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My comment was a bit of a red herring, I admit. Except that I think the making of an object does have some bearing on the end product: do the ends always justify the means? While you're unlikely to find a flatter and more stable surface than MDF, that may not always be want you want. A maker...

Couldn't agree more, Mike. Can't argue with its uses in kitchens etc..., but I hate the stuff. Nick

This sounds fascinating. I'd love to come and see the setup. To that end a small cast iron table saw may well be your best bet as the core. I don't know the Jet well, but it could easily be ideal. Email me and perhaps we could set up a meeting. Cheers Nick

That's a very interesting proposition. What do you buy if you have a relatively small workshop (sorry I'm only guessing that), but want to work with sheet materials more than solid wood? The important thing is to look at the rip fence and table extensions. It might be a case of taking something...

Should do. Depends on how thick the ply is. I'd probably use 6mm ply (depending on what you can buy), with a 2-3mm deep groove. It doesn't have to be much. Just enough to increase the glue bond and make it a bit neater. Only issue now is that you'll see the edge of the ply. Can't think of a...

I think that's a very good shout. This forum has transformed woodworking for many, many people. Long may it last. And a thread like this is perhaps evidence of how magazines and new technology can work together. Nick

Completely agree with you, Smudger. I learnt my woodwork on site with routers and jigsaws and planers, and only really developed an affinity with hand tools much later, at the bench as a hobbyist, dabbling. But by that stage I had overcome many of the hurdles novices face, and so wasn't so...

Absolutely Mike. I agree entirely. But why shouldn't they? I'll bet you it's been happening since the very first tools were used by cavemen. Those that have the skills decry those that attain them through technology, whether that's a better axe or a laser. Ultimately, of course, it comes down to...

I don't mean to get heavy about this. It was just a point that inventors tend to see problems first, often before anyone else has noticed them. Then they find a solution, and suddenly all the problems we didn't notice become apparent to the rest of us. Progress isn't a switch we can suddenly...

Not me, I'm afraid. Communication's my business! I know very little about laser technology, but anything's possible. If it solved enough of the problems of saws then I'm sure it wouldn't take long to arrive. What about a laser to replace a chainsaw or for turning? Who knows?

If the RAS can be converted into an overhead router and has a 1/2in chuck I don't see why not. Could be interesting, but perhaps not recommended. You'd need to check with Wealden. We'll give it a go!

It's a lovely idea avoiding progress, because the price of progress is that things we'd like to stay the same change. But day in day out we all demand improvements in other aspects of life where we'd like to see things done better or differently. Robert Ingham has a nice way of distilling this...

Thinking about it, for tenoning we'd use the Wealden tenon cutter, which looks like a mini-cutterblock and is superb. We mentioned it last issue, and will be testing it in the next issue. Could be a tool for the next decade!

Now there's a question. I'm not a big fan, mainly because they create so much dust and noise, and you have to dedicate a wall to them. That said if you can find a spot for them they are superb for making quick cuts to length, much more effectively than on a tablesaw, which invariably you will...

Take that approach and there'd be no progress (which mightn't always be such a bad thing). Saws tear the grain, they can be difficult to start the cut, they don't always stay upright or square without a good eye and hand, the dust can hide the line: there are lots of inherent problems that...

You could rebate the outside face of the sides, to produce a small tongue on the bottom edge of the sides, which drops into a narrow groove on the top face of the ply base. This would increase the glue area, create a small amount of mechanical joint, and reduce the risk of slippage. Nick

What's a plasma cutter? Rob: I remember sitting at the Cologne Tool Show 15 years ago thinking exactly the same thought, that saw teeth had hardly changed for centuries, and surely there must be a better way! There've been refinements (progressive tpi at the tip for starting cuts, etc...), but...

I tested the 22-44 the other day and in retrospect had problems with paper-backed abrasive. We started with cloth-backed, but it got clogged with Titebond from a glued-up panel I was smoothing. The paper abrasive we then used broke twice, perhaps because we were giving it too much stick, or...

Oh to find a solution to that dilemma. Bandsaw or tablesaw? It's a pretty close run thing between bandsaws and tablesaws in our Tools of the Decade survey. If I had the choice I'd always opt for the bandsaw, and then find other ways of cutting joints and cutting to length. I love bandsaws. Andy...

I agree in many ways. However, when testing the Jet 22-44 drum sander recently at Axminster I was working on a panel glued up with Titebond 3. The glue worked superbly, but took ages to remove with the drum sander. And it wrecked the abrasive. PU adhesive waste is much easier to remove by hand...