A new toy for the project!

New tools are always fun. When we were working on repainting the outside of the house later last year, we discovered the window frame was rotted and wound up replacing a whole section of wall. One thing I learned was how to recreate a window frame. I managed it pretty well with the tools we had, but couldn't help but think that I could have done a better job with a router.

Enter... the router. Not cheap, but really a very, very versatile tool, and with four windows needing to be reframed, it's becoming more and more a necessity. Plus, we'll be able to use it again on many other projects in the future! Thanks to Kelley Nelson for pointing me to CPO Bosch which sells factory refurbished Bosch power tools. Got my router for about $50 less than retail, and it's still got a full warranty.

A router alone is pretty useless - you need the bits. Stopped at the Lowes, and individual bits were over $30! My mom and dad, always a great resource for woodworking and houseworking info, pointed me to MLCS, who had a really nice 33 bit kit for only $99! $3 a bit or over $30... and these are bits my folks have been using for a couple years now. Yeah. Hard call there.