Popular Woodworking 2004-11 № 144, страница 14

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INNOVATION THROUGH & THROUGH

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PORTER-CABLE® continues to prove its cutting-edge innovation and design with these latest tools.

7-1/4" MAG-SAW™ KIT

Change blades without changing gears. This award-winning, first-ever Quik-Chtuige circular saw provides a fast and hassle-free system for changing blades making you more productive on the job site.

Available in blade-left and blade-right models with or without a brake.

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VARIABLE-SPEED DUAL ACTION . TIGER SAW® KIT

A revolutionary rotating back handle puts an end to turning your body to get more leverage. Plus an extra-heavy-duty 11.5 AMP motor for maximum power for all cutting capacities and blade clamp QuiC-CCance for keyless blade change in seconds.

FINISH NAILER/BRAD NAILER COMPRESSOR COMBO KIT

Have everything on hand with this special edition two-nailer combo kit complete with both Brad and Finisher Nailers and 2 peak HP .8 HP running 6-gallon pancake compressor. Also includes an adjustable depth-of-drive, jam-release mechanism and non-marring nose tip.

For more cutting-edge innovations from PORTER-CABLE®, visit porter-cable.com.

PORTER +CRRLE

PORTER-CABLE, MAG-SAW, QUIK-CHANGE and TIGER SAW are registered trademarks of Pentair Tools Group. © Pentair Tools Group, 2004.

CIRCLE NO. 170 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD.

Letters

Reader Takes Issue With a Chisel Review

Test of Lie-Nielsen Chisels Gives Short Shrift to Japanese Tools

Your opinion about the Japanese chisels (Tool Test, August 2004) is totally wrong. I assume that you were talking about the very expensive Japanese tools, not the regular blue or white steel ones. After struggling with regular occidental chisels and becoming tired of having to go to my waterstones every half hour, I bought a few blue steel chisels and now I can chop dovetails almost the whole afternoon with only a 30-second honing every couple of hours - and I did not pay $250 for them.

For the record I own a few Lie-Nielsen planes. I love them and I'm planning to buy more. I really like their tools.

But as the editor of a woodworking magazine you should be more impartial and do some research before recommending some brand and bad-mouthing another one.

Ricardo Druillet via the internet

Editor's note: I think if you read my review again you'll see that I never said that the Lie-Nielsen chisels held an edge longer than the Japanese chisels. In fact, I wrote that the two Nishiki chisels, Barr and Lie-Nielsen chisels all "stayed sharp through tremendous abuse."

My only quibble with the Japanese chisels is that they are too small for my larger Western hands and that the Lie-Nielsens were more comfortable to use. I've been testing the Lie-Nielsens (from prototype to early production models to the final production models) for 18 months now. My test results were confirmed independently by a fellow editor here at the magazine and I stand by my review.

I have no doubt that your Japanese chisels go a very long time between sharpenings. And until the Lie-Nielsen tools came along, I used Japanese chisels almost exclusively for all my woodworking projects. But now there is a Western chisel that is made with the same care and quality as the Japanese chisels. If you try

CIRCLE NO. 132 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD.

a set of Lie-Nielsens at a woodworking show, I think you might agree.

— Christopher Schwarz, executive editor

How do the Lie-Nielsen A2 Chisels Compare to High-speed Steel Tools?

In your recent review of Lie-Nielsen chisels, I was intrigued to read about A2 steel being used for the chisels for the first time. The A2 steel seems to have a high Rockwell hardness equaling those of Japanese tool steels, and I have no doubt they perform as well as any traditional Japanese laminated steel chisels.

Interestingly, from my past visits to Japan, I have also learned about the growing trend in Japan of using high-speed steel (HSS) for forged bench chisels. Apparently the advance of HSS technology has allowed blacksmiths to forge bench chisels with incredible strength and a slim profile. They hold a great edge against composite materials, and also endure the heat of powered grinding, much like HSS turning tools.

There seems to be several ways to incorporate HSS into the chisel, but the best method appears to be a chisel made entirely from HSS with no laminations. The best-known HSS chisel maker in Japan is Sukemaru (a fourth-generation blacksmith), and I have heard good continued on page 14

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