Woodworking Easy to Build: has

I put the new Craftsman router table together yesterday and it was much, much easier than the Ryobi. Each leg is held on by 4 bolts. The vertical ones just screw in and have washers and lock washers. The horizontal ones have lock washers, washers, and nuts. I found a diagram in the manual for installing the model of my router and it screwed right in with 3 bolts and the height adjustment hole lined right up. I installed the fence and featherboards in a couple of minutes and the table is now ready for testing.

I couldnt get the Ryobi router to fit in the new table so I returned it and bought this Craftsman router

on sale for $50.99. I checked the router table manual before I went shopping for compatible
routers and this one was on the list.

Here is the fully assembled table. It went together much faster then the Ryobi table.

I cant remember what this is called but it is used for routing end grain and smaller pieces. This one is made out of metal whereas the Ryobi one was made out of plastic.

It came with 5 insert plates. The Ryobi also came with 5 but they all had holes. Im not sure what the solid one would be good for.

The included wrench has a wider handle built into the bottom which makes it a little more comfortable to use.

The router has a small push button to hold the shaft while you tighten or loosen the router bit. There is a small plastic shield behind it that you have to remove to reach the button.

The table has a hole in the top for adjusting the height of the router. I am using an allen wrench for now but would like to buy a t-handle wrench for it. Sears had a t-handle kit for $39.95 but I dont want to spend that much money. I just want to get the one to fit the router.

This is the allen wrench coming through the table top and into the router.

The plastic handles on the sides are a nice touch. They make the table comfortable to pick up.

The hall tree now has color

?The hall tree has been stained! Saturday morning I sanded down the back piece that goes under the top shelf and then glued and screwed it in place. I had to drive out of town for my nephews birthday party and by the time we got home and got everybody in bed and I got out to the garage it was 11:15 pm. I turned on the radio and the fan and got started. I wore latex gloves and used 1 lint free cloth to rub in the stain and another to wipe it smooth. When I was finished and looked up at the clock it was 1:00 am. I guess I was just in the zone. Next time I think I will use a small foam brush to get the inside corners and edges where 2 boards meet. I am also going to buy some heavier duty gloves. I tore out the end of the index finger on my right had 3 times. I plan on putting the 1st coat of polyurethane on tonight and have no idea how I am going to do it. Wish me luck!

The New Yankee Workshop workbench build has started!

Ive been watching a lot of episodes of The New Yankee Workshop on YouTube lately and one of my favorites is their woodworking workbench. I found a hardcover copy of the 1st season of NYW book on eBay for a good price. Norm said that the project can be made with 6 - 2x4s so I bought 7. I made one mistake in my cuts and had to redo one 17" board that somehow came out 16.75" and still managed to use only 6 - 2x4s. I am also shooting video on this project so I didnt take as many pictures as I normally would have.

Its Norm!