The dust extraction is definitely a big change, I printed up an adaptor ring to attach my shop-vac to the extraction port on my cheap Makita sanders and they stay effective way longer than with their built in dust buckets.
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Good for shaping the inside curve of a handle. Think of the shape on a closed handle for a western backsaw or the open pistol grip shape for smaller backsaws.
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These didn’t make it into the last round of Katz-Moses’ testing (and I don’t know why). But they are good value and I get plenty of use per pad with dust extraction. Also, if you happen to need the Festool hole pattern, they are one of the less expensive options out there. I’d put them up against the Festool abrasives for wood any day.
Example: Festool pattern, 5" p120 grit box of 50 is $14 or $0.28 per disk before shipping and possibly tax.
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There are some fantastic replies in this thread, so I’ll just add a couple more:wink: Do as I did, keep buying tools until your woodworking friends tell you to stop:+1: So far I haven’t gotten the signal, but after years and years of collecting tools I have quite an assortment 
Mostly though I’ve collected as “I’ve needed”, meaning if I have a project that I can’t do any other way besides buying something new, then I buy something new. My belt sander/oscillating spindle sander is not only my oldest power tool, but the one I use most. Second behind that is my bandsaw and drill press. I have plenty of others, but those are 3 I couldn’t do without. For battery hand power tools I have both Makita and Dewalt, prefer my Dewalt. Plug in power tools I have a mixture of everything under the sun. I have a 2 car American garage, so not as small as some, but not huge either. I’ve got nearly every large tool, other than my drill press, on wheels or on benches with wheels. It takes some time to get everything set up, but where space matters it’s the only way it works for me. While I have several good shop vacs as well as a full on dust collector, I find my Dewalt battery powered leaf blower gets used A LOT. Uses the same batteries as two of my drills and it makes the shop so clean I giggle a little while I watch it all go away:rofl: I also believe that buy once, cry once, is a good direction in buying tools. I’ve given away tools (or simply dumped them) because they couldn’t do what I bought them to do. If you have a $300 budget and a better version is $400, save another $100, or risk spending $300, then another $400 when you have to buy all over again….trust me on this, been there, done it. And then go make some stuff!
Dan
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quick update on the Mirka Deros: it so happens that I’m remodeling, and the wife asked if we could remove the dark varnish on the beams. I knew exactly what I was getting into, but couldn’t say no, so here I am 10 hours of sanding later, and I’m happy I invested in a decent random orbital sander that has dust collection AND is very lightweight, because sanding with ones arms in the air is not fun. I had to borrow the cyclone/festool midi/dust bucket from my Shapeoko though, so I’m even more motivated to get this over with, so I can start milling stuff again soon.
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I’m going to throw another tool into the fray here…not one I would have recommended before…but two weeks ago, I had an experience that changed my mind. For a client project, I cut into a fresh batch of Bolivian Rosewood, which I had never used before. It’s an absolutely beautiful hardwood, oily, rich in color and works really nicely. All was good…until about 4:00pm when I started to itch. I broke out in hives on the entire top-half of my body. Next my lungs started to shut down and my asthma kicked in. I mega-dosed on Benadryl and my inhaler until I calmed down enough to sleep. Now, 2 weeks later, the rash is gone, the lungs are clear and things are a lot better…but there are still residual effects.
I ended up purchasing the Trend Air Pro helmet and finished the project. It is a positive pressure, powered, filtered air shield, full face mask. It’s not cheap. But how expensive is your health? I’ve decided to wear it every day while I work wood (which is a class 1 carcinogen). The way I look at it, it’s not just about allergies, but about lung health, in general.
The tool itself is actually quite nice…aside from a slight bit of weight on top of your head and a steady light motor-sound in your ears, it’s cool and comfortable, never fogs your glasses (and fits over your glasses), provides full-face protection, and 97% filtration (better than HEPA). So, pretty good for any use, really.
@Julien If you’re going to dive into sanding 50 y/o stains on woods - or just working woods in general - think about your poor lungs! I’m sure Mrs. J would want to keep you around a bit longer - as I’m sure there are other projects she wants you to do! 
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I’m a little paranoid when it comes to my lungs (and eyes) so I did wear decent filtering gear while sanding. But I’ve been seeing those helmets in YT videos and have been wondering where to find them. Thanks for the link !
That’s crazy, I’ve heard about this with Bolivian Rosewood. Were you wearing a respirator? Did you get the rash where you touched the wood?
You’re in good company there — John Economaki of Bridge City Tool Works was actually hospitalized for an allergic reaction to rosewood — this was the impetus for the change in aesthetics of his tool designs.
I was able to touch the wood without issue. It wasn’t until I cut it open. It’s hard to tell where I broke out, because my entire upper body went red with hives. The area under my watch was particularly irritated, but then again, so were the insides of my elbows…and they were covered.
I was not wearing a respirator because I wasn’t sanding (thank goodness). That was an OLD practice of mine…now, I’m wearing the Trend helmet for EVERYTHING I do.
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I was gifted a horrible rash on my left wrist from the dust form Katalox (Mexican Ebony) that got under under my watch band when sanding a cribbage board. It took a couple of hours to begin to itch. By the time I figured out what was going on, it was about 12 hours before I showered it off.
Had a rash that hook ~2 weeks to fully go away. Any time I work with any tropical hardwood now, I wear a 3M respirator. I am saving up for a PAPR sertup. I also wear a tyvek smock when doing “regular CNC stuff” and a full bunny suit when sanding. Otherwise, I get itchy and a slight rash on my neck, inside of elbows, armpit, inside of wrist. . . All of the delicate, sweaty skin areas where sawdust accumulates.
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Just make sure you keep all that junk covered, THAT would be a terrible rash to have!
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Instead of a “stud finder”, try a small ceramic magnet to find the underlying screws/nails used to fasten the sheetrock to the studs. It’s a bit more time consuming since there’s two dimensions to sort out but yields guaranteed results.
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As a former luthier I worked with plenty of Brazilian Rosewood before the embargo. No more irritating than other woods for me; loved the smell, smelled like guitars. But my first experience with Cocobolo had me wheezing, itching, medicating, into the bathtub and into bed at two in the afternoon. Unforgetable 45 years later. Best to research unfamiliar exotics before working them.
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The best thing for exotics is to take every possible precaution — I only cut them outside, and wear PPE, and shower immediately after and put the clothing in the wash w/ nothing else, then wash it again w/ other things.
Since this thread has been documenting my journey to getting woodworking tools (based on the fantastic advice from everyone) I figured I would post the latest addition : a table saw, at long last.
I’m team Blue all the way now, apparently.
I have been very happy with the Bosch Pro track saw I got last year, and to be honest I have been postponing getting a table saw because it looks so freaking dangerous, but I guess I’m ready now and I’m still counting my 10 fingers before I use any of these tools, so I hope that me being very risk-aware will help me keep all of my fingers.
It cuts beautifully (after spending the best of an afternoon tuning everything), and I just found out that the extension on the right which normally serves the purpose of cutting larger pieces, can also be used to accomodate a router table insert, so I know what my next project will be.
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Ah nice, better choice than the GTS10J IMHO too (I bought the 10J).
I’ve not put the top guard back on the blade on mine since making the sleds, I occasionally think “great, I’ve got a cut I can use the blade guard on” and then have to take it off again for the next cut. Obviously the riving knife stays on, always.
I picked up a nice 80T blade from a local tool supplier and the cuts are good. You may find that the T slots are Bosch sized not normal sized so when you buy a set of feather boards (well worth it) you won’t be able to use their standard fixing hardware, I ended up printing a new set of T slot inserts, which are the full length of the feather boards and easier to use anyway.
If you’ve not made your crosscut sled yet, the five cuts to square method helps preseve sanity https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=five+cuts+to+square
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Also,
It’s worth checking out which local tool shop has a competent blade sharpening service, the more expensive blades last much longer if you clean them and sharpen them and the cut quality is way better with clean sharp teeth.
I use this to get the resiny goop off the blades (and CNC cutters and garden tools and everything else) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trend-CLEAN-500-Cleaner-532ml/dp/B003OC35MQ
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Thanks for the tips @LiamN. A crosscut sled is definitely on my todo list also.
I agree on the benefit of using blade cleaners, I’m not sure what kind of nasties are in there but just soaking my blades a few minutes and then using a toothbrush them makes all the resiny goop magically dissolve/disappear. I still need to find a place to have them re-sharpened though.
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Julien,
I use the MicroJig Gripper almost every time I use my table saw. What I like is your hand is far above the blade. The Gripper lets you control both sides of the board when cutting small boards.
Just a regular push stick is required to keep your delicate and vulnerable hands/fingers away from the spinning blade.
Most people wind up taking the guards off in the long run. You certainly do not have to but you will find them cumbersome and annoying. You have to remove the guards if you are not doing any not through cuts like grooves and dados.
My next most used accessory is a good blade. On benchtop saws you generally use the thin kerf blades but the tooth count is important. A 60 tooth for fine cross cuts. A 40 tooth combination blade for most cuts. Some use 24 tooth blades for construction ripping but I just use my 40 tooth blade for most things unless I need really fine cutting and I put the 60 tooth blade on.
I am glad you said you spent time lining up your saw because one of the most dangerous things on a tablesaw is when it is not lined up properly. The constant on a table saw is the miter slot. You use the miter slot to reference to line up the blade and the fence. There are lots of methods for lining up your saw on youtube so I will not go into that but line up the blade to the miter gauge and then the fence to the miter slot. Then occasionally moe the fence over miter gauge slot and see if it is still lined up visually and with your finger. If the fence is not lined up fix it. An out of alignment fence can lead to kick backs and burning on your wood.
If you use feather boards always use them before the blade and never against or after the blade.
Besure to calibrate your scale on the fence. Having that scale calibrated saves a lot of time over putting a tape measure or ruler on the saw every time you make a cut. However you have to trust that fence scale so at first check with a ruler until yoi are confident the reading is repeatable.
Last piece of advise is about blade height when cutting. The best cuts are when the blade is cranked up high. However that is the most dangerous position for the blade. You want at least a single tooth height above your cutting surface. The reason is exposure. With the blade up as high as it will go you are more vulnerable to injury if you make a mistake simply because so much blade is exposed. With the blade higher also increases the risk of kickback because again the amount of blade spinning exposed and physics of the spinning blade.
So give a quick check of alignment and blade height and proper safety equipment before every use and specifically after a period of time not using the tablesaw.
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