The Kobalt 3 Drawer Workbench(available at Lowe’s) is a great solution for those needing a workbench to fit a small workspace. The directions for assembly were straightforward and easy to follow. The one exception was the installation of the hinges for the lid on the overhead shelf. I can now tell you that it is long side up and as you close it the hinge point is to the front. Assembly, with a second pair of hands was about half an hour.  The overall width of the bench is 45″, not 42″ as stated on the box. The drawers operate smoothly. The light mounted over the work surface(mounts on the bottom of the overhead shelf) is a great feature. The ability to plugs tool in on the side of the bench is another plus. I have not yet used the pegboard back, but it is thin sheet metal and I don’t know how well the hooks would stay in place. Looks like the pegboard hook locks would be a must. The top included with the workbench  is particle board. It is useful as a pattern for making one out of plywood.

For the money($189) this is a great buy. If I had the room I would consider getting another one.

Let me stat by saying “How did I ever get along without this?”

The Black and Decker 33 1/2″ portable work support has proven to be one of the most used tools in my shop. It folds up flat for easy transport or storage. Folding or unfolding is an easy simple operation. It is study enough for me to use as a stand for my mini lathe. Now that I have retired and like to travel with my lathe, it has turned out to be the perfect solution. Though Black and Decker Quality can be less than desireable at times, they certainly hit the mark with this one. The one improvement would be the added feature of adjustable height legs. A great addition to any shop, especially the smaller ones.

I recently purchased four of the base or wall mount cabinets at Lowe’s. Unfortunately, the factory where these are produced obviously has zero quality control. When I was doing the assembly, the tops would not fit properly. A closer look revealed that the tops had not been molded correctly. Fortunately, the top and the bottom are the same, so I was able to get two cabinets completed and installed. I do find it amusing that the defective parts were the ones with the Black and Decker logo.

Being a pen turner and recently retired, I was looking for a small lathe I could take with me in my travels. After a lot of research, I settled on the little Grizzly G9247 VS Mini Wood Lathe. In quality, it does not come close to comparing to my Jet 1014 mini. However, I only paid $149 for it. You get what you pay for. It is not a high quality machine, but it does a satisfactory job for turning pens, bottle stoppers and other small turnings. The biggest advantage for me is the variable speed and the portability. The only frustration so far has been the lack of a knockout. For drive center removal the included spanner wrench and an adjustable wrench works for removing the center from the morse taper. The problem is removing a morse taper pen mandrel. The mandrel is smaller than the inside diameter of the threaded nut on the drive spindle. I overcame this by using a drill stop installed on the pen mandrel. The drill stop does not interfere with my turning tools, but is large enough for the spindle nut to be used to remove the mandrel. Overall I am pleased with this little lathe. It may not be the best quality, but it does the job for which I purchased it.

Jet Wet sharpener

The Jet wet sharpener is a quality piece of equipment. It is very well made. The only drawback in my opinion is the placement of the power switch on the back of the machine. However it is a small inconvenience. The ability to change the speed as the wheel diameter changes is a big plus. It is also nice to be able to increase the speed when you need to do more aggressive removal. My primary use is sharpening my lathe tools. It does a very nice job on most of them. A word of caution. Watch the video first! The various jigs can add up to a serious cost. The best prices I have found for them have been on Amazon. I have been very pleased with my purchase.