Popular Woodworking 2002-02 № 126, страница 12

^The Precision Router Lift

by Woodpeckers

Built for performance, the new PRL from Woodpeckers delivers total control for table mounted, fixed based routers. Uncompromising construction, machine-shop accuracy.

• Change bits above the table.

• Includes (3) aluminum twist lock rings,

• Adjustable index scales.

• Elevated crank handle.

I'J

1.800.752.0725 • www.woodpeck.com

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Letters

Lock Your Mortiser's Holddown Forever

Off-the-Rack Hardware Solves Machine's Most Nagging Problem

I solved my holddown problem on my Fisch mortiser by replacing the post that the forked holddown rides on with a 14mm bolt (approximately the same diameter as the hold-down shaft) that I bought from the hardware store.

I cut off the bolt's head, ground a flat surface on one side of the bolt along the threaded end and then ground a notch at the other end as suggested in your article ("A New Manual for Mortisers" August 2001, issue #123).

I installed the bolt in the hole in the fence and rotated the bolt so that the flat aligned with the set screw on the forked hold-down. I put the holddown on the bolt, then put a washer on top of that and threaded a nut onto the top of the bolt.

One could also include a lock nut, but this has not proven to be necessary.

Floyd B. Carothers Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Editor's note: Well Floyd, you seem to have simply solved the problem that has dogged a lot of us for years. If you didn't read the original article in the August issue, the "notch" Floyd refers to is simply ground into your holddown's post at the point where the setscrew contacts the post. Make the notch about ^s" deep by using your grinder. The notch prevents the post from coming out of its socket in the fence, and Floyd's solution prevents the forked holddown from coming loose during use. Together, these two simple modifications make your holddown far superior to the factory equipment.

— Christopher Schwarz, senior editor

Best New Tool of 2001 Could Turn Out to Be a Finger-Slicing Machine

I've received my December 2001 issue of Popular Woodworking, and after looking at your list of the Best New Tools of 2001, I have to wonder how, by any standard, you

10 Popular Woodworking February 2002

could have come up with this list. Some do have merit, but when you listed the Craftsman Laser Miter Saw, all interest in your selections was lost.

The laser you speak of will, in my opinion, eventually be the cause of many woodworking accidents. The laser works using centrifugal force. So the saw must be running in order to align the cut mark with the laser. Moving your hands under a turning blade is a bit like the "Perils of Pauline."

With the many upgrades and improved technology in 2001, this in my opinion should be on a list of the 15 worst of 2001. Many woodworkers would love a quality laser miter saw, but I definitely wouldn't recommend this one.

Al Berube Salisbury, Massachusetts

Editor's note: You bring up a good point about safety concerning the use of miter saws, but I'm afraid we have to disagree with you about the safety of this particular tool. In general, many miter saw users have developed the habit of lowering the blade to the workpiece (without the saw running) to allow the guard to retract and align the blade with the cut mark. If this is a habit they are unable to break, then this is not the saw for them. But as the saw is designed, the laser functions through the guard with the blade arm in the

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