DEWALT DWP611PK Compact Router Kit Killer Deal!

DeWalt and Porter-Cable (Both manufactured by B&D) recently introduced similar compact router sets.  The motor is slightly larger than a traditional trim router, but what you get for the extra girth is a height adjustment that is second to none.

Below is a video from "John the TIA guru" that runs the Dewalt Owners Group.  In the video John does a run down on the DEWALT DWP611PK Compact Router.

These kits are priced in the $199 range for a fixed base and a plunge base, but at this moment they are both on sale at Woodcraft.  The DeWalt has an even sweeter deal going:  
You can save 10% Now Through August 27, 2011 AND... Receive a FREE 1/4 Sheet Palm Grip Sander with Mail-In Rebate through August 15!

Click this link for the DEWALT DWP611PK Compact Router Kit at Woodcraft

Click this link for the Porter-Cable 450PK Compact Router Kit at Woodcraft

A Great Deal on a Great Mortiser

While not a Delta tool, I figured that if you are looking on this blog that you must appreciate good tools, so here's a non-Delta one for ya.

If you are interested in handsome and strong joinery you already know that mortise and tenon joints are the way to go. Yes, pocket hole joinery is all the rage, and I have three Kreg jigs myself, but when I want to build furniture that will be passed-down to my grand kids I know I'll be making mortises and dovetails.
Try as I might I was never able to get good results mortising with my Mark V. It takes a LOT of force to drive a four-sided chisel into a block of hardwood, and not only does the quill handle suffer from a size problem, but just as you make some progress the table wants to move on ya. This is not a good prize, especially because Murphy's Law dictates that you won't notice that your mortises are not as deep as you planned until some time after removing all of the mortising gear from your Mark V.
My mortiser is a PowerMatic 719, which wouldn't ya know I purchased just months before the 719T with tilting table was released. (Grumble). Before forking out the big bucks for my mortiser I researched all the tabletop units, and I just wasn't going to be able to cut the mortise depths that many of the projects I had planned would require. At the time the market was dominated by Delta, Jet and a couple questionable no-name imports.


As I mentioned in a prior post, I was at my local Woodcraft the other day and at a Rockler a couple weeks back and was amazed at the improvements that have been made in benchtop units. The one that caught my eye was the WoodRiver at Woodcraft, which as a huge base with extensions that expand to 35" in width to support for your stock. This unit has a firm fence and rollers that act as hold-ins to keep your stock firmly against the fence.  The fence is made of cast iron and is adjusted with a rack and pinion that reminds me of a mini version of the fence on my Delta jointer.

One of the biggest hassles that benchtop mortisers tend to introduce is caused by very limited access to the drill chuck.  The WoodRiver has two HUGE clear plastic doors that swing open for practically unhindered access.  Another neat thing about this design is that because the doors are clear they allow plenty of light to make bit changes as easy as I've ever seen.    

Another advantage of this unit wasn't obvious from a study of the manual: It's ambidextrous.  The two access doors swing open on both the right and the left.  Likewise, as  you can see from the bottom photo, the lever handle can be mounted left or right.  With the switchbox on the left I thought there might be a problem using it on the left, but nope, she worked just fine.

The thing that really surprised me was that it comes with a full set of four chisels and bits and the mortiser has a full 5" depth of cut! Seeing this made me curious, so I measured my PowerMatic and learned that while it has a 6" stroke, all of my chisels are 5" long!
So, if you are in the market for a great looking, reasonably priced mortiser, check the WoodRiver out at your local Woodcraft.
BTW, until Aug 27th this mortising machine is on sale for $234.99 at this link: WoodRiver Mortiser with Chisels and Bits

DCA Student’s Experience in Space Academy Singapore

Students from School Of The Arts, Victoria Junior College, Hwa Chong Junior College, NUS High School and Republic Polytechnic came together for a 5-day Space Academy Singapore (SAS) course. We were called 4SAS as we were the 4^th batch of cadets since the programme launched last year.

 

The SAS is a joint collaboration by TriVector International together with Singapore Space and Technology Association. This programme was conducted by ex-NASA engineers and it includes classroom lectures, hands-on practical sessions and field trips. 

 

Things that we covered in the lectures did encompass certain topics in these two modules I took, Aerodynamics and Project Management. Aerodynamics was the basics for Unmanned Aerial Platforms and Project Management aided in understanding Systems Engineering and Risk Management. The other topics which were covered were Astrodynamics, Astronautics, Satellites and Communications, Extreme Weather Survival and Rocket Propulsion. 

After learning all these theoretical aspects of Space, we got to do some hands-on activities to apply what we’ve learnt. On Unmanned Aerial Platforms, we got to navigate Mars Rovers and Quadracopters. We did not get to see these vehicles while we were navigating them to simulate the conditions the controllers are under. On Systems Engineering, Satellites and Communications, and some other space theory, we were given the chance to debate. On Rocket Propulsion, we constructed our own bottle rockets and launched them to learn about the fuel load’s effect. 

For field trips, we started off by playing paintball. It was definitely a great team-bonding session. In Astronautics, one thing we learned about was Astronaut Training. This included micro gravity simulation which can be achieved through scuba diving. 4SAS got to go to the Naval Diving Unit where we scuba dived and did certain tasks under water, which is similar to carrying out these task in space, microgravity.  We were also brought to Singtel’s Earth Station to see the application of Satellites and Communications in Singapore. When we were taught Extreme Weather Survival, we were taken to Snow City where we carried out activities in the freezing chamber in nothing but our flight suits and shoes. 

 

It was a once in a life time experience at 4SAS which exposed me to many things I never knew or thought about. Seeing the application of the knowledge gained from 4SAS definitely felt good and rewarding. It has truly sparked an interest in me and given me another area of study to consider going into. Apart from the classes, activities and field trips, many friendships were built with both the instructors and the other cadets. After 4SAS, all the cadets and instructors met up frequently to have fun and show the instructors around Singapore. I’m also part of the youth club now.

 

Contributed by: TAN SUE-MIN DEBRA (DCA Year 3 Student)

Cyriva Club Student Feedback Session

On 26^th July 2011, Student Feedback Session on Cyriva Club was organised for School of Engineering students to introduce and gather feedback on Cyriva Club and the 5 IGs under SEG.

Students waiting for the feedback session to start

This feedback session started off with both President (Shariff) and Vice-President (Syazana) of Cyriva Club to introduce Cyriva Club 9.0 (AY2011/2012) management committee members. We shared about the past events organized by us and the upcoming events.

 

The President (Satishvaran) and Vice-President (Md Afiq) from Aeromodelling IG were also there and they gave a wonderful speech by introducing themselves, their IG activities and upcoming activities. They are currently recruiting members so interested students can still apply.

 

We also introduced and described the nature of the other 4 IGs, namely (Aeromodelling IG, Electronics Hobby IG, Institution of Engineers, Logistics & Supply Chain Management Student Chapter and Medical Electronics IG)

 

It’s time for us to hear their feedback on what events they want Cyriva to offer.

 

To wrap up the feedback session, our Gold Award Recipient (Hasif) for NYAA (National Youth Achievement Award) shared about NYAA, 5 different sections of this programme, the requirement to complete the different levels and the benefits of NYAA. It was an interesting presentation and participants seemed interested as they started asking questions on NYAA. We hope to increase the participation rate of SEG students in the NYAA journey.

Cyriva Club would like to thank you for attending Cyriva Feedback Session

EHIG: CE talk on Introduction to 3D Face Modelling and the 3D Face App Competition 2011

CE talk on  Introduction to 3D Face Modelling

EHIG has successfully organised a CE Talk on Introduction to 3D Face Modelling and the 3D Face App Competition 2011, conducted by Mr Peter Tay, Assistant Vice President, Science and Engineering Commercialisation, Exploit Technologies on 27^th July 2011.

A total of around 200 students attended the talk. The aim was to introduce students to the 3D Face Modelling technology from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and its applications. Information on the 3D Face App Competition 2011 was also presented during the talk.