Popular Woodworking 2007-12 № 166, страница 40

Steel ciTY Granite-top Saw

The first time we heard a rumor about a granite-top table saw from Steel City Tool Works, we all thought someone was playing a trick on us. Two seconds later, we realized that it was such a brilliant idea that it couldn't be a j oke.

Think on this: Granite doesn't rust. It stays flat. It's heavy. When thick enough, it's very durable and long-lasting. And it can be made very smooth and astonishingly flat.

When we first got a gander at the initial Steel City saw with this feature, the 35915G, our suspicions were confirmed. It looks like a great idea. Steel City also is adding granite to the top of its 14" band saw and (most amazingly) to part of its jointer line as the fence. Anyone who has had a jointer with a warped fence (that is, almost everyone) will see the utility of having a granite fence. We're scheduled to receive one of these saws soon. So look for a full review in a future issue.

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Steel City ■ 877-724-8665 or steelcitytoolworks.com

Veritas

Small plow plane

The Veritas Small Plow Plane is a gem made of iron, steel and brass. Well-made, thoughtfully designed and quite useful, the plow plane will quickly become your favorite tool for making grooves and small rabbets, especially if you value a little peace and quiet while cutting joinery.

We've written a full-page review of this tool in the Tool Test section of this magazine (see page 32), so let us just say here that we think that this plane is further evidence that traditional hand skills are on the rise - after years of neglect and decay. Once you pick up one of these tools and try it a few times, you'll see that the barriers to learning to use hand tools are mostly in your head.

LAMELLO Fixo Biscuits

The knock against biscuit joining has always been that biscuits don't work well in joining narrow stock. This led to the popularity of pocket screws and the Festool Domino. Lamello has fixed that with its new Fixo biscuits. These barbed, halfbiscuits act as clamps, pulling j oints tightly together from behind. Fast and effective in our tests, and using a tool that we already own, make Fixo biscuits a winner for everyday joinery.

work sharp wS3000

We've worked with a lot of sandpaper sharpening machines, but this new Work Sharp unit has some features that really set it apart. First, there's the tool rest that is also a heat sink. It really works to keep the tool cool during sharpening. Also, the slotted Edge-Vision wheel allows you to see your tool's edge as it is being shaped.

For woodworkers who dislike hand-sharpening, we think the Work Sharp is the perfect package. PW

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