Meet the Sander Family

Sanders for woodworking come in a variety of types and sizes, including benchtop and stationary floor models, but the most useful handheld sanders boil down to four options. Not all sanders are suitable for all jobs, of course, with some better at certain tasks than others (and some disastrous if not used correctly).

1. Random orbit sanders, relative newcomers to the sanding party, have pretty much taken the lead among popular choices.

Sanders are designed to make a series of hundreds of thousands of scratches in a wood surface, each removing a tiny bit of stock. With single-action sanders like belt and traditional orbital sanders, those scratches are all the same orientation and are distractingly visible, especially under stain or clear finish.

But random orbit sanders (ROS) sand with two patterns — the pad oscillates in a circular motion, but also spins at varying speeds, depending on work surface, sanding speed, tool movement, etc. The result is a totally random arrangement where scratches “cancel” each other out, leaving mostly mark-free surfaces.

ROS sanders are generally lightweight, have good dust collection provided by internal impellers and use a host of available hook-and-loop sanding discs. Although ROS sanders come in several sizes, 5″ models are most useful.

2. Orbital sanders were once the most common finishing sander. These plain, square-pad orbital machines offered little beyond being faster than hand-sanding. They did the job, but their endlessly repeating orbital pattern often left swirls or “pig tails” behind.

There weren’t many options, installing sandpaper was a pain and no one had even thought of dust collection yet. These old workhorses have largely been replaced by ROS machines, but they can still earn their keep. Lots of really old ones are still around — they almost never broke — but they’re not a good choice. On the other hand, modern versions have helpful improvements. Sandpaper size is universal, with most using a quarter sheet of sandpaper. Dust collection is standard on most, as are easier-to-use sandpaper mounting clips. Premium units off er variable speed, too.

Orbital sanders are less aggressive than ROS and belt sanders — a plus for finish- sanding.

3. Belt sanders are even more old-school. These beasts of the sanding world are unsuited for finish work, and many woodworkers don’t even own one. Still, if you glue up a lot of panels and tabletops and don’t have access to a large wide-belt, industrial-size sander, they can be worth their (considerable) weight in gold.

We’ll cover more on belt sander use directly, but in short, there’s no better sander for leveling panels or simply removing lots of stock quickly.

4. Detail sanders occupy a special niche. With smaller pads typically in a triangular shape, they don’t remove a lot of stock. On the other hand, they can fit where few other sanders or even a sanding block can go. Corners, slots, mortises and lap joints are all fair game.

Some detail sanders offer swap-out pads in various- shaped profiles that are ideal for contour sanding on molding, coves and the like. Many woodworkers get the same job done using an oscillating multitool with a sanding pad attachment.

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The saw’s two-step pulley system provides a mechanical high speed range for wood and low speed range for metal, which are easy to switch between by shifting the saw’s poly-groove drive belt from one step to the other. Then, just twist a variable-speed control knob on the saw’s column to increase or decrease the blade speed incrementally and on the fly. A digital readout below the knob reports the blade speed in real time.

Laguna provides electronic speed control by way of a pulse width modulation (PWM) system. It uses an inverter to control the output to the machine’s 1-3/4hp DC motor. PWM offers the added advantage of quickly stopping the cutting action when the saw is turned off.

Ready for Resawing

Blade momentum is crucial for demanding woodcutting operations such as resawing. And to help ensure it, Laguna outfits this saw with heavy, precision-balanced cast-iron flywheels. It offers an impressive 13″ of resaw capacity and can be outfitted with 115″ blades up to 3/4″ wide; a 1/2″ bi-metal 10/14 variable TPI blade is included. In the event that a quick stop is needed, just step on a foot pedal to engage an oversized disc brake in the saw’s lower flywheel housing. When the time comes to switch blades or de-tension them between uses, a quickrelease lever makes the job easier. Other Noteworthy Features For many years, Laguna has outfitted its band saws with long-wearing, cooler-operating ceramic blade guides, and you’ll find them on the 14|CX. They off er a total of 10 contact points above and below the workpiece for precise blade tracking.

This saw has a generous 16″ x 21-1/2″ cast-iron table with a conventionally sized miter slot. The table tilts 7 degrees left and 45 degrees right. It’s mounted on a heavy-duty cast-iron trunnion. The rip fence is also beefy, with a 5-1/2″-tall aluminum beam that moves on a gear-driven crank; this 18″-long fence beam can be set either to a high position for thick cuts and resawing or tipped over to a low position for cutting thin materials.

To mitigate sawdust, two 4″-diameter dust ports — one just below the table and a second near the saw’s base — help to keep the machine’s interior clean.

For shops with space constraints or poor lighting, Laguna off ers a three-wheel mobility kit and an industrial work light as optional accessories.

Laguna 14|CX Bandsaw

Motor: 1-3/4hp, 110-volt

Speeds: 160-4,400 (High) / 60-1,600 (Low) SFPM

Resaw Capacity / Throat Depth: 13″ / 13-5/8″

Blade Length / Widths: 115″ / 1/8″-3/4″

Blade Guides: Laguna ceramic

Weight: 258 lbs

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This 80.5-lb lathe off ers a maximum turning diameter of 10″ for creating moderately sized bowls or vessels, and an 18″ span between centers is sufficient for turning all manner of small furniture legs, pens, tool handles, spindles and other decorative items.

Both the headstock spindle and tailstock quill are machined with common #2 Morse tapers, and the spindle threading is 1″ x 8 threads per inch (tpi). The 10-18 Mini Lathe comes with a 6″ tool-rest, 3″ faceplate, spur drive center and ball-bearing live center. When equipped with an optional bed extension, its distance between centers expands to 38-1/2″.

VS 12-24 Midi Lathe

For even more capacity and ease of speed changing, consider Rockler’s larger VS 12- 24 Midi Lathe. Its 1.2hp induction motor can be infinitely controlled between two speed ranges — 300 to 1,100 and 750 to 3,500 rpm — by simply turning a speed dial. A digital readout reports the speed setting. You can also switch the lathe to turn in reverse, which can be helpful for sanding. The 93-lb Midi Lathe will turn bowls up to 12″ in diameter or 24″-long spindles. Its bed, headstock and tailstock are all made of cast iron for durability, rigidity and low vibration. Adjustable rubber feet keep it firmly planted on a benchtop. The bed can be expanded to a 54″ distance between centers by installing an accessory bed extension.

Like the Mini, this larger lathe has #2 Morse taper spindle and tailstock bores, and the 1″-diameter spindle is threaded 1″ x 8 tpi. Standard accessories include a longer 7-7/8″ tool-rest, 3″ faceplate, live center, drive center and an onboard rack for storing the tools. Rockler includes a helpful plastic spindle washer to prevent the faceplate and chucks from getting stuck on the spindle.

While both of these machines will be quite at home on a bench or shop-made stand, either can be mounted to dedicated, adjustable-height steel stands, if desired.

VS 12-24 Midi Lathe

Motor: 1.2hp, 110-volt

Speeds: 300-1,110 / 750-3,500 rpm

Swing Over Bed: 12″

Distance Between Centers: 24″

Spindle Threading: 1″ x 8 tpi

Weight: 93 lbs

10-18 Mini Lathe

Motor: 1/2hp, 110-volt

Speeds: 760, 1,100, 1,600, 2,200, 3,200 rpm

Swing Over Bed: 10″

Distance Between Centers: 18″

Spindle Threading:: 1″ x 8 tpi

Weight: 80.5 lbs

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This sort of technology is never off ered on conventional table saws for home shops, much less portable track saws! That is, until now, with Festool’s revolutionary new TSV 60 KEB-F-Plus Plunge-cut Saw with Scoring Function.

Typical track saws, including Festool’s family of other models, all rely on a flexible, replaceable splinter guard fixed to the edge of the guide rail to minimize splintering. There’s also often an appendage surrounding the front of the blade on the saw. Initially, the blade trims the splinter guard system so it forms a zero-clearance interface with the blade. That works great until the saw makes enough cuts to create ragged edges in the splinter guard. Then, splintering begins to happen anyway.

Diamond Precision

On the new TSV 60 saw, a 12-7/32″-diameter scoring blade with a single diamond tooth spins clockwise, just ahead of the blade. It creates a clean, shallow kerf that prevents the primary blade from lifting wood fibers or fragile melamine when the teeth rise up and out of the cut. This way, the bottom face of what’s being cut is cut cleanly by the primary blade as usual, and so is the more challenging top face. Festool aims this scoring feature at the most splinter-and-chip-prone materials, including plywood, chipboard of various sorts, high-pressure laminate panels and specially veneered and plastic-coated panels.

Other Standard Features

Festool makes the scoring blade function both adjustable and able to be deactivated when needed, such as when making plunge cuts.

This saw also incorporates Festool’s proven dust collection provisions and unique KickbackStop feature, which electronically detects a kickback the instant it begins to occur and stops the motor within a fraction of a second.

The scoring blade unit is integral with the saw’s main blade housing, so tilting the tool for making bevel cuts up to 45 degrees will produce splinter-free cuts on par with those made at 0 degrees.

Festool’s EC-TEC motor with constant feedback circuitry powers the saw to ensure consistent power delivery and blade speed regardless of the cutting load. It plugs into a standard outlet with a 13-ft power cord.

The TSV-60’s 6-5/8″-diameter, 42-tooth blade will cut through material up to 2-3/8″ thick, with the saw set to 0 degrees of tilt. And blade change-outs are easy, thanks to Festool’s FastFix spindle stop, which is found on all of the company’s track saw models. The saw fits other Festool guide rails as well, including the FSK Cross Cutting Guide Rail.

Festool TSV 60 KEB-F-Plus Plunge-cut Saw

Motor: EC-TEC, 115-volt

Primary Blade: 6-5/8″-diameter thin kerf, 42-tooth

Scoring Blade: 1-27/32″-diameter diamond tooth

Maximum Cutting Depth: 2-3/8″

Power Cord Length: 13.12 ft

Weight: 13.23 lbs

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DVR in the Driver’s Seat

Let’s start with the lathe’s business end — a 1.5hp direct-drive Digital Variable Reluctance (DVR) motor. It’s both powerful and coupled with an advanced control system. Striatech’s Intelligent Direct Drive controls deliver remarkable torque across all speed settings — from 100 to 3,500 rpm. Included in the programming for the motor is a chisel jam detection feature that will stop the machine if something goes awry. Also part of the safety package is electronic braking to ensure rapid stops. I believe it’s the most sophisticated lathe motor system in the industry.

The Neptune is sized to allow home-shop turners the opportunity to create really large bowls inboard with its 15″ swing (18″ between centers) and outboard turning diameters up to 20″. Outboard turning is accomplished with a power head that slides the full length of the bed and pivots 360 degrees. To further accommodate outboard turning, Nova has developed a full set of tool-rest extensions and outriggers.

The takeaway from all this is that the Neptune performs well above its “weight class,” so to speak. It will likely fulfill many turner’s desires for a large lathe without the significant footprint or price.

Screen Time

In addition to the high-tech motor, this lathe’s control screen is an HMI (Human Machine Interface) icon-based system. There are speed chart icons for rough cuts, fine and finish cuts, load level, a diameter-based speed chart, an unbalanced load icon, favorite speed control, a break-enabled warning icon and a reverse rotation icon. All of those surround a large active rpm display. This icon-based layout is another step forward in lathe design.

Nova has taken the time to fully accessorize the Neptune, too. From the standard benchtop version you can add benchtop mounting plates, heavy-duty legs, a bed extension, tool-rest extension for turning large-diameter stock and an outrigger for even larger-diameter turnings. In other words, the basic unit can grow as your skills expand. Fully outfitted with all the accessories, it becomes a lifetime tool — one that few home-shop turners will ever outgrow.

Nicely done, Nova. Here’s a new niche in the lathe marketplace that will fit many woodturners’ shop spaces and pocketbooks.

Nova Neptune

Motor: 1.5hp DVR, 110/240-volt

Speed Range: 100 to 3,500 rpm

Swing Over Bed: 15″

Distance Between Centers: 18″

Spindle: 1-1⁄4″ diameter, 8 tpi

Quill: 2.4″ travel; #2 Morse Taper

Headstock: Swivels 360 degrees

Indexing: 24 positions, electronic

Controls: Icon-based screen; Intelligent Direct Drive

Safety: Electronic braking, chisel jam detection

Weight: 125 lbs

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While some might wonder what’s taken so long, Festool doesn’t make a habit of being hasty about R&D, just to throw its hat in the ring with other contenders. And in most instances, we end users are the better for that methodical, Germanic approach to product development. This new saw also sports the “Kapex” name, and Festool’s venerable Kapex corded KS 120 saw has earned its keep in professional and serious hobbyist shops for almost two decades. So surely Festool has engineered this cordless version to uphold that industry-proven, award-winning pedigree.

What’s Under the Hood

Festool outfits the KSC 60 with an EC-TEC brushless motor to take full advantage of the capabilities of onboard electronics and to help reduce friction and heat buildup during operation, which extends battery runtime. The motor is powered by two Festool 18-volt, 5.0 Ah batteries. Variable-speed control enables the saw’s cutting speed to be adjusted to suit the requirements of the blade and the material being cut.

Festool offers several wood-cutting blade options for this saw, and a built-in spindle stop locks the motor arbor to make blade changing easier.

Similar to its big brother, the motor carriage of the KSC 60 slides on a twin-column guide system with two bearings to ensure that the blade won’t wobble or deflect and can deliver precise cuts. The saw table swivels up to an impressive 60 degrees left or right for making a broad range of miter cuts. And the motor carriage can be tilted 46 degrees to the right or 47 degrees to the left for bevel-cutting or to set up compound miter cuts.

Visibility is important for dialing in the settings on a miter saw, so Festool equips the cordless Kapex with precise scales and an LED light for highlighting the cutting line.

While the corded Kapex saw has a 10-1/4″-diameter blade, this new cordless version takes an 8-1/2″ blade instead. Even so, the smaller blade size still allows the saw to crosscut workpieces up to 2-3/8″ thick by 12″ wide, which for ordinary woodworking applications is plenty of capacity. But trim carpenters and remodelers running large crown molding might wish for more vertical “reach” than this saw can provide, when cutting wide moldings in the “sprung” position.

Ready for the Road

Cordless miter saws are particularly useful for contractors who move between jobsites or occasionally work in locations where electrical service is not yet available. That’s why the best saws are lightweight and made for easy transport. To that end, the KSC 60 weighs just a tad over 38 lbs without batteries installed. It has a modest footprint of 25-5/32″ wide x 18-1/16″ deep x 17-13/32″ tall. The saw’s “rail-forward”
design also enables it to be tucked up against a wall for maximum front-side clearance during use.

Two pullout wings expand the saw base to help support longer workpieces. You can convert the saw into a workstation of sorts, too, with Festool’s Kapex Underframe (UG) accessory, sold separately. It provides a rolling base for the saw that folds up to transport the tool “dolly” style. The Underframe features long extension tables that tip up into place.

An angle transfer device, elevation feet, chip collection bag, screw clamp and a 36-tooth carbide-tipped blade come standard with the tool. The KSC 60 can be purchased without batteries or charger as the EB-Basic model. Or, buy it with two SYS 18-volt, 5.0 Ah batteries and charger in the EB 5.0 I-Plus package.

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As you can see in the photo at the top of this page, cabinet scrapers come in a variety of shapes. They are often sold in a set of three to cover a variety of scraping tasks. This set, made by Crown Hand Tools in Sheffield England, a rectangular cabinet scraper (often called a card scraper), one with inside and outside radii at each end and a French curve. The card scraper is used on flat surfaces.

The edges of the middle scraper can also be used on flat surfaces while the ends will fair and smooth concave and convex surfaces. Some part of the French curve will generally shape and smooth complex shapes and often saves the day. The set from Rockler costs a mere $21.

While chisels and plane blades are tempered to a hardness on the Rockwell C Scale (HRC) of 58 to 64, a cabinet scraper wants less temper, so they are generally delivered at HRC 50 to 55. The lower temper is necessary to allow burnishing that creates a sharp burr at the edge. Burnishing is both a tool and a process. A burnisher is a round rod with a handle that is a bit like a file without any teeth. In fact, it is delivered with a polished surface and is HRC 64 or higher.

Sharpening a Scraper

The process of sharpening a scraper in my “More on the Web” video that supports this article. In a nutshell, the process involves filing and honing the scraper’s edge square and smooth, then using the burnisher to distort the steel into a tiny burr that curls over the face of the scraper. It’s not particularly difficult, but it does require practice.

To prepare a scraper for burnishing, the work-hardened area is first removed with a mill file. This will be followed by a whetstone to smooth away file marks.

The result of over-burnishing by pushing down too hard or taking too many strokes is a ragged edge rather than a continuous sharp one.

Once the edge is filed and stoned smooth and square, a burnisher is sloped 5 to 15 degrees downward from the edge and drawn across the corner of the scraper to form a sharp burr. Definite pressure is necessary. Do not make the burr too big or it will split into segments at the burr’s point. You may turn burrs on both corners of an edge.

The process work-hardens the edge, so it cannot be repeated without using a file to remove the workhardened area. The edge is then refined with a fine stone to form perfect corners. Back to the burnisher to create a new burr again.

Cabinet scrapers have a wide variety of uses — removing depressions or torn-out grain, flattening misaligned joints, cleaning off dried glue or removing old finishes. So much utility from a small piece of steel!

Until 1943, Stanley made the #112 Scraping Plane. It’s a scraper on steroids with a much heavier blade that does not cramp your hands.

Using a Cabinet Scraper

Once sharp, the scraper is held in both hands with thumbs flexing it into a gentle arch and tilting the tool slightly forward. The burr is engaged against the surface of the wood and pushed to scrape tiny, fine curls. Holders for card scrapers, which put a slight side-to-side bend in them with a handle at each edge, can make using a cabinet scraper much less tiring on your hands.

A scraper used with skill can cut through tiny depressions or torn-out grain without leaving marks. It can cut with or against the grain with equal verve and is handy for flattening uneven joints or removing dried glue residue.

When you need to get into areas that planes or sanders will not reach, here’s the tool for the job. It is also the best tool for stripping off an old finish. I use a card scraper every winter to scrape wax from my cross-country skis. You can’t beat the price-to-utility ratio of this simple, handy tool!

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