We previously covered Trend’s Routabout jig for cutting replaceable access hole covers, but recently they revealed a new system that looks much simpler to use because it utilizes a 1/2″ drill instead of a router. You simply drill a 102mm (4″) hole into 18mm (.0708″) or 22mm (7/8″) chipboard, plywood, OSB, or plasterboard and cover it with either a metal or mesh plate.

The Cavity Access System comes with a 102mm hole saw with a heavy duty arbor and pilot drill, a 120mm (4-3/4″) rebate cutter for cutting the cover plate recess, five steel covers, and a waste removal tool all packaged in a plastic case. The system will run you 65 pounds or about $105, not including shipping and taxes.

Cavity Access System [TRT]
Cavity Access System [Miles Tool & Machinery]

So you have an older quality Jacobs chuck that has problems — maybe it’s stuck and could use a good cleaning, or perhaps the problems are more severe from a lifetime of spinning bits in the jaws and you need to replace parts. How the heck do you do it?

Jacobs has a short guide up on their website but we found two (#1, #2) other sites that detail how to disassembe and reassemble the standard Jacobs chuck. Once you get it apart you can inspect for damage. You’ll have to buy a repair kit that consists of new jaws, split nut and if it’s a ball bearing chuck, new balls and race. Oddly, Jacobs doesn’t have those up on their site but they are available from any industrial supply place such as MSC or McMaster Carr, even on Amazon [What’s This?]. It’s worth checking eBay for them from time to time as well if you rebuild machine tools as a hobby or business. 

Often just a good cleaning and lube job will make the difference between a chuck that works well and one that has you swearing like a sailor.

A Short Guide [Jacob's Chuck]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

With a pocket hole plug cutter you can better hide your pocket holes. Rather than depending on the limited selection of packaged plugs, you can cut plugs from the same material as your project; plus you can create plugs with a matching grain pattern.

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If you’re still using tapered wood screws instead of metal screws or drywall screws, then you might like taper point drills. The Fuller #8 Countersink Set includes five tapered drills for wood screw sizes 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14. Each drill has a countersink (1/2″ dia. for sizes 10, 12, and 14; 3/8″ dia. for sizes 6 and 8 ) held in place by two hex screws. But wait, there’s more — if you call now, you will also get 1/2″ and 3/8″ plug cutters, 1/2″ and 3/8″ stop collars, and two hex wrenches in a nice milled wood storage case all for $80.

W.L. Fuller has many other products and other countersink sets including some with hex-shank bits and a quick-release chuck adapter, if you prefer that approach. (TM has previously noted the Jack Rabbit, which is a combination drill/countersink/bit adapter.) All of Fuller’s countersinks and bits are 100% made in the U.S.A.

W.L. Fuller [Manufacturer's Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Those that have them love them, and those that don’t are often out of luck since it appears they are no longer made. However this page still shows them as a product (with pictures showing Cole drill setups). There were a number of accessories available, and the pamphlet shows the many uses. They do show up on eBay from time to time, though the one listed now is in relatively poor condition. The drills are chucked in a 1/2″ hole with a set screw, so Silver and Deming bits are often used (although some people will mount a drill chuck).

Special thanks to Rob Skinner and Kelley Garcia of the Rusty Iron Workshop in California for use of this great photo. Check out their antique engines, machinery, and tractors here.

If you need to recess a large bolt when building a deck or other outdoor project, it’s usually a two-step process. This is okay if you only have to hide a few bolts, but if you have to recess a ton of bolts it’d be easier to slide Makita’s counter bore over one of their industrial ship auger bits and do it in one step.

Slip the counter bore over an auger bit with a 5/8″ diameter shaft, tighten the set screw, and you’re set to hog out a 2-1/2″ hole for recessing the bolt in addition to the through-hole. You can pay anywhere between $45 and $80 for Makita’s slip-on counter bore.

Counter Bore Collar [Makita]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Browsing the FAMAG Catalog I came across this unusually deep set of hole saws. These hole saws were designed for drilling holes up to 300 mm (almost 12″) deep! If you have a problem ejecting the plug from a regular “short” hole saw, how are you ever going to get a 10″ plug out of one these extended hole saws?

FAMAG manufactures these bi-metal hole saws with a variable tooth pitch. To form the cutting head they weld high-speed steel teeth onto the cylindrical carrier. They sell the hole saws in 86 mm, 111 mm, 130 mm, 152 mm, 170 mm, 200 mm diameters which range from approximately  3-3/8″ to 7-7/8″.

You’ll drop anywhere from 175 to 425 Euros ($250 to $600) depending on which size you order. That’s not including the center spike which FAMAG sells separately for an extra 60 Euros ($85).

Deep Hole Saws [FAMAG]
Deep Hole Saws(PDF) [FAMAG Catalog (page 25)]

Forstner bits are awesome. After discovering them for myself, I use my set every chance I get. Even the less-expensive bits leave smooth bore holes with almost no splintering. If you’re a serious woodworker you might want to take a look at some of the finer bits on the market: Bormax Forstner style bits from German manufacturer FAMAG.

The patented design is formed by razor-sharp teeth set in a “wave-form” pattern. It produces less friction and heat, requires less power, and wears slower than other Forstner-style bits. The “wave-form” pattern also clears dust and chips efficiently, producing tear-free and accurate holes. You can use the bits in wood, MDF, plywood, and plastic.

Precision machined from high carbon steel, the imperial sized bits either have a 5/16″ or 3/8″ shank and they’re sold in sizes from 5/8 to 2-1/4″. You’re going to shell out anywhere from $20 to $75 for a single Bormax bit depending on the size. To save some money, you can purchase kits with either 5 or 16 bits for $140 or $530, respectively.

Bormax [FAMAG]
Bormax [Traditional Woodworker]
Bormax [Dieter Schmid]

Rather than have a set of counter sink bits that may not be the exact size you need, you could replace them with one adjustable countersink boring bit. Amana’s Di-Count fits over drill bits sized 3/32″ to 9/32″ to drill counter sunk holes for wood screws sized #2 to #18.

The 2-wing carbide-tipped bit will countersink screws up to 7/16″ deep. The countersink bit measures 1-1/4″ long and uses two screws to clamp around the pilot bit. Before shipping charges take a bite out of your wallet, you’ll pay about $23 for the Di-Count adjustable countersink boring bit.

Di-Count [Amana Tool]
Di-Count [ToolsToday]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Pictured above is my very own “YANKEE” No. 41 (from North Bros. Mfg. Co. in Philadelphia, PA) that I got many (many) years ago from my dad. I have no idea how old it is. My dad may have gotten it from my grandfather, but I can no longer ask either one of them. Soon after I got it, I broke one of the bits, but was able to stop into my friendly local hardware store and pick up a set of replacements — those were the good ol’ days. It’s an oldie but a goodie that I still like to use. In fact, I recently broke — well, kind of bent it (see above picture) — a bit, and found that replacement bits are now somewhat harder to find and getting expensive as they’re often classified as antiques or collector’s items. Fortunately, a bit of web searching turned up a possible solution: a shank adapter complete with bits.

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We’re seeing more and more dust collection devices aimed at the home woodworker. For instance, you wouldn’t think a flexible shaft tool would kick out much sawdust, but then again it doesn’t take much sawdust to make a huge mess. Enter the Flexible Shaft & Dust Extractor, sold by Lee Valley.

Connect the 6mm flexible shaft to any tool with a chuck — just don’t try to run the shaft in reverse or over 10,000 RPM — and connect a vacuum to the dust collection port, and you’re ready to do some shaping, sanding, grinding, or whatever rotary operation you choose with less mess.

On the end of the 46″ flexible shaft is a handle with a three-jaw 3/8″ Jacobs style chuck surrounded by the dust collecting shroud. You connect the vacuum via a 1-1/4″ diameter, 54″ long hose that comes off the rear of the handle.

Not only does this $105 tool look a lot like an attachment for King Arthur’s Tools Guinevere total sanding system, but the optional dust extractor extender is also identical, so we’re guessing King Arthur’s is the supplier of this flexible shaft tool.

Flex Shaft and Dust Extractor [Lee Valley]
Guinevere Accessories [King Arthur's Tools]

With Kreg’s new Micro Pocket Drill Guide, you can fit two pocket holes on a board as little as 1″ wide and 1/2″ thick. The pluggable holes it creates are 25% smaller than standard pocket holes, allowing you to use shorter 3/4″ pan head screws.

If you own a Kreg Jig or Kreg Jig Master system, the Micro Pocket Drill Guide is fully compatible. They color the jig black so you can quickly differentiate it from the standard blue guides.

Included with the Micro Pocket Drill Guide are the 19/64″ Micro Pocket Drill Bit, Micro Pocket Depth Collar, and a few of the smaller pocket screws to get started. The kit usually retails for $50, but right now the only place we can find selling it is Highland Woodworking — they are offering it for $45 plus $9 shipping.

Micro Pocket Drill Guide [Kreg]
Micro Pocket Drill Guide [Highland Woodworking]

Yes, we know that drill press bearings aren’t designed for sideways loads, but that doesn’t seem to stop companies from designing gizmos like the Wagner Safe-T-Planer. This rotary planer chucks into any drill press with a 1/2″ chuck to shave off up to 3/8″ in one pass.

The 3-1/8″ diameter planer can make passes up to 2-3/4″ wide. The three shielded high-speed steel cutters spinning at 3,000 to 6,000RPM supposedly don’t grab the work piece or kick back, which is probably the origin of the Safe-T in the name. You can use it to surface plane, cut tenons, rabbets, raised panels, and tapers — though we’re guessing you have to tilt the table to do the last two.

Although the Safe-T-Planer is sold by Grizzly, WoodCraft, and a handful of other retailers, the manufacturer is unclear. Trying to track down them down led us to a trademark filed by Aurthur Gilmore of G & W Tools. It’s possible the “W” stands for Wagner, but that’s where the trail ends.

You can get the Safe-T-Planer shipped with a special grinding wheel and a 12-page manual for $58.

Safe-T-Planer [Grizzly]
Safe-T-Planer [WoodCraft]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

These spring-loaded drill stops from Avery Tools don’t mark the surface like a collar stop, and they cushion the drill when it breaks through to minimize bit breakage.

Designed for sheet metal, we don’t see any reason these stops wouldn’t work for other materials too.  The bits are color-coded for easy identification. You just slip the stop over the bit, compress the spring, and tighten the stop at the proper depth.

Brown Aviation Tool Supply sells a twelve-piece set for $15 before shipping, which includes #50, #40, #30, #27, #21, #16, #13, #10, #8, 7/32″, 1/4″ and 5/16″ drill stops. Unfortunately they have a $35 minimum order for the US ($50 minimum for Canada and $100 for the rest of the world). Otherwise you can buy them for $2 each or $9 for a set of four stops (#40, #30, #21, and #12 sizes) before shipping from Avery Tools.

Drill Stops [Avery Tools]
Drill Stop Set [Brown Aviation Tool Supply]

You don’t want to be out of commission waiting for your dull router bits to be sharpened. That’s why Amana Tool’s created the new In-Tech series insert router bits. They never need to be sharpened because you just replace the cutter when the old one dulls.

Amana manufacturers the knives for the In-Tech bits out of tungsten carbide, so you can use the bits on a wide variety of materials like softwoods, hardwoods, MDF, and chipboard. They claim the bits (not the cutters, of course) last four times as long as other brazed router bits, and the cutting accuracy is consistent over the life of the knife.

Amana makes nine 1/4″ shank bits with replaceable cutters. The nine bits include a 1/4″ radius bit, a 1/4″ cove bit, an Ogee bit, a 1/2″ rabbet bit, a flush trimming bit, a 2-in-1 corner round and bevel trimming bit, a V-groove bit, a 1/4″ radius core box bit, and a 1/2″ straight plunge bit.

Amana priced the bits comparably to other companies’ brazed router bits. The bits cost anywhere from $17 to $53 and replacement cutters run $6 to $15 in pairs.

In-Tech Press Release
In-Tech Router Bits [Amana]
In-Tech Router Bits [ToolsToday]

We got a kick out of talking to the Milwaukee accessory guys a few weeks ago while attending their product symposium. It was almost a counterculture inside the rank-and-file of the power tool reps, and we’ve seen it at almost every manufacturer. “Those tools are nothing without a good bit at the business end.” They say it without fail wherever we go and they said it over and over at the product launch for Milwaukee’s Shockwave bits.

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This interesting-looking old drill press posted to the Toolmonger photo pool has us scratching our collective noggins. It’s obviously a belt-powered drill press of some sort but we have no idea what its original setup would have looked like.

The stock plate doesn’t have a hole in it, which to me says metalwork — though I suppose that’s not always true. The whole thing looks like it’s built for fine adjustment with the knobs at the spindle shaft, but the wheels at the rear are a bit of a question for me. Is the belt supposed to loop through them or is it for a second belt that controls the height?

We always find this type of shop mystery thought-provoking. We hope reader Ghb624 finds out how this rig is meant to be set up and what its original purpose was. Let us know what you think in comments.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]