I am a fan of small lightweight air compressors and have been using a small 1-gallon for years now on the jobsite. So when I got news about a new 1-gallon from Porter-Cable, the excitement began to flow; that is until I realized that the new C1010 compressor from Porter-Cable is the same as the D55140 from DeWalt. Not that there is anything wrong with the DeWalt, it's just that the new compressor is not really new.

The specification for both units are almost identical, with the C1010 coming it at 71 decibels, which is 2 decibels higher then the DeWalt; the rest of that stats are the same. Both weigh 24-pounds, have a motor with a draw of only 2.6 amps, and have a rather quick 20-second recovery. So why is there a 2 decibel difference? My guess is just a difference in testing. The Porter-Cable is expected to retail for $139, but Amazon currently has the DeWalt for less then $130. I expect Amazon will offer a lower price for the C1010 down the road. So, red or yellow?

If this wasn't confusing enough, Senco's 1-gallon compressor is Model number PC1010.

Porter-Cable C1010 – Amazon, DeWalt D55140 - Amazon

Back in October 2010 Bosch announced their partnership with Perceptron, a global leader in optical scopes. This lead us to assume that Bosch at some point in the future would come out with a 12V inspection scope that would compete with the cordless models from some of the other major brands. It looks like our prediction was correct, as Bosch has announced their new PS90 12V Max Inspection Camera.

The PS90 inspection cam allows people of all trades to get a view of small tight places. The camera comes with a waterproof flexible imager that is a full 48-inches in length and has a camera head that is only 17mm in diameter. The head itself is made out of metal for added durability, and features bright LED lights that Bosch says are configured to provide maximum visibility while preventing hot spots and glare. The camera also can be used with a hook, magnet, or mirror attachments.

The main body of the PS90 features a 2.7-inch display, and controls that allow the user to magnify the image up to four times. If 2.7-inches is not big enough for you, the kit also comes with a video output cable that can be used with an external video monitor. The PS90 kit also includes a battery with built-in life indicator gauge, and can be charged in 30 minutes with the included charger. Bosch says the 12V battery provides 8-15 hours of continuous use depending on LED light usage.

For users that need to get into even smaller places, Bosch also offer a shorter 36-inch flexible imager that uses a smaller 9.5mm head. If both sizes are needed, they can be purchased together in the PS91 kit. Both kits are available now at Amazon and other stores nationwide.

PS90 – Amazon, PS91 – Amazon

Bosch Tools

Sortimo has announced their new LS-Boxx, which is identical in size to their medium L-Boxx's, but instead has an opening in the front for removable trays. These trays, called i-Boxx's comes in two sizes and come with insert boxes and feature a transparent lid. The top portion of the LS-Boxx opens just like a regular L-Boxx and can house small tools such as cordless drills. The advantage of this new box is its ability to carry a tool in the top, and all the accessories needed in the tray's below. Sortimo talks about different tray options for the new LS-Boxx, but so far I can only find this one photo. These LS-Boxx's are compatible with existing L-Boxx containers, as well as other Sortimo vehicle storage solutions. Sortimo is based in Germany, and Sortimo U.S. doesn't expect the LS-Boxx to hit our shelves until sometime next year. I wonder if Bosch will start using these?

Also new for Sortimo are powered L-Boxx. These new boxes are called L-BOXXes, and offer a portable power solution that all ties in with Sortimo's modular system. They have two current options available, 230V and 400V, and also available are matching power distribution cables. Again these are only available in parts of Europe at this time, but I will keep my eye out of the US crowd.

Think scientists have all the answers? Think again. Self-taught metallurgist Gary Cola from Detroit has amazed scientists with his new heat-treating process that makes ordinary steel stronger and more shock absorbent then the most common titanium alloys used in the industry. Cola claimed his new Flash Bainite steel was 7 percent stronger then martensitic advanced high-strength steel, and at the same time could be thinned and lengthened 30 percent more. Cola's claims were then verified by Suresh Babu of Ohio State University.

The process to make Flash Bainite is as simple as quickly sending sheets of steel through 1100 degree Celsius flames, then cooling them with a liquid bath. The entire process takes less then 10 seconds. Previous heat-treating metheds required steel to be heated for a few hours, or as long as days.

So when will we start to see new lighter weight, stronger, and cheaper tools? Because the process can be done so quickly, there is less time and energy used, which means costs saving will be passed on to everyone. Let us not forget that regular old cheap steel is used, and thus another costs savings. While the metal itself is not light weight, the fact that it is stronger means manufacturers can use less of it.

Could this be the end of titanium hammers? Could this mean that even the cheap hand tools from China will be stronger then many titanium alloys? Lighter table saws, miter saws, drills, hand tools? Manufactures need to get a move on this.

Via Science Daily

One of the biggest drawbacks of 18-volt cordless drills is their large size, and this is probably the main reason why the smaller ultra compact lines have been growing so fast over these last few years. Well it appears that Bosch has taken these 'small' ideas to their 18-volt line and are offering new smaller drills across the entire 18V line. Even the drills you would expect to be big, like hammer drills, have also been slimmed down; but this also means the compact drills are even smaller.

Bosch claims the new Brute Tough drills are up to a half a pound lighter, and up to 15 percent more compact then the closest competitor at 4.7lbs for the DDH181-01 Drill/Driver and 4.9lbs for the HDH181-01Hammer Drill/Driver. This was probably true up until DeWalt announced their new line of 18V drills. None the less, we are happy to see the tools getting smaller, and we will just have to wait until we get both in our hand to see which is truly the smallest. And obviously there is more to these drills then size. Coptool.com has a few good photos of the size differences that I will link to at the bottom.

So we know they are small, but are these Brute Tough drills brute tough? When Bosch first started making drills, they would demonstrate their toughness by dropping their drills off of a ladder. I remember seeing these drills plummet to the concrete off of 10-12 foot ladders. Now Bosch has taken these toughness test to the next next next level; at a recent press event at Bosch HQ a couple of these new drills were tossed from a helicopter at over 500-feet, they hit the grass and survived. Their all metal gear train and clutch have proven to be strong.

These new drills also come with Bosch's brand new Lithium-Ion High Capacity (HC) batteries. They offer up to 50 percent longer run-times, and cold weather performance that is truly amazing. How amazing? How about a battery that operates in temperatures down to -4 degrees Fahrenheit. Another nice feature is the addition of a built-in fuel gauge.

The only problem we have with Bosch's new line up is their selection. They have so many options that it could be hard for you to choose. Just be aware that the models with numbers 181- come with the new HC batteries, the models with numbers 180- use the older batteries. Models ending in ***-01 come with (2) FatPack batteries, models ending with ***-02 come with (2) SlimPack batteries, and models ending with ***-03 come with (1) FatPack and (1) SlimPack battery.

[:cicn:] HDH181-01 [:cicn:] DDH181-01 [:cicn:] DDS181-01

CopTool

BoschTools
Bosch Best Built

When is a Stabila level not a Stabila level? When it is a Masterforce level that is made in Germany by Stabila. That's right, the Menards hardware store line of Masterforce levels are actually made by Stabila. The Masterforce levels look like they are an old model of level that Stabila no longer sells under their own name, but if you go to any large jobsite, you would be sure to see these same level in Stabila yellow.

There are a couple of advantages to purchasing a Masterforce level over a Stabila, the first is the obvious price reduction, the second is a no-name level that does not scream 'steal me'. However there might be a disadvantage as well; there is no indication (at least on the Menards website) what the warranty is on these levels.

If you are interested in saving a few bucks and you have a Menards in your area, you might want to check these out and see what the warranty is. Menards has the levels in sizes from 16-inches all the way up to 96-inches, they even have many sizes available with a magnetic option.

Manards

If you don't own a laser distance measurer yet, you have no idea what you are missing; and with Bosch's introduction of the GLM 80, the reasons are growing more and more with every new release. I still use my old Bosch DLR165 at work all the time even though it doesn't have an inch only measurement, and I would be lost without it.

The new GLM 80 has so many improvements over the previous models that don't know where to begin. Probably the most exciting feature would have to be the built in two-axis tilt sensor that allows to laser to do indirect measurements while requiring you to only take one measurement. This feature goes beyond the Pythagorean theorem of other lasers and takes us into trigonometry. Thankfully for us we don't have to remember any of formula involved. All of the other measurement modes are also covered, like area, volume, continuous, minimum, maximum, multi-surface area and multiple indirect measurements and the laser has a maximum measuring distance of 80 meters (262 feet). The same tilt sensor also automatically rotates the back-lit display of the measurer so that it is always right-side up. By using the R 60 attachment, the GLM 80 can be mounted inside and used as a digital level.

Another major change on the GLM 80 is its use of a chargeable lithium-ion battery. The battery can achieve up to 25,000 measurements with a single charge, and can be charged with an included micro-usb charger. Because the micro-usb port is standard, you should be able to use vehicle chargers from certain phones to charge the measurer.

The GLM 80 and the R 60 attachment will be available August 1st and can be purchased separately or as a package. There is no word on pricing, but if previous models are any indication I would guess it will be the area of $200

I have been battling with the idea of purchasing a few Systainers so that I can use them with a hand truck to get my tools on and off the jobsite easier for a few years now, but the pricing always kept me away. Then out came the L-Boxx from Sortimo, and it popped into my mind as a possible solution. The L-Boxx then became the front runner when Bosch made them more readily available here in the States. However, now it looks like DeWalt's Tough System is the ideal storage/transport system for my needs.

The Tough System is similar to the Systainer system in the fact that both systems offer stack-ability, but to me the Tough Systems takes the lead with its great L-cart (hand-truck) integration. With the DWST08201 L-cart the three different size Tough System boxes don't just rest on the tongue, but they can actually float above the tongue by using brackets on the L-cart. This brackets will not only prevent you from accidentally dumping your boxes, but it also allows users to use the the L-cart to move jobsite materials and transport your tools at the same time. Imagine having your air compressor on the tongue, then a Tough System box above it housing your nail guns and hoses. The L-Cart can handle materials up to 260 Lbs, so you can really load it up. Most importantly the L-cart has the ability to lock all of the boxes to the cart with a single lock.

The Tough System boxes also offer a few great features that set them apart from their competition. The first is a water seal in the lid that protects you tools from the outside elements. This means you can keep the boxes in the back of your truck during a flood and not have to worry about messing up your electronics. The boxes themselves are also lockable, something the other brands are missing. Each one of the three boxes also offer something different. The Smallest DWST08201 offers a briefcase style handle which makes it perfect for hand tool storage. The midsized DWST08203 comes with a deep removable tray which is designed to fit a cordless tool, battery, and charger. The large DWST08204 provides removable vertical storage for easy access and organization.

The Toughtsystem boxes are priced a bit less then the Systainer or the L-Boxx, but the line is still covered by a limited lifetime warranty. The line will be available beginning in July 2011 and will cost $45 for the DWST08201, $55 for the 203, $65 for the 204, and $160 for the 210 L-cart.

I found a video made for DeWalt UK that better shows what the Tough System can do. Be aware that the UK version might have some differences.

I wondered how long it would be until Bosch came out with a track saw of their very own, and now I know. It turns out that Bosch Germany will be releasing two track saws in a matter of just a couple of months. Good news for other track saw owners is that they will use a track and saw configuration that is compatible with Festool, Makita, and other tracks and saws on the market.

The saws are going up against some pretty big competition with Festool, but according to the specs, Bosch has them beat on most everything. Of course it is about more then just specs, but they do play a major part. The New Bosch GKS 55 GCE will be going head to head with the Festool TS 55. They both offer the same cutting depths at 55mm (2-1/8") but the Bosch has more watts (power) at 1350 vs 1200. The Festool TS 55 does beat the Bosch GKS 55 GCE by 100 rpm at high speed (5,100 rpm), but again Bosch beats Festool in weight.

Onto the big saws. Festool has the TS 75, but Bosch jumps ahead with their GKS 85 G. Again the numbers in the model are referring to the max depth of cut at 90 degrees in millimeters. So the Bosch offers a cutting depth of 3-5/16" vs Festool's 2-15/16". Those cutting depths are taken without using a track.

Other then that, the Bosch saws have a number of accessories available including: rails of various lengths, rail connectors, angle guides, clamps, anti-splinter guards, etc. All in all it looks like Bosch will be giving Festool a run for their money, at least on paper. The only area that Bosch seems to be lacking in is dust collection; their saws do no appear to have a dust collection port that can be used with a collector. For some this will be a major drawback.

Obviously we bring you this news expecting that these track saws will be coming to the USA at some point. When, and at what price is unknown. Bosch Germany users can expects the saws this July at a price of 309 euros (about $445) for the GKS 55 GCE plus 1600mm track and L-Boxx, and 409 euros (about $590 USD) for the GKS 85 G with 1600mm track and L-Boxx. Again Bosch beats Festool with price.

Math gets in the way of great woodworking projects. Yeah, I know it might be hard for some of you to believe, but amazing looking furniture was being built long before the masses knew the wonders a+b=c and all that jazz. Sure a tape measure comes in handy when you need to divide 73-3/16 by 5, but that is only because we were never taught the ways of old.

So what can replace a tape measure and the knowledge math? How about two sticks and a hinge, or what is commonly known as a "sector". So we know a sector can replace (in some cases) the knowledge of math, but we still need the knowledge of how to use a sector. Chris Schwarz from FineWoodworking has a quick video to get us started on some of its capabilities, and another video on how to make such a device, but any true knowledge seeker needs to read the 'Secret of the Sector' article from the June 2011 issue of FWW.

FWW & FWW via JLC Forums