wood

Dremel adds new tools, new features to older tools

Written on June 14, 2011 at 3:04 pm , by Bob Hunter

Sticking with what must be a company directive, Dremel is launching four new tools this year that are compact, versatile, and hold broad appeal to users of varying skills and interests. Representatives from Dremel stopped by the WOOD Magazine offices today to show us these new tools, as well as lots of new accessories to go with them.

First up is an all-new tool, a hybrid of an angle grinder, oscillating multifunction tool, and circular saw. The Saw-Max, due out in October, is a compact cutting tool that uses 3”-diameter blades embedded with abrasives (carbide, diamond, aluminum oxide) for cutting edges rather than teeth. Powered by a 6-amp motor, the Saw-Max generates 17,000 rpms. The tool has a spring-loaded shoe that’s adjustable up to a ¾”-deep maximum cut, or can be set at zero and the tool used as a plunge-cut saw for cuts where you don’t want an entry or exit. Four blades come with the standard kit for cutting wood, tile, and metal; one blade has an offset flange to allow for flush-cutting at the edge of the blade housing. (There’s no blade guard on the left side of the tool.) The kit with four blades will sell for $129. Attachments also available will be a dust-collection port, a straight-cutting guide to fit a 2×4, and a miter- and bevel-cutting guide.

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Bosch launches innovative new tools

Written on June 9, 2011 at 4:03 pm , by Bob Hunter

Never a company to sit back and rest after launching a line of tools, Bosch instead keeps on finding ways to make their tools better. I spent two days this week at Bosch’s U.S. headquarters in Chicago getting a first-hand look at new cordless drills, random-orbit sanders, a benchtop tablesaw, measuring tools, and lots of other tools related to construction and concrete work.

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DeWalt launches hand tools, new 20V Max platform

Written on June 3, 2011 at 4:07 pm , by Craig Ruegsegger

DeWalt’s yellow power tools have long been prominent on most any job site and in the shops of serious DIYers. They’re now looking to move even deeper into tradesmen’s tool belts with a broad line of new hand tools, and a new battery platform for cordless tools. I had an opportunity to sample the wares during a recent trip to Stanley-Black & Decker University in Towson, Maryland, just outside Baltimore. (DeWalt is a division of  Stanley-Black & Decker.) Let’s talk hand tools first. Read more

It’s A Wrap

Written on April 5, 2011 at 2:15 pm , by Jim Heavey

 

The Woodworking Shows closed the 2010-2011 season this last weekend in Houston. It seemed fitting that we would end a great string of shows on a near perfect sunny 80 degree day. The Houston crowds were typical of the approximately 100,000 woodworkers we saw this year over the 21 show circuit. Regardless of where they’re from, the enthusiasm  and their love of the craft seemed to be as strong as ever. Read more

Memories of Charlotte

Written on March 29, 2011 at 6:02 pm , by Jim Heavey

 

The Woodworking Show moved to Charlotte, North Carolina this last weekend ending our appearances on the east coast this season. Read more

You Met Me In St. Louis

Written on February 15, 2011 at 2:32 pm , by Jim Heavey

Week 14 in the current Woodworking Show season took place this last weekend in St. Louis. All the signs were there for a good show: weather in the 40’s and 50’s, sunshine and a well run venue in Collinsville, Illinois. It turned out to be a record breaker.

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Travel Plans Vs Mother Nature

Written on February 7, 2011 at 12:28 pm , by Jim Heavey

With the roads clear in my rural part of the county a day after the blizzard of 2011, I fully expected the nation’s second busiest airport of O’Hare to be ready for business and a short flight to Columbus. Read more

Turning Translucents

Written on February 4, 2011 at 8:51 am , by Marlen Kemmet

Several years ago I worked with my good friend and camping partner Phil Brennion, professional woodturner from Chino Valley, Arizona, to write an article on his method for turning translucent ponderosa pine vessels. Phil, a true turning perfectionist and demonstrator, has this infectious ability to get you to try new turning techniques and finishes.

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Des Moines Woodworkers Association Presentation (2/8/11)

Written on February 3, 2011 at 8:05 am , by Marlen Kemmet

Over a lifetime we hear and see tens-of-thousands of great ideas. It is our ability to put to action even a minute fraction of these tidbits that shapes our lives and determines our growth and skills. I refer to this practice as the Nugget Theory. Whether it be a demonstration, an article, or how-to video, it is the presenter’s responsibility to showcase meaningful and educational material. But ultimately, it is each person’s ability to put to practice pieces of this information that determines the value of the shared ideas. Like a miner panning for a single nugget of gold, our ability to grow stems from what not what we absorb, but what we employ. As a father, writer, speaker, and demonstrator, I’ve always strived to not only educate and entertain, but to get the audience to put to practice the knowledge that is shared.

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Room for expansion

Written on January 28, 2011 at 1:27 pm , by Marlen Kemmet

     With four children, a son-in-law, foster children, and significant others, family dining at the Kemmet household is an ever-growing event. My wife doesn’t ask for much, but she was clear on one thing: at holiday family meals, no one was to eat at the countertop or at a card table. In other words, I was being asked to design a dining room table that seated six normally, but expanded to accommodate 12 for special occasions.  My first reaction was to research the designer of furniture for the Titanic, but he apparently “went down with the ship”.  While I’ve built several tables over the years, I’ve never designed one that would expand to over 11’ long.

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