Issue 573 Archives - Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To

Rockler Names Microjig Safest

Chris Marshall — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 12:53:20 +0000

Rockler Woodworking and Hardware, now in its 65th year of business, has become one of the woodworking industry’s top retailers. The company is known for providing a wide array of woodworking tools and accessories through its network of nationwide retail stores, print catalog and web presence.

Last month, Rockler named Microjig its number one brand in safety. That’s due in part to the fact that Microjig intends to help end table saw injuries by 2020, when woodworkers use its GRR-RIPPER® 3D Pushblocks and other safety products and by promoting better safety education. Woodworker’s Journal Weekly reported this news in a previous Industry Interview, and you can read it by clicking here.

“We work hard to innovate to be the number one choice for safety with our community,” says Bruce Wang, CEO of Microjig. “Creating products that empower people’s creativity and passions, and also keep people safe, is at the heart of what we do. To have a great long-term partner like Rockler and be their number one brand in safety is truly an honor and a responsibility we don’t take lightly.”

Derek Van Wyk, associate category manager of Rockler says, “We are happy to support Microjig and increase the safety of our customers.”

Microjig was founded in the Orlando garage of Henry Wang, a woodworking hobbyist who knew there was a better, safer way for woodworkers everywhere to do what they love. The company has since developed seven innovative lines that are sold around the world through major retailers like Rockler, as well as online. You can learn more about Microjig’s history by clicking here.

The company showcased its dedication to safety last year with the unveiling of its high school donation program at the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta. Microjig aims to empower the next generation of woodworkers by providing accessories to keep them safe in woodworking programs. The terms of the “Safety for Every Shop Program” are simple: any public high school in America that has a Career Technical Education (CTE) program offering woodworking and construction courses is eligible to receive two GRR-RIPPER 3D Pushblocks (model GR-100) at no cost by filling out an online application form.

To learn more about Microjig’s products, visit microjig.com.

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Handy Office Supply Sandpaper Sorter

Reader Submitted — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 12:49:41 +0000

A plastic hanging file container in the 12″ x 12″ x 10″ size and some hanging file folders from an office supply store make a handy solution for storing sanding abrasives. Label each folder with a different grit or abrasive type.

The folders are large enough to hold full sheets of sandpaper, and it’s easy to locate the grit you need quickly. The sorter will also help you keep better track of your inventory. My box even stores a sandpaper cutter and an assortment of contoured sanding tubes.

-Michael R. Long
El Paso, Texas

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Refill Holes Before Re-drilling Them

Reader Submitted — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 12:40:59 +0000

While building a votive candle holder for my wife recently, I drilled the holes 1/16″ in diameter too small to fit the votive cups. Since I had invested a fair amount of time in the project already, I didn’t want to start over or risk re-drilling sloppy, larger holes. So, here was my solution: I filled the holes with pieces of dowel, glued in place, that matched the initial Forstner bit size. This gave me the ability to center up the larger drill bit accurately again while also providing a new starting point for the bit’s center spur. Then, I just re-drilled the holes. It worked like a charm.

-Lee C. Brown
Taylors, South Carolina

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How to Dry And Preserve A Petiol?

Chris Marshall — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 11:45:32 +0000

I have a petiol (mid-rib) base of a leaf from a palm tree I picked up on the beach in Maui, Hawaii, at my niece’s wedding. I would like to create a remembrance piece for the bridal couple, but it is very moist and needs to be dried. What would be the best method to dry this out? And what product could I use to preserve it? I would like to encase it in Plexiglas® with a few more artifacts from the momentous occasion. – Les Kuzdas

Tim Inman: I have a big food dehydrator that I actually use in my shop. It is a homemade adaptation of a commercially made one. Mine is big enough I could put your petiol inside and dry it down. This sort of material isn’t as finicky about drying speeds as quality cabinet hardwoods are. So, however you dry it will probably give equally good results. What do I dry? I originally made my dehydrator to let us dry paintbrushes during finishing workshops I used to teach. We could clean our brushes and dry them in a few hours instead of having to use multiple brushes and wait overnight. I can also use it as a mild heat source without the drying effects by simply blocking the exhaust ports — some or a lot. Heating “compo” moldings and castings for antique picture frame restoration workshops was the motivator for that use.

As for preservation, in your description it sounds as though you will have the petiol contained in a pretty stable environment. You might not really need to topcoat it with anything. That would be my first choice. A little wax or a light finishing oil would be my next choices.

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MW 1000 Mobile Workshop

Chris Marshall — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 11:30:22 +0000

Festool’s new MW 1000 is a customizable rolling workshop that you can transport “hand truck” style and set up anywhere you need to work, then dismantle quickly. The 42-3/8-in.-tall primary Cart has an aluminum frame and 7-7/8-in.-dia., rubber-lined, shock resistant wheels. Its bottom pan will hold and lock a standard Festool Systainer (sold separately) or stack of Systainers that are interlocked. The top of the Cart provides a stable 14-1/4- x 17-1/2-in. worktop made of perforated MDF with an aluminum frame. The design offers flexible clamping and attachment options and an overall working height of 35-1/2 in.

Channels in the Cart’s vertical frame can hold pull-out Drawers that lock into place on the Cart at whatever height you prefer. The Drawers are designed to act as trays under a Systainer, for storing tools, accessories and supplies. Their slide mechanisms enable Systainers to be fully opened while mounted in the Cart. Holding up to 44-lbs., the Drawers can be installed or removed from the Cart without tools, thanks to flip-latch style locks. The Cart will carry a combined load of 220 lbs.

A longer worktop Extension Table with a folding leg set engages with the Cart top at the same height to offer a broader work surface. Its perforated MDF top and aluminum frame measures 19-11/16 in. wide and 41-5/32 in. long. When folded up for transport, the Extension Table stows between the Cart’s frame and handle.

Festool offers two Mobile Workshop systems. The MW 1000 Basic (item 203454) includes the Cart and one pull-out Drawer for $500. The MW 1000 (item 203802) provides the Extension Table with the Cart and pull-out Drawer for $650. Additional Drawers (item SYS-AZ-MW 1000) can be purchased for $80. The worktop Base (item 203457) is available separately for $250 and is also compatible with Festool’s MFT Table.

Learn more about the MW 1000 Mobile Workshop and its components by clicking here.

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Spring Cleaning in the Shop?

Reader Submitted — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 10:24:49 +0000

In the last issue, Joanna asked you to share your experiences with spring cleaning in the shop – and whether you’d found any long-lost treasures in doing so. Here’s what we heard. – Editor

“You asked if I found any ‘lost treasures’? Yes, after eight construction bags of stuff, I found the floor of my shop!” – Jim Morgan

“The shop is a tad untidy. I have a project to finish so I can build a lumber rack. I have designs to finish. There are two chunks of pine ready for me to finally build cribbage tables I promised years ago. Cleaning! Heck, I gotta get off my duff and get to work.” – Lee Ohmart

“An interesting question. I have been fortunate enough, the past few years, to be able to take woodworking classes at a nearby community college. Prior to beginning at the school, my skills were rudimentary, at best. Long ago (46 years), as a newlywed and new homeowner, I purchased two items from Sears (both of which I still have). I bought a radial arm saw and a set of steel legs with which to build a workbench (three 2 x 12’s did the job.) This worked for me for a long time. It was only when I began taking classes that I discovered how inadequate that arrangement was. (No vise, even.) So, now, I’m taking a class where, by the end of the term, I will be the proud owner/constructor of a worthy woodworking bench with a vise, dog holes, etc. With that end in sight, yesterday I dismantled the old bench so that tomorrow I can deliver it to its new home (that of my newlywed/new homeowners daughter and son-in-law).” – Ralph Lombardo

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