Popular Woodworking 2004-04 № 140, страница 35
Bridgewood MS-25T Tilt Head Mortiser Dedicated mortising machines aren't necessary for all woodworkers. But if mortises are an important part of your woodworking, especially if you happen to enjoy making chairs, there's no machine that will save you as much time as a tilting-head mortiser. The holes necessary to accurately attach splayed legs and back pieces to chairs can take hours to set up. This makes it a science. The 1-hp motor (1,725 rpm) provides excellent power for cutting mortises through hardwood. The fit and finish on the machine are good and the two-axis movable table and canted holddown make mortising very user-friendly. Stops for the left-to-right travel on the table, and also on the depth-of-cut on the mortising head, make multiple mortises easily repeatable. Then there's the tilting head, capable of moving 45° to the left or right for angled mortising. To set the head in motion, you loosen two bolts, then retighten them once the proper angle is achieved. While the tilt- ing head is nice, we would have preferred a tool-free option for this procedure. There also is a nice angling feature to the fence (0° to 30° from parallel) that is tool-free and adds a third dimension to the angled mortising opportunities. All-in-all this is a useful and valuable machine for many operations. Well-made and reasonably priced, our only gripe is the wrench required for tilting. — DT For more information, circle #172 on Free Information Card. SPECIFICATIONS Bridgewood MS-25T Tilt Head Mortiser Street price: $840 w/stand ($700 without) Motor: 1 hp, 220 volt Spindle speed: 1,725 rpm Table travel: 3" x 141/2" Max. chisel capacity: 1" Performance: ••••O Price range: $$$$$ Wilke Machinery: 717-764-5000 or wilkemachinery.com EZ Smart Circular Saw Guide is Great for Plywood While woodworkers usually don't consider a circular saw to be a refined tool, they still own one and use it. Why? Because plywood is sold in 48" x 96" sheets. And unless your shop is large and well-equipped, these sheets are hard to maneuver. A circular saw is a reasonable tool to reduce the size of these sheets, but the cuts aren't as accurate or neat as woodworkers would prefer. That's where this guide system comes into play. The system starts with the Smart Base. This simple phenolic base fits any circular saw and has replaceable zero-clearance inserts that make splinter-free cuts.That in itself is a good thing, but when you add the Smart Guide, the system is sweet. The aluminum tracks have replaceable anti-chip edges (even less tear-out) and allow the saw to guide perfectly straight like you're fol- lowing a miter slot. The anti-chip edge will work in straight or beveled cuts and the cuts can be made from either side of the guide. The guide mounts to the work from underneath with two integral clamps, so there are no clamps to hinder the cut. It's a simple and, as the name asserts, smart system. How can it get better? Eureka Zone is adding a universal router plate for the same track system. We can't wait for that. — DT For more information, circle #173 on Free Information Card. SPECIFICATIONS EZ Smart Guide System Street price: $225 (base: $19.95) Fits: Any circular saw Included: 1-50"&2-25" rails, smart base, two anti-chip inserts Performance: ••••O Price range: $$$$$ Eureka Zone: 888-938-7352 or eurekazone.org MORE NORTON 3X SANDING PRODUCTS Norton Abrasives (770-967-3954 or nortonabrasives.com) has expanded its 3X sandpaper line to fit random-orbit sanders. We were impressed with the 3X in sheet form and are now really pleased that we can put it on our shop's sanders. The paper is aggressive, durable and resists clogging. The 5" discs fit five- and eight-hole vacuum sanders thanks to a universal hole pattern. The discs also last longer because of a specialized resin bonding system that secures the abrasive to a fiber-reinforced, heavier paper backing. It's available in packs of three and 10 discs in the following grits: 40,60, 80,100,120,150,180,220 and 320. — DT ASHLEY ILES TURNING TOOLS NOW IN AMERICA Long a favorite among turners in Britain, Ashley Iles turning tools are becoming available in the United States from Tools for Working Wood (800-426-4613 or toolsfor-workingwood.com).About 100 tools are available, plus additional tools specially made for pole lathe turners. Though pricing wasn't available at press time, they should cost less than comparable Sorby tools.We've been impressed with Ashley Iles steel, so these tools should be a hit with U.S. turners. — C5 TOOL RATINGS Performance is rated on a one-to-five scale.You won't see a low rating ("one" or "two") because we don't publicize inferior tools. "Five" indicates the leader in the category. Five dollar signs indicates highest price in the category. Three indicates an average price. If you have tool questions, call me at 513-531-2690 ext. 1 255, or e-mail me at david.thiel@fw-pubs.com. Or visit our web site at popwood.com to sign up for our free, e-mail newsletter. —David Thiel, senior editor popwood.com 33 |
