After much delay and what amounts to a blown deadline promised to you the listener here is this week's episode.  As the name implies, this is all about the bandsaw.  One of the more popular and versatile power tools in the shop.  Regardless of whether you have a benchtop model or a floor model, there are all sorts of uses for the bandsaw and probably just as many blades.  One of the great advantages to the bandsaw is that you're not restricted to one cutting direction.  With the right size blade you can make tight radius cuts or long flowing curves.  Not to mention the fact that the material your cutting can vary just as much as the direction of cut.  This type of saw is used not only in woodworking, but metal shops, plastics and even butchershops (you might want to clean the blade before and after though, just in case).  Bandsaws are great tools for rough dimensioning lumber.  Their very thin kerf blades can make quick work of cuts and waste very little material in the process.  Depending on the type of projects you'll be making, some woodworkers find this is the only saw they need in their shop.  As a general rule in my shop the most commonly used blade is a 3/8" or 1/2" wide blade with 3TPI(teeth per inch).  It was recommended to me and I've found it to be true that it takes care of almost all my basic cutting needs.  I can rip, resaw and even make decent curves in thin material.  For resawing boards to achieve a book-matched effect great on door panels go for the widest blade your saw can use.  The cut will be straighter and true.  For curves with tight radius cuts the narrower the better.  A 1/4" blade can cut a radius of about 3/8" whereas a 1/2" blade a radius of about 2 1/2" minimum.  Never change a blade with the saw plugged in and before cutting check both the tension and tracking of a blade to ensure the quality of the cut.  Thanks to so many of you listeners for your comments, questions and suggestions it's really great to hear from you.  Send any of them to mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com.  Also you may notice a links section in the right hand column of the page.  I'm going to be updating those with links I think you may find helpful.  Thanks to 3 Feet Up for their song 'No Right' check them out and other great artist at music.podshow.com.  There will be another delay between this and the next show as I'm taking a week off to hopefully put together some things to improve the webpage and a few other things.  So please check back soon and I promise you won't be sorry.  Straight Grains and Sharp Blades.  Matt

Thanks once again for stopping by Matt's Basement Workshop. In this episode we talk about dust collection systems. What are the types out there? Which one is right for you? What's the difference between an air cleaner and a dust collector? A couple of important points to think about if and when you choose a dust collector, the minimum CFM for a single large tool e.g. 12" planer should be about 500-600CFM. If you plan on having two or more tools the minimum suggested is about 1200-1300CFM. We all have questions and hopefully once again I at least manage to shed a little light on the subject without getting you to confused. For great resources on topics like the one in this episode check out my two favorite woodworking magazines Fine Woodworking and Popular Woodworking. Thanks to 3 Feet Up for their song 'No Right'. You can find them and other great artist at music.podshow.com So if you haven't subscribed to the show yet, take the big plunge, that way you don't have to worry about missing any new episodes. Any comments, suggestions or concerns please send them to mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com. Until the next episode, Straight Grains and Sharp Blades. A suggestion sent in by Shaun was that "another way to keep dust down in the shop, specifically super fine particles, is have your shopvac/dust collector outside or at least outside of the shop area....I would put the shop vac outside and just run a long hose to what I was working on...I have the vac exhausted to the outside." He also mentions a few pros and cons about the set up. Basically that if it doesn't bother the neighbors and it's not against code it's something worth considering. Thanks Shaun for the suggestion. If you have one don't hesitate to send it.

Hey everybody thanks for coming back for another episode. In this episode I'm going to try and cover a little bit about the types of router bits out there. Considering the vast number of bits and manufacturers of them, it's nearly impossible to talk about each and everyone. So instead, I try to break them down into one of three categories. Surface-cutting bits, edge-forming bits and speciality bits. I recap a little from episode #7 about the direction of cut for routers -remember outside cuts go left to right and inside cuts go right to left- and also a recap of cutting speeds for the size of your router bit. 1/4"-1"=24,000rpm, 1"-2"=18,000rpm, 2"-2 1/2"=16,000rpm, 2 1/2"-3 1/2"=12,000rpm. Thanks to 3 Feet Up for their song 'No Right'. You can find them and other great artist at music.podshow.com. For great woodworking articles and help check out both Fine Woodworking , Popular Woodworking magazines. Not to mention thanks to American Woodworker for the router special issue. I also have to mention 'Router Basics' by Patrick Spielman as a source for this episode. Any comments or suggestions? Send them to mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com or click on the comments button. Until the next episode Straight grains and sharp blades.

In episode #7 we talk about the types of routers, what are the differences and hopefully I give you a little idea of which one is the right one for you. There seems to be a major push towards combo kits which include both types of router bodies that are interchangable with a single motor. These are a great way to go if you can afford them. If you just want a single type a general rule is that a Plunge router with a 2HP motor and 1/2" collet is going to give you plenty of freedom in the shop to try all different kinds of projects. Remember, when you can, buy carbide tipped bits. They stay sharp longer and tend not to chip out so readily. A variable speed motor is essential to control the cut of the bit. The larger the bit, or the more prone the wood is to burning, the slower the RPMs. Bits <1" = 24,000 RPM, 1-2" =18,000 RPM, 2-2 1/2"=16,000 RPM, 2 1/2-3 1/2"=12,000 RPM. Thanks to 3 Feet Up for their song "No Right". Find them and other great artist at music.podshow.com For great articles on woodworking check out both Finewoodworking.com or Popular Woodworking. I also found articles that helped with this episode at both Workbench Magazine and American Woodworker. If you want to drop me a line to comment on this episode or any other send your emails to mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com. So until the next episode, Straigth Grains and Sharp Blades.