Cheap plastic $300 lasers not good enough for you? Yeah, I called $300 cheap; what else would you call it when it is going up against a $5000 laser that is the Cornerstone Classic. The Cornerstone Classic is a three-pane line-laser, similar to the Bosch GLL3-80, but way more advanced. No plastic here; the Cornerstone Classic is machined from 7075 aircraft aluminum, 360 brass, and 440c surgical stainless steel. The CC is self leveling, but does not uses a pendulum design like the others on the market, instead it is leveled electronically via precision brushless DC motors. This leveling mechanism is said to give the laser an accuracy of ±1/32" @ 100 feet.

To say the Cornerstone laser is fancy is an understatement and the specification page uses words like "orthogonal " and "azimuthal " just to make sure you know it. Did we mention the laser also has exotic wood grip accents? You have a choice of Bubinga, Zebrawood, Purpleheart, Birdseye Maple, Walnut, Teak, Rosewood, or Thuya Burl. Fancy. Like mentioned above, the basic Cornerstone Classic Laser Kit costs $5000. This includes the laser, a carrying case, tripod adapter, targets, USB 110V wall charger, Charger Adapter, LensPen (for cleaning), Instruction card, CD, and other warranty and calibration information.

Origin Laser Tools – via Tool Snob

Lenox Tools posted a video on YouTube of some clever new hole saws they have designed. What is the one problem that we all face with hole saws? It is getting those darn hockey pucks out of the saw. We spend more time trying to empty the saw then we do using the saw. Manufacturers try to solve this problem by adding slots or holes to the sides and bottom of the saw, but they never do a good job. Finally Lenox came up with something that might actually work; they added a slot to the side with steps in it. These steps give us a leverage point that can be used to pry out the pucks.

Update 3/22/2011: I received an email today from Lenox letting me know that these will be officially launched this Friday. This is why they are sill unlisted on their site.

Lenox

I was perusing the Bosch website the other day and came across a new table saw, the GTS1031 compact 10" worksite table saw. The GTS1031 is much different than your typical portable jobsite table saws and was specifically designed to be more compact, light weight, and portable. Many people simply do not need the full ripping capacity that a typical jobsite saw offers, and the 18-inch capacity that the GTS1031 offers is more than enough. The GTS1031 weighs in at 52lbs, which is 8 lbs less than their full sized jobsite saw, but is not as light as the comparable DeWalt saw with 16-inch capacity. Looking at the photos might explain some of the weight; It looks like most of the saw is made up of roll cage, and they even have a roll cage to protect the controls.

The GTS1031 might be small, but it looks like it still has the power of a full-size. It is powered by a 15amp motor that actually delivers higher RPMs than the full-sized Bosch 4100, 5,000 RPMs vs 3,650 RPMs. As mentioned above, the saw has a rip capacity of 18-inches on the right, with a 7-3/4-inch capacity on the left. The saw uses a Squarelock™ Rip Fence for "maximum trueness" and can be locked at a "finger's touch"? Another feature worth noting is the on board tool storage, which stores the rip fence, blade guard/riving knife, miter gauge, included push stick, and wrenches.

Online pricing puts the Bosch GTS1031 10-inch Table Saw between $380 and $400. A stand for the saw is also available.

Bosch Tools

Update 4/7: Video added.

Stanley emailed out a survey today with questions regarding a possible new modular shelving system. From what I gathered from the survey, people can simply buy one of their 4-shelf (plastic) or 5-shelf (metal reinforced plastic) units from the system and use it alone, or combine it with the modular add-ons. The add-ons include Drawers, Doors and side panels that form a cabinet, and Storage bins. The system does not require tools to assemble, which makes the modular design even better. I am happy to see a Made In USA logo on the packaging, but these haven't hit stores yet, so we will have to wait and see if this is true. There was no hint as to what the pricing would be, or when we can expect to see these.

Side note: Anyone else notice what looks to be a Makita case on the bottom shelf?