May 23, 2012

Through Dovetails on the Leigh D4R Pro

 

It is no secret I like working with high quality jigs to make joinery. In the shop I have the Leigh D4R Pro, the older D4, and more recently I have been using the new R9Plus.

More than a few readers have written to me asking whether buying the R9Plus would mean giving up much capability, in exchange for a lower price. My reply is always that we never have easy compromises; yes, we do give up flexibility in joint design. For example, the D4R Pro gives just about everything we want in a dovetail and finger joint jig. You can read all about the D4R Pro features here.

I received the latest video on the flagship D4R Pro from Leigh:

 

 

This is perfect timing, because Leigh is offering FREE shipping during the holidays, on ANY order over $50. This alone will save you a chunk of change.

Disclosure: Leigh sends me equipment and accessories from time to time, for testing and evaluation purposes. I am not paid by Leigh for publishing about their products on my blog; and I am not paid for through clicks to the Leigh web site, so please feel to click on the banner at the top of the page, to visit the Leigh holiday Gift Guide page.

 

Al Navas

 

 

 

Hang it out to dry

 

Many woodworkers are making holiday gifts in their shops. Are you one of them? Please remember to exercise caution with rags used to apply the finish.

What is the safety issue?

Varnish used in the shop in some cases will self-ignite, given proper conditions. Why? As a varnish containing linseed oil, or Danish and tung oil dries, it generates a LOT of heat. Unvented, this can cause the “goop” left in the rags to self-ignite – to spontaneously burn. This can cause your shop, your home, to come down in flames.

The following is key: Hang out your laundry

Whatever you do, PLEASE unroll the rags, and hang them to dry with plenty of air circulation to take away the heat.

The thought of someone failing to follow this simple procedure invaded my skull while doing a tiny bit of finishing today. As I applied Waterlox to a small piece of sycamore, it hit me that not everyone may be thinking about hazards lurking in the shadows. For example, can you figure out the potential problem in the following photo?

Wiping Waterlox varnish on a piece of sycamore.

Prior to leaving the shop I lay out all the rags I use, with plenty of air circulation:

Hang them out to dry.

What do you do?

I wonder how many times I ignored the basic rule of applying varnish with a cloth. How about you? Have YOU ever had an incident such as a fire due to carelessness? Or have you heard of someone in the family losing possessions due to a fire started with rags used to apply a varnish?

Please leave your story in the Comments section. Thanks!

 

Al Navas

 

 

 

All holidays wrapped into one at Leigh

 

I chuckled — Leigh says “We’ve got an app for that!”:

 

And why not? I bought a new smart phone (only) a few months ago, and finally learned about apps. Now even my granddaughters know that I know what an app is.

Leigh has it all set up for YOUR holidays – get YOUR app, and be happy. You will be doing joinery in your shop in no time!!!  How? Simply click on this link to go get your app.

Disclosure: Leigh sometimes sends me jigs and/or accessories for evaluation and testing.

 

Al Navas

 

 

 

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