Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i Australian Wood Review

Arbortech have now developed their own angle grinder which they say is ‘specifically designed as the recommended power unit to optimise all our attachments’. The unit has a soft start and variable speed switch and comes with two separate housings, a chip catcher and a levelling guide both of which may be used with the included sanding pad or turbo plane attachment. The latter is not included in the kit and costs $159 but was loaned for review purposes. Both housings attach to the grinder via two screw fittings also used for positioning the low vibration handle on either side of the body – simplicity in design! Although made of plastic they are sturdy and well finished, creating a look of quality. As a sanding machine the unit performs very…

A reusable mask with filter cartridges is pretty well essential nowadays given the level of protection they offer to woodworkers against hazardous dust and fumes This 3M mask uses twin organic vapour filters as well as fibre pre-filters. The latter are there to keep the main filters clean. It is rated by 3M as suited to paint spraying, solvents and pesticides. Woodwork dust and fumes fall under these categories. For trade or part-time woodworking this mask is very suitable when working in spray booths, sanding or machining wood as well as applying various polishes. The way the mask fits with adjustable straps and a soft contoured face profile means the air seal is very good. These masks are cumbersome to wear and on a hot day can be a sweat…

Affordable Orbital TGEOS stands for the new Triton Geared Eccentric Orbital Sander which comes with 500 watts of power, plenty of features and a RRP of $479. The geared eccentric fixed orbit mode is used for rapid stock removal, and the free-run random orbit delivers fine sanding for a smooth result. An adjustable dial delivers constant speed under load for maximum control. Ergonomic rubber over-moulded grips are designed to reduce vibration and the adjustable auxiliary handle lets you position it where it suits you best. The TGEOS comes with a 125mm backing pad, 150mm backing pad, 12 sanding discs of various grit, spare brushes and a soft carry case. Triton Tools are distributed in Australia by White International. For your nearest stockist see: www.whiteint.com.au Aussie-Made River Resin Recently released and…

The origins of Bridge City Tools go back to 1973, when its founder John Economaki was an industrial arts high school teacher. A batch of squares for the school were delivered but were out of true 90° by up to 1/4". In response, John designed a try square for his students to make as a project using wood and brass. Around ten years later Bridge City Tools was operating as a woodwork toolmaking business and this early design became the basis for the production version of the TS-2 square. Bridge City’s functional tools made with rosewood and brass were just so desirable, and Economaki was able to design them so well. That, coupled with good marketing and advertising, sold the product. By 1992 sales were a comforting $4 million annually.…

I’d like to open this article with two important confessions. First, I’ll confess to having no formal qualifications in dust extraction or ducting design. Whilst I love my woodwork, I have little interest in the formalities of friction losses in ductwork and fan static pressures. So this is an account of my own personal journey in dust extraction shared in the hope that it may provoke thought about your own situation. Thoughts that I hope may have you questioning the adequacy of your own extraction systems as I did when I embarked on this journey a few years ago. So why is this important? While effective dust extraction techniques are endlessly debated, there is one constant on which the science is aligned. That is the health risk presented by ongoing…

These 300mm planer/thicknessers are both made in the same factory. With a price difference of only $300 it quickly became evident that this was an exercise in identifying the differences between what are near-identical machines. The heritage of these machines is obvious, with immediate comparisons to most other 300mm combinations already out there. Both have helical cutterheads with four rows each of 14 carbide insert cutters, which produced extremely clean finished surfaces on some tightly curled Queensland maple used for testing the machine. The resulting surface was also sufficiently flat to indicate that the tables were correctly aligned at the factory for both machines. Both cutterheads are 70mm in diameter and have the same mass, so the only difference in the geometry or physics of the cutting action of these…

This six-pack of countersinks and plug cutters are very cleanly ground, perfectly finished and come in a wood storage case. The incuded brad-point pilot drill bits come razor sharp and can be adjusted for different lengths. You can drill a clearance hole and countersink the screw head all with one pass using one of these bits. The smaller bits have 3/8" carbide tipped countersink bits that will also act as a plug cutter. The two larger bits have 1/2" plug cutters and these gave a perfect fit. I found the bits drilled fast and clean but did note that the better the wood the better the results. Soft and porous acacia drilled reasonably well whilst hard jarrah gave far superior results. In the photo you can see the neat fit…

3M™ Reusable Half Face Mask 6502QL is designed with tough and dirty work environments in mind. Stay productive and protected – the 6500 Series delivers comfort, durability and stability with a firm, lightly textured silicone faceseal and strong body construction. With Quick Latch drop down mechanism for easy on and off as wearers move in and out of contaminated areas. No need to remove your safety helmet or faceshield when lowering or raising your respirator. VALUED AT$99 Subscribe now Visitwww.greatmagazines.com.au/woodreview and enter code ADV/19061Or call our Customer Service Team on 1800 807 760 Subscribe and receive… 2 years / 8 issues of Wood Review • Print Magazine | Delivered to your home or studio • Digital Version | On compatible devices • PLUS your 3M 6502QL Respirator ONLY $95Visit Already…

Many woodworkers check for square with a try square or a measuring tape (photo 1). I use them too, but only when they are the right squaring tools to use. However squares and measuring tapes used as a squaring device have some limitations. While a try square is good for checking small frames or drawers, it is not reliable for checking squareness of large areas. When a large piece is assembled, the clamps exert force to close up the joints that can also, unfortunately, bend the assembly. A tape measure would be a better choice to use in large openings, but it has its share of weaknesses and imprecision. For example, tape sag can affect the accuracy of the diagonal readings. And then there are the clamps that get in…

TGEOS 500W GEARED ECCENTRIC ORBITAL SANDER Equipped with a powerful 500W motor, the Triton Eccentric Orbital Sander tackles the most demanding sanding and finishing tasks with ease. Variable speed control enables the tool to be used with nearly all kinds of materials, and electronic speed maintenance holds the sanding speed constant under load, giving professional results. Features include 150mm and 125mm diameter hook-and-loop backing pads and two sanding modes. Free-run mode delivers fine, uniform sanding results with slow material removal, while forced orbit rotation mode is used for rapid material removal. Key Features Powerful 500W motor provides ample power for the most demanding sanding and finishing tasks Dual-orbit sanding action with free-run mode for fine sanding and geared fixed orbit mode for fast material removal Vacuum dust extraction port increases…

This is a powered block plane and certainly packs a punch. It will plane up to 2mm in a pass with its 56mm wide blade and has a rebating function. It’s well balanced to use and worked like I would expect any electric plane to work. Power is plentiful and at full depth you can push it hard through the wood. However, its not designed for that sort of work. I liked it for cleaning up faces of strips and applying a clean chamfer on an edge. You can walk up to a board and check the grain, fit a door to an opening or clean up some small boards. It uses one reversible carbide cutter and has a tiny drawer in the base to store a spare included cutter.…

This guy at a village fair eyed me up and down. With a befuddled look on his face, his gaze moved to the contraption I was leaning on like a straw-chewing farmer on a lunch-time break. ‘Is that a guillotine?’ he said, scratching his chin. And so begins our beguiling journey into antiquity and kookiness that is a pole lathe. These ancient contraptions with roots lost in the sawdust of time were the tools of bodgers, the itinerant woodworkers from 17th century Buckinghamshire who made chair parts from trees in the woods, emerging only after the sun had set on a day of hard graft. Some say this is where the bodgers got their name, their profession being a corruption of ‘badger’, that stripy-headed, ill-tempered combination of wombat and Tasmanian…

Sturt School For Wood is the only school of its kind in Australia. During the course of its 34 years it has established a reputation for excellence and produced some of the best and best known furniture makers in Australia. In addition to a comprehensive program of short courses in fine woodworking, the school offers Certificate IV in furniture design and technology. This is achieved in a full time one year course which is intensive to say the least. The first Alumni exhibition was held in 2017 and celebrated the work of 14 makers who studied at Sturt School between 1985 and 2005. This year Alumni 2 presented new work by 16 graduates from the years 2006–2016. Some of the work presented is featured here. Sturt School For Wood resides…

Last year Sam Sheppard, 25 decided to put his career as a dentist on hold and travel to the UK to undertake a full-time course in fine furniture making at Waters & Acland. We asked Sam if it was all worthwhile. AWR: Starting with the obvious question: why did you travel all the way to the UK to learn woodworking and furniture making? SS: In my job I was constantly bombarded with the question, ‘Why on earth would you want to be a dentist, why not do something else?’ Perhaps this got to me, but ultimately I felt that it was time for a change. I was really impressed by Waters & Acland, and I have always wanted to spend time abroad, so it seemed like the right choice. AWR:…