Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Bora Woodworking

Meeting people is the best part of any Woodworking in America. This past year I had the pleasure of meeting Craig Ursell of Affinity Tool Works. Affinity Tool Works represents the Tormek, Bora, Dtec Diamond Blades, Footprint Tools, Lynx, Pax and Fish Drill Bit brands. At Woodworking in America, Craig and his staff were showing off the Tormek sharpening system.
The Tormek display at Woodworking in America (thats not Craig, Im sorry I forget who that is).
After Woodworking in America, Craig sent me a 50” Bora Clamp Edge Wide Track to try out.
The Bora Clamp Edge Wide Track
Like the standard Clamp Edge, the Clamp Edge Wide Track works as a straight edge clamping tool. It’s designed to be used as a fence that clamps onto the workpiece. Then just about any cutting tool can be run along the Clamp Edge to create a perfectly straight line. The Clamp Edge Wide Track goes a bit further though, in that it adds T-tracks that accept ¼ x 20 bolt heads so that jigs and other accessories  (such as the Bora Saw Guide) can be attached. Both the standard Clamp Edge and the Clamp Edge Wide Track have pivoting clamping heads that allow them to be clamped to a workpiece at anything from a 0º to 22.5º angle relative to perpendicular from the edge of the piece.
These T-tracks allow Bora and shop made accessories to be used with the Clamp Edge Wide Track.
I put the Clamp Edge Wide Track to work on a few projects. I used it as a guide for cutting Lexan for the window well cover I recently made. Though not exactly what Bora had in mind, the Clamp Edge Wide Track workled very well for this task of guiding a utility knife. The only trick was to place a piece of wood underneath the Lexan before clamping it, as the Lexan sheet itself was too thin and flexible for the Clamp Edge Wide Track to properly bite too.
Cutting this Lexan sheet, the Clamp Edge Wide Track was a great help.
I also used the Clamp Edge Wide Track as a stop for setting the fences on jigs I was making. While working on the Tin Can Caddies I had to make a jig for holding the side pieces as I used the hole saw to make the can holes. The Clamp Edge Wide Track worked wonderfully for this, allowing me to set the Clamp Edge on the line, then just hold the wooden fence tight to the Clamp Edge while I screwed it in, without having to worry about watching the line and trying to keep the wooden fence perfectly set on the line while it was being screwed in.
The stacks of wood are to become a fence screwed to the sheet of MDF.
I used the Clamp Edge Wide Track to align the fence as I assembled this jig.
As the Clamp Edge Wide Track clamped tight enough to be used as a fence setting reference edge without shifting, I’m sure it can easily handle the force of having a saw or router pushed against it to ensure a straight cut. It is certainly in this role, as a straight edge to guide a cutting tool, that the Clamp Edge Wide Track excels. It is straight & stiff and quicker & easier to install than any guide rail, short of one for a dedicated track saw.

It is also in this role as a cutting tool guide that I have used it the least. For you see, I already owned a track saw. Any discussion of the Clamp Edge Wide Track would be remiss if it didnt mention track saws.
Once the adjustable head is moved snug with the piece your clamping to, just through this large  handle
and the Clamp Edge Wide Track grips the wood tenaciously.
If ease of use & speed are the determining factors, track saws win out by a hair. However, if cost is included in the comparison, the Clamp Edge Wide Track is the much better value. For only $56.00 (amazon.com for the 50" model) plus a saw you already own, the Clamp Edge Wide Track will quickly & cheaply make your saw cuts much straighter.

Overall, the Clamp Edge Wide Track is a great clamp-on straight edge and a great value. If you already have a track saw, it may take a little while to see its non-saw guiding value, but it is there. If you dont have a track saw, the Clamp Edge Wide Track will immediately be of tremendous use. Thanks Craig for letting my try out the Clamp Edge Wide Track. It’ll continue to see plenty of use in my shop.
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