Wood Shop News The Finishing Touch for 2012 : Page 41

SPECIAL MARKETING SECTION PHOTOS : McIntosh & Tuttle Cabinetmakers (left) / Shaw Woodworking (right) The Finishing Touch for 2012 Finishing Touch Compiled by BHSW Inc. When we see great work, there’s a subtle ingredient that makes us stop and stare. It’s not just design, or even material choices. It’s an enigmatic commitment to excellence that permeates every stage of the crafts-man’s work. From beginning to end, it’s obvious that someone cared deeply about the process. That level of competence and proficiency can only be achieved when a shop supports its work with the finest materials, tools and resources. At every stage of production, some suppliers stand head and shoulders above their competition. Whether it’s high quality antique reproduction glass for di-vided lite windows, or a huge range of light-ing options to complete the perfect kitchen, or even a built-in station for cooks to chop, prepare and clean up easily, the following suppliers meet that definition of excellence and innovation. From systems that eliminate dust at the beginning of a project, to lasers that add value and unique choices along the way, or the coatings and spray equipment used at the end of the job, these companies are dedicated to providing woodshops with that extra effort that helps them deliver… the finishing touch. www.americanfabricfilter.com .......................42 www.colorspeccoatings.com .......................45 The www.cuttingplace.com .................................45 www.epiloglaser.com ....................................43 www.eternalighting.com ...............................44 www.greenmountaininsulatedglass.com ......44 SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.WOODSHOPNEWS.COM 41

The Finishing Touch for 2012

Compiled by BHSW Inc. When we see great work, there’s a subtle ingredient that makes us stop and stare. It’s not just design, or even material choices. It’s an enigmatic commitment to excellence that permeates every stage of the craftsman’s work. From beginning to end, it’s obvious that someone cared deeply about the process. That level of competence and proficiency can only be achieved when a shop supports its work with the finest materials, tools and resources. At every stage of production, some suppliers stand head and shoulders above their competition. Whether it’s high quality antique reproduction glass for divided lite windows, or a huge range of lighting options to complete the perfect kitchen, or even a built-in station for cooks to chop, prepare and clean up easily, the following suppliers meet that definition of excellence and innovation. From systems that eliminate dust at the beginning of a project, to lasers that add value and unique choices along the way, or the coatings and spray equipment used at the end of the job, these companies are dedicated to providing woodshops with that extra effort that helps them deliver… the finishing touch. Don’t ignore your dust collector A superb finish doesn’t begin in the spray booth. It starts with the ambient air in the shop, and the key to improving air quality is routine maintenance. Bag-house and dust collector filters need periodic replacement, and sometimes finding these in the right size or shape can be difficult to find. American Fabric Filter specializes in making replacement bags or sleeves, and in most cases their engineered fabrics will substantially improve the collector’s performance, too. They have spent nearly twenty years designing and fabricating optimized custom dust bags and sleeves to go on collectors ranging from 1/3 HP drum-top hobbyist units to 100+ HP factory bag house systems. They take the time to speak with every customer about the shop’s equipment, plenums, ductwork, workspace and specific filtration needs. For example, a small collector’s performance can improve dramatically by increasing the filter area, so one-man shops may only need to upgrade to a slightly larger, light duty filter. Bigger commercial shops usually need larger filters with thicker fabrics, and the company can custom make these with hanging loops, inlets for any size, shape or location, skirts, belt loops and many more options. Sometimes, for example, they suggest adding an extra “sister” bag, to get the proper airflow without backpressure. If the shop is using small collectors that are each dedicated to one machine, AFF stocks disposable heavy-duty, clear plastic bags to fit most makes including Delta, Dustek, Grizzly and JET. These poly bags are 6 mil thick and come in two sizes: 21” diameter x 50” long, and 24-1/2” diameter x 72” long. They’re available in rolls of 50, and because they’re clear, they can be monitored easily and emptied before they overfill. The bottom line? Replacing old bags with state-of-the-art fabrics can improve vacuum, volume and velocity, and help scrub the shop air so that the dust collection system becomes the start of a great finish. American Fabric Filter Co. Phone: 813-991-9400 E-mail: DWilliams@americanfabricfilter.com Web: www.americanfabricfilter.com Nothing says “Finishing Touch” like a laser-engraved image Epilog Laser has been designing and manufacturing the highest-quality laser systems in Golden, Colorado since 1988. For a woodshop that is vying to separate itself from the competition, adding custom images to kitchen and cabinetry is now a very realistic proposition with Epilog’s Legend Elite series. This is a collection of CO2 lasers that are perfectly sized for working on wood panels, whether it’s engraving a design on a jewelry box, or a photo on a wooden plaque, or perhaps customizing cabinets and drawer fronts. The system works much like a printer – one can import artwork and simply “print” it to the laser. The speed and power settings are controlled through the computer, and these lasers work with any Windows™- based graphic software (AutoCAD, Illustrator, Corel- DRAW, etc.). In addition to wood panels, a shop can also consider adding custom acrylic, plastic, glass, leather or even stone accents to furniture or casework. The four models in the Legend Elite series are designed allow each shop to choose a laser system that best meets its application needs. The entry-level model (the Mini 18) has an 18” x 12” work area, and it delivers the same high quality as its larger cousins. The Mini 24’s work area is 24” x 12” and this model holds most standard engraving stock material. A larger unit, the Helix 24, will work on panels up to 24” x 18”, and it includes an 8.5” Z-axis stroke for engraving large or tall items. The top-of-the-line 36EXT model has a huge 36” x 24” work area and a robust design that lets a shop handle complex, large panels such as those used in range hoods, reception desk fronts, built-in bars and appliance faces. The Legend Elite series offers the highest la sering speeds on the market, combined with a high-detail linear encoder system. This latter means they operate at high speeds, while still engraving with the most precise quality on the market. Epilog Laser Phone: 303-277-1188 E-mail: sales@epiloglaser.com Web: www.epiloglaser.com The ultimate lighting resource for woodworkers Fine cabinet projects are enhanced by, and indeed deserve perfect lighting. For more than twenty years, Eterna Lighting in Miami, Florida has delivered the highest quality lighting products that are specifically designed to meet the needs, purposes and applications of superior woodshops. “A couple of decades ago,” says managing partner Bill DeCanio, “we were already focused on the emerging market of fluorescent lighting. As technology has changed, so have our core product offerings.” Now, along with their huge assortment of T4, T5, T8 and CFL fixtures, the company also offers a comprehensive range of HID, LED, Xenon, and Halogen options in stylish fixtures and multiple finishes. Eterna serves customers across the US through its instantly downloadable, full-color catalog (just click on the word “catalog” on their home page). From rope lights to fluorescents, halogens, Xenon and LEDs, their knowledgeable staff and vast inventory can add a finishing touch that beautifully completes any fine kitchen or cabinet job. “Our most recent addition,” says DeCanio, “is a highly efficient LED replacement tube for T5 fixtures. It’s available in various lengths, and these tubes extend the life of the fixture while significantly decreasing power consumption. They also save on manpower hours spent changing tubes – and no, you don’t even have to replace any existing ballast or driver!” All Eterna products conform to UL and/or ETL standards and testing, and there’s an entire section of their online store that is specifically dedicated to the needs of woodworking and workshop customers. Here, a woodshop manager will find transformers, compact fluorescents, Halogen cabinet lights, small incandescent canisters, LED transformers, dimmers, under-cabinet low profile lighting, and a host of other products specially tailored to the industry. With free shipping on orders over $200, a 90-day money back warranty, and a commitment to ship items within 24 hours, a cabinetmaker can shop quickly, conveniently and securely at Eterna without ever leaving the workshop. Eterna Lighting Phone: 888-513-3346 E-mail: www.eternalightingstore.com/contacts Web: www.eternalighting.com Superb Glass for Superior Millwork Shops Green Mountain Glass (GMG), located in Charlestown, New Hampshire, supplies highend glass products to the millwork and custom woodshop industries. The company primarily makes small lite insulated glass units with narrow sightlines, for true divided lite windows and doors. GMG applies the same craftsmanship in manufacturing glass for its high-end millwork customers as those customers regularly require of themselves for their own products. A custom millwork shop that is dedicated to manufacturing windows, doors, or furniture to the highest standards and then unfortunately chooses a lower quality of glass, hardware, finishing or weather-stripping will produce an end product that is of considerably lower quality. No matter how fine the product’s workmanship, the end-use customer will never be able to appreciate the flawless craftsmanship of the joinery, keen usage of various select wood species, or delicate judgment in classical design, if sloppy glass is used. The customer will never be able to see beyond the glass to appreciate these finer points. High-end woodwork is like any other art: a flaw impacts its value overall. At GMG, the glass is accurately cut to size. The insulated lites are assembled correctly, and aligned on top of each other. The glass is clean and without smudges, fingerprints, or handling defects. The spacer and sealants are placed carefully in straight lines on the glass, and do not vary past their agreed-upon sight lines. Only the highest quality of glass, spacers, sealants, and techniques are used in their insulated units. That is why their products are worthy of some of the longest warranties against seal failure in the industry. GMG also offers many specialty glasses, including more than ten different types of Restoration glasses in stock at this time. The company has accounts with five of the major stained-glass distributors, and can provide monolithic lites of textured or colored glass as single glazing or insulated glass units. GMG can also laminate almost all types of glass to make them into safety glass. Some, but not all, of the specialty glasses can be cut to size by GMG, and shipped to a tempering facility when that is required. Green Mountain Glass, LLC Phone: 603-826-4660 E-mail: gmglass@myfairpoint.net Web: www.greenmountain insulatedglass.com Nobody provides a better finishing touch Holbrook, New York is home to Colorspec Coatings International, a company that has been distributing wholesale finishes, spray equipment, and related accessories to cabinetmakers and finishing shops since 2001. Their excellent technical support, service, quality products and education reflect the fact that their staff consists of highly trained professionals, many of whom were finishers and cabinetmakers themselves. Among the products they offer are Japan colors - finely ground, lead free, flat, quick drying, semi paste colors that are prized by furniture and cabinet refinishers. This traditional product is used in a variety of decorative applications including aging, faux finishes, marbleizing and glazing. It’s an ideal toner for flat paints, and can be used for lettering, striping and stenciling. It can be applied by brush, roller or spray. ColorSpec is a supplier of Carat Flex™ abrasives. These are stearate-coated abrasive products for dry sanding applications. They have been developed especially for hand sanding of wood, sealers, paint and lacquers. The backing consists of a flexible, impregnated latex paper, which is ideal for profile sanding, and the silicon carbide grains provide a uniform scratch pattern. Resin bonding and the stearate coating guarantee a long lifetime. ColorSpec also is the professionals’ source for natural bristle chip brushes, round bridled glue brushes, and Red Sable (an excellent touch-up brush for spot work and graining). The company offers a wide range of colored lacquer in aerosol; E-Z Vinyl Sealer aerosol (the perfect choice for spot repairs), pre-catalyzed clear lacquers from dead-flat to gloss; retarders, polishers, clear nitrocellulose based lacquers (recommended as topcoats for wood finishes); finely ground non-fading pigments for color repairs; and dye-based transparent aerosol toners that have the highest rating of light-fastness available for dyes. They also stock Ultra-Flo Ultra Bond clear topcoat, which is specially formulated to adhere to, and flow out over, hard-to-coat surfaces. ColorSpec Coatings International Phone: 631-472-8251 Web: www.colorspeccoatings.com A truly functional place to prepare food… and clean up! So, the cabinets are secured, the countertop is installed and the electrician is wrapping up task lighting. Now, what one last element would really set this kitchen apart from the competition? Jay Erickson can provide that finishing touch. His innovative Cutting Place is a unique solution for cooks, and anybody else who wants to deal with kitchen cleanup. The unit is essentially a stainless steel or copper (your customer chooses) sink with a removable basin inside, and this is covered by an FDA-approved, high-density polyethylene or solid hardwood cutting-board. On the left, there’s a clear plastic receptacle for food. On the right, there’s a relief in the cutting-board that allows waste to be quickly fed to a garbage disposal unit. The faucet is mounted to the left, and the front of the entire Cutting Place is cut away, so that a cook can easily rock a chef’s knife, or even fillet a fish. The Cutting Place can be built into a countertop over wall-mounted base cabinets, or incorporated into an island. Three sizes are available to fit into 18”, 24” and 30” wide cabinets. The smallest, which is superb for chopping fruit at a wet bar, has a top that is 9-5/8” wide and 11-1/8” deep. The more-than-adequate midrange unit has a cutting-board that’s 13” wide and 14-1/8” deep, and the largest measures a very generous 16-3/4” wide by 16-7/8” deep. The steel unit is 14-gauge TIG-welded stainless, and the copper version is 13-gauge (.093”). Both are designed for rugged use and longevity, and both are proudly made in the USA. The system can be used without the cutting-board to clean items such as cookie sheets and barbecue grids. Also available is an accessory called The Cutting Place Bridge. This simply sits over the back of the cutting-board and expands the cook’s work area. It allows for bowl, condiment and cutlery storage, so they’re out of the way, yet still accessible. The Cutting Place Phone: 303-517-6187 E-mail: CuttingPlace@aol.com Web: www.CuttingPlace.com

Publication List
Using a screen reader? Click Here