Calling all woodworkers! From now thru 7/25/2010, Eagle America is holding a woodworking tools and woodworking accessories inventory reduction sale. There are over 170 woodworking items on sale and you can save up to 64% compared to our regular prices! Router Bits are well represented in the sale, since we are "The World's Router Bit Source". See a wide selection of both Eagle Router Bits and PriceCutter Router Bits as well as some other handy products including router accessories, shaper cutters and saw blades. Click over today and save!
Judges at this years IWF (International Woodworking Fair) in Atlanta, GA. have previewed hundreds of entries for this years Challengers Award® Competition and have determined the top twenty-two new products that have risen above the competition. Read more . . .
One of those top new products is the Tornado Filter Cleaner, which is available at EagleAmerica.com. This is one of those woodworking accessories your shop shouldn't be without! Woodworking tools work best when they are clean and shop vac filters are no exception.
This innovative product solves this issues by using centrifugal force to spin the dust out of the pleats, all while inside of an enclosed bucket which makes for less mess and easy disposal.
Working here at Eagle America one question I hear more than any other is" where can I get that information"? I hear it in our outlet store, I hear it on the phones and I see it in emails. No matter what the woodworker is trying to do, setting up dust collection, looking for band saw accessories, questions about shaper cutters, any woodworking accessories that is new to a woodworker them we get questions about that item. Another thing we hear a lot of is, I am interested in one of the Kreg pocket hole jigs which one should I get? Or I am building some cabinets which set of stile and rail bits should I use? Which one of your router bit sets is the best for me? We do our best to answer all the questions we receive within 24 hours.
Did you know we have tech support available where we will take your question sent to us via email to us at tech@eagleamerica.com and pass it to our one of our woodworkers that we have on staff?
Don't they look knowledgeable!
Well back to the question, where can I get this information? You can find just about anything...
....ON THE INTERNET!
There are thousands of website dedicated to woodworking. Places where you can ask questions of your peers or ask professionals like The Wood Whisperer's website.
You can find just about anything you need right here. They have a community where you can access blogs and forums where you can ask questions that will be answered by many people that are just woodworkers like you that want to help their experience is there to help you. Also in their community they have photos of the member's projects. Not to mention many videos that Marc Spagnuolo (The Wood Whisper) does showing how to do certain things or projects start to finish. You can also find Marc's work on You tube talk about a video library that you don't have to buy! You can also find many different woodworking groups that have joined the community, maybe you belong in one of these groups? Do you?
And of coarse what true Wood Whisperer member doesn’t have a Wood Whisperer hat and T-shirt. Well don’t worry you can get these items and more at the store. I should get a free t-shirt for this blog don’t you think?
There is a live chat room where you can discuss your project or anything woodworking related. You can even watch projects being made because there are dozens of people/workshops that stream live video to the site for you to watch.
This is just one site of the thousands of woodworking sites out there on the world wide web. So if you have a specific question maybe we can help. Or if you are looking for a place to go to learn and pick up some tricks of the trade and meet some woodworkers maybe The Wood Whisperers website is where you want to go.
No matter what you are looking for, the Internet can be the best tool in your workshop.
I stumbled across this article on Gizmodo about a woodworker named Clayton Boyer. Of course it features some amazing woodworks of art, some intricate clocks such as the one pictured below:
Time for me to get to work, this would take me forever to make!
Boyer thinks that "anyone with a little determination can put together any of his clock designs". He also goes on to say that "skill level is not as important as perseverance". So what are your thoughts on that? Do you agree, is skill level not as important? Post your thoughts to this blog post.
I tend to think that it is a combination of 3 things: the skill level of you as a woodworker, the determination and patience to see a project thru to completion, and the woodworking tools and woodworking accessories that you use to complete the job. A good craftsman never blames his tools, rather he appreciates how good tools can make his life a lot easier. Whether you are talking about router bits or router jigs, shaper cutters, a wood carving set, wood bandsaw blades or even something as simple as sanding sleeves, quality tools help you get the job right done the first time. Which tools can you just not be without when you are heading into a big project?
When I saw Robert Beam’s Isuzu Trooper this weekend at the Green Grand Prix, http://www.greengrandprix.com/index.htm , I couldn’t help but think of all the woodworkers I talk to everyday on the phone at Eagle America that have dust collection accessories filling up with wood chips.
His 1988 Isuzu Trooper runs on wood chips. Yes! Wood chips. He doesn’t use any gasoline in his SUV.
The process, which is called pyrolysis, is accomplished by cooking the wood (under low oxygen conditions) in a wood-gas generator and collecting the vapors, which are then directed to the vehicle's (ideally a truck or SUV with room to carry the gas generator) carburetor to be burned instead of gasoline.
This SUV is able to run 20 miles on 25 pounds of wood chips. How far do you think Robert could go each year just from the sawdust you make from your woodworking projects?
Maybe “making sawdust” someday will have a whole new meaning……..
Visit the Beaver Energy website to learn more about the Isuzu Trooper.
As a customer service representative at Eagle America, the interaction that I have with our customers is one of the best things about my job. When I hear, "my project came out exactly the way I wanted it to" or ”the router bit did exactly what I needed it to do" it brings a smile to my face.
Recently, I received an email from Roman and he was simply letting us know he was happy with the shaper cutters that he had ordered from us. He was trying to match a profile from an old building on the south side of Boston. Well you can see for yourself how happy he was and what the final result was.
Roman writes:
Sirs:
Back on 2/25, I ordered a set of exterior door shaper cutters and I felt compelled to tell you how satisfied I was with them.
I was commissioned to build a replacement exterior door for an old building in South Boston. I needed a set of shaper cutters that offered a similar profile to the original and that were milled to match each other for a snug fit. The 285-8512 set I received was perfect for the job. I was building this door from 1-3/4" thick Poplar and wanted to use my Delta shaper to carve each cut with one pass. Setup was easy. Most importantly, the fit between the joints was perfect, making an extremely tight fit to make the glue-up snug and reliable. A minimum of sanding supplies were needed to finish my project.
The price you charge for these shaper cutters were also attractive; especially when you consider that you also include both 1/2" and 1/4" center panel cutters and bearings. Most of the time these are only supplied at an extra cost.
Rest assured that I'll order again from Eagle America if this product is representative of the other cutters you provide. Shipping was quick and much appreciated.
Sincerely, Roman
I asked if he would be willing to forward some photo's of his handiwork and he was happy to do so. Here are the before and after photo's of what Roman did with our shaper cutters.
All of the buildings in S. Boston butt up against each other but they are painted differently. Thus the red/black stripes behind me. This place is modestly sided but trimmed nicely.
The lumber I used was "torrified" Poplar. Yes, that's poplar with no finish on it. They take the lumber and heat it to about 240 degrees until all the cells shrink and the wood turns that brown.....almost burned color. Since the cells are shrunk, water has no affect on it like normal lumber. It won't swell or shrink or split or check. It's extremely stable and perfect for outdoor projects where you'd normally use cedar or teak. It glues up extremely well. I used Titebond's waterproof adhesive.
The cutters I bought provide me with about 5" of gluing surface on a 1-3/4" thick board. So, the joints are extremely tight and should last for many years.
Here's a close-up of the fit. The rain started just as I loaded my tools into the car. The door is simply wet, here. Torrified lumber takes on a deep......very deep hue when you oil it or wet it.
Roman
Another project that went as planned, as I smile to myself!
I saw this on the news the other day and had to share it with you. I know I am a bit nervous when I use a powerful saw so I check to make sure everything is tightened down not once, but twice. I can't even image how many times I would check a saw like this before using it...apparently the equipment operator doesn't feel the same way!
Could you even imagine this happening to you? I was horrified as I watched the massive saw blade scream across that persons yard. Unreal!
Moments like these, even when out of the context of woodworking, should make you think long and hard about how you use your own equipment. Table Saw Blades, Miter Saw Blades, Band Saw Blades, Scroll Saw Blades, Router Bits and Shaper Cutters...they can all do you a lot of damage. So first and foremost, pay attention when using them! The more you use a tool the more comfortable you get with it...and the more shortcuts you will take. Beware, some of those shortcuts can seriously hurt you. Use your safety guards and equipment at all times.
I love the web...and I love what the web can do for woodworkers. As much as I like our Eagle America woodworking catalog, I like our website even more. It allows us to have a conversation with woodworkers in a way no other medium can duplicate. We can tell whimsical stories on this blog, we can post friendly updates on our Facebook or Twitter pages, we can send you weekly updates via email...the possibilities are almost endless.
What woodworking tools would you like to see star in our next movie?
The web also allows us to educate our customers by providing much more detailed technical information thru the use of video. Woodworking videos are an area that I am very excited to expand upon in the very near future. Currently you can find video from us in 3 primary locations:
Product Pages - The VIDEO tab on our product pages will appear when a video is available
Video Listing Page - EagleAmerica.com/Videos will always point to some form of a video index page so you can quickly review what is available.
YouTube - For you YouTube fans out there, we have our own YouTube site! Simply go to YouTube.com/EagleWoodworking for our latest and greatest.
Finally, I want to pose a question to you. What would you like our next Eagle Original Video be? Feel free to email us or leave a comment here. Some ideas:
Router Bits and Router Bit Sets such as Cabinet Bits or Stile & Rail Bits
#1 – Wood is good – Vinyl is final
#2 – Think like a drip
#3 – Wine is fine – Liquor is quicker
and
#4 Be smarter than the woodworking tools
Unfortunately I had trouble with being smarter than the woodworking tools last December.
Actually, my story starts in August 2009 when I asked my wife and kids to help me install a signpost at the front of our property for our alpaca farm. In Ohio’s summer weather and in full daylight, the job was a breeze. Maybe too easy.
So, I decided to wait until December’s first snow to ask my 12-year-old son to help me hang the actual sign. I thought I heard my high-school wood shop teacher’s voice telling me this was a bad idea and that in these conditions, woodworking tools are often smarter than the woodworker, but I stubbornly proceeded anyway. My wife wanted the sign hung before the end of the year.
In my haste to drill a half-inch hole using premium drilling products through a 4 x 6 post while holding a support brace, I expertly drilled a chunk out on my left index finger. My son stared as I did the dance of pain and expressed my discomfort.
I waited two weeks, until Christmas Day to go to the hospital. It took an ER doctor, an anesthesiologist, an infectious-disease doctor, a hand surgeon, a bevy of nurses, an overnight stay and weeks of occupational therapy, but I’ve been drilling just fine since what has come to be known as the “expensive sign incident”.
August – Involve the family and make an enjoyable memory. September – I’ve got plenty of time. October – I promise the wife I would finish the sign within a week. November – The weather hasn’t changed, I've got time. December – I need to get this finished before the Christmas party so my neighbors don’t jab at me. Christmas Day – My hand is swollen and finger movement is strained. I guess a trip to the emergency room is in order. January – The stitches are out and I’m on my way to occupational therapy. Today – Got to go, I’m late. I’ve got to get a mantel hung. Anyone see my hand plane?
I don't know about you but I have always found it difficult to price my woodworking creations. Especially if it is work I am doing for family and friends.
Woodworking has never been a business for me, just a fun hobby. So I never really took the time to sit down and figure out what my time (labor) and talent was really worth.
This means that even when you are pricing your work for family and friends, you have to look beyond materials cost and consider the sustainability of your woodworking tools and woodworking accessories. After all, tools break and accessories and supplies run out.
Instead of scraping your pennies together for woodworking supplies because you only charge friends and family for the lumber, consider charging for the supplies you used. Glue, nails, routers bits, shaper cutters, etc. The goal here is not only to please the recipient but to ensure your sustainability for the next project.
When it comes time to charge for labor, that is where I generally take the hit. If the project is a quick weekend or two then I usually forget the labor charge. If the project is complex and involves more time, planning, designing and building then I figure an hourly labor rate. This is purely subjective and requires you to determine what you feel your time is worth per hour. Once you know that, then multiply the number of hours you worked by your hourly rate. Add up your materials / supplies cost and you are set.
On Friday I ventured to The Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus to "go shopping" for neat new products and creative woodworking ideas. As I mentioned in a post last week, we at Eagle America have a long history with the woodworking shows...both as exhibitors and as attendees. This is my take on the show.
In general I would say that I was less than excited with what I had to see. The show appears to shrink a bit more every year and I am not 100% sure why. It appears there was extra space created from missing exhibitors which was then filled by seminars and classes. A productive trade off if you are looking to learn more than you are looking to buy.
The Columbus Woodworking Show - A Bird's Eye View
When we visited the booths on the show floor it was fun to be elbow-to-elbow with woodworkers looking for new and exciting woodworking tools and woodworking accessories. There is just something about a show floor that creates a "buzz", it can be both fun and exciting. That being said, no new tools or exhibits made me say "wow". It was a collection of things that most of us have seen in the past, which was disappointing.
Being "The World's Router Bit Source", I am always interested in seeing the displays of router bits and there were plenty in many of the booths. There were only 1-2 displays of Shaper Cutters which seemed like less than I normally see. Kreg Tool had a nice presence at the show, it was nice to see Kreg Pocket Hole Jigs and the Kreg Router Table drawing crowds as they are some of our favorite products to sell. I was very surprised at the lack of power tools available. In the past, there would be deals EVERYWHERE on routers and saws of all shapes and sizes but this year they were few and far between.
All in all, I think if you had made the trip that you would have had fun walking the show floor and being surrounded by all things woodworking. You might have seen some unique woodworking accessories that would have made you say "why didn't I think of that" but in general you would have said, "been there, done that."
Did you go? If so, what were your thoughts about the show?
I just read a great blog post at The Professional Power Tool Guide about The Ten Most Dangerous Tools. It made me think about all of the woodworkers over the years that I have met who have injured themselves while enjoying their craft. Yes, a fair share of those happened with many precautions in place, but more often than not the people who hurt themselves wound up telling me how stupid they were!
Are you TOO COOL to be safe?
Many of the "walking wounded" have told me that they were simply "too busy" or "too cool" to be properly safe in their shops when they were making the most simple of cuts. Are you too cool to be safe?
From the article referenced above, did you know that:
Over 37,000 people per year go to emergency rooms because of power nailers
39,000 ER visits per year are the result of chain saws
My personal opinion is that if people would only slow down and take their time they would prevent the vast majority of injuries. If they simply take the time to use the large assortment of woodworking accessories that have been designed to prevent injury they would live long, scar-free lives. Use woodworking clamps to secure your work, use dust collection accessories to protect your lungs, use one of the many saw blade accessories to help you prevent kickback and keep your hands away from the blade. Safety is serious business. We at Eagle America care deeply about your safety and always encourage you to think twice and cut once.
OK, ok...I know you are sick of hearing it. I know preaching safety can be boring, and scary, so what better way to lighten this post than to laugh at injuries! Here is a long clip of THE EXACT OPPOSITE of being safe, thank you Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor. Enjoy the laugh...but remember the real message.
We recently answered a customer question here on the blog, "One tool missing in my shop is a shaper. How necessary is this tool?" Router woodworking vs. shaper woodworking is often more of a discussion for professionals rather than home hobbyists but you would be surprised how many "weekend warriors" actually have a shaper.
That is why we at Eagle America include a nice line of Shaper Cutters in our stable of wood cutting tools. For those of you who are Shaper owners, now is the time to freshen up your collection of Shaper Cutters. Our Fall 2009 Shaper Cutters Sale ends at 11:59pm on Sunday, January 3rd. Click here to see the selection of Shaper Cutters that are on sale or click here to see our full selection. Act fast, save today!
A nice 3 HP variable speed router combined with a router table system with a router lift or other router height adjustment option can do almost everything a shaper can do. You have to consider how much space you have and if you will ever want the unit to be mobile. It is easy to pick up a router table and put it in the back of a truck or van and take it to a friend’s house or on the job in a pinch. A shaper is not so easy to move. For the most part, it comes down to personal preference and what you are most comfortable working with!
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Here I am checking out the gas generator.
I was commissioned to build a replacement exterior door for an old building in South Boston. I needed a set of 
I don't know about you but I have always found it difficult to price my woodworking creations. Especially if it is work I am doing for family and friends.
vs. 
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