Tool Blog

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on Earth and also one of the strongest; so why isn't more stuff made out of it? Well, the hollow down the middle of each piece of bamboo might have something to do with it. But now thanks to new technology and strong glues, more and more possibilities for bamboo are becoming available. To make bamboo more useful, they cut it into smaller pieces, then glue all of these pieces together to form larger lumber. It is from here that they can make things like flooring, or in the case...

The Perfect Bungee Lasts A Lifetime; this is not just the title of today's blog, it is also the warranty and the name of the bungee in question. The Perfect Bungee makes use of the latest in technology, and brings us a new bungee that they can withstand a lifetime of UV rays, extreme weather, and even many of the chemicals found around your house. Most bungee cords on the market today are made of rubber and can not withstand any of the conditions mentioned above. The Perfect Bungee is made of polyurethane, one of today's...

Like me, you probably didn't make it to the World Of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas. But this is OK, we still have news on some new tools from Bosch that add to their growing cordless line. Both tools are in the 18 volt Litheon line, the first being a 4-1/2" Angle Grinder, and the second is an SDS-Plus Rotary Hammer. The Bosch Litheon line is ever growing, but it still has a ways to go to catch up to Makita. Bosch looks to be doing things right with the new CAG180 Angle...

Last night tennis ran into a little problem on one of the courts at the Australian Open, but lucky for us there was a man with a cordless drill to save the day. Tennis is a simple game, but it can only be played if the tennis balls are allowed to bounce. However, last night there was an issue within a small area of the court surface in the Hisense Arena that prevented the balls from bouncing. What looks like a simple coated concrete surface on TV is actually very complex; consisting of multiple layers of rubber...

Flexible coil tubes are nothing new; we use them for everything from air ducting, to pool hoses, but the BlueTube borrows from the classic design and takes it to the next level. Typical hoses use some type of coil skeleton that is either molded into the tube, or covered by some type of material to create the tube. The flaw in this inner coil design is all the lumps and bumps that the coil skeleton creates along the full length of the hose. These bumps are places for dust to get trapped and causes air turbulence...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Introduction Porter-Cable first announced their ultra compact line of 12-volt tools back in August of 2010. They were one of the last of the major brands to make tools in the ultra compact category, but they had a few extra features that set them apart, as well as a lower price. One tool in the new line that caught my eye was their version of the ultra compact reciprocating saw; it had a new simple clamping feature that looked like could really come in handy. Porter-Cable was awesome enough to send their ClampSaw to...