Popular Woodworking 2000-12 № 119, страница 9

Tool Test

toolScoop

Grizzly's Bargain Benchtop Planer

Setting up the G8794 takes a little more time and finesse than more expensive portable planers. But once you get the machine calibrated, the cuts are smooth and relatively snipe-free. For less than $300, the G8794 comes with a depth scale, adjustable infeed and outfeed tables and double-sided disposable blades. You set the knives using springs and a setting gauge, which is more time consuming than the simpler systems on Delta's 22-560 and Makita's 2012NB. Plus, to adjust the infeed and outfeed tables you need to fiddle with a two-nut system, which again takes time to master. However, the tables have steel rollers on the leading edges, which help move the stock under the cutterhead. As a nice bonus, Grizzly throws in a sturdy tool stand with the machine. If you're watching pennies and you're willing to forego some amenities, the G8794 should be on your short list.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Grizzly G8794 Planer

Street Price: $280 plus shipping Motor: ''0v, '5amp, universal Max. Cut: '/'6" high, l2!/2" wide Feed Rate: 25 feet per minute RPM: 8,540

Table Size: l2'/2" x 23⁵/8" Weight: 75 lbs.

Knives: 2, double-sided, disposable Cuts per Minute: '7,080

Performance: lllmm Value: llllm I

Grizzly: 800-523-4777, or www.grizzly.com

For more information, circle #'7' on the Resource Directory Coupon.

SPECIFICATIONS: RP200/RP400K Plunge Routers

Street Price: $69/$99 Motor: lhp-9.5 amp/2hp-lOamp RPM: 25,000/0-25,000 Dust Extraction: Through the base Weight: 8 lbs./8.75 lbs. Collet: '/4" with spindle lock Soft Start: Yes

Rack & Pinion Height Adj: No/Yes Performance: lllmm Value: lllll

Black & Decker: 800-544-6986, or www.blackanddecker.com

Black & Decker Entry-Level Plunge has a Great Price

We love the DeWalt DW621 plunge router and all its fine features, including the well-designed dust collection system. Now DeWalt's parent company, Black & Decker, has put many of the 621 's features on its new RP200 and RP400K plunge routers. And the price tag is amazing ($99 for the variable speed model, $69 for the single speed). Overall, we found the performance of these routers to be good. The spindle lock, variable speed and soft start are handy, and the router plunges smoothly. Though the routers are available with only a H" collet, that's OK for an entry-level tool. We wish the rack-and-pinion depth stop on the RP400K also had a turret depth stop, but the system works fine as is. One of the things that excited us about these routers was the built-in dust collection. Unfortunately during testing we found that the dust collection was not as good as on the sister DeWalt model, perhaps because the base is larger and more open than on the 621. Despite this, any dust collection is better than none, and these routers are a great value for any entry-level woodworker. For more information, circle #'72 on the Resource Directory Coupon.

With the SawStop device installed,this hot dog received only a scratch from the spinning saw blade.

REVoLUTioNARY SAWSToP MAY CHANGE THE WOODSHOP

What do you get when you cross a Ph.D., a patent attorney and a woodworker? In Stephen Gass' case you get a table saw attachment that could revolutionize shop safety forever. Gass is the inventor of SawStop™ (www.sawstop.com), a safety device that stops the spinning blade of a table saw in 2 to 5 milliseconds when it comes in contact with the human body. That's less than a quarter-turn of the blade, and that's fast enough to turn a serious accident into one requiring a household bandage.

SawStop reacts to the electrical capacitance of the human body, and it recognizes the difference between flesh and wood.Think of those table lamps that turn on and off when you touch the base. It's the same idea.Wet wood won't trigger the system, though metal-clad materials will, so a bypass switch is included. Once the signal is interrupted, the mechanism (mounted under the table of the saw) releases a thick piece of polycarbonate into the teeth of the blade to stop it.The system works with all conventional saw blades without modifications, and the cartridge is easily replaced after the system is triggered.The system can be sold with a new saw, or as a retrofit to existing saws. Gass is in discussions with a number of woodworking tool manufacturers, hoping to offer the SawStop to all, rather than as a proprietary item. He tells us the price of the system should only increase the cost of a machine between $30 and $100. Gass says the system will be expanded to radial arm saws, jointers and other tools in the future. Look for a review of this potential leap forward in woodworking safety in an upcoming issue.

14 Popular Woodworking December 1000