Two New Takes on Old Technology

To wrap up my new product coverage of AWFS, I’d like to talk about two new takes on technology that’s been around for years. The first is an instant glue that could be a godsend for production woodworkers and a nice innovation for us home shop craftsmen as well.

An Instant Glue

For Heavy Duty Woodworking

I’ve used cyanoacrylate glue for years in woodturning. It sets fast when attaching bowl blanks to waste blocks. It can fill and strengthen punky bark to ensure a natural-edge bowl actually ends up with the natural edge intact. And for small projects like turned pens, it can even produce a high-sheen final finish.

But I never figured it for joinery of any kind because CA glue is just too brittle. Or rather, I should say, it was.

Bioformix has developed a new water-free CA formulation it calls Nexabond 2500 that still sets quickly but has the durability for joinery and most other woodworking operations. And the glue is considered revolutionary enough that it won the Product Innovation Award at this year’s AWFS show in Las Vegas.

I’ve not yet tried this new formulation so I can’t attest to all the things you can do with it, but according to Bioformix, the glue achieves high-strength bonding in minutes and it can be used on even oily woods that might cause problems for regular wood glues. They also say the glue reduces or eliminates clamping–you just need to hold your workpieces square for a couple minutes until the glue sets. Also, since Nexabond 2500 doesn’t contain water it won’t cause wood joints to swell, so you can sand your projects quickly after the glue has set.

A one-ounce bottle of Nexabond 2500 retails for $7.78, which is on the low end of the price range for CA glues. I’m definitely going to give it a try. I’ll let you know later how it works.

 Shopsmith Introduces Finishing Sanding Block

You may have read about or tried Shopsmith’s long-lasting and durable ceramic-coated, sanding disks for powered sanders. Well Shopsmith also makes hand-sanding sheets that are just as tough and at AWFS they introduced a Velcro-backed sanding block to go with the sheets. The block, which Shopsmith is promoting for finish sanding, has a soft handle with a high back that fits nicely in the palm and a narrow front edge to get into tight areas.

Like the sanding sheets, which are filmed backed for durability, this sanding block is made tough. It has a steel plate in the base that provides some heft and also holds the block flat to help you sand to a smooth finish.

The block retails for $19.98 and comes with a starter pack of 8 sanding sheets.

— Kevin Ireland