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February 2002 |
Safe Router Power
 Before
my last visit to a woodworking show I happened to be building
a new router station in my shop. While at the show, I naturally
kept an eye out for a remote-mounted power switch that would
eliminate my fumbling under the table every I time I want to
switch the router on or off.
After a few minutes of browsing,
I happened across the Rousseau Co. RM3506 safety power switch—a
hard-wired remote switch that is designed for table-mounted
routers—exactly what I was looking for!
Setting up the switch is easy.
Just mount it with two screws in a convenient location on your
router station. Now I can switch my router on easily, and perhaps
more importantly, there’s also easy access to the bright-yellow
crash bar that flips the power switch off. Once your switch
is mounted, just plug your router into the bottom of the switch
and you’re off (or on).
It’s available at Federated
Tool Supply Co. Ltd. for about $50. Or contact Rousseau
Co. directly at 800-635-3416;
the Web address is www.rousseauco.com.
—Gary Walchuk, photo by Roger Yip |
 Wizard
Metal Detector
There’s no doubt you can save money planing lumber salvaged
from shipping crates and old buildings, but not if you have
to replace planer blades damaged by hidden nails. At $40 to
$50 a pair, it makes sense to use a metal detector to safeguard
your machinery. Until I discovered the Little Wizard though,
I couldn’t recommend anything cheaper than traditional
treasure-hunter’s gear.
In bench tests at my shop, the
Little Wizard reliably detected finishing nails driven up to
7/16" below the surface. That’s deep enough for safety
since planing jobs removing more than 1/4" of total material
are rare. Whenever the detector’s head comes near metal,
you’re alerted with both sound and visual warnings. The
unit alerted me to all the metal I planted in my test pieces.
The Little Wizard sells at woodworking
specialty outlets for under $30. I got mine from House
of Tools (800-661-3987).
Lee Valley Tools (800-267-8767)
also carries it.
—photo and text by Steve Maxwell |
Pocket Hole Guide
 The
most popular jig kit for drilling the angled holes that pocket
joints require costs more than $200—a price that’s
close enough to the cost of a biscuit joiner. That’s why
the Canwood Pocket Hole Guide Kit caught my eye. It’s a
heavy-duty tool complete with replaceable guide bushings, and
costs $130. Besides the guide itself, the kit includes a pocket-hole
drill bit and depth stop collar, a pair of replacement guide
bushings, long and short Robertson driver bits, a pair of Allen
keys and a package of 100 pocket screws, all housed in a finger-joined
wooden box. A 1/4"-thick aluminum extrusion forms the base
of the guide, with a steel-bodied toggle clamp bolted on top
to secure work pieces. The pair of drill-guide tubes are independently
adjustable and both lock easily by tightening one Allen bolt.
Although the Canwood Pocket Hole Guide Kit is made in Taiwan,
it’s just one of a growing example of offshore tools that
I think offer long-term value and durability. For more information,
call House of Tools (800-661-3987);
www.houseoftools.com.
—photo and text by Steve Maxwell |
 Sticky
Subject
The first thing I thought when I saw the funky new LePage glue
bottle was—what took them so long? The design of the new
bottle does away with most of the common hassles associated
with old-style glue bottles—which means no more squeezing
the life out of the bottle every time you pick it up (and no
more lost caps or clogged tops either).
The bottle has one flat side,
which allows you to lay it down on your bench and keep the glue
close to the tip, instead of it settling back down to the bottom
of the bottle every time you set it down. And the flat side
means it won’t roll away. The bottle is also made from
an extra-soft plastic, which makes it easier to squeeze, and
it’s textured to give extra grip when you’re squeezing
hard.
The bottle’s top is also
unique, with an extra-long nozzle that makes reaching into tight
corners a little easier. A re-sealable screw cap ensures an
airtight seal and when you take the cap off you can store it
in a handy holder that’s molded into the bottle top.
LePage Carpenter’s Glue,
White Glue and Outdoor Wood Glue all come in the new-style bottle.
For more information, visit the
Web site www.lepageproducts.com
or call 800-321-0253.
—Douglas Thomson, photo by Christopher Campbell
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