A couple things........

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Today I got the chance to seriously use a couple tools I purchased in the last 10 months.

First, at Jim O'Dell's recommendation, I purchased a couple Infinity saw blades. Today I was ripping oak and friends.....that 10" Glueline Rip blade is incredible! I always rip over size and then plane to finished thickness/width. Literally, I had to feel with my fingers which side need to be planed as I could not determine which side had been sawn and which side had be jointed by just looking at it. I think in the future I may just rip to finished width and glue it up. I am impressed!

I got to put my G0490X jointer to some serious work. I am impressed. It held the adjustments, dust collection worked well and the finished product was straight, smooth and perpendicular to it's side. I save a lot of money by buying S2S instead of S4S red oak. The jointer will pay for itself.

[David Nelson1]

Nice jointer Ken. That's the one I would have gotten if I was buying new. The extra 1" in fence height will be a plus as well as the extra HP.

[Stephen Olson]

For me, there are two moments of joy in tool ownership: The day I buy the tool, and the day I actually get around to using it! I keep a list of tools that I want (but don't currently need) in my phone, and whenever I'm out and about I will watch for tools on my list to go on sale.

[Karl Card]

That is great.... speaking of jointers..... I bought an 8 inch jointer with a 66 inch bed and that was over a year ago and well I even wired it and have the plug on it and you know I still have not turned it one yet... I must be messed up somewhere...lol

[Greg Peterson]

There is a satisfaction and joy I get, and hope never goes away, when I go out to my recently finished 'shop'. I have to take a moment and look around, take a quick inventory of the many wonderful tools I have and the space I created in which to use these tools. It's come a long way since that first time I fired up the old, rusted out craftsman CS to cut some masonite for the LOML. Absolutely prehistoric.

Congrats Ken. I hope the satisfaction and joy of using your hard earned tools is only outshined by the wonderful pieces you produce.

[Lewis Ehrhardt]

Ken, I'm curious b/c I'm about to build some cabinets, could you give us some price comparisoms on the savings of buying S2S versus S4S? Thanks Lewis

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Lewis,

Hardwoods are expensive in Idaho. We don't grow a lot of them and thus they are trucked in...so we pay shipping. IIRC.....I will check later today but IIRC it was $5.80 a bad ft for 4/4 red oak S4S and $2.70 for S2S. I paid $11 a bd/ft for S4S cherry 2 years ago.

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[David Nelson1]

I paid $11 a bd/ft for S4S cherry 2 years ago. Unreal!

[scott vroom]

Not sure if this fits into the conversation but I've been buying S2S1E maple at a 20 cent premium over rough. I have a jointer and a planner but what I'm really liking (and willing to pay the 20 cents for) is the one straightlined ripped edge. I never have to mess with straightlining crooked or kinked boards.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

It's not unreal....it's supply.....demand......and shipping......... They have the supply..... they demand a good price.....I can pick and choose (high grade though at this place I've never seen trash wood) and in return I pay a premium price. and.....it probably came from a mill in the eastern part of the US.....so there is shipping involved.

The supply is limited. I travel 30 miles to this supplier. Any other hardwood supplier is 110-130 miles away. One supplier with a good supply and more reasonable prices is 130 miles away and sell by appointment only.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'm sorry...my memory was off........... the Cherry was only $9.80 / bd.ft.

[David Nelson1]

Still a lot Ken

[Paul McGaha]

I'm very lucky here as the local hardwood suppliers are pretty good and there are a couple of outstanding ones in Pennsylvania.

I tend to use Groff and Groff Lumber from PA when I can. Great people, good wood, sharp pricing. Nice drive up there and its located near some beautiful Amish farming communites.

I try to go to up there at least once a year.

PHM

[David Nelson1]

Thats not to bad of a run up there Paul.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Back to my original theme.....I just came in from the shop where I mortised the stiles for the face frame on an oak entertainment center I'm building. It (the mortiser) was a pleasure to use. I bought this after receiving recommendations here. At Rod Sheridan's recommendation, I looked at the GI moritiser. Though it was a little more expensive than the others I was looking at, the better holddown mechanism and the ability to tilt it sold me on it. I have only used it a few times but everytime I do, I am very satisfied.

7 years ago I joined the Creek to get recommendations for a standalone woodworking shop I was going to build. I built that shop and since have been in the process of finishing and outfitting it. I can honestly say my shop and tools are better as a result of the recommendations I have recieved here at the Creek. Often you have to keep a somewhat open mind and consider the other opinons and then make a decision for yourself.

I am also blessed in that I can afford to not necessarily choose the cheapest tools and frankly I can't afford the most expensive but....I can afford to consider alternatives. Thus my shop has Grizzly, Delta, Mini-Max, PM, General International, Jet, Ridgid, Oneida. There is quite a clash of colors.....

I might have been done if the crazy turners hadn't shoved me into the Vortex. I am afraid once I finish this project, I will jump back into the turning world as I have some new tools and some ideas.