Issue 248
Issue 248
Hardware Heaven
As I type this, I am just hours away from flying to Las Vegas, Nevada to check out the National Hardware Show. I must confess that I get excited about this sort of event. There is so much activity, people moving about, vendors selling their wares and, of course, the latest and coolest hardware and tools.
Often, I try to act cool when I am on the floor — the sophisticated editor critically evaluating potentially breakthrough products. But other times, I revert back to being a kid in the Glen Lake hardware store of my youth. It was an old-fashioned place with hardwood floors, high pressed-tin ceilings and bins stacked up the walls. The store seemed to be in danger of bursting through its walls because it appeared to me to hold every interesting thing a young guy might need. (Who couldn’t use a wheel-puller?) I would follow my dad around the aisles as he and the proprietor found just the right widget to make the day go well.
And perhaps that will happen to me as I stroll the convention halls in Las Vegas. Maybe I will find just the right widget to make the day go well.
Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
Q & A
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Jointer Bed Adjustment
I would like to know if there is any advantage to either dovetail or parallelogram adjustment for bed height.
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Impact Driver vs. Hammer Drill
Please explain the difference between the mechanisms in an impact driver vs. a hammer drill (such as a Hilti) used for drilling into concrete, etc.
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Glue for Installing Molding
What is the most versatile glue for fastening the returns on molding such as cove or chair rail at open ends in order to keep installing without waiting for glue to set up?
Industry Interviews
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Grip-Tite Featherboards
Necessity may be the mother of many inventions, but in the case of Grip-Tite Magnetic Featherboards, adversity also proved to be a strong motivator.
Feedback
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Advice for an Eagle Scout Project
One of our Q&A’s in the last issue came from a Boy Scout asking for advice on his Eagle Scout project, an outdoor bulletin board and message center. He wondered if eZine readers had some advice. You did.
What's In Store
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Universal Solar Battery Charger
CableOrganizer.com’s focus on eco-friendly electronics products extends to battery chargers, among them the Universal Solar Battery Charger.
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Rockler Dust Right™ Dual Port
Rockler’s Dust Right™ Dual Port allows woodworkers to use one piece to collect dust from both fence and cabinet of a router table, with its two ports that accept 2-1/2″ and 4″ hoses.
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Porter Cable 15 Amp Circular Saw
Based on feedback from end users, Porter-Cable has designed its new 15-amp circular saw, the PC15TCSMK, with ergonomic attributes.
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New Impact Driver Accessories from Bosch
If you are a fan of impact drivers but not the standard bits that tend to break when used with impact tools, Bosch may have a better solution for you.
Tricks of the Trade
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Ready-made Glue Wells for Plugs
Brushing or squeezing glue onto the plugs has always been a messy, time-consuming affair.
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No-measure Gauge for Checking Square
To check my diagonals for square, I use an old telescoping radio antenna with the ends fashioned into points to fit into corners better.
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Benchtop Tool Set-up Pads
Clamping and unclamping them takes time, and bolting them down wastes valuable working space. Here’s a quicker setup idea that keeps your tools moveable.
Today's Woodworker
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Paul Schurch: A Taste for Marquetry
Paul Schürch’s woodworking career has been an eclectic one, incorporating stints of piano and organ building, housing construction and boat building, but for the past several years, he’s found his passion in the old art of marquetry.
Reader's Project Gallery
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Reclaimed Oak Bookcase
This is a completed bookcase and shelves I built from quarter sawn oak. The lumber came from trees that were knocked down during hurricane Katrina in 2005.
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Intarsia Seascape
Here is a picture of an Intarsia “Seascape” that I have made several of in the past years.
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Red Oak Motorcycle
This is the second of three so far. The third one is called the Mahogany Hog and not quite finished. I like these winter projects because they use almost every tool in my wood shop.
