Woodworker's Journal Spring 2013

Air Compressor EMGLO® Compressors’ new Heavy-Duty Four-Gallon Stacked Tank Contractor Air Compressor (E810-4V) has a 1.1hp motor that produces 4 standard cubic feet per minute at 90 pounds per square inch. It weighs in at 56 pounds and sports an angled handle for easy maneuvering, while soft-start valves make quick work of cold weather or extension cord starts. The couplers — there are two, in case you’d like to add a second user — are the easy-to-use universal push-to-connect type. The noise rating is 83 dBA, and the suggested retail price is about $260. Dust Collector The Delta® 50-905 1½hp Portable Cyclone Dust Collector lets you clean the air in your shop even when you’re not there to flip a switch: you can set it on a timer for anywhere…

Must-have details on a benchtop router table Adjustable fence facings T-tracks for featherboards, jigs Dust collection Convenient plate leveling Interchangeable insert rings Full-size miter slot Twenty-some years ago when I got much more serious about woodworking, “real” router tables in my mind were those that stood on the floor and looked like a stationary tool. Benchtop router tables, by comparison, seemed more like toys. While their price tags made them affordable for a new woodworker, and portability was certainly a plus, they tended to be lean on features and made of thin, rattly metal castings and plastic. Most didn’t have insert plates to make router removal easy; their fences were crude, and some came with teeny miter gauges that fit into undersized slots. Who could trust the accuracy of a…

I’ve never thought much of the small “benchtop” sized band saws I’ve previously tried. They’ve proved to be more toy than tool, with poor blade tracking and barely enough power to chew through thin softwood stock. But recently, I noticed that several power tool companies were offering small band saws made with much the same construction and features found on full-sized saws. Had small band saws finally gotten the makeover they need to transform them into serious benchtop tools capable of doing serious woodwork? Intrigued, I set about to test eight different saws: four 9" models by Craftsman, Central Machinery, Ryobi and Skil; three 10" models by Craftsman, RIKON and JET; and, to round out the field, a 150mm “Micro” band saw made by English power tool manufacturer Proxxon. My…

The Proxxon Micro Saw is by far the smallest, lightest, most easily portable and stowable saw in this bunch. It has only 57/8" of throat depth and about 33/8" of cutting depth. It’s also the only saw with a permanent magnet DC motor (the same kind used on most portable power tools) that’s only rated at 85 watts — about .7 amps. By including a variablespeed motor and offering a wide assortment of blade types, the MBS/E can handle wood, plastic, metal and, fitted with the optional water cooling kit, ceramic tile and even stone and glass! The Proxxon’s construction is quite good, with a rigid castalloy frame and a polished aluminum table. One small pain is that you have to undo four Allen-head screws each time you want to…

Adecade or so ago, steelframed band saws were just beginning to catch on here in the States, and at the time, we still called them “European style.” Nowadays, these welded-frame saws have not only become commonplace in manufacturers’ product lines, but it’s hard to even find a new mid-size band saw that still has that familiar rounded cast-iron frame. This evolution in styling is more than just good looks: a steel frame offers tremendous rigidity for tensioning wide blades, and that’s just what you need for carrying out heavy-duty tasks like resawing monster boards or slicing logs into turning rounds. New saw models are also sporting premium blade guides, better fences and big motors to deliver top performance for the dollar. In the ever-widening ocean of band saw options, I…

There’s no question that saws of this caliber are going to make ordinary rip cuts, crosscuts and curves with ease, and they all did. Finesse is a valuable attribute of a band saw, no matter its size. You won’t have any trouble steering your delicate or run-of-the-mill cuts through these machines. But most users will invest in a big saw for the tougher jobs. So, I asked the manufacturers to send a wide resaw blade, then put each saw to work on some 12-in.-wide, clear 8/4 poplar (left). After cutting 10 sheets of veneer, I had a good idea of each machine’s power, dust collection efficiency and resawing capabilities. Then I looked carefully at essential and extra features that fill in other important details.…