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Woodworking News |
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Now You Can Connect Your Winbags It's hard to hire an extra hand for about twenty bucks, but a Florida company named Red Horse USA came up with one a couple of years ago. The Winbag is a flat envelope, about as thick as a credit card, and it can slip into gaps under cabinets or countertops, or perhaps between a pantry unit and a wall. Then, the installer just pumps the bag (like a blood pressure gauge) until it moves casework up to 300 lbs in extremely small increments - and renders the box perfectly level or plumb. A button allows air to escape slowly if the cabinet needs to go back a little. Now, Winbag has come out with a connector that allows the woodworker to chain devices together so the bags can lift up to 1,000 lbs. Last year, Winbag won 'Most Innovative Building Product' and 'Best in Show' at the International Builders Show (IBS), and 'Best New Product' at the Lumber and Building Material Expo. |
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After two decades in the works, California based CalAg LCC (formerly California Agriboard) has ordered a complete plant for the processing of rice straw into MDF from the German engineering company Siempelkamp Maschinen. CalAg is investing more than $315 million at the new location in Willows, which is about a hundred miles north of Sacramento. Siempelkamp will plan, build, supply, install, and start up the entire machine technology. Rice straw is available in large quantities in North America, as the US grows approximately 10,000,000 metric tons of rice every year. It is the eleventh largest rice producer in the world, and the band includes Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, and California. CalAg LLC signed the supply contract on June 14, and the project is being financed by bonds on the New York Stock Exchange. |
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Stiles Machinery Inc., in partnership with HOMAG, recently introduced tapio, the world’s first digital platform designed to coordinate data for every stage of the manufacturing process. With tapio, everything a shop needs to be successful is now centralized in one easy-to-use platform. It is designed to dramatically increase the efficiency of production management including optimization, plant and machinery operation, predictive maintenance and more. Stiles has also just revealed the first intelligent operator assistance system in panel sizing, called the intelliGuide. It supports the operator visually by guiding him/her with an LED light strip and new laser technology that is projected directly onto workpieces during cutting. This is achieved through a unique camera system that monitors the operator’s exact movement and reacts in real time, achieving new levels of quality, accuracy, and performance It simultaneously offers more flexibility to the operator, who is no longer bound to a specific order of operation. |
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Woodworkers looking for the perfect flooring complement to their casework or furniture might want to check out a range of options from Arizona Tile. The porcelain body is topped with digital printing that delivers the toughness of tile and the beauty and warmth of wood. On the company's homepage, simply click on the phrase "Looks Like Wood". The tiles are 6" x 24" and can be laid in herringbone, running bond or pretty much any wood flooring pattern. (There's a March blog entry on the website that addresses flooring patterns.) Made in Italy, most of the wood lookalike options have a high recycled material content. They can be used on walls, too. Heisman Trophy winner John Huarte founded Arizona Tile in 1977, beginning with a small store in San Diego. The company has since grown to more than twenty-five locations in seven western states. |
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Eric Meier spent six years compiling what will probably become a staple in every professional woodshop and serious hobbyist's library. His book, appropriately named "Wood", was first published in late 2015 and is now available on Amazon (hardcover, $34.99). It was written from a craftsperson's perspective and translates scientific knowledge into practical data for woodworkers. Over 350 woods are covered with more than a hundred full-page profiles for the more popular species, and half-page profiles for less common woods. It also includes guides for distinguishing lookalike woods, detailed identification data, and strength properties. Meier also publishes The Wood Database, an online and free resource for woodworkers who need to research a specific species. |
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Integra Doors in Greer, South Carolina has been manufacturing MDF doors with a powder coated finish for three years, and is now offering moldings too. The company says that powder coatings won't melt or delaminate like vinyl, or peel and wear thin as painted doors can. They also won't yellow or fade, plus there are no chemicals to outgas into a customer's home. And they can be powder coated in virtually any color a client desires. Being quite water resistant, these doors can be used anywhere in a home or office. Powder coating has been used overseas on MDF for many years, in both cabinets and the furniture industry, and Integra says that abrasion tests can demonstrate that a powder coated door is more durable than paint. For that and other reasons, the company's doors now carry a five-year warranty. |
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Dallas based James Martin Furniture is a leading manufacturer of high quality bathroom vanity cabinets. The company's latest catalog is now available on its website. The shop uses North American hardwoods, and each cabinet is hand crafted. That means that every component is created and hand assembled by a team of craftsmen, with carving completed by hand too, as is the drawer construction and door assembly. Along the way, James Martin has a team of highly trained quality control supervisors that checks the work at each stage of production. The finish is applied in multiple steps and in multiple layers to give the piece a depth and richness that can only come with layering. The end result is a unique product, much like a work of art. There is a physical showroom for the trade in Dallas, and offices in Mississippi, Washington, California and Illinois. |
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