Woodcraft ’s Best of 2012 While some years have only offered slim Asking editors to rank this year’s offering pickings in the way of shop-worthy products, in terms of quality, convenience, and cost is 2012 has given us a bumper crop of great new downright impossible. However, when we tools and accessories. You may have compared notes, the same items placed at the seen a few of these items, but even if you merit a top of our lists. Here’s the best of what we monogrammed mug at your local Woodcraft store, found, and a few reasons why you you’ll want to add these items to your shop arsenal. you’ll probably �ind a few surprises on our list. WoodRiver

1 Revoluti on Pinnacle No. 151 Pinnacle No. 151 ⁄2 Radius Woodcraft’s WoodRiver and Flat Spokeshave, Spokeshave, #153105, $99.99 Pinnacle brands continue #152803, $99.99 to expand their hand- offerings and turn heads. Careful machining, thick blades, and ductile iron bodies combine to create tools that are easier to use and perform equally Pinnacle No. 151 Flat Spokeshave 1 as well as much higher- and 151 ⁄2 Radius Spokeshave priced equivalents. For shaping curved parts, such as chair spindles, seats, panel edges, WoodRiver No. 92 and tool handles, it’s hard to get by Medium Shoulder without a spokeshave or two. Their Based on the Stanley No. 92, solid, stainless steel bodies 1 the 7"-long WoodRiver is a and 8"-thick A2 blades formidable competitor in the work⁄ together to ensure arena. The mid- smooth, chatter-free cuts. sized body is comfortable to hold 3 and control, and the 4"-wide body is perfect for correcting⁄ WoodRiver No. 92 Medium Shoulder Plane, #154032, $149.99 ill-�itting tenons, , dadoes, WoodRiverand other �lat-faced No. 7 joints. Plane 1 With a 21 2"-long sole to bridge 3 long valleys⁄ and a 2 8"-wide blade, the WoodRiver⁄ No. 7 is wide boards, tabletops, WoodRiver No. 7 Jointer andthe go-to , plane for as�lattening Plane, #153104, $304.99 edges of long boards. well as the Photos: Larry Hamel-Lambert except where noted Dec/Jan 2013 woodcraftmagazine.com 23 Best Tools of 2012 9 1 ⁄16" Horizontal Low, Lever and #152928, $17.99 Leave it Bessey Auto-Adjust Toggle Clamps Toggle clamps secure stock

on jigs and �ixtures where stock�ingers even fear more to tread. secure Bessey’s by 3 3 auto-adjust toggles keep 1 ⁄16" In-Line, #152930, $19.99 2 ⁄8" Horizontal High, #152929, $18.99 provide consistent pressure againstautomatically material adjusting ranging to in you may want to upgrade your thickness from veneer stock up from 25 up to 550 pounds. 1 to 1 2"-thick material. And a adjustAs these the clampingare priced pressure on par Besseys to your tool chest for most used jigs or add a few new few quick⁄ turns of a screw can with standard toggle clamps, future and �ixture applications. A Cut Above (4, Actually) 1 Freud Quadra-Cut ⁄4"-Shank Bits 1 A few years ago, Freud managed to squeeze four cutters onto a 2"- ⁄ up-shear cutting angle, while the smaller down-shear cutters clean upshank the bit.surface, The larger resulting two in cutters fast, super-smooth ef�iciently shape cuts. the Now, pro�ile Freud with has an 1 4"-diameter 1 shank to accommodate routers that don’t accept 2"-diameter⁄ �inally downsized the four-cutter technology onto a ⁄ will cost about 10% more than comparable two-wing cutters. collets. Additional pro�iles will be released in the months ahead and

Freud Quadra-Cut 1 ⁄4"-Shank Router Bits (new profi les coming soon) Rest Easy Carter MultiRest

withA one-size-�its-all a 20" swing. Oncesolution, attached the Carter to your MultiRest lathe bed, �its lathes ranging from mini models up to those

bed.the base The adjustsurethane to wheelssteady spindlecan be positioned work, hollow andvessels, rotated and to�lat provide turnings support at any wherever position on it’s the needed most. Unlike other steady-rest setups,

opened or completely removed from the lathe bedthe MultiRest’swithout dismounting two-piece yoursupport workpiece. ring can be

Carter Multi Rest, #154325, $359

24 woodcraftmagazine.com Dec/Jan 2013 Carter photos: Manufacturer; Deulen photos: Brian Francis Deulen 12" Jointer/Planer Shaver Saver Knife Sharpening Jig, Deulen 12" Jointer/Planer Knife Sharpening Jig #152868, 12", $89.99

almost as easy as honing any other blade in your shop.This jig To makes use, set honing two blades planer in and jointer knives

glass.the jig, After and thenhoning run a theset ofedges dull against af�ixed to ranging from 150 to 400 grit, thejointer resulting knives micro- on sandpaper, were sharp enough to shave with. This

preventing tear-out and reducing sharpeningjig earns its costs,keep not but only also byby doubling the life of so-called “disposable” planer blades. Masterful Morti ser Festool Domino XL Playing the Angles woodworkers rethink the way they approach General Tools Digital Sliding T- A few years ago, Festool’s Domino joiner made By incorporating a digital protractor in the head loose tenons) as easy to cut as biscuit slots. Now, of a sliding T-bevel, General Tools has created themortise-and-tenon Domino XL takes joinery things by up making a notch. mortises Compared (for a tool that works for both old- and new-school to the original machine that could cut mortises 3 7 woodworkers. With this tool, you can either use 8" thick by 8" wide by 2" the blade to physically transfer angles, or press a ⁄ ⁄ 9 1 button and read the angle on the head of the tool. toas �it16 "tenons thick byas 1"large wide as by 5 2" long. Rivaling long, the XL cuts mortises to �it tenons as large The 8"-long sliding blade on this T-bevel the⁄ capacity of stationary horizontal⁄ mortisers,

for full-sized doors, gates, and large tables. suchallows as the alongside gauge to short �it where lengths digital of this portable machine makes joints suitable �ixed-hinge or protractors the face of won’t, a Festool Domino XL Joiner, blade. The head has buttons #574422, $1,200 for zeroing out the blade, holding the measurement, and obtaining the supplementary angle.

General Tools Digital Sliding T-Bevel, #153776, $36.99

Dec/Jan 2013 woodcraftmagazine.com 25 Best Tools of 2012 Incra-dible Box Joints Incra I-Box Jig

spend the time to make your own, or you can Making box joints requires a jig. You can either it. Designed for use on either a tablesaw or router simply pull this jig out of the box and get right to bars to ensure that it won’t shift in use, spoiling table, the fully adjustable jig has expandable miter the pin width and a dual-pitch lead screw that the joints. It also features a pair of �ingers to set 1 8" enables3 users to dial 1in perfectly-�itting1 joints. to 4" in stock that is 8" to 1 4 ⁄ The I-Box can cut pins ranging in width from ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ Incra I-Box Jig, #854034, $169.99 " thick. In addition andto box operation joints, the are jig explained can also bein theused included to cut keyed DVD. (slip-feather) joints and dentil moldings. Setup Penned to Perfecti on Whiteside Pen Maker’s Bits For those aspiring to turn perfect pens, Whiteside has come up with blank- bits that are Whiteside Pen Maker’s Bits, Don’t be put off by the bit’s diameter #154023-31, designed to create a “hand-in-glove” bushing �it. ($15.99-$23.99) decimal point). All you need to knowdimensions is that (measured the bits produce to the athird clean

inch larger than the brass insert, hole that’s just a few thousands of an for CA glue or epoxy to form a strong,providing virtually just enough seamless clearance bond.

More Muscle from Pocket Screw Joints Kreg HD Pocket Screw Jig There are times when bigger is better. Kreg’s HD

(Heavy Duty) jig creates pocket screw joints as screws.quickly andThe easilycorrosion-resistant as standard-sized HD screws jigs, while are increasing joint strength 50% by using larger Kreg HD Pocket Screw Jig, #154345, $59.99 providessuited for a all neat sorts solution of “2-by” for thoseprojects, outdoor including repairs furniture, fences, and trellises. The jig also

26 woodcraftmagazine.com Dec/Jan 2013 thatIncra and can’t Woodpecker be �ixed photos: by Manufacturer; a or deckKreg & Leighscrew. photos: Brian Francis Nonstop Dovetails Leigh R9 Plus Joinery System

Most template-style dovetail jigs max out plateswhere tothe the metal next, ends. enabling In contrast, you to routLeigh’s latest jig can relocate from one pair of registration three plates that come with the kit, you can dovetails or box joints in any width. With the Leigh R9 Plus Joinery System, joinThe boards R9 sets up upto aboutfor cutting 18" wide. through-dovetails Additional #153668, $159.00 plates are available for wider joints. notand dobox variable-width joints more intuitively or half-blind than dovetails, Leigh’s theadjustable, R9 employs �ingered the same jigs. Althoughelliptically-shaped it does

Woodpeckers BC4-M2 Box router bushing (E-bushing) that enables you Clamps (Pair), #153667, $36.99 to �ine-tune a joint’s �it with a simple twist.

Two Ways to Spray Earlex SprayStation Gemini HVLP Sprayer Like other HVLP guns, the Gemini’s cup can thisserve system as the special�luid reservoir is the secondary to �inish furniture,pump that cancabinets, deliver and undoctored various shop latex projects. paint straight But what makes from the can to the gun. Simply replace the cup with the system’s 13'-long feeder hose, set a gallon of latex paint in the base unit, and you’re Corner Clincher Woodpeckers BC4-M2 doors, trim, and other Box Clamps architecturalset to ef�iciently work spray Capable of providing continuous, without stopping consistent clamping pressure in less space than an extra set of Compare the cost of hands requires, Woodpeckers’ thefor constantsystem with re�ills. a 4" box clamps might be even professional painter, better than a real-life workshop and this gun can pay helper. The glass-reinforced for itself on Day One. polycarbonate utilizes After that, all your a tapered wedge clamping mechanism that simultaneously chores are all gravy. pushes the mating materials shop and home �inishing Earlex SprayStati on a few turns of the knob. The Gemini HVLP Sprayer, clampdown andcan inwardhandle stockwith just ranging 1 #154515, $269.99 from 4" to 1" thick. I

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