WoodBin

This month's link is submitted by Ken Ganshirt. The WoodBin provides various woodworking software, furniture design information and plans, woodworking supplies and resources. Ken finds the calculator portion of the web site to be indispensable. There is a "Sagulator" for calculating shelf sag; a "Shrinkulator" for estimating dimensional changes in wood; a "Tabulator" that calculates board foot and generates a lumber material list; a "Moisture Content Calculator" that computes the equilibrium moisture content of wood given relative humidity and temperature; and a number of other utilities. A good selection of useful shop resources.

If you have a web resource you'd like to share with other woodworkers click here.

Windsor Factory Supply

I've always been a fan of employee owned companies. It puts the employee in the drivers seat, so to speak. The Windsor Factory Supply chain of employee owned stores in Southern Ontario are celebrating their 50th year in business. They must be doing something right to last that long. They carry a wide range of products that will be of interest to the DIYer, woodworker enthusiast, and professional woodworker: safety products, cutting tools and abrasives, fastening products, hand and power tools, and machinery. While they do have 6 outlets in Ontario, you can order over the internet - while there you'll want to check out their 'specials' section. Congratulations on 50 years WFS!

Stanley

Stanley has produced some of the most acclaimed and useful tools ever made, including the Bailey® Plane, the Surform® Shaper, The PowerLock® Tape Rule and most recently the FatMax™ line of products.

While you may know Stanley for their full complement of professional tools for trades people, they also have a very broad range of ergonomically designed hand tools and specialty products for the DIYer, woodworking enthusiast and home mechanic.

There are a lot of projects around the house that require the use of a well appointed hand tool kit. For those who want to build their own kit Stanley has what it calls the "Ultimate Toolbox".

The core of this concept is, of course, a toolbox; in this case the Stanley 26" professional toolbox. This is an extra large, robust box that will hold all the tools you are likely to need - in the home or on the job site. It features massive metal latches, impact-resistant rubber bumpers and a strong comfort-grip aluminum handle that folds forward closing flush with the top of the lid.

There is a 24" level storage area in the cover to protect level vials from breakage and increase storage space inside the tool box for other tools. There is also a removable full-size storage tray for added convenience and a padlock eye for security. And all this for only $29.99.

You can cram a lot of loot into this box, including the Stanley Intellilaser Pro Leaser Line Level, the Instachange Cutting Knife, a 24" FatMax Level, and FaxMax Anti-Vibe Hammer. We'll have a shop test of the Ultimate Toolbox in the next issue of this newsletter.

Ridgid

Several readers have asked us why we mention Ridgid tools so often. It's because Ridgid is constantly bringing new tools to market and upgrading its existing line. And we've found them to be consistently excellent value for the price.

Take the new 12 volt right angle impact driver (R82233). It features a 1/4" hex collet, a no-load speed of 0-2,200 rpm with 0-3,100 impacts per minute and 700 in-lbs of torque. It has a super fast, 20 minute charger.

The right angle head means you can get into all but the tightest of corners, and the mar resistant head cover protects the driver from damage. The variable speed paddle switch makes using the R82233 a breeze.

The 6 amp heavy duty variable speed laminate trimmer (R2400) has a 1/4" collet and a no-load speed of 20,000-30,000 rpm. It features a soft start, electronic feedback motor, and easy to read depth scale, die cast base, and easily accessible brushes. It comes with a straight guide and micro-adjustable bearing guide.

Ridgid tools are available exclusively from Home Depot.

Busy Bee Tools

The folks at Busy Bee Tools have been buzzing with activity of late. They've introduced 10 new products, including the B2063A Spindle Shaper from Craftex Industries.

The B2063A is available with either a 3HP or 5HP single-phase motor. The B2063A features 4 spindle speeds (3,600, 5,100, 8,000 & 10,000 RPM), a gigantic precision ground table, an independent micro-adjustable fence with 4" dust port and permanently lubricated ball bearings.

This machine comes complete with 3 spindles, 8 spacers, 2 nuts, 2 wood fences, 1 H.D cast iron miter gauge, 4 hold down assemblies, 3 table inserts and assorted tools. The 5 HP unit is priced at $2599 and carries a 2 year warranty.

The CT091 1.5 HP, 1.5 Gallon oil free air compressor features chrome plated tank pressure & line pressure gauges, a compact and very lightweight design, die cast aluminum pump with a cast iron sleeve, thermal overload protection, regulator, quick coupler and auto switching. This compressor and is ideal for the home, shop or farm operations. Priced at $189.

Lee Valley/Veritas

Its spring, and as sure as birds nest Lee Valley can be counted on to bring a bevy of new tools to market.

This spring is no exception, with a scrub plane and a bevel-up smoother plane (bringing to seventeen the total number of hand planes in the Veritas line), a hardware kit for wooden spokeshaves, a right-angle saw guide (a 90° version of their very popular dovetail saw guide), a unique picture framing hammer (that has a rotating triangular head), and what looks to be a very interesting honing guide.

Watch for our detailed review of Lee Valley's honing guide in the next issue of this eNewsletter.

Veritas Low Angle Jack Plane

by H.C. Sakman

Veritas continues to launch one great product after another. Their new Low Angle Jack Plane is nothing less than extraordinary. The competition from south of the border must be getting a little itchy under the collar. This hefty 15" plane offers an optional high angle (38°) blade as well as its standard 25° blade. Both are 2 1/4" wide, 3/16" thick and made of A2 tool steel hardened to Rc 60-62. If you use a lot of hardwoods in your work, it’s

a wise choice to get the optional blade, because it works remarkably well and takes this Jack Plane to another level. In block planes the blade bevel is always up and the angle of the blade ultimately determines the effective cutting angle (ECA). The ECA is a function of the angle of the plane’s bed plus the angle of the blade’s bevel. In bench planes, like the Veritas Jack Plane, changing the blade’s angle does not change the ECA. Therefore, while the low angled blade in this plane works well on end grain and on softer woods, the high angle blade will provide optimum performance with all the domestic hardwoods as well as the harder exotics.

This Jack Plane, due to its heft, cuts with serious authority. I put it to work on various hardwoods, exotics and softwoods, planing with the grain as well as on the end grain. Even the notorious zebrawood bowed to this plane.

The little design tweaks sure make enormous differences when it comes to hand plane performance. The size of the screw in the lever cap allows you to tighten the cap with enough force so it won’t be over tightened, without causing the feed/lateral adjustment screw to seize or turn with undue difficulty. The tiny stop screw in the mouth of the plane prevents the blade from receiving flattening blows by the adjustable mouth when it’s loosened. Although I found that the shape of the gorgeous quarter sawn bubinga handle not very aesthetically appealing, it did prove to be ergonomic and comfortable. The side adjustment set-screws for lateral alignment first seemed like an over-engineered feature, but turned out to be quite useful and effective.

It’s a known fact that bench planes are inherently simple by design, but making them even more user-friendly and fool-proof deserves credit. Well done Veritas, and keep at it please! You’re giving us the tools that help to make us better woodworkers. $239 Lee Valley.

Boeshield

Two things that I learned early in my woodworking career were: 1) metal rusts and 2) clean tools make better cuts. Over the years I've tried a number of rust removers and blade and bit cleaners. The products offered by Boeshield Canada are every bit as good as anything else I've used. "Rust Free" does a very good job of removing surface rust on cast iron and steel. For very light surface rust you can spray it on, let it set for a few minutes, then rub it off with an abrasive pad and wash the part. For heavily rusted parts I found that immersing the part in Rust Free for five to ten minutes, combined with some aggressive brushing,

The Golden Spruce

John Vaillant, Knopf Canada, 2005, ISBN 0-676-97645-X, hardcover, 256 pp, 16 b&w plates. $35.00

I've always had an interest in the history and lore of the logger. My father worked as a 'bûcheron' in the Sept-Îles region of Quebec in the mid-1930s at a time when crosscut bucking saws were still in use and loggers were paid $1 for a ten to twelve hour day. What I remember most are his descriptions of the cutting and hauling of timber, the camaraderie, and the austere living conditions. Only when sorely pressed would he talk of the dangers of logging, the damaged and the dead. Of course you don't have to have an interest in logging to enjoy John Vaillants 'The Golden Spruce'. This is an intensely interesting book that weaves together the interrelated stores of the Haida of Gwaii Haanas (The Queen Charlotte Islands), the extensive and destructive logging of the Northwest coast, the morphology of a 300 year old golden spruce on

You won't want to miss the next issue of Canadian Woodworking Magazine. Rob Brown, a Toronto based furniture maker, describes how to build a five step tansu. If oriental isn't your cup of sake, then check out Michael Kampen's rendition of the old style chimney cupboard- easy to build and great on the eyes. Paul Ross turns an elegant ball box and David Bruce Johnson takes us through the intricies of relief carving. Plus our usual array of tool reviews and techniques If you are not a current subscriber, request a free trial issue at Canadian Woodworking.

Steve Manual (Oshawa, ON) made this tv surround cabinet as his second woodworking project. The cabinet is made from birch ply and solid wood. Steve used mortise and tenon joinery for the frame and doors. There are a total of 96 slats in the doors. The cabinet was stained to match the other furniture in the room and then sprayed with lacquer. Steve estimates he spent over 200 hours building the cabinet, and says he definitely learned a lot while designing and making the cabinet. He hope that his next project will be even better as he gains further experience. We think his next project will be great.

Doug Rounding (Essex, ON) sends this photo of a deer antler pen he turned. The center band is made from Cocobolo, and the pen is finished with Lee Valley's Turners Polish. Good work Doug.

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