Some more random photos

Had a bit more of a random wander around the show today – just not enough time to see everything properly (and I have other commitments tomorrow, so 2 days dedicated to perusing the show is the best I could do).

Japanese tool, and their cool display of the little planes, each with a different base profile.

Carbatec, and their Veritas planes.  Especially the monster in the first photo!

Crowds around Henry Eckert, and their collection of handplanes, saws (and the new apron!)

More crowds around the wide range of bits’n’pieces on the McJing Tools stand

Bidjiwong Aboriginal Art

A really small range of timber available compared to previous shows

Bit here, bit over at Tasmanian Timbers, and a good collection of turning blanks and other timbers on Billinudgel Wood Working.  Got a bowl blank of mango, big enough to give my new 24″ Longworth chuck a workout!

Some of Chris Vesper’s latest stock, including matched sets of bevel gauges (I prefer his ones with the timber inlay)  They still have siginficant weight, and typical Vesper accuracy.

A whole collection of finished products for sale in the Central and Western Woodworking Group stand, including this scrollsawn record come clock.  Thought it might appeal to Chris Vesper, and his dancin’ shoes!

The Evok3D stand, with a couple of their machines turning spools of filament into new products.  I knew wood filament was now available, and this was the first time I had seen it in person (the brown items).  The resulting product can be described as a sort of MDF.  The machines are plug and play (no assembly needed).

There were other stands, just didn’t get to them all!

Roberston Screw – coming to an end

The history of the Robertson screw is 105 years long, longer than even the Phillips screw, but it’s days are now seemingly numbered.

A while ago, I posted about Kreg and their new screws (being a combination of a square drive and a Phillips drive), and how much I disliked them – with the advantages of the Robertson screw completely compromised by a new design for the head which has both a Phillips design as well as a square drive.  Where once the Robertson screw would remain firmly on the end of the square drive without falling off, and no real tendency for the driver to ‘cam-out’ of its engagement with the screw, the inclusion of the Philiips head meant the screw would fall off the driver, and cam-out was a common experience.

Had gotten to the point with the Kreg screws that I might as well just use Phillips, or find another supplier.

So at the show, I dropped into Screw-It screws, and although the initial observations looked good when looking at the softwood screws, I was shocked when I saw the hardwood ones.  They are now the same.  Disasterous.  Personally, if you want to use a Phillips drive, buy a Phillips screw.  If you want a Robertson square drive, buy a Robertson screw.  I don’t see why they have to be mixed together, compromising both types.

Had quite a chat with them about it, and they confirmed that these are the only ones that are being made now, and they cannot get them either.  Unless you are prepared to place a special order (minimum quantity around 120000 screws) with the manufacturer.  I can see the future, and it is the softwood ones will go the same way too, and then, unless there is a huge groundswell from the end users complaining about the new heads being rubbish, that’ll be the end of the 105 years of genuine Robertson screw head screws.

Someone please tell me I am wrong 😦

Day 2 is flying by!

No idea where this second day has gone, seen a Kiwi slabbing machine, destroyed a few blades with a SawStop, resawed some Huon Pine on a MiniMax bandsaw and had a good chat with 043 about cactus juice and blank stabilisation and it is already 2:30!

The Weekend Warrior is here from NZ, and consists of a large Al beam, along which runs a carriage with a chainsaw motor (or an induction motor) powered circular saw setup as a sawmill

It has a swing arm system, so you do one horizontal cut, then a vertical to create a board from a log, with a maximum 12″ width, and up to 6″thick

Talk about turning fallen timber into usable lumber!

Each component weighs around 40kg, so no real difficulty setting it up on location.

Had a quick peek at Joseph’s Workshop who offers CNC machining services

before my intended destination- Gabbett Machinery / I Wood Like’s stand where I wanted to try out the SawStop for myself. However, that will be the subject of another post (which includes the graphic description of the destruction of not one, but three blades……..)!!!