Woodworking News
(updated June 5, 2017)

New Blades for Festool Saws from Tenryu

Tenryu America Inc. introduced a new line of quality saw blades for plunge cut saws a few months ago. These blades are suitable for the Festool™ TS55 and TS75 machines. and others. They are the result of five years of years of research and development, and they have resin filled laser cut slots to reduce cutting noise. They also have a PTFE coated plate to reduce vibration and pitch build-up, and to lower resistance. These blades come with a select grade of carbide tips for industrial quality jobs, and a TAF shear facegrind for splinter-free cross cuts. (Miter saw blades for Festool's Kapex® miter saw are also available.) Tenryu makes over 3,000 types of carbide blades for woodworking, metalworking, plastic cutting and machining other composite materials. The company is Japan's leading maker of industrial carbide-tipped saw blades.

  


 

Handy Jobsite Magnetic Holder For Drills

Located in Castle Rock, Colorado, Master Magnetics Inc. has introduced a new tool holder with a magnetic base that can hold impact wrenches, heat or paint guns, cordless drills and other heavy tools. All that's needed on the jobsite is a ferrous metal surface so that the non-scratching, rubber-coated base has something to grab. With 105 pounds of pull, an installer could pop several onto the truck tailgate, a steel door, or even a kitchen appliance. The vinyl coating on the ring helps keep tools in place without slipping or scratching. Both the base and ring are heat resistant up to 175 F. The company manufactures and distributes all types of magnets and magnetic devices for commercial, consumer and industrial use, including workholding magnets and wheeled manual magnetic sweeps for picking up stray fasteners on the jobsite.

Basic CNC Classes in Wisconsin

Wondering if a benchtop CNC is a good investment for your shop? Here's your chance to see, first hand, what today's machines can do. Vondriska Woodworks in Hammond, Wisconsin has machines from Laguna, Next Wave, and ShopBot, and is offering a 3-hour seminar called Intro to Benchtop CNC on July 28 from 6-9 PM. Attendees will see how design is done on VCarve software, how material is secured, zeroing of the three axes, bit changes, and cuts. This is an opportunity to look at three different machines. Bring a folding chair, hearing protection and $25. And the next day, July 29, the shop will conduct a full-day class from 9-5 called You Can CNC ($100). Here, students will work with VCarve to create a design that includes lettering and artwork. They will learn to create toolpaths, check the paths for accuracy, and export the files for work on a CNC machine. They will also see different methods for securing work to the CNC table, how to zero the axes, and actually cut the project they designed.

  


 

New Biomass to Bioproducts Pilot Plant

Last month, the University of Maine demonstrated a pilot plant capable of processing up to 1 ton of woody biomass per day. It converts wood waste into chemicals that can be used to manufacture bioproducts – including biofuels, biochemicals and advanced materials. The demonstration consisted of 100 hours of continuous operation, beginning May 1, at the university's Technology Research Center (TRC) in Old Town. Chemicals made from biomass could one day be an important revenue source for the forest economy. Organic acid platform chemicals, as they are known in the industry, have multiple uses, including the production of plastics and other specialty chemicals. At UMaine, these “green” chemical intermediates are critical in the university’s patented conversion technology to produce diesel and jet fuel from woody biomass. That was developed by the Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI). Installation of the new plant was made possible by a partnership between UMaine and Biofine Technology based in Framingham, Massachusetts. Click the link above for more information.