Showing posts with label Catherine Helshoj. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Catherine Helshoj. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Setting up shop in the basement: Laguna Tools and turning the basement into your woodworking space

Laguna Tools image credit: tradeindustry.csi.edu


Woodworking is an activity that demands space, whether you’re just planning a small woodworking project or pursuing the craft more ambitiously. This Laguna Tools blog entry explains the pros and cons of creating a woodworking space in your basement.

One of the most common areas in the house where woodworkers choose to set up shop is the basement.

If you live in the northern region with cold winters, a basement shop offers the luxury of climate control. The furnace will keep the workshop warm all winter. Most basements also have a high ceiling that can keep you from bumping your head on suspended ductwork or plumbing. But despite its pleasant climate and convenient location, a basement can also have its disadvantages.

Based in Irvine, California, Laguna Tools provides quality woodworking equipment.

If you want to do woodwork in your basement, make sure there’s enough room for cutting lumber or wide sheet materials. A basement with a narrow staircase can make it difficult and dangerous for you to carry building materials and equipment. If the laundry room is also in the basement, fine dust and fumes from wood finishes can mix with freshly laundered clothes. Dampness is also another problem. The high humidity in the basement can lead to corrosion on metal tools, and lumber can mold or warp if it gets wet.

Laguna Tools image credit: afronie's flickr photos


Laguna Tools has been in the industry for almost three decades and continues to challenge the market by coming up with new advancements.


While the basement has its drawbacks, there are ways to work on these problems. You can install windows with screens to improve air circulation, hook up a dust collector or shop vac to trap dust and debris, or use an ambient air cleaner with replaceable filters to capture finer dust particles. To combat the dampness, keep work areas dry by running a dehumidifier on humid months.

By finding solutions to these basement problems early on, your own space in the basement will let you work on your projects more safely and efficiently.

Laguna Tools image credit: lagunatools.com


Visit www.lagunatools.com for more information about Laguna Tools and woodworking.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Laguna Tools: Stationary machines that should be present in woodworking workshops

Laguna Tools image credit: meredith.com


Laguna Tools is a concrete example of why people should never let go of their dreams. Founded by Torben Helshoj, the company stands for one man’s simple yet outstanding vision of helping fellow woodworkers in finishing carpentry projects as efficiently as possible. This vision inspired Helshoj to import European woodworking technology to the United States, coming up with top-notch machines that strive to revolutionize the American woodworking industry.

Laguna Tools always reviews woodworking enthusiasts’ needs, helping it come up with stationary machines that are nothing short of reliable. These include:

Table saws. Extremely versatile, table saws are used to rip, square, miter, groove, shape, and connect wood pieces. Table saws, like the ones offered at Laguna Tools, provide woodworkers with superior precision given their smooth and heavy work surface.

Laguna Tools image credit: life123.com


Drill presses. Every workshop needs a good drill press. With this power tool, one can specify the depth of the holes that will be drilled—ensuring consistency in the work. Also, with a sure-footed drill press, woodworkers can bore out holes with depth nearly impossible to make using handheld power drills.

Planers. A vital tool in any workshop, a planer is used to cut boards with even thickness and are flat on each surface. Its ability to guarantee uniformity when it comes to wood-cutting made this tool a must-have for woodworkers.

With these machines at hand, along with other power tools, carpentry enthusiasts can handle even the most complicated projects in the industry.

Laguna Tools image credit: lagunatools.com


Check out Laguna Tools’ stationary machines at www.lagunatools.com.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Laguna Tools: Safety tips for passionate woodworkers

Laguna Tools is known in the woodworking industry not only because of its extensive array of efficient woodworking machineries, but also because of the importance it gives to the users’ welfare when designing new carpentry tools. For years, the Irvine, CA-based firm has been making sure that each product it releases keeps woodworkers out of harm’s way—a practice that should be observed by all woodworking machine manufacturers.

Laguna Tools Image Credit: blaircontractingco.com

But safety in the workshop is never guaranteed by manufacturers alone. The users themselves should learn how to observe safety measures so that they can finish their projects without getting hurt. These precautionary measures include:

Laguna Tools Image Credit: romanis.edublogs.org

Wearing protective gear. Laguna Tools and other woodworking industry experts believe that protective equipment in a woodworker’s workshop is not limited to gloves. Woodworkers should also have, among others, noise suppression headphones to protect their ears and safety glasses to keep dust away from the eyes.

Laguna Tools reviews all woodworking equipment it releases, ensuring that they are safe and easy to use.


Disconnecting power when changing blades. Before changing blades on a power tool, woodworkers should always unplug the machine. This prevents the equipment from unexpectedly turning on, which could result to injuries.

Using sharp cutting tools. Dull blades, because of their inefficiency, require the woodworkers to exert more effort. In such cases, woodworkers are more susceptible to slipups, thus more vulnerable to accidents.

By following the aforementioned tips, the woodworkers’ carpentry experiences would not only be safer and more efficient, but also much more enjoyable.

Laguna Tools Image Credit: blog.bedlampaintball.co.uk

Learn more about Laguna Tools by visiting www.lagunatools.com.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Laguna Tools presents the Cast-Iron Router Table and Fence System

A “dream accessory,” the Cast-Iron Router Table and Fence System by Laguna Tools has finally hit the market shelves. The technology system for small-shop routers features both parallel and horizontal T-tracks on the cast-iron table top and is accompanied by a powerfully designed fence system crafted from superior-quality aluminum.


Laguna Tools Image Credit: lagunatools.com 

This new technology poses high level of safety and precision. With the fence being protected by a clear and heavy-duty plastic, the craftsman is provided with accurate visibility of the router bit from all angles. An ultra-modern dust-collecting port and special shim attachments are also part of the system, reducing sawdust clouding and allowing the unit to multi-function as a jointer.


Laguna Tools Image Credit: lumberjocks.com 

“The Cast-Iron Router Table and Fence System is wonderfully designed and truly one of the best ways to upgrade an existing table saw,” explains Laguna Tools product specialist Jay Andrews. “The safety features and easy-positing capabilities make this unit really special for anyone working with routers.”


Laguna Tools Image Credit: ridgidforum.com 

With this novel technology by Laguna Tools, reviews from the company’s avid customers once again rose to new heights. The already large customer base is expected to expand as business owners and craftsmen start to realize that the company’s line of products are significantly becoming grander as new researches and designs approach its production units.

Additional product specifications and a demonstration video for other Laguna Tools products can be accessed at its official website.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Laguna Tools: Woodworking tools for fun and profit

Woodworking is both an exciting hobby and an excellent business venture. Laguna Tools has long catered to the needs of both the enterprising woodworker looking to expand production and the amateur hobbyist who wants quality within reach. Torben and Catherine Helshoj founded the company with the special intent of bringing combination tool technology, which had been popular with woodworkers in Northern Europe, to North America.

From Laguna Tools


Today, the company has been expanding its product range both to include CNC machines and to incorporate a new line of products within reach of the amateur woodworker. Woodworking is an engaging hobby and getting the right equipment is often the starting point in creating an excellent finished product for both amateurs and professionals.

Laguna Tools Image credit: lagunatools.com


Laguna Tools includes a wide array of products that range from small yet powerful devices ideal for the amateur to the industrial-scale machines fit for large-scale production. Regardless of whether they are for the small woodshop or the production floor, these tools provide the same amount of performance quality and power relative to their size.

Laguna Tools Image credit: lagunatools.com


Regardless if whether one is an amateur or in charge of industrial production, a high quality tool can greatly improve the quality of one’s product and make quick work of any item.

More information on the product range of Laguna Tools and stories of woodworkers applying its products in commercial-scale applications can be accessed from its official website.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Catherine Helshoj: Upholding a legacy of distinction

Successful companies are often characterized by strong leadership. For leading woodworking machinery provider Laguna Tools, that resilient leadership is provided by the company’s Vice President, Catherine Helshoj.



From Laguna Tools



With a reputation as the premier provider of high-class woodworking machinery, Laguna Tools continued to achieve success under the leadership of Helshoj who guides the company through the rough seas of the corporate world. After taking over the California-based company from her husband, Torben, Catherine continues to be the driving force behind the continued success of the company. Her principle in business is that only the bravest and the most open-minded individuals who pay extra attention to the overall business situation will be the ones who reap the most benefits.




Laguna Tools believes that nothing can be achieved without an absolute dedication to crafting high-quality products that far exceed a customer’s expectations. Catherine Helshoj continues to uphold the legacy of excellence that the company is known for.




From Laguna Tools




This attention to detail and the unyielding passion for perfection in creating superior products has earned Laguna Tools many distinctions from different woodworking magazines and organizations such as:
1. 2011 May Wood Magazine Band Saw-Top Tool Approved-Editor’s Choice
2. 2008 Fine Woodworking and Fine Homebuilding Best Overall-Editor’s Choice
3. 2008 3LUXE Simply the best of everything-“BEST OF” Selections




From Laguna Tools


More information about Catherine Helshoj is available at www.lagunatools.com.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Laguna Tools: Showing commitment in making high-quality woodworking equipment

When Laguna Tools founder Torben Helshoj first came to America, he quickly noticed the difference between the woodworking efficiencies of American and European machineries. He noted that the machines used by the Americans were significantly lagging behind in terms of safety, functionality, and basic features.



Laguna Tools Photo credit: Askmen.com



Helshoj, who won the prestigious Silver Medal award from the Queen of Denmark because of his proficiency in the woodworking field, decided to start a business that would take America’s woodworking industry a level higher. Torben and his partners chose to import European machines to serve as the foundation of the business that came to be known eventually as Laguna Tools.



Through the dedication Helshoj had shown as the president of Laguna, he made way for numerous accomplishments for the company. The DriftMaster Fence system, for one, gained the approval of woodwork experts and enthusiasts alike.



Laguna Tools Photo credit: Flickr photos



At Laguna Tools, complaints from woodworkers are hardly ever heard because of the state-of-the-art woodworking accessories, bandsaws, boring machines, drill pressers, and dust collectors—among many others—that the company offers. The bandsaws from Laguna Tools, specifically, are highly regarded by woodworkers as among the best in the world.



Laguna Tools also makes sure that the machines they provide passionate woodworkers with are affordable as Helshoj and the team of experts that compose the company believe that innovations should not come at an expensive price.



From Laguna Tools



Visit www.lagunatools.com for more information about Laguna Tools’ efficient woodworking equipment.