News

When you have some drilling to do in some 2x4's or some plywood, what kind of bits do you use? If you are like me, you turn to the always reliable spade bits. A lot of the time when you need to use these bits, you are are in a dark and enclosed areas. Vermont American has come out with a new 10-piece set of their most popular spade bits and included a LED headlamp to make those hard times, not so hard. The kit include six black oxide 6-inch bits ranging...

Introducing the SpeedRocker-SS fixed blade utility knife, the newest creation from C.H. Hanson. It's a small lightweight knife that is perfect for many applications but is the ideal tool for drywallers, or any other job that requires measured cutting. It features a slot built into the head of the knife that allows the user to measure and cut, while at the same time keeping your fingers out of harms way. The slot is positioned in such a way, that it allows your thumb to not only hold the tape in place, but it is also in...

  There has been a bit of information floating around the internet about DeWalt's new plunging track saws. This is somewhat big news for the building community because DeWalt is the first of the well known US companies to offer such a saw. From what I understand, these types of saws are really popular in Europe, but DeWalt is hoping to make a showing in the US. Festool is another brand that offers a plunging rail saw, but they are not as well known to your average builder or woodworker. DeWalt will be...

I am sure most of you have seen the infomercials for the Fein MultiMaster over the past few years. Their tool does everything: it slices, it dices, cuts tile, drywall, etc. But it also comes with a pretty big price tag. You are looking to spend around $200 for the tool, and attachments are around $60. Good thing for all of us, patents expire. Toologics has some info on a Bosch rival PMF 180 E Multi that is available in Europe for only $130 US equivalent. Bosch has no word on when or if...

We cant get enough of new tools, and Bosch is not one to let us down. They have announced that in October they will be releasing 6 new Litheon (lithium-ion) drill/drivers; 3 of 14.4 volts, and 3 of 18 volts. Introducing the... 18V Litheon BruteTough Hammer Drill/Driver - 17618-01 18V Litheon BruteTough Drill/Driver - 37618-01 14.4V Litheon BruteTough Hammer Drill/Driver - 17614-01 14.4V Litheon BruteTough Drill/Driver - 37614-01 And for the home user... 18V Litheon CompactTough Drill/Driver - 36618-02 14.4V Litheon CompactTough...

A lot of questions have been going around the woodworking community wondering why the newest Milwaukee miter saws (The 6955-20 and 6950-20) do not include the very much standard hold down clamp. Another question is why the right fence does not slide, while the left one does. Not knowing these answers myself, I decided to send an email to Milwaukee, and see if I would get an answer. I did, and here is what they said. "The clamp is not included because the vast majority of professional finish...

The new right angle drill from Makita, again builds from Makita's ever growing line of 18volt LXT Lithium-Ion tools. The BDA350 Cordless Angle Drill is a must have for anyone that frequents close combat drilling. The BDA350 uses a Makita 4-pole motor that delivers the speed and power in a compact size, giving this tool an excellent power-to-weight ratio. Up to 1,800 RPM's, and 121 in.lbs. of torque worth of power to be exact. With the use of a keyed chuck, Makita was able to get the head size to only...

What is the last thing you want to do after you have finished your newly remodeled bathroom? How about cracking a ceramic tile while trying to hang your towel rod. It seems that tiles keep getting harder and harder, but the bits just can't seem to keep up.  Bosch aims to solve these problems with their new glass and tile bits that boast a unique geometry that allows them to drill better, faster, and last longer then traditional glass bits. Made of tungsten carbide, the precision diamond ground point eliminates walking, and...

This is one of the things I really love about Makita; they are always looking for ways to improve their tools. “We did some research on our best-selling BHR240, and made it even better,” said Ethan Haughawout, Makita’s associate product manager – cordless products. So you might be wondering what makes this tool better then the previous model. Makita was able to make the new BHR202 smaller, and added the same vibration reduction technology...

Makita has announced the release of a new 5" random orbital sander. The new sander features a powerful 3-amp motor that allows 12,000 OPM, and large 1/8" orbit action. While it seems like most orbital sanders only vibrate, with the 1/8" movement, this one looks to have some real sanding power. To help this sander stay working like new, year after year, the sander also features oversized sealed ball-bearing construction, and a dust-sealed switch, to minimize dust contamination. To keep you, and your work area clean, the sander utilizes a through-the-pad...