“We proudly make our turbine systems in the USA and want to celebrate this year with a sale to honor our military. The Freedom Promotion is near and dear to our hearts, and a portion of the proceeds from our promotion will go directly to the Wounded Warrior Project (WMP),” says John A. Darroch, president of Apollo Sprayers. “Many wounded veterans face significant challenges when they return to civilian life, and through the generous support of donors and corporate partners like Apollo, WWP is able to provide support during their recovery, wherever they are in that process. These guys have made a huge sacrifice for our freedom, and now it’s time for Apollo to step up and say thank you!”

For over 50 years, Apollo Sprayers has been recognized globally as the leading innovator and manufacturer of TrueHVLP spray guns and turbine spray painting systems. Apollo’s premium, American-made products benefit the industrial and professional woodworking markets while continuously winning awards for efficiency, ecologically sound technology and performance. You can read more about the company’s history in a previous Industry Interview by clicking here.

Apollo’s Freedom Promotion will assist warriors by helping them access programs and services that help them live healthier, more active lifestyles. Through the physical fitness activities, nutrition classes and wellness training provided by WWP, wounded veterans reduce stress and depression, while being provided the skills needed to live an overall healthy lifestyle, regardless of injury.

“Together, Apollo and our many valued dealers and distributors can align in helping veterans lead healthier lifestyles,” Darroch says.

Learn more about the Apollo Sprayers product line by clicking here. Find out more about the Wounded Warrior Project by clicking here.

The post Apollo Campaign Supports Wounded Warrior Project^® appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Tim Inman: Use a marine spar varnish. A marine spar polyurethane should be good and easy to get. But there is no finish that will long endure constant saltwater exposure. Be prepared for a continuous maintenance plan. Also, red oak will be very prone to turning blue or black if it gets wet, especially with high mineral content water.

Chris Marshall: Reptiles were a hobby of mine for many years. While their enclosures weren’t a challenge to finish in terms of saltwater exposure, coming up with an easy-to-clean, durable interior surface that wouldn’t peel, crack, blister, etc., from heat, moisture and other organic stains was a very real priority for me. So, I’ll offer a different suggestion from Tim. For the surfaces that will have potential water contact from spray, dense vapor, splashes and leaks, consider covering them with plastic countertop laminate instead of a wood finish. I found laminate to be incredibly durable and easy to wipe clean. It’s impervious to water, and I highly doubt it will be affected by salt. You can buy plastic laminate online or at some home centers — my local Lowe’s carries it in 4×8 sheets in several colors for around $75. Online sources sell it in dozens of colors and shades; I’ve bought it that way before with good success.

Plastic laminate is DIY friendly, and you can use ordinary woodworking tools and machines to cut, rout and drill through it. The challenge, however, is bonding it securely to the surface underneath. Typically, the adhesive of choice is contact cement, and that’s what I’ve used mostly. Generally it works pretty well, but occasionally the cement will loosen its grip in some areas (particularly along edges and at corners). We might have some countertop fabricators among our Weekly readers who can suggest even better adhesives from their experiences — and folks, please do!

I’d finish the outer wood surfaces of your stand with spar varnish, as Tim suggests. Then, I’d use laminate inside the project for the surface the fish tank sits on and as a liner for the cap on top, plus any other interior areas that will be subjected to water and water vapor.

One other point of clarification: melamine-coated particleboard is no substitute for plastic laminate. It might look like a more economical, suitable alternative, but the melamine coating is so thin that water will penetrate it sooner or later. Once that happens, it’s all downhill from there, because the particleboard core will blister, swell and crumble when it gets soggy. Instead, spend more on the front end and get real plastic laminate for your stand — it will outlast melamine board exponentially.

Good luck with your project!

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If you can slip the kerf into the blade from the back side, you know the table is square. But, if the cut doesn’t line up the table needs some fine-tuning with a combination or engineer’s square. Try the kerf-cutting trick again to check your adjustments once you’re done.

– Jim Steffner
Nova, Ohio

The post Quick Check for Band Saw Table Squareness appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

– Alejandro Balbis
Longueuil, Quebec

The post Cork Your Glue Bottle appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Bow Products, makers of the FeatherPRO featherboard, now offer a convenient new solution called GuidePRO, designed specifically for band saw resawing. It promises a hands-free alternative for smoother infeed, consistent pressure against the rip fence and reduced vibration during cutting — all of which translate to safer, cleaner results.

The device’s plastic handle holds a 6-in. silicone “feather” and attaches to your band saw’s miter slot with a cam-style lock on the bottom. With the cam inserted in the miter slot, a twist secures the jig in the slot. Then, just slide the jig’s handle and feather over against a workpiece; pressing a thumb lever on top locks GuidePRO into place and sets the amount of featherboard pressure for the cut.

The replaceable flexible feather dampens vibration and provides consistent pressure along the leading edge of the workpiece, while also accommodating small variations in the workpiece’s surface or thickness. Once installed and locked about 1/4 in. in front of the blade, GuidePRO provides all the necessary force against the fence so you can use both hands for feeding the wood into the blade. The jig’s ergonomic handle offers comfortable control for setting the feather pressure.

A measuring tool is incorporated into GuidePRO’s metal base, which will be handy for registering the fence’s distance from the blade. Its square ends also provide quick reference for making sure the fence is square to the saw table. GuidePRO fits 3/8 x 3/4-in. miter slots that range from 2 to 8 in. from the blade.

GuidePRO will support boards up to 6 in. wide, or an optional 4-in. extension can be added on top of the handle to accommodate up to 10-in.-wide stock. Bow Products GuidePRO (item GP5) is available now and sells for $79.99 ($103 Canadian). The optional extension is $19.99 ($25.69 Canadian).

Watch a demonstration video of GuidePRO in action by clicking here.

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“In reference to Odd American Woods, I agree with many of your choices, but I would like to add Pecan and my favorite Mesquite. Mesquite is more abundant here in Texas than your choices.” – Lee Summers

“I think mesquite is one of the most beautiful woods I’ve worked with. On top of that, it is easy to work.” – John Ward

“Here in Texas, that ‘regional but out of the mainstream’ wood would be mesquite.

It’s very hard, has lots of bark and insect inclusions and difficult (ie: expensive) to find in wide or long sizes.

The top of this dining table I made is mesquite with just a simple shellac finish. The black areas are voids filled with tinted epoxy. The base is stained red oak.” – Henry Burks

Many readers chose their favorite exotic woods based on the unique colors they offer. – Editor

“I have worked with wormy butternut and found it to be a hit with clients for its unique coloration and grain. It is softer than pine and a delight to shape, cut or plane. Sad to say, it is rapidly becoming harder to find due to disease.” – Bill Waletitsch

“Here in the Pacific Northwest in Canada, I use native yew, a wonderful cognac color with red highlights and a wood called Garry oak. Works as nicely as cherry although appearances would lead you to think otherwise. Rarely a straight board.” – Bob Baldwin

“My favorite domestic exotic so far has been mulberry. It’s a cool color, a nice vibrant yellow, of course, it fades over time like most woods, but hangs on enough to be unique. It’s fairly dense but easy to work with.” – Brandon Blatchley

“I’m pretty sure that my personal, exotic is not a native wood, but it is ubiquitous here in my part of southern California. I had a Camphor tree in my front yard which I’m pretty sure was planted by the developer when my home was built in ’62. In 2010 we were forced to have the tree felled. I opted to also pay for hauling, milling and drying. In 2012 we brought home 461 board feet of lumber. I have been building projects (both small and large) with this species ever since. It has a beautiful color and grain pattern and is easy to work. I was able to re-saw some of the eight quarter slabs. From them I made eighteen inch wide boards from which I’m currently building a replica Campaign Secretary. Also from slabs, we’ve made two headboards for beds in our guest rooms (one queen, one king). Economically, keeping the wood was not my best decision, but it has brought much pleasure in its use, and my sinuses are always clear.” – Ralph Lombardo

“One of my favorite exotics is Manzanita. There used to be a place in Texas that milled Manzanita once every other year but they discontinued that many years ago. I have to mill my own. I don’t have a mill so I have to stick to pieces I can run though a joiner and resaw with a band saw. I love the colors, from warm yellow to orange and bright red. It’s great for an accent trim. I forge knives and use a lot of it for handles.” – Will Swim

“Where I live, in rural South-Central Alaska, any wood is a go-to wood. Our boreal forest consists of black spruce and birch. It doesn’t have much in the way of exotics. Still, there are interesting pieces if you want to take the trouble to find them. One regional favorite is kind of sad. As spruce trees die from the devastating spruce bark beetle infestations of the last ten or twenty years, they take up minerals which they are too weak to flush from the wood. A recently dead or a dying spruce can be streaked with green (copper or, more likely, arsenic), purple (manganese), blue (copper), black (iron), or red (also iron) and sometimes with all of these colors. They can be downright garish when the wood is fresh but will mellow out as it ages. Because they are mineral colors, they tend to last even with exposure to sunlight.

The prettiest local domestic exotic, in my estimation, is the birch burl, which most people use to turn very beautiful bowls and other vessels. I’m not a turner, so I use it as a flat piece of lumber. The twisted grain can make a beautiful tabletop or box but it has to be allowed to age well.

Alder is sometimes used for little things, but it seldom gets more than a few inches across. Likewise ‘diamond’ willow, which is a willow that has been attacked by a fungus that leaves diamond-shaped pits in the bark and the wood. A lot of people use it for walking sticks, but I’ve seen larger pieces made into ‘rustic’ furniture that actually looks quite nice.” – Lou Heite

Others find particular grain patterns that they like. – Editor

“My vote goes to hickory. Some folks object to the streaky characteristic of the wood. To me that is what first drew me to it. By the time I finished making my son a couple of end tables, I found myself appreciating feel of the wood itself. It is a beautiful wood that is very hard and hefty. It look great and feels better. What more could you ask for?” – Blake Dozier

“I often use quarter-sawn Honey Locust due to its interesting but subtle grain pattern. From a distance it looks rather plain but on closer inspection it has numerous small flecks with nice chatoyance. The hardness and density are similar to White Oak and it planes nicely if you pay attention to grain direction.

I’ve had good luck using logs obtained when neighbors have had trees removed from their yards.” – Don Roth

“I have worked with Sassafras several times. It is soft enough to chip carve and sturdy enough to hold a machined detail. It glues, sands and finishes well. The camphor smell is a benefit for most but some might feel it is a bit much. The open grain is similar in appearance to Ash or White Oak.” – Bruce Vincent

We used to call it the “toby” tree here in western PA because of the long green bean pods it produced every fall. After felling a huge catalpa tree that had become a potential danger to the house we left the logs lay for two years and then had a friend run them thru his sawmill. It produced some beautifully grained wood that we are still using to make furniture. It takes a stain well and finishes better than oak, in my opinion. I have never seen it featured in any publication but it is well worth seeking out for wood projects.” – Andy Sentgeorge

“My wife just loves Oregon myrtle wood so, for this last Valentines Day, I turned three pieces for her. I’m still a beginner at bowl turning but I found the wood easy enough to turn and finish. The grain has a pleasing appearance and varies in color from piece to piece.” – John Yates

Speaking of turning, that was another popular topic for choosing a favorite exotic wood. – Editor

“One of my favorite native woods to turn is apple. While it usually has a high moisture content, when dried and turned it has a very mellow honey color. It makes an excellent fruit bowl as it has a warm color. I have also turned some buckthorn vases and mugs. While the size of the tree doesn’t allow for turning bowls. The bright orange wood makes beautiful vase material. And no one is upset if you offer to remove buck thorn from their woods as it is a very invasive species.” – Ken Day

“One of my all time favorites is Sycamore for both stock for dimensioned lumber and for turning. Turning green blanks to thin wall almost translucence is a challenge with beautiful results.” – Riley G.

“I discovered the beautiful grain of common sumac willow. This is a coffee go-cup I turned on my lathe. Sumac is often treated as a “weed” tree and cut down in swathes under power lines and along roadways. I had to search for a trunk large enough to use for this project. I have used smaller limbs for miniature bowls and cups.” – Ron Haupt

Here are a few other readers’ favorites. – Editor

“I like mulberry when I can find some with straightish grain. It is ring porous like oak and so tools much the same. It starts out bright yellow but that mutes over a few weeks.” -Dean Morrell

“In our front yard is a bald cypress tree whose massive trunk is exceptionally straight and tall. It is dying for lack of rainfall here in central Texas. When the process is complete I plan to have it sawn into lumber. The waterproof wood should be good for building a boat or lawn furniture.” -Moh Clark

“Have you ever worked with quarter-sawn sycamore? It almost glows.” – Oreland Wood Products/Rework Woodworks Furnishings

“A favorite is Arbutus. Others are red alder, yellow cedar and western yew.” – Ron Orr

“Rob, my favorite domestic exotic is Osage orange. Native range is east Texas but has been planted as hedge rows all over the Midwest. Has several local names: boisdarc, horse apple, hedge, etc.” – Steve Pippins

“I discovered the wood from the Redbud tree make beautiful knife scales. The tree doesn’t get large enough to make dimensional lumber, but is very useable for small projects. The grain is very straight and is easy to work.” – Bob Beran

“I like quarter-sawn sycamore. It’s an excellent accent wood.” – Thomas Ogle

“I was recently given some large sassafras boards that look interesting. They are 8 qtr. by 12 in by 5 ft. Fairly light for the size. I am interested in working with them as I have never seen such large sassafras before. Since I live in Alaska, this wood was a special treat. The same fellow is supposed to bring me some persimmon this summer.” – Charlie Franz

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