Great Gear: Issue 115

All-in protection

Trend AirShield Pro with Ear Defenders

PRICE: $529.99, #169538; Ear Defenders available at trend-usa.com

You shouldn’t prioritize protecting one part of your body over another. Hearing, eye, and respiratory protection are all critical to a long and safe woodworking career. Trend AirShield Pro truly understands this fact. This all-in-one safety set features a face shield and optional earmuffs mounted to an adjustable hardhat-like shell. Inside that helmet, Trend has installed a NiMH battery and an incredibly quiet fan. Pull an elastic-lined cloth gasket around your chin and switch the fan on to create positive pressure inside the face shield. The fan blows air out through small holes in the gasket, keeping dust out while cooling inside. The gasket fits snugly, but doesn’t interfere with a beard or even glasses. A knob on the back adjusts a strap inside the helmet for a custom fit and a button above it activates the fan. The AirShield Pro weighs 2.2 lbs., but even with the battery and fan atop your head, it’s not uncomfortable. I find myself forgetting about it entirely during marathon turning sessions. And those sessions are made possible thanks to an 8-hour battery life on a 14-hour charge. A low-battery beep increases from barely-audible to insistent over the last hour or so. The optional muff-style Ear Defenders flip up when not needed. I don the AirShield Pro when I’m turning, milling, sanding, and even vacuuming or blowing out my shop. Admittedly, it isn’t cheap, but your health and safety are well worth it. And when all your safety gear is in one place, there’s no excuse not to wear it.

Derek Richmond

Photos: Derek Richmond

Portable hi-res engraving

LaserPecker 2

Photo: Sarah Burton

PRICE: $1000*, laserpecker.net

*Use coupon code Woodcraft50 at checkout to get $50 discount for orders over $800 at laserpecker.net!

FEATURES:

• 100 × 100 maximum engraving space
• 600 mm/s engraving speed
• Capable of fine details and high resolution engraving
• 360° cylindrical engraving (add-on required)

As an artist, I’ve dabbled in laser engraving a few times throughout the years, primarily in shared maker spaces. Though I’ve wanted to expand my experience, the high price point and space requirements of an engraver always kept me from doing so. Enter the LaserPecker 2 – a portable, desktop-sized engraver! The company offers a few models, but I found the LaserPecker 2 to strike the right balance of price point and versatility for my purposes. I selected the LP2 Suit package, which comes with an electric roller attachment for longer engravings and cylindrical surfaces along with the main engraver.

Within minutes of opening the box, I was set up and engraving my first test piece! The included instructions were straightforward and clear, and the machine itself was a dream to assemble. Adjustments to the height and angle of the laser for different surfaces were easy and include multiple methods for calibration. To make things even easier, the engraver can connect directly to your phone or computer via Bluetooth or via a USB C cable. The free, downloadable app comes with a wide variety of clipart options, an option to upload an image file from your phone, and the ability to create your own simple graphic images. As I designed my own graphics, I did find that I had better control and more robust options when using the computer-based version.

In addition to wood, the LaserPecker 2 will engrave or cut a variety of materials including leather, metal, acrylic, paper, and glass (though clear materials require a few extra steps of preparation). For beginners, the LaserPecker software offers excellent default settings for each material, while allowing for adjustments if you’re looking for a specific result. You can even remove the stand and hold the unit in place with the built in handle as you engrave a vertical surface such as the side of a built –cabinet. While I find myself wishing for a bit more cutting power than the 3 mm maximum, I am highly impressed by the level of detail and speed of this little machine.

Though I was always excited about the ability to engrave on cylindrical surfaces such as glasses, the electric roller provides even more versatility than I originally thought. When stationary, the maximum engraving space is a 100mm square. However, if a flat material is placed on the roller or the roller is attached to the LaserPecker itself, that area expands to a maximum of 2000x100mm. I’d go so far as to call this a “must have” add-on.
Sarah Burton

Small but mighty tool for burnishing

Accu-Burr Jr

PRICE: $69.99, heartwoodtools.com

Forming a uniform burr on the edge of a card scraper can be a bit challenging. My preferred burr-making tool had always been a chromed hardened-steel rod and it served me well over the years. However, I recently acquired an Accu-Burr Jr from Blackburn Tools and Union Manufacturing Company, which is a solid carbide burnisher with three angled grooves to make fine, medium, or coarse burrs (5, 10, and 15 degrees, respectively). If you’ve done a good job of prepping the scraper edge: filing, honing , and so forth, the Accu-Burr Jr creates will be perfect along the entire edge. It also works on any scraper shape or hardness and requires less pressure than a steel rod, a real plus if you use gooseneck scrapers. This tool gets high marks for its ergonomics, aesthetics, and results. Its solid brass handles are comfortable and attractive, and their hexagonal shape prevents the tool from rolling off your bench. (Carbide is notoriously brittle, so a hard fall could be an expensive accident.) The only reservation I have is that the Accu-Burr Jr is priced for very serious users.

Larry Okrend

Photo: Larry Okrend