Bandsaws for me. Both the big and the little one. I don't change blades except if they break or get dull, so I don't have to change the setup other than the upper guide height.
Contributor
Bandsaws for me. Both the big and the little one. I don't change blades except if they break or get dull, so I don't have to change the setup other than the upper guide height.
Contributor
The machine I am enjoying the most now likely has to be my 50-year old Monarch lathe. Amazing how often it is needed. The controls run on vacuum tubes; it has to warm up for a full minute before you can begin cutting with it.
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
Member
A few folks have said this in one way or another, but the truth is that most all my machines are my favorites to use and if they are unpleasant or unsatisfactory to use then they find their way out the door for another one that does provide satisfaction.Originally Posted by Steve Mathews
It’s a refinement process that takes time and energy, but life is too short IMO to use tools that don’t provide satisfaction or give you the results you really need. I say this from a perspective of not having a lot of money and doing loads of research over the years (like many here) on what used tools could be good options for the work I do. And yes, I love my shapers and how they make me feel when using them
Still waters run deep.
Moderator
That thang is really an elegant looking tool, Andy!
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
Thanks Jim. It's the real deal. 3500 lbs!
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
Contributor
A CNC is not cheating. Anyone skilled with a CNC knows better. Sometimes the piece finishes faster but there is a lot of pre-planning on the front end. And, as Jim says, it doesn’t come out ready for stain. Being able to take a CNC’ed component and integrate it into a fine piece of furniture is just as much an art form as anything else. That is the Zen-like attraction I have, parallel to your lathe.
Contributor
Reminds me of the rationalizations that used to come up in photography discussions when comparing the results produced between someone using a vintage camera, with all manual controls, vs those results produced by a fully automated point-and-shoot camera. The latter required virtually no input from the photographer, other than the single push of a button, as long as it was pointed generally in the right direction. Yet the pusher of that button proudly claimed credit for the photo.
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
Contributor
Shows a huge lack of understanding of the subject.Reminds me of the rationalizations that used to come up in photography discussions when comparing the results produced between someone using a vintage camera, with all manual controls, vs those results produced by a fully automated point-and-shoot camera. The latter required virtually no input from the photographer, other than the single push of a button, as long as it was pointed generally in the right direction. Yet the pusher of that button proudly claimed credit for the photo.
~mike
happy in my mud hut
Contributor
Shows a huge reactional oversensitivity to the analogy.
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
[OP]
Contributor
Stop Andy, you're killing me with photos of that Monarch. I've been wanting to get my hands on one of those for years.
Contributor
Ha!
You can have one too, if you're a good boy.
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
Member
My lathe (Nova DVR 3000). It's the only tool in the shop that I can pick up a piece of wood, without having any sort of plan, throw it on, start working, and end up with something cool. Only machine in the shop I can go start to finish without any other tools as well. Plus I find turning to be meditative.
Contributor
an inventor friend who is a very talented craftsman in different trades, designer and more loves those machines. Did you make the skates under it?
Member
I almost never use my spindle, but it is a pleasure on those rare occasions. I guess I'd have to say my favorite to use is the Lamello Zeta P2.
Contributor
I can see why people may think this but your right it takes a lot of work to get the machine to "cheat" for you.I think you’ll find that CNC really isn’t “cheating”It’s just another tool and every owner will tell you it doesn’t produce finished work; just components like the other tools. I actually use my hand tools more now with the CNC in the shop!
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