Happy New Year everyone!

I have a great feeling about 2010 already. We have planed many exciting things for the magazine, website, forum and of course, this eNewsletter. I can't tell you much more than that without spoiling the surprises, but my advice is to stay tuned because you are not going to what to miss any of it.

We have another jam-packed newsletter this month full of new tools for you to check out as well as a great learning opportunity at Rosewood Studio that you're not going to want to miss. We also have a review of a series of videos put out by Hendrik Varju that you'll want to check out. As well as a simple jig to help you handle round stock for drilling.

Work proud . . . work safe.

Vic Tesolin
Editor, CWHI Magazine

Cool Online Tool from Home Hardware

Home Hardware has unveiled a great new online application that can help you design and visualize your future kitchen upgrade. Home Hardware’s Virtual Planner is a 3D interactive tool that allows you to design, decorate or renovate your kitchen, by choosing from thousands of Beauti-Tone paint colours, as well as a variety of countertop and flooring options.

The application features: Dynamic Imaging, Interactive 3D Planning, Color Swatching, 360 Degree Spin, Product Zoom, Interactive Catalogue and more.

Let them help you create the kitchen of your dreams with high quality and affordable cabinets. Exclusive to Home Hardware and proudly made in Canada.

Tormek Announces T-7 Upgrades

The three most recently added improvements to the Tormek T-7 directly address concerns expressed by customers. New features improve stone changing, water management and corrosion protection.

“The new EzyLock system for the grindstone uses a self-tightening stain­less steel knob to secure the grindstone. No tools are required and you don’t need to exert any pressure on the nut to secure the grindstone” says Tormek CEO Håkan Persson. This construction also makes it very easy to change grindstones, from the standard aluminum oxide to the new specialty stones (black stone silicon and the 4000 Grit Japanese water stone).

Another improvement to the Tormek T-7 is the new Advanced Water Trough AWT-250. It addresses customer concerns about water splash while sharpen­ing certain tools. The standard lip has been enlarged considerably, and for those long tools that drip water well over the edge of the lip (like chef’s knives and planer blades) just add the water chute, which attaches easily and directs the water back into the trough.

The new water trough also has an incorporated magnet, which attracts the steel cut from your tools and keeps your stone cleaner and more free-cutting. For those drippy jobs where the water chute is needed, Tormek has added a pair of Tilt Shoes for the T-7. When put on the feet of the machine, they put the frame on a slight angle so that the water that lands on the frame runs back into the water trough.

The frame of the T-7 is now treated with an Electrodeposition (ED) coating that provides superior corrosion protection and forms the foundation for the tough powder coat paint finish. This combination finish is designed to withstand even outdoor environments (but don’t take your Tormek outside – the motor and electrical systems are not weatherproof).

For those who already own a Tormek T-7 or 2000 the Advanced Water Trough with tilt shoes and the EzyLock shaft system MSK-250 will soon be available as upgrades that will fit any 250 mm/10" machine.

For more info, visit the Tormek website.

Lightweight 1/2" Drill from Metabo Provides Extremely High Torque

Metabo Corporation now offers a lightweight, rugged 1/2" drill that provides up to 248 in-lbs of torque with an 8.2 A motor. With an ergonomic pistol-grip design and easily accessible trigger button, the new BE1020 1/2" drill is especially ideal for joiners, fitters, HVAC installers or any user who requires a universal, high performance tool for drilling both large and small holes in almost any type of metal or wood material.  For use in even more applications, users can remove the chuck and access the drill's spindle with a hexagon recess that accepts screwdriver bits up to 1/4" for driving applications.

An axial/radial fan cools the drill to provide extended tool life.  The BE1020 drill weighs only 5.1 lbs and has a 2-speed gearbox, a thumbwheel to preselect tool speed and Metabo's unique S-automatic torque-controlling safety clutch, which helps protect both the operator and the tool in the case of a jammed bit. 

In addition, the tool's winding protection grid deflects harmful airborne debris away from armature windings, increasing the life of the motor by up to 5 times over tools without this feature.  The new drill features an electronic carbon brush wear indicator that flashes when the carbon brushes need changing, enabling the user to change them before damage can occur to the motor.

Vario-Tacho-Constimatic (VTC) full-wave electronic speed control allows the speed of the drill to be set to the relevant material-specific cutting speed, making the tool adaptable for almost any application.  Because the speed selected always remains constant, the tool performs with greater precision and speed, even at the rated load and under harsh conditions.

The tool is designed for ease of use. A reversing switch is equally available to both right- and left-handed operators, and an extra long side handle increases operator control.  The strain relief on the power cord allows for storage of the chuck key and screwdriver bits.

Drilling capacity for the BE1020 is 5/8" in steel and 1-9/16" in softwood.  The drill has a no-load speed (rpm) of 0-900/0-2,600 and a rated input of 1020 W.  The gear housing is die-cast aluminum.  The new tool comes with a geared chuck, chuck key and side handle as standard.

Improve Your Saw Blade's Prefromance

To further ensure proper saw blade performance, Forrest Manufacturing also offers Blade Klean kits with a special brush and spray bottle.  Blade Klean is the same industrial-strength, ammonia-based mixture Forrest uses in-house to clean blades. 

Diluted with water, the special formula removes pitch, sawdust and gum from saw blades. 
“Many soft woods have a high sap or moisture content that can produce buildup on the teeth of a blade, reducing its performance and even creating burning problems,” notes Forrest.  “Soaking the blade for about five minutes and then brushing it will improve the performance and lifetime of a blade.” 

To protect saw blades in the workshop or onsite, Forrest Manufacturing also offers The Blade Runner, a high-impact plastic carrying case that can accommodate up to ten 10-inch blades held in place by a locking steel arbor.  The case features a circular sheath that prevents damage to carbide blades even if dropped, and sides marked sharp and dull to keep track of blade condition.  It also has a handle for carrying or mounting on pegboard hooks and a self-supporting base allowing it to stand on any level surface.  

Emptying Your Dust Collector Just Got Easier

Take the hassle out of emptying your dust collector with these patented new bags. Easy On bags feature a unique belt design that makes use of your existing clamp.

With the clamp inserted in the bag, the perfect shape is formed making it very easy to take off, empty and place back onto your collector. This revolutionary new design solves the age old problem associated with emptying your dust collector bags. Made of tough polyethylene to handle tough loads.

Available exclusively at Busy Bee Tools in 3 sizes and fits virtually every dust collector on the market. The Easy On dust collector bags will be avaiable at Busy Bee Tools stores at the end of January 2010.

Festool Canada Launches New Multi-Jetstream Products

On January 1, 2010, Festool Canada will launch its new line of Multi-jetstream equipped sanders, sanding pads and abrasives.

“Multi-jetstream exemplifies Festool’s principles of innovation,” says Rick Bush, Festool Product Manager. 
Bush continues, “These new products are an improvement over existing performance, and are designed to be both backward and forward compatible.”

Festool will be transitioning all 6” disc abrasives and pads to the new Multi-Jetstream design. The improved design provides higher material removal rates, increases airflow, and results in even better dust extraction efficiency. The patented Multi-Jetstream technology improves sanding results through the interaction of intake and exhaust air, which results in time and cost savings. The new pads also incorporate an enhanced, heat-resistant StickFix design to extend both pad and abrasive life, reducing the costs associated with these consumables.

The new and improved design applies to 6” (150 mm) Rotex RO 150, ETS 150/3, ETS 150/5, LEX 2 150/3, and LEX 150/7 sanding pads and abrasives. The new paper works on previous pads, and previous paper works on the new pads, allowing end-users the ability to use their existing supplies, without waste. To view a video of the Festool Multi-Jetstream technology, click here.

Festool is quickly expanding the number of dealers across Canada.

Dealers now include:

• Clermonts Ultimate Tool Supply
  
  
• Federated Tool Supply

• Mercier Inc
  
  
• Tegs Tools

Check out Festool's website for a complete list of dealers.

Forrest Manufacturing Offers Accessories to Improve Saw Blade Performance

Forrest Manufacturing is now offering the American-made SuperBar and MasterPlate tools to enable woodworkers to tune up, align, and calibrate table saws for maximum saw blade performance.  
“Even the finest saw blades won’t produce quality results if they’re improperly aligned,” explains Jay Forrest, president of Forrest Manufacturing.  “If a blade is not parallel to the saw fence, it can squeeze the wood between the blade and the fence, causing it to burn while ripping.  Likewise, a cross cut board won’t be the same length on one side as the other if the saw blade isn’t parallel to the miter slots in the table top.  And miter cuts won’t occur at the desired angle if the arbor of the saw isn’t tuned properly.”    

The SuperBar, with its on-board precision dial indicator, and the precision-ground, specially designed aluminum MasterPlate enable woodworkers to tune a table saw within thousandths of an inch in just a few minutes.  Together, the precision tools
align the saw blade and the fence parallel to the miter slot.  They also square the miter gauge to the saw blade and check run out on the arbor shaft.  Additionally, they can be used to check run out on routers, drill presses, shapers and other equipment.

“Proper alignment is absolutely crucial when precision joints are required or when any type of assembly demands precision cuts,” says Forrest.  “Without proper alignment, gaps are inevitable.  Angles need to be set accurately for precision performance.” 

The SuperBar fits all standard ¾ and 3/8 miter slots, as well as the Sears-brand .740 slot.  The MasterPlate has 5/8 and one inch diameter mounting holes and works with table, radial arm, sliding compound miter, manual miter and chop saws.  It can also be used with disk sanding machines.

Either tool can be used individually, but Forrest recommends both for best results and offers a $10 discount when the two tools are purchased together.  The two new tools are available at the Forrest website.