Anything you wish you had known when you were a beginner?

📣Question From the Community: I can't decide if I should get a table saw or a miter saw. I've been weighing the pros and cons, but I'm still indecisive and thought I could use your help. > Table Saw - straight cuts, versatile, good for large projects, can occupy more space though > Miter Saw - angled cuts, good for projects where accuracy matters more, more portable I see the benefits of both of them, and I probably will have both down the line. But right now, I'm on a budget and I don't have a lot of space. So I have to pick which one to buy first. What's your take on my table saw vs. miter saw dilemma? Thanks a bunch for helping me out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxdghfDHxUo About 10 days ago, we had a discussion start about Ryobi tools and whether they are good or not. This video was already in the works at that time, and I've been waiting until we finished editing and everything else needed, so that I could share it. I think Ryobi is a good brand for the home woodworker and I give several reasons why in this video.

You might have a long wishlist, but if you could just pick one tool that you could add right now, which one would you pick?

I've been seeing a number of different woodworkers warning not to use the plastic push sticks in the second photo, because they are dangerous. Instead, they suggest a plywood one, of the type I made and show in the first picture. The question is, what's so dangerous about the plastic ones? They don't really say. I can see two potential problems with the plastic push sticks. First, they will break much easier than plywood. I got one caught in a saw blade and it literally shattered. Apparently the manufacturer of that particular stick chose a plastic type that was brittle. Oops. But there's a more serious issue, in my eyes. That is, if your stick slips, your hand is headed right for the blade. As best I can tell, that can't really happen with the plywood one. Even if you tip it over and your hand lands on the table, it should be past the blade. There's another big advantage I see to this design as well. That is, you're not only pushing the material through the saw, but you're pushing down on the material, helping to hold it flat against the saw table, which should help reduce the risk of kickback and other problems. It only takes 20 to 30 minutes to make, so print out the plans and pattern (the PDF file) and make yourself one.