Woodworking Tip of the Day: Measuring Epoxy Right: Mix Ratios, Pumps and Why 'Close Enough' Fails

Pull up a stool….. this is the least glamorous step in epoxy work, and it decides whether the rest of the job lives or dies. Nobody brags about measuring. But most of the sticky, gummy, "why won't this cure" stories start right here, and WEST SYSTEM says so too: most problems with the curing of epoxy can be traced to the wrong ratio of resin and hardener. Winter is coming, the shop is cold, and I'd rather scrape nothing off the dory this year.

Why it matters: Epoxy isn't paint that dries. It's two parts that react with each other, and the reaction only finishes if the right amounts meet. An Epoxyworks article from WEST SYSTEM's technical staff puts it this way: with excess hardener, hardener molecules stay unreacted in the cured epoxy and weaken it, and they can keep later paint coats from setting up. Too little hardener is no better. WEST says too much or too little hardener affects both the cure time and how thoroughly it cures. That's why their manual says, in capital letters, not to adjust the cure time by changing the ratio. If you want it faster or slower, pick a different hardener. The ratio stays put.

Materials

• Resin and the hardener made for it (same system, same brand)
• Matching calibrated pumps, or a scale, or straight-sided graduated cups
• Clean mixing containers: plastic, metal or wax-free paper (not glass, not foam)
• Mixing sticks with a flat end
• A stiff plastic or metal scraper and a solvent for the bad-batch day
• Gloves, safety glasses and paper towels
• Your product's data sheet, because the numbers below are WEST SYSTEM's and other brands differ

Tools

• 300 Mini Pumps (or a gram scale, or a stick marked in equal parts)
• Roller pan, for coating jobs, to get the mix out of the cup
• A small test cup for the pump check

Steps

1. Read the ratio off your hardener. With WEST SYSTEM 105 Resin, the 205 Fast and 206 Slow hardeners are 5 parts resin to 1 part hardener by volume. The 207 Special Clear and 209 Extra Slow are 3 to 1. The pumps are matched to the hardener, so a 205/206 pump and a 207/209 pump aren't interchangeable, and the group size (A, B or C) has to match too. Other makers use other ratios: System Three Clear Coat is 2 to 1 by volume, and MAS LV resin is 2 to 1. Check your product's data sheet.
2. Prove the pumps once. If equal full strokes are going in, the resin and hardener containers should run empty at about the same time. WEST's pump sheet also says to mix a small test batch and watch it: it should cure to a hard solid, overnight at room temperature or warmer. Epoxyworks suggests 3 strokes each, stirred thoroughly, left until fully cured. Do it with new pumps, and again any time curing acts up.
3. One full stroke of resin for each full stroke of hardener. Push the head all the way down, then let it come all the way back up before the next stroke. WEST says partial strokes give the wrong ratio. Same number of strokes from each pump, every batch. In a cold shop the pumps move thicker material, so press slowly and give them extra time to return. Keep the resin and hardener at room temperature if you can.
4. No pumps? Measure carefully. By volume, use a container with straight sides and a square inside corner, graduated or marked with a stick, and pour the resin first. Epoxyworks points out it's easier to see the space for the hardener that way. By weight, don't use the volume numbers. The weight ratios are different because the resin and hardener have different densities. For WEST 105, the data sheets give 5.19 to 1 (205), 5.36 to 1 (206), 3.64 to 1 (207) and 3.68 to 1 (209). Per 100 g of resin, that's roughly 19.3 g, 18.7 g, 27.5 g and 27.2 g of hardener. The manual rounds 205/206 to "five parts resin to one part hardener" and 207/209 to 3.5 to 1 by weight, which sit inside the data sheets' acceptable ranges. Use the data sheet, though. That's why the plan has a table.
5. Stir at least a minute and scrape as you go. WEST's US instructions say at least 1 minute, longer in cooler temperatures. Their March 2025 manual's figure says 2 minutes. In a November shop I go with the longer one. Scrape the sides and bottom, and use the flat end of the stick to get into the inside corner. Unmixed resin hiding in the corner is how you get a soft spot. MAS Epoxies makes the same point about soft spots, and adds a pouring tip: don't scrape the last drips and film off the walls of the cup onto your work, since that's the part that might not be mixed.
6. Thicken after, never before. WEST's manual calls it a two-step process: mix the resin and hardener thoroughly first, then blend in the filler in small amounts. Their problem solver says the same thing: only add fillers or additives after the resin and hardener have been thoroughly mixed.
7. If it's still tacky when it should be hard, think before you recoat. If the shop is cold, epoxy cures slower, so allow extra time and add gentle heat (WEST warns that unvented kerosene or propane heaters can inhibit the cure and contaminate the surface). If it was off ratio or under-mixed, waiting won't fix it.
8. Remove the bad batch. WEST says don't apply more epoxy over non-curing epoxy. Warm it to lower its viscosity and scrape off as much as you can with a stiff metal or plastic scraper. Clean the residue with a solvent (WEST's current manual names its 850 Cleaning Solvent), with plenty of ventilation. Let the solvent dry before you recoat, then recoat with a fresh batch.
9. Find out why before you mix again. Equal full strokes? The right pump for the hardener (5:1 or 3:1) and the right group size? Pump ratio checked? Resin and hardener from the same system? WEST's list also includes wrong products: resin won't cure properly with other brands of hardener.

MOAM's shop note: "Close enough" has a real meaning, and it isn't eyeballing. WEST's data sheets publish an acceptable ratio range by weight for each hardener (4.83 to 6.20 to 1 for 105/205, for example), and it's wider on the resin-rich side. Calibrated pumps used with full, equal strokes keep you comfortably in it. A cup poured by eye, a half-pumped stroke, or a "splash more hardener to speed it up" is how you end up outside it. If you slip, err toward a little extra resin, not extra hardener. Epoxyworks says the same about a pump that spits air. Then write the hardener, ratio and pump strokes on the shop wall once, and stop doing the math on the fly.

Sources: WEST SYSTEM, "Dispensing and Mixing" and "Epoxy Problem Solver" (westsystem.com); WEST SYSTEM User Manual & Product Guide (2020 US edition and March 2025 edition); WEST SYSTEM 300 Mini Pump Instructions; WEST SYSTEM data sheets for 105/205, 105/206, 105/207 and 105/209; Epoxyworks, "Getting the Most out of Mini Pumps" (Jim Derck, GBI, 1995); System Three, Clear Coat product page and data sheet; MAS Epoxies, "The Ultimate Guide for Mixing Epoxy Resin" and 2:1 LV resin page; Entropy Resins technical video, "Mix Ratio: Measuring and Mixing Epoxy". Ratios and mixing times differ by product, so check your own data sheet.

MOAM Out.

New Real Estate Listings on the North Shore Today – Tuesday, November 3

New Listings Today – North Shore 29 Towns

Rise and shine, North Shore….. the MOAM has been watching the feed, and it's a busy one. 27 new listings hit the North Shore market over the last 24 hours, across 17 towns.

Top towns: Peabody 5, Salem 3, Lynn 3, Beverly 2, Amesbury 2, and 1 each in Gloucester, Newburyport, Manchester, Georgetown, Hamilton, Middleton, Marblehead, Saugus, Salisbury, Rowley, Topsfield and Essex.

By property type: Residential 17 · Residential Lease (rentals) 7 · Commercial Lease 2 · Business Opportunity 1.

The MOAM's take: Peabody is leading the pack today, and more than half of the new listings are homes for sale, which is a nice bit of fresh inventory for November buyers. If you've been waiting for something new to come along, today is a good day to take a look.

Contact Nanepashemet to view these.
Nanepashemet Real Estate Services
Call or text 781-727-6516
jnestor@nanepashemet.com

MOAM Out.

Listing data courtesy of MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN); listings shown are held by various brokerages. Nanepashemet Real Estate Services, MA Broker Lic. 136995-RE-B.

Boston Sports Morning Report — Tuesday, Nov. 3

 

Not for nuthin'…. But….. the Garden had itself a Monday night. The B's blew a 2-0 lead against Vegas, then David Pastrnak ended it in the third round of the shootout with a backhand-to-forehand move for a 3-2 win and Boston's sixth straight at home. Meanwhile, down in Houston, the Celtics' five-game win streak ran into a Rockets team that shot 54 percent and wasn't about to be told no.

Short version: no Boston games tonight. The Celts host Milwaukee Wednesday at 7:30, the B's are in Pittsburgh Thursday at 7:00, the Pats get Green Bay at home Sunday, and the Sox are still in hot-stove mode.

New England Patriots

• Yesterday: No game (last game: W 24-19 @ Miami on Sun., Nov. 1)
• Today: No game
• Next: Sun., Nov. 8, 4:25 PM ET, vs Green Bay Packers (home, FOX)
• Standings: 5-3, 2nd in the AFC East, 1.5 games behind Buffalo (6-1), No. 7 in the AFC (last wild-card spot); 3-0 in the division
• Schedule note: Week 9 is Green Bay, then Week 10 is vs Detroit in Munich, Germany on Sun., Nov. 15 (9:30 AM ET kickoff), and the bye falls in Week 11

Hunter Henry left the Miami game with a foot injury, so keep an eye on the injury report that starts Wednesday before the Packers come to Foxborough.

Boston Celtics

• Yesterday: L 109-93 @ Houston Rockets (Tatum 19 points, 5-of-16 from the floor, 9 assists; Neemias Queta 16 on 6-of-7; Luka Garza 14; Alperen Sengun 26 and 10 assists for Houston)
• Today: No game
• Next: Wed., Nov. 4, 7:30 PM ET, vs Milwaukee Bucks (home)
• Standings: 5-2, 2nd in the Atlantic, 1.5 games behind Philadelphia (7-1), No. 3 in the East

The five-game streak is over, but it ended on the second night of a back-to-back with Paul George getting a rest day. Good chance to bounce back at the Garden Wednesday.

Boston Bruins

• Yesterday: W 3-2 SO vs Vegas Golden Knights (James Hagens and Morgan Geekie scored in regulation, Pastrnak got the lone shootout goal; Jeremy Swayman 21 saves)
• Today: No game
• Next: Thu., Nov. 5, 7:00 PM ET, @ Pittsburgh Penguins (NESN)
• Standings: 11-4-1, 23 points, 1st in the Atlantic (3 points up on Montreal), No. 2 in the East, 3 points behind Carolina (12-2-2, 26 points)

That's six in a row at TD Garden and 7-1 at home this year. Swayman stopped all three Vegas shooters in the shootout, and Hagens, the teenager, now has six goals. Next up is a road trip to Pittsburgh.

Boston Red Sox

• Yesterday / Today: No games, offseason
• Next: 2027 Opening Day is Thu., March 25, @ Seattle Mariners (time TBA); home opener Thu., April 1, vs Cincinnati
• Final standings: 87-75, 3rd in the AL East, swept by the Yankees in the AL Wild Card round

Quiet on Jersey Street. Pitchers and catchers can't come soon enough.

That's the Tuesday board. Nothing on the schedule tonight, so catch up on sleep. Wednesday the Celts are back at it.

MOAM Out.

New England This Morning — November 3, 2026

 

Not for nuthin'…. But….. Tuesday's got a split personality. The sun's pouring gold over Marblehead Harbor while the hills up north wear a gray lid, and the rain is lurking for later. Another mild one, with highs in the 60s from the harbor to the valleys. Here's how four corners of New England looked around 7:35 this Tuesday morning.

Marblehead Harbor (BYC Oceanfront) — The sun is just up over the far shore, laying a bright streak across a glassy harbor, with long bands of cloud streaked across a blue sky and the moorings mostly empty now. Mostly sunny today with a high near 67 and a light southwest breeze. Take the win.

Mount Washington, NH (Observatory North View) — The lens is clear but the sky is a flat gray lid. No snow on the summit rocks today, just rust-orange tundra and dark Presidentials fading into haze. Cloudy, a high in the mid 40s, with a chance of light rain later and winds picking up out of the west tonight.

Mad River Valley, VT (Great Eddy Covered Bridge) — Gray and still in Waitsfield. The old covered bridge sits over a dark, quiet river, with a last handful of rusty oaks hanging on among the bare branches. Cloudy with a high near 63 and a chance of showers later.

Bartlett Experimental Forest, NH — From the top of the NEON tower, the hardwoods are bare and gray, the pines and hemlocks hold the green, and the hills run back in soft blue-gray under a cool, pale sky. Cloudy with a high near 63, and light rain possible tonight.

Webcam views courtesy of the Boston Yacht Club, the Mount Washington Observatory, Mad River Valley Television and NEON/PhenoCam.

MOAM Out.

Woodworking Tip of the Day: Bandsaw Safety: Guide Height, Hand Zone, Relief Cuts and Round Stock

This is catching the MOAM's attention today….. the bandsaw is the friendly one in the shop. It cuts down toward the table, so it doesn't throw stock back at your belt buckle like a table saw can. That's exactly why people get casual with it. But the blade is still an open strip of steel running at full speed, and almost every bandsaw story starts with a hand that wandered into the wrong spot. Here's the short list I run through, pulled from the saw makers' own manuals and the woodworking magazines.

Why it matters: Popular Woodworking points out that a bandsaw's cutting force is aimed at the table, which all but eliminates kickback toward you. It can still drag small offcuts down into the throat plate, and a bad cut can snap the blade or pull it off the wheels. The Grizzly manual says dull blades take more effort and raise the risk of accidents, and OSHA's woodworking rules call for pulling dull, badly set or improperly tensioned saws out of service before they start to jam or kick back.

Materials

• A sharp blade that suits the job, not cracked and with no missing teeth
• Safety glasses, hearing protection and a dust mask or respirator
• A push stick or two, and a shop brush for the table
• A V-block or cradle jig for any round stock
• Your saw's owner's manual (yes, really, because the numbers differ)

Tools

• The bandsaw, unplugged for setup
• A pencil for the layout line
• A shop vac or dust collector hooked up

Steps

1. Unplug it and check the blade. Teeth point down toward the table. Look it over for cracks and missing teeth before every use. Grizzly says not to run a dull, cracked or badly worn blade. Fine Woodworking's tell for a dull one is that it takes extra pressure to cut, runs hotter and leaves a dark end on the kerf. Make sure the wheel covers are closed.
2. Set tension and guides. Tension to the scale for the blade width, as your manual says. Grizzly's 14" saw fine-tunes it by backing the tension off until the blade just flutters, then going 1/4 turn tighter. Set the guides and thrust bearing close to the blade without touching it. Grizzly says about 0.016" behind the blade (four thicknesses of a folded dollar bill) and Laguna says about 1/16" behind the teeth.
3. Drop the upper guide to about 1/4" above the stock and lock the post. Laguna, Grizzly's 9" saw, and the University of Washington shop all say 1/4". Popular Woodworking says 1/4" or less, since a guide set too high leaves the blade unsupported and it can twist. Rikon says 1/8" to 1/4". Be aware that Grizzly's 14" manual allows up to 1", and Fine Woodworking's curve-cutting article uses 1/2" as a gap that still blocks your fingers from passing under. Follow your manual, and keep it as low as the cut allows.
4. Plan the cut so you never back out of a curve. Match the blade width to the radius. Fine Woodworking says a 1/2" blade won't make a 1" radius. For a tight curve, make relief cuts first from the waste edge, stopping just short of the line and about an inch apart. The waste falls away in small pieces and the blade doesn't pinch. Backing out of a short straight cut is OK, but not out of a curve, where the stock can catch the back of the blade and pull it off the wheels.
5. Suit up. Glasses, hearing protection, and a dust mask, with the dust collector running. Laguna, Rikon and Grizzly all list these.
6. Set your hand zone. Popular Woodworking says to keep your hands outside a 3" boundary around the blade and the guide/guard. The University of Washington shop says at least 2" to the side of the blade and never in front of it. I go with 3". Hold the stock flat on the table with your hands off to the sides. Never put your fingers in line with the blade. Narrow or small pieces get a push stick, jig or vise. Scraps on the table get a brush or a stick, never your fingers.
7. Round stock goes in a V-block. A dowel on the bare table is unsupported where the blade bites it, so it spins and drags your fingers in. The University of Washington says to hold round or cylindrical pieces in a V fixture, and Popular Woodworking says to V-block all round stock. Betty Scarpino wrote in American Woodturner that a dowel as small as 1/4" can break a blade. Keep your hands at the outer ends of the jig, well off the cut line.
8. Start and cut. Switch on and let it come to full speed first. Never start with the work touching the blade. Feed evenly with light pressure, and don't twist the blade around small curves. If the motor is dragging, you're feeding too fast. Lightly cupped boards go cupped side down on the table. Grizzly says not to cut badly warped stock at all.
9. Stop it, then fix it. To back a piece out of a curve, jammed scrap or a broken blade: switch off and let the blade stop on its own. Don't try to slow it with your hand or the wood. Unplug it before you reach into the table slot to clear a jam. When you're done, wait for a full stop, unplug, brush off the table and, if it's going to sit, release the blade tension (Grizzly and Laguna both say this saves blade and saw).

One more thing on stance: Popular Woodworking says the blade, if it breaks and flies off the wheels, tends to whip to the right as you face the saw. Facing the blade is the usual stance. Keep a balanced footing, and don't stand in the whip path when you don't have to.

MOAM's shop note: The easy mistake is raising the guide for one tall cut and then leaving it up for the next skinny one. It takes five seconds to drop it, and that's the difference between a blade that's guarded and supported and one that's waving around in the open. Do it every cut, along with the glasses and the push stick. The number of times I've heard "I only needed one quick cut" is the reason these rules exist.

Sources: Laguna V10 Bandsaw owner's manual; Grizzly Model W1706 14" and W1878 9" bandsaw manuals; Rikon 10-324TG 14" bandsaw manual; University of Washington Woodshop band saw safety procedures; Popular Woodworking, "Band Saws" (2008); Fine Woodworking, "How to Cut Flawless Curves on the Bandsaw"; Betty Scarpino, American Woodturner (Feb 2016); OSHA 29 CFR 1910.213 (bandsaws and inspection and maintenance of woodworking machinery). OSHA's rules are written for workplaces; they're still good sense in a home shop.

MOAM Out.

This is catching the MOAM's attention today….. the bandsaw is the friendly one in the shop. It cuts down toward the table, so it doesn't throw stock back at your belt buckle like a table saw can. That's exactly why people get casual with it. But the blade is still an open strip of steel running at full speed, and almost every bandsaw story starts with a hand that wandered into the wrong spot. Here's the short list I run through, pulled from the saw makers' own manuals and the woodworking magazines.

Why it matters: Popular Woodworking points out that a bandsaw's cutting force is aimed at the table, which all but eliminates kickback toward you. It can still drag small offcuts down into the throat plate, and a bad cut can snap the blade or pull it off the wheels. The Grizzly manual says dull blades take more effort and raise the risk of accidents, and OSHA's woodworking rules call for pulling dull, badly set or improperly tensioned saws out of service before they start to jam or kick back.

Materials

• A sharp blade that suits the job, not cracked and with no missing teeth
• Safety glasses, hearing protection and a dust mask or respirator
• A push stick or two, and a shop brush for the table
• A V-block or cradle jig for any round stock
• Your saw's owner's manual (yes, really, because the numbers differ)

Tools

• The bandsaw, unplugged for setup
• A pencil for the layout line
• A shop vac or dust collector hooked up

Steps

1. Unplug it and check the blade. Teeth point down toward the table. Look it over for cracks and missing teeth before every use. Grizzly says not to run a dull, cracked or badly worn blade. Fine Woodworking's tell for a dull one is that it takes extra pressure to cut, runs hotter and leaves a dark end on the kerf. Make sure the wheel covers are closed.
2. Set tension and guides. Tension to the scale for the blade width, as your manual says. Grizzly's 14" saw fine-tunes it by backing the tension off until the blade just flutters, then going 1/4 turn tighter. Set the guides and thrust bearing close to the blade without touching it. Grizzly says about 0.016" behind the blade (four thicknesses of a folded dollar bill) and Laguna says about 1/16" behind the teeth.
3. Drop the upper guide to about 1/4" above the stock and lock the post. Laguna, Grizzly's 9" saw, and the University of Washington shop all say 1/4". Popular Woodworking says 1/4" or less, since a guide set too high leaves the blade unsupported and it can twist. Rikon says 1/8" to 1/4". Be aware that Grizzly's 14" manual allows up to 1", and Fine Woodworking's curve-cutting article uses 1/2" as a gap that still blocks your fingers from passing under. Follow your manual, and keep it as low as the cut allows.
4. Plan the cut so you never back out of a curve. Match the blade width to the radius. Fine Woodworking says a 1/2" blade won't make a 1" radius. For a tight curve, make relief cuts first from the waste edge, stopping just short of the line and about an inch apart. The waste falls away in small pieces and the blade doesn't pinch. Backing out of a short straight cut is OK, but not out of a curve, where the stock can catch the back of the blade and pull it off the wheels.
5. Suit up. Glasses, hearing protection, and a dust mask, with the dust collector running. Laguna, Rikon and Grizzly all list these.
6. Set your hand zone. Popular Woodworking says to keep your hands outside a 3" boundary around the blade and the guide/guard. The University of Washington shop says at least 2" to the side of the blade and never in front of it. I go with 3". Hold the stock flat on the table with your hands off to the sides. Never put your fingers in line with the blade. Narrow or small pieces get a push stick, jig or vise. Scraps on the table get a brush or a stick, never your fingers.
7. Round stock goes in a V-block. A dowel on the bare table is unsupported where the blade bites it, so it spins and drags your fingers in. The University of Washington says to hold round or cylindrical pieces in a V fixture, and Popular Woodworking says to V-block all round stock. Betty Scarpino wrote in American Woodturner that a dowel as small as 1/4" can break a blade. Keep your hands at the outer ends of the jig, well off the cut line.
8. Start and cut. Switch on and let it come to full speed first. Never start with the work touching the blade. Feed evenly with light pressure, and don't twist the blade around small curves. If the motor is dragging, you're feeding too fast. Lightly cupped boards go cupped side down on the table. Grizzly says not to cut badly warped stock at all.
9. Stop it, then fix it. To back a piece out of a curve, jammed scrap or a broken blade: switch off and let the blade stop on its own. Don't try to slow it with your hand or the wood. Unplug it before you reach into the table slot to clear a jam. When you're done, wait for a full stop, unplug, brush off the table and, if it's going to sit, release the blade tension (Grizzly and Laguna both say this saves blade and saw).

One more thing on stance: Popular Woodworking says the blade, if it breaks and flies off the wheels, tends to whip to the right as you face the saw. Facing the blade is the usual stance. Keep a balanced footing, and don't stand in the whip path when you don't have to.

MOAM's shop note: The easy mistake is raising the guide for one tall cut and then leaving it up for the next skinny one. It takes five seconds to drop it, and that's the difference between a blade that's guarded and supported and one that's waving around in the open. Do it every cut, along with the glasses and the push stick. The number of times I've heard "I only needed one quick cut" is the reason these rules exist.

Sources: Laguna V10 Bandsaw owner's manual; Grizzly Model W1706 14" and W1878 9" bandsaw manuals; Rikon 10-324TG 14" bandsaw manual; University of Washington Woodshop band saw safety procedures; Popular Woodworking, "Band Saws" (2008); Fine Woodworking, "How to Cut Flawless Curves on the Bandsaw"; Betty Scarpino, American Woodturner (Feb 2016); OSHA 29 CFR 1910.213 (bandsaws and inspection and maintenance of woodworking machinery). OSHA's rules are written for workplaces; they're still good sense in a home shop.

MOAM Out.

New Real Estate Listings on the North Shore Today – Monday, November 2

New Listings Today – North Shore 29 Towns

This is catching the MOAM's attention today….. 13 new listings hit the North Shore market over the last 24 hours, across 8 towns.

Top towns: Danvers 3, Lynn 3, Gloucester 2, and 1 each in Marblehead, Rockport, Peabody, Groveland and Beverly.

By property type: Residential Lease (rentals) 7 · Residential 4 · Residential Income (multi-families) 2.

The MOAM's take: more than half of today's new listings are rentals, which is typical as we head into the colder months. Buyers who keep shopping through November often find sellers more willing to talk.

Contact Nanepashemet to view these.
Nanepashemet Real Estate Services
Call or text 781-727-6516
jnestor@nanepashemet.com

MOAM Out.

Listing data courtesy of MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN); listings shown are held by various brokerages. Nanepashemet Real Estate Services, MA Broker Lic. 136995-RE-B.

Boston Sports Morning Report — Monday, Nov. 2

Not for nuthin'…. But….. that was a pretty good Sunday. The Pats were down 13-3 at the half in the rain down in Miami, missing A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins and TreVeyon Henderson, and Drake Maye just went out and put up 21 straight points. Couple hours earlier, Jayson Tatum dropped 32 in Orlando and the Celtics made it five in a row. Not bad for a weekend we got an extra hour of.

Short version: the B's host Vegas at 7:00 tonight, the Celts are in Houston at 8:30, the Pats get Green Bay at home Sunday, and the Sox are still in hot-stove mode.

New England Patriots

• Yesterday: W 24-19 @ Miami Dolphins (Maye 16-of-20, 199 yards, TD passes to Kyle Williams for 43 and DeMario Douglas for 48, plus a 2-yard TD run; Rhamondre Stevenson 82 rushing yards)
• Today: No game
• Next: Sun., Nov. 8, 4:25 PM ET, vs Green Bay Packers (home, FOX)
• Standings: 5-3, 2nd in the AFC East, 1.5 games behind Buffalo (6-1), No. 7 in the AFC (last wild-card spot); 3-0 in the division

Half the receiving room in street clothes and they still found a way. Hunter Henry left with a foot injury, so keep an eye on the injury report this week before Green Bay comes to town.

Boston Celtics

• Yesterday: W 108-97 @ Orlando Magic (Tatum 32 points, 15-of-17 at the line; Paul George 17 points, 8 assists; Derrick White 12, Luka Garza 12)
• Today: Mon., Nov. 2, 8:30 PM ET, @ Houston Rockets
• Next: Wed., Nov. 4, 7:30 PM ET, vs Milwaukee Bucks (home)
• Standings: 5-1, 2nd in the Atlantic, half a game behind Philadelphia (6-1), No. 3 in the East

Five straight wins. Tonight's the back end of a back-to-back against a Houston team that's 6-1, so this one's a real measuring stick.

Boston Bruins

• Yesterday: No game (last game: W 5-4 in OT vs Chicago on Sat., Oct. 31)
• Today: Mon., Nov. 2, 7:00 PM ET, vs Vegas Golden Knights (home, NESN)
• Next: Thu., Nov. 5, 7:00 PM ET, @ Pittsburgh Penguins (NESN)
• Standings: 10-4-1, 21 points, 1st in the Atlantic (1 point up on Montreal), No. 2 in the East, 5 points behind Carolina (12-2-2, 26 points)

The B's are 6-1 at the Garden this year and Vegas comes in 9-5-1. Good night to keep that home streak rolling.

Boston Red Sox

• Yesterday / Today: No games, offseason
• Next: 2027 Opening Day is Thu., March 25, @ Seattle Mariners (time TBA); home opener Thu., April 1, vs Cincinnati
• Final standings: 87-75, 3rd in the AL East, swept by the Yankees in the AL Wild Card round

Quiet on Jersey Street. Pitchers and catchers can't come soon enough.

That's the Monday board. B's at 7:00, Celts at 8:30, so you can flip back and forth all night.

MOAM Out.

MOAM: Question 7, Starter Homes vs. Local Control. What It Could Mean for the North Shore

MOAM: Question 7, Starter Homes vs. Local Control. What It Could Mean for the North Shore

Tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 3, Massachusetts voters decide ten ballot questions. As a Marblehead REALTOR®, the one I get asked about most is Question 7, "Single Family Homes."

What a yes vote does

A yes vote would allow a single-family home in any residentially zoned area on a lot of at least 5,000 square feet with at least 50 feet of frontage and access to public water and sewer. Today, each city and town sets its own minimum lot size. Under Question 7, a lot that meets those three tests could get a single-family home by right, even where local zoning now requires a bigger lot.

Towns would still be able to regulate height, distance from neighboring buildings, open space, parking and short-term rentals, and the state's Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities could issue regulations. Boston, which has its own zoning statute, is exempt. A no vote changes nothing.

The case for

Wesley Lima of Legalize Starter Homes signed the argument in favor. Supporters see it as one way to add housing supply in a state struggling with high prices and limited inventory. Smaller lots mean smaller, less expensive homes. Those are the "starter homes" young families tell me they can't find, and the right-sized homes downsizers want so they can stay in town.

The case against

Adam Chapdelaine of the Massachusetts Municipal Association signed the argument against. Opponents say zoning should stay mainly under local control, and that one statewide standard can't account for the differences between communities.

Here in Marblehead, Select Board Chair Dan Fox opposes it. He told the Marblehead Current that in a built-out town "where small lots, narrow streets, infrastructure limitations, parking and neighborhood character all matter," eliminating local zoning requirements "could have significant unintended consequences." Planning Board Chair Marc Liebman also opposes it, saying it could "majorly reshape our neighborhoods, density and population."

Don't confuse it with MBTA Communities

Marblehead just finished a separate zoning fight. On Oct. 26 the state found the town in compliance with the MBTA Communities Act, accepting a 40.8-acre multifamily district built mostly on Tedesco Country Club land, with estimated capacity for 900 units. That law covers multifamily housing. Question 7 covers single-family lots. They are two different things.

What it could mean for prices and inventory

Honestly, nobody knows yet. The state's own fiscal statement says new housing "could provide positive new growth revenues" but the scale is "difficult to project." The Marblehead Independent noted that the available figures don't show how many Marblehead lots it would affect. In older North Shore towns, many lots are already smaller than 5,000 square feet, so the bigger change may come in towns with large-lot zoning. Over time, more buildable lots could mean more inventory and some relief on prices for entry-level buyers. It could also mean more teardowns and tighter streets. That's the trade-off on the ballot.

Whatever you decide, please vote tomorrow. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

So what do you think? Should the state set a floor for starter homes, or should each town keep the final say on its own lots?

Questions about what Question 7 could mean for your property? Call or text me at 781-727-6516, or visit nanepashemet.com.

John Nestor, REALTOR®, Marblehead

#MOAM #Question7 #Marblehead #NorthShore #mapoli

Sources

• Mass. Secretary of the Commonwealth: 2026 Ballot Question 7
• Marblehead Current: Nine questions, one ballot (Oct. 14, 2026)
• Marblehead Independent: Marblehead voters to fill open congressional seat, weigh 10 ballot questions

New England This Morning — November 2, 2026

Not for nuthin'…. But….. Monday came in with the sun out and the mercury climbing. After a frosty week up north, it's shaping up to feel more like late September than November, with highs in the mid 60s from the harbor to the valleys. Here's how four corners of New England looked around 7:30 this Monday morning.

Marblehead Harbor (BYC Oceanfront) — The sun is up over the far shore, laying a gold streak across a calm, rippled harbor, with a few thin wisps in a blue sky and the moorings mostly empty now. Mostly sunny today with a high near 66 and a southwest breeze around 10 mph. Not bad for the second of November.

Mount Washington, NH (Observatory North View) — The lens is clear today. A light dusting of snow and rime covers the summit rocks, the northern Presidentials stand out dark and sharp, and a low gray lid of cloud hangs overhead with a bright band of light on the horizon. Partly sunny with a high in the mid 40s and west winds of 25 to 40 mph.

Mad River Valley, VT (Great Eddy Covered Bridge) — Back on the air. The old covered bridge in Waitsfield, still water reflecting the houses across the river, bare birches and the last rusty reds of the season. Mostly sunny with a high near 66.

Bartlett Experimental Forest, NH — From the top of the NEON tower, the hardwoods are bare and gray, the pines and hemlocks hold the green, and the mountains sit in browns under a pale blue sky with a band of cloud. Partly sunny with a high near 65 and light winds.

Webcam views courtesy of the Boston Yacht Club, the Mount Washington Observatory, Mad River Valley Television and NEON/PhenoCam.

MOAM Out.

Woodworking Tip of the Day: Flattening Your Sharpening Stones: Pencil Grid, Lapping Plate and How Often

Not for nuthin'…. But….. the sharpest-looking set of stones in a lot of shops is also the reason the chisels won't pare a clean shaving. Waterstones wear every time you use them, and they wear the most right in the middle. Nobody notices until the plane iron comes off the stone with a rounded edge and a back that won't lap flat. I've got a dory's worth of bevels, gains and frames to cut this winter, so I went back to the stone makers' own instructions and the Fine Woodworking and Popular Woodworking articles and wrote down how I keep mine flat.

Why it matters: A waterstone cuts fast because its binder lets go and keeps exposing fresh abrasive. The price is that it dishes. Shapton says it plainly: the blade hits the middle of the stone more often, so the stone goes concave, and that makes for uneven sharpening. Tom Caspar wrote in Popular Woodworking that the wear "produces an undesirable curved edge on chisels and plane irons." It's worse on the back of a blade. Lay a flat back on a hollow stone and it only touches the high ends, so lapping it there rounds it over instead of flattening it. Paul Sellers' answer to that problem is to lap backs on something that stays flat, like a diamond plate or thick glass. A sharp edge is where two faces meet, and a dished stone spoils both of them.

Oilstones vs. waterstones: Norton says its oilstones (benchstones) "typically do not require flattening with normal use" because they're hard, but after years of steady use they can dish in the spots where you bear down the most. Waterstones are the other way around: they dish easily, but they're quick to bring back. Same job, different schedule.

Materials

• Your sharpening stones, every grit (not just the coarse one)
• A soft pencil
• Water, plus a tub or a sink without a garbage disposal (DMT says the slurry is hard on disposal bearings)
• Rags and a stiff nylon brush for cleanup

Tools: pick one flattener

• Diamond lapping plate. The DMT Dia-Flat (DMT is out of Marlborough, Mass.) is 10" × 4", ground flat to ±0.0005", and comes in 120 micron for stones of 1000 grit and coarser or 95 micron for finer stones. An Atoma plate is 140x or 400x diamond on a 10 mm aluminum block, flat to ±0.04 mm (about 0.0016"). Lee Valley suggests the 400x for general truing and the 140x when you need to take off a lot fast.
• Coarse diamond stone. Lee Valley says a coarse (about 400x) metal-backed diamond plate makes a good flattener and doubles for grinding a primary bevel. There's a catch, though. DMT doesn't recommend its regular sharpening plates for lapping stones, only the ones marked Dia-Flat, and Deneb Puchalski (Fine Woodworking) warns that some diamond stones wear out of flat fast. If you use one, keep it just for lapping.
• Silicon carbide grit on glass. Lee Valley's lapping kit says to true stones with 90x or 180x and finish with 280x, on plate glass, with water as the only lubricant for waterstones. Their guide calls for glass at least 1/4" thick, supported on flat plywood or MDF so it can't flex. A plastic laminate sheet on the glass keeps the grit from dishing the glass itself. (Don't use loose grit on a steel plate for waterstones. Lee Valley says the oxides from a wet ferrous lap will ruin the stone.)
• Wet/dry sandpaper on glass or granite. It's the cheapest way in. Norton says 100 grit, Charlesworth used 180 or 240 on 1/2" float glass, and Caspar used 220 on plate glass 1/4" or thicker. Lee Valley also lists coarse aluminum oxide sheet (over 100 micron) on glass or granite. Sellers' advice for a flat granite tile is to take a straightedge to the store and pick through them until you find a flat one.
• Grooved silicon carbide flattening stone. Norton recommends one. Soak it and the waterstone, then rub them together, and the grooves carry the slurry away.
• Shapton's Diamond Glass Lapping Plate is only for stones of 500 grit (30 micron) and finer. Don't use it on coarse stones, don't put loose grit on it and don't run hot water over it.
• A good straightedge

Steps

1. Wet everything. Soak your soaking stones the way the maker says. Shapton says to give its stones 2 to 3 minutes before lapping and to let other brands soak up all the water they can hold. Set the plate or glass on something solid and flat, and splash it with water.
2. Draw a pencil grid across the whole face of the stone. Fine Woodworking, Lee Valley and Shapton all start this way. The pencil shows you what the stone is doing.
3. Lap with long figure-8 strokes. DMT says to use long, overlapping figure-8s with light to moderate pressure and the whole plate, and to finish lighter so you leave fewer scratches. Shapton's way, forward and back and then both diagonals, works just as well. Turn the stone end for end now and then. Keep it wet, and rinse the slurry out of the plate's grooves as it builds up.
4. Read the grid. The lines go first on the high spots. On a dished stone that's the ends and edges, and the middle hangs onto its lines the longest. When every line is gone, the stone is flat. Lee Valley says not to fuss if it doesn't quite reach the corners, since that's the part of the stone that matters least.
5. Check it with a straightedge. Lay it along the length, the width and both diagonals and hold the stone up to the light. If any light shows under it, go back to the plate.
6. Chamfer the edges. Caspar sands a 45° bevel on every edge of the stone "to prevent flaking." Charlesworth eased the soft edges so they wouldn't crumble. Touch them up after each flattening, since lapping leaves a sharp corner again.
7. Do every stone. The 1000, the 4000 and the 8000 all wear, just at different rates. Rinse and brush each stone before you go to the next grit so coarse grit doesn't ride along and scratch up your finish stone. If you'd rather lap stone against stone, use three and keep rotating them. Lee Valley warns that rubbing just two together can leave one concave and the other convex.
8. Clean up the flattener. DMT says to clean and dry the Dia-Flat after every use, and to scrub any diamond plate now and then with a nylon brush and a mild cleanser. Lee Valley says to wipe the swarf out of an Atoma's channels. Put a straightedge across your plate or glass once in a while too, because a flattener that isn't flat just copies its own error into every stone.

How often? More often than you'd think. Lee Valley says to lap waterstones every 3 to 5 minutes of use. Shapton says to lap every time you sharpen a blade. Charlesworth flattened his 800 after about 100 strokes of back work, and Caspar flattened his three stones before every session, which he said took a minute or so. Plenty of folks flatten at the end of each session so the stones are ready the next time. Oilstones are on a much longer clock: check them with the straightedge now and then and flatten when they show a dish. The rule is little and often. A stone that's barely off comes back in a minute, and a badly dished one costs you a lot of stone.

One for the New England shop: Charlesworth warns not to store waterstones in water if the shop freezes at night, "because the stones will shatter." Come December in an unheated Marblehead shop, my soakers come in the house or get stored dry.

MOAM's shop note: The mistake I see most is flattening the 1000 and calling it done. The finish stone dishes too, just slower, and it's the last stone that touches your edge. The second most common is the fella who flattens only when he can see the hollow. By the time you can see it, you've already rounded a few irons. Draw the grid, lap it out, knock off the edges, and keep your flattener clean and flat. A few minutes, and every stone on the bench is flat.

Sources: DMT Dia-Flat product page and DMT FAQ, Lee Valley's Atoma Diamond Plates page, Lapping Grits instructions, "Getting Started with Japanese Water Stones," "Care and Maintenance of Ceramic and Water Stones" and Sharpening by Hand guide, Shapton Diamond Glass Lapping Plate instructions and FAQ, Norton "A Guide to Waterstones" and "A Guide to Benchstones," David Charlesworth, "A User's Guide to Waterstones" (Fine Woodworking #169), Deneb Puchalski, "Flatten Waterstones with a Coarse Diamond Stone" (Fine Woodworking #224), Hendrik Varju, "Pencil and Paper" (Fine Woodworking), Tom Caspar, "Waterstones" (Popular Woodworking / American Woodworker), and Paul Sellers, "Sharpening on hollow stones."

MOAM Out.

New Real Estate Listings on the North Shore Today – Sunday, November 1

New Listings Today – North Shore 29 Towns

Not for nuthin'…. But….. it was a quiet Saturday on the North Shore, with 4 new listings hitting the market in the last 24 hours.

Towns: Peabody, Georgetown, Salem and Lynn added 1 each.

By property type: Residential Lease (rentals) 2 · Residential 1 · Commercial Sale 1.

The MOAM's take: weekends after Halloween are usually slow for new listings, so the folks listing now get a little less competition for eyeballs. Expect the pace to pick back up midweek.

Contact Nanepashemet to view these.
Nanepashemet Real Estate Services
Call or text 781-727-6516
jnestor@nanepashemet.com

MOAM Out.

Listing data courtesy of MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN); listings shown are held by various brokerages. Nanepashemet Real Estate Services, MA Broker Lic. 136995-RE-B.

Boston Sports Morning Report — Sunday, Nov. 1

Not for nuthin'…. But….. what a way to finish Halloween on Causeway Street. The Bruins were down 4-2 to Chicago in the third, Mason Lohrei got one back, Morgan Geekie tied it with 12 seconds left, and Elias Lindholm won it in overtime, 5-4. Five straight wins at home. Hope everybody enjoyed that extra hour of sleep, because it's a big Sunday.

Short version: the Celts are in Orlando at 3:30, the Pats are in Miami at 4:25, the B's are back Monday night against Vegas, and the Sox are still in hot-stove mode.

Boston Bruins

• Yesterday: W 5-4 (OT) vs Chicago Blackhawks (Pastrnak, Mittelstadt, Lohrei and Geekie scored in regulation, Lindholm in OT; McAvoy 2 assists, Peterka 2 assists)
• Today: No game
• Next: Mon., Nov. 2, 7:00 PM ET, vs Vegas Golden Knights (home, NESN)
• Standings: 10-4-1, 21 points, 1st in the Atlantic (1 point up on Montreal), No. 2 in the East, 3 points behind Carolina (11-2-2, 24 points)

Two goals down in the third and they never quit. That's the kind of win that builds a season. Vegas will be a tougher test Monday.

Boston Celtics

• Yesterday: No game (last game: W 125-111 vs Chicago on Fri., Oct. 30)
• Today: Sun., Nov. 1, 3:30 PM ET, @ Orlando Magic
• Next: Mon., Nov. 2, 8:30 PM ET, @ Houston Rockets
• Standings: 4-1, 2nd in the Atlantic, 1 game behind Philadelphia (6-1), No. 3 in the East

Four straight wins coming in, and Orlando is 2-3. Then it's right on to Houston for the back end of a back-to-back.

New England Patriots

• Yesterday: No game (last game: L 30-24 @ Chicago on Thu., Oct. 22)
• Today: Sun., Nov. 1, 4:25 PM ET, @ Miami Dolphins (CBS)
• Next: Sun., Nov. 8, 4:25 PM ET, vs Green Bay Packers (home, FOX)
• Standings: 4-3, 2nd in the AFC East, 1.5 games behind Buffalo (5-1), No. 8 in the AFC

Miami is 1-5 and the Pats have had ten days of rest. This is one you have to win if you want to keep pace with Buffalo.

Boston Red Sox

• Yesterday / Today: No games, offseason
• Next: 2027 Opening Day is Thu., March 25, @ Seattle Mariners (time TBA); home opener Thu., April 1, vs Cincinnati
• Final standings: 87-75, 3rd in the AL East, swept by the Yankees in the AL Wild Card round

Quiet on Jersey Street. Spring training's under four months away.

That's the Sunday board. Celts at 3:30, Pats at 4:25, so plan the afternoon accordingly.

MOAM Out.