A Cordless Drill and Bits

Garrett Wade has paired its German mini hand drill and a 50-piece drill set to create a great combo for the hand tool enthusiast. The drill is a classic item that never goes out of style, particularly for small, quick jobs when you can simply go to work without having to charge up or find an extension cord. It has a 3-jaw single pinion movement with wood handles and an alloy driving wheel. It weighs 9-1/2 oz. and is only 9" long, with a 6mm chuck (so the bit shanks need to be less than ¼"). The bit set includes the most common drill bit sizes and provides multiple replacement copies of each in case one breaks, goes dull or gets lost.

Woodworker's Supply Scroll Saw

Woodworker.com has posted the TBT8007 16" variable speed scroll saw in its new products section. The saw is listed at $99.99 (on 12/29/18) and bears the General International logo. Featuring low noise and low vibration, its cutting speed can be adjusted with a precision dial on the front of the housing. There's a cast aluminum worktable with a locking knob and a bevel scale. The saw also includes a flex-neck LED work light, a patented blade holder that accepts standard 5" pin end or plain end blades, and a dust collection port for standard 1-1/4" hose. There's a side storage compartment for spare blades and wrenches, a top mounted tensioner knob and a safety on/off switch with a removable security key. The manufacturer (it's imported) offers a one year warranty. The motor is 120V, 60Hz, 1.2 Amps and runs at 400 to 1600 rpm. It's a 5/8" stroke and the throat depth is 16". The table tilts to 45 degrees, and the max thickness of work is 2". Shipping Weight is 26.5 lbs, and there's a dust blower.

Spalted Tamarind from Woodcraft

Turners and furniture builders might welcome the news that Woodcraft has just received a shipment of spalted tamarind (tamarindus indica). The species has "a spectacular heartwood with background colors of ivory, yellow and black lines, which gives an unpredictable landscape effect. Much of the wood comes from logs that were found on the forest floor. It turns and finishes well. Due to the nature of the species, bug and worm holes may be present on some blanks, and no two are alike." This spalted tamarind is native to Laos, and the company recommends taking precautions when working with spalted wood, such as using adequate dust-collection equipment and wearing a personal respirator or mask. No two pieces are alike to start with, while the same wood growing in different locales can vary greatly even though it is the exact same species. Available are a number of sizes of turning blanks and some 3/4" boards for general woodworking.

Miter Saw Safety Stick

Cuts on the miter saw should be a little safer for your fingers with the Miter Saw Safety Stick from Florida based Infinity Tools (item 100-344). It's essentially a plastic hold-down device that holds parts on the saw table, keeping fingers away from the blade. The company says that "the ergonomic design and slip-free grip helps to keep your hands away from the saw blade when working with small pieces. The unique wishbone shape and rubberized traction feet provides three points of contact to firmly hold the piece you are cutting. This is a must-have item when working with small cuts." It's a simple yet clever idea. The footprint is roughly 18" X 4", and the price on the website is $15.90. Infinity offers a wide range of router bits, saw blades, woodworking tools and accessories.

Door Storage Rack for Vanities

An economical new addition from Rev-A-Shelf lets woodshops add a handy option to bathroom base and vanity cabinets. Priced from $67.40 to $95.25, the three models in the new 4VR series will conveniently store toiletries on the back of a door, adding storage in a previously unused space. The small racks come in nominal 12", 15" and 24" units and each features a maple frame with a semi-gloss finish, two non-skid vinyl shelves with acrylic accents, and the company's patented adjustable mounting brackets. 4VR units are Carb II compliant, weigh in at 3 lbs, are 3-1/8" deep and 15-1/2" tall. The adjustable width ranges are 8-3/16" to 12-11/16" (4VR-12-1); 11-3/16" to 15-11/16" (4VR-15-1); and 20-3/16" to 24-11/16" (4VR-24-1). Woodworkers can view the current Rev-A-Shelf catalog online.

Blast Gates Can Save Big Bucks

A small, one-man woodshop might use about 1,000 kWh of electricity a month, while a large one can use many times that. The average cost of a kWh runs between about 10 cents in Louisiana or Arkansas to more than 20 cents in Massachusetts and Connecticut. A big chunk of that usage is dust collectors. They draw a lot, and they run a lot. Ecogate blast gates were installed recently in the Auditoria Services shop, which builds cinema seating in the U.K. The new set-up, with intelligent blast gates, is saving more than half the 93,000 kWh that the facility was consuming. Ecogate says that "fan power increases with the cube of the air volume moved by the fan, reducing real-time air volume by 30% and reducing the system's electricity use by about 66%." Its gates measure and report air velocity, pressure, and air volume in real-time.

Dremel Oscillator Has Tool-free Changes

Dremel's new oscillating tool, the Multi-Max MM35, has tool-less accessory changes, a more powerful motor, and a wide 3.2 degree oscillation angle. Turning the knob on top of the tool and pressing it down releases the clamping flange to insert the accessory. And tightening the knob secures the accessory in place. The separate on/off switch lets users maintain a previously selected speed setting upon restarting the tool after it has been turned off. A soft-start feature minimizes abrupt starts and provides a feeling of control as the tool ramps up to the desired speed, while electronic feedback maintains consistent speed. The Multi-Max has a wide variable speed range from 10,000 to 21,000 oscillations per minute (OPM) and a powerful 3.5 amp motor. MSRP is $99.99 USD.

Vac In A Backpack

Jobsite cleanup just got a whole lot easier. Makita's new HEPA filter Backpack Dry Vacuum (model XCV10ZX) is a 1/2-gallon extremely portable vac that runs on two 18-Volt batteries. Beyond eliminating extension cords, it bridges the gap between low-capacity on-board dust extraction systems and larger capacity but less portable wheeled canister jobsite vacuums. It can be used for general clean-up after an install, or during construction applications when used as part of a dust extraction system (various tool connecting adapters are sold separately). It includes three tool adapters for hose connection to most Makita dust extraction attachments. Powered by two 18V Lithium-Ion batteries (sold separately) for 36V power, the brushless motor delivers an efficient 64 CFM of suction and 44" of static water lift. The entire tool, with batteries, only weighs ten pounds.

Powerful 18 Volt Jigsaw

Ryobi's new 18-Volt ONE+ cordless brushless jig saw (model P524, available at The Home Depot) was designed to provide a lot of run time, speed, power and long motor life. When paired with LITHIUM+™ HP batteries, it will deliver up to 3,350 strokes per minute on one battery charge. It has a cast aluminum no-mar shoe, a sight-line blower and an LED work light. It features a variable speed dial, clever and simple blade changes (it uses standard T-Shank jig saw blades, and comes with one), and the keyless bevel base adjusts from 0° to 45° right or left. There's a lock-on trigger, four orbits for various cutting speed/action combinations, and on-board blade storage which can be quite handy on a jobsite. It's backed by a 3-year warranty.

Chuck Jaws Recalled

If you own a Barracuda chuck, take a look at the side of it and see if the numbers match those in the photo at left. On December 11th, Penn State Industries recalled model CSCBARR5 quick change jaw chuck systems that are used to hold work on a lathe. The jaws can loosen from the chuck and break off, posing a laceration hazard. Wood turners should immediately stop using the system and contact Penn State Industries (see below) to receive a full refund of the purchase price. The company has received seven reports of the jaw loosening or ejecting from the chuck (luckily, so far no injuries have been reported). About 1,000 units were sold between March 2017 and August 2018. It was manufactured in China by Industrial Supply Ltd. If you purchased this system, call the company at 800-377-7297 between 9 AM and 5PM Eastern time Monday through Friday, or to the recall desk. Customers can also visit the PSI website and click on Product Recalls at the bottom of the page for more information.

iOS App Update

The latest version (1.7) of the woodworking app Woodmaster can now calculate the number of deck boards required for a given deck section. Up to three deck sections are supported, and the calculations are based on 5-1/2" wide boards. The app ($7.99, developed by John Lullie, 10.5 mB) has calculators for board feet (with a tally count), shelves, fractions, fraction to decimel conversion, proportions (to enlarge or reduce scales), Golden Rule, nominal to actual size, plus screw and nail sizes. It also has a visual reference for joinery, and a visual wood guide. There are plans for a knockdown sawhorse and workbench, and a printable blank project planning form (handy for materials lists and cost estimates - not an interactive tool). Woodmaster requires iOS 8.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Hands-free Screw Holders

Tired of having to use two hands when driving screws - one to hold the drill and the other to hold the screw? The new driver heads from Micaton are rubberized, magnetic screw holders that make those kinds of tasks much easier, and even one-handed. A powerful neodymium magnet inside each driver head holds screws securely in place, which frees up your hand. The magnets are even strong enough to attract screws out of your tool box or bag, too. The heads (color coded by size) fit in power drill chucks or manual screwdrivers, and Micaton offers sets of 6, 10, or 18 pieces. The 18-piece kit also has a magnetic nail-holder that grips nails while you hammer. These small-but-smart solutions are easy to keep handy and are available from The Grommet's online store, where you'll also find a video. The kits run from $16.95 to $54.95.

Individual Cigar Humidor Turning Kit

Rockler Woodworking and Hardware has created a turning kit that lets turners craft a custom, single-cigar humidor. The user can regulate the humidity inside the chamber, to preserve the cigar's freshness and flavor and it fits cigar sizes up to a Churchill. There's a hygrometer with a dial, and if more moisture is needed the user can add a drop or two of cigar humidifier solution or distilled water to a foam disk in the bottom cap. The cigar rests on a platform above the foam disk to keep it from absorbing too much moisture. The kit requires a turning blank measuring at least 2" by 2" by 6" long. Users cut the blank in two and drill 1-1/16" holes down the center of each piece. The kit's aluminum tubes are epoxied to the inside of the blank sections, much as brass tubes from a pen kit are glued inside the sections of a pen blank. A set of bushings sized to the final diameter of the humidor is available for purchase separately, so it can be turned on a standard pen mandrel.

New Conveyor, Clamps

Michigan based Bora Tool has released several new products over the past few weeks including the Portable Conveyor Roller (PM-2700) shown here, which is an expandable rolling system used for infeed, outfeed, moving, packing and loading. Also just announced is an expanded line of professional grade, pistol grip clamps, spring clamps, and lever clamps, including the heavy-duty parallel clamps shown. The company's Affinity Tool Works division is the exclusive North American distributor for FISCH, Tormek and Sjobergs.

Workshop Vise Has Rubber Faced Jaws

Garrett Wade says that its new, beautifully machined 5" vise comes with 'superb supplementary jaws that will revolutionize what you can do'. It can rotate 360 degrees on its swivel base, has a maximum clamping capacity of 7-1/4", and weighs a heavy-duty 39 lbs. The supplementary jaws are made of nicely finished machined aluminum, with fitted magnetic inserts on the backs so they stay in place. The set contains three different pairs of Jaws, for three gripping surfaces. There's a non-marring, smooth aluminum pair, a machined pair with grooves that securely grip pipe and other round objects on either axis, and a rubber-faced pair that provides for softer gripping on delicate wood parts. It lists for $210 (item 18B02.10), and because of its weight there's a ground shipping surcharge of $15. Air shipping is not available. Garrett Wade is located in Cincinnati, Ohio.

What is Chatoyance?

In a new free video from the Woodworkers Guild of America, instructor George Vondriska explains the remarkable qualities of the figure feature chatoyance - the name comes from a French root meaning "shine like a cat's eye", and it has the same visual effect as the semi-precious gemstone Tiger's Eye. Although chatoyance initially might appear as though there is a defect in the surface, its quilted lines are absolutely flush with the surface, and deliver a three-dimension, shimmering effect. The Guild has a number of free vidoes online, and also offers classes and plans, member only discounts, a library of project ideas, ask the experts section and hundreds of woodworking articles. There are two membership levels - Premium ($6 a month, or $40 a year) and Gold ($104 a year).

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