Volume VII Issue 3 - FALL 2009

In July, WoodRat joinery machines became a lot easier to find. The British parent company has opened an online store to cater to American customers. The site accepts PayPal (no PayPal account required), and product is shipped from the UK using Parcel Force Global Priority (3-5 days). The WoodRat system is an extraordinary joinery machine that can create mortise and tenon, sliding dovetail, dowel, dado, lap, raised panel, bridle and halving joints, along with miniature fingerjoints and lots more.
For more info, visit WoodRat online.

Deep Woods Ventures carving knives are made in Bemidji, Minnesota and are certified to a hardness of RC60-62. This makes them easy to edge on a simple sharpening strop. The handles are made from figured and non figured hardwoods that are individually harvested in the Minnesota Northwoods. Customers have commented that their wood carving tools are comfortable to carve with for many hours.
Every now and then the company has blades that just didn't get shaped the way they show on their Web site, but these are still perfectly functioning, superior carving tools. Sometimes the handle doesn't exactly fit the required dimensions, but it is just too good to go into the woodstove. Sometimes, for fun, the knifemaker just wants to experiment with a new blade style. These knives are then sold on the company's Ebay page at a discounted price. There won't always be items for sale there, so check back often if you're looking for deals.

For more info, visit Deep Woods Ventures online.

California-based Safranek Enterprises, makers of Her-Saf tools, has partnered with New Zealand's Linbide corporation to offer woodworkers a general purpose scraper with a carbide insert blade. Though it looks fairly basic, the tool is ergonomically designed so it's comfortable to use and incredibly sturdy. The replaceable cutter is solid carbide, and comes in three configurations.

The LB-GP14.CS is a corner scraper that reaches into tight spots. The wider LB-GP50 is a general purpose tool for handling things like excess glue, or mill marks left by a planer. And the LB-GP610R is a radius scraper with both concave and convex onserts that was designed to tackle restoration work, moldings and boat building challenges. All three are amazingly affordable.

For more info, visit HerSaf online.

Longest Lithium Ion Warranty

Hitachi Power Tools is now extending a 10-year warranty on its Lithium Ion tools (not the batteries). The warranty is retroactive, and applies to Hitachi Lithium Ion tools purchased since their initial launch back in 2006, and applies to the original purchaser of HXP Lithium Ion cordless tools. Hitachi customers who purchased applicable cordless Lithium Ion tools before the 10-year warranty announcement will automatically be covered and are not required to register or re-register their tools.

Categories of tools that are covered under the new warranty include cordless drill drivers, hammer drills, impact drivers and wrenches, circular saws, jig saws, reciprocating saws and blowers. Some exceptions apply: grinders, rotary hammers and gas nailers are covered by Hitachi’s 1-year warranty.

To view the entire warranty online, go to the company Web site, click on customer service, and then on warranty information for complete details.

Hitachi also provides an exceptional 2-year HXP Lithium Ion battery warranty to
the original purchaser, and a 1-year HXP Lithium Ion charger warranty to the original purchaser.

The sliding table has a repositionable mounting plate that can be secured to the main mounting bracket as needed, allowing the user to obtain up to 72" cutting capacity (depending on the positioning of the mounting bracket on the saw).
The angle adjustment rail for the crosscut fence has positive stops at 90°, 15°, 22.5°, 30° and 45°.
Storage mounts have been added to the outside legs to allow the user to safely stow the fence out of the way when not in use.

Custom Small Shop Filters Now Available

American Fabric Filter Co., based in Wesley Chapel, Florida, now offers the same quality filter and collection bags for small woodshops that it supplies to commercial shops. The company does custom filter design, which allows woodworkers to correctly balance the micron rating on their collector's filter bag (smaller holes mean more protection from fine particles, while larger holes increase airflow). No two shops are alike and filtration needs vary with the size of the collector, type of dust generated, and amount of use it gets. Their experienced sales staff can recommend fabrics, designs and sizes to maximize vacuum and the cleanliness of the air returned. Consultations are free.

This new direction provides an opportunity for small shop owners with two-bag collectors such as the one shown at left. By removing the factory base and mounting the collector on a taller shop-built base, the height of the collector bag can be increased, meaning it wouldn't need to be emptied quite so often.

For a custom quote, call 800-367-3591 or visit AFF online.