We hope your families had a memorable long weekend.  We are mindful of those who have served and sacrificed for their country.

As we close out the 5th month of the year, we were amazed at 5 cloud waves over our mountain view:  a type of "quinary" as one of our customers explained in recent trivia.  Summer is fast approaching, and we look forward to the annual Timber Frame Guild meeting scheduled for August 7-10 in Manchester, NH.  We will be there with loads of tools for you to test.  Hope to see you in New Hampshire!

For more information, click here:  TF Guild Conference in Manchester, NH

In a past newsletter, we promised you a feature on the Mafell KSS 80Ec/370 Track Saw.  In the March 2014 Issue of TIMBER FRAMING (Journal of the Timber Framers Guild), Ben Weiss has provided us with some helpful insights on his personal experience with this new tool:

"The Mafell KSS-80 is very well made, light for its size, balanced and powerful.  The guide track is handy and easy to attach and detach.  The saw's dust collection is effective and its mechanism for depth-setting unrivaled.  If I were to start from scratch and buy only one timber-framing circular saw, the KSS-80 would be the one.

Mafell uses KSS to designate a saw and track combination.  The 80 refers to the depth of cut in millimeters (about 3¼ in.) when on the track.  Ec means the saw has a motor with electronic speed control and 370 is the length of cut on the track (again in millimeters, equal to about 14½ in.).

The saw ships with a 32-in. track that can guide a cut up to 14½ in. long.  Mounting the saw to the track couldn't be easier--just align the two channels in the saw base to the track, push a short distance on the track and the saw locks into place.

Cutting with the guide is a pleasure.  The red plastic edge (Fig. 2) can be placed on the cut line and the saw moves smoothly along the track.  The red-edge alignment works with bevel cuts too, even up to the saw's maximum tilt of 60 degrees.  An integrated elastic cord aids the return of the saw along the track after the cut (cord end-fittings seen in Figs. 1 and 2).

The track guide is equipped with a sturdy and accurate miter gauge.  The cut-side of the track has a fixed stud that should be positioned against vertical face of the timber before cutting.  The opposite side of the track has an adjustable stud that slides along a rail and locks in place with the turn of a thumb screw.  The scale goes from 0 to 60 degrees in one direction and 0 to 50 in the other, with detents at 0, 22.5 and 45 (Figs. 1 and 2).

Cutting 8x8 timbers to length is quite simple when using the track guide set at zero.  If you've got a square timber, marking is not even necessary.  For out-of-square timbers, holding the track on a drawn line is easy, provided the fixed track stud is held against the timber.  The track remains aligned even without setting the miter gauge, using a minimal amount of pressure."

For a full review of the Mafell KSS 80Ec/370, we recommend that you join the Timber Framers Guild and read Ben's full review of this tool in TIMBER FRAMING, March 2014.

For more information on this new saw, please view:
Mafell KSS 80Ec/370 Cross-Cutting System on Timberwolftools.com
or in the Mafell Online Catalog

FAMILY BUSINESS NEWS

I would like to take a moment and introduce you to the newest Powell member of the Timberwolf Tools family:  Jeffrey Powell!  Since joining the family business in April, Jeff is being groomed in all parts of the industry and he will be responsible for excellence in all TWT operations.

Jeff has spent the last 6 years in the publishing world, including American Builders magazine where he spearheaded a special Timber Framing issue featuring Pam Hinton, Executive Director of the Timber Frame Business Council, and over 20 top TFBC members from as many states/provinces.  Growing up in Maine, Jeff and his friends honed their carpentry skills by building several trebuchets--capable of throwing bowling balls and pumpkins hundreds of yards--and one of the catapults used mortise and tenon joinery to successfully hold thousands of pounds of counterweight.  In retrospect, he wishes he had saved himself a lot of time by using a Mafell Z5Ec band saw and LS 103Ec chain mortiser instead of a hand saw and chisel!  To learn more about Jeff's projects and connect to his extensive network, send him an invitation on LinkedIn and he will gladly accept.

Jeff and his wife Kate met at Dartmouth College and currently live in Illinois with their German Shepherd/Huskie mutt, who has become the unofficial mascot of Timberwolf Tools (to learn his out-of-this-world name, you'll have to call us and ask!)  Jeff is excited about the opportunity to speak to each of you on the phone this summer, and meet you at the TFG conference in August with a demonstration of our top tools.  If you would like to see a particular machine in action, email info@timberwolftools.com with requests.

We all wish you a productive summer!

David and the growing Timberwolf Tools Team
Toll free: 800-869-4169
www.timberwolftools.com