This Old Workshop, Bladepoint review, woodworking

Woody Tool Workout:

BladePoint Laser Guide

For several years now, I have looked to Norm Abram as a source for new and innovative tools. I am seldom disappointed with his view on a tool. Many of you are left with a case of tool envy when it comes to Norm's Power compound miter box, as am I. The ease at which he is able to make one-off cuts for projects had me searching the 'Net for any of the remaining Porter Cable laser-guided saws. It never seemed to fail that when I would find one in an ad or auction, it would be gone.

My quest for a laser-guided saw led me to BladePoint Corporation and The BladePoint Laser Guide. Their ground-breaking design allows a woodworker to make safe, accurate and fast cuts on their own saw without any major modification. Its distinctive mounting design places the laser directly on the saw blade. You simply replace the manufacturer's retainer washer with your laser alignment system, bolt it on to the saw and it's ready to be used. No further alignment is necessary. BladePoint claims no pampering of your saw is needed when your Laser Guide is attached. This was not the case with the Porter Cable and a key reason they removed it from production. Raymond Caluori told us that it is virtually impossible to knock the laser out of alignment under normal daily use in the shop.

Dan and I each mounted up one of the BladePoint Lasers. Dan took the power miter box (a 10" Delta Sidekick) and I mounted mine to the Ridgid radial arm saw. Now Norm never had this. Be sure to read the instruction manual for both your BladePoint and your saw. Neither saw was a conventional mount so my conversation with Raymond Caluori at Blade Point was important. He had a vast knowledge of my saw and told me exactly what would work. Within minutes, our Blade Points were in place and we were off trying them at every cut you could imagine. The laser is activated by a centrifugal switch, so when I clicked the power on the radial arm saw, the spinning of the saw blade activated the laser and a thin red line was projected onto the wood to be cut. The manufacturer recommends making 50 practice cuts. TOW recommends measuring the cut you want to make just like it is a close tolerance cut on your finest project. Within a few minutes, I had a perfect idea of where the laser needed to be on the stock to make the cut right the first time. Using a BladePoint Laser Guide does not alter the way a power saw is operated. Since this saw already had hundreds of cuts on it, I didn't have to learn any techniques other than laser placement and I gained the benefit of a bright red laser line to guide the saw by. Another benefit is nothing to switch off. When the saw is disengaged, it shuts off automatically. BladePoint informed us that, for safety reasons, centrifugal force was chosen to engage and disengage the laser, eliminating any reason or temptation to place the operator's hand near the saw blade to turn the laser on or off.

Another feature BladePoint claims is improved ergonomics. The laser line can be easily viewed while standing upright,thus reducing operator fatigue. Also, placing the saw operator's face and eyes behind the safety guards and away from flying debris. I must admit standing straight behind the guard was a new position for me. Wood chips didn't pepper me! Three standard button cell batteries available at most retail outlets power the BladePoint. The batteries will easily provide eight to ten hours of cutting under normal use and the laser has a projected life of 10,000 hours. The retail price is $149.95, or about $0.15 per hour plus the cost of batteries, making it the most affordable laser guide on the market.

Dan made an interesting observastion on how the BladePoint guide adds to the safety of the saw.. "if you see a red line on your hand, don't lower the saw." okay lets hope your hand never strays near the blade, as the light is only on when the blade is turning.

Each time a one of a kind cut is made, I worry less about ruining a quality piece of stock and you will too. You can contact BladePoint on the World Wide Web at www.BladePoint.com or contact BladePoint's marketing department at 617-770-4575, Raymond Caluori, Senior Vice President of Marketing for BladePoint. "Customer demand to date has convinced us that there is a significant market for this product."

Precision craftsmanship. Simplicity of use and bright display.

A well priced guide, and opperating costs in line with its useful ness

Although a laser guide might be viewed as a luxury, once you get used to using one, you won't want to turn it off.