Our Mill and Cabinet Shop

As our need for greater accuracy and more capacity in our mill and cabinet shop has increased, there have been some substantial additions and upgrades since setting up here in 2002:

After considerable research, (as well as positive experiences with the brand) we upgraded to a Powermatic Model 201 Planer and Model 1285 Jointer. The Model 201 features sectional infeed, 22 inch cutting capacity and a 7.5hp motor. The 1285 has a 3hp motor and can face stock up to 12 inches in width. We have had the machines running for the better part of the year and they have been standout performers in all respects.

While not unhappy with our Powermatic Model 66 Table Saw, in the past when working on larger items we often wished for more capacity, power, or both. As we have been doing more and more projects that involve large-scale casework, we were considering the possibility of adding an aftermarket-sliding table to the Powermatic 66, or an entirely separate vertical panel saw for dealing with sheet goods and other operations that required accurate crosscutting. We spent a lot of time looking at offerings from MiniMax, Felder, Hammer, and at one point even considered a used Altendorf F-45, (a new Martin or similar was simply not in our budget) though one cannot possibly imagine where we would have put it.

The redesigned Laguna TSS seemed the logical choice for us. While smaller than the Altendorf or Martin, it remains a substantial upgrade over a traditional American style cabinet saw. Compared to the PM 66, the Laguna has more power, capacity and features. These include a 5hp Baldor motor, scoring unit, riving knife, 12-inch blade capacity and most importantly, a sliding table with 60" crosscut stroke. It took some time to get accustomed to it, but hands down it is a vast improvement.

Finally, we had utterly outgrown our Jet DC-1200 dust collector, which despite special modifications was barely keeping up. We finally bit the bullet and added a 3hp Oneida cyclone.