"Big Swing" features fourteen great swing songs from the 40's and 50's. If you love the old big band swing music we think you'll enjoy this CD. It's the kind of music that makes you just want to get up and dance, you do remember how to swing don't you?

The only place you can get this CD is from our web site. Go to www.thetempos.com and click on the "Click Here" at the top of the web page or click the album cover.

CLICK HERE.

If you'd like to get a taste of this CD just go to The Tempos web site. When you are at the Tempos web site click on the horn valve button that says "Hear our CD". Then click on the song titles to hear a little bit of each song.

The Tempos big swing band is available for hire. If you have a special event that could use the wonderful music of a classic sixteen piece big band be sure to contact kennyb@runnerduck.com. We perform all over the Seattle area for all sorts of events.

My new SawStop Tablesaw

As mentioned last month I got a new SawStop tablesaw and now have it put together, up and running. I thought I'd write a report on the experience including the ups and downs of the process.
 
My old tablesaw was a Delta Contractors Saw with a professional Unifence and wing extension. I liked that saw a lot and it did a good job for me. By the way it's for sale if anyone is interested. For more information just email kennyb@runnerduck.com if you'd like to know more.
 
My reason for replacing it was a simple one, I'm getting older and planning on doing a lot more woodworking as I head toward retirement in the next couple of years. I would like to move into my golden years with all my fingers attached. As we get older and do more woodworking the chances for an accident go up dramatically. Poorer eyesight, poorer balance, poorer memory and a general casualness from years of working on a tablesaw all contribute to an increased opportunity for an accident. If you're not familiar with SawStop and its finger saving safety feature you can check it out at www.SawStop.com.
 
OK enough of that, on to my new saw! What I bought was the SawStop Contractors tablesaw with cast iron wings, a 36" extension with the pro fence and mobile base. The very first thing I noticed when I picked it up was it's HEAVY! It seemed like every box I picked up with the help of a forklift at the store and a hand truck at home weighed a ton. Upon opening the first box I could see that it was packed very well with little opportunity for shipping damage.

First layer of packaging

Second layer of packaging

The next thing I noticed was the documentation. There was a very large quick instruction sheet and a very nice 104 page instruction book. Both were written by someone who really knows how to write clear and concise instructions. Especially cool was the way the hardware was packaged.

Hardware package

The pocketed packaging had the nuts, bolts, washers, etc. all in separate pouches with the quantity, including if there were any extras, description and item number that matched the drawings in the manual. Not only was the information on the front of the packaging but on the back as well since that's the side from where you remove the hardware.
 
Even the big items like legs and braces were marked with a reference letter that matched the manual.

The legs and braces are also marked

As I started putting it together I couldn't help but notice how heavy duty all the steel pieces were. They also are powder coated to a very nice shinny black finish. All the pieces went together perfectly! There area even little dimples and holes that help line things up and help prevent making any sort of mistake.

The base assembly

It took me several hours to assemble it but then I'm one of those guys that likes to read all the directions and savor the moment. I'd suggest giving yourself three to four hours if you get one configured the same way as mine. It's also good to have two people when you are putting the saw onto the stand, it's way too heavy for one person. The cast iron wings are also heavy and it really takes two sets of hands to get them installed.
 
Once it was assembled I made some minor adjustments to get the fence set perfect. The trunnion was very true and needed no adjustment.

Front of the saw

Back of saw

Now that I've had a little time to use it I have some Positive and Negative comments:

• On the positive side everything is extremely well made and goes together well. The instructions and manuals are top drawer.
• The fence is very nice and smooth. Like everything else it's heavy but that helps keep is rock solid.
• The stop cartridges are easy to change from dado to a standard 10" blade.
• The riving knife is very nice and easy to remove when necessary.
• Tech support is very responsive and knowledgeable. There was very little wait time and when they said they'd call right back, and they did.
• I like the left tilt saw blade.
• The dust collection set up works very good.
• The cranks for saw height and angle are very smooth and easy to operate.  

On the negative side;

• I don't like the saw guard due to the strength of the kickback teeth. I realize that they are a necessary evil but they are so strong that they leave marks on my wood.
• This is sort of a negative. The motor is big and really fires off when you start it up. The problem is that the manual says that it draws 15 amps and can be run on a 50' 14 gage extension cord. I have one of those cable reels with 50' of 14 gage wire and after a few starts the saw would not run. I put on a short 12 gage extension cable and it runs fine now. I believe this motor really needs the full 15 amps.
• The 36" extension table has a tendency to bow down in the middle along the cast iron wing. I've added a router in the extension and that makes it even worse. I'm going to add a steel "L" bar along the edge to stiffen it up.
• You have to be careful when removing the arbor nut because it can drop into the dust collector and then you have to remove your vacuum hose to retrieve the nut, speaking from experience.  
  

If you are in the market for a new saw I don't see how you could possibly go wrong getting a SawStop tablesaw. The more I use mine the better I like it.
 
Happy sawing and I hope to have some sort of project for you next month!