Should every tool in your toolbox have a laser? Probably not, but Spear & Jackson thinks your hand saw should or at least their Predator 22” hand saw should. It uses a laser built into the handle to project a straight laser line across your material. Normally I would blame the operator for bad cuts, but some of us have a hard enough time trying color within the lines, let alone cut straight.

The operation of the Predator seems simple enough. Layout your cut with a pencil line, line up your saw, make sure your laser and pencil lines match up, then start cutting. The use of the laser really shows its potential when the task is cutting compound angles; something I would want to leave to my miter saw. At $35, is the Predator something you would buy? Be sure to watch the video of the Predator in action.

Spear & Jackson
[:cicn:] $35 Sears

One of the many things I wish I could do is pen turning. Unfortunately I do not have the proper tools, the knowledge, and probably not even the talent it takes to make such works. But for those of you that have the tools and are gifted with such talents, The Pen Wizard might be of some interest to you.

You can only do so much to a pen with a lathe, but The Pen Wizard ornamental lathe adds an extra bit of wow factor to your work. With the use of a Pen Wizard and a rotary tool such as a Dremel, it gives you the ability to add spirals, cross hatching, and hundreds of other textured patterns to your otherwise round pens. It even makes it easy to turn your round pens into polygonal pens. The Pen Wizard cost about $320 and can be purchased from Beall Tool Co. Be sure to watch the video after the Read More.

Beall Tool Co.

You might already have some Christmas gift woodworking projects in the works, but be sure to free up some extra time for the 2010 Lumber Jocks Woodworking Awards. Twice a year, in the summer and the winter, Lumber Jocks hosts a woodworking competition for its members. It is a way to show off your work, get creative, and also win some great prizes.

The category for this winter is Yin Yang. LJ wants to see your best work featuring woods of contrasting colors, and an explanation of how you used the Yin Yang effect in your project. The 1st place winner chosen by the LJ community will receive a $400 Rockler gift certificate and some Bench Cookies. 10 runners up will also receive a set of Bench Cookies.

You can add your submissions starting January 1st, and voting will start February 1st. You only have a month, so you better get to building.

Visit Lumber Jocks for more details.

I hope you are not tired of reading about pocket tools here at Tool-Rank because they seem to be popping up everywhere these days. I don't know what the record is for the most tools in one tool per square inch, but The Piranha is probably pretty high on the list. At only 3 7/8” in length and .150” thick, the Stainless Steel Piranha packs a pretty hefty amount of tools. It features both open and box wrenches in six sizes ranging from 9/16” - 1/4”, a bottle opener, nailer puller, scraper, and even a hex bit holder with included Phillips and Flat head bit. If The Piranha is something you simply can not live without, you can pre-order your very own for $49. Did I mention they are made in the USA?

PocketToolX