Popular Woodworking 2003-06 № 134, страница 31
Vs NEWEST IN DOWELING The Miller Dowel is a darn clever idea that can make some kinds of joints faster and easier. Essentially, the stepped-dowel concept offers the strength of a standard dowel, with the ease of a tapered dowel.Alignment and splitting difficulties often associated with standard dowels are no longer a concern, while the strength offered is actually better than with a standard dowel thanks to the ribbed design (increasing glue coverage). These stepped dowels also can be used to replace screws in many applications - think of it as a self-plugging screw. For outdoor work, stepped dowels remove the worry of rust from exposed screws. For finished furniture it can be a step-saving feature with good strength. How about knockdown furniture? We're going to stop short of advocating Miller Dowels as a replacement for all screws. While the strength is excellent, they still won't pull up an ill-fitting joint like a screw will. It's also not quite as cost effective. A pack of 50 dowels (23/4" or 31/2"in length) and the necessary bit will run about $30. Packs of 25 dowels run about $7.That's about 28 cents per dowel versus 4 cents per #20 biscuit, and about 8 cents per premium screw. Cost aside, we like the idea of an all-wood, strong and simple joint. The dowels are available in birch, red oak, cherry and black walnut, and more weather-resistant species are on the drawing board. Miller Dowel, 866-WOODPEG, or millerdowel.com. - DT TOOL RATINGS Performance is rated on a one-to-five scale, with "five" indicating the leader in the category. Five dollar signs in "Price range" means highest in the category, with three indicating an average price. If you have other tool questions, call me at 513-531-2690 ext. 1255,or email me at david.thiel@fwpubs.com. Or visit our web site at popularwoodworking.com to read previous tool reviews and sign up for our free, bimonthly e-mail newsletter. —David Thiel, senior editor Veritas Apron Plane A good block plane should be precise, durable and always within arm's reach. The new Veritas apron plane is all three. The plane's adjustment mechanism allows exact adjustments to both the depth of the cut and the iron's parallelism to the plane's sole. The body is made of unbreakable ductile iron. And the plane's delightful small size long) allows you to tuck it in your apron. The plane is reasonably priced at just a few dollars more than the inaccurate mass-produced planes we're all used to. If you've been suffering with a poorly made block plane, here's an excellent opportunity to remedy the situation. — Christopher Schwarz For more information, circle #164 on Free Information Card. SPECIFICATIONS Veritas Apron Plane Street price: $59 ($67 with A2 blade) Weight: 14 ounces Bedding angle: 12° Performance: ••••O Price range: $$$$$ Lee Valley Tools: 800-871-8158 or leevalley.com Makita's Built-in Light Jigsaw Do you need a light on your j igsaw ? Well, maybe not need, but it's actually pretty handy. Even in some of the best-lit situations, the cutting area in front of the blade can be dark. While the light on the 4341FCT Makita isn't daz zlingly brilliant, it does a nice job of illuminating this shadowy area. Along with the LED lifetime bulb, Makita has designed a saw with the highest-amperage motor in the category and included electronic speed control to provide constant power. Makita also upgraded its blade-changing system with a nice combination blade shield/ release lever, which makes blade changing toolless. At $170 it's priced near the top of the category, but this is a nicely designed and powerful saw that answers all your jigsaw needs - and adds a light. - DT For more information, circle #165 on Free Information Card. SPECIFICATIONS 4341FCT Makita Jigsaw Street price: $170 Features: 6.8-amp motor, 800-2,800 strokes per minute, 1" stroke length, four-position orbital cut, electronic speed control, toolless blade change Performance: ••••O Price range: $$$$$ Makita: 800-4MAKITA or makita.com Lie-Nielsen's Boggs Spokeshave Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, with the assistance of chairmaker Brian Boggs, now makes a new spokeshave that puts most modern shaves to shame. Thanks to the heavy 12-ounce bronze body, you can focus more on your angle of attack than on just keeping the tool to the work. And the Vs"-thick A2 blade -held in place by thumbscrews and a massive bronze cap -makes chatter unlikely. The thoughtfully designed body ensures your thumbs will find comfortable places to rest while either pushing or pulling the tool. At $125 this is likely the most expensive spokeshave on the market. But because it blows away every new $25 shave, we consider the Boggs spokeshave a wise investment. - CS For more information, circle #166 on Free Information Card. SPECIFICATIONS Boggs Spokeshave Street price: $125 Body: 10" long, 12 ounces Blade: 2" wide A2 steel Performance: ••••• Price range: $$$$$ Lie-Nielsen: 800-327-2520 or lie-nielsen.com popwood.com 29 |
