News

The Bench Cookie from Rockler has been a hit since its launch and it didn't take long for them to end up in shops around the country. This year Rockler is looking to add on to the success of the Bench Cookie with the new Bench Cookie Plus and Bench Cookie Home Edition. The Bench Cookie Plus takes all that is good from the Bench Cookie one step further with the addition of a threaded insert in the face of the cookie. Attaching one of the optional risers into the insert lets...

Let me start out by saying this saw is not available in the United States and if it ever does make it to the US, it will probably be many years from now. The Makita LF10000 10-inch saw uses a rather unique design to accomplish its dual purpose abilities. When you first see the saw, it looks like a typical miter saw, but hidden is the saw's ability to completely flip upside down to be used as a table saw. It takes around 60 seconds to change the saw back and forth between modes, so...

Back in March of 2009 I broke news about the possibility of a cordless Dremel Multi-Max after coming across a concept rendering of said tool. In May of this year my local tool store let the cat out of the bag about the 12-volt Dremel Multi-Max, with a release date of October. This news pretty much guaranteed that the Multi-Max was indeed true. Now I have the press release from Dremel that makes the whole thing a reality. It is official. The cordless Multi-Max runs off of a 12-volt lithium-ion battery, with...

In the past few years we have seen great advancements in the area of ultra compact cordless tools. Now, Dewalt is trying their hand, and pushing the market in the direction of compact routers with features you would only expect in a full size router. So what sets the new DeWalt routers apart from compact (trim) routers of the past? Well, just about everything. Dewalt has taken all the features you would want in a router, sized them down, and put them in a more compact body. The 1-1/4 peak HP motor...

We all love music, and a great soundtrack can really set the mood of the day, so it is not surprising to learn that Porter-Cable has decided to come out with cordless radio of their own. Not that everybody uses them, but cordless radios are now pretty much a standard in any cordless line. The new PC18JR radio runs off of both 18-volt NiCd and Lithium-ion PC batteries for when you want to go free range. When you need your batteries for actual work, the radio saves the day with a 120-volt power cord. The...

Porter-Cable has just announced the products that will hopefully be just the first of many in their 12-volt line. The new 12-volt lithium-ion tools include a drill/driver, impact driver, and a compact reciprocating saw. As a direct result of the economy, Porter-Cable's goal with these tools is to offer quality at a low price that everyone can afford. While their big brother DeWalt went with a special battery in their 12V tools, Porter-Cable opted to stick with the in-handle design to cut down on costs.

Ridgid has just announced their partnership with Dell to offer a series of rugged laptop designed with the tradesman in mind. These new laptops in conjunction with Ridgid's SeeSnake LT1000 Interface will allow SeeSnake users to monitor, record, and save everything the SeeSnake camera picks up. This is a smarts move for Ridgid, which allows them to offer the complete inspection package. The three Dell Laptops range in their amounts of ruggedness, from Fully Rugged to Everyday Use (which is basically just a standard laptop). The Fully Rugged Latitude E6400 XFR is...

I have a pair of Redwing boots that I absolutely love. They are the most comfortable boots I have ever owned, however there is one small problem. I have worn through the leather on the toes of both boots. I have had the boots for around three years, so they have pretty much paid for themselves, but if it wasn't for the holes, I could probably get another year or two out of them. This problem lead me on a search for a toe protecting solution. Redwing does sell a rubber toe...

Sharpie is the go-to brand when it comes to permanent markers, but they might not be your first thought when it comes to pencils. Sharpie is looking to change all that with their new permanent pencil. The new pencil uses a new liquid graphite ink that turns this pen into a liquid pencil. The liquid graphite is erasable for three days, after which the “ink” becomes permanent. I am a fan of using pens for my cabinet scribes. They allow me to leave a nice dark line that is easy to...

If you thought the Rockwell JawHorse was handy, you might get a kick out the of the new Rockwell JawStand (RK9033). Like the JawHorse, the JawStand acts as an extra set of hands when the ones you have are just not enough, but it also does a bit more. The JawStand works as both a clamp and as a material stand. There is also the obvious smaller size compared to the JawHorse. The compact JawStand features a clamping jaw with a stated clamping range of of 0” - 1-1/4 1-3/4”. Though I...