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Canadian Woodworking eNewsletter #3 August 2004 |
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Table of Contents
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Canadian Woodworking Expands DistributionFive New Locations Offering MagazineFive more woodworking stores/chains are now offering Canadian Woodworking Magazine for sale (see website for local listings).
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From the Publisher´s DeskBy: Paul FulcherHow would you like to see one of your projects in our newsletter? Send us a digital picture along with a short description of the project (100 words or less). We´ll post one project in each upcoming issue of the newsletter. Woods to KnowAspen Although one of the most widely distributed trees in Canada, Aspen is generally hard to come by at wood retailers. It seems that most of it is used in the pulp and plywood industries and for pallets and crating. It´s also used in the manufacture of chopsticks. Aspen is part of the Poplar family, so may end up being sold as such.The grain of Aspen is straight and even. Sapwood is grayish white with heartwood running into the light brown tones. Pretty much on the bland side. On the plus side, it machines well and is easy to work with hand tools. It nails, screws, glues and sands well, and takes stain tolerably well - don´t we all fancy wood like this! On the down side it doesn‚t have high shock resistance and wouldn´t be your choice in a bending wood. It´s about as soft as Basswood and half as hard as Cherry. At $3.75 per square foot it´! s nicely priced, if you can get it. Specific gravity of .408, radial movement of 3 percent and tangential movement of 7 percent. Volumetric shrinkage of 12 percent. Shop TipsWhen gluing up a panel you´ll get a better distribution of clamping pressure by inserting a 3/4" dowel between the clamp pads and panel.Use discarded pantyhose to strain finishes. Putting a dab of wax on the tip of screws makes it a lot easier to drive them home and helps prevent splitting. Most of us use pencils when marking layout lines; it´s much easier to remove these lines using lacquer thinner than sanding them off. Web ResourcesThe Able Workshop The Able Workshop is a web site dedicated to providing resources for disabled woodworker. The site is hosted by Paul Aziz, who is a paraplegic. The site features information on shop safety along with a range of shop tips, specifically geared to the disabled woodworker. You can also see some of Paul´s work. www.ableworkshop.com.
Vintage Woodworking
Spotlight on Canadian SuppliersNick´s Equipment Sales This month´s spotlight takes us to Petrolia, Ontario, where the world´s oil industry started (honestly, check it out at www.petroliaheritage.com). Petrolia is also the domain of Nick´s Equipment Sales. Nick and Jessie have been selling tools and equipment since the early 80s. Nick carries a surprisingly wide range of stock. You´ll find the popular Beall Hinge jigs, the full range of Mule table saw accessories, a nice selection of scroll saw supplies, some pretty neat reproduction furniture hardware, the Zona line of precision saws (they´re excellent for cutting fine dovetails), furniture plans and a lot more. I´ve ordered a few times from Nicks, and found the prices good and the service excellent. Order from their web site (www.nicks.ca) or by calling 800-387-2224.
New Products
www.fein.ca or 800-265-2581.
Shop Tested Corner and Edge Guards Moving or shipping furniture can be nerve racking. All that work, then ding on this corner, bong on that one. Well, Kord Molded Pulp products has the corner covered when it comes to, well, covering the corners. Their corner and edge guards are made of re-cycled paper. They dampen vibration, absorb impacts and dissipate shock energy. And to boot, they´re inexpensive. I´ve used them on several shipments, and am really pleased with their performance. You´ll be too. www.kordmoldedpulp.com or 800.452.9070 Web ResourcesWood Explorer
Canadian Woodworking Expands DistributionFive New Locations Offering MagazineFive more woodworking stores/chains are now offering Canadian Woodworking Magazine for sale (see website for local listings).
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If you own a vintage woodworking machine then you need to check out 
Akeda makes one of the best dovetail jigs on the market (see our review in Vol.6 No.3 June/July 2003 of Canadian Woodworking Magazine). Months ago a fire destroyed their production facility. Now they´re back up and shipping again. Jigs and kits may initially be in short supply, so you might want to place an order with your dealer now. Akeda has also announced the availability of new guide bushings in three sizes: standard 7/16 inch, and .004 inch oversize and .004 inch undersize. These are precision thin wall guide bushings, accurate to within .001". 
Freud´s SD600 Series Dial-A-Width Dado set is a stacked dado set, but the shims have been replaced with a patented dial system, allowing micro-adjustments. The micro grain carbide teeth give splinter-free, flat-bottom grooves in a variety of materials. Each "click" of the dial adjusts the blade by .004 inch, with an adjustable width range of 1/4 inch to 29/32 inch.
Fein Power Tools have a line of new cordless drill/drives on the block, from 9 to 18 volt. Typical Fein fare: excellent quality, high price. 
DuraGRIT, makers of tungsten carbide abrasive sanding blocks, burrs and accessories, has a unique opportunity for woodworking clubs to raise money. Club members are invited to become Dura-GRIT Dealers for their club. No pressure, no minimum orders, no sales expectations, just buy when you fancy, at dealer discount and resell at a profit that you can pass on to your club. The volume discounts are very generous - up to 50% (with mixed items) and the programme is attracting a lot of attention. Where else today, can you get returns on an investment like this? 
The Wood Explorer is CD based library of information on over 1650 species of wood. You can search by a variety of criteria, including Common Name, General Criteria (e.g. country, common use), Numerical Criteria (e.g. bending strength, dry weight), and Physical Criteria (e.g. grain, lustre, resistance to abrasion). A nice feature is that you can combine the various search criteria. For example, searching for fine textured, mottled figure wood from Canada results in one species: Sugar Maple. For each species there is extensive data, including Scientific Name, Common Names, Grain, Texture, Durability, ease of Gluing, Planing and Sanding, and Numerical Data. You can compare species across a number of fixed criteria (bending strength, weight, hardness, etc). There is also a glossary of terms, and a link to an on-line data base of additional info!
rmation and resources.