feeder Tires
Aftermarket replacement tires give the best grip. But here are tips for sanding old tires to improve their surface friction. December 27, 2008

Knife-Setting and Grinding Tolerances
Given that nothing's perfect, how close is close enough? August 8, 2008

Woodmaster for Straight-Line Ripping
Advice on using a Woodmaster as a gang ripsaw. January 25, 2010

Jointing Carbide Knives 101
Technical tips on selecting and preparing stones for jointing your carbide cutters. February 14, 2007

Feeder Wheel Hardness
A shop owner asks about products to soften old power feed wheels. Instead, he gets advice about re-covering the wheels or switching to a replaceable tire system. October 13, 2005

Table Saw Setup Tolerances
Be reasonable — we're milling wood here, not machine steel. September 28, 2006

Accurate Scales for Balancing Cutters
What level of accuracy is required when weighing knives for balance during sharpening — and how do you achieve it?August 12, 2014

Lubricating Moulder Cutterheads for Easy Removal
For easy on, easy off, a little dab (or spritz) of the right stuff will do you when installing and removing cutterheads. January 11, 2007

Replacing Felt on a Widebelt Sander Platen
Advice on removing old felt, cleaning the platen, and attaching new felt. February 17, 2014

Troubleshooting Crown in Ripped Boards
Advice for diagnosing the problem when boards ripped on the sliding table saw come out not quite straight. November 28, 2014

Drum Sander Sanding Marks
Drum sanders typically leave "washboard" contact marks, so that sanded pieces still require hand sanding with a random-orbit sander. March 13, 2007

Window Sash Shaper Cutters for Outswing Casement Windows
Outswing windows are a challenge for toolmakers and woodworkers. Here is some info. January 2, 2012

Grinding knives to match mouldings
Why knife templates don't match the finished product. January 24, 2001

Sharpening Insert Tooling
Some insert-type cutterheads can be sharpened once or twice, but it's a tricky process that can create complications. July 30, 2007

Sawmill horsepower: What's enough?
Are thirteen horses sufficient for cutting hard maple? January 31, 2001

Edge-Sanding Round Tops
Jigs and rigs for sanding the edges of solid wood round table-tops. March 31, 2008

Selling Wide-Belt Sander Time on the Side
A wide-belt sander can help pay its way with occasional odd jobs for other woodworkers. May 13, 2005

Jointing moulder knives
How to get good results when jointing straight knives. January 31, 2001

Grinding Carbide 101
Knife grinding basics for carbide cutterheads. February 14, 2007

MDF and Tooling
MDF dulls tooling quickly, so craftsmen tend to keep a set of cutterheads dedicated to MDF. March 28, 2015

Running Synthetic Trim Materials Through a Moulder
Advice on running plastic trim stock through a moulder. July 28, 2006

Off-Brand Asian Planers
Interesting info about those Chinese-made shop machines you sometimes see bearing unfamiliar name plates.November 14, 2014

Equipment for Square Turnings
Certain old-style lathes can some make square turned posts easily, but some complex designs (such as pictured here) are only achievable on a CNC. May 20, 2011

Three-Wheel, Four-Wheel, and Belt-Type Power Feeders
A discussion of the advantages of different power-feeder configurations. May 23, 2007

Mortisers
Basic info on mortising machinery. November 12, 2008

Getting Straight Table-Saw Rips
Tips on tuning a table saw for straight ripping. May 23, 2007

Shaper Shutting Down by Itself
A woodworker gets help troubleshooting a shaper that cuts out for no obvious reason. July 29, 2012

Machine Top Protection
For protecting saw tables and similar machine surfaces between uses, a heavy coat of paste wax works. Other suggestions are also offered in this thread. November 13, 2005

Limiting Tear-Out when Planing Curly Maple
Advice on dealing with the various grain directions in "curly," "birdseye," or "tiger" Maple. July 16, 2009

Measuring Three-Phase 480-Volt Shop Voltage
Understanding how three-phase power works. January 24, 2006

Moulder Feed Problems 2: Caused by Material
A problem-solution checklist chart for correcting moulder feed problems. November 27, 2006

Correcting Snipe on a Planer
A few simple tips help a woodworker get his Woodmaster 718 planer into satisfactory shape. February 2, 2012

Hollow Chisel and Bit Maintenance
Careful setup and proper adjustment are the keys to long service life for your mortiser's hollow chisels and bits. February 14, 2007

Reversing a Router's Rotation
Woodworkers discuss ways to make a hand-held router spin backwards for special situations. September 17, 2008

Working with a Planer/Sander
A woodworker reports on his experience with a planer/sander. July 29, 2012

Repairing Wear on a Planer's Feed Belt
Advise on re-dressing and tuning up the belt drive system on an Extrema or Cantek heavy-duty planer. October 19, 2014

Running Dowels on a Moulder
A discussion of moulder set-up for dowel machining, and on improving the tolerances of the finished product. December 6, 2009

Waxing Machine Tops
Keep it simple. March 25, 2007

Fit Problems with Re-Sharpened Cope-and-Stick Cutters
It's hard to sharpen matching cutters so that they still mill matching surfaces. Insert tooling is the answer. January 8, 2007

Mill Marks Versus Chatter
Any rotary cutter will leave mill marks, but chatter represents a maintenance issue. November 13, 2005

Choosing Dado and Groover Blades
The voice of experience on different cutter brands. June 18, 2005

Relief Cuts for the Back of Mouldings
Advice on dimensions and moulder setup for making relief cuts on the backs of mouldings. April 21, 2011

Tool Wear and Resawing Teak
Teak dulls blades and loads up sandpaper. Here's advice on the tooling required to process it. February 17, 2014

Troubleshooting Wide-Belt Sander Tracking Issues
Some wide-belt sander sanding belts don't reflect light properly to the automatic tracking sensor. Here's a fix. May 15, 2014

Running Radius Mouldings on a Standard Shaper
Tips on making curved mouldings with jigs, ingenuity, and a shaper. December 6, 2008

Understanding Chip Load
Explaining the term "chip load" --what it means, and why it matters. June 19, 2005

Machining Arched Top Rails for Doors
Advice on shaper techniques for curved top rails, in order to avoid breaking the pointed tip of the sharp corners. November 23, 2012

Jointing Curly Cherry
Tips and tricks for avoiding tear-out. August 30, 2005

Jigless routing of MDF panels
Finding a low-cost method for making raised-panel doors out of MDF. January 3, 2001

Serious Resawing Machinery
A request for help re-sawing some large Teak lumber leads to a closer look at some big-boy re-saw equipment. August 3, 2009

Machining Mouldings from Southern Yellow Pine
The stock may be cheaper, but what about the quality of the product? December 31, 2013

Joinery for Wrapping Columns
Quick suggestions for corner joinery for wrapping columns with a Shaker frame. May 6, 2014

Waste Factor in Doormaking
You gotta make sawdust to make cabinets. But how much sawdust? Here are some views on the ballpark numbers. February 12, 2009

Lathes
Basic descriptions of lathes and related equipment. November 11, 2008

Thin Kerf Carbide Blade for Resawing
What's the lower limit to available resaw blade thickness? January 2, 2012

Figuring Rough Stock for Moulding Manufacture
How to estimate the rough material you'll need to produce a given quantity of a particular dimension and style of mouldings. August 8, 2008

Water for Tool Grinder
Advice on water and coolant for a knife grinder. June 18, 2010

Insert Tooling and Cutterhead Balancing
Ways to balance your cutterhead when you don't need all four knives. September 17, 2008

Reducing Shaper RPMs
Advice on stepping down a shaper's drive motor to accommodate a sanding wheel. March 27, 2012

Moulder Spindle Runout Tolerances
Some advice on acceptable precision in a moulder spindle. April 18, 2015

Is More Horsepower Better in a Table Saw?
Five out of five woodworkers agree — get more power. December 29, 2008

Fuzzy Mahogany
Tension wood may exhibit more "fuzz" than wood that was not stressed during tree growth. December 24, 2012

ATS Measuring Stand Repair
Tips on repairing or replacing the caliper device on a moulder'smachining, accuracy, set-up, milling, cutting, shaping, joints, joinery, cutters, heads, knives, sharpening, automatic tool-setting stand. May 13, 2005

Machining a Chamfer in Aluminum Plate
Carbide bits designed for wood will work acceptably well in soft non-ferrous metals. August 15, 2011

230-Volt Motors on 208-Volt Service
Will slightly under-powering 3-phase shop equipment cause trouble? Probably not, but there are ways to modify voltage just in case. November 21, 2005

Straight Knives Versus Spiral Knives in a Planer
Pros and cons of helical and straight planer knives, and some tips on quality control. February 27, 2007

Tooling for Radiused Corners on S4S Lumber
The right cutterheads can make producing eased-edge, surfaced-four-sides lumber a one-pass operation. June 9, 2007

Feed Rollers 101
Recommended feed roller types, feed roller maintenance, and operating tips. February 14, 2007

Making Cabinets with Hickory
Tips on machining and finishing this heavy, hard wood species. May 22, 2006

Roller Durability on a Williams and Hussey Moulder
The yellow rollers last longer than the green ones. October 19, 2013

In search of flat doors
Even slightly inaccurate machining can produce frame-and-panel doors which are less than flat. June 6, 2001

Stock Loss when Planing Cupped Lumber
If you plane cupped rough stock, how much will be left in your finished piece? January 14, 2009

Gang rip yields
Determining the factors which influence optimal yields. June 13, 2001

Double-End Tenoner Versus Shaper for Door Construction
The shaper's slower, but more versatile and far less expensive. April 12, 2013

Fuzz and Tearout with Soft Maple
What's causing machining problems with soft maple? Could be the hook setting, the knife angle, or just too high a moisture content. July 13, 2005

Which Grinder for Sharpening Lathe Tools
Sharpening suggestions from satisfied sharpeners. March 28, 2012

Scraping Glue Before Planing
Dried glue squeeze-out can damage planer knives, so it's a good idea to clean glued-up material before further machining. April 13, 2010

Sharpening Tongue-and-Groove Knife Sets
If you choose the right knives to begin with, tongue-and-groove profile cutters can be sharpened repeatedly. March 5, 2008

Ensuring Accurate Thickness Settings on a Planer
Tips and tricks for getting consistent thickness settings from your planer, with a minimum of fuss and bother. April 20, 2008

Waste factors in floor manufacturing
The amount of wood wasted from rough to finished flooring may surprise you. January 24, 2001

Machining Problems with Red Pine and Southern Pine
Chipped or torn grain from moulder or planer knives in Southern Pine is related to an over-dry surface. September 6, 2011

Spiral Heads and Reading the Grain
Spiral insert knives are great for eliminating tearout, but just learning to read the grain can take you a long way. October 15, 2010

Working with Silver Maple
Like Red Maple, it's a type of Soft Maple. Machines easily, but with a tendency to fuzz. August 29, 2006

Alternative to a Long Through-Bore
Instead of drilling the length of a long piece, route matching grooves into half-blanks, then glue up. September 28, 2006

Direct-Drive Versus Belt-Drive Ripsaws
A brief discussion of the pros and cons of ripsaw drive systems. October 19, 2014

Shop-Made Dial Indicator Holder
With brass U-channel, you can fabricate your own dial indicator holder for setting planer knives. May 11, 2006

Gearing Up to Make Tongue and Groove Boards
What's the best way to equip yourself to machine T&G decking and planking (on a budget)? September 17, 2008

Jointer Ways: Parallelogram Versus Dovetail
A discussion of jointer table mounting methods and the maintenance characteristics of different types. May 23, 2007

Dressing a Wide-Belt Sander Conveyor Belt
How to touch up an old, stiff, hard conveyor belt on a wide-belt sander. May 18, 2010

Why Planer and Jointer Knives can Lose Their Straightness
Repeated sharpenings can create stress-relief curves in cutter knives. February 19, 2006

Single-Blade Moulder
Advice on running a moulder with just one knife, for the sake of economy on short custom runs. February 12, 2009

CNC maintenance
How can a small shop deal with CNC equipment breakdown, maintenance and repair? January 31, 2001

Stacking Shaper Cutters
Small, low-horsepower shapers struggle with large-radius tooling or stacked cutters. July 15, 2012

Upgrading from a 3/4" to a 1-1/4" Shaper Spindle
A shop owner is considering whether he can put a larger spindle on his 3-HP shaper and run larger cutters. But in the opinion of colleagues, he needs a heavier-duty machine. December 15, 2005

Sharpening Equipment
A basic description of tool sharpening equipment and its use. November 13, 2008

Straight Line Rip Saw Problems 4: Troubleshooting Wedges
Checklist for identifying and correcting problems that can cause a straight line rip saw to cut out of parallel. January 4, 2007

Warping after planing
Causes for the warping of boards after they are planed flat. June 13, 2001

Straight Line Rip Saw Problems 3: Edges Not Square
Troubleshooting checklist to identify and fix maintenance issues that cause out-of-square rips. January 4, 2007

Whether to Kiln-Dry Wood Before Turning
A woodworker is advised to kiln-dry Osage Orange wood (also referred to as "Hedge") before gluing up blanks for turning bowls. October 19, 2014

Will I Lose Power with a Phase Converter?
Rotary phase converters can supply full power current. Static converters lose about 30 percent. December 6, 2006

One-Horsepower Versus One-Half-Horsepower Power Feeders
What can a half-horsepower power feeder accomplish? August 3, 2009

Chipload Charts and Cutting Data
Here's some useful data on machine settings to achieve the desired chipload for good performance of moulders and jointers with various types of wood and sheet goods. September 26, 2010

Carving Machines
Here's a quick introduction to some of the high-tech, high-volume carving and duplication machinery that is now available. September 20, 2008

Hook Angle for Large Radius Cutters
To cut the right profile, very large cutters need special attention to hook angle. September 10, 2007

Shopping for a Widebelt Sander
A few suggestions about characteristics to consider when considering a purchase of a second-hand widebelt sander. September 18, 2014

Troubleshooting Side Tear-Out on a Five-Head Moulder
Tips on preventing tear-out in a moulder. January 2, 2012

Troubleshooting Widebelt Sander Tracking Problems
You have to keep the tracking sensor clean. May 6, 2014

Elliptical Jig Q&A
Before buying, a shop owner gets info on how the device actually works. July 14, 2005

Aligning the Laser on a Straight-Line Rip Saw
Zeroing the laser guide for a straight-line rip saw is a trial and error process, however you do it. March 25, 2008

Milling Moulding from Exotic Hardwoods
Carbide tooling helps when tackling these very hard wood species. May 13, 2005

Lock Miter Tips and Tricks
Advice on getting good results with a lock miter bit. August 15, 2006

Choosing Flap Sanding Wheels
Advice on selecting sanding heads for profile sanders, and some thoughts on the best use of the machine.June 30, 2014

Jointing of Carbide Knives
Tips on the best technique for jointing carbide cutters. January 14, 2008

Dressing Power Feeder Tires
Old power feeder rollers that have gotten too glazed to grip can be restored to softness by cleaning, sanding, or re-covering. October 27, 2011

Moulder Feed Problems 3: Caused by Tooling
A problem-solution checklist chart for correcting moulder feed problems. November 27, 2006

Hickory Tearout
Hickory is a problematic wood, but spiral tooling helps limit the tearout. May 18, 2010

Is Moulder Knife Steel Sharp from the Factory?
Moulder knife blanks need to be sharpened and balanced before use. February 1, 2015

Tenoning Jig for a Sliding Table Saw
Rigging up a slider to cut tenons on the ends of boards. October 3, 2009

Setting Up a Six-Head Moulder with a Jointer-Style Infeed
Setup tips for proper flattening results with a six-head moulder with jointed infeed. June 9, 2007

Troubleshooting Grain Raise in Hemlock
Grain raise can be addressed by tweaking planer operations. January 27, 2007

Corrugated Knife Stock for Shapers and Moulders
Corrugated steel knives can be swapped between a moulder and a shaper. October 2, 2007

Lifting a Widebelt Sander
Advice on locating the lifting points for heavy machinery. August 11, 2009

Adding a Fence to a Sliding Table Saw Sled
A quick tip for augmenting a sliding table saw with an adustable fence on the sled. November 28, 2014

Machining "Chicago Bar Moulding"
Advice on making a curved bar arm-rest moulding. December 24, 2009

Loosening Frozen Nuts
June 17, 2012

Modifying the Pressure Shoes for a Five-Head Moulder
Suggested modifications to give your moulder's hold-down shoe more versatility. September 17, 2008

Feed Roller Pressure and Chip Dents
A review of factory specs helped a woodworker eliminate some quality problems with a 15-inch planer. September 5, 2011

Slope of grain
How to process lumber to achieve a given slope of grain. March 28, 2001

Are Cryogenic Tool Treatments for Real?
Ultra-cold treatments make claims for improving tool hardness and increasing life, but this thread provides no testimonials. December 1, 2005

Renewing rusted table saw tops
How to fix a badly rusted table saw top in a few easy steps. February 7, 2001

Lubricating Odd-Sized Fittings
Special grease-gun needle tips exist for lubricating fittings when you can't find the right-sized greasegun. February 25, 2009

Running Resawn Moulding
Tips on resawing wood and running it through the moulder. April 27, 2007

Saw Blades for Hardwood
Tips on choosing a saw blade that's appropriate for the machine and purpose. January 3, 2014

Iroko Wood Tearout
This tropical hardwood (a good substitute for teak) can be tough on saw blades and moulder knives. December 1, 2005

Machinery for Making Rosettes
Specialized equipment works better than a standard drill press for cutting rosettes. September 27, 2008

Techniques for making tapered rips
Various machine and jig options for producing large quantities of tapered parts are offered . January 9, 2001

Removing the Velcro Adhesive from a Drum Sander
How to get the glue off a sander drum when you're changing out the velcro. November 18, 2006

Refurbishing an Old Tenoner
Tips on tuning up (and souping up) a high-quality vintage machine. December 11, 2006

Machining Alder on a Moulder
Characteristics of Alder that affect its machinability and performance. April 30, 2009

Table Wax Choices
Woodworkers discuss products they use to keep their table surfaces friction-free. March 16, 2015

Knife Griding for Cross-Grain Cuts
A quick tip on tuning up cutterheads for clean machining on cross-grain cuts. March 26, 2013

Machinery for Cutting Box Joints
It's called a "hauncher." Here's a picture of one. November 28, 2006

Grinding Carbide Cutters
Carbide is carcinogenic as well as hard, so take appropriate precautions. February 14, 2006

Running a Moulder with One Sharp Knife and a Balancer
One knife on a moulder head can do all the cutting, but it's a tricky arrangement to set up right. November 12, 2008

Machining Green Western Red Cedar
Wet wood fibers do not machine cleanly. February 17, 2014

Cope Sled Choices
Shop-built and storebought options for a shaper cope sled. July 28, 2006

Finger Jointers
Basic description of finger-jointing equipment. November 11, 2008

Reducing Bandsaw Speed
Changing pulley size, using an inverter to slow the motor speed, or switching to a blade rated for higher speeds are all options. October 30, 2005

Wide belt sanders for moulding
Can the same finish quality be attained with a wide belt sander as with a random orbit sander? April 25, 2001

What Is Chip Load?
Average chip thickness vs. knife progression. December 26, 2004

Sourcing a Flat Belt Flywheel Pulley for a Shaper
Info about shaper pulleys that allow the belt to travel along the pulley cylinder. January 3, 2014

Usfulness of Variable Speed in a Planer-Moulder
Single-speed equipment is okay for running very small and simple moulding, but not for anything large or complex. September 23, 2008

Calibrating a Contractor's Table Saw
Loosen three nuts and nudge it (hint: replace the washers with better ones). March 14, 2006

Inspecting a Used Straight-Line Rip Saw
Advice on how to size up a used straight line rip saw. October 14, 2008

Uses for a Wide Jointer
What good is a 24-inch jointer? December 14, 2009

3-phase to single phase
Is it possible to convert 3-phase equipment to single-phase power? March 20, 2001

Troubleshooting Paper "Creep" on a Drum Sander
Quick tips on keeping the sandpaper tight on a drum sander. June 18, 2010

Measuring Moisture: Cross-Grain or Along the Grain?
Different moisture meters are calibrated for different testing orientations. July 29, 2014

Jointers
Basic description of jointing equipment and its use. November 11, 2008

Variable Speed Power Speed
The right controller can add variable speed to a 3-phase motor. January 25, 2013

Achieving Parallel Edges on a Straight-Line Rip Saw
Quick explanation of how to keep consistent widths and parallel edges with the straight-line ripsaw. July 29, 2011

Miscellaneous Machinery
Descriptions of various machinery types that fall outside the main categories. November 12, 2008

Removing Planer Knives
Once you understand it, pulling the knives out of a planer is easy. January 14, 2009

Mounting a Power Feeder
Quick tips on attaching a power feeder to a table saw. November 27, 2007

Sixty-Inch Versus Seventy-Five-Inch Widebelt Sander Belts
Longer belts stay cooler and last longer than shorter belts, as you would expect. October 19, 2014

Roller Hardness Decisions
Which moulder rollers to get — hard or soft? Interesting info here on alternative sources for rollers. February 9, 2008

Causes for warpage after planing
Why boards may warp after surfacing. January 16, 2001

Full-bodied router bits
Advantanges and disadvantages of the full-body design. February 12, 2001

Denailing Reclaimed Wood
Tools and techniques for fast denailing of old salvaged lumber. March 9, 2010

Improving Rough Mill Yield at the Moulder
Attention to the typical causes of material loss in the moulder can improve the moulding producer's bottom line. June 21, 2007

Quartering a Turned Column
A trick for quartering a column after turning: Paper in the joint. March 26, 2010

Can I Run Corrugated Knives in a Flat-Knife Moulder Head?
Don't run moulders using knives that aren't designed for that moulder. It's unsafe. February 27, 2007

Millwork set-up fees
What do small millwork shops charge for set-up on custom runs? March 20, 2001

Choosing a table saw
Selecting a table saw and fence system for a small shop. January 3, 2001

Slippery Plastic for Machinery
Ultra high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene can be used to make wood glide smoothly over wear surfaces. July 3, 2008

Damping a Noisy Saw Blade
Explanations of why a saw blade might emit a high-pitched, screechy whine in service, and suggestions on damping or stopping the noise. May 23, 2007

Tool Lube for Resinous Wood
A dry spray-applied wax for cutterheads can keep tools moving freely and minimize resin build-up in resinous woods such as Ipe. January 14, 2009

Tenon Tooling
Why some tenons have a groove at the base. October 3, 2009

Spiral Versus Helical Jointer Heads
What's the difference, and why does it matter? Pros explain. February 14, 2006

Cutters for Machining Cellular PVC
Plastic trim material mills well with ordinary tooling. May 5, 2007

Yellow Pine for Mouldings
Drying stability and machining problems make Yellow Pine unsuitable for fine woodwork. December 24, 2012

Removing Router Burn Marks
Tips on getting a clean surface when routing wood. June 9, 2007

Scales for Weighing Cutter Knives
Out-of-balance cutters can do expensive damage, so shop carefully for a scale to weigh them. May 6, 2014

Sanding Carved Profiles
A small sand-blaster can be used for smoothing intricate carved profiles. September 19, 2009

Shaping teak
The proper tooling, spindle rpm and feed rates for shaping teak. February 12, 2001

Density of Felt for a Wide Belt Sander Plenum
Understanding hardness grades for industrial felt. December 31, 2012

Reducing Dovetailer Tear-Out
Back up the piece with a block. February 9, 2008

Touching Up Carbide Planer Knives
A diamond honer can touch up the edge on a carbide cutter. April 27, 2007

So What Really is a "Glue Line Cut"?
Straight line rip saw maker Diehl Machines explains the term "glue line cut" in historical context. December 4, 2007

Cutting Tool Feeds and Speeds Excel Spreadsheet
Handy spreadsheet supplies feed rates and cutterhead RPM speeds for various machine configurations. January 7, 2007

Made in USA
Locating shop machinery manufactured in America. November 14, 2009

Purchasing a Helical Planer
Extended discussion of the fine points of various new and used planer options. August 21, 2006

Pros and Cons of Helical Heads for Jointers
A long discussion of spiral cutterhead performance. May 16, 2014

Bearing Life and Scheduled Equipment Maintenance
Replacing worn-out bearings is a non-routine task, but routine maintenance can keep you from having to do it often — or ever. Here's a detailed discussion of maintenance planning and bearing repair. May 15, 2012

Buried Metal Stories
Forum members swap stories of finding metal in the heart of a sawlog — and even in plywood. October 17, 2012

Problem with Insert Tooling Teeth Breaking
A shop owner tries to figure out why teeth in his helical insert planer heads keep breaking (which leads to further problems and headaches). October 19, 2013

Planer Selection, Maintenance, and Performance
Better (and more expensive) equipment can provide better results, but setup and maintenance make a difference with high-end as well as low-end machinery. December 29, 2008

Panel Goods and Cutter Life
A search for melamine-faced MDF leads to a long discussion on the way different types of panel materials wear out tools. February 14, 2006

Bandsawing a Radius in Massive Beams
Here's a long discussion of equipment choices and methods for sawing a curve into giant timbers. July 26, 2010

Practical Lumber Tally Methods
A moulding manufacturer needs advice on a method for tallying lumber that his people can conveniently implement. January 27, 2007

Basic Tips on Profile Grinding
Basic tips on knife grinding for a beginner playing catch-up. November 26, 2008

Best sawmill for exotic hardwoods
Bandmills vs. swing mills for a new operation. September 2, 2002

Home-built band blade sharpener
Plans and pictures. February 18, 2003

Proper Grinding and Maintenance -- Will Increase Moulder Tool Life
Good grinding and maintenance help increase moulder life. February 23, 2001

Brush Sanders, Cross-Grain Scratching, and Finish Quality
Brush sanding equipment is highly useful for some purposes, but it will not do away with hand sanding. February 24, 2008

Producing Stable Part Stock
With little time and no system in place, can this shop produce parts that won't move over time? October 20, 2004

Hand-Honing Tips for Cutter Knives
Remarks on honing and deburring cutterhead edges, and some thoughts on knife materials and performance. April 30, 2006

High-speed jointing head moulders
Are these machines practical for a custom moulding business? June 13, 2001

Powering a Slider with a Rotary Phase Converter
Assessing whether a phase converter has the capacity to power a piece of equipment, and avoiding damage to the electronic controls of the machine. March 27, 2012

Best Equipment for Tenoning Door Parts
Basic advice on machinery and cutters for making cope-and-stick architectural door parts. August 5, 2006

Hook Angles for Hardwood and Softwood
Moulder pros discuss the reasons to prefer a 12° or a 20° hook angle in different situations, for minimizing tearout, getting a good finish, and maximizing tool life. May 28, 2008

Power Feeder on a Jointer
A power feeder can't make the judgment calls of a hand operator for straightening the first face of a board, but it can boost productivity and improve safety. July 3, 2008

Preventing Rust When Milling Wet Material
A discussion of lubricants and cleaners for preventing rust on machinery. August 14, 2007

Planing Very Thin Boards
Planing boards to a 1/8-inch thickness is tricky, but not impossible. Here, experts describe how it's done. December 1, 2005

Planers
Basic info on planers. November 12, 2008

Phase Converter, Transformer, and Controller Issues with a Big Moulder
Troubleshooting power conversion and startup problems with a complicated electrical arrangement. January 25, 2010

Buying a Planer for Big Timbers
Heavy-duty planing capability requires a whole different class of machine. March 9, 2010

Bandsaw Tuneup
Advice on maintaining, repairing, and upgrading a 1990's-era bandsaw to improve adjustability and precision. November 16, 2010

Helical cutterheads
Surface quality compared to other cutterheads. November 18, 2002

Blued Steel Defect on Freshly Ground Shaper Knives
Bluing of the steel in a new or reground knife is a defect that indicates damage to the temper of the steel. December 31, 2013

Buying a Used Straight-Line Rip Saw
Tips on inspecting an old straight-line rip saw for serviceability before plunking down your cash. May 16, 2008

Preventing Tearout on the Shaper
Climb cutting and taking multiple passes are suggestions, but a good power feeder setup is safer and more cost-effective.August 27, 2012

Buying Shop Equipment at Online Auction Sites
Some people report satisfaction; others, not so much. So it's "buyer beware." February 9, 2008

Buying a Used Shaper
A shop owner considers a second-hand shaper with a one-inch spindle, and hears advice from colleagues. May 28, 2006

Buying a Used Straight Line Rip Saw
Maintenance, wear and tear, and other factors to consider when purchasing a second-hand straight line rip saw. November 14, 2014

Profiling Fir
Slower feed rates, sharper tools, multi-edge cutterheads, and very cautious climb-cutting can reduce the tearout and splintering that are common problems when profiling Doug Fir. October 4, 2011

Brush Backed Flap Sanding Wheels
A simple question about where to buy a replacement sanding wheel prompts an information-filled thread about brush and flap sanding technology. August 29, 2014

Breaking Loose a Stuck Shaper Spindle
Sometimes that sucker just doesn't want to come out. Here are a handful of proven ways to persuade it. September 10, 2007

Power Requirements for a Planer
Make sure the wiring and breaker are beefy enough to satisfy the voltage and amperage requirements of the equipment you plug in. June 18, 2009

Planing a Tapered Timber
Ideas for surfacing a 13-foot tapered redwood timber — while keeping the taper. June 12, 2006

How I cut a 5-sided beam
Fully illustrated details. October 30, 2002

Balancing moulder heads
A discussion about out-of-balance knives in a moulder/planer. June 13, 2001

Powermaster 160 Infeed Roller Wear
Advice on getting a second-hand Powermaster planer into working shape. October 19, 2013

Power Feeder for a Shaper
Advice on choosing and using a power feeder for a 3-horsepower shaper. June 5, 2007

Putting Points on Survey Stakes
Machinery options for putting a pointed end on stakes in mass quantities. June 18, 2010

Burning Problems when Ripping Maple
Woodworkers discuss why a table-saw may be burning 3/4-inch Maple. September 10, 2007

Building interior room doors
Pros share their methods for constructing custom interior doors. June 6, 2001

Planer Infeed Roller Marks
Advice on how to back off the pressure on a planer infeed roller in order to prevent marking of the wood. July 22, 2013

Power Feeders for Router Tables
Power feeders offer better control and safety, but they can overmatch the router — so consider a shaper instead.October 15, 2012

Problems Cutting Full Bullnose
Cutting a profile in pine stock on a router table. March 14, 2004

Phase Converters for a Small Shop
Downsizing from a big-iron shop to a basement-based setup. Is it worth holding on to some three-phase machinery and installing a phase converter? April 27, 2011

Basics of Ripping Lumber
A simple overview of straight-line ripsaw technology. October 11, 2010

Pads for Moulder Pressure Shoes
Felt pads can prevent shine marks on your mouldings. Details here. July 3, 2008

Pros and Cons of Insert Tooling
Woodworker considering insert cutters for making raised-panel door parts gets advice about his options. June 30, 2007

Planing "Dimples" in Soft Lumber
Planer blades can drive chips into the surface of a board when dust collection isn't perfect. Here's a good example with photos. May 21, 2009

Producing a Rough-Faced Board
Thoughts on reproducing the surface appearance of rough bandsaw milled wood, starting with finished lumber, on a large scale. December 6, 2012

Bandsaw Blades and Cut Quality
Blade characteristics go a long way toward explaining the smoothness of bandsaw cuts. December 1, 2005

Best Ripping Width to Avoid Cupping
A discussion of the workable range of widths for ripped lumber intended for gluing up into panels. February 16, 2014

Producing Wide, Thick Veneer
Pros share ideas for making maple and birch veneer at 2-foot width and 1/8-inch thickness. April 14, 2005

Balancing Drill-Holes on Tooling
Cutterheads may be balanced at the factory by drilling small holes to remove weight. But that won't salvage a poor-quality cutter. September 10, 2007

Back-Beveling Tips
Fine points of back-beveling jointer knives. May 13, 2005

Profiling a Curve into a 6x6 Blank
A furnituremaker gets advice on machining large, heavy pieces with a simple curve. August 26, 2008

Burnt Cutters and Tool Life
"Burning" or overheating a cutter edge, during grinding or regular use, can significantly degrade the service life of the tool. February 24, 2008

Preventing Tear-Out with Curly Maple
Curly maple is tough to machine. Here are tips for success. August 8, 2006

Pulling a Shaper Spindle
Advice on removing a stuck spindle from a shaper. July 23, 2014

Planer Choices for Planing Rough-Sawn Lumber
Pros discuss equipment choices, set-up, and techniques. October 30, 2005

Power Feed Roller Hardness
Shop owners and experts discuss the ins and outs of maintaining, resurfacing, or replacing roller wheels for power feeders. October 1, 2005

Portable Bandsaw
Pros discuss options for detail cuts on heavy timbers. May 4, 2005

Planer Choice: 3 or 4 Knife Cutterheads?
According to these pros, buying the 4-knife model and running it with just 2 knives makes sense. December 15, 2005

Belt Tension on Moulder
Pros troubleshoot a belt-slippage problem during a new moulder's break-in period. August 31, 2005

Belt Sander Feedbelt Replacement
Tips on replacing the feed belt for a 70's vintage widebelt sander. December 9, 2010

Planer Wear and Tear-Out Problems
Wear on the knives and the chip breaker could lead to tear-out problems when the knives are replaced. July 15, 2012

Brett Wood Species that Require Carbide Tooling
Some wood species will destroy high-speed steel tooling. Here's a partial list. March 16, 2015

Preventing Tearout When Jointing Maple
A five-degree back bevel on the knives works like a charm. May 13, 2005

Planer vs. spiral insert heads -- for planers
Which provides the best finish--a planer type or a spiral insert knife head? January 16, 2001

Hand-held Router Accuracy
Routers are not perfectly centered from the factory, and require tuning. You'll notice it on fine-tolerance work such as dovetail joinery.October 4, 2011

Bit Choice for Drilling 2-Inch Holes in White Oak
This much drilling in hard wood is a torture test for any bit. What's the best bit for the job? August 8, 2010

Planer Knives: Grind Yourself, or Send Out?
Both sides of the debate are represented in this thread. January 15, 2008

Bit Choices for a Slot Mortiser
Woodworkers discuss mortiser tooling. May 21, 2009

Hogging Out Large Bowls
Ways to speed up the pesky process of removing large quantities of wood from the inside of a bowl before final turning. April 30, 2006

Preventing Pine-Sap Buildup
Pine sap is building up on the bed and rollers of his moulder, reports a shop owner who's milling up large batches of flooring from reclaimed pine. Others supply advice for cleanup and prevention. October 20, 2005

How to Size a Phase Converter
This discussion of phase converter sizing includes a brief, clear description of how phase converters work. April 21, 2011

Busting Off a Siezed-Up Nut
Can't budge that nut? Better to cut it. October 26, 2007

HSS vs. carbide jointer knives
Pros and cons of both types of blades. October 24, 2001

Boring Long Holes
Suggestions for how to make long holes in wood pieces, as for the wiring chase in a wooden floor lamp. July 28, 2006

Planer Segmented Infeed Roller Problems
Troubleshooting alignment and feed issues on a planer. September 6, 2010

Part 2: Remilling of Salvaged Wood Siding Coated with Lead-Based Paint
Salvaged wood with lead paint can be safely milled into useful products, says a Forest Products Laboratory study. March 4, 2008

Part 1: Remilling of Salvaged Wood Siding Coated with Lead-Based Paint
Recovered wood siding with lead paint on it can be safely machined into mouldings, according to an FPL study on wood from old Army base barracks. Here's how. March 4, 2008

Planer Chipping, Flaking, Tearout
Possible causes - and solutions - for a poor surfacing result with ash. February 27, 2005

Power Feed Roller Life
Softer rollers grip better, but don't last as long. Here are tips on stretching the lifetime of a feed roller. May 28, 2006

Bandsaw mill blade speed
Solving a problem of quickly dulled band saw blades and insufficient horsepower. January 16, 2001

Pie-Slicing a Log
Quick description and info about a German-made saw that slices logs radially. July 15, 2012

Platen Hardness and Wide-Belt Sander Performance
Different platens combined with different belt grits can help you fine-tune your sanding results. August 8, 2008

Blowout on Arched Rail Trailing Edge
Advice on getting a clean profile on coped arch-top door rails. May 28, 2010

Preventing Sandpaper Clogging when Sanding Teak
Frictional heating of the oils in Teak wood can cause them to thicken and clog up the sandpaper. October 13, 2008

Blade hammering
What is the purpose of hammering a blade for a circular mill? June 5, 2001

Power Requirements for a Three-Phase Sander
Advice on power adapting equipment to power a three-phase sander from a single-phase circuit. February 24, 2008

Planing Figured Maple
Advice on avoiding tear-out damage when planing curly maple. December 12, 2008

Power Voltage Destroying Jointer Motor?
Three-phase power supplies rated as 220 volts may actually supply on 208 volts, and cook motors wired for single-phase 230 volt power. October 2, 2010

Scie à refendre à ligne de colle
Une scie à refendre droite permet-elle des coupes suffisamment nettes pour des joints collés ? 18 novembre 2006

Glue Line Rip Saw
Will a straight-line rip saw make cuts clean enough for glue joints? November 18, 2006

Shaper Setups for Complex Joinery
Here's a long thread that delves into shaper choices and shop rigs and jigs for advanced joinery such as mortise-and-tenon window sash. October 14, 2008

Troubleshooting Accuracy Problems on a Tenoner
Here's a long story of a woodworking shop's difficulties in getting a tenoner set up with split tooling to work to the desired level of precision, accuracy, and repeatability. October 26, 2011

Milling Wood Flooring on a Shaper
Extensive advice on how to make hardwood strip flooring on a cabinet-shop shaper. April 19, 2006

Importing Machinery
A woodshop owner takes a chance on importing his own machinery straight from Asia, takes a chance, and reports back on the results. August 19, 2008

Home-built moulder
Advice on the construction of a moulder, and encouragement to follow an easier path. November 18, 2002

Cutterhead balance
Solving the problem of a vibrating planer/moulder. January 16, 2002

Troubleshooting Moulder Head Vibration
Many things could potentially throw a moulder head out of balance. Here, pros discuss the possible causes of excessive vibration. August 23, 2005

What's the Best Tool for Cutting Panels?
A start-up shop owner asks whether he should purchase a sliding table saw, a vertical panel saw, or maybe even a beam saw. Experienced hands offer thoughtful opinions. July 6, 2005

Power Saving Effect of an Inverter on a Resaw
Here's an interesting discussion of the power savings you can get by using an inverter to start a large electric motor, and of the possible complications involved in doing so. November 5, 2013

Tuning Up a Bandsaw
Bandsaws for resawing lumber need some careful attention to get and stay in tune. July 3, 2008

Chip Dents, Cutter Choices, and Dust Extraction
Dents made by chips being pressed into the wood by the planer or jointer knives are a common problem. Here's a thorough discussion of causes and remedies.April 15, 2013

Dressing Stock, Stress, and Movement
A discussion of planing and jointing techniques: Does wood need to "rest" between passes? April 30, 2009

Shop-Built Beaded Face Frame Notching Machine
A Woodweb member displays the machine he invented and built to automate the notch cuts for beaded face-frame joinery. June 15, 2009

Tablesaw Techniques for Very Narrow Rips
Advice on push blocks, jigs, and other solutions for making very thin rips for laminating. November 28, 2014

Planing Painted Lumber
Machining recovered, previously-used painted wood is an exercise fraught with potential problems. June 28, 2006

Efficiently Ripping a Straight Edge on Rough Stock
A spirited discussion on jigs, equipment, and how investing in the right machinery can make you money. February 27, 2015

Custom pressure shoes for moulders
A discussion of home-made and custom-ordered pressure shoes for special profiles. August 12, 2001

Lumber for Cabinetmaking: Air-Dried Versus Kiln-Dried
Cabinetmakers explain why they prefer kiln-dried, skip-planed stock for solid wood cabinetry. April 13, 2010

Quick-Release Mounting Rigs for Power Feeders
Ideas for attaching power feeders to machines so that the power feeders can be quickly mounted and dismounted. January 29, 2009

Training for a Moulder Operator
Hands-on professional training is vital for anyone setting out to operate ond of these complicated and powerful machines. May 12, 2005

Shop-Built Adjustable Shaper Fence
Here's an example of a sliding-gib shaper fence capable of fine adjustments for close-tolerance woodworking. October 3, 2009

Down-Sizing the Motor on a Used Sander
A shop owner can get a great deal on a used wide-belt, but he doesn't think his shop has the amps to run it. What are his options for matching his power to the machine? September 17, 2008

Moulder Maintenance in a Dusty Shop
Advice on a lubrication and cleaning routine for a moulder in a shop with inadequate dust collection. January 29, 2009

Milling Radius Crown Moulding
Advice on how to run pieces of radius crown moulding using a tilting head shaper. January 22, 2006

Pocket Screw Machine Slow Operation
Maintenance and cleaning tips that may restore a multi-head pneumatic pocket screw machine to its former quickness. August 15, 2011

Buying at Online Auctions
Tips on loading and delivery and on checking equipment value when you purchase used woodshop equipment from an online auctioneer. May 4, 2011

RPM calculation
Determining RPM of given size pulley. May 17, 2003

Table Saw Blade Alignment 101
Advice on how to keep wood from binding up and burning in a table saw. February 27, 2007

Gauging Moulder Belt Tension
Tips on how to set and maintain proper belt tension. October 30, 2005

Adjusting a DJ-15/DJ-20 Jointer
Instructions for aligning the infeed and outfeed tables on an older Delta jointer. October 3, 2009

Cleaning Pitch off Cutterheads
Advice on fluids that will quickly dissolve accumulated pitch and gum off jointer and planer knives. October 3, 2009

Bandsaw Belt Slipping
Poor alignment between the belt and the pulley is the likeliest explanation for a bandsaw drive belt slipping off its pulley. October 19, 2014

"Chip Dent" in Planed Lumber
Here's a long, detailed examination of the problem of denting in planed wood, caused by knives pressing chips into the wood surface. Unfortunately, no solutions. October 15, 2009

Pursuing perfect miters
Methods and equipment for achieving the highest quality. September 20, 2003

Spiral Heads on Old Equipment
Re-tooling an old, heavy piece of iron with a new helical cutterhead can be the ideal value solution for some shops. August 18, 2009

Radial Arm Saw Setup
Acheiving square, accurate cuts on a consistent basis. May 10, 2005

Slot Mortising Machine Tips and Tricks
Advice on bit choice and other operating tips for a slot mortiser. January 25, 2010

Routing Plywood in a Single Pass
Will a hand-held router manage 1/2-inch plywood in one pass, or do you need to make two? Woodworkers share experiences. July 11, 2013

Cutting Flutes in Pilasters
Advice on using a table saw or router to make fluted woodwork. January 13, 2009

Shopping for a Bandsaw
The perennial question: an economical import, or some second-hand American-made iron? April 13, 2010

Stepping Up to a Shaper
After burning out yet another router, a one-man cabinet shop owner gets advice on investing in a shaper and some raised-panel cutters. July 3, 2008

Rigging a Lathe and Router for Cutoff Operations
Woodworkers discuss a novel arrangement of lathe, router, and saw blade for an unusual machining and cutting situation. November 3, 2010

Machinery for End-Matching Flooring
Short of investing in a specialized end-matching machine, are there other ways to efficiently get quality results on more typical shop equipment? July 26, 2010

Slowing a Feed Motor with Variable Frequency Drive
Motor speeds can be adjusted with electronic add-ons, but there are complications. October 4, 2007

Aligning an Older-Model 4-Head Push Through Moulder
It's hard to eliminate snipe on some older moulders. Here, experts supply some tips. April 19, 2006

Phase Converters and Variable Frequency Drives
50 hertz, 60 hertz ... single-phase, three-phase ... here's some info on the gizmos you need to run motors on a different kind of power. February 4, 2011

Heavy-Duty Miter-Saw Choices
Shop owners describe their experiences with industrial-grade cutoff saws and miter saws. July 29, 2011

Upgrading to a Heavy-Duty Planer
Dollar for dollar, buying a heavy-duty used machine is probably a better value than buying a less powerful unit new. February 15, 2015

Thicknessing Stock for Arched Moulding Production
Advice on achieving thickness tolerances in thin rips for gluing up arched moulding blanks. October 19, 2013

Fitting a Router Base to a Router Table
Tips on tapping new holes for mounting a router onto a table when the existing holes don't line up. November 28, 2006

Working with Ribbon Mahogany and Brazilian Cherry
Tips on machining and staining two very hard, and very visually interesting, exotic hardwoods. October 27, 2005

Reground Planer Knives Trapping Chips
Woodworkers help figure out why chips won't clear out from the workpiece after a set of planer knives comes back from the grinder. March 14, 2006

Couteaux de rabotage affûtés récupérant les copeaux
Des menuisiers tentent de comprendre pourquoi les copeaux ne s'échappent pas de la pièce après le retour d'un jeu de fers de rabotage de la meuleuse. 14 mars 2006

Machining and Gluing Challenges with Ipe
Here are a few tips and cautions about working with Ipe wood, especially the difficult problem of achieving a lasting glue bond. October 11, 2012

Machine Setup for Lock Miters
Lock miter setup requires a lot of fiddling, so a permanent dedicated machine can be most efficient. April 6, 2011

Shaper Chatter Marks
A shop owner tries all the usual troubleshooting tactics — but it takes a brand new machine to solve the problem this time. December 14, 2009

Setting and Adjusting Knives in an Old Planer
1920's-era iron is rock solid, but it can be finicky. Here are some detailed pro tips for aligning the knives in an old-school machine. January 28, 2014

Têtes de rabotage spécialisées
Les professionnels discutent des options et de leurs préférences. 10 avril 2005

Bandsaw Blade Speeds and Pulley Ratios
Figuring out how to adapt a motor to an old bandsaw. December 9, 2010

Vitesses de la lame de scie à ruban et rapports de poulie
Comment adapter un moteur à une vieille scie à ruban. 9 décembre 2010

Planing Short, Thin Stock
A woodworker finds out why his planer's manual warns against planing too thin, or planing too-short pieces. It's doable, but risky... August 21, 2006

Rust Protectant and Rust Remover Options
Advice on how to prevent rusting of machinery placed in unheated storage. October 3, 2009

Friction Between Wood and Jointer
Waxing helps wood slide more easily, but the outfeed table may also need adjusting. February 6, 2007

Horizontal Boring Machine Accuracy and Quality Control
Here's a long, detailed thread with photos about how to ensure accurate drilling and doweling in door manufacture with a simple horizontal boring machine. November 3, 2010

Contrôle de la précision et de la qualité de l'aléseuse horizontale
Voici un long fil de discussion détaillé avec des photos sur la façon d'assurer un perçage et un chevillage précis lors de la fabrication de portes avec une simple aléseuse horizontale. 3 novembre 2010

Why is Wood Flooring Kerfed on the Bottom Face?
Speculation, theories, and facts about why wood flooring and some door jamb stock is usually milled with grooves in the underside or back side. October 13, 2008

Pourquoi le parquet est-il rainuré sur la face inférieure ?
Spéculations, théories et faits sur les raisons pour lesquelles les parquets en bois et certains montants de porte sont généralement fraisés avec des rainures sur la face inférieure ou arrière. 13 octobre 2008

Normes de grain pour les moulures à rayon
Méthodes normalisées pour la menuiserie des moulures à rayon, en tenant compte de l'exposition du bois final. 6 juin 2001

Affûtage de couteaux de façonnage personnalisés
Est-il judicieux d'affûter soi-même ses couteaux de façonnage ? 6 juin 2001

Déroutage en retrait avec un façonneur
Conseils pour réaliser une cavité dans la partie centrale d'une longue pièce de bois massif. 29 juillet 2011

Portes intérieures de bâtiment
Des professionnels partagent leurs méthodes de construction de portes intérieures sur mesure. 6 juin 2001

Choix de cutters de façonnage
Le propriétaire d'un petit magasin qui vient d'acheter sa première fraiseuse reçoit des conseils sur les options de tête de coupe. 1er décembre 2005

Straight-Line Rip Saw Operation
An extended discussion of safety and operating technique for straight-line ripsaws. May 28, 2006

Travailler en toute sécurité avec l'ipé
La poussière et les huiles du bois d'ipé sont allergènes et toxiques. Vous devez porter un équipement de protection individuelle sérieux si vous travaillez avec l'ipé. Voici plus d'informations. 16 mai 2008

Working Safely with Ipe
Dust and oils from Ipe wood are allergenic and toxic. You need serious personal protective gear if you work with Ipe. Here's more info. May 16, 2008

Radius Cabinet Job - Project Review
October 27, 2003

Should a Moulding Mill Bring Sawmill Operations In-House?
Here's a long, detailed, and authoritative examination of a moulding mill owner's proposal to invest in his own sawmill operation. April 20, 2011

Value added defined
Many definitions and interpretations are offered up. July 29, 2003

Radius Moulding Machinery Choices
Millwork pros discuss shopping for a radius moulder and the related knives. January 9, 2008

CNC Versus Conventional Equipment for Entry Door Construction
Woodworkers wax poetic as they discuss the practical considerations, the historical ramifications, and the spiritual significance of evolving technology in the field of door construction. January 23, 2014

Three-phase motors 101
Three-phase power and converters; explained in layman's terms. June 19, 2003

Flattening boards with a planer
Methods for planing warped wood flat. September 25, 2002

Crowns on Band Wheels
Why do crowns exist, and do they improve band tracking? January 29, 2004

Woodshop Waste Percentage
How much wood do you waste in the construction of your product? June 21, 2004

Stupid Woodworker Tricks
With a nod toward David Letterman, pros discuss their least-best moments. January 24, 2005

Techniques and Equipment for Long-Grain Miters
Cabinetmakers who like to miter their face frames to their end panels discuss table-saw and shaper setups, joinery, and gluing techniques. September 28, 2006

Making Stove Pellets from Shavings and Sawdust
A look at the technology for turning wood waste into wood-stove briquettes or pellets. Is it practical? January 25, 2010

Machining raised panels
Addressing workpiece movement and tear-out problems. April 9, 2003

Solar Power for a Wood Shop?
Solar panels or a windmill can supplement your shop's electric usage, but you're not going to run big iron on it without the grid doing most of the work.. June 4, 2012

Troubleshooting Moulder Tear-Out
Tweaks to the knives, the feed rate, the drive belt set-up, or the bed board may help eliminate moulder chatter and tear-out. August 29, 2005

Sawing utility poles
Is it safe and practical? Advice from those who've done it. August 25, 2003

Nesting Bleeder Board Material
CNC users dissect the options. January 24, 2005

Fabricating Radius and Curved Mouldings
Here's a detailed discussion comparing two approaches to creating curved and arched mouldings: the CNC route, or the dedicated moulder and shaper setup (which may involve templates). July 13, 2010

Labor and Cost for a Complex Wood Window
The fine woodwork for a custom decorative window can be painstaking and slow. Here are some detailed thoughts on methods and the time involved (including an interesting description of doing the work with a CNC).June 12, 2013

Straight-line vs. gang rip
Which is better suited to this moderate operation? June 24, 2002

What's your Favorite Machine?
Woodworkers chime in about the equipment they love. May 26, 2010

Router Table Add-ons
With a router lift, precision fence, and some customizing, a router table can "kinda-sorta" stand in as a poor man's shaper. November 26, 2006

Saws
Basic descriptions of sliding table saws, miter saws, re-saws, and related saw equipment used in wood shops. November 13, 2008

Moulding on a Curved Wall
Installing trim work along a curved staricase. February 28, 2004

Figuring Out Woodshop Power Requirements
Amps, volts, watts, horsepower, and all that jazz: here's an instructive thread on how to figure out if a building's power supply will support your plans for shop equipment. July 9, 2007

Too-tight biscuits
Biscuit joining tricks and techniques. March 23, 2002

Setting Up a Six-Head Moulder for Machining Tall Baseboard
Here's a detailed discussion of how to arrange the top knives for cutting of the flat and the profiled part of tall, highly detailed baseboard mouldings. March 31, 2008

Moving Beyond Drying
A small drying operation wants to invest in planing, jointing, and ripping. March 18, 2005

Machinery and Methods for Creating Complex Stair Rail Shapes
Here's a long and detailed thread with photos about the production choices for crafting complex custom railing shapes. June 8, 2011

Climb cutting and why not
Climb cutting on a shaper with feeder--safety and procedure issues. September 19, 2001

The Ultimate Primer on Single Head Wide Belt Sanding
With understanding of how successive grits function, you can improve the efficiency of your belt sanding and orbital sanding process while optimizing the quality of the results. November 12, 2014

Flattening a Long Plank: Planer Versus CNC
CNC wins the argument, but we have fun getting there. December 6, 2012

Ways to Machine Radiused Casings
Woodworkers discuss various methods of making curved mouldings, including CNC and moulder techniques as well as ways to join segments. December 2, 2006

Value-Added Processing -- for the Sawmill
How to make sawing, drying and other processing operations profitable. March 22, 2001

Square Hole Production
Woodworkers brainstorm about how to machine decorative square holes in a wood faceplate. May 8, 2012

End Joint Splitting in Table Glue-Ups
Here's a long troubleshooting discussion about splits that form at the end joints between boards in a round table top. August 29, 2014

Stroke, drum and widebelt sanders
What sort of sander is most efficient for a small cabinet shop? July 24, 2001

Cutting crotch wood
Details on the right equipment and techniques to get the job done. March 4, 2002

Is Making Custom Moulding a Viable Business?
Can you make money doing short runs of custom mouldings? Experienced shop owners share business tips. March 26, 2009

Are Tracksaws Under-Powered?
A tracksaw is handy when you need one, but it's no straight-line rip saw. February 27, 2015

Converting power to three-phase
Things to consider when converting power from single-phase to three. June 24, 2001

Walnut Butcher Block Countertops
Techniques for creating a beautiful butcher block countertop are shared. May 10, 2005

Fabricating Pyramid-Shaped Raised Panels
Advice and thoughts on how to machine a raised door panel that looks like a very low pitched hip roof. November 5, 2013

Jointing Door Stock Twice
Is a shop worker being too careful and creating double work? How much trouble is it worth to be extra sure that door parts are precisely milled? January 19, 2012

Tablesaw blade safety device
Does a new sawblade-stop product really protect your fingers? July 29, 2003

Ripping hardwood straight
Why do ripped pieces come out banana-shaped? July 9, 2002

Moving and Unloading Machinery
Practical advice for getting a large, heavy, and expensive piece of industrial equipment off the truck and into place in the shop. October 12, 2007

Troubleshooting Shaper Tearout
Solutions for a tearout problem include slower feed speeds, climb cutting, and larger-diameter tooling. April 5, 2007

Repeatability at the Shaper
Advice on ways to set up shapers to consistently produce mouldings that are identical to a previous run. June 16, 2010

Tooling Up to Run Mouldings
Pros give advice on how to choose and use equipment for producing mouldings.

Regaining MC in overdry wood
Is machinability lost when lumber has been overdried, then had moisture put back in? May 17, 2003

Climb Cutting on a Moulder
Molding manufacturers discuss the potentially dangerous but sometimes necessary practice of climb cutting. January 22, 2006

Tenoners
Basic descriptions of various types of tenoning machinery and their capabilities. November 13, 2008

Re-Drying Kiln Dried Lumber
An architectural woodwork mill gets advice on acclimating stock before machining it. December 9, 2010

Making Square and Octagonal Handrail Caps
Is a CNC router or an old-school rotary lathe the best way to machine a profiled square cap for a newel post? February 27, 2015

Table Saw Cutting Out of Square when Set on the Bevel
A little help with the problem of a table saw that cuts out of square, but only when the blade is tilted over to 45 degrees. November 16, 2010

Determining Square for Machine Setup and Q.C.
Here's advice on shopping for reliable squares, checking for square on machines or cut parts, and setting up machinery to be true and square. April 6, 2011

Radius countertop edge
Making a radiused wood edge without resorting to segments. January 3, 2003

Jigs for Elliptical Moulder Work
Aftermarket jigs let you do complex curved work on the moulder, especially if given additional shop modifications. May 21, 2007

Suitable Bits for Cutting Thick Solid Hardwood
High speed steel (HSS) outperforms carbide in solid wood because of heat issues. But HSS is getting hard to find. How about a carbide spiral fluted hogger instead? January 3, 2012

Alternatives to Honduran Mahogany
A discussion of the qualities of some of the woods used as substitutes for Mahogany, plus an attempt to clear up some of the confusion around the much-misused "Mahogany" label. February 5, 2007

Shaping with a Table Saw
Lacking the machinery to run a large moulding, a woodworker spends a few hours using his table saw to cut the curve. May 28, 2010

New turn on rosettes
Could cutting rosettes on a lathe reduce tearout problems? July 22, 2003

Drum versus belt sander
Pros and cons of two approaches to surface sanding. October 9, 2002

Small parts on P2P
Using a spoilboard to solve problems of no suction with small parts. March 20, 2001

Consistent curves
How to create a long, accurate curve. May 15, 2002

Static charge on wood
Troubleshooting and resolving static problems on freshly planed boards. October 9, 2002

Template Routing -- with a Vacuum Clamp
March 19, 2002

Surfacing curly woods
The best machinery and tooling to handle the job. October 9, 2002

Miterfolds for clean corner joints
A sweet technique for classy corners. November 21, 2003

Sliding Table Saw Tips
Sliders are a little different for those used to working on a standard table saw. January 24, 2005

Cleaning and Deodorizing Urine-Contaminated Wood
Advice on how to handle old lumber wood salvaged from storage, which appears to have been "soiled" by raccoons. 16, 2014

To Nest or not to Nest?
A spirited discussion on which is more productive: nest-cutting parts with a CNC router, or using a beam saw and point-to-point machining center. June 30, 2005

Machining Curved Crown Moulding
Pros describe how they manufacture small runs of crown moulding to curve around outside corners. November 8, 2008

Router Bits for Raised Panels
Horizontal versus vertical bits for cutting raised panels. January 28, 2004

Outfeed Table Plan
Construction ideas for an outfeed table with mounted router. March 14, 2004

Wood Choice for Paint Grade Historic Millwork
Woodworkers discuss the pros and cons of Spanish Cedar, Mahogany, Sapele, Black Locust, and recovered Heart Pine for a restoration and historic reproduction project. April 27, 2011

Curved Stairway Trim Job
Where chair rail meets moulding. February 28, 2004

Dadoing techniques
Using a router to make dados. June 24, 2002

Machine Design For Complex Carving
It's hard to do, and might not pay off. April 10, 2005

Straight Lining Rough Lumber
Efficient methods for creating an edge. December 9, 2004

Dado Tooling for a Sliding Table Saw
Advice on choosing and setting up dado blades for a sliding table saw. January 9, 2015

Upcut, Downcut Or Compression Tools
Which is better? It depends on the use (and your technique). April 10, 2005

Making Templates from Existing Mouldings
Moulding shop pros discuss how to scan and import profiles of existing mouldings in order to make exact drawings or manufacture new knives. November 10, 2006

Troubleshooting HSK Spindle Release Issues
Dust and dirt can cause problems with HSK spindles. Here's how to fix them. September 30, 2010

Machining Small Radius Molding
The problem: holding a small, curved piece of brittle wood fixed while machining a small moulding profile into it. Here, pros offer various solutions. December 20, 2005

Glue Line Failure in Cherry Panels
Are these joint failures due to product or process? May 10, 2005

Routing an Irregular Outline
Woodworkers compare a pin router to a CNC as the device for cutting the outline of a map or other irregular object. February 19, 2013

Onion Skinning and Thickness Planing/Sanding
For accuracy and consistency, what's practical and economical: a belt sander, a planer, or a fly-cutter on the CNC? April 21, 2011

Machining Mullions for Glass Doors
Advice and a step-by-step how-to for making those pesky mullions. May 14, 2006

A Small Power Feeder for a Router?
It can improve control and precision, especially for climb-cutting. February 25, 2005

Tapered Stop Flutes
The search for a simple, efficient method. December 26, 2004

Troubleshooting A Drilling Inconsistency
Professionals diagnose a case of inaccurate drilling. April 10, 2005

Truing-up rough wood
Planers will not remove the bow from rough stock; jointing is required before boards can be properly thicknessed. February 13, 2001

Throat Plate Tweak for Laser-Guided Sliding Table Saw
Advice on a shop-rigged throat plate for a sliding table saw to augment the laser guide, and tips on zeroing in the laser for accuracy. June 18, 2010

Custom Door Profile: Custom Cutter Versus CNC Solution
While searching for a particular profile cutterhead for his shaper, a cabinetmaker learns about a possible way to get what he needs from a CNC-equipped shop. April 29, 2013

Trimming Defects in Moulding
Stock manufacturers describe how they control quality in runs of moulding and how they keep track of productivity. April 15, 2013

Avoiding router tear-out
Eliminating tear-out when routing the edges of stiles. February 13, 2001

Troubleshooting Tearout on End Grain
A furnituremaker gets advice on avoiding tearout when machining Maple end grain with a roundover bit. October 19, 2014

Tolerance for Moulding Dimensions
Moulding manufacturers discuss the limits of perfection in wood machining. January 13, 2006

Limitations of a Router Table for Making Mouldings
Buying a second-hand shaper is a wiser choice than trying to stretch your router's capabilities too far. April 26, 2006

Locating Radiant Tubing Within a Slab
How do you find those tubes so you won't puncture them when you're anchoring down equipment? March 26, 2008

Finish Sanding Hand-Planed Boards -- Without Losing the Look
A woodworker wonders how to efficiently smooth a surface enough to take finish, without ruining the hand-planed texture. February 8, 2005

Troubleshooting Tearout With Maple Flooring
Check sharpening, settings, feed rates, and more. April 10, 2005

Sawblades 101
Select the right blade for the job with this quick rundown of blade characteristics. January 7, 2007

Crown Molding for Radiused-Corner Cabinet Tops
An explanation of how to mill curved crown molding for application to radiused corners. June 23, 2006

Gang Ripping on a Moulder
Tips for making short work of multiple rips. February 27, 2005

Grinding a Warped Cast-Iron Table Saw Top Flat
It's not unusual for machinery tables to get deformed out of their proper flat shape, but the problem is correctable. March 25, 2007

Woodworker Tests iPhone Angle Finder
... it seems to work surprisingly well. June 18, 2010

Resawing Reclaimed Heart Pine Timbers
February 27, 2005

Fire Sprinkler Damage to Machinery
Thoughts about the insurance claim issues and the practicality of repair or restoration of equipment after a small fire sets off the fire sprinklers in a shop. February 26, 2012

Recreating the Look of Rough-Sawn Lumber
Finding or creating rough-sawn lumber for rustic cabinetry. August 31, 2009

Widebelt Sander Kickback
Cabinetmakers discuss why a widebelt sander kicked some boards out against the feeder belt. October 11, 2012

Replacing Electronics for Big Iron
Here's a tip: shop around for parts or components before you buy a whole new touch screen, display, controller, or similar electronic element for shop machinery. You could save a bundle. January 2, 2012

Machining Mouldings from Flexible Stock
Running flexible moulding stock through your machinery is doable, but problematic. October 15, 2010

Grinding Moulder Knives with a CNC
Good info on the advantages and limitations of CNC-based knife-grinding setups. October 3, 2009

Do ANSI B11 Standards Apply to Woodworking Equipment?
ANSI Standard B11 was created to apply to machine tools, not woodworking machinery. But an argument could be made for a broader application of the rules. October 26, 2011

Composting Chips and Shavings
Compost shavings and chips before adding them to garden soil. Here's how. December 31, 2012

Measuring Router Bit Diameter
Advice on how to verify whether tooling diameter is correct within proper tolerances. January 12, 2015

Tool Diameter Measurement Precision
What tolerances are involved in mating a shaft to a cutting tool? January 12, 2015

Dressing the Rollers on a Wide-Belt Sander
Tips on getting the sander drum true again by running it over flat sandpaper. July 29, 2011

Keeping the Spoilboard Down
Plastic screws work, and surfacing both sides might help. March 17, 2005

Overcoming sander swirl marks
Why does a random orbit sander leave swirl marks and scratches? January 24, 2001

Octagonal tapers
Instructions for making octagonal table legs, tapered on all eight sides. June 13, 2001

Machinery maintenance schedules
How to develop a system of regular equipment upkeep in your shop. March 16, 2001

Machining Alder
Tips on hook angle, feed speed, and more. February 19, 2006

Quartersawn and flatsawn: What's the difference?
Distinguishing between quartersawn and flatsawn lumber. January 16, 2001

Sawing crotchwood
Obtaining the best figured wood. September 2, 2002

Radius of an arc
Formulas for determining the radius of an arc, or "eyebrow"

Cleaning Wide-Belt Sander Belts
Tips for getting the gum and dust out of a wide-belt sander belt. April 14, 2010

Manufacturing Sawdust
Basic information about grinding wood. October 20, 2013

A rubberwood primer
Rubberwood's machinability and comparability to teak. January 31, 2001

Dust Collection Design Guide
A dust collection design guide (in PDF format) originally written by Air Handling Systems - July 17, 2001

Pricing Puzzles (The Case of the Custom Corbels)
How do you explain to the customer why one-off woodworking products are so expensive? January 15, 2008

Better moulder finish quality
Eliminating snipe on mouldings. August 13, 2002

Profile Grinding Bent Wood
The developer of an innovative method for extreme-bending hardwood explores options for profiling his bent pieces using abrasive wheels. March 12, 2014

How to make a tenon
Accurately sized tenons without a tenoner. September 25, 2002

Bowing in Pine Staves After Planing
Here's a good explanation of why lumber may move after being planed — and why that is not easy to correct. January 20, 2010

Pitch Build-Up When Planing Air-Dried Pine
There's no way to stop Pine pitch from gumming up machinery, short of kiln-drying the lumber. (This thread has some interesting asides about using your own sawn wood for construction.) April 27, 2011

Hardwood Lumber Tallies
Are you being shorted on a lumber delivery? The answer could depend on the fine points of board-foot calculations. April 19, 2015

Profile Knife Grinders for Replicating Mouldings
A discussion of knife grinding equipment and techniques for a woodworker who wants to reproduce historic mouldings for custom work. January 28, 2013

Planing Warp out of Wood Flooring Stock
It requires hand labor, but you can use a moulder to straighten warped stock — up to a point.June 28, 2013

Planing Charges for Rough-Cut Lumber
Sawyers discuss the up-charge for planed boards, and for custom planing work. December 6, 2009

Pricing Lineal Moulding
Tips and advice on setting a per-foot price for custom moulding runs. July 23, 2007

Hardness and Kiln-Drying Temperature
Higher drying temperatures affect the hardness and machinability of wood. December 12, 2008

Pricing Moulder Services
How to charge for machining someone else's material. January 13, 2006

Peruvian Walnut Drying Defects
Peruvian Walnut shows wide variability, which can create drying and machining difficulties. June 13, 2014

Poplar Is a Hardwood, but Is It Hard?
As a deciduous tree, Poplar is classified as a hardwood. Here's some hard info about just how hard it is (or isn't).November 15, 2011

Boosting voltage with a transformer
Guidelines for increasing voltage through the use of a transformer. January 31, 2001

Pronouncing Exotic Wood Names
Does "Wenge" rhyme with "Ben-Gay"? Well, that depends on who you ask. November 23, 2012

Are Small Moulders Practical for Small Runs?
Here's an extensive and informative run on the hows and whys of buying and using a small moulder to make short runs of custom profiles. October 19, 2013

Lumber Tally: Rough Versus Milled
When you buy dressed lumber, the quantity is tallied based on the rough board footage, before milling. The "rip-off" percentage can sometimes confuse the buyer. September 27, 2012

Shop Power Choice: Single Phase or Three Phase?
Shop owners discuss the relative pros and cons of three-phase and single-phase power supplies. February 6, 2010

Table Saw Blade Height Above Material
Here's a long, thoughtful discussion of the practical and safety aspects of setting blade height when working with a table saw. November 13, 2009

Increasing production flow
Presenting to a boss the numbers that prove production flow could be improved. (Business Forum) May 17, 2003

Attention, Safety Practices, and Loose Nuts
A woodworker describes how a moment's inattention damaged his machine — but luckily, not him. The tale sets off a long thread of similar stories (including one fatality) and lessons learned. November 16, 2011

Does Your Sanding Make Sense?
"Trouble starts when taking off more than a belt can handle, or taking off more than the scratch pattern of the previous head. These are the most common mistakes in sanding... It can be incredibly frustrating to see a company trapped in a prison of their own design because they really never und ......

Choosing Table Saw Blades
Thoughts on table saw blade selection for cutting plywood and for ripping hardwood. March 26, 2010

Calculating Waste from Rough Lumber
You always lose some ... here's a look at the numbers. December 2, 2010

De-Nailing Antique Pine
Advice on finding and removing the nails from reclaimed lumber before milling into flooring. April 27, 2007

Are bone-dry biscuits necessary?
Questions about the dryness and size of biscuits. April 24, 2002

Router Table and Lift
Designs and ideas for a smoothly functioning router workstation. December 9, 2004

Almost Cut My Thumb Off
A close call with the table saw sparks a conversation about safe equipment and careful practices. January 11, 2008

Planing on edge
Processing stock through planer to define parts' widths. January 3, 2003

Mounting a Digital Scale on a Sliding Tablesaw
Advice on the purchase, installation, and use of a digital scale on a sliding table saw. March 22, 2013

Best Router for Dovetails?
A discussion focused on woodworkers' favorite routers for cutting half-blind dovetails.

Square-trimming face frame stock
Woodworkers share their secrets for getting dead-square cuts on the ends of face frame members.

Holding Down The Spoilboard With Nylon Screws
Drill and countersink the screw holes. April 10, 2005

Maintenir le panneau de spoiler avec des vis en nylon
Percer et fraiser les trous de vis. 10 avril 2005

Calibrating Wood Thickness for CNC Part Production
A CNC shop needs help figuring out how to achieve consistent thickness on stock before sending it to the CNC for cutting into small parts. The discussion ranges over belt sander accuracy, planer choices, onion-skinning techniques, and more. April 21, 2008

Calibrage de l'épaisseur du bois pour la production de pièces CNC
Un atelier de fabrication de pièces CNC a besoin d'aide pour déterminer comment obtenir une épaisseur constante sur la pièce avant de l'envoyer à la CNC pour la découpe en petites pièces. La discussion porte sur la précision de la ponceuse à bande, le choix de la raboteuse, les tech ......

Bandsaw Tire Refurbishing Cost
New tires for an old bandsaw ain't cheap. May 13, 2005

Outils de coupe ascendante, descendante ou de compression
Quel est le meilleur choix ? Cela dépend de l'utilisation (et de votre technique). 10 avril 2005

Dépannage d'une incohérence de forage
Des professionnels diagnostiquent un cas de forage imprécis. 10 avril 2005

Choisir des lames de scie circulaire à table
Réflexions sur le choix d'une lame de scie circulaire pour couper du contreplaqué et pour refendre du bois dur. 26 mars 2010

Financial Success in Woodworking
Philosophies and turning points on the path to $100K a year. January 6, 2005

Knife Grinding and Woodworking Manual 5 -- Excerpts Part 5
One in a series of excerpts from the grinding manual of Charles G.G. Schmidt & Company. 1998.

Knife Grinding and Woodworking Manual 6 -- Excerpts Part 6
One in a series of excerpts from the grinding manual of Charles G.G. Schmidt & Company. 1998.

Setting Up Excalibur Slider
Tips and photos for accurate alignment. March 14, 2004

Compressed air delivery system
Appropriate piping for shop air distribution lines. January 15, 2003

Woodworking 101: The Basics
and shows how it can affect various production operations. 1998.

Rx for Wood Machining Defects
Dr. Gene Wengert examines the causes for defects in solid lumber caused by machining. 1998.

Knife Grinding and Woodworking Manual 1 -- Excerpts Part 1
One in a series of excerpts from the grinding manual of Charles G.G. Schmidt & Company. 1998.

Spiral Cutterhead Experiences
Woodworkers discuss the cut quality and performance they've achieved by switching to spiral insert planer tooling. March 26, 2009

New Shop Layout
Efficient shop flow for increased profit. February 28, 2004

Knife Grinding and Woodworking Manual 2 -- Excerpts Part 2
One in a series of excerpts from the grinding manual of Charles G.G. Schmidt & Company. 1998.

Suggestings On Cutter Heads
05/01/2014

Knife Grinding and Woodworking Manual 4 -- Excerpts Part 4
One in a series of excerpts from the grinding manual of Charles G.G. Schmidt & Company. 1998.

Gluing and clamping pressure
Is clamping necessary, and if so, how much? January 21, 2003

Horsepower Issues with Helical Cutterheads
If you switch to spiral knives and you want to keep hogging out deep cuts, you may need to upgrade to a more powerful motor. July 8, 2014

Choosing a moulder
Jointed- vs. non-jointed-head moulders; choosing the right machine for a custom moulding business. November 21, 2000

Creating templates for moulder knives
Thoughts on producing templates for cutting moulder knives. June 14, 2000

Abrasive Planing: Gluing and Yield Observations
A comparison of abrasive and traditional knife surfacing of solid lumber, and their effects on gluing and yield. 1998.

Set-ups For Making Raised Panel Doors
Rigs, jigs, and customized equipment for high-volume raised panel door production. April 10, 2005

Milling Squaring Mystery
10/28/2013

Vacuum Clamping -- Save Time, Save Money!
March 19, 2002

WOODPRO - Species Selection Made Easy
A free complete working computer program (that can be downloaded at WOODWEB), allowing woodworkers to select the most suitable wood species for any particular application - 1997

Knife Grinding and Woodworking Manual 3 -- Excerpts Part 3
One in a series of excerpts from the grinding manual of Charles G.G. Schmidt & Company. 1998.

Fortune Teller: Making More Money in the Wood Industry
Wood Doctor Gene Wengert makes some educated guesses about the near future in the wood products industry, and offers some advice about how wood-based businesses can profit from change. April 15, 2013

Moving to Metric
Tips on making the transition as smooth as possible. September 9, 2004

Finger Jointing
Finger jointing lumber can reduce waste and utilize marginal material - and in depth article -1999

Shop arrangement and setup
Shop owners describe the best and worst aspects of their workspaces. March 21, 2002

Routers
Basic descriptions of various types of routers commonly found in wood shops, including CNC router equipment. November 13, 2008

Wood getting stuck in planer
Some possible causes and solutions to the problem of wet wood getting stuck in a planer. June 14, 2000

How Much Over-Width Should Stock Be Ripped?
A discussion of ripping precision, straight-line ripsaw performance, and how much extra width to allow in order to compensate for wood movement. January 8, 2010

Uses for shavings and sawdust
A discussion of uses for and the marketablility of waste from the primary processing of lumber. July 18, 2000

Watts, Volts, Amps, and Step-Up Transformers for the Shop
Here's a discussion of using power transformers to supply machines that need higher voltage. July 31, 2009

Safety and climb cutting
Safety issues involved in climb cutting with a shaper. January 21, 2003

Architectural mouldings on CNC routers
A discussion of the ins and outs of producing architectural mouldings on CNC routers. June 14, 2000

Weinig Moulder Help
10/26/2013

Jarah
and we do mean HARD. 1998.

Selling small quantity custom profiles
Dealing with customers who don't comprehend the work and cost involved in the manufacture of custom knives. June 6, 2001

Rx For Planer Splits
The five main causes for splits in lumber during roughmill planing. 1998.

Finger Joints: A Few Whys and Wherefores
The Wood Doctor provides his prescription for effective finger joints in solid stock. 1998.

Optimal feed rates for CNC machining
What are the best feed rates for CNC work? October 31, 2000

Setting up a powerfeeder
The care and use of powerfeeders. November 7, 2000

Keeping the Knife Collection Organized
A place for every cutter, and every cutter in its place — but how? Pros suggest ways to categorize and file cutter heads. March 3, 2006

200 Vs 220 V
10/04/2013

Waxing Equipment Surfaces
Using butcher's wax to make wood move easily across machine tables. April 18, 2004

Rockwell (SCMI) RC63 Planer
10/05/2013

Setting up a new moulder operation
Thoughts on setting up a moulding operation in an established architectural millwork shop. June 14, 2000

Machining Engineered Blanks
10/24/2013

Chip-out from a year-old moulder
The moulder had worked perfectly for a year when all of a sudden, chip-out reared its ugly face. June 14, 2000

Jointing knives of a side-head planer
Choosing and using the proper stone when jointing knives used in a side-head planer. November 7, 2000

Choosing shaper tooling
Making the most of a new spindle shaper. Includes advice on grinding knives. November 7, 2000

Warping and cracking in glued-up pine
To find clues for cracked and warped pine panels, a measure of moisture content is needed before the splitting occurs. 1998.

Smooth-back moulding head set-up
Ideas for setting up an older, smooth-back type moulding head. June 14, 2000

Tear-out on raised panel corners
Eliminating corner tear-out on raised panel cabinet doors when using CNC equipment. November 7, 2000

Moulding Calculator Spreadsheet Program
A free downloadable Excel spreadsheet that calculates the price per foot to charge for mouldings. December 16, 2000

Troubleshooting Carbide Insert Cutter Breakage
In this case, someone probably hit a nail. But the discussion includes a useful list of possible causes to investigate. February 9, 2008

Insert Cutterheads for Finish Planing
Despite their advantages, spiral insert cutters may not be suitable for finish planing for glue-ups, according to some users. November 13, 2005

Sawing square timbers
Producing square timbers on the sawmill. November 15, 2000

Grizzly 20-inch planer
Users discuss the pros and cons of Grizzly's 20-inch planer

Insert Tooling Pros and Cons
Insert tooling is handy for the machine operator, but can cause trouble for the finisher. September 17, 2008

Sharpening of band mill blades
A primer on sharpening band-mill blades. March 2, 2000

Going metric: Pros and cons
Pros and cons of converting to metric measurement in your shop. February 28, 2001

Spiral Head Wobble
Could be an adjustment problem, or maybe the heads are just too heavy for the machine to handle. January 27, 2008

Setting up a new planer
Pointers and tolerances for setting up a new 20-inch planer. June 14, 2000

Cutting creosoted poles
Advice on cutting (or not cutting) utility poles treated with creosote. June 20, 2000

Cupping of resawn lumber
The two reasons wood cups when resawn. 1998.

Getting clean cuts on dimensioned parts
Tips to reduce chips and tear-out when shaping dimensioned parts. June 14, 2000

Diamond Versus Carbide Bit Life
More opinions on how long a cutter bit should last. July 4, 2005

Working with Zebra Wood
Zebra wood is splintery, twisty, smelly, and irritating — but beautiful, woodworkers say. January 25, 2013

Using Biscuit Joiners For Edge Glue Ups
12/23/2013

Raised grain: A pith-side phenomenon
Raised grain tends to appear more on the side of boards which, in the log, faced the pith. Here's why. 1998.

Measuring surface roughness
Three methods for measuring surface roughness on dressed lumber. 1998.

Gluing white oak panels
Because of its density, white oak lumber must be machined carefully for panel glue-up, and assembled within an hour of preparation. 1998.

Adjusting a Wide-Belt Sander
Tips for fine-tuning a belt sander for smooth operation and good control. February 6, 2007

Sliding table saw basics
General information for first-time users of 'sliders.' 1998.

Jigs for setting planer knives
Accessories for setting planer knives in the cutterhead. June 14, 2000

Embossing wood blocks
Producing embossed ABC blocks is expensive, unless you're doing a bunch of them. 1998.

Tooling tips for African wawa
More important than knife angles to obtaining a smooth machined finish is feed speed. 1998.

Constant profiler recalibrating : Common?
The owner of a new Profilmat wonders if his need to constantly recalibrate it is common. June 14, 2000

Need advice on shaper head purchase
A comparison of different types of shaper heads. June 14, 2000

Stains on wood
remove. June 27, 2000

Sawdust buildup in discharge chute
How to remedy pine-tar buildup leading to clogged discharge chutes during sawing. July 26, 2000

Ipe's cheap, with good reason
This Asian wood is incredibly durable, but tough to work. June 20, 2000

Tips for machining pecan
The Wood Doctor offers three things to bear in mind when machining pecan. 1998.

How milling impacts figure
How milling influences figure in sawn lumber. November 15, 2000

Bandmill blade guide pressure
Proper set-up techniques for blade guides on bandsaw mills. November 29, 2000

Blade sharpeners for band mills
Experiences with different brands of blade sharpeners are shared. January 3, 2001

Planer is tearing-out -- on white oak, but not red
What could be the culprit when a planer is tearing out on one type of oak, but not another? June 14, 2000

Heavy-duty CNC router recommendations
Suggestions choosing for a good-quality CNC router, offering adequate tech support and training. February 28, 2001

Black streaks in birch
Searching for clues to the cause of black streaks, showing up in birch dowels during manufacturing. 1998.

Breaking router bits
Why are bits breaking while cutting exterior-grade MDF? November 26, 2001

Production sanding for humidors
There's no 'silver bullet' when it comes to the detail sanding that fine work demands, be it in a one-off or production environment. 1998.

Preventing kickback
Diagosing the causes of recurring kickback, and finding cures. 1998.

Hinge-mounting machines
Hinge insertion machines are available for European as well as traditional cabinet hinges. 1998.

Best Hook Angle for Corrugated Insert Knives
Here's some insight into hook angles. Different hook angles may work better for different woods, but other factors matter more. May 5, 2007

Profile For Beaded Column???
10/08/2013

Brush Sander Grits
11/27/2013

Essential sawmill equipment
Determining the equipment necessary to operate a part-time, stationary sawmilling business. January 4, 2001

Routing and Sanding Pine End Grain
Rough end grain is hard to help with softwood, but here are a few handfuls of advice. January 20, 2007

Widebelt Accuracy
10/03/2013

Equipment needed for one-man startup
Advice on budgeting and buying machinery for a new custom cabinet shop. December 12, 2000

Saws and Techniques For Cutting Moulder Knife Steel
Advice on choosing and using equipment for cutting off moulder and planer knife blanks. October 1, 2010

Delta 12.5-inch planer
Participants discuss the performance of the DeWalt 12.5-inch planer. April 9, 2000

Supermax 2X25 Drum Sander Tuning
02/01/2017

- Wood species
Information on tree species and their uses. March 20, 2001

Dowel drilling and use guidelines
A quick guide to dowel clearances and practices, including drilling depth, diameter-to-edge ratios, and dowel selection. 1998.

Le bois reste coincé dans la raboteuse
Quelques causes et solutions possibles au problème du bois mouillé coincé dans une raboteuse. 14 juin 2000

Des stries noires sur le bouleau
À la recherche d'indices sur la cause des traces noires apparaissant sur les chevilles de bouleau lors de la fabrication. 1998.