We pretty much had our news on the Delta sale spot on, but for those looking for more information on the sale, I have attached the latest press release.

DELTA® Woodworking Machinery Has A New Home – In Anderson, South Carolina

(Anderson, SC, January 18, 2011) – Chang Type Industrial Co. Ltd., a Taiwan-based manufacturing company, has agreed to purchase the Delta brand of woodworking equipment and machinery from Stanley Black & Decker. The deal is expected to close on February 4, 2011.

The new, independent company, Delta Power Equipment Corporation, will be based in Anderson County, South Carolina and led by Bryan Whiffen, who has been named President & Chief Executive Officer. Norm MacDonald has also joined the company as an Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer. Both Whiffen and MacDonald have years of experience in the power tool industry, and have been responsible for manufacturing and marketing such brands as Ryobi, Homelite, Milwaukee and Ridgid.

The new Delta company will continue to provide a complete line of professional woodworking equipment and machinery, and will continue to build the world-class Unisaw, as well as the Biesemeyer® accessories, in the United States. Plans are to move the manufacturing equipment from Jackson, Tennessee to the company's facility in Anderson.

Once fully operational, the Anderson facility will include manufacturing, R&D, engineering, sales and administrative functions.

"We are pleased to be able to say that the Unisaw will continue to be made in the USA," said Whiffen. "We are also excited for this opportunity to invest in the great Delta brand so that we can bring high quality, innovative woodworking equipment to Delta's loyal customers.

Delta Power Equipment Corp. is working to ensure that the fine sales and service that Delta dealers and woodworkers have come to expect will continue.

"Stanley Black & Decker has been very supportive of this sale and have agreed to help us make the transition as seamless as possible for our dealers and our customers," added Whiffen.

Customers and dealers can continue to obtain information on sales and service for Delta woodworking equipment at www.deltamachinery.com.

I was pretty rough on Rockler the last time I mentioned them, but they are still one of my favorite tool stores because they still have some of the coolest products; products like the Thread Detective. Unless you have a nut and bolt in every size, or some other type of measuring gauge, you have probably found it difficult to find out the sizes you need when trying to match other nuts and bolts. The Thread Detective offers a simple and very effective way to find out the size you need by giving you a bunch of labeled nuts and bolts to test it on. Yup, its that easy. The Thread Detective is made up of double sided gauges that have a portion of thread on one end and a matching threaded hole inside the handle. So you don't lose any of the gauges, each set is kept together with thin metal cable.

The Thread Detective comes with 14 measuring gauges for Standard, or 11 gauges for Metric. Both can be had for about $15 each.

[:cicn:] Rockler Thread Dective

Argon gas has been used as insulation in dual-pane windows for years now because it is a much better insulator then regular air space; so it would seem only logical that people would be looking for other uses for this safe insulating gas. Ergodyne has come up with a use for argon, but it is in probably the last thing I would have expected, clothing.

The Ergodyne N-Ferno 6900 Warming Vest does away with all of the conventional insulating methods, and gets all of its insulating power from the use of argon gas. The vest itself is made up of a nylon shell that houses a layer of 4.5mm argon filled cells, and the thickness of the cells can be controlled by the user. This allows the wearer to control the amount of insulation on the fly. Only 4.5mm of argon gas is needed to produce the same amount of thermal conductivity as 14mm of the best synthetic or natural fibers on the market. This means users can get the same amount of warmth using this lightweight vest vs other bulkier outerwear.

The N-Ferno 6900 Warming vest is available now for about $200, and includes three 8 gram refill canisters of argon gas. At that price, lets hope you don't accidentally puncture it.

Ergodyne - [:cicn:] Vorpahl Fire & Safety

Over the past couple of years we have seen many different oscillating tools come out from all of the major brands and even a few no-names, but there really hasn't been any innovation in the accessory department. Well that has all changed with the addition of the Multi-Flex from Dremel. The Multi-Flex looks a little weird, but if it works as advertised, it should bring a whole new level of of versatility to the tool. When the Multi-Flex is attached, it turns your oscillation tool into what is very similar in function to a scroll saw or coping saw. This attachment allows the saw to do something that was impossible up until now, make curved cuts. Don't forget you can use Multi-Max accessories on other brands oscillation tools by using the universal adaptor.

The Multi-Flex also seems to be the most expensive single Multi-Max accessory at just under $25, but it includes a number of extra blades. The Multi-Flex comes with 4 spiral cutting blades that are good for cutting in any direction in wood or plastic, 3 straight blades that can be used on wood, PVC, and soft metals, and 1 carbide blade.

Update: I just got word that the Multi-Flex will be available at Lowe's stores in March, and Home Depot in April. You can also sign up at Amazon to be notified when it becomes available.

Update 1/28/2011: Amazon is now showing these as "In Stock"

Dremel - [:cicn:] Lowes - Amazon