| ShortCuts© |
November 5, 2010 |
Column 713
This week's column: #751 |
Previous Columns |
| April 28, 2012 #750 |
| April 14, 2012 #749 |
| March 30, 2012 #748 |
| March 16, 2012 #747 |
| March 2, 2012 #746 |
| February 17, 2012 #745 |
| February 3, 2012 #744 |
| January 20, 2012 #743 |
| January 6, 2012 #742 |
| December 23, 2011 #741 |
| December 9, 2011 #740 |
| November 25, 2011 #739 |
| November 11, 2011 #738 |
| October 28, 2011 #737 |
| October 14, 2011 #736 |
| September 30, 2011 #735 |
| September 16, 2011 #734 |
| August 12, 2011 #733 |
| July 29, 2011 #732 |
| July 15, 2011 #731 |
| July 1, 2011 #730 |
| June 17, 2011 #729 |
| June 3, 2011 #728 |
| May 20, 2011 #727 |
| May 6, 2011 #726 |
| April 23, 2011 #725 |
| April 9, 2011 #724 |
| March 25, 2011 #723 |
| March 11, 2011 #722 |
| February 25, 2011 #721 |
| February 11, 2011 #720 |
| January 28, 2011 #719 |
| January 14, 2011 #718 |
| December 31, 2010 #717 |
| December 17, 2010 #716 |
| December 3, 2010 #715 |
| November 19, 2010 #714 |
| November 5, 2010 #713 |
| October 22, 2010 #712 |
| October 8, 2010 #711 |
| September 25, 2010 #710 |
| September 11, 2010 #709 |
| August 27, 2010 #708 |
| August 13, 2010 #707 |
| July 30, 2010 #706 |
| July 16, 2010 #705 |
| July 2, 2010 #704 |
| June 18, 2010 #703 |
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 MONCTON WOOD SHOW
First off today, I want to remind those woodworkers in Atlantic Canada that the Moncton Wood Show is happening November 12, 13 and 14 and this year’s show promises to be a great one with a long list of new exhibitors and products. Halifax Specialty Hardwoods will be making their debut at the show with some excellent values in both domestic and exotic products.
Yours truly will be there as well and in addition to two seminars, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, I will be selling autographed copies of my latest two books. Hope to see you at the ‘Show’.
Oriented Strand Board
Most people that I know have really shied away from particle board for many reasons, not the least of which is its instability. Add a little humidity and particle board soaks it up like a sponge. Generally, a wood screw will not hold very much torque or weight. Particle board has been used for sheathing for both roofs and sides of new construction. As long as it is well protected from the weather, the product works well.
The first house that I bought, (many moons ago) had 2" random width boards on 12" centers. The studs were 2x6's. That sort of construction in today’s market would cost a fortune.
OSB?
That was 50 or more years ago. Times, costs and engineering have greatly changed. The product of choice in the late 90's was relatively new.
You see, the manufacturers have reacted to the problems of particle board. It is entirely possible to drive a nail or screw into particle board so that all it would connect with would be glue filled air.
The newest product on the market is called OSB. This acronym stands for “Oriented Strand Board”. What this is, is really a new type of plywood, but less expensive and certainly more eco-friendly.
SEARCHING
Many decades ago, the Lumber Industry realised that all of that sawdust and wood chips were literally going up in smoke. Yup! They actually burned them.
The glue manufacturers, always on the lookout for new markets, said “whoa”! What if we were able to produce an adhesive to bond all of that waste together into sheet material. Well, they did. The first product was called “Tentest®”. Maybe you remember it. My in-laws have walls in their house still today that are made of it. It was (and maybe still is) a product made from finely ground sawdust. Strictly for interior use, this product was bonded together under low pressure (relatively, by today’s standards) and had an adhesive coating on the exterior surfaces.
Thickness planers put out a great abundance of wood chips. That was the next target. The wood chips were mixed with an adhesive, compressed and made into sheets. Particle Board was the result. The problem was that the wood chips were randomly dumped on a form, compressed, glued and produced. Moisture made the chips swell in all sorts of directions and destroyed the integrity of the sheet.
Enter, OSB
Lumber mills will always produce a large quantity of wood chips and sawdust, that’s a given. Finally though, they have the re-cycling of these by-products down to a science. (Illustration courtesy Louisiana Pacific).
 Oriented strand board is also known as OSB, and waferboard in North America, sterling board or exterior board in England and SmartPly in Ireland. This is a sheet wood product formed by layering strands or flakes of wood in specific directions. In appearance, OSB may have a rough surface with the individual strips approximately 1” by 6” each lying unevenly across each other.
The result is a much tougher, stronger product with a lot more integrity and never a knot or a void. A nail is much less likely to ‘pop’ out, screws (coarse thread) will make a better ’bite’. The new technology in adhesives hold the plies bonded in even the severest of conditions. In construction, OSB will be labelled “This Side Down”.
Production
 OSB is made from fast growing renewable species of trees such as alder and poplar that are planted specifically for OSB production.
Oriented strand board is coated with a wax material and a resinous material and laid out in large mats. These mats are compressed to a tenth of their thickness under heat. This melts and bonds the wax and resins.
Canada and the US produce about 90% of the world’s supply of OSB
OSB can now be considered equal to or better than plywood in many ways and is much cheaper to produce. Used in both interior and exterior applications they are equally as strong.
The major concern with OSB is water. OSB panels are edge treated at the factory to make the edged water repellent. However, once cut the edges are exposed and rain or other moisture. Once this happens the edges will swell! OSB should be protected from the weather.
To see just how a sheet of OSB is produced and to see the various types of product manufactured, click here.
Our Sometimes Regular Book Review
We have three book reviews for you this time, three that are musts for your woodshop library. Fox Chapel’s ‘Missing Shop Manual’ series of books continues with the ‘Jointer’ and the ‘Router’. These are really helpful reference books that you will regularly refer to. The third book is also part of a helpful series called ‘The Back to Basics’. This one gives the reader the “Fundamentals of Sharpening” and is perfect for the new woodworker as well as the veteran.
The Missing Shop Manual Series
Jointer & Router
80 pages & 208 Pages Respectively
Skills Institute Press
Fox Chapel
 This series of books are excellent reference books for your shop library. The opening pages of the Jointer book show the anatomy of generic Jointers and continues on with the tool basics that many of us might have forgotten. This supposition is the ‘raison d’etre’ of the Skills Institute Press book series.
The Jointer book however also includes another important woodshop tool, the thickness planer which is a bonus but one would think that this fact should be featured on the cover.
Adjusting and aligning of the tool are featured as well as some neat tips on tapering, rabbets and chamfers.
Chapter four deals with the Thickness Planer and illustrates its basic uses. Pages 58 and 59 give the woodworker tips on how to plane both short and very thin pieces. It is always of the utmost importance to keep the jointer and planer knives ultra sharpo and the final pages of this book show you how.
The Router book is as essential in the woodshop as the router itself. There have been a plethora of router books on the market and even if you have them all, this one is a must have. The book covers just about all there is to know about the tool including a whole bunch of shop-made router jigs.
 The Back to Basics Series
Fundamentals of Sharpening
Skills Institute Press
Fox Chapel Publishing
120 Pages
This Sharpening book should be added to your books on sharpening and there are lots of them available. The Back to Basics books are excellent reference books and deserve a spot in your woodshop. The Sharpening book contains some very vital illustrations on how to get?a keen edge on a variety of tools including router bits,Suplaner and shaper knives, moulding cutters and even the resetting of bandsaw blades. Gouge sharpening is also covered along with a neat shop-made jig to help you.
The authors provide an excellent illustrated list of the various sharpening tools available that includes grinders and bench stones. And, there are more than a half a dozen shop tips to improve your sharpening skills. When your blades get dull, keep this book handy.
The Big Bed
This Big Bed is not made by Sealy or Simmons, it is made in Canada by Seg-Ins Inc of Charing Cross Ontario, http://www.bigbed.ca and this is one cool tool.
If you have either a ½ ton (in the generic sense) or a SUV the Big Bed is something that you will never do without once you have used it once. The Big Bed extends the use of your truck bed by four feet or more and it is a cinch to use. You simply pick it up by the handles, plug it into your 2” trailer receiver and unfold it. Now you can transport those 10’ or 12’ long planks or sheet goods to your job site. The cross bars are at the perfect height to match your open tailgate.
Once you get your lumber on the Big Bed there are lots of tie-down spots to keep your load secure and there are three height positions to match your truck bed. At less than 40 pounds the Big Bed is easy to install and remove and it will support about 400 evenly distributed pounds.
Lay a sheet of ¾” plywood on our  rated Big Bed and you have a perfect on-the-job work bench.
Another Scenario
Now let’s say you have a tool box mounted in you truck bed! No problem! The Big Bed has an optional extension that allows you to bring the Big Bed up to the roof height of your ½ ton. The 12” conversion kit slips into the trailer receiver and allows you to increase the height of the Big Bed.
SUV’s and Vans
The Big Bed is also perfect for your trailer hitch equipped SUV or van. With the 26” extension you can support longer loads that are carried on your roof rack rails. Sport a canoe down to the cottage without buying or renting a trailer. Load a dozen sheets of drywall for finishing that basement or a load of 16’ boards for your deck extension. The nicely finished Big Bed is already to use right out of the box, no special tools are required. You can use the Big Bed to carry any long load like extension ladders, long lumber, drywall or plywood, camping gear or even set it up for a tailgate party. Cheers!
Stanley Throws a Wrench into It
Stanley’s new FatMax ½” Drive Impact Wrench is a new product under the Stanley label and like all FatMax tools this is simply a top quality tool.
The pneumatic Impact Wrench operates at 90psi and has several exclusive features. One of these being a three stage torque setting as a switch on the back of the tool. Exhaust air is expelled at the bottom of the handle so as to avoid injury to the user. The pistol grip has a rubberized coating for comfort and the trigger control provides speeds up to 7,200 RPM’s. In addition this Stanley model 70-113 has a twin hammer mechanism that provides 500 foot-pounds of torque that will remove even those seemingly seized-on nuts.
Now is a good time to pick one of these up as it’s tire-changing time. Time to put on those snow tires!
More from Stanley
 Stanley has just introduced four new mechanics tool sets, Three FatMax Socket Sets, a 106 piece set (99-098), a 142 piece set (99-099) and a 187 piece set (99-101). In addition to these there is a 33 piece Impact Socket Set (99-103).
Just the fact that the FatMax label is on these new Socket Sets tells you that they are quality built. We tested the 99-099, 142 piece set and this is a hinged blown plastic container that snugly holds all 142 pieces.
Big Numbers
Finally, someone has taken pity on us seniors and those with weaker vision than most. All of the ⅜” and ¼” sockets are laser etched in large numbers so they are easier to read. The case has large raised lettering to indicate the tool position and the sockets and other wrenches and bits are nicely and logically placed. The hard chromed vanadium steel sockets are top quality so there should be no fear of slipping. Both socket wrenches have 60 tooth gears for smooth rotation and a push-button socket release for convenience and security.
Our tested set has a good variety of Allen wrenches, screw driver bits, sockets in metric and imperial sizes and more. These are tools, a great bang for the buck.
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