Australian Wood Review September 2019

Safer saws Safety could be the most important thing about woodwork that can often be ignored. Learning best practices and using guards, jigs, pushsticks and personal protective equipment are all recommended – and then there is the human element to avoid – tiredness and distractions. Flesh sensing sawblade technology was invented around 20 years ago and became accessible to Australian woodworkers in 2010. In recent years safety sawblade technology developed by other brands has emerged. In contrast to the first-seen SawStop technology which activates on contact, new technology employs cameras and scanners to detect a ‘hazard’ and cause the blade to drop below the table…and here is the game changer, without a braking unit or damage to the blade. This new technology is slated to reach Australian buyers in higher priced professional…

This is a well packaged, beautifully presented, wooden vice screw. All the surfaces, and especially the handle, are silky smooth to the touch. The threads are cut without any blemishes, which I expected of the main screw itself as it is relatively easy to machine, but this was also true of the internal thread of the nut, which is not so easily achieved. Attention to detail is evident everywhere. The end caps of the handle are also attached with wooden screw threads, and a rubber O-ring is fitted at each end to cushion the sound and the force when the handle drops through the hub of the screw. The diameter of the main thread is three inches (around 75mm), and the threaded section is 19 inches or around 475mm, long. The 2X…

Dovetails tend to be a criterion by which a woodworker is judged and it does take a fair bit of practice to routinely get good results. For recreational woodworkers this can be a challenge that results in too much disappointment in an activity that should bring joy. There are those who may dismiss magnetic dovetail saw guides as ‘cheating’, but I have to applaud a jig that enables excellent results for even complete beginners and encourages them to keep extending their repertoire. You can think of them as training wheels that alow muscle memory to develop. I recently acquired two popular versions for my students to experience, although I don’t intend to substitute them for working on their unassisted hand skills during class time. The Katz-Moses dovetail jig (photo 1) was ordered online…

Knew Concepts were the first to successfully revolutionise the design of these saws with their titanium framed coping saw. However, I get the impression that their emphasis was primarily on the saw frame, in an attempt to find a design that would be light enough to properly tension the blade, but inexpensive enough to succeed in the market. This they did, but for me the weak point of their design was their blade tensioning system. It did place a wonderful tension on the blade, and for that I loved it, but I have always yearned for a higher quality version of it. This we now have. Blue Spruce Toolworks have built on the Knew Concepts revolution of frame design by introducing carbon fibre to provide lightweight strength, but have gone beyond…

This is a new take on wood tool design. Maker Dave Jeske of the USA has chosen an aluminium for the body of these tools with a hardened steel blade. The aluminium is superbly milled with an infill of curly maple to give the design a boost. In fact the attention to detail is excellent with all tools having crisp chamfers and everything looking perfect. There are two finishes available for the steel and aluminium; a satin and anodised finish, or a dark ceramic coating. I preferred the anodised look with a satin steel. The tools can be ordered with different colours and wood infills for those wanting a customised look. There are bevel gauges and try and mitre squares available with either 4" or 6" long steel blades. Personally I would…

You can use disposable paper masks for pretty good dust protection in the workshop. If you want to ‘dispose’ less though, get a real dust mask that only needs the filters replaced. This UK-made half face mask by Elipse is rated for protection against dust, metal fumes, certain smoke, wood dust, MDF and asbestos and is approved to European Standard. The label says it can trap 99.97% of airborne particles, which is outstanding (although a beard will reduce this). The mask is soft-fitting with two adjustable elastic bands. It is rated as medium/large in size although I would have preferred it to be slightly larger. There are two long-life replaceable filters that are quite slim and do not obstruct your view. You can’t wash the filters and re-use them but replacement filters are…