There's less than a week left until Christmas, so of course you've got all your gifts ready to be wrapped, right? Last year, I discovered a new way to decorate the wrapped package - wood shavings! Read the original post HERE.
Woodworking In America (WIA) was held in Covington, Kentucky this year. I attended the show as an exhibitor with Time Warp Tool Works. WIA was a very busy show which meant that I had very little time to wander the Marketplace where our booth was located. Here, I was chopping a mortise in a large piece … Continue reading What I Learned at Woodworking In America
To see how I connected the Festool D27 hose to the CEROS, click here. The Mirka CEROS (compact electric random orbital sander) is different from most electric sanders because it is powered by a brushless DC motor and requires a transformer. The sander, transformer and cord come packed in a Systainer 2 (2 refers to the size). Systainers … Continue reading Combining a Mirka CEROS with a Festool CT26
A slick is essentially a large chisel that can be used to pare or trim projections in the middle of a large surface. Many slicks have cranked handles (angled upwards) to provide the necessary clearance. They are often used in timber framing but their size makes the overkill in the shop. Useful or not, it's … Continue reading Slicks and Handles for Socket Chisels
I volunteered to reorganize the seminar room at Lee Valley Tools Coquitlam, where I work part-time. Part of the reorganization/rethinking involved building a cabinet with drawers to house all the sharpening paraphernalia. It also needed a flat top at a suitable height to use the Veritas MK II Power Sharpener, Tormek T-7, 1" belt grinder, … Continue reading Shop-Grade Cabinets
This article is about my experience with Laguna Tools, Inc. and Canadian Woodworker Ltd. I did not receive anything in exchange for writing this article and nobody but my friend and editor Mike knew that I was writing this article. California-based Laguna Tools has been a hot-button topic in woodworking forums for as long as I can … Continue reading My Experience with Laguna Tools, Inc. and Canadian Woodworker Ltd.
My workshop had only ever seen a 14" bandsaw but one month ago, I upgraded to an LT16-3000 from Laguna Tools Inc. While setting up the saw, I ran into a few problems with the Chinese-made saw but once it was operational, it worked as I had expected. (For the record, I believe that the overall quality … Continue reading Review of Laguna’s LT16-3000 Bandsaw
End mills are similar to the spiral bits that we woodworkers use, only they are designed for use with metal. However they can often be had at lower prices, especially long bits. This recent thread on the Festool Owners Group has some good information on using end mill bits in a router. Post #12 has … Continue reading Machinists’ End Mills and Routers
With proper technique, removing bearings from router bits can be a safe and straight-forward procedure. Removing shaft-mounted bearingsfrom a bit is easiest - simply loosen a set screw in the locking collar and slide off the collar followed by the bearing. This is easy because the set screw is perpendicular to the shaft. End-mounted bearings … Continue reading Removing Router Bearings
First of all, if you are not familiar with SawStop technology you should look into it. Basically, the saw detects when the blade comes in contact with something conductive such as your finger. When that happens, the aluminum brake is rammed into the blade stopping the blade's rotation, saving your fingers. This video shows how … Continue reading Why Not a SawStop?
