Indholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2025 i Popular Woodworking

Make a habit of applying finish to end grain first. Why? It’s all about avoiding drip shadows. Sounds creepy, doesn’t it? Here’s the deal: let’s say you’re finishing a top. You’re merrily brushing the first coat of finish back and forth on the top’s surface, and some finish happens to drip down an edge, which you haven’t gotten to yet. If this edge is end grain, the finish will soak into the wood quite fast. If you don’t wipe off the drop right away, the finish that soaks in will darken that area. After you finish the entire edge, the original drip will still be visible as a dark shadow. If you finish the end grain first, drips aren’t a problem, because they won’t soak in.…

I have a couple tools from which I frequently remove the dust collector hoses. I got tired of getting out my screwdriver and cranking out the adjustment bolt every time. After a bit of experimenting I came up with this quick-release solution that uses a wire hose clamp and a plastic spring clamp with removable jaws. First, remove the adjustment bolt from the wire clamp. Then cut about 1" from each clamp wire. Next, bend the end of the clamp wires into hook shapes. Drive out the jaw pins from the spring clamp and discard the jaws. Put the pins back into the spring clamp and attach the hooked end of the clamp wires to the pins. Bend the hooks down tight to secure them to the pins.…

This beefy router table sports a thick aluminum top for plenty of work area and a host of great features. The insert is a large aluminum plate with smart topside leveling and mounting screws. Eight Allen bolts provide ample leveling points, and the plate is secured to the table with four Phillips head screws. Having all the leveling screws accessible topside is an appreciated feature that makes setup quick and simple. Three snap-in trim rings are included with the kit and allow a wide range of bit sizes. The fence is heavy-duty and well-built and with that anodized finish, frankly beautiful. It has the typical split fence design that we’ve come to expect from larger router tables and secures with medium sized, well-placed knobs. Like most of the fences in…

The Infinity router table takes dust collection to another realm with its Dust Cube base. The steel enclosure was engineered for dust collection from the ground up and includes a Smart Baffle inside to optimize airflow. It can be connected to a 2½" hose, or common 2¼" shop vac fitting. Or get the optional 4" port as I did and simply connect your shop dust collector to the back of the base. From there, suction is directed into an included 2½" clear flex hose to the hollow aluminum fence extrusion. Instead of collecting dust from the back of the fence, this system works with the mechanics of the router and collects it from the right side of the fence—where your router naturally throws it. The result is a spotless work…

This router table is a popular one and for good reasons including its microdot table surface for low sliding friction and medium-duty anodized fence extrusion with split MDF faces. The fence is secured to the table with quick-release knobs, rather than traditional tall knobs and bolts. This system seems to work well, although the plastic hardware can be cumbersome when removing or reinstalling the fence. Like several router tables in the test, the bolts securing the split fences rotate when you turn the knobs behind the fence. Better systems use T-track or threaded inserts for truly tool-free operation. Despite these relatively minor shortcomings, the tapered metal base and rubber feet give this table a stance like a mule, with no real need to clamp it down. Dust collection is accomplished…

The cabinet style router tables require a little more patience to assemble, but it’s worth the effort. The panels are all pre-drilled and the connector screws go together well. The top is secured to the cabinet with wooden cleats, which was odd compared to the other designs, but seems to work. The medium-duty fence is designed around an aluminum “C” channel that adds rigidity, but limits access to the adjustment knobs. Dust collection is a two-port affair—one fence port and a second at the lower rear of the cabinet. The fence port offers very good dust collection by itself and while the lower port won’t remove everything, it’s nice to contain the mess in a cabinet. It does require two shop vacs or a 4" to two 2½" splitters for…

Over the last several years, I’ve started to become interested in machinist tools and practices. One of the things that fascinates me is the precision that is required in many machining operations. I’ve started to apply those principles to my woodworking, and have seen a noticeable difference in the quality of my work. The new Drill Press Protractor from Woodpeckers takes the machinist concept of tramming a tool and simplifies the process for use at you drill press. The Drill Press Protractor has a stem that mounts in the chuck of your drill press. After loosening the knob on the front of the protractor, you lower the chuck so that the protractor contacts the table. The pivot design of the Drill Press Protractor will conform to the angle of the…

It’s not often that a new type of finish is brought to the woodworking market. Recently, KBS Coatings, a company specializing in industrial coatings, started to make a push to bring their Diamond Clear finish to the home hobby woodworking market. I got in a few cans to try it out on the top of the miter saw project we built a few issues back. So far, I’ve been impressed with the performance of it, but the application took a bit of work to understand. The closest coating or finish that I can compare KBS Diamond Clear to is a layer of bar-top epoxy. Once it’s cured, it stay flexible so the wood can move. It also is crystal clear, as the name implies, and the finish seems to be…

One of the benefits of being in my position, is that I sometimes get to see tools that are in the works before they get released to the public. I’ve watched the development of the Blue Spruce Toolworks router plane for a while now, anxiously waiting for its release. The Blue Spruce router plane shares similarities with vintage planes made by Preston. Now, it’s no secret that I’m a Blue Spruce Toolworks fan. With that said, I think there are several features of this style of router plane that make it superior to the more common “Stanley” router planes. First, the Blue Spruce plane has a much larger sole. This means that it has a lot more surface area to reference off of the work. (The sole is machined from…

I well remember the day when I couldn’t get a mortise-and-tenon joint to come together no matter how hard I tightened the clamp. I had ignored a fundamental rule: Always make mortises 1⁄16" to 1⁄8" deeper than the tenons. There are two reasons for doing this. First, you don’t have to obsess about marking a perfectly smooth bottom in the mortise, which saves time. Second, space is needed for excess glue. This was the reason my joint didn’t go home. The tenon had a tight fit on all four sides. Too tight, really. It had pushed all the glue to the bottom of the mortise. A deeper mortise would have given the glue space to pool and allowed the tenon to go home.…

A bandsaw is a versatile tool. In fact, I know many woodworkers that use a bandsaw as their primary saw in their shop. It can cut curves, joinery, rip parts to width. It’s my belief however, that the bandsaw’s most valuable and unique skill set is one of it’s least used—and that’s resawing. Resawing—splitting material into several thinner pieces, may be done for several reasons. First—you can stretch expensive material further. You can resaw your own veneers, resulting in a series of matched veneers for projects. And one over looked aspect is that, often times, it’s faster to resaw material down rather than planing it away. No matter what way you cut it (har har), when you resaw, you’re asking a lot out of your saw. Every little thing needs…

If you need a light, compact, and portable router table, the RA1141 needs a closer look. The legs feature storage compartments and fold inward for a package that’s easy to transport. Plus, metal tabs on the legs make it easy to clamp it to your work stand. With that lightweight and portable frame come some compromises I suppose like a plastic fence assembly and less overall rigidity compared to heavier models. Instead of a traditional insert plate, there’s a 4½" plastic ring on top with 3 interchangeable snap-in insert rings. As far as mounting the router, that’s accomplished by means of a steel quick mounting plate from under the table. This setup requires you to remove the router from the table for bit changes. Like its bigger siblings, the RA1141…

Router tables with enclosed bases have always been popular and this Grizzly model takes a unique approach. A 1¼" diameter tubular metal frame is connected with special plastic connectors to support the 1" thick top. The frame also acts as an anchor point for the canvas enclosure that surrounds the router. A zippered front panel and side storage pouches give good access to the router and extra space to store accessories. Adjustable leg levelers give you firm footing on your worksurface, however there isn’t a convenient place to clamp the table down. The extruded aluminum fence is heavy-duty and has a great looking anodized finish. The knobs for locking down the fence and adjusting the split fence are well-positioned and easy to operate. With convenient T-Track along the top and…

This portable router table with folding legs can be clamped to your worksurface in a number of ways or stored on the wall with the included Rack-It brackets. The entire router weighs 24 lbs., but the fence accounts for a staggering 9 lbs., 10 oz. of that total. That’s due to the double steel “L” shaped construction that allows the unique micro-adjustment feature. Plus – this is the only table in the test that truly allows adjustment for fence squareness, something sorely lacking on most models. Four jack screws and hex nuts allow fine adjustment to dial the fence perfectly square. The D-shaped router mounting plate is also novel and installs with a friction fit thanks to a rubber compression washer mounted in the table. There’s also an inverted handle…

PROJECT #2505 Skill Level: Beginner Time: 2 Days Cost: $20 If you ask me what my favorite tool in my shop is, I would have never guessed that I would have said it is my dust collector. But, after installing a powerful 5 HP Smart Gorilla from Oneida and spending time hard piping the entire system (you may recall reading about that a few issues back), I have to say: it’s a pleasure working in the shop with quality dust collection. Most tools have pretty decent dust collection built in. Some, however, need a bit of of help in that department. This universal dust collection fence is designed to be used at the drill press and router tables to help gather some of that lose dust. Plywood Parts This little…

Woodworkers all know the importance of PPE in the shop. Hearing protection has probably made the biggest advancements over the last several years. The addition of radios, Bluetooth, and connectivity into hearing protection has added a level of comfort in wearing them for hours on end. My one gripe with these types of headphones are that they either require batteries, or need to be charged every few days of use. 3M has recently released a new set of headphones that may be the ultimate pair on the market—the 3M Worktunes Connect + Solar. The big advancement in these headphones are the addition of small solar panels to keep the headset charged. As you can see in the photo to the right, the headband is cushioned and is outfitted with small…

There is probably not a name more synonymous with compact routers than the Bosch Colt. For twenty years now, Bosch has been releasing compact routers under that moniker, but this model represents the biggest change yet — the Colt has gone cordless. More than just being a name (and the only named router I can think of since the long-gone Speedmatic) Colt routers have always been well-engineered and designed. This new model continues that trend. Take the dead-simple and easy to use spindle lock mechanism for example; flip the switch at the bottom of the motor to the locked position and it will stay there until you switch it off. No struggling to hold a button down or fighting with a second wrench to swap out bits. The well-executed details…

Don’t feel alarmed if you’re feeling a bit of deja vu; back in October I reviewed the new Milwaukee® FUEL™ 6½" circular saw, and now that I have my hands on its big brother, I wanted to share my thoughts here as well. If you think of the 6½" saw as a sheet good saw that is happy to tackle lumber, the 7 ¼" is a framing saw that is built to cut… well any type of wood. Just start with the new REDLITHIUM® FORGE HD 12.0 battery included in the kit. Offering 50% more power than the older HIGH OUTPUT 12.0, the new design features advanced high-speed cooling technology, the ability to achieve an 80% charge in just 35 minutes, and the longest life vs. REDLITHIUM batteries. Oh, and…

The company JPW (Jet, Powermatic, Wilton) has a long, rich history of offering quality, well-built power tools. (Note the side of my vintage Powermatic Planer in the photo above—circa early 1980’s, still running like the day it was new). Jet recently released a new line of tools with a low-friction coating, which they’re referring to as their “Jet Black” line. The Jet Black tools follow the same line as the Powermatic Armor Glide that’s been met with nothing but praise. The coating has several different benefits. First, it’s low-friction. JPW claims that the coating reduces friction by about 50%. After using the jointer for several months (I’ve ran several hundred feet of white oak over it for an upcoming project), I agree that it is certainly easier to run material…

Router tables are a mainstay in any serious shop, and sooner or later in your woodworking journey, you’ll need a way to mount a router in a table. However, if you don’t have the floor space for a full-size router station, you might want to look at the current crop of portable router tables. They’re full of space-saving innovations that approach the performance of their larger counterparts. Plus—most of the portable router tables featured here can handle common accessories like featherboards, stock guides, and miter gauges to help control the cut. Some models even offer two dust ports for greatly improved dust collection. Beyond showcasing the features of each table setup, our aim was to quantify the precision and build quality by measuring table, fence, and insert plate flatness. This…

With the same heavy-duty fence as the RA1181, the RA1171 adds an enclosed cabinet base, making this one feel almost like a full-sized router table. I personally like an enclosed base for increased dust collection efficiency and with this model you can actually attach two 2¼" shop vac hoses if you like. One attaches to the typical fence port and a second simply inserts into the back of the MDF cabinet. The cord access hole was smartly drilled at 2¼" diameter, with a slot to let the power cord slip out of the way once installed. The dust collection is excellent topside and moderately good inside the cabinet. However, if you’re too lazy to add the lower dust port, it’s nice that it contains a lot more dust than an…

When the priority is portability or space-saving in the shop, this little router table from Rockler might fit the bill. The legs are folding and lock in place with a quick hitch T-handle pin. This base, along with the interesting feet pads give this pint-size table a surprisingly stable stance. Or convert the table for wall mounting by installing the pins through the hole in the blue feet. This orients the legs at an angle and the table can be dropped down when not in use. As the lighter router table in the test, its small size and portability come with some compromises. The fence is made from lightweight aluminum angle stock, with MDF split faces. While the tall fence knobs and split face knobs are excellent with a rubber…

As far as initial quality, this Trend router table hits a high note. A sturdy flared leg set rests on rubber pads and the kit includes hold-down brackets for permanent mounting. The fence assembly is extremely rugged and heavy-duty and weighs in at nearly 7 lbs. That gets you a solid fence extrusion, tall knobs, and split fences that easily lock into position. Plus, there are some thoughtful features like threaded holes to stow the two starting pins and jointing rods that not only store in the fence, but lock in place with spring-loaded knobs when not in use. The 1" thick table was within 0.001" of flat and the sturdy aluminum plate was within 0.002" of flat. It doesn’t come pre-drilled for common routers though, so you’ll likely need…