Popular Woodworking 2006-06 № 155, страница 32
Tool Test Grizzly's Baby Drum Sander Rocks Early in my career I was spoiled forever by a 42"-wide, three-head wide-belt sander. I can't keep from comparing other sanders to that, and this new drum sander from Grizzly isn't that kind of machine. But it is, without a doubt, the best value in a thicknessing sander suitable for small-shop use that I have seen. Many small-scale sanders use lightweight materials and leave one end of the machine open to gain width capacity. Grizzly has taken a different approach - keep it simple and solid. It has some limitations in capacity and precision, but considering performance and price, this is the machine I want in my shop. It won't sand a wide tabletop or a wide assembled door, but it can sand the parts before you put things together. I'd rather put together good parts than risk making more work with an unpredictable machine. I found no sniping or variation across the width from the pieces I sanded with the G0459. It was hard to hit a precise thickness due to the flexibility in the hook-and-loop abrasives, but this flexibility eliminates many of the problems found in rigid drums. It's a trade-off I'm willing to make. Setup was minimal; I needed only to attach the crank handle and dust port. The drum and drive motors had plenty of power and changing the abrasives was simple and painless. The conveyor belt is the same rubber found on industrial machines, and the gear-driven four-post height adjustment operated smoothly. The pluses outweigh the minuses, but it isn't a perf ect machine. I'd move the speed control to the same side as the other controls, and change the knob that holds the lid down. If the hood were extended down, the dust collection would be improved, and the requirement to tape the ends of the abrasive rolls doesn't seem right. I can easily live with these shortcomings to gain the performance, ease of use and predictability of this machine. — Robert Lang For more information, circle # 166 on Free information Card. SPECIFICATIONS GO459 12" Baby Drum Sander Street price: $425 Sanding Capacity: 12" wide x 33/4" thick Drum: 4" diameter, 3" hook & loop abrasive Motors: 1V2 hp, 110v drive, Vio hp feed Performance: ••••O Price range: $$ Grizzly: 800-523-4777 or grizzly.com Wenzloff & Sons Backsaws Make the Cut The hand-tool crowd lives and dies by the hand saw. But even for the rest of us, no matter how many electrons we consume in our shops (and I consume my fair share) we all need a couple decent hand saws for the all-too-common tricky cut. Now we have one more choice when selecting the right saw. Veteran cabinetmaker Mike Wenzloff of Forest Grove, Ore., has recently taken up custom sawmaking as his primary business and his early offerings are excellent. Thanks to his long career as a professional woodworker, Wenzloff's backsaws are exceptionally functional and a joy to use - the wood, split brass nuts and brass back are expertly finished to a high degree. I test drove two of his adaptations of the now-vanished Disston No. 9 backsaw - one saw was filed with rip teeth and the other with crosscut teeth. The saws are surprisingly large (20V2" long) and heavy (1V2 pounds) - both attributes are assets to cutting fast and true. The saws are hand-sharpened and track a line quite well. The crosscut saw had 14 points per inch; the rip saw had 11 ppi. If you need something different, just ask. Wen-zloff makes this saw in a variety of lengths and with 9 to 15 ppi. There also are a variety of wood species you can choose for the handle. And if the price of the No. 9 is too much, Wenzloff also sells the saw as a nearly finished kit for $110 - you essentially finish shaping the handle and fit it to the blade. In addition to the No. 9 saw, Wenzloff also makes pure custom saws and a halfback saw - a smallish panel saw with a short brass back. Wenzloff was tweaking the handle of that saw at press time; we'll give you an update on that saw and its performance in a future issue. The Wenzloff saws rank up there with other premium makers, including Lie-Nielsen, Adria and Gramercy Tools. And, as a bonus, you can get your saw easily customized to your liking. I think you'll be as impressed with these saws as I was. PW — Christopher Schwarz For more information, circle # 167 on Free information Card. SPECIFICATIONS Wenzloff & Sons No. 9 Backsaws Street price: $165-175 ($110 in kit form) Sawplate thickness: .030" Brass back: .215" thick, folded on blade Handle: 7/8" thick, bubinga Performance: ••••O Price range: $$$$ Wenzloff & Sons: 503-359-4191 or wenzloffandsons.com/saws/ 30 Popular Woodworking June 2006 |
