You’re talking about the power strip? Why would you need to cover it? I’ve got a bunch of exposed outlets in my shop, and so does virtually every woodshop I’ve ever seen...

I have one of those. I run it after I leave my shop. It is not intended to be a replacement for a DC system or a respirator...

I think what you aren’t quite understanding is that it isn’t a matter of the filter on the back end of the vacuum—it is the fact that with a 2.5” inlet, you can’t move enough air through the system to do the filtering. You need to move a lot of air to make sure you are picking up the small particles, which get thrown…

I think the point that I was making is that calling this a budget dust collection system is disingenuous—this does not actually provide any real help with the issue that “pro” dust collection systems are designed for. I’m fine with saying a home built box joint jig is like a budget Leigh DR4 because it might get you a…

Personal insults? How old are you?

This article is somewhat misleading—dust collection is very misunderstood. As in initial matter, I’d direct you to Bill Pentz’s dust collection page, where he has amassed an incredible amount of information about creating a safe shop environment with respect to dust (http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cy…).

I agree wholeheartedly. I hate the LH articles that proceed from the premise that minimalism (in its design sense of uncluttered aesthetics) is an inherently laudable goal. I keep a lot of stuff that others might consider junk and I have no immediate purpose for a lot of it (e.g., there’s probably a half ton of steel…

The question I had is how well it works—if I try to use any blender (immersion or stationary) on something really thick, it seems like it just creates a cavity where the blade is spinning and doesn’t suck the rest of the material through the blade. That’s why I was wondering if you make really loose mashed potatoes...

And I’m going to say you probably just got lucky. What I wrote is that it is unlikely to prevent the split from expanding “if that is what the wood wants to do.” Not all splits will continue to lengthen—the internal stresses may have been relieved.

I actually like peeling them by hand, nothing fancy. It leaves your fingers slightly sticky—a strange stickiness that adheres to the papery coating of garlic but not the clove itself. So if you sequence your cooking so prepping garlic comes right after peeling tomatillos, you’re golden. Like god intended them to go…

I can’t understand how people can hurt themselves with an immersion blender. I would think that if one’s IQ is greater than the average houseplant, they would understand that you shouldn’t touch the spinning blade. Other than that... what can go wrong?

Mashed potatoes? That seems strange... You like them really liquidy? Otherwise I think the blade would just cavitate. (Spoken as someone who makes mashed potatoes with a ricer and a silicone spoontula).

Huh? How did you do that? Every immersion blender I’ve ever seen has a guard that prevents the blade from coming into contact with the sides/bottom of what you are blending in?

For small natural cracks, you can see if you can close the gap with clamping force—if you can, you can inject glue along the crack and clamp the living $%*% out of it. For addressing larger cracks in slabs, I actually prefer going the other way—highlighting them with contrasting butterfly dovetail inlays a la…

I would hazard a guess that any one of the graduates of North Bennet Street School (or any other of the fine woodworking schools) can cut dovetails without any noticeable gaps—that is precisely why the exposed dovetail is a bespoke signature for many high-end handcrafted pieces. So I’m going to say “the best”…

I’ve got an Braun immersion blender, a Hamilton Beach Drink Mixer, a Blendtec commercial in-counter blender, and a full size Cuisinart. My quick observations:

In this instance, it is the thickness of the divider boards that provides your fingers room to grab the battery you want. You make the boards really thin, it may become a PITA to actually get what you want out of the tray.

Yeah, but that should apply to all Alaskans too... Besides, I thought that was under $5K...

Er, something is wrong here. Says 146% of median income, but graphic doesn’t correspond... (edit: the entry for Anchorage... People really make that much in Anchorage?)

Thank you — that is exactly what I was hoping to see. The Harvard note was illuminating, and seems to refute claims regarding hyponatremia (sp?). Oddly, when I’m skiing or biking, notwithstanding my skepticism, I do tend to carry a 2l hydration pack, and I’ll usually mix in a little bit of gatorade powder, but it is…