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Summer 2001 |
Cutting Edge
 Vermont
American’s new Xtend blades are specially designed for
higher performance in the growing world of cordless saws. Essentially,
the Xtend line combines super sharp teeth and a micro-kerf width
to cut with less resistance than a standard circular blade.
A standard carbide tooth measures near and about 1/10"—the
Xtend line of blades are just under 1/16". The fact is,
you are cutting (or removing) about 40% less stock than you
would with a standard saw blade. It’s this effect (the
thinness of the blade) that extends the amount cut per battery
charge. The blades come in a wide range of sizes and types.
Diameters range from 3 3/8" to 10", tooth counts from
16 to 108 and arbor diameters to fit most saws, anywhere from
10 mm to 5/8".
As a bonus, these new thin
blades work just as well on a corded saw.
In addition to the micro-kerf saw blades, Vermont American has
also added a line of drill bits under the Xtend moniker. Like
the saw blade, the new line of Xtend drill bits was designed
to give premium performance in cordless tools.
In order to be as power-efficient
as possible the Xtend bits have an aggressive speed point that
starts to cut on contact and the shaft is tightly twisted to
speed up ejection of waste material from the hole.
For the most part, when used
in wood the bit performed reasonably well, although the bit’s
entry into the wood was not particularly clean, and although
the tight twist of the bit did eject the waste wood rapidly,
it also made pulling the bit out of the stock (once the hole
was drilled) slightly more difficult than usual. For more information
contact Vermont American
at www.vatool.com
or 800-742-3869. —Gary
Walchuk |
 Keeping
It Together
Splitstop wood screws are engineered to significantly reduce
splitting wood, even hardwood, while reducing the possibility
of head-shear; all without predrilled holes.
The secret is near the top of
the screw where a shank slot is incorporated for a unique, self-drilling,
self-tapping characteristic. This action provides a low resistance
path for the screw’s fine, extra-thin threads to follow.
At the end of the shank, an 1/8"-wide coarse knurling grinds
a slightly larger path for the remaining plain portion of the
shank to pass with almost no resistance. Less heat buildup,
less head-shear.
I was skeptical at first so I
chucked a square-head drive to a cordless drill and proceeded
to drive a 2" sample into a piece of maple about 1/2"
from the board end. No problem, no split, and the screw’s
underhead cutters allow for a flush head-to-stock finish. My
other tests were just as impressive—including driving a
screw clean through a 2 x 4 (head and all).
Splitstops are available in sizes
from #6 x 1 5/8" to #8 x 3 1/2". There’s a
Macrobrite or stainless steel for outdoor applications, and
a zinc-yellow for general use. The #8 x 2 1/2" and 3"
lengths are also available with larger heads for extra surface
holding strength.
For more information contact
Titan Metal Works Inc.
at www.deckease.com
or 888-578-3273. —Gary
Walchuk |
 Rustless
The small cardboard chips look pretty simple but according to
the product’s inventor, Jeff Sorensen, the chips will effectively
prevent rust and corrosion in enclosed spaces, like your toolbox,
for about six months.
Sorensen claims the treatment
on the cardboard, a chemical compound called VCI (Volatile Corrosion
Inhibitor), slowly vaporizes into the enclosed area and forms
an invisible barrier over the metal surfaces of the tools preventing
moisture and oxygen from starting the corrosion process.
I haven’t had the Inhibitor
slips in my toolbox long enough to fully test them but I’ll
let you know in a few months. For more information contact www.theinhibitor.com
or 877-464-4248. —Douglas
Thomson |
 Speed
Key
Despite the proliferation of keyless chucks on modern drills,
most of us still have a tool or two around with a keyed chuck.
Tightening a chuck with a key can sometimes be frustrating process—especially
when the job at hand requires several switches from large diameter
bits to small bits. The Ratchkey Corp. has developed a ratcheting-action
chuck key for just such applications. With a Ratchkey you can
change drill bits in half the time it takes to do the task with
a standard chuck key. The longish handle also makes torquing
the chuck down tight easier and makes short work of opening
stubborn or jammed chucks. Contact www.houseoftools.com
or 800-661-3987 for
more info. —Douglas Thomson |
 Two
Tools In One
Remember TV hero MacGyver? Week after week he managed to avert
every conceivable calamity using only the tools and materials
at hand—a master of manual improvisation. And if MacGyver
was shopping for chisels, he’d probably choose a set of
Nicholson WoodChucks. They’re pretty much the kind of chisel
you’d expect from a company with a name for files—stout
and strong, with rasp teeth cut within an inch of the tool tip
on both sides of the blade. The half-round and flat file surfaces
did a passable job rounding all the wood I tried, but the teeth
weren’t stunningly-sharp like other new rasps I’ve
seen. I was a little disappointed in that. Even directly out
of the pack, some tooth tips showed dull spots, like they’d
been mishandled before packaging. As chisels, WoodChucks take
a good edge. After a minute of honing on my buffing wheel, they
were sharp enough to shave arm-hair cleanly and cut end-grain
without tear out.
All in all, WoodChucks pack more
utility than usual into the body of a chisel. And even when
the rasp feature becomes too dull to use, you’ve still
got some good utility chisels. For more information contact
Cooper Tools at
www.coopertools.com
or 919-781-7200.
—Steve Maxwell
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