Festool prices go up by as much as 10% on Tuesday, March 1. So if you’ve been thinking about buying a beautifully engineered, meticulously designed tool for your shop, now is the time! Click below to check out Highland Woodworking’s extensive Festool selection.
The Stanley Sweetheart Socket Chisels have been a topic of speculation for quite awhile, and now they are finally available! Based on the classic Stanley 750 Series chisel design, the Sweetheart chisels are made from high carbon chrome steel, and feature durable hornbeam handles and long, thin bevel-edge blades.
Highland Woodworking is carrying eight different widths sold individually, as well as a 4-piece set and an 8-piece set. Chisel lengths vary from 1/8″ (~4mm) to 1-1/4″ (~32mm).
Take a look at our selection, and pick one up for yourself today!
We had Ben Arthur, one of our sales associates, go through a few of the features of our Steel City 13″ Helical Planer. He even demo’d a few passes with a nice piece of curly maple so you can get a feel for the simple process. If you’ve been considering getting one of these planers, take a look at the video to learn a bit more, including how easy it is to adjust the helical cutterhead.
The Wood Slicer does it again!
We received these unsolicited comments from a recent Wood Slicer customer, and just had to share them:
I want to give you feedback on a product I purchased recently. Last week I received a 3/4″ x 105″ Wood Slicer. I was very pleased when I received it so soon after ordering!! I had saved some beautiful Cherry Laurel from a fallen tree and looked forward with great anticipation to sawing it into planks for gift boxes. I installed the blade on 14″ Delta bandsaw with risers. The instructions that accompanied the blade were indispensible since this was my first venture into resawing.
I could hardly wait to see how it would go. I was flabbergasted at what I felt and saw as I pushed the rough-cut piece of log through the blade. The cut was so easy, and the wood tracked through the blade straight as an arrow. I did not have to make any allowances for drift or blade curvature!! I almost cried it felt and looked so good. The sides of the cuts looked like they had been through a planer or jointer, no blade marks whatsoever!
So, I just wanted you (and other customers who might wonder if all of your claims for the Wood Slicer are true) to know – I can say that they most certainly are!
Sincerely,
W. Osburn
We at Highland Woodworking are very proud to carry such a quality product as the Wood Slicer. Thanks for your comments!
Hello Woodworkers everywhere,
The latest issue of Highland Woodworking’s Wood News Online is available, and packed full of informative tips, stories and of course, great deals.
We are kicking off our Festool sweepstakes this month – enter to win over $1000 in Festool products, including the new RO 90 Rotex sander, available for pre-purchase and in stock on March 1st!
We’ve also got Michael Curtis’ DREAM shop – you’ll be starting to make plans for your own shop renovation after taking a look at his pictures. Chris Brettnacher’s corner wine rack is featured in this month’s Show Us Your Stuff column. You’ll read a smart safety tip from Bill Peterson, and a great new column from our Down to Earth Woodworker, Steven Johnson – he finally gives us a tour of the Down to Earth Workshop, only to declare that he is building a NEW workshop. It is sure to be another dream workshop we can all appreciate/drool over.
All this, and MUCH more, in the latest issue – enjoy!
An axe becomes as good as its smith. The motto belongs to one of the finest axe making companies in the world, Gränsfors Bruks.
Gränsfors was originally founded in Sweden in 1902, but went through a major philosophical shift in 1989 under the direction of CEO Gabriel Branby and skilled craftsman-designer Hans Erik Perrson. They redeveloped their axes to be the best in the field, while reflecting history, tradition and a common set of company values, including stewardship of the environment and a rigorous focus on quality.
Gränsfors axes are forged by professional smiths. The proof of this lies in their ability to create blades with such precision that no supplementary work is needed. The forging craft is allowed to take its time so there is no need to stone, grind, smooth or paint the axes in order to hide imperfections. Such is the personal investment by a smith into each axe that when he is satisfied with his work and has accepted his axe, he marks the head with his initials beside the company’s crown label.
Lost to many in urban environments is the range of axe variations and uses. For instance, pictured above are a felling axe (on top) and a splitting maul (on bottom). The felling is for chopping down trees, the maul is for splitting wood and carries a heavier poll (butt) which allows it to hammer wedges without damaging the axe. In addition to these, there are specialty axes and hatchets for limbing, game processing and skinning, throwing, carving, woodworking, etc. Each has a unique blade, handle shape, size and purpose. Today, the family-owned company produces about 30 styles of axes and related tools; each comes with a 20 warranty.
Fortunately, Gränsfors is not just passionate about building quality axes, but educating others about the history and uses of their axes, including tips on felling, splitting and maintaining good firewood (and fires). For free downloads of their essential The Axe Book and historical The Ancient Axe Book, click here. You can purchase Gränsfors axes in Atlanta at Highland Woodworking.
This review was originally written for Bearings. You can see the original review here.
I know that mid-January is a little late to be making my New Years Resolutions, but I had to think for a bit about these ones. Woodworking is still a very new craft for me, and I want to advance my skills, but not set goals that are unrealistic. Here is a first shot at my woodworking resolutions for 2011.
Start building the arts and crafts bookcase from this book that I’ve had my eye on for awhile. I already priced some lumber, and now I just need to re-read the instructions 50 times and spend some time with a friend who has a tablesaw setup with a dado stack and a miter gauge. Or figure out a way to cut 24 tenons without a tablesaw. Any ideas? I guess I could get really good at hand-cutting them, i.e. Resolution #3!What are YOUR Woodworking Resolutions for 2011?