Joe Bottigliere

What a cheap grandpa – no hammer?

Joe, let’s put it this way: It’s amazing what one can accomplish when they put their nose to the grind stone.

Grinders! I had this guy that owed me money once …
Long story short, that’s when I got my Unisaw.

Two years ago I got a splinter from a board in my wood pile. It’s the only conceivable way an infection found it’s way into my bloodstream. That splinter broke off under the skin, festered, and although removed, the damage was done. The infection spread to my spinal column. I needed emergency surgery on my spine and 8 weeks of intravenous antibiotics. I think I suffered enough for the cause. But we’ve all had our experiences! Ahh, shapers.
Ever drop an I-beam clamp on your foot?

I thought you might. That’s why I brought up! It’s one of the most useful, versatile tools in the repertoire. Every craftsman should own and use one. It will easily shave the stubble over from your clippers. You’ll see.

Interesting, Daryl. I’ve shaved the hair on my arm before. I’m curious to see how my toothed blade will work on Charlie’s hair. I’m up for the challenge.
But first, is that a low angle clipper you’ll be using? I’d want to compare apples to apples. I’ll be using my low angle jack. If necessary, I can substitute my scraper plane.

It was a great BBQ! Thanks again to Joe Bertoni, Mike Mittleman and Mikey D. for hauling in their grills and to all who sweated over them (my burger was kind of soggy). And of course thanks goes to Eddie and Jean P. and all of you who brought stuff in. As usual, Daryl hit it on the head, the best part is the company! Thank you all!

I agree with you Charlie. They are real. I’ve seen them. Now if YOU would only appreciate their importance, we would have a lot in common.

Ben, not sure I understand your concern. You’re not worried about the collet coming loose (if that’s what you are referring to). It simply the bit can be “pulled” out of the collet because of the “threading” action. The down-cut can pull it away from the base while the up-cut can push it toward the base. In practice, as long as the bit was in good condition – not bent – it should not pose a problem. I’ve never experienced an up-cut being pushed too deeply into the collet. But then, I tighten it well and check it after the first pass or two. I did have a bit that was damaged once. Without realizing it, I chucked it in the router and began working. To back up Charlie, the thing started making this awful racket. I immediately shut off the tool. The bent bit had worked its way loose and was vibrating like crazy. The piece was ruined but I was ok. Imagine that bit flying out at 20000 RPM. A bent bit is rare but it can happen.
As for spiral bits, make sure they and the collet are clean and tightened firmly. Then check it after running it.
And again, to concur with Charlie, I have taken to hand work on the operations where I can avoid power tools. More relaxing and more satisfying.

I’ve heard of his Dremel bits but never saw the price. Is that for one bit? These seem rather fragile despite the 1/32 depth you may limit it to. Am I missing something?

Bill,
When it comes to their operations, spiral bits can be viewed as screw threads – left handed or right handed. They pull/push the bit or the work in the corresponding direction. It is said that down-cut spirals can pull the bit out of the chuck. I say, take light cuts and tighten your collet nut better. Likewise, they tend to “pull” the wood chips down (or up) towards the tip of the bit. This is helpful where the show face of the board is adjacent to the router plate. Think of trimming plywood edge and you want the top veneer kept pristine. Another example would be a through mortise where you want the chips to fly out the bottom. However, before you break through that work piece, you will be creating a lot of chips in your mortise first. This could cause a lot of turbulence during the cut. Here, an up-cut spiral is more beneficial. These will tend to pull the chips towards the base of the router (regardless of hand held or table mounted) clearing the mortise thereby reducing interference and providing a better cut. Despite it’s tendency to pull up the fibers, I have never had a problem cutting a mortise in this manner. My first cut is typically a very shallow scoring cut. (Or, you could scribe your mortise outline.) I don’t worry too much about layout lines, though. Machine work typically relies on jigs and set-ups.
Several bit manufacturers make dual-cut bits so you can straddle a sheet of plywood with the bit and reduce chipping on both faces. I guess it works. It’s still in the catalogs. And for the record, I don’t own a down-cut bit only up-cut.