Another good use for 123 blocks is when you need to stand something off of say a table saw fence so you don't bind going through on a cross cut ... since they are exactly 1, 2, or 3 inches you just set your fence 1,2 or 3 inches past the size you want to cut and use it as the spacer on the near side when cutting with miter gauge and the like. I use them for this all the time.
For those center finding rulers to make your life easier lining up center just rotate it a bit until both sides are even, like instead of it falling at 11" 13/16 on both sides and trying to line up both sides ... just rotate the ruler clockwise (our counterclockwise) until both ends are at 12" on the outsides and center will still be accurate. You can do this with regular rulers too (just pick a nice even number and half of it).
I just use any old straight edge rule or tape measure. One edge at 0 and the other edge at the next available even number...center higher number divided by 2. No special tools. Similar way you can do multiple equal rips on a single board if needed.
@@WreckDiver99 Yeah, this works for any x-section you want, as I note in another comment. E.g., run a diagonal from 0" to 12" along the board from edge to the opposite edge. 6" is at the bisection. 4" and 8" are at the trisection. 3", 6", and 9" are quarter section. 2", 4", 6", 8", 10" do a six-section. Five sections are better using 10", 15", or 20", assuming your ruler is long enough.... and so forth.
@@nickbrutanna9973 Yep...learned this so long ago I can't remember...40 years ago...maybe longer...just don't know anymore. 2nd thing that goes is the memory, can't remember the first.
Technically, I am pretty sure this is the correct way to use a centering ruler, and it is actually wrong to use it like he demonstrated. The advantage of a centering ruler over a regular one is that there is no math involved. Just use the same number on both sides.
Since I am a jack of all trades around my house, I learned that a pair of slip lock pliers work just as well for pulling nails and you don't have to buy a specialized tool. A tool I use a lot when I use my circular saw is a cheap plastic 12-inch carpenters speed square. It makes a great fence for cross cuts and usually reaches across all the 2x's out there. Anyone without a table saw and sled can do precise work with one of those. I can't get enough of your videos, keep them coming.
Found the same trick with the slip locks, those look like they might be able to bite a smaller bit, usually if its that small I sink it with a spring tool, so yeah dont need that specialty tool
Great demonstration of all the tools you purchased. I really need to get one of those nail pullers. Seems like the perfect tool to have for woodworkers. Man that HF doweling jig is a hot mess. Even though it it not a cheap tool, the Dowelmax is the way to go. It is a premium tool that will outlast the buyer. If you can't afford, or just don't want to buy a Festool Domino, the Dowelmax is the way to go. The tolerances on that thing is just amazing. It will save you hours of frustration if you prefer the dowel method for joining boards together accurately.
1-2-3 blocks are also useful as right angles for when you're clamping frames or small pieces. Many companies make fence clamps (basically just a small F clamp but just has a rounded end like a bent straw for those unfamilar) that will fit in the holes of the blocks. You can also use the same technique if you need a stop block for cross cuts on the table saw, by clamping the 1-2-3 block to your rip fence.
I have to tell you when I first ran across you I didn’t care that much BUT the more I watch you I really enjoy your comments and find it very informative. You are the first that I subscribed to. And I’ve been on RUclips for many years.
The easier way to break the board into sections is to use the ruler: Say the board is 6" (ish) wide. You want to quarter it -- i.e., make it into four pieces. Put the "0" point on one of the sides of the board (the corner is ok, too). NOW, angle the ruler until the 8" mark is on the very opposite edge of the board. Mark @ 2", 4", and 6". Those are your quartering points. If you want to be moderately accurate, then just do it again a little bit further up the board, then draw the line between the 2", 4", and 6" pairs just created. This works for ANY size, as long as you have a longer ruler than the width of the board (preferably about 3" to 6", at a minimum, though) and more than 2x long, where "x" is your number of sections. You can also use 3x, or 4x if you want, just make the points appropriate -- e.g., to quarter a 9" wide board, you can go from "0" to 12", and just use the 3", 6", and 9" points. To make a three-piece, use the 4" and 8" points. To do fifths, with the 9" board, you are probably better off using a yardstick and the 15" mark, then mark it at 3", 6", 9", and 12". Note that you could also use the 15" mark to do thirds, because you can use the 5" and 10" marks in this case. All you need is an "endpoint" (i.e., the 8", 12", and 15" numbers used above, for the opposite edge) that divides evenly by the division desired. BTW, you don't need the centering ruler to find the center -- just use the method above to define the center -- e.g., 0 to 12" on the diagonal, the 6" mark is the center. MUCH quicker. 😁 The centering ruler is better for making consistent distances from that centerline, once you have it -- e.g., if you want to make holes at 1", 2.5", and 5" each side of the center. 😉
One of the most handy things I have gotten from harbor freight is their 12" flush cut saw with the wooden handle. I made a little pocket for it on the shelf above my workbench so anytime I need to make a quick cut, it's right there. Never realized how handy having a small saw within reach was until I got it. Best part, less than $10
Actually, the DowelMax doesn't center the dowel hole on your workpiece. Instead, it requires you to pick a surface to reference from. The DowelMax or Jessem doweling jigs, while expensive, are the best out there. (I have the DowelMax)
Sir, I must say you definitely gained a fast subscriber here! I'm wanting to get into woodworking as a hobby and I absolutely love your videos. You my good man, are the Bob Ross of Woodworking! I love the calmness of your videos, plus all the information I'm learning too! Thank you.
My middle school drafting teacher is turning in her grave. "This is (triangular)ruler, not a straight edge." Only thing she hated more was freedhand drawing. You have a great channel. Godspeed from Ashland, KY.
Too funny. Anything with a straight edge... I use as a straight edge. Annnnnd... all of my original concepts are freehand... she wouldn't like me at all. Back at ya fellow Kentuckian!
I used those in high school drafting, and the compass with the extension (in the mid 1970’s) and I still have all of those, including old-school drafting pens. And you are right about not using it as a straight edge because there are indents at all the marks that will often prevent making aclean line (the pencil will chatter against it).
Great Harbor Freight tool to buy, especially when they go on sale is the 6" F style clamps. They are great for small glue ups and they are super inexpensive. Have been using them for years with no complaints.
Hello Matthew. I'm 62 years young and looking to start up my own 1 car garage set up to make extra income. You are the first tuber on the subject that I've watched. Have a feeling I'll be watching more of your stuff. I'm interested in making smalls. Thanks for the great videos.
For a dowling jig, the original "Dowl-It" jig is a superb tool and quite accurate. I've had mine for 35 years and have made countless face frames with it. But, about $60 or so.
I have used my Dowl-it jig for 17 years. I paid over $100 Canadian for mine. Not cheap but worth every penny. Everyone buys cheap 20$ Chinese knockoff tools and then have the nerve to complain they are junk.
I bought some of those corner spring clamps last fall to trim out an entire cottage and I'm telling you they are beyond awesome! I cut all my window trims and layer them on the floor and nail and glued them on the floor and than picked up the entire trim frame and tacked them onto the window frames and I will never do it piece by piece onto the framing ever again. These saved so much aggravation and time ...just awesome awesome awesome.
The first clamps I used on door trim for years, The scaling ruler - I am a scenery carpenter and use it daily to find deminsions on drawings, it is certainly a carpenters tool. Compass - I use a much larger version regularly - maybe expand what you think a carpenter really does, Some one has to make the cool stuff not everyone wants to nail 2x4's togather.
I have been woodworking for almost all my life and have used all these tools and love them all. I now use a home made dowel jig but I did use a harbor freight dowel jig for a while but I drilled and tapped this jig and installed screws for micro adjustment and they took the slop out of it. I also have used the architect scale to draft all of my projects since I was kid. These tools are all great and as I was taught from an early age all tools-woodworking / mechanics - any tool - has many uses and can be used for something and in ways not always intended for. Just keep thinking outside the box and great things happen.
Favorite Harbor Freight tool is the 4" tilt storage bin. They connect together, drawers are removable, you can see what's in them and they keep the dust out
Also the parts tray cases. The small/medium/ large bins inside are removable & half/ double each other's sizes & can be moved around & rearranged or swapped with other cases so that you have all small bins in one & large bins in another, etc. And you can take out whichever one you want to use without having the whole case in the way on your workbench.
I got one of those doweling jigs from Amazon for around $30. It's much tighter than the one you showed in this video from Harbor Freight. I have been using it for awhile and it works really good.
Equal Rips: Ruler at angle until it shows a measurement evenly divisible by the number of pieces you need (i.e., 4 equal width boards from 9" wide stock? Take your rule, set the one edge at 0 (or 1 or 2 whatever) and the other edge will get set at 12" (for starting at 0). Tick mark at 3", 6", and 9". there you go...No special tools. Same goes for "Center finding". 12-3/16" wide board? Set the measuring device at 0" and pivot it until you're at 13" and mark at 6-1/2". Same rule, tape measure, etc., don't need two extra tools.
I like the 1-2-3 blocks for calibration purposes. Both for right-angle setups but also for fence scales. I don't use them often but they sure are nice to have around for a trusted reference.
The nail puller is like using channel locks. Yours I'd like to find for my collection in my shop but channel locks are a must in your job site tools and easy to find anywhere. Ever use a pea shooter? (some call them ram rods) Ever wonder how in the old days how they hung cabinets with nails? check them out. Most people have never seen one and it would be a fun tool to show. They came in different sizes, Mine are all hand made. Great show. I am a retired master carpenter turned architect and changing up the cabinet shop and tooling to more wood working (no big low assembly tables that take up all the area) you have great ideas for projects to sell as a hobby. I picked up 30 onion crates (Free) I'm looking for projects to use them up. Cheers
I like the metal rulers with cork on the back side, they don't slide around easily. I have a Black and Decker quick flip that I have used for more than 20 years.
My absolute favorite HF tool is my $1.97 Quinn Bottle Cap Opener. It has an oversized cushioned handle and has worked flawlessly for several years. I don't recommend using it with power tools though. LOL.
Don’t forget the nail pulling pliers are very useful for repurposed wood such as pallets!! These things apply more force than other tools, that’s needed for those ring shank nails especially.
Been using a version of the Kreg countersink thingy for years, (maybe 20 !). Why I have had it so long is that I don’t use it much, it is too big and lumpy, like all that Trend “Snappy “ stuff . As for the “nailpulling pliers” don’t make me laugh ! how long have they been making pincers ? in how many shapes and sizes ?
@@CrimeVid you win the prize then. However, This is not about finding the latest, “snappiest” thing but helping people find real things that are simple and not expensive to buy, yes? Laugh all you want but is that really helping others?
My Angle grinder is about $20 and I’ve used it for so many different things, one thing I did is put a planer wheel on it and made a bench out of a tree I cut I LOVE IT.
I wouldn't be with out the spring clamps. I also keep them on a carabiner. Here's a tip - drill a hole in the end of the pliers and add a key ring and also keep it on the carabiner. Can't beat keeping everything together.
I just bought the new 12" Bauer miter saw, not in the price range under discussion, but I was amazed at the quality. Having been a commercial cabinetry & millwork wonk for 50 years, I have used a few chopsaws. This was dead ccurate out of the box; square, miter and bevel. Several clever secondary features I have not seen on much higher priced tools. Love your channel and ideas.
I have used 1,2,3 blocks bolted to sacrificial fences as stop blocks, I have 3 blocks with t-bolts and wing nuts to use in t-track. And you can also use them to lift your work off your bench when go to glue up to make clamping easier
Don't forget this trick that works with any ruler or tape measure: 1. Put the ruler diagonally across the piece. 2. Align an even (or odd) mark to each edge of the piece. It doesn't matter what the angle is or what the two numbers are. 3. The number in the middle between the two edge numbers is where the center of the board is. For example: you lay the ruler diagonally across the piece. Adjust its position so that the 4 inch mark sits on one edge and the 16 inch mark sits on the other. The 10 inch mark, halfway between the other two, lays at the center. To strike a line, just mark more than one center point and then connect them.
Harbor freight Clamps (f-style) Parallel clamp (never tried them. But people swear by them.) Belt sander (Bauer. Works great.) Wood clamps The hand plane can easily be turned into a scrub plane.
Krieg is not the only one who makes that tool, It has been in my tool collection for more than 30 years. you're right it is a very handy tool. I use it a lot when I am installing cabinets and such, Its cool that if I need to, I can replace both the drill bit as well as the driving bit when it is time to. I have several of them with different size drill bits. I use the smaller diameter one for smaller screws and the larger diameter for larger screws. swapping them out is quick and easy. The nail puller is a great addition, I have had one in my kit for many years, very handy. If your at all concerned that you might mark the wood then I take a putty knife between the wood and the puller to act as a buffer between the two. sometimes you can get an angle that allows you to pull on it straight so you need a little protection. Tools are an investment that has paid off many times over. vix bits are handy when you need to fix hardware to wood, it perfectly centers the screw in the hole. freehand works sometime but if there is a knot or the grain varies getting the screw perfectly aligned will be difficult. they come in several different sizes too.
123 blocks make a fantastic miter saw stop in your t-track. Just put two 1/4-20 bolts through any hole that works best for you and a star knob on each one's top. No need for one of those red-line magnifiers because the blocks have a very crisp edge and your measurements are super easy to read. Once you tighten them down you would need a sledge hammer to move them. Edit: I also put some slippery UHMW tape strips on the bottom. They slide like they are on ice.
@@Toyotajunkie Mine are still working. As you know, UHMW is one very tough material and is designed to withstand abrasion pretty well. It is a simple matter to add 2 layers if you find it isn't enough. There are thicker versions of the tape available or you could use PTFE or some other kind of plastic tape. They all work well.
@@Toyotajunkie If you go the PTFE route (Teflon) make sure you don't get the plumber's pipe wrap white stuff LOL. Make sure to get the good stuff. I've seen guys use it on the bottom of their table saw sleds.
@dwayneford1990 Yuppers, I have seen bad things come from cheap alternatives. I have some UHMW that I can cut down and double side on to the block. I tend to not go too cheap when it comes to long lasting desired results.
Matt again thankyou so much, but here is another little tip to save you a few bucks concerning glue or at least the spreading of glue, Gift cards that everyone seems to have or receive or the endless stacks that are at local stores are great for spreading glue, or epoxy etc, also most of us are after purchasing those silicone glue brushes they are not overly expensive $7-9 each in my area for Rockler or milescraft etc but if you want just as good of a brush for much less then visit your local dollar store , they will likely be selling bbq basting brushes that are equally as good if not better for like a $1 for two in a pack just trim of the longer bristles with some scissors and good to go, also while there pick up a silicon backing tray the kind for baking cookies , they are great for smaller glue ups where the mess can easily be picked off when dry. Reuse literally forever. Here’s buddy and keep up the great work.
The harbor freight AVANTI 5 stage HVLP sprayer is a WINNER! I work in a professorial cabinet shop that uses an expensive air assist airless paint gun system and while the avanti hvlp cant work as fast, it defiantly can get you a glass smooth painted cabinet door.
@MatthewPeechWoodworking I use the edge of a fridge magnet! This metal card shaped magnet has conversion chart on it for baking measurements. Works great as a card scraper! I paid $2/cdn in the dollarama. Cork board and straight pins! A thin piece of Cork on the back of a ruler greatly reduces slip. Straight pins from sewing kits work well with cork...say you are laying out geometric shape for design but you don't want it permanent...straight pins act like mini dogs in the cork.
Never seen the nail puller pliers but I've used channel lock pliers the same way where you roll the curved part of the plier to create leverage without denting the wood.
The 123 blocks are great. I also recommend machinist squares, I got 3 sizes and they are fantastic for checking squareness. The reason WHY you want different sizes is right size for the job. For example, let’s say you built a table apron, and you want to square up a corner. You take your 18” L square and see it’s out of square by 1/8”. Then you take your small square that is about the same footprint as your table leg, and realize it’s not. Not at least in the 4” you are looking at. So instead of flipping out and going “how the heck” you can see your piece fits fine and the 1/8” is ok after all because no one will know!
I don't buy a lot of Harbor Freight stuff, but the Bauer 9 amp Surface Conditioning Tool is great. I recently used mine to remove what i think was 1-part epoxy floor paint from some old basement stair treads that I wanted to repurpose for another project. After a couple of minutes on each board, I had the paint removed and was running them through my planer without all that extra gunk. I have used it for other projects like stripping the remaining bark from logs down to the sap wood before using my Arbortech disks. It's a lot easier to control the mess. It's variable speed and has different drum grits. The drums seem to hold up well, also. I have not used the Restorer (Rockler sells them) that many people swear by, but it appears to me this tool exposes a lot more surface and thus is a lot more versatile, and I feel like the drums will last longer since they are more of a flap wheel than a belt. And it's cheaper than the Restorer.
One thing that I've never seen on any woodworking RUclips channels is a hook scale. They're very nice for measuring from the edge of material without having to see that the end of your scale is lined up correctly. They are available in various lengths, and as Matthew says, are durable.
I was over 60 before I ever heard of a center finding ruler, I probably would have had an extra year of fishing if I had known about this time saving tool. I haven't seen many of the other tools, but my mad money for next month will be spent on more then a few of these, thanks for the video, trust me you can never have too many tools.......unless you have too small a shop, then get a bigger shop!
I'm late to the party, but instead of the fiddly moving it back and forth to get the same measurement, just angle it a little to get the same number on both sides, it'll still be in the center.
just wanted to point out that the center finder ruler does not have to be perpendicular to the edges between which you are trying to find the center... just make sureyou have the same number on both sides and the centerpoint is on the center line. repeat twice and join the two point to find the center line as long as the side edges are both streight. (yes, even if they are not parallel to each other...)
@@Belg1970 AGREE...... Im 73, had 4 years of drafting classes in high school and have worked in the printing world all my life (and still working) so I can use/read a ruler... but centering up 13 and 11/16ths would be a task... diagonal a regular ruler to 14, find 7, dupe at each end and connect the marks...way too easy....
The kreg quick clip is a reincarnation of a craftsman tool thats been around for a very long time. I had an original and used it a lot until I lost it in a cross country move. It was part of a kit with bits and holders that I stole from my husband, he didn't even know what it was lol. I'm thrilled to see that kreg makes one and I'm off to buy one today!
I've been using a Makita drill/driver for more than twenty years, they were available in sizes six and eight and I still have both although I have broken a few bits. Cheers from downunder.
Coming from automotive into woodworking, I think one of my favorite crossovers was using a hydraulic press to create a splitface textured backdrop out of scrap pine 1x2 and 2x2 pieces. There's also all sorts of amazing things you can do with an angle grinder! :D
I just crossed over myself from heavy equipment mechanic to woodworking and handyman work for the locals. This by far seems to be more rewarding and I thought I being a mechanic and steel fabricator was great. It's so much fun using our tools in the wood trade. I have welded up some cool stamps for wood burning and roughed up with a flap wheel to get the aged look. Good luck to you!
HF comments made me chuckle. I thought i was loosing my mind because i could not get my framing square marks to match up. After measuring and marking a half dozen times i looked at my square and realized it was a HF square. So i spent an hour digging around my shed and found one of my old hand me down Nichols framers and double checked everything. HF square was not even close. If i still had two good eyes i would have known before i bought it. Like the man said; if you need a precision tool, you probably do not want HF.
When my Dremel tool failed, i bought a Bauer 8v cordless, variable speed rotary tool at Harbor Freight for just $40. The similar Dremel model was $100. seems to work great so far.
I must just be old school as I still use a scaling rule along with a drafting board t-square and couple of triangles for planning projects out. I find it faster and just easier to change things with a pencil and paper than a computer/tablet. I still use graph paper too as it’s a real fast way to plan things out.
Here's another quick way to use the center finding ruler. Ex. Your board is 12 13/16" wide, you rotate the ruler until the same number (in this example you could use the 7's) line up with the edge on each side (7 on the left and 7 on the right). Mark the board where the "zero" is and you have the exact center of the board.
I’ve had the 123 blocks hanging by my drill press for over a year, slowly at first, but I keep pulling them out now for one project or another. Glad I have them. Also the center ruler is a good thing, set it on a slope to the nearest whole number, you’ll still find the center. Take a small rectangle scrap of plexiglass and scratch 2 lines in it parallel to each edge and crossing offset from center. Great see through sketching assist. Glue some 100 grit sandpaper to the back of a ruler and it won’t slide around.
One of the items we use that are not meant for woodworking is 3M Black super weatherstrip & gasket adhesive. Repairing a shroud for a disc sander with it right now. This is my goto when I need to secure things quick super-glues will not work on. Plus you can build up a radius fill for 90 degree repairs or when a small piece of the repair pieces is missing, this can fill the gap. Yeah it is under the workbench somewhere and I do not feel like getting down and searching for it. Can be built up in layers as well. Green tape will hold items in place and can easily be removed after; wax paper should work as well. Nothing is worse than waiting 24h for a repair to set, then when you unsecure it, remove clamps/tape, ect, the part shifts or it re-breaks. Also works for securing magnets or nuts. Water proof and can handle a wide temp range as it is made for automotive use. Will add more when I notice them. We re-purpose tools and items all the time. Just finished converting two ss restaurant utility tables to workbenches with some ply. You can find them cheap on fb or cl and they are made to hold serious weight. Just skin the top with ply and secure 2" boards to the underside edges that you need to clamp onto. Great channel, thanks for your contribution to the community.
A 123 block can also be used as a stop block by using the treaded holes as a clamp and using a pair on a router table to create a slot in a work piece.
I, too, like a lot of HF stuff. My rule of thumb is to read reviews, picking 4 star and 3 star, then read between the lines to determine if the reviewer has a clue what he's doing. It generally pays off. Like a lot of us have discovered, sometimes a simple modification to a tool will make it worthy. The doweling jig is a great example of "just walk away". I tend to agree with the i-2-3 blocks assessment. For a given set of projects, they could be very useful, I've resisted the impulse to buy a set and to date have no regrets.
I have a bunch of harbor freight stuff. The trim router is a great deal at only $20, but add a hose clamp to the base so it won't move on you. (i have mine in a little router table and use a DeWalt trim router for finish work on projects) the bench top bandsaw from HF is awesome. Super useful and it's small so you can move it out of the way. I got a cheap hammer from there that's nice, some really cheap leather gloves that are durable and comfy, and I'm a big fan of the 12' Bauer tape measures. They're small and easy to read so I have a few laying around. The Bauer belt sander and planer have treated me well too. There's a new Hercules router with fixed and plunge base that's getting really good reviews for a killer price too
The best harbor freight tool is their Terry clothe rags when they are on sale. I use the all the time for staining, cleaning and anything else when you need a rag.
Seems like the corner clamps could have little rubber caps or something over the points to prevent damaging the wood. Though that might keep it from gripping as well too.
I use my 1,2,3 blocks all the time with my CNC and Laser as spacers off my fence. While the same function could be performed by another tool or even a shop made block, they don't deteriorate, they don't walk away, they are perfectly consistent, they are quick to use, and impossible to overlook even when the machines are covered in chips and dust. On the laser they have even more uses. Are they necessary, no, but they do what they say on the box and they do it well. I'm all for swiss army knife tools, but sometimes simple and reliable is better.
The best buy at HF is their quick grip clamps. They work great, can be reversed for spreading and they are a fraction of the price of the Erwin clamps.
The Pittsburg brand ones are crap. I bought some of the Bauer clamps though. They are more expensive but don't shatter the plastic if dropped on a concrete floor. Every Pittsburg clamp I have bought has either broken, jammed, or they lose their gripping pressure.
I got one of those pilot/Philips flip bits from the Irwin or Kobalt years ago and it was a game changer. Like $14, and they have different sized drill bit/countersink options for like $3 each if you want different holes for different screws I have one of those dowel set jigs and I love it. But mine was also about $100. There was a learning curve (aka if you can't mark/line up it won't work anyway) but as I got older and more skilled that thing is indispensable for me with the few tables and panels I've made
To add on to your center finding ruler.. I bought a self centering tape measure at Home Depot for cheap. One line is normal measurements and the other line is exactly half. Look it up.. it's genius!!
As a contractor, we often use "side cutters" to pull out brads or other nails/staples. I'm sure they have a different name but we come up with names for our tools and know what the other person wants. 😂. Such as, an oscillating tool we call it a zoo zoo because he said that's the sound it makes. We've also used channel locks for nails because they have that rounded head and sometimes it's whatever we have near us. 😂
The Bauer tools have treated me quite well so far. The drill outperforms my b&d firestorm regularly and the planer is perfect for removing fence picket fuzz without using a ton of sanding pads. The jigsaw is super effective too. The wood handled chisels work well too and actually hold decent edge. The Bauer palm sander random orbit works better than my friends Ryobi one which annoyed him to no end. Planning too hit the Bauer sale hard next month.
Agreed, Harbor Freight has started offering better quality stuff. I have a few of the Bauer line and so far I'm quite pleased with them. Mostly stay away from their economy Chicago brands, some of which are becoming rebranded as warrior.
read my thing about their shitty ALLEGED 24" level.... if you like hf keep using it, i go there often, wouldn't use their vises except maybe the very most recent, almost all the electronics suck/way expensive compared to the grey market crap from Amazon, same with their antique lights, they just NOW started using Lion rechargable instead of stupid batteries.... aaaand so on
@@mos8541 Hmmm. I have 24" and 72" Pittsburgh levels, and they are dead on accurate. Verified with a 48" Irwin and 2 laser levels. If you got a bad one they have a lifetime warranty.
Good stuff. For nail pulling I use end cut nippers. Both jaws are rounded on the top. Lots of leverage and wont mar the surface.. The center finding ruler looks like a good idea. On larger layouts. Measure and round up to the next even number and divide by 2. Make marks from each end. Then find the center between the two marks. This comes in handy when needing to find center on a long wall that might end with an odd fraction.
@@MatthewPeechWoodworking I have built a lot of fence in my life and tied lots of wire for safety applications in scaffolding and lathe work. End cut nippers are a goto tool for me for many applications. The center finding tip came from the field and shop manager who was a Union lather in the 1950s and 1960s. Mean, cantankerous and old but dang sure you understood what he wanted and how he wanted it done. I actually miss working for him. RIP Bill.
I really like the centering ruler. I am constantly finding the center of things, almost every project, start to finish I usually end up measuring measuring about 10 times. Thanks!!
tap measure at an angle until its a easy to divide number ie finding the center of a 1.75 project angle the tape until it becomes 2.0 then the center is 1
That 'quick flip' has actually been around for decades. I have one made exactly like yours (different brand), but I've had mine for 20 years at least. You're right though, It's a great bit for a drill!
The 1-2-3 (also available in other sizes) can be used to measure tapered pins and arbors. Use precision calipers to measure pin diameter at the 1" and 2" sides to obtain taper/inch in inches.
I don't know if you have a carpenters nail puller. My Dad had one, and when I got the chance, I bought one. It's great for putting nails that are sunk down into the wood. It does leave a mark, but that can easily be filled or plained down.
I don't know if I just got lucky and bought a good one or if they are all this well made but, I bought the Hercules 12" sliding compound miter saw and, other than the dust boot, it is an excellent saw. No tweaking required, the gauge and the blade are dead accurate, the blade is of good quality with the laser cut expansion/balance slots, and it has plenty of power. The dust boot is no good. It is split in the bottom middle and when vacuum is used it collapses and eventually tears off. I'm still happy with the purchase since dust collection and miter saws are sworn enemies anyway.
I use the 123 blocks to clamp on my tablesaw fence for a repeatable and easy way to leave a space to help avoid kickback when cutting against the fence.
@@MatthewPeechWoodworking The threaded types are useful for building single use jigs on the fly. Long drawn out to explain in text. If Stumpy doesn’t have a vid on it I’d be glad to tape a demo when I have some time.
One of my favorite not-for-woodworking tools that I use for my shop is my 3D printer. Jigs, holders, brackets, setup blocks - there are a ton of easily printable shop doodads.
If you haven't seen one, look at a dress-makers curve. It's like an oversized French curve. It's good for drawing large curved profiles for templates, etc. I don't use it often, but it beats the heck out of combining paint cans and green bean cans, haha. Also, they are a non-woodworking tool and they are cheap.
One app I've seen with the 123 blocks is to use a bolt to hold them a certain distance apart, and then slip them over a fence and use that as a stop. They're heavy and you can tighten the bolt to keep them from moving.
123 blocks: I have seen many artists on YT use the 123 blocks to hold their piece in place (paperweight) or if they're stacking multiple pieces for a glue-up it also keeps them in line as well.
Another great video!!! That doweling jig could be fixed by boring the guide holes out a little more and pressing in bronze guide bearings/sleeves that fit the cross connecting pins. But then again, you should not have to re-engineer a tool to make it work and it's Harbor Freight. But since you own it, you could make it better if you were so inclined and had the time. Also the center finder ruler is actually easier to use than you depicted. Just tilt it slightly diagonally across the board you want find the center of until you have the same two numbers lined up on each side. For example to find the center of a 6.385" board, lay it diagonally across the face of the board and put the 8" mark on each side (or any inch mark you want - just use the same on each edge of the face). The center mark is now centered with no math involved.
Thanks for the video Matthew.....I only see one I might buy. I like the counterbore with screwdriver bit. That would save me some time. Like you said.....woodkworkers use what works for them. I personally don't see the need for a track saw.....BUT lots of people LOVE them.
Another good use for 123 blocks is when you need to stand something off of say a table saw fence so you don't bind going through on a cross cut ... since they are exactly 1, 2, or 3 inches you just set your fence 1,2 or 3 inches past the size you want to cut and use it as the spacer on the near side when cutting with miter gauge and the like. I use them for this all the time.
They are also machined to within very tight tolerances and are made for machinists
Thanks for that idea because with fence clamps it would be much easier than a wood block
For those center finding rulers to make your life easier lining up center just rotate it a bit until both sides are even, like instead of it falling at 11" 13/16 on both sides and trying to line up both sides ... just rotate the ruler clockwise (our counterclockwise) until both ends are at 12" on the outsides and center will still be accurate. You can do this with regular rulers too (just pick a nice even number and half of it).
I just use any old straight edge rule or tape measure. One edge at 0 and the other edge at the next available even number...center higher number divided by 2. No special tools. Similar way you can do multiple equal rips on a single board if needed.
@studiogerk Agreed!
@@WreckDiver99
Yeah, this works for any x-section you want, as I note in another comment. E.g., run a diagonal from 0" to 12" along the board from edge to the opposite edge.
6" is at the bisection. 4" and 8" are at the trisection. 3", 6", and 9" are quarter section. 2", 4", 6", 8", 10" do a six-section.
Five sections are better using 10", 15", or 20", assuming your ruler is long enough.... and so forth.
@@nickbrutanna9973 Yep...learned this so long ago I can't remember...40 years ago...maybe longer...just don't know anymore. 2nd thing that goes is the memory, can't remember the first.
Technically, I am pretty sure this is the correct way to use a centering ruler, and it is actually wrong to use it like he demonstrated. The advantage of a centering ruler over a regular one is that there is no math involved. Just use the same number on both sides.
Since I am a jack of all trades around my house, I learned that a pair of slip lock pliers work just as well for pulling nails and you don't have to buy a specialized tool. A tool I use a lot when I use my circular saw is a cheap plastic 12-inch carpenters speed square. It makes a great fence for cross cuts and usually reaches across all the 2x's out there. Anyone without a table saw and sled can do precise work with one of those.
I can't get enough of your videos, keep them coming.
Found the same trick with the slip locks, those look like they might be able to bite a smaller bit, usually if its that small I sink it with a spring tool, so yeah dont need that specialty tool
you never need special pliers, use your ruler or literally anything else flat to pry against instead of prying against your finished piece.
Great demonstration of all the tools you purchased. I really need to get one of those nail pullers. Seems like the perfect tool to have for woodworkers. Man that HF doweling jig is a hot mess. Even though it it not a cheap tool, the Dowelmax is the way to go. It is a premium tool that will outlast the buyer. If you can't afford, or just don't want to buy a Festool Domino, the Dowelmax is the way to go. The tolerances on that thing is just amazing. It will save you hours of frustration if you prefer the dowel method for joining boards together accurately.
1-2-3 blocks are also useful as right angles for when you're clamping frames or small pieces. Many companies make fence clamps (basically just a small F clamp but just has a rounded end like a bent straw for those unfamilar) that will fit in the holes of the blocks. You can also use the same technique if you need a stop block for cross cuts on the table saw, by clamping the 1-2-3 block to your rip fence.
I have to tell you when I first ran across you I didn’t care that much BUT the more I watch you I really enjoy your comments and find it very informative. You are the first that I subscribed to. And I’ve been on RUclips for many years.
The easier way to break the board into sections is to use the ruler: Say the board is 6" (ish) wide. You want to quarter it -- i.e., make it into four pieces. Put the "0" point on one of the sides of the board (the corner is ok, too). NOW, angle the ruler until the 8" mark is on the very opposite edge of the board. Mark @ 2", 4", and 6". Those are your quartering points. If you want to be moderately accurate, then just do it again a little bit further up the board, then draw the line between the 2", 4", and 6" pairs just created.
This works for ANY size, as long as you have a longer ruler than the width of the board (preferably about 3" to 6", at a minimum, though) and more than 2x long, where "x" is your number of sections. You can also use 3x, or 4x if you want, just make the points appropriate -- e.g., to quarter a 9" wide board, you can go from "0" to 12", and just use the 3", 6", and 9" points. To make a three-piece, use the 4" and 8" points. To do fifths, with the 9" board, you are probably better off using a yardstick and the 15" mark, then mark it at 3", 6", 9", and 12". Note that you could also use the 15" mark to do thirds, because you can use the 5" and 10" marks in this case.
All you need is an "endpoint" (i.e., the 8", 12", and 15" numbers used above, for the opposite edge) that divides evenly by the division desired.
BTW, you don't need the centering ruler to find the center -- just use the method above to define the center -- e.g., 0 to 12" on the diagonal, the 6" mark is the center. MUCH quicker. 😁
The centering ruler is better for making consistent distances from that centerline, once you have it -- e.g., if you want to make holes at 1", 2.5", and 5" each side of the center. 😉
One of the most handy things I have gotten from harbor freight is their 12" flush cut saw with the wooden handle. I made a little pocket for it on the shelf above my workbench so anytime I need to make a quick cut, it's right there. Never realized how handy having a small saw within reach was until I got it. Best part, less than $10
From everything I’ve seen across the RUclips-verse, Dowel Max is the only brand of dowel centering guide worth buying.
Actually, the DowelMax doesn't center the dowel hole on your workpiece. Instead, it requires you to pick a surface to reference from. The DowelMax or Jessem doweling jigs, while expensive, are the best out there. (I have the DowelMax)
Sir, I must say you definitely gained a fast subscriber here! I'm wanting to get into woodworking as a hobby and I absolutely love your videos. You my good man, are the Bob Ross of Woodworking! I love the calmness of your videos, plus all the information I'm learning too! Thank you.
Thank you for the support! Much appreciated. Lol I tend to hear the Bob Ross comment a lot.
My middle school drafting teacher is turning in her grave. "This is (triangular)ruler, not a straight edge." Only thing she hated more was freedhand drawing. You have a great channel. Godspeed from Ashland, KY.
Too funny. Anything with a straight edge... I use as a straight edge. Annnnnd... all of my original concepts are freehand... she wouldn't like me at all. Back at ya fellow Kentuckian!
Howdy from Fort Gay WV. 🙂
I used those in high school drafting, and the compass with the extension (in the mid 1970’s) and I still have all of those, including old-school drafting pens. And you are right about not using it as a straight edge because there are indents at all the marks that will often prevent making aclean line (the pencil will chatter against it).
I feel like I was cheated out of education never getting any technical drawing classes.
@@STILLWILLPHOTO I was too busy taking French and Latin to be in shop class.
Great Harbor Freight tool to buy, especially when they go on sale is the 6" F style clamps. They are great for small glue ups and they are super inexpensive. Have been using them for years with no complaints.
Hello Matthew. I'm 62 years young and looking to start up my own 1 car garage set up to make extra income. You are the first tuber on the subject that I've watched. Have a feeling I'll be watching more of your stuff. I'm interested in making smalls. Thanks for the great videos.
For a dowling jig, the original "Dowl-It" jig is a superb tool and quite accurate. I've had mine for 35 years and have made countless face frames with it. But, about $60 or so.
I have used my Dowl-it jig for 17 years. I paid over $100 Canadian for mine. Not cheap but worth every penny. Everyone buys cheap 20$ Chinese knockoff tools and then have the nerve to complain they are junk.
+1. The Dowl-It is heavy and solid, with really zero slop whatsoever.
Agreed, mine was one of the first woodworking tools I bought back in the late 80's and it works quite well.
Button layout tool for sewing is my go to for equal segmenting on boards, amazon has them for around $11-$15
The Kreg flip tool. I have actually had one made by makita for over 15 years. It is a great tool.
I bought some of those corner spring clamps last fall to trim out an entire cottage and I'm telling you they are beyond awesome! I cut all my window trims and layer them on the floor and nail and glued them on the floor and than picked up the entire trim frame and tacked them onto the window frames and I will never do it piece by piece onto the framing ever again. These saved so much aggravation and time ...just awesome awesome awesome.
The first clamps I used on door trim for years, The scaling ruler - I am a scenery carpenter and use it daily to find deminsions on drawings, it is certainly a carpenters tool.
Compass - I use a much larger version regularly - maybe expand what you think a carpenter really does, Some one has to make the cool stuff not everyone wants to nail 2x4's togather.
Some years ago, I wrapped a rubber band around the end of my spring clamp pliers to keep the jaws pulled shut. It makes the pliers much easier to use.
I have been woodworking for almost all my life and have used all these tools and love them all. I now use a home made dowel jig but I did use a harbor freight dowel jig for a while but I drilled and tapped this jig and installed screws for micro adjustment and they took the slop out of it. I also have used the architect scale to draft all of my projects since I was kid. These tools are all great and as I was taught from an early age all tools-woodworking / mechanics - any tool - has many uses and can be used for something and in ways not always intended for. Just keep thinking outside the box and great things happen.
Favorite Harbor Freight tool is the 4" tilt storage bin. They connect together, drawers are removable, you can see what's in them and they keep the dust out
Nice!
Also the parts tray cases. The small/medium/ large bins inside are removable & half/ double each other's sizes & can be moved around & rearranged or swapped with other cases so that you have all small bins in one & large bins in another, etc. And you can take out whichever one you want to use without having the whole case in the way on your workbench.
I got one of those doweling jigs from Amazon for around $30. It's much tighter than the one you showed in this video from Harbor Freight. I have been using it for awhile and it works really good.
Equal Rips: Ruler at angle until it shows a measurement evenly divisible by the number of pieces you need (i.e., 4 equal width boards from 9" wide stock? Take your rule, set the one edge at 0 (or 1 or 2 whatever) and the other edge will get set at 12" (for starting at 0). Tick mark at 3", 6", and 9". there you go...No special tools. Same goes for "Center finding". 12-3/16" wide board? Set the measuring device at 0" and pivot it until you're at 13" and mark at 6-1/2". Same rule, tape measure, etc., don't need two extra tools.
I love Harbor Freight clamps and the foam sanding blocks.
I like the 1-2-3 blocks for calibration purposes. Both for right-angle setups but also for fence scales. I don't use them often but they sure are nice to have around for a trusted reference.
The nail puller is like using channel locks. Yours I'd like to find for my collection in my shop but channel locks are a must in your job site tools and easy to find anywhere. Ever use a pea shooter? (some call them ram rods) Ever wonder how in the old days how they hung cabinets with nails? check them out. Most people have never seen one and it would be a fun tool to show. They came in different sizes, Mine are all hand made. Great show. I am a retired master carpenter turned architect and changing up the cabinet shop and tooling to more wood working (no big low assembly tables that take up all the area) you have great ideas for projects to sell as a hobby. I picked up 30 onion crates (Free) I'm looking for projects to use them up.
Cheers
I like the metal rulers with cork on the back side, they don't slide around easily. I have a Black and Decker quick flip that I have used for more than 20 years.
For the doweling jig, I just slid O-rings over the bars to take up the slack. It has worked so far, but I don't do much that is super precise.
My absolute favorite HF tool is my $1.97 Quinn Bottle Cap Opener. It has an oversized cushioned handle and has worked flawlessly for several years. I don't recommend using it with power tools though. LOL.
Don’t forget the nail pulling pliers are very useful for repurposed wood such as pallets!! These things apply more force than other tools, that’s needed for those ring shank nails especially.
Been using a version of the Kreg countersink thingy for years, (maybe 20 !). Why I have had it so long is that I don’t use it much, it is too big and lumpy, like all that Trend “Snappy “ stuff .
As for the “nailpulling pliers” don’t make me laugh ! how long have they been making pincers ? in how many shapes and sizes ?
@@CrimeVid you win the prize then. However, This is not about finding the latest, “snappiest” thing but helping people find real things that are simple and not expensive to buy, yes? Laugh all you want but is that really helping others?
@@freedomfam6 he would have been better of not even commenting! 😂
@@DayTrader__ myself included. Sometimes I get baited in, but most of the time that does very little good. 😉
My Angle grinder is about $20 and I’ve used it for so many different things, one thing I did is put a planer wheel on it and made a bench out of a tree I cut I LOVE IT.
I wouldn't be with out the spring clamps. I also keep them on a carabiner. Here's a tip - drill a hole in the end of the pliers and add a key ring and also keep it on the carabiner. Can't beat keeping everything together.
Nice suggestions. Thanks!
I just bought the new 12" Bauer miter saw, not in the price range under discussion, but I was amazed at the quality. Having been a commercial cabinetry & millwork wonk for 50 years, I have used a few chopsaws. This was dead ccurate out of the box; square, miter and bevel. Several clever secondary features I have not seen on much higher priced tools. Love your channel and ideas.
I have used 1,2,3 blocks bolted to sacrificial fences as stop blocks, I have 3 blocks with t-bolts and wing nuts to use in t-track. And you can also use them to lift your work off your bench when go to glue up to make clamping easier
Yep. I'm gonna have to get some of the center finding rulers. I never knew they existed but it would be a fantastic addition to my shop. Thanks!
They are!
Me too.
Don't forget this trick that works with any ruler or tape measure: 1. Put the ruler diagonally across the piece. 2. Align an even (or odd) mark to each edge of the piece. It doesn't matter what the angle is or what the two numbers are. 3. The number in the middle between the two edge numbers is where the center of the board is.
For example: you lay the ruler diagonally across the piece. Adjust its position so that the 4 inch mark sits on one edge and the 16 inch mark sits on the other. The 10 inch mark, halfway between the other two, lays at the center. To strike a line, just mark more than one center point and then connect them.
Harbor freight
Clamps (f-style)
Parallel clamp (never tried them. But people swear by them.)
Belt sander (Bauer. Works great.)
Wood clamps
The hand plane can easily be turned into a scrub plane.
Krieg is not the only one who makes that tool, It has been in my tool collection for more than 30 years. you're right it is a very handy tool. I use it a lot when I am installing cabinets and such, Its cool that if I need to, I can replace both the drill bit as well as the driving bit when it is time to. I have several of them with different size drill bits. I use the smaller diameter one for smaller screws and the larger diameter for larger screws. swapping them out is quick and easy. The nail puller is a great addition, I have had one in my kit for many years, very handy. If your at all concerned that you might mark the wood then I take a putty knife between the wood and the puller to act as a buffer between the two. sometimes you can get an angle that allows you to pull on it straight so you need a little protection. Tools are an investment that has paid off many times over.
vix bits are handy when you need to fix hardware to wood, it perfectly centers the screw in the hole. freehand works sometime but if there is a knot or the grain varies getting the screw perfectly aligned will be difficult. they come in several different sizes too.
123 blocks make a fantastic miter saw stop in your t-track. Just put two 1/4-20 bolts through any hole that works best for you and a star knob on each one's top. No need for one of those red-line magnifiers because the blocks have a very crisp edge and your measurements are super easy to read. Once you tighten them down you would need a sledge hammer to move them. Edit: I also put some slippery UHMW tape strips on the bottom. They slide like they are on ice.
Great idea on the strips!
Question; do they wear out very quickly being thin strips, or do they last about as long as thicker UHMW?
@@Toyotajunkie Mine are still working. As you know, UHMW is one very tough material and is designed to withstand abrasion pretty well. It is a simple matter to add 2 layers if you find it isn't enough. There are thicker versions of the tape available or you could use PTFE or some other kind of plastic tape. They all work well.
@dwayneford1990 Sounds good, I will definitely be adding some as I do something very similar to your setup. Thanks for the input!!
@@Toyotajunkie If you go the PTFE route (Teflon) make sure you don't get the plumber's pipe wrap white stuff LOL. Make sure to get the good stuff. I've seen guys use it on the bottom of their table saw sleds.
@dwayneford1990 Yuppers, I have seen bad things come from cheap alternatives. I have some UHMW that I can cut down and double side on to the block.
I tend to not go too cheap when it comes to long lasting desired results.
Matt again thankyou so much, but here is another little tip to save you a few bucks concerning glue or at least the spreading of glue, Gift cards that everyone seems to have or receive or the endless stacks that are at local stores are great for spreading glue, or epoxy etc, also most of us are after purchasing those silicone glue brushes they are not overly expensive $7-9 each in my area for Rockler or milescraft etc but if you want just as good of a brush for much less then visit your local dollar store , they will likely be selling bbq basting brushes that are equally as good if not better for like a $1 for two in a pack just trim of the longer bristles with some scissors and good to go, also while there pick up a silicon backing tray the kind for baking cookies , they are great for smaller glue ups where the mess can easily be picked off when dry. Reuse literally forever. Here’s buddy and keep up the great work.
I used 123 blocks yesterday for a tricky glue up for a mini dump truck build for the granddaughter's birthday this week. Made it easy peasy!
The harbor freight AVANTI 5 stage HVLP sprayer is a WINNER! I work in a professorial cabinet shop that uses an expensive air assist airless paint gun system and while the avanti hvlp cant work as fast, it defiantly can get you a glass smooth painted cabinet door.
My favorite harbor freight toy is my Bauer 3 blade thickness planer! The spindle sander is awesome as well
The dowel hole centering jig that I bought on Amazon had much better tolerance and zero wiggle while still operating smoothly.
Yea, this one was def lacking the quality.
@MatthewPeechWoodworking I use the edge of a fridge magnet! This metal card shaped magnet has conversion chart on it for baking measurements. Works great as a card scraper! I paid $2/cdn in the dollarama.
Cork board and straight pins! A thin piece of Cork on the back of a ruler greatly reduces slip. Straight pins from sewing kits work well with cork...say you are laying out geometric shape for design but you don't want it permanent...straight pins act like mini dogs in the cork.
Never seen the nail puller pliers but I've used channel lock pliers the same way where you roll the curved part of the plier to create leverage without denting the wood.
The 123 blocks are great. I also recommend machinist squares, I got 3 sizes and they are fantastic for checking squareness. The reason WHY you want different sizes is right size for the job. For example, let’s say you built a table apron, and you want to square up a corner. You take your 18” L square and see it’s out of square by 1/8”. Then you take your small square that is about the same footprint as your table leg, and realize it’s not. Not at least in the 4” you are looking at. So instead of flipping out and going “how the heck” you can see your piece fits fine and the 1/8” is ok after all because no one will know!
I don't buy a lot of Harbor Freight stuff, but the Bauer 9 amp Surface Conditioning Tool is great. I recently used mine to remove what i think was 1-part epoxy floor paint from some old basement stair treads that I wanted to repurpose for another project. After a couple of minutes on each board, I had the paint removed and was running them through my planer without all that extra gunk. I have used it for other projects like stripping the remaining bark from logs down to the sap wood before using my Arbortech disks. It's a lot easier to control the mess. It's variable speed and has different drum grits. The drums seem to hold up well, also. I have not used the Restorer (Rockler sells them) that many people swear by, but it appears to me this tool exposes a lot more surface and thus is a lot more versatile, and I feel like the drums will last longer since they are more of a flap wheel than a belt. And it's cheaper than the Restorer.
The compass can also handle some center finding duties, and one that locks in place can be handy for transferring dimensions.
That quick-flip tool @5:30 has been around, in one form or another, for a good 20 years or more. Very handy.
I e got a set made by Irwin
If you want a great dowel jig look at the dowel max. It is phenomenal!
Don't need a special ruler to find the middle of the board. Use your tape at a diagonal with an even number.
Another tool that's very helpful and decent one costs a little more than $20 is a digital caliper. Love your channel man, keep up the great work!
Digital calipers can be had for under $20. I bought one through Temu.
Just remember to pull the battery out of your cheap digital calipers or it'll be dead when you need it.
i use harbor freight digital calipers for reloading, hey any time you wanna try a box lemme know!.. SFMF
One thing that I've never seen on any woodworking RUclips channels is a hook scale. They're very nice for measuring from the edge of material without having to see that the end of your scale is lined up correctly. They are available in various lengths, and as Matthew says, are durable.
Lol... I'll have to check them out... Never heard of them besides for fishing lol.
Do you have a link for one. When I look for hook scale, all I can find are the fish scales.
You can find them on Amazon as a hook rule.
I’m a bladesmith and 1-2-3 blocks are one of my best tools. You can clamp things on them and drill through keeping your bit square
Harbor freight F clamps, 18g brad nailer, oscillating multi tool. All have been great for me
I was over 60 before I ever heard of a center finding ruler, I probably would have had an extra year of fishing if I had known about this time saving tool. I haven't seen many of the other tools, but my mad money for next month will be spent on more then a few of these, thanks for the video, trust me you can never have too many tools.......unless you have too small a shop, then get a bigger shop!
I'm late to the party, but instead of the fiddly moving it back and forth to get the same measurement, just angle it a little to get the same number on both sides, it'll still be in the center.
I have a couple craftsman sets just like your kreg quick flip. I've used them for 10- 15 years. Definitely a must have.
Actually comes in a hard plastic carry case with multiple countersink sizes.
just wanted to point out that the center finder ruler does not have to be perpendicular to the edges between which you are trying to find the center... just make sureyou have the same number on both sides and the centerpoint is on the center line. repeat twice and join the two point to find the center line as long as the side edges are both streight. (yes, even if they are not parallel to each other...)
I just typed out basically the same thing as I didn't see your comment, DOH.
Or you could do the same thing with your tape measure, angle it to a full inch mark at each side and then divide.
@@Belg1970 yeah. I learned that awesome trick about a month ago. love shit like that!!
Great info. I see what you mean. Makes sense.
@@Belg1970 AGREE...... Im 73, had 4 years of drafting classes in high school and have worked in the printing world all my life (and still working) so I can use/read a ruler... but centering up 13 and 11/16ths would be a task... diagonal a regular ruler to 14, find 7, dupe at each end and connect the marks...way too easy....
The kreg quick clip is a reincarnation of a craftsman tool thats been around for a very long time. I had an original and used it a lot until I lost it in a cross country move. It was part of a kit with bits and holders that I stole from my husband, he didn't even know what it was lol. I'm thrilled to see that kreg makes one and I'm off to buy one today!
Nice!! I guess I had just never ran across one before.
Yep, I have the same set. It was called the Craftsman Speed-Lok. I think I've had it for about 25 years.
I think every brand has their own version of those. I've had the craftsman and kobalt ones for years and love them
@@mattsmith9270 yes! Thats the one!
I've been using a Makita drill/driver for more than twenty years, they were available in sizes six and eight and I still have both although I have broken a few bits. Cheers from downunder.
Coming from automotive into woodworking, I think one of my favorite crossovers was using a hydraulic press to create a splitface textured backdrop out of scrap pine 1x2 and 2x2 pieces. There's also all sorts of amazing things you can do with an angle grinder! :D
I just crossed over myself from heavy equipment mechanic to woodworking and handyman work for the locals. This by far seems to be more rewarding and I thought I being a mechanic and steel fabricator was great. It's so much fun using our tools in the wood trade. I have welded up some cool stamps for wood burning and roughed up with a flap wheel to get the aged look. Good luck to you!
YEAH like that widow maker hybrid chainsaw blade on the end of a grinder... no thanks..
HF comments made me chuckle. I thought i was loosing my mind because i could not get my framing square marks to match up. After measuring and marking a half dozen times i looked at my square and realized it was a HF square. So i spent an hour digging around my shed and found one of my old hand me down Nichols framers and double checked everything. HF square was not even close. If i still had two good eyes i would have known before i bought it.
Like the man said; if you need a precision tool, you probably do not want HF.
When my Dremel tool failed, i bought a Bauer 8v cordless, variable speed rotary tool at Harbor Freight for just $40. The similar Dremel model was $100. seems to work great so far.
I must just be old school as I still use a scaling rule along with a drafting board t-square and couple of triangles for planning projects out. I find it faster and just easier to change things with a pencil and paper than a computer/tablet. I still use graph paper too as it’s a real fast way to plan things out.
Here's another quick way to use the center finding ruler. Ex. Your board is 12 13/16" wide, you rotate the ruler until the same number (in this example you could use the 7's) line up with the edge on each side (7 on the left and 7 on the right). Mark the board where the "zero" is and you have the exact center of the board.
Works with any ruler just pick a number and divide it by 2.
18 at and angle 9” is the center.
@@akbychoice Or, get the centering ruler and not do any math at all.
That’s is badass. After I finish my deck I’m redoing I’m building this. Thanks. You’re awesome.
I’ve had the 123 blocks hanging by my drill press for over a year, slowly at first, but I keep pulling them out now for one project or another. Glad I have them. Also the center ruler is a good thing, set it on a slope to the nearest whole number, you’ll still find the center.
Take a small rectangle scrap of plexiglass and scratch 2 lines in it parallel to each edge and crossing offset from center. Great see through sketching assist. Glue some 100 grit sandpaper to the back of a ruler and it won’t slide around.
One of the items we use that are not meant for woodworking is 3M Black super weatherstrip & gasket adhesive. Repairing a shroud for a disc sander with it right now. This is my goto when I need to secure things quick super-glues will not work on. Plus you can build up a radius fill for 90 degree repairs or when a small piece of the repair pieces is missing, this can fill the gap. Yeah it is under the workbench somewhere and I do not feel like getting down and searching for it. Can be built up in layers as well. Green tape will hold items in place and can easily be removed after; wax paper should work as well. Nothing is worse than waiting 24h for a repair to set, then when you unsecure it, remove clamps/tape, ect, the part shifts or it re-breaks. Also works for securing magnets or nuts. Water proof and can handle a wide temp range as it is made for automotive use. Will add more when I notice them. We re-purpose tools and items all the time. Just finished converting two ss restaurant utility tables to workbenches with some ply. You can find them cheap on fb or cl and they are made to hold serious weight. Just skin the top with ply and secure 2" boards to the underside edges that you need to clamp onto. Great channel, thanks for your contribution to the community.
A 123 block can also be used as a stop block by using the treaded holes as a clamp and using a pair on a router table to create a slot in a work piece.
I, too, like a lot of HF stuff. My rule of thumb is to read reviews, picking 4 star and 3 star, then read between the lines to determine if the reviewer has a clue what he's doing. It generally pays off. Like a lot of us have discovered, sometimes a simple modification to a tool will make it worthy. The doweling jig is a great example of "just walk away". I tend to agree with the i-2-3 blocks assessment. For a given set of projects, they could be very useful, I've resisted the impulse to buy a set and to date have no regrets.
I have a bunch of harbor freight stuff. The trim router is a great deal at only $20, but add a hose clamp to the base so it won't move on you. (i have mine in a little router table and use a DeWalt trim router for finish work on projects) the bench top bandsaw from HF is awesome. Super useful and it's small so you can move it out of the way. I got a cheap hammer from there that's nice, some really cheap leather gloves that are durable and comfy, and I'm a big fan of the 12' Bauer tape measures. They're small and easy to read so I have a few laying around. The Bauer belt sander and planer have treated me well too.
There's a new Hercules router with fixed and plunge base that's getting really good reviews for a killer price too
i use harbor freight digital calipers for reloading ammo, hey any time you wanna try a box lemme know!.. SFMF
@@mos8541 I only have a 20ga shotgun. Do you reload shells too?
The best harbor freight tool is their Terry clothe rags when they are on sale. I use the all the time for staining, cleaning and anything else when you need a rag.
Seems like the corner clamps could have little rubber caps or something over the points to prevent damaging the wood. Though that might keep it from gripping as well too.
Good thinking.
I use my 1,2,3 blocks all the time with my CNC and Laser as spacers off my fence. While the same function could be performed by another tool or even a shop made block, they don't deteriorate, they don't walk away, they are perfectly consistent, they are quick to use, and impossible to overlook even when the machines are covered in chips and dust. On the laser they have even more uses. Are they necessary, no, but they do what they say on the box and they do it well. I'm all for swiss army knife tools, but sometimes simple and reliable is better.
Good to know. Thanks for the input!
The best buy at HF is their quick grip clamps. They work great, can be reversed for spreading and they are a fraction of the price of the Erwin clamps.
The Pittsburg brand ones are crap. I bought some of the Bauer clamps though. They are more expensive but don't shatter the plastic if dropped on a concrete floor. Every Pittsburg clamp I have bought has either broken, jammed, or they lose their gripping pressure.
I got one of those pilot/Philips flip bits from the Irwin or Kobalt years ago and it was a game changer. Like $14, and they have different sized drill bit/countersink options for like $3 each if you want different holes for different screws
I have one of those dowel set jigs and I love it. But mine was also about $100. There was a learning curve (aka if you can't mark/line up it won't work anyway) but as I got older and more skilled that thing is indispensable for me with the few tables and panels I've made
To add on to your center finding ruler.. I bought a self centering tape measure at Home Depot for cheap. One line is normal measurements and the other line is exactly half. Look it up.. it's genius!!
As a contractor, we often use "side cutters" to pull out brads or other nails/staples. I'm sure they have a different name but we come up with names for our tools and know what the other person wants. 😂. Such as, an oscillating tool we call it a zoo zoo because he said that's the sound it makes. We've also used channel locks for nails because they have that rounded head and sometimes it's whatever we have near us. 😂
Good harbor fright tool, the metal tool boxes are nice, the magnetic trays for screws nuts and bolts. A few light duty clamps
The Bauer tools have treated me quite well so far. The drill outperforms my b&d firestorm regularly and the planer is perfect for removing fence picket fuzz without using a ton of sanding pads. The jigsaw is super effective too. The wood handled chisels work well too and actually hold decent edge. The Bauer palm sander random orbit works better than my friends Ryobi one which annoyed him to no end. Planning too hit the Bauer sale hard next month.
Agreed, Harbor Freight has started offering better quality stuff. I have a few of the Bauer line and so far I'm quite pleased with them. Mostly stay away from their economy Chicago brands, some of which are becoming rebranded as warrior.
read my thing about their shitty ALLEGED 24" level.... if you like hf keep using it, i go there often, wouldn't use their vises except maybe the very most recent, almost all the electronics suck/way expensive compared to the grey market crap from Amazon, same with their antique lights, they just NOW started using Lion rechargable instead of stupid batteries.... aaaand so on
@@mos8541 Hmmm. I have 24" and 72" Pittsburgh levels, and they are dead on accurate. Verified with a 48" Irwin and 2 laser levels. If you got a bad one they have a lifetime warranty.
Good stuff.
For nail pulling I use end cut nippers. Both jaws are rounded on the top.
Lots of leverage and wont mar the surface..
The center finding ruler looks like a good idea.
On larger layouts.
Measure and round up to the next even number and divide by 2.
Make marks from each end.
Then find the center between the two marks.
This comes in handy when needing to find center on a long wall that might end with an odd fraction.
Nice! Thanks for the tips and input.
@@MatthewPeechWoodworking I have built a lot of fence in my life and tied lots of wire for safety applications in scaffolding and lathe work.
End cut nippers are a goto tool for me for many applications.
The center finding tip came from the field and shop manager who was a Union lather in the 1950s and 1960s.
Mean, cantankerous and old but dang sure you understood what he wanted and how he wanted it done.
I actually miss working for him.
RIP Bill.
I recently found a Lufkin tape measure that is self centering. It's been pretty convenient. I seem to be grabbing it more and more lately.
I really like the centering ruler. I am constantly finding the center of things, almost every project, start to finish I usually end up measuring measuring about 10 times. Thanks!!
tap measure at an angle until its a easy to divide number ie finding the center of a 1.75 project angle the tape until it becomes 2.0 then the center is 1
That 'quick flip' has actually been around for decades. I have one made exactly like yours (different brand), but I've had mine for 20 years at least. You're right though, It's a great bit for a drill!
Very cool! I can see it being ver useful.
@@MatthewPeechWoodworking you do have to get used to the shaky nature of the tool itself. Once you acclimate to that, it saves a whole bunch of time!
Harbor freight f style clamps. Love them. Cheap and they do the job
Nice!
The 1-2-3 (also available in other sizes) can be used to measure tapered pins and arbors. Use precision calipers to measure pin diameter at the 1" and 2" sides to obtain taper/inch in inches.
Just made the tall planter. Looks great 👍
Great to hear!
I'm always trying to find the center of my projects, I'm diggin the Find the Center tool !
Yes! I like it!
I don't know if you have a carpenters nail puller. My Dad had one, and when I got the chance, I bought one. It's great for putting nails that are sunk down into the wood. It does leave a mark, but that can easily be filled or plained down.
I don't know if I just got lucky and bought a good one or if they are all this well made but, I bought the Hercules 12" sliding compound miter saw and, other than the dust boot, it is an excellent saw. No tweaking required, the gauge and the blade are dead accurate, the blade is of good quality with the laser cut expansion/balance slots, and it has plenty of power. The dust boot is no good. It is split in the bottom middle and when vacuum is used it collapses and eventually tears off. I'm still happy with the purchase since dust collection and miter saws are sworn enemies anyway.
I use the 123 blocks to clamp on my tablesaw fence for a repeatable and easy way to leave a space to help avoid kickback when cutting against the fence.
Nice suggestion.
I love my 1-2-3 blocks. They are a major time saver.
What else do you use them for besides the things I mentioned. I’d love to learn some more uses.
@@MatthewPeechWoodworking The threaded types are useful for building single use jigs on the fly. Long drawn out to explain in text. If Stumpy doesn’t have a vid on it I’d be glad to tape a demo when I have some time.
One of my favorite not-for-woodworking tools that I use for my shop is my 3D printer. Jigs, holders, brackets, setup blocks - there are a ton of easily printable shop doodads.
If you haven't seen one, look at a dress-makers curve. It's like an oversized French curve. It's good for drawing large curved profiles for templates, etc. I don't use it often, but it beats the heck out of combining paint cans and green bean cans, haha. Also, they are a non-woodworking tool and they are cheap.
One app I've seen with the 123 blocks is to use a bolt to hold them a certain distance apart, and then slip them over a fence and use that as a stop. They're heavy and you can tighten the bolt to keep them from moving.
123 blocks: I have seen many artists on YT use the 123 blocks to hold their piece in place (paperweight) or if they're stacking multiple pieces for a glue-up it also keeps them in line as well.
Thanks for the input
Another great video!!! That doweling jig could be fixed by boring the guide holes out a little more and pressing in bronze guide bearings/sleeves that fit the cross connecting pins. But then again, you should not have to re-engineer a tool to make it work and it's Harbor Freight. But since you own it, you could make it better if you were so inclined and had the time. Also the center finder ruler is actually easier to use than you depicted. Just tilt it slightly diagonally across the board you want find the center of until you have the same two numbers lined up on each side. For example to find the center of a 6.385" board, lay it diagonally across the face of the board and put the 8" mark on each side (or any inch mark you want - just use the same on each edge of the face). The center mark is now centered with no math involved.
but a regular tape or ruler does the same...so why buy another ruler
Fixing a new tool isn't my idea of a good time.
I bought a transfer punch set from Harbor Freight and haven't had an issue yet. Sharp points that last as-long-as you don't slam 'em too hard.
The drafting compass is very cool. Thank you
Thanks for the video Matthew.....I only see one I might buy. I like the counterbore with screwdriver bit. That would save me some time. Like you said.....woodkworkers use what works for them. I personally don't see the need for a track saw.....BUT lots of people LOVE them.
The nail puller you have is called the extractor by Jefferson tool. I prefer it over the Crescent version.