Every master was once a beginner! I make woodworking content because I believe that the consistent pursuit of improvement and perfection is its own reward. Sothpaw Designs exists to help you grow your woodworking skills, to be creative in your designs, and to learn to grow your business no matter what your level! This channel specializes in woodworking, CNC for beginners, as well as tools and techniques to become a better woodworker and business owner! I'm a high school teacher, teaching Computer Science and Media Arts in central Kentucky, and woodworking is one of my passions. I value your input, suggestions, corrections, and support in this venture.
In case you're curious, the name "Sothpaw" is inspired by Rocky 4, one of the best movies ever! Being both a Rocky fan, and a Southpaw myself, I use that as the inspiration for my business. #woodworking #cnc
Great channel. Subscribed. I've been wanting a CNC for years. I've always wanted to slow down and learn woodworking & stained glass. Thank you for your informative video.
Great video, Damian. About the sanders.. the four best are without a doubt the Mirka, Festool, SurfPrep, and 3M. There are, however, some very decent knock offs like the previously mentioned MaxxT and the one I did a video on, the PioneerWorks sander which I've been using for a good long while now, and it's still going strong. Like I said in the video, it operates much like the others insomuch as being very smooth and nearly no vibration for like a third of the price, but dust collection is where it falls short of the more expensive brands. Plus, you don't get the warranty and product support that comes with the others, so once you're past the point that Amazon will take it back, you're on your own. But like I said, mine has been great. I've had the opportunity to test the Mirka, Festool, and 3M, and they are all great, but it was love at first sand for me with the Mirka, which is why I just got one (video incoming). I've never used one, but have heard nothing but good things about the surfprep too. I have heard some issues with the 3M, and don't know if they've worked through those yet, but it's nice to use. I would say Festool is a good choice if you intend to go down the rabbit hole with their stuff, as it's all a system that works really well together. That's my 2 cents on it.
The Bosch router table is not too bad for the money. I had good results with mine for the last year or so. I have since moved up to a Woodpeckers table, but that Bosch table will remain in my arsenal.
Regarding random orbital sanders, the Festool, 3M, and Mirka units are all excellent choices, but very expensive. I picked up the Maxxt R7303 6 inch (5.0 mm orbit) sander which is a cheap copy of the Mirka. It was like night and day compared to my old Ryobi 5 inch. It's not as good as the Mirka, of course, but it is still much better than any of the normal DIY brands like DeWalt, Makita, Bosch, etc. I bought it on special for AU$200. The normal price is about AU$270. While on the topic, throw away those sanding discs and change to 3M Xtract/Cubitron II. Jonathan Katz-Moses did a review of discs 2-3 years ago, and nothing even comes close for both performance and value.
I have just ordered the Genmitsu 4040 reno CNC, And ordered also the control offline panel, but! love if you have any recommendation of a add-on Router, to give it a little more power, there are mid priced one, inside of £60 or up to £100 would appreciate your view on this! Awesome info review video🔥🔥🔥🔥👍👍
I made some for. Christmas for family. My problem is 1) no planer 2) no table saw-I used a miter saw 3) I used pallet wood which was very uneven. I made them work and I actually use mine a lot. I made a jig to cut angles on miter saw but next time I would go with hardwood. Thanks for sharing
Thank you. I really appreciate the very detailed comparison. I have been shopping for a planer over the last few weeks have been doing my homework. I never used one so there was a lot to learn. I have been comparing brands, figuring out the blade differences and learning about the "extra" stuff that makes using these so great. I almost made a mistake and ordered a cheaper Craftsman two blade and quickly canceled it when I mentioned it to a couple of people and they suggested upgrading to three blade at minimum (Whew that was close). This meant more research before I invest more. I was unsure about going with the DW735X or the 734 (as it is on sale more) but I love the added finishing cuts per inch, the thicker more sturdy bolts and the upgraded blower. Those are worth the extra right there. Plus I like the measuring depth gauge, although I don't know if that was as important as the finishing cut. This is the first video I saw that has done such a great comparison. No kidding. Some of the caparisons were completely lame and I knew there was more than just the width, extra blades and the trays. This was really great.
I appreciate that. Since I actually bought both, and had them side by side, I figured that the direct comparison would be useful, and it's proven to be one of my most popular videos. Appreciate the compliment.
Is the 735 worth the price? Depends on you. If you operate your planer more than ten hours a month I think it is likely worth the increase in price over the rest of the tabletop planers. If you use a planer less, buy a less expensive option. I got a Ryobi AP10 when they first came out. It's gotta be close to 35 years old. One set of brushes (altho it's due for another), two sets of blades. I get the blades resharpened when req'd and keep a tuned-up pair on hand at all times. I don't plane as much as I used to, but can see a need to up my time with the machine as I move on to lighter weight projects...something to do with age and knowing your limits. When my Ryobi dies, I will have it bronzed (just kidding...maybe) and look hard and long at the 735, as well as some of the more inexpensive units equipped with insert style cutting heads. Based on the $350 purchase price in the late nineties, the Ryobi has cost me more in blades and sharpening than it's original price. I can only hope my next one can follow that act.
this is a great project idea! no wonder people are snapping them up. to my taste the cnc quotes look incredibly tacky, just the combination of the lettering style and the precision of a cnc removes the warm traditional feel of woodworking, but for the 'eat pray love' people it's an attractive touch. I can see the appeal.
Great vid, thanks for sharing. I am learning about planers before investing in my first one. The DW 735 so far seems to be my best option. Cheers from the Mighty Alberta - Canada!!!
Should have watched your video first... went one to one with the same amount of problems you had, I mean its still good to have learned something, worst annoying for me was the paint sinking into the wood.
you know your spoil board is upside down, the other way puts the threaded inserts deeper below surface. so if "shit happens" it give you a bit more response time before you break the bit..
I've got the 735X, love it except i wish it came factory fitted with a helical cutter, as i use a lot of Jarrah and the knives scream as Jarrah is super hard, it cuts pine like butter, but not a fan of Pine except Huon Pine. Good video, well presented. Cheers
I would suggest buying two of those push blocks you showed up in the corner, works well and safe. If you mount this in like a miter saw bench with in and out feed the safety factor would rise. I own a 6 inch powermatic jointer spiral cutter been 10 years and still have not rotated cutters. Would like at least a jointer 8 inch. 8,10,12 buy up if you can you will have no regrets. Like I have. But it is still a great machine just undersize being 6 inch.
Hey, I've got the same push blocks and upgraded to the Bench Dog ones. I was going to pitch them, but saw a guy screw a plywood scrap to the end, to give it that "push-foot". Thanks for the real world review!
Somehow Kyle Ely says you can select both and it somehow knows to cut outside of outer and inside of inner. Maybe on the inner one if doing separate could do a pocket instead of profile then wouldn’t need tabs or cutting and sanding then.
when you were jointing the face, it looked like (and sounded like) you were taking off too much for what the motor can handle. how much were you taking off?
