NASCAR is one of the first major sports to get started again. I have mentioned before that my wife, Patty is a huge NASCAR fan. She never misses a race and even serves on the NASCAR fan council at the Kentuck Speedway.
This lockdown was instantly made easier for her when her favorite entertainment came back on television. We found out today that the race at the Kentucky Speedway will happen this year but there will be no fans there for the race. We go every year. Patty considers that a vacation week. She is disappointed but at least happy they are racing. When we attended the last meeting they were not sure if they would be racing at all. By the way. Patty's favorite driver is the #9 Chase Elliott. That explains why the sample I cut has the number 9. I'm not dumb. :)
This pattern includes several patterns with different numbers. I got most of the numbers from this season. I also included a blank car on the last page and a set of numbers. That will allow you to use any number you need.
Tool Reviews. Are they helpful?
Before the internet, tool reviews were generally written by trade magazines. We maybe had a couple reviews for a tool we might be interested in. The magazines had standards for how the reviews were to be written. The photographs were generally good. We seldom had a video review unless Norm Abrams used it on his show. Most woodworkers had opinions about the reviewers in their favorite magazines. Whether you trusted them or not they were pretty much your only source.
Then everything changed quickly. The internet allows every yahoo to write and even video a review. I am one of those yahoos. For practically any product you want to research you can find hundreds of written and video reviews online. There are thirty minute long videos on YouTube reviewing bubble gum. I made that up but it's probably true.
We went from two or three magazine reviews that usually had some rules and standards to hundreds of reviews from anyone with an internet connection. Not enough to too many.
So how do you know when to trust a review from someone online? The same way you trust or don't trust a stranger you meet. If I were to meet a stranger on the street and he said, "Hey you should should buy one of those fancy widgets. They are the best I have ever seen.". I would probably be polite but not be very trusting.
If I were to meet a stranger at a party and we struck up a conversation about his line of work. Let's say he tells me he has worked at a tool manufacturing plant for 20 years as an engineer. I tell him I am thinking about buying a widget his company sells. He presents himself well and my BS meter did not go off, I might trust him enough to take another look at the product. I'll probably look for more opinions but he was a valuable resource for my research.
When you are reading customer reviews on Amazon or other online stores you have to take most of them with a grain of salt. You might find a few good facts if you read enough of the reviews but they are not very reliable as a whole.
When you are watching a review from a guy who bought a new tool and wants to show it to you, he may only have that one experience with that tool. If the tool was defective or not adjusted correctly that is his only perspective on that tool. His negative review has to be understood as a single event. It may not represent the product as a whole. The same can be said if his review is positive. You also have to take into account that his pride may get in the way of a factual review. If someone forks out a few hundred dollars for a tool they often don't want to say they got snookered.
It is common for industry influencers to get products sent to them for free or as a demo unit to review. I have that happen often. I will never say that the fact that I got a tool for free does not influence me in any way. I do my best to see through than influence because I don't want to look like a jerk to you guys.
One advantage that an influencer with a large following has is all the information we get from our readers. I get dozens of emails a day. Many of them are sharing stories about products that have purchased. Some have problems and some have no complaints at all. When I get many emails about a product that is negative or positive that gives me a large database to draw from. After the 20th time I hear that the same bracket broke on a saw I am pretty sure there is a problem. If the only information I had was that I bought the saw and that bracket was broke for me, that does not tell me much. I had a problem 100% of the time. Is that reliable information? Probably not. The more information you get the easier it is to do a review.
When I do a tool review on a new product I try to just stay factual and not throw in too many opinions. After my review is posted I will start getting feedback from users. For instance, my review of the Pegas saw has close to 20,000 views. My review of the old Craftsman entry-level saw has over half a million views. I can safely say I have a good knowledge of both of those machines from the feedback I have received.
Neither review was what I consider negative. They are two completely different products. There is a big difference in the way I review an entry-level saw and an high-end saw. If you only have a budget for an entry-level saw do you want me to tell you that they are a complete waste of money or do you want me to show the positives and negatives? There are different expectations for the two saws.
I also don't do negative reviews. When I get a product that I don't like I just pass on it. Having to do a negative review is no fun. I can easily hurt a business and that is not what I want to do. There are plenty of negative reviews out there for you to see. Not my cup of tea. I will tell you about the problems I see when I do a review but if the problems rise to a point where I don't like the machine I just send it back.
I will always try to differentiate between when I am doing a review and when I am doing an ad.
Okay, I will stop rambling.
$12 per sheet of 12 coins plus $3.50 shipping
Inlay with a 1" Forstner Bit.
The perfect way to sign your work.
Email Newsletter Readers: Remember that the Newsletter is just a copy of the daily blog post. To see the post in its proper formatting click this link. If you ever misplace a pattern or any item you see here you can always find it on the blog. Everything stays on the blog forever.
Products for your consideration:
Every Scrollsaw Workshop Pattern from 2007-2019 on DVD
This DVD has over 2,900 patterns published from 2007 thru 2019.
The DVD is $20 plus shipping. Ships to 60 countries around the world.
The DVD is $20 plus shipping. Ships to 60 countries around the world.
If you use the DVD on a Windows PC there is a simple viewer program to browse through the patterns.
The DVD also works fine on a MAC. The viewer program is not MAC compatible but there is an included PDF with all the patterns shown as thumbnails for easy viewing.
All the same file but in an easy to use thumb drive. The USB thumb drive option is $23 plus shipping.
Now Available on USB Thumb Drive
Don't have a DVD drive on your new computer. No problem. Buy the catalog on a USB thumb drive.All the same file but in an easy to use thumb drive. The USB thumb drive option is $23 plus shipping.
Want to create beautiful wooden vases on the scroll saw?
My two "Wooden Vases on the Scroll Saw" books make it easy.
The books are $12 each and available for instant download after purchase. Click for Video Demonstration.
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DEWALT Thickness Planer, Two Speed, 13-Inch (DW735)
I have owned this planer for a few years. It has been a workhorse. The only maintenance I have done is to replace the blades and clean the drive wheels a few times.
I got this planer from my brother. He used it in his business for a couple of years. It was used every day when he owned it. When he upgraded to a commercial planer he gave me this one. I would hate to guess how many hours this tool has on it. Let's just say a bunch. I had owned a couple of entry-level planers before I got this DeWalt. I used them a lot and killed them both inside of three years.
- Powerful 15-AMP, 20,000 RPM motor (10,000 RPM cutterhead speed) handles larger cuts in wider materials with ease
- Three knife cutter-head delivers 30-percent longer knife life and makes knife change faster and easier
- Two speed gear box allows users to change feed speed to optimizing cuts per inch at 96 or 179 CPI
- Fan-assisted chip ejection vacuums chips off of the cutter-head and exhausts them out of the machine