Sometimes I get questions regarding which tool I use. Here is a list of tools that I use on a regular basis. It includes shop tools, video equipment, software, and online services I use to bring you all of these great projects. I’ll try to keep this list up to date.
Tools I Use
Scroll Saw Related
- Excalibur Scroll Saw – Great saw.
- Flying Dutchman Blades – My go-to blades are #3 Scroll Reverse, #5 Scroll Reverse, # 9 Scroll Reverse. I also use #3 Scroll Reverse spiral blade for portrait-style cuttings. Puzzle blades for jigsaw puzzles. I use other blades as well, but these are my favorite 5.
Other Tools
- Delta Table Saw – I inherited this from my grandfather. It’s old, but it still works great.
- Grizzly 14” Bandsaw
- DeWalt 12” Miter Saw
- Craftsman Drill Press
- XCarve CNC (1000mm)
- Jet 1014VSI Mini Lathe
- Porter Cable Router
- DeWalt Planer DW735X (I added the Wixey WR510 Digital Readout)
- Wizard Rotary Tool
- Ryobi Hand Drill
- Black And Decker Jigsaw
- Porter Cable Brad Nailer (18 gauge)
- Porter Cable Pin Nailer (23 gague)
- Kreg K5 Pockethole Jig
- Incra Box Joint Jig
- Porter Cable Dovetail Jig
Sanding
- Sanding Star – I use this quite a bit for softening edges.
- Flap Sander
- DeWalt Random Orbital Sander
- Mouse Sander
- Rigid Oscilating Belt/Spindle Sander – Probably one of the best purchases I made. It’s awesome!
Software
- Inkscape – My go-to vector program. I use it for designing patterns.
- GIMP – Free bitmap based program. I suggest this for scrollers since it is free and most of my tutorials revolve around either GIMP or Inkscape. However, I prefer Photoshop.
- Adobe Premiere & Adobe Rush – I use Premiere for my YouTube Videos. I use Rush for quick videos, mostly for social media.
- Photoshop – I’m most comfortable with Photoshop. However, I can’t justify the monthly subscription. So I only use it when I’m in the office.
- Screencast-O-Matic – The screen capturing software I use for my design tutorials.
- Fusion 360 – 3D design. I’m using it mostly for advanced CNC designs and 3D Printing.
- Easel – Free 2d CNC Designer and g-code sender. Integrates into the XCarve.
- PrimoPDF – Acts like a printer, but makes PDFs. I use it to make my PDF files.
Video Equipment
- Cannon M50 – Use for most of my videos. Includes a Rode microphone
- GoPro Black v5 – Used in some of my earlier videos and sometimes as a 2nd camera.
- Rode Shotgun Mic – I use this mostly on GoPro, but works on my Cannon M50 as well
- iPhone – I use it to record vlog-style videos. I
- Softbox Lighting
- Boom Stand – I added a tripod head to make a over-the-shoulder cam.
- USB Condenser Microphone – Used for recording voiceovers.
- USB headset – Used for recording voiceovers and screencasts.
Online Services
- Hostgator – My website hosting company. I have the BabyCloud plan that includes addon domains. So all of my websites are hosted under 1 account.
- GoDaddy – I only use them to buy and manage my domain names. I think they’re very good for that. Hosting, I thought was a bit expensive.
- WordPress – Blogs, store, and static sites run off WordPress.
- IP Board – This is the forum software I use for Scroll Saw Village.
- Dropbox – Used to transfer files between computers and locations.
- Trello – I use this to organizing projects and ideas. Works with computer and iPhone.
- MailChimp – Manages my email newsletters.
- WooCommerce – Shopping cart that integrates nicely into WordPress.
- WooThemes – WordPress themes. I use Canvas.