CNC machines are becoming more popular among hobbyists and DIYers as the price of them continues to drop and they become more affordable. Yet one thing that still keeps some users at bay is the amount of space a CNC takes up. Shaper plans to solve that problem with their Origin handheld CNC.
Top of the line—Made in Germany—Mafell tools are now available for sale at Toolnut, which I believe is only the second store to sell the brand in the US. If you thought Festool was expensive, you don't want to know how much Mafell tools cost; or maybe you do, when you see how cool some of them are.
There is one storage box that Mythbusters' Adam Savage loves so much that he uses dozens of them in his workshop to try and stay organized; that box is the T-BOXX from Sortimo. Unfortunately, until now it has been rather difficult trying to locate his storage box of choice. Thankfully, after much anticipation, Sortimo has launched a new online store for the US, something I asked them to do years ago when I first wrote about them.
When General Tools announced their new line of ToolSmart smart tools and asked me to review them, I said I was game. I think the idea of smart tools is what most tools will be in the future, which is why I wanted to see what Generals Tools has to offer. I wasn't really expecting a whole lot from General Tools, after all, they are not one of the big four; but boy was I in for a surprise.
We have seen circular saws used as table saw replacements with the Eurekazone tracksaw system, and now there is a new system from PUPS (Portable Universal Power Station) that can turn a circular saw to an accurate miter saw.
I have always looked at the Festool MFT (Multi-Function Table) as great little work table, but not practical for jobsite use. I just never liked the idea of having to carry it around on the jobsite along with all of my other tools. But Timothy Wilmots' modified MFTC (Multi-Function Tool Cart) looks like an ideal way to transport both the MFT and your tools.
All to often I see news reports about tools that are stolen from a jobsite. These tools are required for a person in construction to do his or her job, and a loss of tools can be very damaging. Below I have put together a list of tips – some obvious, some not – on how you can prevent tool theft and how you can recover stolen tools.
A few weeks ago I posted on Facebook about my super simple method for growing hydroponic tomatoes with no electricity; and though this is not tool related, enough people seemed interested about it that I figured I would write up a full article explaining my Kratky hydroponics setup.
