blair

May 182007
 

MBW logo.jpg

Matt Vanderlist is an amateur woodworker. He podcasts regularly on a variety of woodworking topics, from safety to tuning handplanes. His blog includes descriptions of his podcast plus jig plans and links to cool sites. I’ve been listening to it regularly for a few months now and I think you’ll find it interesting. You can download the podcast directly from his website or through your normal podcast aggregator.
Matt’s Basement Workshop
Blair

May 112007
 

Hock Tools makes a large selection of excellent quality hand plane blades. In this video, Ron Hock explains the benefits of his blades and shows how to set up hand planes. It’s 8-1/2 minutes – so it will take a long time to load on a slow connection.

Blair

May 092007
 

Anant 77

A while back, one of our customers e-mailed me about upgrading his Anant #77 Rabbet Plane. He wanted to know if there was a better quality plane blade that would fit, even suggesting that the blade for the Clifton 3-in-1 plane might work. Well, I knew that neither Lie-Nielsen nor Hock offered blades to fit the 77. I went to try out the rabbet plane blades that we stock. Sure enough, the Clifton 3-in-1 plane blade fits the Anant #77 rabbet plane. Unfortunately, it is thicker that the standard Anant blade. As a result, you have to modify your plane to make it work.
Take a file to the tip of the blade retention screw (see diagram) and remove enough of it so that you can fit the thicker blade in the plane. Viola! Better edge retention, less chatter in just a few minutes.
77 mod

Blair

Apr 202007
 

I just returned from a trip out to the rainy Canadian Pacific coast. Leigh Industries invited us out to their factory in Port Coquitlam, British Colombia for a new product announcement. Ken, Matt and Barry showed us the factory, demonstrated some products and told us about new tools on the way.
Here are some pictures from the factory.
This is a stack of D1600 dovetail jig bodies awaiting machining.
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Here are some FMT jigs in the assembly area.
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The Leigh VRS
The main topic was the new VRS (Vacuum & Router Support) attachment for Leigh dovetail jigs. We put the VRS in our catalog a few weeks back with only the basic information because that is all we had. I’ve seen it in operation now and it is a fantastic addition to any Leigh dovetail jig. It mounts on the support arms of your jig and provides both dust control and router support. The only time you have to take it off is when you need to flip the fingerboard. Since it’s held on by rare earth magnets, it is easy to remove and replace (it even has a handy hanger built in.) My favorite part of the VRS is that it gives you a place to park your router while adjusting the jig or changing out workpieces.
Here are some pictures of the VRS.
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Watch this space for more exciting new products from Leigh.
Blair

Apr 102007
 

Festool Logo
We are happy to announce that Festool has arrived in our store. Come by anytime to see the tools!
In the world of professional power tools, Festool is arguably the best. If we could engineer the highest quality tools with every conceivable feature and without limitations, the result would be Festool. Superb design and meticulous German construction ensure low tool vibration, unmatched accuracy and rock solid reliability. Even the little details give the feel of unparalleled innovation: power cords that unplug from the tool allowing an extra level of safety and ease of replacement if damaged, and the sturdy Systainer® storage unit that comes with every power tool and can be stacked and latched together to keep things organized. Standing behind their products with a 3 year warranty and first-rate service, we feel Festool offers exceptional long-term value for those who depend on their tools and want the best.
If you are in Atlanta and you haven’t visited our store, you can get directions here.
If you can’t make it in to the store, you can see our selection of Festool products here.
Blair

Apr 032007
 

Highland Woodworking Spring 2007 CatalogIf you are on our mailing list, keep on eye on your mailbox, as our new catalog has shipped out! It’s full of new products and the great selection of woodworking tools, supplies and information you’ve come to rely on from us. Check out our new schedule of classes and seminars, too – we’ve got Curtis Buchanan and Toshio Odate coming back!

If you do not currently receive our print catalog and would like to do so, please contact our Catalog Request Department or you may call our 24-Hour Toll-Free CATALOG REQUEST LINE: (888) 500-4466.

Visit Highland Woodworking to shop online.