Tool Reviews

Tool Test: Lee Valley Knife Hinges

by Matthew Teague
Page 16

The first time I installed knife hinges I did so with an inexpensive pair, thinking it would be a good way to learn the process without wasting a lot of money on what is a notoriously finicky piece of hardware. Instead, I learned why quality knife hinges are worth every cent.

Any play or wiggle in the hinge will show up in the swing of the door, and making adjustments after installation is difficult if not impossible. Knife hinges made of thin, stamped steel, with irregularities in the thickness of the leaves or imperfections in the action of the pivot, simply won’t function as they should. You can’t pay me enough to use cheap ones again.

With that first set of knife hinges in mind, I was hesitant to try the new ones from Lee Valley. Once I got them in my hands, however, I was more hopeful. They have the weight and smooth action of quality hardware, and the brass versions are hard to distinguish from Brusso’s (long the standard by which knife hinges are measured).

Likewise, as far as installation goes, I recently installed a few pairs of Brusso hinges and wouldn’t walk across the street for the difference. Like the Brusso line, the Lee Valley hinges are available in straight and offset orientations and in a wide range of sizes. You have your choice of either brass or stainless steel.And they’re priced notably less than comparable hinges from Brusso, which means Lee Valley will likely become my first stop for knife hinges.

If I have one complaint, it’s that the Lee Valley hinges don’t come with screws. It’s not a huge problem with the brass hinges, but the stainless finish is akin in appearance to brushed nickel, so matching the screws is a challenge. While I love the look of the stainless versions, I wish Lee Valley provided matching screws.

Web site: Lee Valley
PDF: Learn to install knife hinges:
InstallKinfeHinges

Tool Test: Infinity Tools Thick-kerf, Flat-top Table Saw Blades

by Steve Shanesy
Page 16

When we think table saw blades, our experience limits our thinking to rip, crosscut or combination, and 1⁄8″ kerf or thin kerf. Then there’s the number of teeth and type of grind: flat top, alternate-tooth bevel (ATB) or triple-chip. Each of these has its purpose and, if sharp, performs a dedicated task well.

Now, Infinity Cutting Tools offers a new table saw blade that cuts joints cleanly with just one setup.

These 8″ blades come with 24 teeth in kerf widths of 5⁄32″ and 1⁄4″. They feature a flat-top tooth grind and a side grind to optimize tooth geometry for side clearance. This tooth configuration and grind makes clean, flat-bottomed cuts either with or across the grain in hardwoods, plywood, laminates and veneered panels. No more “bat ears” left by ATB blades or dado sets.

These blades are also perfect for cutting box joints, rabbets, dados and grooves at the table saw – no need to clean up the bottoms after. And if you are partial to using your table saw to cut tenons, these blades are ideal for cutting a joint with a shoulder equal to or more narrow than the blade kerf. All that’s required for each shoulder is a single pass with the stock on end, supported with a jig riding the saw fence.

In addition to single blades, Infinity offers sets of blades and shims to space two blades apart for making various-width cuts or even make two box-joint cuts in one pass.

These specialty blades provide a solid solution for numerous table saw operations, and provide superior results while saving time.

Video: See an easy way to cut tenons using the table saw. (Coming soon.)
Web site: Infinity Blade

Tool Test: Lie-Nielsen Closed-throat Routers

This joinery-tweaking plane belongs in every woodworker’s tool kit.

by Christopher Schwarz
Page 14

Even when I am in full-blown power, power, power mode in the workshop, there are two handplanes I turn to all the time: a block plane and a router plane.
Most woodworkers own a block plane, but only a fraction own a router plane, a tool I affectionately call “a chisel with a depth stop.” Router planes are the ultimate joinery-tweaking tool. They get your tenons sized to perfection, your dados sunk to the desired depth and your hinges swinging sweetly. And with two new versions from Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, you now have a selection unheard of since World War II.

Lie-Nielsen now offers four router planes – two sizes with two different kinds of throats. The sizes are
self-explanatory: The large planes are for full-size joinery and cutting deep recesses; the small routers are for hinge mortises and inlay. The different throats require more explanation.

An “open-throat” router has a hump in its casting right in front of the iron. This hump allows you to better see what you are cutting, but it prevents you from using the tool on the edges of narrow boards without modifying the tool’s sole. A “closed-throat” router slightly reduces your visibility but it allows you to work on edges with ease.

Lie-Nielsen’s two new routers have closed throats, which increases your choices and tightens the competition with Veritas of Canada, which offers only closed-throat routers.

So the question on the minds of many woodworkers is: Who makes the best closed-throat router? For the small routers, I think Lie-Nielsen is the winner. The small Veritas router has an iron with a round post that tends to rotate when the tool is used in heavy cuts.

For the large routers, it’s a dead heat. Both brands offer fences that are largely unused by most woodworkers – a fence comes standard on the Lie-Nielsen and is an option on the Veritas. Both brands offer depth stops that work 10,000 times better than the depth stop on the traditional Stanley router. And both brands have a variety of blades. The Veritas comes with two blades for $139; the Lie-Nielsen comes with one blade (and the fence) for $140.

So the choice comes down to aesthetics and ergonomics. No matter which brand you choose, you’ll be rewarded with more accurate joints. So add these tools to your “must-have” list.

Video: See the easy way to sharpen a router plane’s blade.

New Glue Tool/Brush from Rockler

Over the years I have developed my index finger as a highly skilled glue-spreading appendage. Combine it with a proper bead of glue on the edge of a board and I can spread it evenly in nearly one swipe. The only bad part is the glue left on your finger then puts glue where you Continue reading»

Milled-Tooth Plane-Maker’s Floats Review

Lee Valley recently added Japanese milled-tooth plane-maker’s floats to their product line-up, and I’ve been using them the last few days to tweak some through-mortises. These are similar to the previously available Xfine mille d-tooth files, but the floats are tapered in profile making them more adaptable to different size openings and special situations. Both Continue reading»

Pet Peeve Bites the Dust

Some machines are easy to set up to collect dust and chips while others defy all attempts. On the easy list are most stationary machines: Plug the hose into the port and it works pretty well. On the contrary list are miter saws (more to come on that, but part of my solution is a Continue reading»

Tool Test: Kreg Shelf-pin Jig

by Steve Shanesy
Page 14

From the April 2012 issue, #196

If your idea of a jig for drilling shelf-pin holes is a piece of pegboard, there’s an affordable alternative from Kreg Tool that allows you to step up your game. And even if you have moved beyond pegboard, this new jig will cut down on the possibility of drilling sets of holes in wrong locations.

You know the problem – misaligning the jig when you switch from cutting one row of holes to another. Opportunities to mess up are endless.

This shelf-pin jig, although compact, offers a number of features. It provides two options for setting the pin-hole locations from the cabinet edge. It has a fence to consistently repeat that setting and requires no tools to switch from the 1″ setting to the 2″ option.

Web site: Kreg Tool