B+D SMARTECH

Last summer, BLACK + DECKER launched its 20-volt SMARTECH lithium-ion batteries that are compatible with the company’s 20V MAX* tool line and retail for around $79. These compact batteries use Bluetooth® Technology to connect with the SMARTECH mobile app. Once you’ve paired the battery to the app with your tablet or innovations that will enable us to interact with lithium-ion batteries, cordless tools and measuring devices in groundbreaking ways. If you’ve ever wanted more security, customization and data reporting from your tools, these companies now offer free iOS or Android-friendly apps that expand the versatility of select new products. Here’s a sampling of some of this “connected” tool wizardry. smartphone, it offers helpful diagnostic and security features. The app will inform you about each battery’s current charge level and provide a host of stats, including model and serial number, date code and when it was last paired with the app. Within Bluetooth range (around 100 ft.), you can locate your SMARTECH battery with your device — the battery beeps loudly until you stop the search. Another tap of the app enables you to lock the battery, deactivating it from unauthorized use. They also have a handy USB port on top to recharge your mobile devices.

The app links to B+D’s website, where you can find a library of free DIY and woodworking project plans, plus much more.

DeWALT ToolConnect

DeWALT also has a pair of 20V MAX* XR Bluetooth-enabled batteries in 2.0 Ah compact ($99) and 4.0 Ah ($139) sizes. They’re fully compatible with its extensive 20V MAX* tool family.

DeWALT’s Tool Connect app pairs to these batteries easily with current smart devices, and each battery can be custom-named. The app offers a similar package of battery-specific identification and diagnostic tools as SMARTECH: serial and model number, date code and last pairing date, charge level at present and current battery temperature.

But, unlike SMARTECH’s DIY/consumer-intended focus, DeWALT’s Tool Connect program is geared to jobsite tool concerns and inventory management. For instance, within Bluetooth range, a Tool Connect user can be alerted when batteries are out of range, and users can set them to disable beyond this perimeter. You can also set alerts for low charge warnings or charging status, and temperature extremes. There’s even a “Lend” feature: the app’s calendar and clock can tell a battery to disable when its assigned loaned period expires. Then, the battery becomes inoperable and unchargeable by the borrower, and the lender receives a reminder alert. This much tracking information isn’t as relevant for hobbyists, but imagine a jobsite running dozens of DeWALT batteries. There, inventory control is a daily concern, where Tool Connect can bring peace of mind.

Milwaukee ONE-KEY

In 2015, Milwaukee launched its ONE-KEY mobile app and a number of ONE-KEY tools. With them, the company adopted a different strategy from either B+D or DeWALT’s approach: instead of enhancing batteries with Bluetooth connectivity, the tools themselves have Bluetooth. ONE-KEY tools operate on any M18 Milwaukee battery, and the ONE-KEY app interfaces with the tool, regardless of the battery it’s using.

Currently, Milwaukee’s M18 FUEL ONE-KEYenabled tools include a 1/2″ drill/driver and hammer drill/driver, 1/4″ hex impact driver, 3/8″ and 1/2″ impact wrenches, several crimping tools and a SAWZALL® Reciprocating Saw. There’s also a RADIUS LED Site Light that operates on either a battery or corded power. Milwaukee’s app offers a full complement of data tracking and security features. Once the app pairs to a tool, it logs serial number, date of purchase and current mapped location, along with any notes the owner wishes to add. This information stores to the cloud and can be retrieved for online and mobile record keeping. And, if a tool in the ONEKEY inventory should go missing, a user can report it as missing in the app. Then, any device with the ONEKEY app will update the tool’s location when it comes into Bluetooth range, and the owner will receive an e-mail report of its whereabouts.

But inventory tracking is just one benefit of ONEKEY. The app also allows these tools to be custom programmed by the end user for specialized or often-used tasks. Here’s an example: Maybe you use a recip saw to cut cast-iron waste pipe some days, demolition materials on other days, then 4×6 timbers and sheet steel on occasion. Using the app, ONE-KEY SAWZALL (model 2721-20, $249) can be set for up to four different cutting “profiles” that best suit these varied materials. Starting and maximum speeds, trigger ramp-up time and even the tool’s onboard LED work light duration all can be set and stored, then saved and used independently of the app. A push button selector on the tool indicates which of the four modes you’ve chosen. Using your custom profiles can help the saw cut more efficiently or safely and even extend blade life.

Same goes for other ONEKEY tools: the 1/2″ Drill/Driver (model 2705-20, $179) is programmable for various drill bit styles, diameters and materials being drilled. The app then adjusts the tool for optimal drilling speed and torque shutoff, which you can save as one of four custom profiles. The ONEKEY 1/4″ Hex Impact Driver (model 2757-20, $179) lets you select the sizes and head types of self-tapping screws or concrete anchors you’re planning to drive; the app responds by adjusting starting, driving and finishing speeds accordingly.

Milwaukee’s ONE-KEY RADIUS LED Site Light (item 2146-20, $349) will brighten up dark spaces with up to 4,400 lumens, either standing on its base or hanging inverted from a self-centering metal hook. With the app, you can turn the light on or off, activate all 360° of its LED array or just one side at a time, and then adjust intensity to suit your needs. When the light is plugged into an extension cord instead of a tool battery, you can schedule it for automatic on/off cycles or daisy-chain it to other RADIUS lights.

RYOBI Phone Works

RYOBI offers a line of seven lime-green inspection and measuring gadgets that make up its Phone Works device family. Currently, Phone Connect includes laser pointer, level and distance measurers, noise-suppression earphones, a thermometer, moisture meter and inspection scope.

Most of these tools require your smartphone or tablet as an integral component to their operation. It serves as a display screen for what is being measured or viewed by the Phone Works instrument, and you can take still photos or videos of your subject, then superimpose the data onto it for record keeping. RYOBI has designed the Phone Works app to allow you to create “projects” on your phone or tablet and synthesize all of your data and photos or videos into a single folder to share with others by email or on social media.

I gave the Inspection Scope (model ES5000; $67.48) and Infrared Thermometer (model ES2000; $39.97) a try. The Inspection Scope pairs to a mobile device using Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth, and it features a 3-ft. flexible cable with a tiny camera on the end. Four LED lights surround the lens to help lighten up dark areas. My iPhone 6S, with a full case, fit securely onto the back of the device — both the scope and the thermometer come with a spring-loaded, adjustable clip that holds many sizes of smartphones (even big ones like mine).

In use, the image and video resolution was quite pixelated on my phone’s screen, especially when viewing things in dark spaces, but I could still get the gist of what I was seeing pretty well. The device also seems to deplete AA batteries fast. But, if you wish you could peer inside your machines without taking them apart, wonder what might be clogging a sink drain or need to take a look under shop fixtures, the couch or a car seat to find something gone missing, this doodad could be your second set of eyes.

RYOBI’s Infrared Thermometer plugs into a device’s headphone jack and functioned simply and reliably — in just a few app taps, its Class 3 laser will be pointing a beam and taking a continuous temperature reading where you aim it. It has a range of -22° to 662°F. Save the reading by tapping one button. Here could be a neat way to keep tabs on your tool motor heat output, check windows and doors for drafts or even investigate the efficiency of your home’s HVAC duct system.

General Tools ToolSmart

General Tools & Instruments also has a collection of Bluetooth-enabled measuring devices that include a laser distance measurer, angle finder, two versions of inspection cameras, digital multimeter, infrared thermometer and moisture meter. A ToolSmart app enhances their features and offers a similar “project” system to RYOBI’s for organizing and sharing data. The tools can be used without the app, too.

I tried the Digital Angle Finder (model TS02, $49.98). It works like a digital protractor to measure angles up to 225°. Here’s what makes it unique: you can send the angle reading (between two walls, for instance) to your mobile device without writing it down — handy if you’re up on a ladder. Then, the app can tell you the correct miter and bevel angles for setting up a miter saw to cut moldings and crown. This sure beats trial and error!

Or consider the Laser Distance Measurer (model TS01, $69.98): like most distance finders, it uses a laser to help you chart lengths. This one tabulates area and perimeter, volume and triangulated distances. However, the app makes the tool even more practical for DIY jobs. Measure and send it the lengths and widths of walls, floors or ceilings, and the app will calculate the amount of paint, wallpaper, molding or flooring your area will require. No need to crunch the math.

If you often wonder about your lumber’s moisture content but don’t have a way to check it — and we all should — the ToolSmart pin style Moisture Meter (model TS06, $39.99) can solve the conundrum. I wish it came with an adjustment chart for different wood species and temperature factors — other meters do. But it will give you a quick ballpark percentage to verify if your wood is dry enough for woodworking. It will assess building materials like drywall, too.

Smart devices and apps have quickly become an indelible part of our culture. You can be sure that their role in power tool technology will only grow with time.

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The Bodgers

Dating back to at least 1700, the bodgers were itinerant English craftsmen living in the beech forests that covered the Chiltern Hills around High Wycombe, a town northwest of London in Buckinghamshire County. They felled the beech trees around their hut, bucked and rived billets from them, then turned Windsor chair spindles on pole lathes. They also wove very sturdy baskets from the green wood. Once they exhausted the trees around their hut, they moved their abode deeper into the forest. The bodgers were a viable trade up into the early 20th century. In modern times, the term bodger has come to mean an inept craftsman; however, the bodgers of High Wycombe were anything but: they were highly skilled turners. They sold their turnings at the town of Windsor, which is how historians believe the chair got its name.

Wood Shrinks as it Dries

As you can see by the illustration, a green log shrinks about 4% in diameter, the radial shrinkage; while the loss in circumference is about 8%, the tangential shrinkage. Left as a log, stress will build around the rings to the point that the wood will check (crack) in one of two ways. Some woods will develop one or two big cracks running the length of the log; others will develop a myriad of small checks throughout the log.

There is a huge advantage to riven billets: every grain fiber runs parallel end to end. This makes the resulting turning much stronger than one made from a sawn billet, which often has the grain running out the side. While wood is very strong under compression, it is less so along the grain. The sawn billet will fail completely if it splits along the grain, but the riven one will not. This allowed very dainty proportions in Windsor legs and is why early 18th century examples are still sound today.

Riving wood is quite easy. The first order of business is to find a fresh green log of a workable wood. English Windsor chair makers used beech, but here in the Colonies we used maple or birch. If you can find trees of these species, they rive nicely and turn beautifully; they showcase the crisp edges and deep coves typical of the style. You want a log that is from the bole of a straight tree because it will be clear wood, free of knots. Windsor legs require a 20″-long billet, so cut this length from the fresh log. End grain loses water much faster than the rest of the log, which is covered by bark at this juncture. For this reason, the first 6″ or so often is checked and should be cut away for firewood.

To rive a few spindles, you only need a sledgehammer and some wedges. For higher production numbers, a froe is a very handy tool. The important thing to remember as you start to rive the log section is some simple physics. To keep all the splits running true, you have to split equal masses. An off-center split will cause the split to run toward the lighter side, for the heavier side transmits more force back into the wedge than the lighter one. This often means placing the wedge or froe off-center on tapered pieces.

Our forefathers would have taken their freshly riven billets to a shaving horse and used a drawknife to take all of the sharp edges off and get them basically round. They would have then turned them to chair legs, stretchers and arm posts in a pole lathe. While it is fun to use the shaving horse and drawknife, thanks to the electric motor in our lathes we can skip this step if we want to. Just chuck it up and start turning. A good-sized modern spindle roughing-out gouge makes the polygonal billet round in no time at all. You can tell you are round because a continuous ribbon of wood will flow off of a sharp gouge.

The finished spindle will generally have better surface finish than dry wood. Little to no sanding is necessary. As the spindle dries, it will shrink a bit oval and may check for a short distance at each end. Neither affects the utility or strength of the spindle. A dab of green wood sealer on the ends to slow down the rate of water loss from the end grain will virtually negate checking. Once dry, your turning can be sanded and finished in any way you choose. The average viewer will only be able to discern that the spindle is oval by feel. Visually, they look like any spindle.

Spindle turning some green wood is a fun exercise in confidence building. That great stream of shavings coming off any of the tools is a large part of it, I think. It allows a beginner to take risks that they would not take with dry wood. It is a fantastic way to teach children. Give it a try!

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I use a quality polyurethane bag, which is fairly expensive but offers good durability for professional use. For occasional use, a high quality vinyl bag will suffice and cost less.

Commercial Veneers

In this article, I’m using commercially cut raw wood veneers in a species called makore. At only 1/42″ thick, only light sanding can be done on the finished panel, not planing or heavy scraping. You can also cut veneer yourself with a good band saw (more about that shortly).

With commercial veneers, it’s as simple as laying out the veneer sheets in sequence and flipping over every other sheet to achieve a book-match. From a flitch of 24 sheets of veneer, I applied veneer to one side of an MDF panel using just sheet number 5.

The original veneer sheet was long enough to provide two lengths of veneer for my panel, so I simply cut the sheet in half with a veneer saw and rotated one of the halves for the book match. I didn’t even need to flip one sheet over. With veneer this wide, I needed only two pieces with one joint to cover the entire panel on one side.

When using two or more pieces of veneer to cover a substrate, their aligning edges must be perfectly straight to avoid gaps (like a butt joint in thicker stock). I started by jointing the mating edges of the sheets I had cut from the larger original sheet using a common flush-trim router guide.

I sandwiched my two veneer sheets under a simple jig and on top of a sacrificial piece of 1/4″-thick MDF. By allowing the veneers to protrude slightly from the jig, it was easy to trim the edges with a straight bit in a router. To avoid tearout, given the tiny amount of wood being cut, you can safely climb cut.

I can trim a whole stack of veneers at the same time with this method. There’s also an alternative method where I simply place the two veneer sheets against my jointer fence with a hardwood guide at the front. Then I joint the veneers and the solid board together. This works for shorter veneers like I’m using here, but the trim guide is best for long veneers that are unwieldy to handle.

After jointing the edges, I secured the veneers together using blue tape placed across the joint every few inches on the back side. Then I applied veneer tape on the front side, first across the joint and then one long piece along the joint.

This tape has an adhesive on the back so I just run the back over a wet sponge before laying it down. With that done, an iron set to medium heat shrinks the veneer tape as it dries, pulling the joint even tighter. Now remove the blue tape from the back.

Because the veneer lay-up was larger than necessary, I trimmed the outer edges by placing the MDF core over top of it and trimming around the edges with the veneer saw.

The MDF core itself was oversized as well to allow for easy trimming after the glue-up. Sometimes the veneer will shift slightly on the core under vacuum pressure, so it’s best to leave some room for error.

In this case, I also veneered the front edge of the panel with a small offcut of the same veneer, using a clamping caul to distribute the pressure. The face veneer will hide the edge veneer joint.

You can use different kinds of glue for veneering, including plastic powdered resin, epoxy and even regular wood glue, depending on whether you are doing curved work, using paper-backed veneers or raw wood veneers, etc. For my purposes here, cold press veneer glue gives me enough working time (about 10 minutes) for simple flat panels, and it dries within a reasonable time.

I sanded the MDF core with 120-grit sandpaper to knock off any surface glaze. This is not required when using a Baltic birch core. Then I covered the core with dark pencil lines to give me an idea of how much glue to apply with a 6″-wide glue roller.

The glue should be relatively heavy but still allow the pencil lines to show through. Apply glue only to the substrate, and spray the veneers with a light mist of water right after laying them over the glue to prevent them from curling. I taped the veneer to the core with blue tape to keep it in place, making sure it protruded slightly beyond the front edge band. The rear edge and ends can be trimmed to final size later.

I placed the panel in the veneer bag upside down so the veneers are on the 3/4″-thick MDF platen in the bag. Don’t forget that you also need a backer veneer to keep the panel from warping. This can be done as a separate glue-up later with the backer veneer also sitting on the platen side. Or you can veneer both sides at once if you’re quick, placing the front face veneers on the platen (upside down) for the best quality glue-up on the show side.

Given that I used breather mesh on top of the panel, I didn’t need an upper platen, nor did the lower platen need to be grooved for proper evacuation of air from the bag. In the past, most people used both an upper and lower platen for flat veneering, although an upper platen can’t be used with curved work. With the use of breather mesh, though, one can eliminate the upper platen entirely, even with flat work. (I purchased breather mesh from veneersupplies.com.)

I’ve done various experiments to get around bleedthrough, which can occur when the vacuum pressure forces glue right through the veneers, interfering with stains and finishes. From my experiments, I’ve had great success setting the vacuum pressure to just 17 Hg (inches of mercury) for the first 10 minutes and then increasing it to 21 Hg for another 30 to 40 minutes. For more porous veneers such as burls, it’s best to use a powdered plastic resin glue, which really reduces bleed-through.

Remember that the glue-up should not remain in the bag longer than an hour when using cold press veneer glue, as it needs exposure to air for the glue to dry properly. Also, keeping the panel under vacuum for too long with a water-based glue can cause mold spores to grow, producing unsightly stains.

Shop-cut Veneers

Working with shop-cut veneers isn’t that different, except that you cut them yourself. Start by finding a piece of lumber that has no grain reversals or only very minor ones.

Choosing stock with grain switches and unusual figure will cause all kinds of tearout when jointing and planing, unless you have helical cutterheads or a thickness sander. For really highly figured stock, I prefer commercial veneers since they can be flawless right out of the box. Sometimes I need to use liquid veneer softener to flatten badly curled or wavy veneer.

Joint one face and one edge of the stock and bring the second edge to final width with a table saw and thickness planer. Then cut a sheet of veneer off on the band saw, rejoint the face of the blank, and cut another sheet of veneer. By jumping between jointer and band saw, you can cut multiple sheets of veneer that are already smooth on one side and both edges (you’ll still need to rejoint edges before taping to get really tight joints).

A few quick passes through the thickness planer with an auxiliary bed brings them to final thickness. I’d suggest veneers at l east 1/16″ thick, though I prefer 3/32″, which allows me to do some hand planing an scraping on the finished panels if necessary.

Be sure to make similar thickness veneers for the back, using a less expensive species if you like. I don’t recommend 3/32″ face veneers and 1/42″ commercial backer veneers because the panel needs to have a balanced veneer thickness to resist warping.

The panel I glued up here is no different than the one with commercial veneers except that I used narrower pieces requiring three joints. I also flipped every other piece of veneer to get my book-match. Other than needing a lot more tape, the process is much the same.

In this case, I didn’t veneer any edges, which wouldn’t be necessary when making a panel for a frame-and-panel door, for example. I also used a Baltic birch core instead of MDF, which lightens the weight and eliminates the need to sand the core material. Another suitable core material would be particleboard. Baltic birch is nicer to work with, but not as flat and consistent in thickness as particleboard and MDF.

Conclusion

While I’ve used veneered plywood my entire career, I only did my own veneering on occasion on very small panels using lot of clamps and clamping cauls.

Owning a vacuum pump certainly makes veneering easier and opens up a lot of possibilities with exotic, highly figured veneers, such as pomelle figured sapele panels, which are just gorgeous.

As an added benefit, I also regularly use the vacuum pump to glue two 1/4″ sheets of veneered plywood back-to-back when I need 3/8″ to 1/2″ ply. I find that 1/4″ and 3/4″ ply is widely available, but in-between sizes are harder to find. Give a vacuum pump a try, and I think you’ll be hooked in no time.

Hendrik Varju is a fine furniture designer/craftsman who provides private woodworking instruction, seminars and DVD courses. His business, Passion for Wood, is located near Toronto, Canada. See www.passionforwood.com.

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three graduated drawers with split false fronts for pleasing proportions.

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The Restorer Kit (PXRA2676KIT) includes a Restorer tool, carry bag, six sanding sleeves, two abrasive sleeves, and 1 rust and paint removal wheel.

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Rockler Miter Fold Dado Set

Infinity Cutting Tools Tapered Dovetail Spline System

Kreg Custom Pocket-Hole Plug Cutter

Hitachi Cordless Finish Nailers

Bannon 3-in-1 Convertible Logging Wagon

Striker Concepts FLEXit 4.0 Flexible Flashlight

Find more information here.

IRWIN One-Handed Bar Clamps

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