BOOK: David Thiel's Power Tool Maintenance

More Power to You
Okay, so power tool maintenance isn't the most glamorous of woodworking topics. All the same, it's a set of skills we need to know if we expect to work wood efficiently and accurately. If we don't know how to tune up and maintain our machines, then we're probably not getting our money's worth from them.

Much has been written about tuning and maintaining woodworking power tools, but a lot of the information is confusing or misleading. David Thiel's Power Tool Maintenance sets out to remedy that problem. As the author explains in the introduction, too many power tool 'authorities' would have us spending as much time maintaining our tools as we spend actually working wood. But we all know that most woodworkers got into the craft to get dusty, not greasy.

What's Important
No stranger to power tools, Thiel was a senior editor at Popular Woodworking magazine, where his duties included testing and reviewing power tools. He was also host of the popular Tools & Techniques television program on the DIY network. His no-nonsense approach stems from the fact that he is a woodworker, not a power tool mechanic. To him'as to most of us'power tools are a means to an end, not a fascination in and of themselves. Their importance lies only in their ability to help produce woodworking projects.

He knows how to focus on what's important, and doesn't waste time discussing the intricacies of motor windings, capacitors, or other arcane aspects of power tools. He knows that what we're interested in is getting a tablesaw to cut straight and accurately without burning, binding, or bogging down. He understands that we just want the darned bandsaw to cut correctly without the blade wandering or deflecting away from the cutline.

In this book, Thiel covers the most common power tools used in the typical woodworking shop, including tablesaws, jointers, bandsaws, routers, and miter saws. By simply following the illustrated step-by-step procedures, you'll discover how to perform the essential steps of power tool maintenance, such as tweaking your tablesaw settings, adjusting your bandsaw guides, setting your jointer and planer knives, replacing router motor brushes, and adjusting machine tables, among other things. Of course, regular general maintenance is as important as the occasional careful tune-up, and Thiel runs you through the paces of removing rust, lubricating parts, and replacing wear-prone elements such as hook-and-loop sander pads.

You'll be pleased to discover that Thiel's approaches don't require a small wealth of tune-up accessories and gizmos. In most cases, all you'll need to set things right is a typical complement of accurate squares, rules, and straightedges that any serious woodworker should already have around the shop.

Gauging Tools
In addition to all of the above, Thiel makes sure you understand the main differences between the types and sizes of tools in any family. For example, he discusses the pros and cons of benchtop tablesaws versus contractor tablesaws vs. cabinet saws vs. the newer 'hybrid' tablesaws. This kind of assessment is crucial whether you are gauging the capabilities of a tool you already own, or are considering stepping up to a bigger, better model. Thiel is also well tuned in to the latest innovations being offered by tool manufacturers. He discusses innovative tool features that may interest you, such as the recent offering of spiral-knife cutterheads and carbide-insert tooling for the jointer.

No matter what your standing as a woodworker, this guide will provide you with the information you need to keep your power tools humming along at their very best. And then you can get back to making sawdust.