Milwaukee M12 Cordless System Review

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Created on Tuesday, 29 March 2011 05:27

Last Updated on Saturday, 13 April 2013 07:38

Written by Colin

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Milwaukee Tools have been around for quite some time ... actually ... well over 100 years. Several years ago they were purchased by Techtronic Industries (TTI), who also own Ryobi, AEG, Homelite and others. The Milwaukee brand in the complex of businesses is considered to be the serious tool owners preference because of the high quality of Milwaukee tools.

If you get a chance to look at their website ... if the quality of their tools is anything like the high quality of their website you will be in for a treat of having a well made tool. Not only do they describe all their tools on the website (the same as everyone else) they ALSO provide excellent information on parts ... too bad others don't take this hint.

We tested some of the components of the M12 System which is their 12 volt cordless system, which consists of a drill, a driver, recip saw, rotary tool, inspection and camera viewers, lights, temperature measuring guns,  a palm nailer, PVC shearing tool, a multi tool, and even a very cool radio/MP3 Player (that can withstand the rigors of a construction site).

The tools we looked at primarily were the drill and driver as we felt these would be among the most popular tools in the lineup. The 12 volt system is NOT for everyone. The power is ... well, 12 volts, which is great for driving smaller nuts and bolts and screws, or for drilling a smaller number of holes. The 12 volt system is not going to drill multiple holes though 2" fir beams if you happen to be running new power feeds from your 110 electrical panel. The 12 volt system is perfectly suited for smaller applications of drilling multiple smaller holes, or driving screws into a woodworking project. What we liked was that the 12 volt system is light but still packs enough punch to drive larger screws into Oak without any difficulty.

What was of particular interest is that these new tools are all using the same lithium ion battery system which recharges in something like 30 minutes.

Tool Kits for Constructing Wood Models

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Created on Tuesday, 29 March 2011 21:17

Last Updated on Saturday, 13 April 2013 07:38

Written by Administrator

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Instead of buying individual tools and formulating your own Do It Yourself toolkit at home, you might find yourself saving a lot of money by buying a ready to go modeling tool kit readily available at Excel or X-Acto. You can find different tool kits for different kinds of modeling, from basic knife sets to ship modeling and model railroaders' kits. However, neither does this mean that you only have to buy a specific kit for your specific needs: the railroader's kit comes with a few extra accessories that are ideal for a model shipwright. If you search around on the internet, you are sure to find a great deal from hobby supply overstock dealers.

But, if you are going to create your own kit, you will need the following tools:

• Hobby Knife + assortment of blades
• Needle Nose Pliers
• Tweezers
• Saw and Miter
• Wire Cutters
• Small Awl
• Files
• Sandpaper & Sanding Block
• Clamps
• Adhesives (Wood Glue, ACC, epoxy)
• Pin Vise / drill bit holder and various drills
• Nailing Tool and Nails
• Dividers
• Small hobby hammer
• Metal Ruler (measuring both inches and centimeters)
• Plank Bending Tool
• Container to hold planks (for soaking)
• Square
• Cutting Mat
• Vise
• Dividers
• Stains, paints and brushes

Finishes for Wooden Toys

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Created on Tuesday, 29 March 2011 10:55

Last Updated on Saturday, 13 April 2013 07:38

Written by Administrator

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There are several options for the sort of finishes used on wood toys, since toys can be treated in the same way as turned bowls, utensils and cutting boards.

1. No finishes. You can leave toys unfinished for indoor toys. Just give it a fine sanding.

2. Do not use vegetable oils since they let off a pungent smell after some time has passed.

3. Specially formulated salad bowl or cutting board finishes can also be used since they are food-friendly post-drying.

4. Walnut oil can also be used and is freely available at your regular grocery store and mail order supply stores. The great thing about walnut oil is its nature: it reacts with the air and hardens.

5. Pure Tung oil has neither solvents nor chemicals and is basically a vegetable oil that won't turn rancid and produces a solid finish.

6. Rockler's Toymaker's Finish

7. Watco's Oils are said to be food and baby-friendly provided they have been set to dry for 30 days or more since it allows for full polymerization.

8. Shellac is among the oldest oils for nontoxic coatings typically produced in Thailand or India, and has been used in confectioner's glaze formulation. This lengthens shelf life for coated candies, for instance chocolate covered almonds and is one of the safest, food-friendly oils. It is also used for pill coatings by pharmaceutical companies.

9. Latex paint while claimed to be nontoxic on drying, should probably be double checked via their labels whether this holds.

10. Water-based polyurethanes are normally nontoxic but again, labels should be checked to ensure this holds true.

Whichever finish you decide to go with, however, directly contacting its manufacturer and determining whether all information is correct, is useful. Alternatively, an MSDS (Materials Safety Data Sheet) can also be requested for validity.

Building A Business Around Your CNC Machine

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Created on Saturday, 05 March 2011 22:30

Last Updated on Saturday, 13 April 2013 07:38

Written by Colin

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 Many woodworkers dream of making woodworking their livelihood, and many do, but there is also a whole universe of opportunity out there for part-time-woodworking jobs. I know ... in an ideal world we would all get to use our own woodworking tools and make lovely furniture and sell it for a nice profit and make a living. Sadly, reality says - this isn't going to happen to most of us - SO what are the alternatives.

One industry that I have always felt there was extra a good part-time business in, is the CNC woodworking business. For those of you who need a quick refresher, a CNC machine is nothing more than a computer controlled router. On a computer you create some sort of a graphic, like lettering for a sign for example, send that information to the router through the computer and in a while the exact same thing you input into the computer is reproduced on a piece of wood for you.

There are a number of different types of CNC machines and they have different capabilities and sizes of wood that they can accommodate, so there can be some restrictions. For example, all CNC routers will go back and forth and up and down, but some have even more control, and could for example turn the bit to 90 degrees or more to actually make three dimensional items. But all that is detail, for now we want to look at the business of creating a CNC router business.