As a relative Fesnoob, I haven't yet developed the reflex of reaching for my stack of handsome green boxes. There are just too many ways of using familiar, somewhat cruder tools that fall solidly within my comfort zone that I have to pause and remember that I often have a better way now.
In particular, I haven't automatized the behavior of connecting my CT36 and setting up in "green mode" for familiar operations. However, as it seems my doc is moving from a diagnosis of COPD toward one of constrictive bronchiolitis, excellent dust collection is increasingly important to my comfort (and remaining years of activity) in the shop.
So I do try to be religious about it, to the point where I'm considering another CT (the little guy) to park semi-permanently under my chopsaw bench.
But back to better ways: I have what I consider quite a nice tablesaw parked in the shop, a SawStop Pro with 36" rails, between which one finds a cast iron router table extension with a lift. Life for my crunchy spine has gotten easier without constantly crouching under to raise or lower the router... Anyway, this whole setup is a pretty regular go-to for me. There's just so much that's easy and quick to do at the TS that I automatically head that direction for most quick, linear cuts. Also, it's already hooked up to a dust collector, which collects pretty well from under the blade hood, and has a remote switch. Easier than thinking, right?
So there I was, getting ready to cut out templates for the ends and sides of a cradle (stealth grandchild announcement goes ), standing there with a fenced miter gauge in my hand, puzzling over how to reliably match the angled markouts to my big, fancy saw and push plywood across the blade when I looked up and noticed the end of a saw track hanging out of the "dimensional and scraps" loft over the garage door.
Well, duh! Out came the TS-75 and the CT-36, with one o' them fancy hose goobers and a pair of quick clamps for my old-as-rocks, gray steel Workmate. All four end cuts, with two different angles, got nipped out faster than it would have taken to set up the first one on a stationary tool. As a bonus, the whole op produced less airborne dust than I'd have made with a Japanese handsaw -- and none of it got thrown straight at my face!
Might be time to upgrade the Workmate to an MFT. Otherwise, I'm feeling ridiculously spoiled right now. Time to finish up that cradle, so my daughter (and imminent granddaughter -- did I mention my granddaughter? 'Cause I'm having a GRANDDAUGHTER!) can feel spoiled, too.
In particular, I haven't automatized the behavior of connecting my CT36 and setting up in "green mode" for familiar operations. However, as it seems my doc is moving from a diagnosis of COPD toward one of constrictive bronchiolitis, excellent dust collection is increasingly important to my comfort (and remaining years of activity) in the shop.
So I do try to be religious about it, to the point where I'm considering another CT (the little guy) to park semi-permanently under my chopsaw bench.
But back to better ways: I have what I consider quite a nice tablesaw parked in the shop, a SawStop Pro with 36" rails, between which one finds a cast iron router table extension with a lift. Life for my crunchy spine has gotten easier without constantly crouching under to raise or lower the router... Anyway, this whole setup is a pretty regular go-to for me. There's just so much that's easy and quick to do at the TS that I automatically head that direction for most quick, linear cuts. Also, it's already hooked up to a dust collector, which collects pretty well from under the blade hood, and has a remote switch. Easier than thinking, right?
So there I was, getting ready to cut out templates for the ends and sides of a cradle (stealth grandchild announcement goes ), standing there with a fenced miter gauge in my hand, puzzling over how to reliably match the angled markouts to my big, fancy saw and push plywood across the blade when I looked up and noticed the end of a saw track hanging out of the "dimensional and scraps" loft over the garage door.
Well, duh! Out came the TS-75 and the CT-36, with one o' them fancy hose goobers and a pair of quick clamps for my old-as-rocks, gray steel Workmate. All four end cuts, with two different angles, got nipped out faster than it would have taken to set up the first one on a stationary tool. As a bonus, the whole op produced less airborne dust than I'd have made with a Japanese handsaw -- and none of it got thrown straight at my face!
Might be time to upgrade the Workmate to an MFT. Otherwise, I'm feeling ridiculously spoiled right now. Time to finish up that cradle, so my daughter (and imminent granddaughter -- did I mention my granddaughter? 'Cause I'm having a GRANDDAUGHTER!) can feel spoiled, too.
