Shopping for a Router and Router Table
Do you remember a few weeks ago when I talked about buying a new router with the profits from my furniture making exploits? Well, I decided to go for it, and when I went to Highland, I was really impressed with the Triton 2-1/4 HP plunge router.
The thing I like best about this router is that you can crank the bit all the way up or down using the router handle. There is a ring inside the handle which, when depressed, allows you to move the bit up and down. You can move it a fraction of an inch, or you can move it the full range of motion in either direction. There is also a fine motion screw on top of the motor which operates for the full range of motion of the bit. When you crank the bit all the way down, a lock engages the collet and you can then use the wrench to remove or install the bit with one hand. It's a beautiful thing.
In addition, when you mount the router upside down in a table, there is a crank handle which fits through the top of the table and attaches to the crank mechanism on the router, which you can use to adjust the bit very precisely from above the table. When you need to change the bit, simply crank the bit all the way up (or would that be down?), it locks in place and you can change the bit with one hand from above the table. And with 2-1/4 HP, this thing will do pretty much everything you want to do in the average woodworking shop. (For heavy production work, there is also a 3-1/4 HP model.)
About 15 years ago I made myself a wooden router table that was just awful. It is still sitting in the shop and almost never used because it was not well made and the router is very difficult to adjust from under the table. I'm going to throw it away this week. So while I was at the store looking at the routers, they also showed me their Kreg router tables. Kreg's basic model is a benchtop style which works very well with the Triton router.
I ended up buying
Kreg's deluxe precision floor mounted model. It comes with a set of very sturdy legs, which you can purchase wheels for if you like. The top is extremely stable, plenty big, and has a pattern of bumps on top of it that makes wood slide easily. It comes with a sophisticated precision fence, and has universal mounting hardware to fit most popular routers. When you drill a single hole in the right place in the top, then the crank handle that comes with the router will operate the height adjustment flawlessly. It effectively eliminates any need to buy one of those expensive third-party router lifts.
When you compare this total outfit price wise to one of those router lift mechanisms you see elsewhere, pricewise it comes out looking very good indeed. I really like this package, and am excited to have one in my workshop.
Don't miss the new Highland Woodworking Red Hot Special! Our brand new Set of 6 Soft-Sanders is 20% off, but quantities are limited, so you'll have to act fast! Visit 
We've never seen an easier, more efficient way to sharpen cabinetmaking tools, turning and carving tools, knives, and practically anything else to a razor edge—even jointer and planer knives. The Swedish-made 
This book could also be titled "Metallurgy and Blacksmithing for Woodworkers". In no time, Burton will have you making chisels, knives and specialty tools with little more than a few files, a Mapp gas torch and a toaster oven. No, really. I’ve used the information is this book personally, and it works. I’ve made dovetail chisels, carving knives, scorps and countless other unique items necessary to finish tricky jobs. What a joy to create a tool you can envision but can’t find anywhere. The book has chapters on the different types of steel, equipment, safety, blacksmithing, heat-treating, sharpening, handles and projects. Although the information is specialized in nature, Burton’s homegrown style and humor will keep you from fighting the zzz monster. It is loaded with good quality, close-up color photography to highlight the text. If you want lots of charts, graphs, facts and figures, then go elsewhere. But if you want good practical folk knowledge from a lifetime of doing, then you’ll want this book near the bench.
Don't miss the new Highland Woodworking Red Hot Special! Our popular Deluxe Router Bit Storage Box is featured at an unbeliveable price, but quantities are limited, so you'll have to act fast! Visit 
Our first full shipment of 
The 
3M Paint Buster Hand Cleaner was one of our favorite products. So, we were very disappointed when they discontinued it. While searching for a replacement, we were surprised to find a product that is better and cheaper. Check out 
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For years we've searched for professional quality, western style carpenter's saws. You know, the kind Disston, Stanley and Sandvik used to make. All we wanted were well-shaped wooden handles, brass buttons, taper ground blades, a choice of rip or crosscut teeth and decent stel; too much to ask apparently.
If you've always wanted to try spray finishing but were overwhelmed by the expense and the complicated options available, then the Critter Spray Gun is just for you! I had never sprayed a finish before and I refinished my kitchen cabinets with the Critter by spraying tinted Ceramithane, and had amazing results. 
The Elbo Tool's innovative design almost eliminates the drudgery and physical exertion associated with end grain vessel hollowing. With a minimum of set up time, it readily attaches to any lathe without retaining bars or special hardware. One end clamps to your lathe's tailstock barrel while the cutting arm slides over your tool rest. Three elbow-joint pivot points let you guide the cutter effortlessly. No more tense muscles or bone jolting rides as you hollow. Pull the cutting arm out of the tool holder section and you can insert your favorite 3/4" round shafted hollowing tool. Purchase a separate Elbo Tool Adapter - 1/4" Adapter, 3/8" Adapter, 1/2" Adapter or 5/8" Adapter - and you can use any round shafted hollowing tool from Sorby, Oland, Crown or other manufacturer. A minimum of 24" from your vessel's edge to your tailstock barrel is necessary for installation, so it will fit most full sized lathes and mini-lathes with bed extensions.
The R3 replaces Kreg's popular and portable Rocket pocket hole jig. It has some premium upgrades and a lower cost. The R3 jig has 9 settings for
varying wood thicknesses from 1/2" to 1-1/2", so you get the right spacing for the right screw. A glance at the applied reference chart tells you what you need to know.
Creating bowl blanks from green wood on the bandsaw can be taxing for standard blades. Many of our customers, happy with our Wood Slicer® Resawing Blade when cutting kiln-dried lumber, have asked us for a worthy blade to handle the difficulties bandsawing green wood.
Plastic razor blades scrape grime, glue and other shop scum without collateral damage to your tools and projects. They make excellent small putty knives and epoxy squeegees. Although safer than steel razors, they're sharp enough to remove dried paint from windowpanes and glue dribble from woodwork. (We recommend waiting until the glue is semi-hard to avoid additional squeeze-out.) The general-purpose blades flex somewhat to conform to curved surfaces like windshields and tool handles. They are ideal for use on softwoods like pine.
The JoolTool is a versatile freehand grinder, sharpener and polisher. Since your work piece is applied underneath the spinning abrasive, the process is in your direct line of sight. Abrasives are attached to perforated backer discs so you can see the workpiece while the discs are spinning.
Hang a shingle outside your Olde Shoppe with a custom cast sign. This double-sided, aluminum sign suspends from a symbolic handsaw that fastens to a wall with two screws. You can personalize the sign portion with up to 2 lines of text with a maximum of 17 characters/spaces per line. The sign itself measures 15" wide x 8" high x 7/16" thick. Overall dimensions, including the handsaw hanger, are 17" wide x 17" high. The raised characters are 1-1/4" high.