| Low Angle Block Plane I have four of these, all
Stanley. The important feature is the low angle. I couldn't build a boat
without one. |
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| Chisels This is a set of Marples chisels. I have
1/4", 1/2", 3/4", 1" and 2" chisels and find it
more than adequate. I also use a 3" slick but it is a luxury I
don't really need. All my chisels are Marples because they are
inexpensive and still have good steel. I also use metal hammers not
mallets and the handles take all the beating I can dish out. |
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| Cordless Drill Without a doubt, the Ryobi cordless
tools are the best bang for the buck, costing half as much as some of
the other name brands. I use the 18 volt cordless drill and circular
saw. I do not use the flashlight much, but it is great for running the
batteries down to nothing prior to re-charging. |
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| Grinder Also referred to as sander/polisher. I use
a Fein 7" angle Grinder. It is an excellent tool but probably a
little expensive for the home builder. Dewalt, Makita and Porter Cable
all make a more affordable version. Except for my cordless drill, I use
the grinder more than any other tool. It does most of the shaping and
fairing both glass and wood. There are two pads I use. The "hard
pad" which is shown on the grinder and the "soft pad"
which is on the far right. The hard pad is actually an 8" piece of
plywood screwed to a commercial firm pad. This pad with an 8" 36
grit self adhesive disc is used about 95% of the time. When I am shaping
an inside radius I will use the commercial foam pad. The foam pad will
contour to the surface and not always grind flat The hard pad will not
contour at all and grinds as flat as is possible. |
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| Circular Saw A saw with power is needed so I use a
Worm-drive Skilsaw. Throw away the cheap steel blades, carbide only.
Cheap carbide works, cheap steel doesn't. |
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| Blasterboard A homemade tool made out of a piece of
wood 1 1/2" thick x 2 3/4" wide x 16 5/8" long and a
piece of self adhesive 36 grit sandpaper. The sandpaper can be found at
automotive paint supply stores. I also use a flexible blasterboard which
is made out of 1/8" or 1/4" plywood for shaping around gradual
curves. |
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| Drill This Milwaukee Drill has a 1/2" chuck
and is used for cutting with hole saws. |
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| Router Any 1 1/2 to 2 hp router will work. It is
mainly used for shaping corners and the "plunge" feature isn't
needed.. |
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| Jig Saw There are many jig saws out there, but very
few good ones. If you are going to pay for one get the Bosch, it is a
very good tool. |
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| Sanders 5" and 6" dual action sanders
without the dust collectors are the best hand sanders to use. The dust
collectors always seem to get in the way, just wear a dust mask. Both
the Porter Cable and Dewalt work well. The Dewalt seem to be the more
aggressive and the Porter Cable seem to be easier to control. |
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| Power Planer I have used the 3 1/4" and the 6"
Makita power planers and then got the 4 3/8" model and found it to
be a good compromise in power ease of use. I still use the 6" at
times, but the 4 3/8" gets most of the work. |
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| Respirators I use two respirators, the 3M 6000 series Full
Face and the 3M 7500 Half Face They both use the same cartridges, the
particulate filter for dust and the organic vapor cartridge for the bad
stuff. When spraying the particulate filter gets the mist and with an
adapter it fits onto the vapor cartridge to get the gases. The 7500
series masks are the newer designs and use a new "rubber" that
is extremely comfortable, flexible and does not break down from use. |
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