Popular Woodworking 2008-11 № 172, страница 19

Tool Test

CONTINUED FROM PACf 32

a traditional pin (which scratches the work).

The cutter is secured in the beam with a brass machine screw. By loosening the screw you can increase the depth of cut to make deep lines. You also can easily remove the cutter for sharpening, or turn its bevel around so you can mark out the walls for hand-cut mortises.

The fence is also thoughtfully crafted. Thecurveson the fence-which make it look vaguely like a bat's wing-are perfectly placed for your index fingerand hand. Jeff Hamilton, who makes these gauges in Tontitown, Ark., also inlays a brass wear strip on the fence, which extends the life of the tool.

All in all, the 1 lamihon marking gauges are a huge improvement compared to the tra

Hamilton Marking Gauges

di legno ■ 877-208-4298 or

dilcgnosupply.com Street price « $47.50 to $49.95

For more information, circle s 154 on Free Information Card.

ditional pin-based marking gauges and will delight those of you who incorporate hand tools into your shops.

The small gauge is $47.50; the large one is $49.95. —CS

Handmade Hamilton Marking Gauges

Traditional markinggauges look good to the eye, but they don't always fit comfortably in your hand. Two markinggauges by Hamilton Woodworks are shaped so you can lay a precise line with ease-your finger pressure goes right where you need it for a steady stroke.

The gauges come in two sizes - the small one has a 4"-longbeam; the large one a 6" beam -so you can pick the tool that suits yourhand. But there's more that's unique about these gauges than just the different sizes.

The fence is attached to the beam of the gauge wit h a sliding dovetail thai is made with very tight tolerances. To adjust the blade you loosen the brass thumbscrew and the fence slides smoothly but precisely on the beam. Because the beam is made from quartersawn cherry, the fit between the beam and blade remained snugall year round in our shop.

The businessend of the gauge isa VV'-wide steel knife with a thumbnail shape. Thisstyle of cutter makes a more precise knife line than

Dual-disc Sander Reduces Vibration

In the previous issue of Popular Woodworking (#171), we reviewed variable-speed random-orbit sanders. We had this 5"-diameier Craftsman Professional Vibrafree sander (# 25927) prior to testing, but this isa single-speed tool (12,000 orbits per minute), and thus didn't qualify for our test. But this sander is something to talk about.

This Craftsman is different from any random-orbit sander we've seen. The tool has an innovative sanding-pad design, with two sanding areas -an outer ringand a inner pad (see the photo below).

Special sanding discs. Dual sanding discs are a concern. Unless you cut your own discs, sanding grits are limited to fine, medium and coarse.

That alone is inventive, but it's just the beginning. The two sanding discs rotate in the same direction, but each shifts in opposing direct ions. For example, when the outer ring is fully toward the right, the inner pad is fully to the left. That opposing movement is designed to reduce the vibration. According to Craftsman, vibration is reduced by more than 40 percent compared to the company's previous model.

We evaluated this sander for comfort, aggressiveness and dust collection. We sanded using new#120-grit,hook-and-loopsanding discs. This sander is not too aggressive: waste removal in our five-minute test was only .256 ounces compared to the . 192 to .512 ounces removed by other tested sanders.

The sander operates smoothly with no wobble or jitteringin use. It feelscomfortable in the hand, and the sealed rocker-style on/off switch is easy to reach and to operate.

Also, this sander has a cyclonic dust-air separator collection system. It works. All but a trace of dust was collected in the molded plastic dust canister, which attaches to the sander by way of small plastic clips. (1 don't th i nk the clips would be acceptable i f it weren't for the spring-loaded lever that opens the rear of the canister for easy emptying.)

Craftsman - 800-549-4505 or

craftsman.com Street price-$100

For more information, circle 1155 on Free Information Card.

The kit comes with a set of sanding discs - five each of #60, #120 and #180 grit. Additional pre-packaged discs are sold as described above for $8.99 each, only at Sears stores.

This is a good sander, but I'm a bit concerned about sanding disc availability. pw

— ClenD. Huey

Craftsman Vibrafree Sander

34 ■ Popul ar Woodworking November 2008