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Table of Contents 2013

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  • A Finish Carpenter’s Bag of Tricks: Part 2

    Here are 12 more tools I could not live without.

     
  • Laborer Dies in Trench Collapse and Lives to Tell the Tale

    The doctors didn't think he would survive, and that if he did he’d have extensive brain damage. Fortunately, they were wrong.

     
  • The Work Van That Wasn’t

    In 2008 Nissan released sketches of a radical concept van. I’m not surprised they never built it or that an individual cabinet maker built something similar on his own.

     
  • Home-Made Wormdrive Gears

    Why is it so hypnotic to watch wooden gears turn?

     
  • Festool Systainers

    If you are familiar with modular tool organizers, then you know about Systainers.

     
  • What's New from DeWalt?

    I recently traveled to DeWalt headquarters in Towson, Maryland, for the annual unveiling of new tools and accessories.

     
  • Suit Against Home Depot and Power Tool Companies Dismissed – For Now

    Late last year Orchard Supply sued Home Depot, Makita, and Milwaukee for running what it says was an illegal group boycott.

     
  • Bosch Click and Go Storage Solutions

    The manufacturer refers to these tool organizers and as the Click and Go System because of the way they clip together.

     
  • The Ultimate Workbench 2.0

    If Ron Paulk's original portable workbench was excellent (and it was), then this new and improved version is beyond excellent.

     
  • I Meant Vise, Not Vice

    Don Williams describes searching for a vise that is cool enough to be called Studley-esque.

     
  • Can't Get it Here: All-Day Cordless Work Light

    I stumbled across a picture of this uber-cool Metabo LED light on Facebook and decided to find out more about it.

     
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    Lightweight Framing Nailers

    These sub 8-pound nail guns are comfortable to use and surprisingly powerful.

     
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    Modular Tool Organizers

    Modular organizers share the same footprint and can be stacked and latched together for storage and transport.

     
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    Modular Tool Organizers

    Modular organizers share the same footprint and can be stacked and latched together for storage and transport.

     
  • Neal’s Way Cool Home-Made Truck Bed Storage

    The solution I settled on was a set of pullout drawers that deliver reach-and-grab accessibility.

     
  • One-of-a-Kind Tool Store

    If the Liberty Tool Store is not unique and unusual, then I don’t know what is.

     
  • Depot vs. Lowes

    More from the department of boring corporate news: Home Depot stomps Lowes. If you shop in those stores you may have contributed to the following not-so-boring statistic.

     
  • Metabo Automatic Dust Extractor

    Hate breathing dust? Well here’s a machine that can help solve your problem. And if I heard correctly, it goes up to 11.

     
  • Festool Rotex Sander

    Here’s a quick video I shot of a dual-action sander, which can be set to rotary mode for heavy sanding/grinding and random orbit for finer finishing.

     
  • Knipex Pliers Wrench

    I saw this tool online and immediately ordered one. It was not a choice; I had to have it.

     
  • Skil Mag77LT

    Skil recently announced a new wormdrive saw that they say is 4 pounds lighter than their Mag77. That grabbed my attention because the Mag77 is one of the lightest inline saw around .

     
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    DeWalt DWV012 Dust Extractor

    This self-cleaning HEPA vacuum is designed to collect the fine dust produced by sanding drywall, demolishing plaster, and cutting, grinding, and drilling concrete.

     
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    Dumper Dogg Dump-Truck Insert

    This bed insert turns a pickup into a dump truck.

     
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    Makita LXRM03B Radio

    This durable job-site radio has a dock that is compatible with most iPods and iPhones.

     
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    Giant Jig for Big Ellipses

    This shop-built router jig allows the operator to accurately cut ellipses.

     
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    Wera Diamond Coated Driver Bits

    Diamond particles prevent these driver bits from slipping out of screws.

     
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    SpaceKap Cat

    A high-end fiberglass cap that fits into the bed of a pickup.

     
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    Rolair JC10 Compressor

    A small and quiet 2 1/2-gallon air compressor.

     
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    Milwaukee M12 Fuel Drill/Driver

    This 12-volt model has a brushless motor and a half-inch chuck.

     
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    Klein Power Conduit Reamer

    This hex-drive reamer fits in drill and impact drivers.

     
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    Johnson Johnny Square

    A powder-coated aluminum square with easy-to-read markings.

     
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    Guhdo GMaxx Router Bits

    Precision router bits with thicker-than-average carbide that can be sharpened multiple times.

     
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    Festool Syslite

    This rechargeable LED work light is bright and durable.

     
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    Elephant Stand Hitch Step

    A step that folds out from the truck's trailer hitch.

     
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    DeWalt DWE575SB Circular Saw

    A compact circular saw that weighs less than 9 pounds.

     
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    Dremel Drywall Jab Saw for Oscillating Multi-Tools

    A jab-saw attachment for oscillating multi-tools.

     
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    The Cargo Buckle

    The excess webbing disappears into the cover of this ratcheting tie-down strap.

     
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    Bosch FNS138-23 Pin Nailer

    A small pinner with dry-fire lockout and a very small tip.

     
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    BOLT Toolbox Latch Retrofit Kit

    A lock that can be keyed on site to match any key you already have.

     
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    Armeg Acceler 8% Hole Saw

    This thin kerf hole saw is said by its maker to cut faster than standard models.

     
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    Arbortech TurboPlane

    A grinder attachment that uses carbide teeth to remove wood.

     
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    Accumark Carpenter’s Pencil

    It looks like a razor blade and fits in a utility knife but it marks lines like pencil lead.

     
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    Festool Hybrid Driver

    The Ti 15 brushless impact driver is also a drill/driver.

     
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    Crescent 18-Inch Indexing Flat Bar

    The curved head of this pry bar can be pivoted and locked into 16 different positions.

     
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    FastCap's Macro Flush Cut Trimmers

    These plier-like snips trim edge banding flush to the edge of the piece.

     
  • A Finish Carpenter's Bag of Tricks: Part 1

    These are not the only tools in my bag; they’re just the ones I like or use the most.

     
  • Fixing the Chinese Drywall Disaster

    Carelessness led to Florida’s problems with defective Chinese drywall.

     
  • A Love Affair with the Framing Square

    Don Dunkley traces the history of the Framing Square and his history using it.

     
  • TrueCoat Finish Sprayers

    Here are three of the Graco sprayers that were on display at the JLC LIVE tradeshow.

     
  • Milwaukee Plans to Kick A-- and Take Names

    No one at Milwaukee spoke those words, but that’s how I interpreted what TTi CEO Joe Galli said during a speech to investors in March.

     
  • Bosch Half-Sheet Sander

    The newest tool in this category is Bosch’s OS50VC, which I got to see the JLC LIVE tradeshow.

     
  • A Plunge Base for the Colt Router

    Here’s a quick video of a new accessory from Bosch that allows you to turn their ever-popular trim router into a plunging model.

     
  • Can't get it here: AC-DC Power Tool

    It had to happen; sooner or later someone was bound to invent a tool that goes both ways.

     
  • T-Shirts of WOC

    I was at the World of Concrete (WOC), looking at machinery, talking to tool manufacturers, and what do you know, I find myself photographing T-shirts.

     
  • Better Than the Grateful Dead

    It’s the long-lost original World of Concrete in 60 Seconds.

     
  • Incredible Self-Propelled Dumpster

    The Equipter is a self-propelled dumpster that can be towed to the jobsite and then driven under its own power (it has a gasoline engine) to wherever it needs to be.

     
  • New Festool Track Saw

    When Festool developed the TS 55 REQ, there was no need to go back to the drawing board. They already had the best track so the redesign was a matter of the New Festool Track Saw.

     
  • The Final Four Floor

    This year's NCAA final four will be playing on a portable wooden floor that was manufactured in Michigan, sanded and finished in Tennessee, and then temporarily installed in the Georgia Dome.

     
  • 50-year Stanley Tape Measure

    This tape probably won't last half a century on the jobsite but in a sense, it already has.

     
  • So You’ve Got a Dust Extracting Vacuum — Now What?

    Well you’d better have dust shrouds on your tools; otherwise, you won’t have anything to connect to. Here are a couple of shroud-equipped tools from DeWalt.

     
  • Blast From the Past: Cordless Nailers

    Here’s a blast from the past, a 1998 JLC review of two cordless finish nailers. One of these products is still going strong; the other died an early death.

     
  • Home-Made Portable Mortising Machine

    I can’t decide whether this guy is a genius or a wacko with too much time on his hands. I’m leaning towards genius…

     
  • Framer's Everyday Carry

    It’s not easy to earn a place in my tool bags. Here are 11 tools that make the cut.

     
  • A See-Thru Power Tool

    Just when I think I’ve seen every strange thing there is to see on the web, something like this pops up on YouTube. All I know about this video is that it involves a cordless impact driver, a fluoroscope, and I’m willing to bet — some guys in their early 20s...

     
  • An Old Solution to a New Problem

    I remember when men were men and we didn’t mind breathing the clouds of dust that shot out the back of the vacuum while we suctioned up gnarly construction debris. Fortunately — or not, if you’re into old-fashioned manliness — vacuums have improved to the point where that cloud of dust is s thing...

     
  • A Fun Look at Funny Looking Work Pants

    What does a stand-up comic have in common with an unlucky test subject and a tradesman with “helpful” co-workers? In this case, they are all...

     
  • Tuckpointing Shroud

    Here’s a quick video of an accessory from Metabo that allows masons to remove mortar without creating choking clouds of dust.

     
  • Tools for Amish Woodworkers

    A couple of weeks back there was an interesting radio program about a tool expo in Dalton, Ohio that caters to Amish woodworkers. Although most of the attendees live off the grid and arrive in horse-drawn buggies, they are not there to look at retro tools — far from it.

     
  • Hilti Hollow Drill Bit

    I used to think that if you’ve seen one rotary hammer bit you’ve seen them all. But this bit is different – way different.

     
  • A Mind-Blowing Home-Built Dump Truck

    Andy says boredom is a terrible thing, so to keep from getting bored he built himself a home-made dump truck. Not a truck with a home-made dump bed, an entire home-made truck.

     
  • 18-Volt Ryobi Batteries Recalled

    The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with One World Technologies has announced the recall of 4.0 Ah 18-volt lithium-ion Ryobi tool batteries after several reports of packs busting into flames on the charger.

     
  • Can’t Get It Here: DeWalt RAS

    During a recent visit to DeWalt’s UK website I stumbled across a type of tool that the company hasn’t sold here for 25 years.

     
  • Dual-Battery Cordless Tool

    It’s one thing to see photos of a new tool, but there’s nothing like seeing it in action. That’s certainly true of Makita’s new HRH01ZX2, the only 36-volt tool that can be run off of two 18-volt batteries.

     
  • Chinese plywood is about to go up in price

    In response to an unfair trade petition by U.S. manufacturers of hardwood plywood, the U.S. Commerce Department is going to impose up to a 27% duty on imported Chinese plywood.

     
  • The Hilmor Brand Joins Irwin and Lenox

    Newell Rubbermaid, the parent company of Irwin and Lenox, is launching a new brand of tools aimed at the professional HVAC mechanic.

     
  • No More $9.99 or $99.99 Tools

    Canada has done away with the penny and Home Depot announces...

     
  • Can’t Get it Yet: Robotic Mechanic’s Creeper

    This mechanic’s creeper is so awesome you’ll WANT your truck to break down so you’ll have an excuse to work on it...

     
  • Dewalt DWV012 Dust Extractor

    One of the major trends in recent years has been for more and better dust collection – especially for tools that generate fine dust and silica. Dust of this type is hard on vacuums because it tends to clog the filters.

     
  • Bosch DH1020VC Breaker

    Here’s a new mid-size breaker that is light enough to be used horizontally but configured in such a way that it can also be used like a jackhammer.

     
  • Metabo KHE 3250 Rotary Hammer

    According to its maker, this small 7 1/2-pound rotary hammer packs a very big punch.

     
  • Like Disney World for Contractors

    Earlier this month I was in Las Vegas for my favorite tool show of the year, the World of Concrete.

     
  • Tradesman’s Truck Tent

    A custom-made "tent" that's easy to remove and store

     
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    Brushing Up on Brushless

    How brushless motors work and what they can add to your favorite cordless tools

     
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    Bosch Bulldog Xtreme Max SDS-Plus Rotary Hammer

    This tool is faster and more comfortable to use than the Xtreme

     
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    Hot New Tools for 2013

    Toolmakers strut their stuff at STAFDA

     
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    Stanley FatMax Stud Sensor 300

    This tool has a lot of features finish carpenters will appreciate

     
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    Ridgid 7-inch Tile Saw

    The R4030 is a high-capacity 7-inch tile saw that sells at a very low price point

     
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    Crescent Adjustable Pry bar

    Pulls nails, pries, and strikes like a hammer

     
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    Milwaukee M18 Power Source

    Charge cellphones, digital cameras, and mp3 players away from busy job-site outlets

     
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    Makita Dust-Collecting Rotary Hammer

    The 18-volt LXRH011 drills holes while cleaning up the mess with an attached vacuum

     
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    LaSquare Wide Combo Square

    This square works well on the edges of pipes, tubular steel, and bullnosed trim

     
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    Klein Kurve Wire Strippers/Cutters

    The model 11054 cutters can handle 8-16 AWG solid wire and 10-18 AWG stranded wire

     
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    Kapro Box Level

    The new 905 Condor series levels are easy on the eyes

     
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    iVac Switch

    If you don't have one of those fancy vacuums with the automatic start outlet, check this out

     
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    Goldblatt RamRod Impact Tool

    This spring-loaded hand tool breaks brick, concrete, asphalt, tile, and other tough materials

     
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    FastCap Magnetic Dust-Barrier Door

    An easy way to pass in and out of protected space

     
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    Dustless Technologies SawBuddie

    Dust-free cutting with a recip saw may be possible after all

     
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    DeWalt Combination Dual-Port Fast Charger

    The DCB103 is capable of charging just about every DeWalt battery out there

     
  • channellock 369CRFT 0001

    Channellock Code Blue Pliers

    Channellock's Code Blue Linesman pliers have ergonomic rubber grips

     
  • OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

    California Ultra-Quiet Compressor

    California Air Tools says Model 4620A operates at a mere 70db when filling

     
 
 
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