Learning to use a “new to me” woodworking finger joint jig

| August 29, 2024

Last year about this time, I posted about making or buying a Rockler Box Joint Jig for my router table. Eventually I did buy it on sale a few months ago but with summer arriving, I didn’t find the time to work in the basement workshop.  While catching up on some woodworking magazine reading last […]

Tech Friday: AltaFiber updated our home Internet router

| August 16, 2024

It is about time that our questionable Cincinnati Bell router is being updated by the aquiring company AltaFiber to an Eero device (similar to at the condo). It will hopefully improve and keep our home Internet connections a bit more stable. I’ve really never complained much since adding the Mesh system to the “cheap” Zytel […]

Filler: Router Table storage was a weekend workshop update

| July 9, 2024

Usually workshop tinkering is saved for rainy days and shorter days, but I decided that there were too many jigs and router table components just laying around. When I had fewer items, I could stick them under the table, but now I’m accumulating a few too many jigs, hold-downs and push stick type items that […]

Tech Friday: Struggling with a questionable home network again

| June 28, 2024

It seems like it it about that time again … the aging and off-brand mesh router set-up we are running at the house is getting flaky. Somedays all is fine, other days it start to stutter and blackout on a few of the “way too many” devices we are using. Thankfully it usually comes back […]

Tinkering with my Router Table jigs and an OLD new idea

| September 10, 2023

A couple of my short “cheap” T-tracks arrived last week that I’m planning to use for either a router table or table saw jig … or both? I’m not sure exactly how I’m planning to integrate them yet, but I have been collecting a few idea. Initially I was going to use them for featherboard […]

Workshop idea: A shelf for router table accessories

| August 29, 2023

There is no plan to buy more stuff, but I’m collecting ideas for the wall behind my newly upgraded router table for the accessories. Previously I have either just hung the jigs, etc on the wall individually or put them in a drawer nearby with my table saw parts and jigs. Now that I finally […]

Workshop tinkering, ordering and an impressive post idea

| August 26, 2023

Since I now have a few more featherboards to use with my table saw and router table, it seemed like a good idea to add a couple T-Tracks. Most modern woodworking workshops now seem to use these anodized aluminum tracks for a variety of purposes … they will be helpful for hold downs on my […]

Workshop: So much for tinkering with my router table fence

| August 22, 2023

I really did have the best of intentions to used the new knobs from Rockler to upgrade my existing router table fence, but after putzing around with my 40 year old angled aluminum non-adjustable fence, decided that an upgrade from the Amazon Warehouse (Outlet) for $133.64 made sense — although I could be wrong?  The […]

Summer storms have been blasting through with a lot of wind

| July 11, 2023

We’ve had several short-lived summer storms blasting through this year. Often I wrap up my sun sail in the back of the pool house garage (use it for a little shade), but didn’t last week. Unfortunately some VERY high winds hit and stretched out my homemade bungee (steel cable inside rope) and bent the hooks […]

Rain forced me to inside to tinker on the side table project

| July 9, 2023

Yesterday morning was rushed, as I attempted to get a few things done in the backyard. I mowed the front yard on Friday night and was hoping to get the back done on Saturday — nope, the rain and thunderstorms arrived before lunch. BUT … I was able to at least use my new Worx […]

Woodworking: Made the push sled for the router table

| July 2, 2023

While contemplating a previous idea for a router guide (photo) … and waiting for paint to dry (it was raining on Saturday), I made a push sled for my router table. I’m not sure the hold down will really do much, but added it with a couple spare parts from my drill press table.  Edit: […]

Routing corner splines on a woodworking project with a jig

| January 29, 2023

Instead of painting the entire woodworking project that is currently underway in the workshop, I want at least to be able to naturally lacquer finish the frames of the Cornhole game. Partially it is to show off the miters and walnut splines in the frame corners and partially because I didn’t want to use any […]

Workshop Wednesday: Circle cutting with a router

| January 25, 2023

Over weekend of snowy Bengal – Bills playoff football, I was able to get down to the workshop and continue working on a joint granddaughters’ birthdays present. The project required larger holes than I have a hole saw for and cutting it with a jigsaw would have left an imperfect hole. So … I used […]

Tech Friday: The home Internet seems to be sluggish lately?

| September 30, 2022

Our Cincinnati Bell Fioptics Internet service has been acquired by Altafiber. I’m not sure there has been much more than a logo change in service “so far,” but whenever our cable TV isn’t quite right or the Internet acts up, the blame is now on AltaFiber. Speed has been a problem this week and “might” […]

Wintertime workshop tinkering: Screw plugs and a coping sled

| February 1, 2022

For a soon to tackle project in the woodworking workshop, I tinkered with my older plug cutter in order to hide the heads of a few drywall screws. For a test, I used contrasting wood just to see how much gap there was going to be – it looks as if it will work. To […]

A birthday honing guide and spiral router bit. Thanks Taylor!

| May 13, 2021

A big thank you to my son Taylor for the Amazon gift card for my birthday last week. When he asked me what I was going to buy with it, I didn’t immediately have an answer … now I do … so I’ll now post a couple new woodworking workshop items that I’m using it […]

Struggling with Lenovo laptop, router and Internet connections

| May 1, 2021

Either the Netgear Nighthawk R7000 router at our condo is glitchy, Xfinity is not giving my any upload speed or my Lenovo laptop is struggling to stay connected. No time to diagnosis, but I may end up chucking the router and switch to the cheaper mesh router sooner than I wanted. It is frustrating. Half […]

Woodworking Idea: A homemade Router Table Multi-Sled

| February 24, 2021

After setting up my router for better, cleaner and easier woodworking dados last week, I started thinking about something better than using my table saw’s stock miter gauge for making “coping” style end cuts on the router table. Beside a $220 commercial Coping-Jig (left), there are hundreds of homemade plans on the Internet to do […]

Workshop brainstorming for better chip and dust containment

| February 16, 2021

It is time for a little more research on better dust and chip control in my basement workshop. Brenda can deal with the noise and giving me a place to escape, but she is not fond of the dust that makes its way upstairs – those with basement woodworking workshops know what I mean. I’ve […]

Tech Friday: Raspberry Pi 3 webservers and a USB Power Brick

| December 4, 2020

Although I only have one address accessible IP at the house, I can split it up via “Port Forwarding” on the cheap Cincinnati Bell router, rather than the home “mesh” network. After a little tweaking (ok, A LOT), I do have a work-around solution using a variety of ports to access different devices. For the […]

Archive: Reorganizing my workshop and a new outfeed table

| November 24, 2019

While I was suppose to be cleaning up and throwing away junk that has taken over some of my basement woodworking shop, as usual ended up sidetracked in making a few jigs for my upcoming projects AND reorganized a couple of cabinets that were buried under boxes and clutter on a back wall. I moved […]

Our new home Internet Mesh network is up and running

| August 14, 2019

Our current NetGear Nighthawk R7000 router has been exceptionally stable considering the issues I’ve had with cheaper routers and networked devices in the past. I’m pretty happy with it, but in order to get solid coverage, had to add a WiFi Range Extender to cover the detached garage and poolhouse (and yet still have weak […]

Internet connectivity issues are challenging to diagnose

| May 16, 2019

After struggling to keep our network and Internet connection alive earlier this month, I started to question my relatively expensive Netgear Nighthawk R7000 router and “way too many” devices were the problem? After resetting everything several times, calling Cincinnati Bell Fioptics (our ISP) and shrugging my shoulders, I left town and instructed Brenda on how […]

Sheering a router bit has me wondering about the quality?

| November 22, 2017

Last summer I bought a 50-piece set of router bits to use in my woodshop and so far they have been great … that was up until I may have push the limits on a 3/16" straight cut bit a little too hard (possibly???).  I only say "may" because the bit was mounted in my […]

After all these years – a 50 piece set of 1/2″ carbide router bits

| August 13, 2017

The older I get the more often I stumble on items to include in my book, "Things To Buy When You Are Young" … or at least one that I’m slowly putting together and working on. I’ve fumbled with woodworking most of my life and to be fair, have purchased or been giving my share […]

For inexpensive whole house wireless try a WiFi Range Extender

| February 24, 2017

Previous efforts at using older wireless access points and routers have all been a disappointment when extending WiFi out to our detached garage/poolhouse/workshop, so when Amazon had an AC750 Netgear WiFi Range Extender (Model EX3700) on a "Prime Daily Deals" sale, I was skeptical. Still frustrated with the lack of a good Internet connection further […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog