Tool-Rank is giving away a $250 Amazon gift card and all you have to do to enter to win is join their site and write a quick review in one of their review categories (tools, media, stores). Each of the first five reviews that you write will be entered individually into the drawing, giving you more chances to win. The contest ends July 31st.
There is a ton of official sounding legal stuff over at the site showing that they're way more professional than us (we usually have our cat pick the winner).
This last weekend we were wrapping up a visit with the Bro-In-Law and he said, "oh, wait, I've got to show you the Shopsmith!" We were then ushered into the garage and it was there that we saw the magnificent vision that is the Shopsmith. Advertised on their website as 'the five most needed tools - all in the space of a bicycle' the Shopsmith is a phenomenal item for the home woodshop.
The Shopsmith is a revelation of multi-unit engineering (if there even is such a thing). With more shifting parts than Optimus Prime, the tool can quickly assume the form of whichever tool you need next. It's: a table saw, a lathe, a disc sander, a horizontal drill, and a drill press. It's also cool as hell. The one we saw was an older model (it had a band saw too) and it had that great look of an industrial farm tool from the 1950s.
The unit turns on with a nice old-fashioned toggle switch and there's a dial that allows you to change the power to the motor. The dial is marked with the names of the tools, so you know where to set it depending on the use.
To buy the basic package off the shelves it's about $3000, but this is the kind of thing that you can probably scavenge for about half that.
Do cordless chainsaws strike anyone else as a bad idea?
Chainsaws are right up there with table saws on the, "what's more dangerous than a coked-up rottweiler" scale. We actually like that 2-stroke engines can be such a pain in the ass. It's sort of like a built-in deterrent. First you need gas, then you need oil, then you need a handful of dixie cups in order to get the ratio right. The best part is that once you've devoted an entire shelf in your garage to your chainsaw and you've done everything the way it's supposed to be done, there's still about a 20% chance that the saw won't even start. All of this hassle means that chainsaws stay in the hands of those who are really willing to put the effort into tool and engine care. Additionally, the extended preparation time allows for a moment to think about the dangers of chainsaw kickback.
But these days, all you have to do is click your battery off your drill and into your Ryobi chainsaw and ta-da, you're all ready to go with the pull of a trigger
We're sure that the safety precautions are good and all, but it just seems waaaay too easy to get waaaay too dangerous. But hey, table saws only need an outlet and a flip of a switch.
Tool catalogs are pretty much entirely online now. All of the stores have their databases and their shopping cart icons and their category lists. This is fine if you're looking for a specific tool, but what the online catalogs will never do is recreate the act (or art?) of browsing. If we go to the online Northern Tool + Equipment catalog looking for a drill, we go to category-->power tools-->drills. Hooray, we found the drills and nothing else.
If, on the other hand, we pick up the NT+E master catalog (which just showed up last week) and look for drills, we find the 4 Outlet Faucet Adapter (might need that), then we stumble across the 7000 lb. Full-Rise Scissor Lift (looks cool, but can't afford it), then it's onto the 4' Peavey (been meaning to pick up one of those), and after that the High Performance Suspension Truck Seats (no need for that).
The point here is that we highly recommend getting a big, fat, varied tool catalog and just flipping through it. If you're looking online, you're only going to find what you're looking for and all the other interesting things will remain out of sight and out of mind.
The 591 page Northern Tool catalog is free and you can get one here.
We've used a number of hidden deck fasteners and have gotten some mixed results. We've had some good experiences (Eb-Ty) and some not-so-good experiences (Tiger Claw). Even the successful Eb-Tys were labor intensive with us having to biscuit out for each and every fastener. The results were great, but the process was tedious.
So Kreg, masters of all that is jiggy, are entering the ring with their new Deck Jig and at a glance it looks like a fast, efficient way of doing things (on the one condition that you have 2 drills). Like every other product that Kreg sells, the Deck Jig boils down to a method of drilling and setting a screw at a specific angle. In this case, it assists with toe-screwing a deck board to a joist.
The jig is set up like other Kreg jigs with the special drill bit and the adjustable depth collar. There are three drilling holes, one for screwing straight on and the other two for angled screwing, like when two boards meet on a joist. The kit also comes with little board spacers, to ensure your deck boards are nice and parallel.
The one thing that worries us about this whole thing is that the jig uses a specialized drill bit (replacements are about $14). So if you're making your deck out of ipe (which is becoming more and more popular), there could be an added expense of additional drill bits. Spending a day drilling through a species of wood that has the same fire rating as steel doesn't bode well for the longevity of the bit. But then again, cutting biscuit slots in it is no treat either.
A few months ago, Jay from CopTool sent us an issue of The Garage Slab, a magazine about...well....garages. Or more specifically, a magazine about and for the type of person who likes to chill out in their garage with the door open and a six-pack of beer. It's not a DiY magazine or one about cars, and it's not about workshops, and it's not about tools. It's about all of these things, but only as seen through the prism of the American garage.
It's a strange magazine and it took us a few passes through to really start getting the vibe of it. The articles seem pretty random at first, but it all makes sense once you stop trying to figure it out and just start enjoying it. The issue we read (Fall 09) had a couple recipes, an article on garage design, one on beer brewing, one on extension cords, and there's even a pin-up and an advice column.
It's a cool magazine too (if you're into garages) and it's one that screams for a cult following (if it doesn't already have one). Unfortunately there's not much of an online presence, so if you're interested, you'll just have to take the leap from the lion's head and drop the $13 for 4 issues (one year).
My latest article is up over at Popular Science. In the article, I tested the upstart Rockwell JawHorse head-to-head against the tried-and-true Black & Decker Workmate.
We've always said that Angle Grinders are not only one of our favorite tools, but that they're vastly under used and under appreciated.
So it's nice to see this contraption in this year's Grizzly catalog. While it looks somewhat unstable and potentially dangerous, it does utilize the angle grinder so it's fine in our book. It seems that all you have to make a mini metal chop saw is attach your angle grinder (using the threaded hole for the side handle) to this base and away you go. We checked out the reviews over at Amazon and they both said that the tool is pretty good but the clamp to hold the workpiece is completely useless.
Craftsman 5" Vibrafree Random Orbit Sander - Review
We've had an eye on the Craftsman Vibrafree Sander for a while. It's been out for a couple years and we've read a bunch of reviews of it and they all seem pretty positive. Way more positive than we would have guessed from our first skeptical glance at the tool. The whole thing just seems too good to be true: an orbital sander that doesn't vibrate? So we had some anticipation in the works when Craftsman offered to send one our way for testing.
If you don't know, the Vibrafree's special superpower comes from its sanding pad, or rather sanding pads. Craftsman has taken the standard design of a singular disc and replaced it with a circular inner disc and a separate outer ring. The two pads orbit in opposite directions and thus cancel one another out. It's a simple idea and a nice one, but no matter how much we read, we wanted to know for ourselves if it did indeed work, and if there were any big drawbacks to the system.
One thing we noticed immediately is that the Craftsman is heavier than the standard orbital. We suppose that this is from having to stuff two orbiting mechanisms in the tool. It's also slightly bulkier than most, but even with both of these characteristics, the size and the weight, it's easy to manage with one hand. It also has a nice long cord (10'), which we're always in favor of.
Now on to the whole 'no-vibration' thing.
We started it up and got going. And, well, yeah, it actually works. There's still the general movement and occasional stutter of an orbital sander, but that constant micro-shimmy, the one that wears your arm out and gives you pins and needles after about five minutes, is entirely absent. It's a strange feeling, using an orbital without that ever present jiggle. It's sort of like the first time we sat in a Hybrid and realized it was on, even though there was no motor noise: it's great, but there's something about it that's slightly unsettling. Using the Vibrafree on a few small projects, we discovered that the wear and tear on our arm was considerably less and we realized what a struggle on the wrist standard orbitals actually are.
A second interesting feature of this tool is the dust collection. Instead of a soft filter dust bag, the Craftsman comes with something they call a 'cyclonic dust box,' which seems to work fine, but gains awesome points because it's called a 'cyclonic dust box.' It even has this nice little flip-up door at the back end of it so you can empty the canister without having to take it off the tool. Unfortunately the connection point between the tool and the dust box is done with these two little clips that look like they're one workbench drop away from breaking off. If you're not into the whole cyclone thing, the Craftsman comes with an adapter for a vacuum.
The one real downside to the tool is the fact that it's a single speed. If you're not used to variable speed orbitals, it's probably no big deal, but we like having that kind of control over disc speed based on the situation and it's too bad it's not an option with this tool.
Another minor bone that we have to pick with this tool is the case that it comes in (we can actually hear some of you clicking away from the site). It's one of those cases where there is only one possible way for everything to fit in (which includes removing the dust canister from the tool), and there's really no room left for storage. in our experience, orbital cases end up being sandpaper clearing houses, and here, there's no way for that to happen.
Less vibration means more money because the Vibrafree sells for $100, which is a good $30+ higher than the average high-end name brand orbital. There's also the issue of discs. Because of the anti-vibration design, the sanding discs are unique and, thus, not easily available. They're on the Sears website (a 3 pack for $4), but items like this, you need to have available on the fly. It's likely that they're also at your local Sears. Also, it's worth noting that Rockwell has also released a Vibrafree sander that looks similar to the Craftsman. And when we say, 'similar,' what we really mean is, 'identical.' It's like someone photoshopped in some new colors and a new logo. The Rockwell even has the kickass "cyclonic dust box." The tools are so similar that there's got to be some sort of licensing agreement going on. But anyway, our point is that while the Craftsman may have limited availability with their discs, the Rockwell may be easier to find.
So our final say is that the orbital works great, even though we have some finicky little issues with it.
As the story goes, one day in 1810, Tabitha Babbitt, a Shaker woman, looked at a couple dudes working a pit saw (one account says it was her brothers) and thought to herself, 'there's got to be a better way to build this mousetrap.'
From the vantage point of our nice, heated, indoor-plumbing-equipped homes, a pit saw is a pretty crazy idea. Dig a pit, roll a log across it, position one man above and one man below, get a two-man saw, and have at it. The forward thinking Tabitha didn't like the process due to the wasted energy and effort with all the digging and the sawing (Not to mention the awkward moment when it was decided which guy was going have to work in the hole all day).
Babbitt discovered how to solve the problem using her spinning wheel.
She mounted a tin disk with notches along its circumference. Being pushed into the spinning disk cut the wood with much less effort than a pit saw. Her idea was enlarged and adopted for use by the local saw mill. Use of the circular saw became a common practice here. Because of her Shaker religion, Babbitt did not apply for a patent for her invention.
We snagged the image from the York website as well.
There are actually a number of other origin stories for the circular saw, but we like this one the best because it all happened in the little town where Tool Snob HQ is currently located. We've even been by the graveyard where, we believe, Tabitha resides.
There are two main factions in the tool belt world; the leathers and the nylons. It's sort of like the carpenter version of the Sharks and the Jets. Us? We usually dodge the question by opting for the simple nail pouch with a separate hammer loop. Our quasi-supervisory role at work doesn't allow us to spend too many days fully tooled up. But on those days when we're forced to do it, we go for the old leather belt that we have. In our opinion, there's something about them that just feels more...well...authentic. But we don't have anything against the nylon belts, it's just that we've never really found one that we've been all that into. They seem a little too modern and futuristic for us.
But we're open-minded folks so we jumped at the chance to review the the nylon ToolRider GSR Suspension Rig when Rooster (also makers of McGuire-Nicholas rigs) offered to send one on.
Yesterday we were talking to our good buddy Hal from over at Extreme How-To and he asked if we had heard of the Skil Flooring Saw. We hadn't, so on his recommendation we came back to the shop and looked it up online and...well...this one looks pretty cool. Really cool, in fact.
What Skil has done here is analyzed what exactly is needed for cutting tools on a flooring project and done two things with the information; gotten rid of all the excess and combined the 'needs' into one tool. Skil's line of thought is, 'why bother with a 10" miter saw and a 10" table saw when all you're doing is cutting 3" wide boards?" They've got a point.
So their setup looks something like a tile saw. The blade is tiny and can either be run along the track for crosscuts or secured in place for rips. It looks like there's a also an adjustable miter fence and, in a wonderfully simple move, Skil made the base of the tool 1-1/2" high, so your outfeed can be taken care of with a 2x. From the looks of the video over at the Skil site, the tool is light too. The guy doesn't seem to have any problem hauling it around in one hand. While this may be good for mobility, we're curious how it affects rip cuts. Are there rubber gripping pads under the saw to prevent sliding, or do you have to screw the unit down to stabilize it? (UPDATE: We just got word from some people in the know that the saw does indeed have rubber feet as well as mounting holes for screw-mounting to a workbench).
Showing absolutely no sensitivity towards the nail community, Bosch has dubbed their latest auger bits, "Nailkillers." Frightening stuff if you're a nail. But if you're a carpenter or electrician who is sick of chewing through $15-$30 auger bits every time one hits a screw, it's really not so bad.
According to Bosch, these bits last 9 times longer than the average non-killing, peacenik, flower-child auger bit. In their press release, Bosch states that, "Independent testing of the Nailkiller bits revealed that a 1" Nailkiller bit was capable of driving through up to 301 hidden nails, versus only 33 for the current market leader, when used with a right-angle drill."
That's a serious difference (and a lot of mourning nail families).
The bits are just now becoming available and vary in length from 7-1/2" to 24" and diameters from 1/4" to 1-1/2".
According to Bosch, the bit will be available online at Tyler Tool, but it looks like the website hasn't yet been updated accordingly.
The press release is after the jump. It's worth browsing because there is quite a bit more to these bits. Or if you don't know how to read, Bosch has set up a nailkiller microsite here.
Here's a great video that we first saw over at Lumberjocks. It's of a guy who's living the dream. He gave up the corporate world and now he makes farm tables. Not bad, eh?
The video has a soothing quality to it, sort of like Bob Ross' Joy of Painting.
Thanks to the wonderful people at The Sheep's Company for initially sending us the video.
Now that most of the big players have their oscillating tools on the shelves, the first phase of the oscillating extravaganza of '09 is coming to an end. At the moment, it looks like we've just entered phase two: accessories. This era will likely be marked by companies releasing all manner of accessory, each more creative (and strange) than the last. We recently checked out Fein's orbital sander attachment and we were very impressed. Today, we just finished up our testing of Rockwell's new SoniShear. The function of this attachment is to turn your SoniCrafter into a pair of shears. When Rockwell said they'd send us one, we really didn't know what to expect.
When we first saw it on youtube, we thought that attaching it to the SoniCrafter was going to be a hassle, like we had to take apart the head of the tool or something. As it turns out, that's not the case at all; it fits on just like any other attachment.
Once it was on, we started a cuttin'. We began with the terrible blister pack that it came in and the SoniShear zipped right through it at an impressive speed. Then we went to corrugated cardboard and had the same results. After that was a thin strip of poplar. Here, not so much. The SoniShear couldn't handle the 1/8" bulky wood. It wasn't from lack of trying either, we actually loosened the whole attachment while we were jamming the thing into the wood (note: no where does Rockwell say that the SoniShear is able to cut wood, we just wanted to push the accessory). So you can't cut wood, but how about aluminum flashing? The SoniShear had no problem here, but the bulk of the tool made things a little awkward, so we'd probably stick with tin snips in the future. We didn't get around to cutting carpet, but from what we saw, the SoniShear would have no difficulty with that material.
There's no question that it's easier on the hands then regular snips or shears. It's also no problem cutting curves. But with the accessory offset from the tool body, there are going to be times when the tool isn't going to fit where you want it. It's a minimal concern and shouldn't stop anyone from taking a closer look at the SoniShear.
It's inexpensive enough at $25 that it sort of falls into the, "eh, why not?" category. Unless you're lined up to remove a carpet, there's probably no reason to go running out to get one, but if you see one at the store and you've got some cash in your pocket, why not have it on hand in your arsenal? It'll definitely come in handy at some point.
In 1999, Acme Tools sold their online department to Amazon and since then, they've apparently been concentrating on expanding their brick and mortar stores in Iowa and Minnesota. But now it seems that they're back in action.
We checked their prices and they're in the range of most other online retailers. The site does have a couple cool features like a 'what's new' area and a standing gift guide. You can also 'shop by trade,' which is nice.
So where do you go after you completely dominate the 12-volt market? Hand tools, apparently. Milwaukee has just announced the first four tools in a new line of non-powered, non-voltage tools. And, as always with Milwaukee, they are geared for tradesman.
The first tools announced are two utility knives, a drywall keyhole saw, and a 11-in-1 screwdriver. Of these, the one that interests us the most is the 11-in-1. It seems that in the past few weeks there has been an explosion of the Klein 10-in-1 at the jobsite. All of a sudden, everyone's getting one (and telling everyone else to get one). So at least in our area, Milwaukee seems to be hitting the market at the right time.
For more information on these tools, check out Milwaukee's hand tool page here.
We've done our random drawing and have come up with the grand prize winner of the Craftsman MiterMate. First, we took all of your comments and gave each one a number and wrote those numbers on little pieces of paper and spread them out on the floor. Then, we plopped Tool Snob Jr. in the middle of it and the piece of paper he selected was the winner. Although he was momentarily distracted by Sullivan, the giant teddy bear, he soon got down to business and picked a winner. To make sure that the whole event was on the up and up, the drawing was monitored closely by Marlowe, the official sweepstakes observer.
And so the winner of the MiterMate is Beth who wrote in with this entry:
I absolutely need this. I currently have to borrow my cousin's husbands mitre saw, and granted he doesn't use it, neither do I, because it's broke, and I can't just go around returning broken miter saws to people, and saying things like 'it was this way when I found it', and by found it I mean dropped it.
Mostly I need to finished the molding and trim in the front room of my mothers house, before she gets back and sees that I ripped out all the old stuff.
So when I think do I need a mitersaw? The question is really do I wish to continue to be a member of this family and have a roof over my head?
Both answers are yes.
Thanks Toolsnob, I keep you in the heart of my toolbar, in the web browser of my life.
When we initiated the contest, we said we would choose another winner based on originality and creativity. As it turns out we chose two. These guys will be getting a random tool from the shop.
The first runner-up was David, who, if he won the saw, offered to devote 1-3 minutes each day to world peace. We're sorry that you didn't win the grand prize, David. It looks like Bono will just have to carry a little more weight on his shoulders.
The second runner-up was Bobby, who delivered his entry in the form of a haiku. We were stunned with his evocative words and are in the process of nominating him for the Bollingen Prize. Dim the lights and read the poem for yourself:
a mitermate saw!
while rebuilding my old shed
in spring would help much.
Simple. Elegant. Beautiful.
And while those were the winners, we do want to say that we were immensely impressed with the quality of all the entries. With very few exceptions, they were great fun to read and we're honored to have such clever and crafty people visit our website. We also feel 100% of your pain with your old houses, in-progress renovations, and angry spouses. If we could, we would have given a MiterMate to each one of you. Honestly.
We would also like to thank Craftsman for suggesting the give-away in the first place.
It's funny, but each time Dremel releases a new rotary tool, we think to ourselves, "man, this is the best Dremel evah!" Then they release another one and we think, "Whoa, now this is the best Dremel the world has ever seen!" And on and on. Last year they released their new corded 4000 series tool and we loved it for it's strength and all around 'Dremely vibe.' Well, now they've released the cordless 8200 which seems to be a companion to the 4000. We were happy that they let us check out a pre-release sample. Oddly enough, we got it in our hands, played around with it for a bit and thought, "Hot damn! Now this might be the greatest Dremel we've ever used!"
The 8200 operates in a range of 5,000 to 30,000 rpm with the adjustment made with a slider on the back of the tool. Above the slider is a battery fuel gauge so you can keep an eye on how much juice you've got left. It's a feature that we think should be standard in li-Ion tools and it's nice to see Dremel getting on board with it.
Because we're carpenters and not hobbyists, we would have liked to see this tool come with two batteries instead of just one. Were that the case, the 8200 would be fully jobsite ready, but the extra battery would also tack on at least $50 to the price and it would be something that isn't used by a lot of the people who buy Dremels and use them sporadically in the garage workspace and won't mind the 1-hour charger.
(Update: We're dopes. Dremel does indeed offer an 8200 with two batteries. It's the 8200 2/28 and it will be retailing for $140. It also includes a cutting guide, a right angle attachment and 28 accessories. Sounds ideal to us. A thank you to Dremel for pointing out our error.)
In general, the cordless aspect of this tool is fantastic. It makes the use and set-up of it that much easier. And it's powerful too. According to Dremel, the 8200 has a speed of cut that is twice as fast as the leading cordless rotary tool. We didn't verify this, but we did use the tool to cut metal, plastic, and stone and thought it was right up there with the 4000.
The one thing we're not fond of with the tool is the case. Because the tool we got was an advance copy, the case we got may or may not be the one that is being sold with the tool. We have no reason to think that the production case will be different, but you never know. As our friends at Milwaukee are aware, we can get really hung up on tool cases. The blow-molded jobbies that some companies use drive us crazy, and while the Dremel case does have plenty of room for accessories, there is also this panel piece that creates an odd space for loose accessories to hide behind. And getting them out is like getting a pick out of a guitar. Dremel accessories are very tiny and some of them break down into even tinier pieces, so why make a case like this? No comprende.
But that's just our hangup and all of you who read that last paragraph with glazed over eyes can just walk away knowing that Dremel has made yet another great rotary tool.
it's also worth noting the we received a marketing sample, so the 100% finished "in the store" product may (or may not) have a look that is slightly more polished.
The 8200 isn't available until April, but when it is, it will sell for $100 to $140 depending on the accessory package that comes with it. It's not there now, but it will likely be at Amazon.com
Another good month is in the bag here. Between watching the Olympics and trying to wrap up a project at work, we managed to deliver some tool news and reviews. In our opinion, the most interesting things going on this month were the Rockwell H3, the Rockwell VersaCut, and the Ridgid JobMax.
The Tool of the Month has to be the Craftsman MiterMate. While it's a little awkward to use in certain circumstances, it shows Craftsman's willingness to take risks and at the same time add a little spice to the boring old miter saw. Also, we'll be announcing the winners of our MiterMate giveaway later this week. Oh, and make sure to check out InspectApedia if you have any curiosity about how your house works.
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The Renovation Continues....