The first is the C3 brad nailer. While I didn’t have the opportunity to actually make Karl Champley’s step stool project; I did still try it out and I instantly fell in love with it. It’s comfortable to use, delivers comparable power to that of an air brad nailer. I’m not alone either. Everyone whom I have discussed this tool with loves it and considers it one of their go-to tools in the shop.
While we used ball pein hammers in our blacksmith class, Beth Holmberg showed us a vintage 40oz blacksmith hammer. I was intrigued by this hammer for my own projects, so I picked one up. It is a very useful hand tool to keep around the shop.
A planer is a very formidable tool. We used this in our woodworking class when we planed down live edge board for a floating shelf. I was impressed with how smooth it worked, and the accuracy it had in planing. I just recently picked one of these up, so I haven’t had to much time with it yet, but I look forward to putting it to work in my shop.
Ah the lathe! What can I say? This is a favorite of not just me, but my classmates as well. It is the equivalent of those who ride horses and say they are attached to their horse through an emotional bond. When you use a lathe, it is therapeutic, hypnotizing, and it really gets your creativity flowing. Naturally, when I came home from Lake Arrowhead, I had to have one. The Craftsman Midi Lathe is the one we used, however, I ended up purchasing a larger, older one which gives me a wider array of projects I can make with it.
Someone once told me that this table saw is the heartbeat of my shop. I can see that. When I first encountered it at Makecation I fell instantly I love. The granite top is extremely smooth, allowing for wood to glide through the blade with an incredible amount of ease. The 500lb weight of the saw however, makes it accurate and quiet, which are important in my small shop. Being a powerful and versatile machine, there are many types of things I can make with this saw beyond simple cutting, like dados, molding, and joining.