Complete print edition of June 11, 2010 Surrey Leader
6
I RON MAN 2............................... 7:00 pm ROBIN HOOD.............................. 9:20 pm Weekend Matinees Sat, June 12 & Sun, June 13 SHREK FOREVER AFTER .............. 1:30 pm Fri, June 11 - Thur, June 17 I R CLOVA CLOVA CINEMA CINEMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N O W P L A Y I N G . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 5732 176 St. Cloverdale Showline 604-574-1114 GET A FREE MEDIUM POPCORN BY BRINGING THIS AD TO A MOVIE THIS WEEK $ $ 4 4 $ $ 7 7 TUESDAY, KIDS & MATINEE ONE OR BOTH SHOWS by Kevin Diakiw A t age 44, Les Hart’s mind is as sharp as ever. His body, however, has been failing for the last decade, as amyo- trophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) quickly spreads through his system. e neurodegenerative condition (also known as Lou Geh- rig’s disease) physically shuts the body down. Four out of five people who have ALS die within two to five years of diagnosis. For Hart, symptoms started in 1999, when the 33-year-old noticed his right thumb was locking up. It wasn’t long before the avid runner received the news that his body would eventually be completely paralyzed. “It wasn’t until I started to research ALS that I got really scared,” Hart said in an email interview this month. “ere are no stories of remission or life-saving procedures, just death. “I stopped doing research.” Aſter a couple of years, his breathing became laboured, and he faced the same excruciating decision every person with the disease does. “My respirologist sat my wife and I down and laid it on the line. At my current lung capacity I had probably a year leſt. e only other option was a (tracheostomy) and spend the rest of my life dependent on a ventilator, basically on life support.” Wanting to see his daughter graduate, he opted for life sup- port. A director with ALS Society of B.C., Hart’s method of com- Les Hart needs a ventilator to stay alive. He relies on people for quality of life Dependent on ‘life support’ by Dan Ferguson THE JURY chairs in the fourth- floor courtroom at the B.C. Supreme Courthouse in New Westminster were empty when Surrey resident Mukhtiar Pan- ghali was brought in by a sheriff Wednesday morning. He’s been in custody since his arrest in 2007 for the 2006 murder of his wife. Before jurors can begin hear- ing the case against Panghali, Justice Heather J. Holmes has to decide what evidence will be pre- sented. She pre- sided over two weeks of arguments over admis- sibility dur- ing what is called a “voir dire” or trial within a trial without a jury present. Details of the hearing cannot be reported. On Wednesday, as the hear- ing was winding down, Pan- ghali listened to the arguments intently, occasionally staring at the almost deserted visitors gallery in the courtroom where just two people, one of them Panghali murder trial underwa y Surrey man charged with killing wife and burning body Les Hart, who suffers with ALS, lost provincial funding for his care aide, Caprice Stadnyk, when he was admitted to hospital. His family has paid for his care, but will soon run out of necessary funds. EVAN SEAL / THE LEADER Walk for ALS: Q June 12, registration at 10 a.m. Q Bear Creek Park, 88 Avenue and King George Q www.walk forals.ca Local ladies form comedy duo page 33 B.C. championship for Burnsview page 30 Friday June 11, 2010 Serving Surrey and North Delta www.surreyleader.com Editorial 6 Letters 7 Sports 30 Arts 33 People 38 Classifieds 41 Save time, save money. See ALS / Page 5 Mukhtiar Panghali See PANGHALI / Page 4
Transcript
IRON MAN 2 ............................... 7:00 pm
ROBIN HOOD .............................. 9:20 pm
Weekend MatineesSat, June 12 & Sun, June 13
SHREK FOREVER AFTER .............. 1:30 pm
Fri, June 11 - Thur, June 17IR
CLOVACLOVA CINEMACINEMA
................. NOW PLAYING ........ . . . . . ..
5732 176 St. Cloverdale Showline 604-574-1114
GET A FREE MEDIUM POPCORN
BY BRINGING THIS AD TO
A MOVIE THIS WEEK
$$4 4 $$7 7 TUESDAY,
KIDS & MATINEEONE OR
BOTH SHOWS
by Kevin Diakiw
At age 44, Les Hart’s mind is as sharp as ever. His body, however, has been failing for the last decade, as amyo-trophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) quickly spreads through his system.
Th e neurodegenerative condition (also known as Lou Geh-rig’s disease) physically shuts the body down. Four out of fi ve people who have ALS die within two to fi ve years of diagnosis.
For Hart, symptoms started in 1999, when the 33-year-old noticed his right thumb was locking up.
It wasn’t long before the avid runner received the news that his body would eventually be completely paralyzed.
“It wasn’t until I started to research ALS that I got really
scared,” Hart said in an email interview this month. “Th ere are no stories of remission or life-saving procedures, just death.
“I stopped doing research.”Aft er a couple of years, his breathing became laboured, and
he faced the same excruciating decision every person with the disease does.
“My respirologist sat my wife and I down and laid it on the line. At my current lung capacity I had probably a year left . Th e only other option was a (tracheostomy) and spend the rest of my life dependent on a ventilator, basically on life support.”
Wanting to see his daughter graduate, he opted for life sup-port.
A director with ALS Society of B.C., Hart’s method of com-
Les Hart needs a ventilator to stay alive. He relies on people for quality of life
Dependent on ‘life support’
by Dan Ferguson
THE JURY chairs in the fourth-fl oor courtroom at the B.C. Supreme Courthouse in New Westminster were empty when Surrey resident Mukhtiar Pan-ghali was brought in by a sheriff Wednesday morning.
He’s been in custody since his arrest in 2007 for the 2006 murder of his wife.
Before jurors can begin hear-ing the case against Panghali, Justice Heather J. Holmes has todecide what evidence will be pre-sented.
She pre-sided over two weeks of arguments over admis-sibility dur-ing what is called a “voir dire” or trial within a trial without a jury present.
Details of the hearing cannot be reported.
On Wednesday, as the hear-ing was winding down, Pan-ghali listened to the arguments intently, occasionally staring at the almost deserted visitors gallery in the courtroom where just two people, one of them
Panghali murder
trialunderway
Surrey man charged with
killing wife and burning body
Les Hart, who suffers
with ALS, lost provincial
funding for his care
aide, Caprice Stadnyk,
when he was admitted to hospital. His
family has paid for his
care, but will soon run out of necessary
funds.
EVAN SEAL / THE LEADER
Walk for ALS:
June 12, registration at 10 a.m.
Bear Creek Park, 88 Avenue and King George
www.walkforals.ca
Local ladies form comedy duo
page 33
B.C. championship for Burnsviewpage 30
FridayJune 11, 2010 Serving Surrey and North Delta
www.surreyleader.com
Editorial 6 Letters 7 Sports 30 Arts 33 People 38 Classifi eds 41 Save time, save money.
See ALS / Page 5
Mukhtiar Panghali
See PANGHALI / Page 4
2 Friday June 11 2010 Surrey North Delta Leader
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Katzie First Nations elder
Willie Pierre blesses a student-
painted mural unveiled at
Clayton Heights Secondary
this week. Art teacher Mary-Lou
Williams, who spearheaded the
project, hopes the work can
be displayed in various public
locations before returning to
the Surrey high school.
EVAN SEAL / THE LEADER
Students mourn Surrey teacher
Seven sacred teachingsby Sheila Reynolds
THERE ARE seven creatures – a bear, eagle, buff alo, human, turtle, wolf and beaver – and printed near them, are the principles they embody.
Th e soaring bald-headed eagle, for example, represents love, while the howling white wolf signifi es humility. Th e other animals embody everything from respect and courage to wisdom, honesty and truth. Th ey are the Seven Sacred Teachings in First Nations cul-ture, meant to demonstrate, through the animal world, man’s connection to life.
Th e images and words are all part of a detailed mural unveiled at Clayton Heights Secondary on Monday aft er-noon – and the coming to fruition of a vision of fi ne arts department head Mary-Lou Williams.
Williams came up with the concept and design for the fi ve-foot by eight-foot canvas, in which the animals’ images are also paired with First Nations crests of the creatures in either Coast Salish, Haida, Kwakiutl, Ojibway or Cree designs.
“I came across the Seven Sacred Teachings and how they were embodied in these diff erent animals that are indigenous to Canada,” Williams said. “I thought ‘wouldn’t it be interesting – because kids are always interested in drawing wildlife – to incorporate that with an appreciation of First Nations art form and line?’”
Integrating text into the artwork, including a hand-written legend, added a literacy component to the school project.
Once a handful of student artists stepped forth – Natalie Brash, Joc-elyn Ko, Andrea Giesbrecht, Kelsey Howe, Caitlin Ringland, Ruth Ross and Adam Zonneveld – the artwork really took off . Aft er a month-and-a-half of painting, the fi nal fi ve-by-eight-foot work was revealed in a special ceremony, where the mural was blessed by Katzie First Nations
elder Willie Pierre.For Williams, the entire process was extraordinary.“It was amazing to have this crazy vision... and then
see my students rise up with their abilities and their talents and go right over my bar of expectation for it.”
But there is still one goal remaining for the mural: the journey.
Williams hopes to display the work in places such as City Hall, school district sites and perhaps the Surrey
Museum.“It is public art,” she says. “I want it to be out there where it can be
seen and where the kids can get recognition for it. And where it can be read.”
Eventually though, it will “come home” and reside in the Clayton Heights Secondary library.
THE MAN killed in a car accident this week was an extremely popular teacher at Princess Margaret Second-ary.
Gary Kang, a 40-year-old shop teacher at Princess Margaret, was found dead in his 2005 Infi niti G35 sports car in a ditch on Colebrook Road, east of 152 Street on Tuesday morning.
Surrey RCMP do not suspect foul play. On Wednesday, a huge out-pouring of grief from students and friends took place on a 1,000-mem-ber Facebook site set up in his memory, as well as on bclocalnews.com.
“Mr. Kang was an awesome teacher and a down to earth human being, and he was too young to go and leave all those unfortunate stu-dents at PM who will never be able to embrace his presence and learn from such an amazing individual. R.I.P Mr. Kang we love you dearly,” wrote Dimme Piecce.
His impact apparently went well beyond the classroom.
“I was blessed to have Mr. Kang as a teacher, and then a friend out of school. My condolences to the fam-ily,” wrote Aneil Djintense Kainth. “I feel for the students who will not have a chance to have this great man teach them.”
High school mural links social responsibility, literacy and art
by Vikki Hopes
A B.C. SUPREME Court judge has ruled that James Bacon’s rights were violated when the warden of Surrey Pretrial Services Centre placed him in solitary confi nement and made other decisions restricting his privileges.
Justice Mark McEwan issued his ruling Wednesday in the civil case, saying war-den Debbie Hawboldt made numerous errors in her supervision of Bacon, includ-ing placing Bacon in segregation, monitoring his mail, passing the correspondence to police, denying him phone access and imposing “blanket restrictions” on his visits.
“Th ese impositions collectively amount to cruel and unusual treatment,” McEwan wrote in his judgment.
Th e judge said Hawboldt used her role to improperly assist police in their inves-tigation of Bacon, who is charged in the Surrey Six slayings. McEwan said she also allowed police to “unduly infl uence” Bacon’s placement in solitary confi nement, adding the warden “repeatedly breached her duty of procedural fairness and natural justice” by not allowing Bacon a hearing or other avenue to challenge the decisions.
Th e case stems from a series of complaints by Bacon on his living conditions while at Surrey Pretrial, starting in April 2009.
In his fi rst windowless cell, he was confi ned 23 hours a day. His bed was a concrete slab with a vinyl-covered foam mat. Th ere was no furniture and he had one sheet and a thin blanket, but was not allowed a pillow. He was not permitted to speak to anyone on the phone but his legal counsel.
Bacon was later moved to a second cell and had access to more amenities, but was still not allowed a pillow and the room was so cold he slept in his clothes.
Aft er his lawyer got involved, Bacon was given access to a TV and had 40 minutes a week in the gym.
Bacon’s complaint, sworn in September, was answered by an affi davit that included a letter from Supt. John Robin of the RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. Robin said introducing Bacon to the general population would “open unre-
stricted conduits for him to send and receive information through other inmates.”McEwan ruled that if Bacon is not found “on proper grounds” to be suitable for placement
among the general inmate population, he must be placed with inmates who are not at risk from, or a risk to, him. He also ordered Bacon’s phone and visiting privileges be restored.
Bacon brother’s rights violated: JudgeSurrey North Delta Leader Friday June 11 2010 3
video-online]
www.surreyleader.com
Deceased man found in car on
Tuesday morning
Accused’s treatment in Surrey jail was ‘cruel and unusual,’ court rules
James Bacon
A man’s body was found in a car on Colebrook Rd. Tuesday.
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Another shooting in Clayton area
4 Friday June 11 2010 Surrey North Delta Leader
Man wounded, arrest madefar from crime scene
Panghali: Trial in Nov.
by Dan Ferguson
ONE MAN was wounded in the stomach and leg Tuesday aft ernoon in a neighbourhood of newly built homes in Surrey’s Clayton community north of Cloverdale.
It happened shortly aft er 1 p.m. near the 19000 block of 68 Avenue.
Th e victim was rushed to hospital. Th e man was taken from a house and rushed to hospital. While offi cers at the scene put up a tarpaulin to prevent a view inside the house, a glimpse of the man showed he had extensive tattoos on both arms.
Police launched a search for a male suspect in a white Jeep Cherokee seen leaving the scene. About an hour later a woman was arrested near 71A Avenue and 150 Street while driving an SUV matching that descrip-tion.
Eyewitness Josie War-riner, a local resident, told Th e Leader several
police vehicles with heavily armed offi cers surrounded a Jeep Cherokee being driven by an older woman in a pink sari.
“Th ey asked her to put her car in park but she [didn’t appear to] understand,” Warriner said.
She said offi cers aimed weapons at the woman and shouted at the driver that she would be shot if she didn’t comply.
Eventually the woman put her hands out of the car window and got
out. She is described by police as a “person of interest” and was taken away in handcuff s.
Police said they believe the attack to be a targeted incident.
Th e Surrey RCMP Serious Crime Unit has taken over the investiga-tion.
Anyone with infor-mation about the case is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or if you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
A woman was arrested near 71A Avenue and 150 Street in Surrey driving an SUV matching the description of a suspect vehicle sought after a Tuesday afternoon shooting in the Clayton area. Police have called the woman a ‘person of interest’ regarding the incident.
a Leader reporter, were sitting.
Th ree years in prison have changed the Surrey school teacher nick-named “M.P.” who used to wear a turban and full beard. His head and face were closely shaved and he appeared to have lost weight.
He was wearing a white dress shirt and
dark pants instead of the red prison-issue clothing he’s worn during other court appearances.
Manjit Panghali, a Surrey school teacher, was four months preg-nant with her second child when she was reported missing by her husband, who made a tearful public plea for help in fi nding her at a Surrey RCMP news conference.
A few days later, her charred body was dis-covered beside the Delta Port Way truck route in South Delta.
Mukhtiar was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and improperly interfer-ing with a dead body.
Th e trial is scheduled to get underway in November aft er a jury is selected.
An injured man is taken from a home near 190 Street and 68 Avenue on Tuesday.
EVAN SEAL / THE LEADER
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munication is a laptop, which he manipu-lates through slight head movement. He has just enough mobility in his hand to the enter keystroke. Th e result is very slow typing.
For the most part, he feels trapped inside his own body. Th e few times he has glimpses of normalcy have been when his wife, or care aides takes him out for a bit of fresh air.
Th e aides that assist him in that had been provincially funded.
Th at is until January, when Hart was admitted to Surrey Memorial Hospital with an infection in his throat. Care aides in a hospital setting are not funded by the province.
“So there I was in Intensive Care, unable to communicate or move. It was the most terrifying experience of my life,” Hart writes. “What was to me a gesture that my head needed to be adjusted, they saw as I couldn’t breathe so the emergency button was hit. It was extremely stressful and lonely.”
Aft er about a month, his father Rich began paying $3,000 a month for private care aides, but as a man of simple means, he can’t continue that for long.
In addition, Hart’s wife left him when he was admitted to hospital.
“It was a perfect storm,” he said.Rich said he can’t continue funding the
care aides indefi nitely, and his son under-stands that.
But he also knows that without them he won’t be able to leave the acute care ward, and will be unable to communicate or shave or shower.
“Cat in a cage,” he types.He’s waiting for a bed at
Carelife Fleetwood, a state-of-the-art respiratory residence in Surrey.
Minister of health Kevin Falcon said Hart’s full suite of care would resume when he is transferred to the complex care facility, which off ers more fl exible care than a hospital.
In addition, Falcon said, “when he is ultimately transferred to a new facility... he would still have, and continue to have, the option if he wished to have additional privately paid services. I can tell you, the care there is very comprehensive.”
Hart has been told he’s next on the waiting list, but he’s had that status for fi ve months.
ALS has no known cure or eff ective treatment. For every person diagnosed with ALS a person with ALS dies. Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 Canadians currently live with ALS.
A Walk for ALS takes place in several communities across the nation June 12 to
raise funds for research into the disease and services to support those living with ALS and their families.
Since the fundraiser began in 2001, the walks have raised about $11 million.
Th e Surrey walk takes place at Bear Creek Park on Saturday, June 12. Registra-tion is at 10 a.m. and the walk begins at 11 a.m.
Th e local run raised $20,000 two years ago and $50,000 last year.
Th e run is free, but contestants are urged to pick up pledge forms for dona-tions, which are available at ABC Restau-rants or online at www.walkforals.ca
also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease • It is a rapidly progressing fatal neuro-
muscular disease, causing paralysis, but the intellect and senses remain unim-paired.
• ALS can strike anyone of any gender, ethnicity or age.
• 80 per cent die within two to fi ve years.
• Can be hereditary, but not contagious.• Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 people
in Canada live with ALS.• Every day, two to three Canadians die
of ALS.• ALS Society of B.C. can be reached at
604-685-0737.
Trustees proceed with school cuts
Surrey North Delta Leader Friday June 11 2010 5
From page 1
ALS: Fundraising walk Saturday
“It was the most terrifying experience of
my life.”
Les Hart
by Sheila Reynolds
FEWER counsellors, fewer learner support team members, fewer teacher-librarians.
Th e reality of cutbacks in the Surrey School District was to come to fruition Th ursday night (aft er Th e Leader’s press deadline) as Surrey’s Board of Education was expected to vote on how it will pare $12.3 million from its operating budget for the coming school year.
In April, Surrey made public plans to shift spe-cialty teachers into regular classroom positions – a move that would save an estimated $5.6 million. In addition, remaining speciality teachers won’t be replaced for absences of less than three days, potentially saving the district another $1.6 million.
Other cuts will hit
custodial and clerical staff , as well as administration, and operation and mainte-nance workers. Supply and resource budgets were also expected to be slashed by $1.5 million.
While about 1,300 new students are expected to
enter Surrey schools in Sep-tember – Surrey is one of the few districts in B.C. still grow-
ing – only about fi ve new teachers will be hired.
“Th is is considerably below the staffi ng increase that would be in place if we were able to maintain the current service levels,” Supt. Mike McKay wrote in a staff memo in April.
Th e district also extended spring break to two weeks for the coming year to save about $600,000.
Check www.surreyleader.com Friday for more infor-mation on Surrey’s 2010-11 budget.
Surrey slashes $12 million
[more online
www.surreyleader.com
Published and printed by Black Press Ltd. at 5450 152 St., Surrey, B.C.
OPINION Friday June 11 20106
The headline in a Vancouver daily newspaper on Wednesday stated
“’Hood under siege.”Th e ’hood mentioned
is the East Clayton area of Surrey, which was held up as a paragon of planning virtue when fi rst proposed. Th e City of Surrey even won an award for the inno-vation used in the area.
As a longtime resident of Clayton (which historically has included all the area between 64 and 80 Avenues, east of 176 Street to the Langley border), I had some concerns when the East Clayton project was pushed through city hall.
Th ere is no question higher densi-ties were neces-sary – the cost of land alone made that imperative. Th e idea of allow-ing more small businesses in homes, something that is permitted in one area of East Clayton, is also a solid one. And it’s wonderful to have so much shopping available so close to home.
However, the densities within East Clayton are starting to cause some problems. A murder in late March was almost certainly related to the close proxim-ity of neighbours to each other. A family celebration that went into the early hours ended with a man stabbed to death.
Much of East Clayton is zoned to allow carriage houses – suites built above garages. Carriage houses and garages are usually attached to the main home with a common wall, which means almost the entire footprint of the lot is cov-ered by buildings. Th ere is almost no back yard (most homes have almost no front yards, either), and not enough parking.
Most homes also have basement suites. If there are four, fi ve or six working adults living in what used to be known as a single-family
home on a very small lot, there will be a lot of vehicles on the street.
Parts of East Clayton have been zoned for apart-ments and townhouses. Th ese developments allow for higher densities, but they come with amenities like more trees and room for kids to play.
One of the intangible benefi ts of apartments and townhouses is that most rentals are arranged by people with signifi cant experience. Th e carriage houses and suites in single-family homes are usually
rented out by the home owner – oft en someone with no experience as a landlord. Th ere is keen competition for tenants – Housing Minister Rich Coleman has noted East Clayton’s many suites
have actually brought rental rates down in the area.
Under such circum-stances it is possible to get a bad tenant, and when living in close proximity, trouble can erupt.
In the past week, there have been two shootings in East Clayton. In the fi rst one, a young woman was murdered on the street late at night, in what police call a domestic dispute. In the second, a man was shot when he answered the door of his home on Tuesday aft ernoon. Th is took place a short distance from a new elementary school. As police were investigating the shooting, school kids and their family members navigated police lines to make their way home from school.
Surrey planners and crime prevention special-ists need to look closely at the social conditions within East Clayton, and think long and hard about whether carriage houses and unbridled rentals within standalone houses are the right way to build a new neighbourhood.
Density and crime linked?
Th e not-so-secret about handymanning
CLAYTON HEIGHTS
Do high-density neighbourhoods contribute to increased crime rates?
To answer, go to the Home page of our website: www.surreyleader.com
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
The Surrey/North Delta Leader is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body governing the province’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers.
Directors oversee the mediation of complaints, with input from both the newspaper and the complaint holder.
If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the B.C. Press Council.
Your written concern, with documentation, should be sent within 45 days to B.C. Press Council, 201 Selby St., Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2R2.
For information, phone 888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org
DO IT YOURSELF
Do you support a four-year term for politicians elected to municipal councils and school boards?Here’s how you responded: Yes 54% No 46%
LAST WEEK WE ASKED:
The Surrey/North Delta Leader
DIY. It’s an acronym that most people will recognize.
Do-It-Yourself – one of the fastest-growing trends of the 21st century. Worth
billions.I know. I have been a key contributor for much of
my adult life.Growing up on a farm, I was in the DIY curve
long before most of my generation. DIY was a way of life, because there was no one else to DIFY (Do-It-For-You).
And if you couldn’t do it yourself, you were a DOOFUS.
So, when I left my rural roots, I had a fairly exten-sive knowledge of handy skills and information. Now some of it, like repairing barbed wire fences, was not exactly transferable to a suburban existence, but basic prac-tical knowledge is applicable to virtually all situations – like duct tape.
What I didn’t have when I started my own shop many years ago was an extensive selection of tools to DIY with. Of course, I set about rectifying this situation and – much to the chagrin of my penny-saving wife – I’m still adding to my inventory.
I’m going to share a secret about handymanning – it’s as much about acquiring new tools as it is accomplishing the project du jour.
Th e great part of every new DIY undertaking is that it holds the tantalizing prospect of a new gadget or machine. And that means another expedition to the toy store of choice – be it big-box, or small retailer. Catalogues and online suppliers are fun for research, but not for actual purchase. Buying new tools is very much a tactile, hands-on experience.
A recent project of mine unfolded in classic fashion.
Th e task: Two tables for the front door hallway.Th e plan: Solid oak, with sculpted or arched side
pieces and bottom supports.
Tools needed: Table saw, chop saw, router, router table, clamps, glue, etc. Estimated cost of materials: $150, which is a signifi cant savings over buying the tables from a store – an important selling point for my frugal spouse.
Th e fi rst issue was the router table. My homemade unit was not suited to the task. Purchase: One router table, $200. Now, the point of a router table is to mount a router in it. And when you do that, your router is no longer available for handheld work. You’d have to unbolt the router from the table, and reinstall it again later.
Clearly, a second router is required. Oh happy days! Another trip to the hardware store, $200.
Now, a router is a useless thing without bits, particularly for a specifi c purpose like biscuit joinery (no, it doesn’t involving gluing together baked goods).
Purchase: Two slot cutter bits, $65.Th ings were going swimmingly.
Sides cut and shaped. Legs likewise. Biscuit joints routered. Table tops clamped and glued. Except... the laminated oak pieces for the tops didn’t fl ush perfectly. A planer would solve that far more effi ciently and precisely than a lot of sanding.
Could it be? Yes! Clear justifi cation for a planer, $400.
However, given the previous wave of tool pur-chases, it would be better to wait for a fresh VISA statement, temporarily throwing the banking blood-hound off the scent. A mission for next weekend.
Longtime friend, fellow columnist and all-round handyman Mark Rushton knows of what I speak. His philosophy is that by the time he goes to the Great Workshop in the Sky, he will no longer have any money for his kids to inherit. However, there will be a pile of tools they can pawn!
A man aft er my own heart.
Andrew Holota is editor of the Abbotsford News, a sister paper to Th e Leader.
