Magnetic Cordless Core Drill

The next time you need to drill into a steel beam on a jobsite, think of FEIN's new core drill (model AJMU 137 PMQW). It's a small, long-stroke, magnetic cordless core drill with forward/reverse and electronic speed control. This is basically a low speed, high torque, very accurate portable drill press that handles bits up to 1-3/8" diameter. It has MT2 tool mounting, and the base has a powerful magnet built in. Equipped with FEIN's HighPower 18 Volt Li-ion battery (it comes with two and a charger, plus there's a charge indicator on each battery), it has a tilt sensor and the brushless motor has a coolant pump. FEIN's 3-year warranty includes the batteries.

SCM Group Helps Win Solar Challenge

Familiar to woodworkers as a supplier of fine Italian machinery, SCM Group celebrated a different kind of technological triumph in July. The company was intricately involved in the development and building of Emilia 4, the solar car that won the Multi Occupant Vehicle (MOV) class in this year's American Solar Challenge road race. The course covered 1,700 miles from Omaha, Nebraska to Bend, Oregon. The car was designed and built by the University of Bologna with the technological support of SCM Group as the project's principal industrial partner. The Italian team also won two major technological awards for the best mechanical design and use of composites, and for the best battery design.

Building Windows?

Colorado based Soukup America has spent much of the last few years focusing on upgrading its compact Crafter, which can produce 10 to 15 windows per shift. Now new software is being used to collect data on production, state of the technology and service intervals. The Crafter can produce a frame for a wooden window or for a window with an AL cladding, and during machining each end tenon or counter-profile can be machined up to four times - handy where the end of the part is profiled. What used to be possible only on larger machines is now possible with Crafter - it eliminates snipe, and can produce very slender, minimalist profiles for traditional double-windows. And when connected to a Versa CNC boring machine, Crafter can create a compact and efficient production cell.

Scoring is Now Standard

The new Striebig Standard S model incorporates scoring as a standard feature, for clean cuts on both faces. The saw also sports a sleek new control panel, delivering functionality and ergonomics through a new comfort premium package. It includes four popular features straight from the factory - automatic, pneumatic locking rollers; a Y-axis digital measuring system; a pneumatic saw head lock with motorized fine adjustment to within 0.005"; and a laser light horizontal cut indicator. There are more than 20 additional options and accessories such as a wooden support wall and X-axis digital measuring system. Colonial Saw, Inc. is the U.S. distributor of Striebig vertical panel saws.

TigerStop's Product Configurator

It's a clever idea. TigerStop's new product Configurator is currently in beta and was on display at IWF in Atlanta this month. A woodshop looking for a repetitive solution (the company's products automate the cutting, drilling, shearing, boring, and overall processing of parts, among other tasks) can go to configurator.tigerstop.com or click on the Configurator button located on www.tigerstop.com. Once there, a customer can click a machine image and is taken to an interactive online product builder. We clicked on SawGear and the Configurator first asked what machine tool will be automated, then what kinds of materials will be processed (hardwoods, vinyl etc.), and which side of the tool will the SawGear be. As you make choices, a display keeps pace and adds an image of your machine, the TigerStop product, and the controls. The Configurator next asks which language, measurement system and the level of automation - will the stop alone move, or do you want your device to also push or pull material through the machine? Then it asks the length you need, and if you select a device that doesn't quite match the material you'll be cutting, a video pops up that explains why you might want to change the choice. The Configurator is fun, easy to use, very informative and quite helpful.

Flat Pack Your RTA Cabinets, Furniture

The Irish connector manufacturer OVVO introduced several new products at IWF, including OVVO for cabonet assembly. These connectors allow cabinet and furniture shops to ship flat-pack, ready-to-assemble (RTA) products without the need for tools, glue or screws. And the new OVVO for drawer slide insertion is a unique system for mounting drawers to processed panels with no need for any measuring or alingnment tools. No stranger to big woodworking shows, OVVO won the Best of the Best award at Interzum in Cologne, Germany, in 2017 and was a semi-finalist for the Challengers Award at IWF 2016. The U.S. distributor of OVVO products is E.B. Bradley Co. in Los Angeles (800-533-3030, click here for catalog).

A Freaky Contest

On August 21st, Bosch Power Tools announced the biggest giveaway in its history - two thousand CORE18V batteries along with the Freak, the company's impressive two-in-one impact wrench/impact driver. To enter the contest, participants must submit a video explaining why they want to change their battery platform to advanced Bosch CORE18V, using the hashtag #FreakNContest. The contest will end September 14. The Freak combines a 1/4" hex and a 1/2" drive in a single tool, so it eliminates the need for users to ownboth an impact wrench and a driver. It also eliminates the need for socket adapters. The Bosch CORE18V battery offers maximum power and performance while minimizing weight. It employs advanced Lithium-ion technology to deliver 80 per cent more power than previous generation Bosch batteries.

American Made Tooling

Wisconsin-based and family-owned Vortex Tool has launched a new website with a complete online, instantly downloadable catalog and several new products, too. The company manufactures and sharpens a full range of custom cutting tools, and distributes major cutting tool brands. Among its new in-house offerings is the 6610 (shown), which is a 2" x 0.125" kerf, 3-wing slotting cutter with a 1/2" shank. Vortex's slot cutters are constructed from a precision machined, one-piece alloy steel body with brazed carbide tips. They're suitable for flush trimming and horizontal slots in materials up to 3/4" deep, and are designed to cut wood, wood composites and plastic. The company also offers a downloadable app that is designed to help woodworkers find and order the right tooling for each task, and is currently running a special on HSK 63F toolholders.

Cope With High Dust Volume

On October 1st, Festool USA will release the new CT Cyclone pre-separator that promises woodworkers they will spend less time changing filter bags. It's designed to increase the efficiency of a CT Dust Extractor and minimize the lifetime cost of ownership. And it does so within a compact solution that fits seamlessly into the Festool mobility system. Compliant with OSHA’s Table 1 when used with a HEPA-certified CT Dust Extractor, this is an anti-static, three-step filtration system that separates and collects large debris and coarse dust before it reaches the mobile dust extractor. That decreases the number of filters and dust bags that a woodworker needs to purchase to keep a CT running smoothly. The CT Cyclone also reduces the overall dust load on the main filter, and ensures consistently high suction power throughout the work process. Compatible with all CT Dust Extractors, it is a highly portable and compact cyclone solution..

Hitachi is Becoming Metabo

Hitachi Power Tools is renaming its tools, fasteners, accessories and outdoor equipment in North America to Metabo HPT. The transition will start in September 2018 with the launch of MultiVolt, while the majority of products will change after December. Products will retain current brand identity (same color, model numbers, warranties and batteries), and will be made by the same people with the same specifications and focus on innovation that customers have come to expect. All products will continue to be covered and supported by the same industry-leading warranties and service. Hitachi Power Tools will be interchangeable with Metabo HPT products, and packaging and signage during the transition will feature both of the names and logos.

Price Reduction

The Home Depot has reduced the price of two popular Ryobi power tools from $129. Currently available at just $99 each are two 18 Volt, One+ brand, tools, the P1812 and the P881. The former is a hammer drill/driver kit that delivers 600 inch pounds and includes two 18 Volt compact Li-ion batteries, a 30-minute charger and a tool bag. And the latter is an impact driver kit that delivers 1,500 inch pounds, and includes a 1/4" quick connect, a socket adapter, a tool bag, Mag Tray® for storing screws and bits, and weighs in at just 2.64 lbs..

Power Tool Institute

The Power Tool Institute is "the leading organization for power tool safety resources, information and education". Its new campaign, 'Take Charge of your Battery', encourages woodworkers and other trades to buy replacement batteries from the original tool manufacturer, and provides guidelines on proper storage and transportation. It also covers figuring out when a battery is about done, and where to dispose of it responsibly. On May 21, PTI uploaded a video to YouTube™. Founded in 1968, PTI’s primary objectives are to promote the common business interests of the power tool industry; to represent the industry before government; to educate the public as to the usefulness and importance of power tools; to encourage high standards of safety in the manufacture of power tools; and to prepare and distribute information about safe use of power tools.

Lots of New Ideas from Vero

The Leica Disto S910 is a laser distance-measuring tool by Leica Geosystems that lets Vero Software's Cabinet Vision directly import room measurements. Both companies are subsidiaries of Hexagon AB. The group also makes the ROMER Absolute Arm - a portable and lightweight laser scanner that can be used for part inspection and verification, as well as reverse engineering. Vero's Alphacam 2018 R2 has a new nesting engine that delivers significant improvements in material yield. Using proprietary technology to deliver best-in-class geometry and toolpath optimization, the engine also provides faster calculation times, along with improved feedback and graphics. And the company's Cabinet Vision Version 11 now includes new rendering technology that provides users with nearly photo-like images, which woodshops can use as a sales tool. Plus, Vero's WorkPLAN software for ERP works with Cabinet Vision to let users organize workshop operations from design to completion.

Grass Adds Tipmatic to Dynapro

Woodshops that have been using the Dynapro undermount drawer system from Grass America can now offers their customers an upgrade on that already sound product. Grass has added its exclusive Tipmatic soft-close, touch-to-open system as an option. The new Tipmatic system provides easy opening and soft closing with one mechanism, and Dynapro hardware can be retrofitted. There's an improved liquid damper that's designed for smoother closing transition, along with a front locking device. Dynapro offers a flanged and non-flanged version, with or without depth adjusters. Tipmatic soft-close for handle-free drawers can be a real experience in everyday use. It combines the benefits of a mechanical opening with 3-tier adjustment of the opening force, plus the smooth closure of the drawer. The size and weight of the drawer are of virtually no consequence, and the large activation zone means ease of operation. Tipmatic can also be combined with the Vionaro drawer system to offer a slim double-wall drawer.

Making Hardware Choices Easier

The Blum website recently got a lot easier to navigate through a portal called The Product World of Blum. Woodworkers can click on a room (there's a list across the bottom of the screen) and an image of a kitchen, bedroom, office etc. appears. Then, the hardware shopper can click on an orange dot and see how various doors, drawers etc. are being operated. An interactive box appears that lists the name of the product and adds a very brief description (for example, LegraBox Pure is described as "Elegant drawer side design combined with advanced technology"). At the bottom of the dialog box there's a Show Me button that leads to a larger picture, a slightly longer description and a number of links to the hardware. It's all very intuitive, and it's elegant enough to sit down with a cabinet client in front of a computer and share the decision-making process (without prices showing).

Fighting Back Against Ash Borers

Reaction to an invasive bug has grown into a movement. Over the past sixteen years, Michigan has suffered an infestation of emerald ash borers, an Asian beetle whose larvae feed on the inner bark of ash trees. They cut off the trees' ability to send water and nutrients from roots to canopy. It was first discovered near Detroit in 2002, and has since spread to kill hundreds of millions of trees in North America. U.S. Forest Service funding has helped to launch local networks in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin, and these have now formed the Urban Wood Network. Its goals are to build regional and national awareness; increase the amount of urban wood that can be reclaimed, processed, and sold; and build a brand for the urban wood marketplace. The Network is providing a free seminar at IWF, and land owners, arborists, sawyers and woodworkers are invited.

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