Blade Cleaning

Shop made 48" Ruler

You don't have to spend big bucks for a reliable, accurate long ruler. I bought a 4 foot 1/8" by 1" aluminum angle bar from Home Depot for under $20, and a 4 foot adhesive bench tape from Lee Valley (item 25U02.02, $7.50, www.leevalley.com). Apply the tape on either edge of the bar, drill a hole in one end to hang it up, and there you go: a straight and level ruler for under $30.

SL6X Chalk Reel

SL6X! Sounds more like an exotic sports car than a chalk reel. The SL6X has a helical gear system (6:1 ratio) that makes this reel, really reel! According to Irwin, its' twisted polyester and nylon line is twice as strong as conventional line, and resists fraying and breaking. It also absorbs chalk quickly for darker, sharper lines. The body consists of durable die cast metal plates. The wide-pronged hook grips well and provides stable anchoring so you can snap a line at various angles. The rewind handle is metal, not plastic, and its' extra length affords greater torque when rewinding. The crank handle clutch releases the line without the handle spinning. Finally, the high-impact rubber grip prevents the reel from slipping and protects it when dropped. www.irwin.com    

SD Jig

Accurate oodworking Tools have had great success with their "Accurate Guide" self centering dado guide (see the review in Canadian Woodworking Magazine, Vol 6 No 6). They now have a new accessory that works in tandem with the Accurate Guide, which I've been using for almost two years and find extremely useful. The "SD Jig" enables you to cut dovetails on the ends of shelves, table aprons, drawer sides and the like, and to use the same router and router depth settings to cut the slots. The SD Jig is made of 1/8” aluminum and comes with a “positioning pin” for the router and aluminum “gauges” that are used in the Accurate Guide to give you the proper size dovetail. For more information visit www.accuratewoodtools.com

Splitstop Deck Screws

Tired of drilling and countersinking your desk screws? Take a look at the line of "Splitstop Deck Screws". They eliminate splitting in wood and mushrooming in composite material. The Splitstop shank-slotted point performs a pre-drilling function as well as taps for its unique, finely-threaded shank design. The result is a screw that works like a tool, tapping its own thread pattern as it goes through the wood instead of wedging its way, like a conventional fastener. In addition, the screw’s countersinking cutters cut a countersink hole to any depth, eliminating the need for a second drill and/or a countersinking tool. A machined appearance is achieved, as the under-head cutters are driven through the wood, even dense hardwoods like oak. The screws come in stainless steel, steel with ACQ-rated coating for pressure-treated lumber, steel with yellow-zinc finish for interior applications, and steel with Macrobrite finish, in either a square or Torx head. www.splitstop.com or 888-578-3273.

MILWAUKEE'S V28™

Battery power and run-time is always an issue among people who depend on portable power tools in their work. Milwaukee has developed a new generation of battery, the V28, that delivers up to 40% more power and up to
twice the run time of traditional 18-volt batteries. You hear that right folks! The specifications were tested and confirmed by Intertek ETL SEMKO, a leading supplier of testing and inspection services for consumer goods. Some of the noteworthy V28 features are: A built-in fuel gauge on the battery pack to inform users how much run-time is available; consistent, fade-free power throughout the discharge cycle; internal logging of tool use patterns in the battery pack memory chip so the data can be retrieved by Milwaukee engineering to help improve future cordless designs; and a generous two-year battery warranty. Expect a wealth of Milwaukee cordless power tools on the market supporting the new V28 technology. www.milwaukee.com

INSTA-STEP + Stair Brackets

Dekmate Inc. introduces the new INSTA-STEP +™ Stair Brackets, ideal for the do-it yourselfer, contractor or deck builder. The INSTA-STEP +™ Stair Brackets allow you to build any size professional looking stairs fast and easy. When constructing your stairs, the desired rise of your steps can be achieved by simply moving the bracket up or down on the stringer. The brackets have a unique decorative appearance and are made of high density polyethylene, for use with pressure treated lumber and composite decking. They will not rust or rot and can be mounted to 2 x 4, 2 x 6, 2 x 8 and 4 x 4 stringers. The + sign stands for other uses including bleacher seating, storage bins, picnic tables, market shelving, deck railing planter boxes and many more. Available at your local Building Centers across Canada. www.dekmate.com

Silky Saws

Silky saws are well known among arborists and gardeners for their durability and exceptional cutting ability. They are made in Japan by UM:KOGYO Inc, who have been manufacturing saws since 1919. Like all Japanese saws these cut as you pull the blade towards you, which requires less energy and gives you more control over the action of the saw. I recently tested three new Silky saws from Big Bear Tools, Canada's leading distributor of high quality Japanese saws. The taper ground blades on Silky saws are made from SK-4 high carbon steel, and chrome plated, which makes them extremely hard (as well as rust resistant). The teeth are impulse hardened by means of a special high frequency heating technique, which means they stay sharper three times longer than non-hardened saw teeth. The saws have a rubber compound elastomer handle, which makes them very comfortable to hold, reduces vibration and provides an excellent grip. The teeth can't be re-sharpened, so when the need arises, you simply replace them.

The saw in the top of the photo is a "Tsubasa", which has a 2" by 11" blade, a 13"handle, and comes with a protective case. It has 19 teeth per inch and does not have a spine, which makes it excellent for ripping through wide stock. It cuts very fast, and tracks well. At $49.95, this would make a well priced carpentry saw. The second saw is a "Woodboy", with a 1 3/4" by 9 1/2" blade, 11 1/2" handle and 29 teeth per inch. When the blade is folded into the handle the saw is only 12" long. I really liked this saw. It has excellent balance and makes a beautiful cut in both hard and softwoods. And, at $59.50 it's great value. You can tote this baby to the job site without the threat of damaging the teeth. The bottom saw in the photo is a "Pocketboy". It has a tapered blade 1 3/8"at its widest point, and 6 3/4" long, with 23 teeth per inch. When folded it fits snugly into a hard plastic case with a belt clip. At $35.99 it is not only a great saw for pruning trees, shrubs and the like, it makes a great portable saw for carpenters.

From left to right in the photo on the left you can see: the kerf left by my trusty Sandvik handsaw (the 'classic' western style handsaw); a very clean cut made by the the Tsubasa; a slightly wider cut made by the Pocketboy; and the narrow kerf made by the Woodboy.

If you're looking for an excellent Japanese style saw you can't go wrong checking out the Silky Saw line from Big Bear Tools.

Mini-X Dowel

Building on the enormous success of its Miller Dowel Joinery system, the Miller Dowel Co. recently introduced the Mini-X Dowel. The uniqueness of the Miller dowel is in its configuration: it's both stepped and ribbed. The dowel works in combination with a high speed steel stepped drill bit. Simply apply glue to both surfaces of stock you are joining and clamp them together, drill pilot holes using the stepped bit, apply glue to the dowels, and drive them home with a mallet. The drill depth determines how deep the dowel will be inserted, and as a result you can have the dowel countersunk, flush with the stock surface or left raised. If the dowel protrudes slightly but you want it flush, simply cut it with a flush cut saw. As well, you can drill holes at any angle. The resulting joint is quite strong; I've used Miller dowels on several projects with great success. The Mini-X dowels have a 1/4 inch cap, are 1 5/8 inch long and come in 4 species: Birch, Cherry, Red Oak and Walnut. They are designed for joining 1/2 inch stock to stock of any other thickness. The Miller 1X and 2X dowels are for joining stock 1 inch and 1 1/2 inch respectively. They make an excellent alternative to biscuits, standard dowels or screws. The Mini-X kit (the stepped bit and 100 birch dowels) sells for $29.50 at www.leevalley.com. 100 birch dowels sell for $17.50, while 100 cherry dowels are $28.50.

Veritas File/Rasp Handle

If you use files or rasps a lot, then you've undoubtedly ground away a bit of finger meat. This auxiliary handle is a neat device that allows you a more comfortable and efficient grip on your tools. You can use it on flat, round or triangular tools up to 1/4" thick and 1-3/16" wide. It holds the tool securely without flopping around and makes extensive filing easier. $16.50 to Feb 16, then $18.50. www.leevalley.com

Mastercraft Maximum Quik Flip™

There are a number of power bit accessories like this one on the market, however the Mastercraft Quik Flip™ has a pretty unique design: pre-drill and countersink with a drill bit, then flip the unit 180 degrees to expose a screwdriver bit, and drive in the screw. In theory and in practice this works well. Unfortunately the unit I tested had excessive wobble, making it difficult to accurately drill holes. The Quik Flip™ body is also very long, and once mounted in the drill extends out too far for comfortable drilling. It comes in a hard plastic case and has 11 pieces: the Quik Flip™, six screwdriver bits in the most popular sizes, and four countersinks with removable drill bits (#6, 8, 10, 12). The unit has an aluminum alloy body with a 1/4" hex shank. Available from Canadian Tire, item # 54-3800, for $39.99

Veritas 3-in-1 Brass Marking Gauge

A marking gauge is an indispensable shop tool, much more efficient and accurate than a ruler and pencil, particularly for marking out precision joints. The new Veritas "3-in-1" gauge is a 'combi tool': you can use it as a wheel gauge, a pin gauge, and a cutting gauge. The business end of the tool has a swiveling chuck to which you can attach either a pin or a blade. You secure the pin or blade with a set screw in one end of the 4-1/2" gauge stem. The other end of the stem is tapped to accept a 3/8" diameter wheel cutter. The eccentric fence is 1" in diameter. The gauge comes with a dozen spare blades, two hardened steel pins, a wheel cutter and screw, and a hex key. I like this gauge quite a bit. It's small, light, easy to set, fits nicely into an apron or shirt pocket, and does what it's supposed to do admirably. What more could you ask for from a tool priced at a ridiculously low $19.50. Get one from Lee Valley (product code #05N65.01).

Mark your calendar for April 2 and 3 for the Niagara Woodcarvers Show/Competition. The show will be held at the Optimist Recreation Park, 4751 Dorchester Rd. For more information call 905-354-8854 or go to their website.

The 2005 International Carver’s Conference is scheduled for September 9, 10, 11, 2005 in Kitchener, ON, with an expanded venue and program. Click for more information.

Claude Blanchard from Roxboro, PQ, sent in this sample of his turning. The lamp base is made of fifty six pieces of white pine and red cedar. The construction technique consist of a montage of six different sections assembled together using wood studs. Each of these sections were previously built out of a montage of eight pieces glued together in a pie form and than turned to its final shape. Claude turned this piece on a GENERAL wood lathe #160. Way to go Claude!

The table, by Michael Bowler from Ottawa, is made from poplar. He rough cut the lumber with a hand-held circular saw, then built the table primarily using a lathe, router, jig saw, and drill press. For all the accurate trimming he used a router with a straight bit. Michael uses it as a stand for his microwave. Not too shabby Michael!

Click here to see more details of this table, along with a construction plan.

Phil Spenser lives in Ferntree Gully outside Melbourne in Australia. He turned this bowl out of Jarrah Burl (a very hard wood with a red colour) as a housewarming present for friends. The bowl is about 10.5" in diameter and about 4" high, and there is a sleeping Koala (made of pewter) fixed to the rim. Phil likes to leave a natural edge and the tree features in the bowls. While he turns these bowls part seasoned, Phil says this one was hard to turn as the wood was cranky. The bowl has been finished with Friction polish and Wax. A real beauty Phil.

Now here's a nice late-winter project idea from Lee Brubaker in Edmonton, AB. Apparently he isn't too keen on building arbors, but he's done a stellar job on this one. Of his own design, this arbor was built a couple of years ago for his wife (who hates lattice and asked for something different). It was made entirely out of 4 x 4 fence posts; talk about the benefits of re-cycling!

Sponsor this Newsletter.

Our readers appreciate it!

click or call for details

519-449-2444