Popular Woodworking Editors' Blog

Last Thursday evening after a regular workday, I jumped on a plane to Charlotte, N.C., to attend a SKIL Tools media event. The event centered on a new line of SKIL benchtop tools. Lowe’s and SKIL have partnered to produce and distribute a new line of tools for the up-and-coming woodworker. All the tools are entry-level tools – although I could see a couple of these tools hanging around a shop as experience grows.

So what are the tools? Here you go. New to the market and expected to be in stores by September ’08 are a 10" table saw (3305-01), a 10" benchtop drill press (3320-01), a 10" compound miter saw (3315-01) and a 9" band saw (3385-01) that has a 2.5-amp motor with two speed settings and a fully adjustable, tilting table (there’s also a work light that didn’t quite reach around to the front of the blade – where you need it – and a laser that I find all-but-useless on a band saw). There’s a universal miter saw stand (3300MS) that accommodates most compound saws up to 12" and most sliding compound miter saws up to 10" (quick-fit mounting brackets make it a snap to install your miter saw on the stand, or lift the saw off for easy movement), a combination belt and disc sander (3375-01) that uses a 4" x 36" belt and 6" disc and has an easy-to-move table for making use of either setup, a 10" scroll saw (3335-01) with a 16" deep throat and electronic variable speed control and finally as well as a 6" bench grinder (3380-01) with two wheels – coarse and medium – and eye shields with built-in LED lighting. Each of these tools are expected to be priced at $99 while the grinder is slated at $40.

The table saw has a cast aluminum tabletop, a 15-amp motor and comes complete with a heavy-duty stand.  There’s a self-aligning fence, a lockable on/off switch and all the accessories attach to the base of the saw. I used this saw to rip stock for a project built during the event and it did just fine. No, it’s not a Powermatic 66. It’s not supposed to be. But at this price, you just might want to have a SKIL table saw in your shop for a quick cut or special circumstances.

The benchtop drill press has five speed settings, a keyed 1/2" chuck and a battery-operated, two-beam laser that projects an “X” for accurate drill locations. I don’t know about you, but the drill press is a little-used tool in my shop. I’ve gone years with a radial drill press. I’ve seen no need for a floor-model tool. In my opinion, this drill press could handle most of the tasks I would ask of it.

SKIL’s 10" compound miter saw has a few interesting features. I like the table extensions (shown in the photo). The extensions slide along a rail for multiple positions, then lock with a simple twist knob at the back. The entire rail can be set to either side of the saw depending on your work. In addition, this miter saw has a dual lock-off switch that allows smooth operation whether you’re a righty or a lefty. A 15-amp motor has no trouble spinning an included carbide tooth blade. And, safety is covered with this saw. When fully engaged in a cut, the blade guard never opens past a 5 o’clock position. This greatly reduces your exposure to the blade. This is another tool I expect could be used well into a woodworking career.

Once these tools are released, we’ll get a chance to put them through the tests and see how they stand up to the competition and how they work in the shop. For a quick look at the tools, click the SKIL Tool's link below. And if you’re interested in additional information about the tools, click on the “About the Tools” file below.

How does NASCAR fit into this entry? As a bonus for attending their event, SKIL set up an afternoon at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for a ride-along with the Richard Petty Driving Experience. (Did I tell you how much I like this job?)

Each of us had an opportunity to take a few laps around the track reaching 165 mph. I wasn’t awed by the speed on the straight, but when you dip into the corner you feel the force. And there was no need to worry about sliding around in the car. First of all, those drivers must be a bit smaller around the mid-section than me because I barely squeezed into the seat. Then there are the safety precautions. Attached to me were more belts, clips and buckles than there are at a leather-goods facility.

The time was short, but I had a blast. If you’re in the area and haven’t done a ride-along, or if you’re planning a visit to Charlotte, give it a try. I guarantee you’ll be smiling as you exit the cars – we all did. And they pay me to do this.

As you may have read in an earlier post, Popular Woodworking and our sister publication, Woodworking Magazine, are sponsoring the first-ever weekend conference devoted to hand tools and learning to use them.

We're calling it Woodworking in America: Hand Tools & Techniques Conference 2008, and we'll be bringing together the country's best hand-tool woodworkers and manufacturers for a symposium in Berea, Ky., on Nov. 14-16.

There will be more than 40 short classes on tools and techniques during the long weekend, plus a marketplace where toolmakers can display (and sell) their wares, social events with the demonstrators and toolmakers and more.

On April 28, we announced a long list of distinguished woodworkers and toolmakers who will join us, and now we're delighted to let you know that we've added two more to the list: Brian Boggs (who is renowned for making gorgeous, comfortable chairs) and David Jeske (owner, founder and fine hand-tool maker of Blue Spruce Toolworks). And we're still working on the list.

In addition, journalists from some of the web's top woodworking sites will be on hand to interview attendees, toolmakers and teachers, and share their impressions of the conference online. We're pleased to welcome The Wood Whisperer (aka Marc Spagnuolo), Matt's Basement Workshop (aka Matt Vanderlist), The Village Carpenter (aka Kari Hultman) and Furnitology.com (aka Neil Lamens).

Registration for Woodworking in America will begin in June. Visit the conference site to sign up for the e-newsletter, and you'll be the first to know when the registration "desk" opens.

— Megan Fitzpatrick
 

While surfing around the woodworking sites, I found mention of this jig for cutting mortises. It’s a Mortise Pal (mortisepal.com). If you have a plunge router (weighing less than 12 pounds), a 5/8" outside-diameter bushing and an upcut router bit, you can create mortises for mortise-and-tenon joints and loose-tenon joinery using a Mortise Pal.

To use a Mortise Pal you need a 6" base on your router. If you use a smaller base, due to the jig’s design, the base could slip off one side resulting in a bad mortise (the router rides on top of the side supports). Also, pay attention if your router’s base is something other than round. As for weight, 12 pounds pretty much restricts you to a 2-1/4 hp router or smaller, so don’t try to hoist up that 3+hp hog and cut mortises.

And of course, an upcut router bit is best because it pulls waste from the mortise and the cut will be easier to make, and cleaner when finished.

Any stock in which you want to cut a mortise in the end can be a minimum of 1" in width. Stock thickness can be from 2" to 3/4" (you can mortise thinner stock by arranging shims as shown in the manual, which you can download off the web site or below). The mortise length is determined by the mortising templates (four sizes are included in the kit) and the router bit size (a maximum 1/2" due to what fits through the bushing). Changing the templates is a snap and locking them into position is both secure and reliable with each change.

Layouts for mortises you cut with the Mortise Pal are different from the method most of us are accustomed to using. For this tool, find the center of your desired mortise along both length and width, then use the engraved line and small pointer on the jig to set up the cut.  Once you’ve dialed into your lines, lock the brass thumbscrew, twist the lock knob to secure and you’re ready to work. (To watch a Mortise Pal in action, click here.)

I don’t cut mortises with a router most times; I have a mortise machine for that task. But, if you don’t have a dedicated mortise tool, a Mortise Pal is a good choice. (Hand-tool Neanderthals take a breath, please.) One area that always bothered me when building furniture was when I mitered a base frame on a chest of drawers or other case piece. I often chose to use a biscuit joiner for the connection. Because the Mortise Pal fits the workpiece, especially if the piece is mitered, I see using the Mortise Pal there for a simple loose tenon connection, resulting in a strong joint.

Bottom line: the Mortise Pal is well-machined tool that works. I think it’s a bit pricy at $189, but the Mortise Pal has CNC machined anodized aluminum parts along with stainless steel parts, and the templates are polycarbonate. In my opinion, there was no skimping on manufacturing. Also, if you buy a dedicated mortise machine, you’ll spend more and not have the mobility or range of uses you have with this tool. And, you’ll get the job completed quicker than if you hog out material at a drill press, then clean up the mortise with your chisel.

Here’s a tip for routing mortises. Plunge the mortise area first, then slide the router along the cut to clean out and remove any left-behind waste material. I plunge the ends of the mortise then move to the center before clearing the cut. This may be old news for you, but I picked up the process just a little while back – there is always something new to learn while woodworking.

– Glen D. Huey