Tim Grace's Page

I decided that it was time to upgrade my bench-top bandsaw after almost burning it up trying to resaw a chunk of 3 inch wide walnut. After doing a bunch of research, and receiving my wife's blessing, I decided on a Laguna 14-12.  I spoke with one of the guys at a local retailer, and highlighted some of the features on the 14BX.  After speaking briefly with my wife, she approved the extra cost (about $300 more). The 14BX had the added advantage of being in stock, whereas I would have had to…

I picked up a cheap $29 Harbor Freight trim router to cut grooves for splines in miter joints.  I was thoroughly disappointed when the 1/8" splines were extremely loose within the grooves.  The grooves ended up measuring .168 inches using a .125" bit.  Since then, I looked at the compact router offerings from Bosch, DeWalt & Porter Cable.

All were 1.25 HP, had 1/4" collets, came in a package that included a plunge base and were highly rated by their users. I chose the DeWalt…

My old (circa 1982) Craftsman 1.25 HP router would not hold a large (3/4" straight @ 1/8" depth) bit securely so I did some homework and picked up the DeWalt DW618PK router. The DW618 is a 2.25 HP variable speed router with 1/2" collet.  The PK indicates that it comes with both a fixed base and a plunge base and a nice soft case to carry everything. 

My  first use was cutting some 3/4" dadoes in a work bench top to install some T-track. I was able to set the depth stop on the plunge…