When polyurethane glues first appeared on the woodworking scene a decade ago, they were touted as the “ultimate” adhesive solution. Now that the foam’s had time to fully harden, these one-part, waterproof adhesives have proven their usefulness for some projects, especially for outdoor use and for joining metals, plastics, or oily woods. I appreciate the fact that dried poly glue is easy to sand and doesn’t chip chisel or plane blades. But polys aren’t perfect. I find the foam more of a nuisance than gap filler and some don’t seem as strong as good old yellow glue or epoxy.

The benefits of Bolder Bond are subtle, but significant enough to warrant a fresh look. For one, this glue isn’t new. This industrial-grade adhesive has been used to repair and reinforce cellular phone towers and high-pressure gas pipes for 15 years. The low-foam blend designed to make less mess in the field also makes for cleaner shop experience. Most importantly, third party testing has found that Bolder Bond has a 20-25% higher mechanical property (basically, “more grip”) than its competition. By giving more of what I really want from a poly glue and less of what I don’t, this bottle has earned a spot on my shelf.

Traditionally, a “story stick” is nothing more than a wooden stick with penciled ticks. As simple as it may sound, for transferring the exact location of parts or joints from one piece to another, it’s worth its weight in gold. Unfortunately, a simple stick can’t take measurements, plus it’s sometimes easy to read the wrong pencil mark on a well-used stick. Pinnacle’s story stick takes the proven concept a couple of notches up. First, they’ve replaced the wood stick with a solid aluminum bar. Instead of relying on hard-to-read pencil marks, Pinnacle’s version employs adjustable steel tabs that slide along the bar and lock in place. To position

Adjustable for right or left hand use, the stick also works well as a center scale, such as when laying out symmetrical projects.

Keeping workpieces secure while using my table saw is now as easy as twisting a knob with Magswitch’s Universal Magnetic Featherboard. Two 20mm rare earth magnets featuring “on/off” switches let me locate the featherboard quickly on any steel or castiron surface. And the two contrasting feather orientations give me flexibility regardless of the feed direction. I also used the Universal Magnetic Featherboard on the outfeed table to edge-joint stock. Other applications include bandsaw and shaper work. A real plus for me is that the pressure can be pre-loaded against the workpiece by locking one magnet “on,” and then pivoting the featherboard

I have always depended on a good folding rule for all my cabinet and finish carpentry work, but wooden ones have drawbacks: A good one can be fairly expensive, fragile, wears quickly, and water-stains easily. The Rhino folding rule has all the advantages of my wooden rule, but its fiberglass body is built to handle abuse in and outside of my workshop. The Swiss-made rule features engraved graduations in 1/16" increments, a graduated slide for taking precise inside measurements, and snap locks which secure each section in the closed and extended positions. The snap locks can also be used to lock the rule at almost a perfect 90º angle. In a pinch the rule could serve as a square for rough work. This tool might not be more accurate than my old rule, but I strongly suspect it will last a lot longer, even if it gets used for some extreme condition jobs outside of my workshop.

toward the fence or table and locking the remaining magnet in place.