Let it snow: Storing tools and equipment for the winter

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Winter time is a tricky season. Temperatures drop overnight and the weather becomes more unpredictable than usual. People busy themselves with ensuring that they have all the appropriate winter wear, enough wood for the fireplace, and their snow tires installed. Proper care for instruments like household tools and equipment becomes an afterthought, often overlooked until the tools are found in damaged condition.

Protecting tools from winter damage starts with preparing for the season. Woodwork equipment makers, like Laguna Tools , routinely remind their customers about basic tips that extend the equipment’s lifespan by shielding the tools from unexpected damage. Some of the most important tips are:

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• Cleaning – Water may freeze up during winter, but come spring, moisture can cause rust and fungi. Cleaning tools before storing them protects them from rusting and becoming breeding grounds for insects that lay eggs in small crevices. Before storing, tools should be rinsed off with a steel wool scrub or a hard-bristled brush and then dried thoroughly. This removes any dust, soil, or dirt debris that may be hidden in between the tool’s steel parts.

• Sterilizing – Contrary to what most wood craftsmen assume, cleaning tools is not always enough. Sterilizing them before storage is important to prevent the spread of fungi and rotten foliage, thus preventing disease from developing in the storage room. Sterilizing tools is not pricey; using isopropyl or rubbing alcohol, or hand sanitizing gel suffices to rid tools of germs.

• Protecting – Keeping tools dry may prevent rust, but the winter cold may still cause erosion. Woodwork equipment makers, like Laguna Tools, recommend lubricating tool blades and handles with general purpose oil or cooking oil.

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REPOST: Women embrace woodworking with flair and originality

This article from the Daily News Los Angeles discusses about women who have entered the world of woodworking.




Brooke Coe knows what it's like to fall hard for a gorgeous piece of furniture only to be put off by its price.

All too often she's said, "I can't afford that!"

But that doesn't happen anymore. Not since the 42-year-old Redondo Beach mother of two learned how to take hardwood board and turn it into one-of-a-kind pieces for her home.

"Really, a lot of people like me get started in woodworking out of necessity," says Coe, who has been known to retreat into her family's garage/workshop and surface with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that boast a traditional built-in look; and funky whimsical tables unlike any you'd find in a store.

She's not so unique.

For several years, women have been gaining on men in the home improvement arena. Big-name retailers have introduced products and programs designed especially for women, such as free Do-It-Herself Workshops at Home Depot. And the DIY blogosphere has more recently exploded with sites aimed at teaching women the necessary skills to tackle new territories like woodworking.

Author and blogger Ana White learned woodworking while building her home.

"Making your own furniture is not a matter of muscles, it's a matter of experience and being shown how to use tools properly," says Ana White, author of "The Handbuilt Home: 34 Simple, Stylish and Budget-Friendly Woodworking Projects for Every Room" (Potter Craft, 2012), a companion to her popular ana-white.com blog.

Like the women who contributed designs to her book, the 32-year-old mother is relatively new to furniture making.

White got her start when she and her husband set out to build their three-bedroom, two-bath starter home in Alaska seven years ago. They couldn't afford contractors so it was just the two of them.

She started out by assisting her husband with simple tasks and eventually took on more active roles.

After the house was completed, the couple set out to furnish their new digs with hand-built pieces, including an $80 farmhouse-style bed whose easy-to-follow plans are featured in the book - the first in what she's hoping will be a series on woodworking at home.

Cindy Vargas, on the other hand, came to woodworking like many women do through art school. Though she says she got her first taste of it as one of "three brave souls" in middle-school wood shop in the early '70s.

Today, the studio furniture maker behind Three Elements Studio in Minnesota crafts a variety of custom furnishings, including lamps whose rich surfaces and interesting mosaic patterns would seamlessly blend into any Arts and Crafts-style interior.

"I can't tell you how many times I've heard that," says Vargas, who used to live in Pasadena and work out of a studio in Glendale. "They definitely have that craftsman flair to them."

Coe also designs pieces for sale through Huh? Designs, her interior design and custom furniture side business.

"There are people who will see something at Crate & Barrel that's not the right size so I make it for them," she says. "Maybe somebody wants a unique, stand-alone piece. I also do a lot of redos.

"I had tall and skinny Ikea cabinets and we had a flood in our house that ruined them," she says. "Instead of trashing my old cabinets I turned one of them on its side and then put lights on the bottom of it. I added doors that I built from some leftover wood. Now I have a whole new cabinet with a new feel."

For more information about the woodworking industry, visit www.lagunatools.com.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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

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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.

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• 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.

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

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.

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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:

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• 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.

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

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.

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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.

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“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.”

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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.

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.

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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.

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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.