Tools of the Trade: Tool Tests and Reviews

Tools Up Close: Milwaukee M12 Band Saw

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 12:15:57 EST

Earlier this year Milwaukee added a tool to its M12 line that I never expected to see: a cordless portable band saw. Many tool companies make 18-volt band saws, but this is the first subcompact (10.8-volt/12-volt max) model. At 6.75 pounds and 12 inches long, it's small enough to be used one-handed.

Tools Up Close: RotoZip ZipSaw

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 12:15:17 EST

About a year ago, Tools of the Trade sent me a ZipSaw, a grinder-based cutoff saw that takes 3-1/2- and 4-inch proprietary cutoff wheels.

Tools Up Close: Big Cordless Circular Saws

Mon, 7 Jan 2013 07:14:12 EST

For this article we tested four higher-voltage saws – 36-volt models from Bosch, DeWalt, and Hilti, and a 28-volt model from Milwaukee. We used them while framing and siding a house and for building a deck. Later, we performed a test to see how many cuts each saw could make per charge.

Tool Test: Inline Circular Saws

Mon, 7 Jan 2013 07:13:40 EST

Fifteen years ago, when I started out as a framer, Skil was the only real choice for carpenters looking for an inline saw. Since then, a lot more companies have started making these tools and now there are quite a few to choose from.

Tools Up Close: Bosch Glide Miter Saw

Tue, 5 Feb 2013 01:40:14 EST

For as long as I can remember, miter saws have ridden on rails. This design works very well except for one shortcoming: You need to set up away from the wall because the rails protrude from the back of the machine. Bosch recently introduced a 12-inch dual compound sliding model (GCM12SD) designed to solve that problem & and several others, too. It's called the Glide miter saw because instead of sliding on rails, the motor 'glides' forward and back on articulated arms (which don't protrude from the back of the machine). To test this tool, I've been using it in my finish carpentry business since October. Here's what I found out.

Tool Test: Six-Inch Jointers

Tue, 5 Feb 2013 01:29:31 EST

Jointers are the go-to tools for straightening and squaring lumber, and standard-length 6-inch-wide capacity models are a great choice for most carpentry and trim uses in the shop and on the job site. These 46-inch bed machines are the entry-level size for stationary jointers and, as the smallest, represent the best possibility of a 'serious' stationary tool that is still portable enough to load up and take to select jobs. All the tools plug into line voltage, further enhancing their all-around utility. An old rule of thumb states that a jointer is accurate for truly straightening boards up to twice its bed length, so with a 6-inch face-planing width and an 8-foot (or so) straightening capacity, these machines can handle all the wood many guys mill, even if they remain shop-bound.

First Test: Craftsman Twin Cutter

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 03:41:47 EST

Readers have been asking us about dual-blade circular saws, so we decided to put the Craftsman 25574 Twin Cutter Saw to the test. Craftsman came out with its first version of a dual-blade saw early in the last decade, so the technology has been around for a while, but the 25574 model is the latest and largest version. It features a 6.8-amp motor and 6-1/8-inch 36-tooth carbide blades that cut 1-7/8 inches deep at 4,600 rpm.

2010 Editor's Choice Awards

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 03:50:34 EST

This year's search for outstanding new tools, equipment, and innovative features was as challenging as ever, given the continued rate of product introductions from all corners of the manufacturing world serving professional construction markets.

Tool Test: 5-inch Random-Orbit Sanders

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 03:50:32 EST

The workhorse sander for most tradesmen is the 5-inch-diameter random-orbit sander. Thanks to its ability to hog off stock with a coarse grit disk and leave a smooth, finished surface with a fine grit, this single tool has replaced the old progression of belt sander to half-sheet finish sander for many. It doesn't replace all sanders for all applications – but truth be told, it has replaced a lot of them over the past few decades.

First Test: Budget Circ Saw

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 03:37:43 EST

The latest pro circ saw from Skil (model HD5687) is not one of the company's signature wormdrive tools but a new blade-right sidewinder model. We found it interesting enough to test because of its price (under $100) and the fact that it's Skil's only 7-1/4-inch sidewinder warranted for professional use – like the company's flagship #77 line and a few others. We put this new tool to work in custom residential construction to see whether or not a bargain saw could indeed live up to professional use.

2010 Editor's Choice: Milwaukee Cordless Mini Band Saw

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:38:07 EST

Milwaukee continues its leadership role in trade-focused tool design with this exciting compact 18-volt cordless portable band saw, the M18 2629-22.

Stanley Sweetheart Socket Chisels and #92 Shoulder Plane

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:32:31 EST

Stanley is reviving its old Sweetheart branding yet again, this time for a line of bench chisels.

Tool Test: 10-Inch Tile Saws

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 01:06:41 EST

We lined up seven wet saws representing six brands and tested them mostly on tough porcelain tiles, making cuts up to 7/8 inch thick. We used identical, high-quality porcelain blades to take blade performance out of the equation and focused on cut quality and accuracy, the precision of the moving parts, and the ease of using each saw. We also considered water delivery to the cut, overspray and dripping water messes, and portability issues.

Tool Test: 3+ Horsepower Plunge Routers

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 01:06:34 EST

The largest, most powerful routers you can buy are in the 3- to 3-1/4-hp class. If the motors were any larger, you couldn't run them on standard residential circuits. The most versatile of these machines are plunge routers. Their ability to plunge a bit into wood while the tool's base stays safely planted makes them essential for blind dadoes or any cutouts in the middle of a workpiece. Their plunge action also makes them the right tool for milling deep grooves or large edge profiles, because you can quickly cut with a series of smaller incremental passes, plunging the router slightly further down each time without changing the final depth setting. Finally, plunge routers cut deeper than fixed-base routers, so they are ideal for use in router tables; some

2009 Editors' Choice: Delta Unisaw

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:54:48 EST

For years woodworkers everywhere have looked to the Delta Unisaw as the standard-bearer for stationary table saws, with good reason.

First Test: Ridgid Quick Acting Vise

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:07:39 EST

Sometimes a tool is such an integral part of your daily routine, you don't think of it as a tool but as part of your shop or truck. A mechanic's vise is such a tool.

Tool Test: Portable Jobsite Table Saws

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 06:00:42 EST

Jobsite table saws have changed a lot since I started working for my dad in 1972. Back then, we did almost all the millwork on-site using a huge, 12-inch contractor's saw that might have stayed set up for months. I started my own company in 1981, and as the business grew, table saws shrunk. I took on a partner, and we started building custom homes. At one point, the average house I worked on was 6,000 square feet. Today, those jobs are harder to find, and smaller remodeling projects make up most of our work. We have to take our tools with us at night or at least store them out of the way, so at the end of a hard day, portability is a big deal with these little saws.

Tool Test: Sliding Miter Saws

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 06:00:50 EST

Whether it's into wood or your wallet, large sliding miter saws make the biggest cuts, so we tested them to help you invest wisely. The seven 12-inch, dual-compound sliding miter saws in this test are the best of each player in the field, and we couldn't resist throwing in a brand new, 10-1/4-inch saw with cutting capacity close to some larger saws.

Tool Test: 12-Inch Miter Saws

Tue, 5 Feb 2013 01:43:34 EST

Miter saws have come a long way from their humble beginnings. I remember the heyday of the 9-inch blade, direct-drive Rockwell 'Motorized Miter Box,' with a particleboard sub-base and a thumb-pressed brake. It was my introduction to using a miter saw some 30 years ago.

Tool Test: Circ Saws

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:27:22 EST

Here in the Eastern half of the country, sidewinder circ saws are the workhorse tools of most construction jobs. We do our framing with them, and unlike our Western cousins with their wormdrive saws, we use our sidewinders for everything from form work to trim. As a result, during the past 30 years of building, I've probably run more kilowatts through circular saws than through all my other power tools combined.