Our sponsor Rockler just recently started offering a tool that looks more like something you’d find when running through the Transportation Safety Administration’s personal-space-intrusion-gauntlet at your local airport. However, instead of being tasked with finding assault rifles secreted under the shawls of 90 year old grannies, the Rockler Lumber Wizard 4 metal detector is designed to detect nails and screws. If you don’t value your personal safety and you run cheap blades on your saws, or if you only use pristine, virgin wood, then this isn’t really news. However, if you use higher quality saw blades, find yourself cutting reclaimed lumber, and you like to avoid metal shrapnel, then the Lumber Wizard 4 might prevent a nail-sponsored terrorist attack on your blades.
The Lumber Wizard 4 is a handheld unit, not unlike those metal detectors so popular with the TSA and gang-ridden grade schools. Sweeping the wand over the wood, a laser light and audible alarm let you know if metal is present. By providing a laser, you actually have a shot of noticing the alert, even if your garage or shop is a bit on the noisy side.
The Lumber Wizard 4 also has a headphone jack for audio alerts using an earplug or headphones. You’ll need to provide the 9-volt battery, earplug or headphones if wanted, and, of course, the metal-laden reclaimed wood. Rockler states that this battery operated metal detector will give you up to 40 hours of metal detecting fun on one 9-volt battery. At $150 a pop, the Lumber Wizard 4 isn’t cheap. But then neither are your saw blades! Plus, you can give yourself a quick search with one before heading to the airport just to make sure you didn’t forget any metal contraband.
First saw good ol’ Norm use one of these years ago when constructing yet another masterpiece from reclaimed barn wood.
At that time my take on it was, yup HE can afford it, I’ll just have to make due with watching his handywork and keep my equipment safe. Now I can have a go at all those pallets I see stacked for bonfires!