This might be a little late in the season for some people, but Scotch has some duct tapes that they say will help keep you dry, warm, and help keep the elements out in the elements. Sure Scotch is trying to sell you some tape, but I know a storm is hitting the west coast, and these tapes might be what you need to help prevent some unwanted issues.

Scotch Tough Duct Tape – Heavy Duty All-Weather is designed for long-term or permanent exterior repairs and resists drying, cracking and peeling caused by tough outdoor elements like cold and moisture – making it ideal for tough outdoor repairs in extreme conditions. Use it to:

• Repair outdoor items
• Secure plastic coverings to outdoor furniture for protection during the winter months

Scotch Tough Duct Tape – Extreme Hold features rugged woven material and a double-thick adhesive layer – making it ideal for demanding repairs. Its waterproof barrier helps it adhere securely under the most extreme winter weather conditions for tough projects and repairs. Use it to:

• Bundle loads of wood during the winter months

Scotch Tough Duct Tape – Outdoor Painter's Clean Removal sticks to rough surfaces like brick and stucco. It features a waterproof backing and removes cleanly for up to 14 days from most surfaces. Use it to:

• Moisture-proof doors & windows
• Seal a variety of exterior surfaces during the winter months – including glass, vinyl, metal, concrete and finished wood.

If the tapes above aren't enough for your needs, the full Scotch line includes No Residue, Transparent, Extreme Hold, Heavy Duty All-Weather, Poly Hanging & Tarps and Outdoor Painter's Clean Removal.

[:cicn:] Scotch Tough Duct Tape - Amazon

Timberland has built something of an oxymoron with something they call the ultimate "light heavyweight" boot. The Timberland PRO Helix 85594 boot uses a lightweight safety toe that is made of alloy instead of steel, thus giving users the protection they need without all of the weight. Part of this heavyweight status can also be attributed to their use of a rugged full-grain waterproof leather shell.

While the Helix is technically classified as a work boot, Timberland also took a few cues from their outdoor boots and incorporated an anti-fatigue energy boosting technology that is designed to absorb shock and return energy to key areas of the foot. The sole of the boot also looks a bit like something you would find on a hiker, yet it still has the slip, oil, and abrasion resistance of a work boot. Since I use my current work boots as hikers, these features sound like a plus.

The 85594 PRO Helix Boot has an MSRP of $160 and is available online and in stores now.

Festool posted a teaser video on youtube of their new CXS Ultra Compact Cordless Lithium-ion Drill. The drill is expected to be released this May (the month of my birth *hint hint*) and will be powered by a 10.8 volt 1.3Ah battery that can be charged in 20 minutes. Festool didn't share very much in the way of specs, but the dill is already for sale in Europe and specs are probably the same. The CXS has a 2-speed transmission that gives us speeds at 0-400/0-1200 RPMs. The drill can be purchased as a standalone kit with a hex chuck, or as a kit that includes the hex chuck, a drill chuck, and a right angle chuck. No word on pricing.

Festool also posted a video of a new Workcenter attachment (WCR 1000) for their dust extractors. The WCR 1000 attaches to the top of the extractors and adds additional shelving, storage, and organization options. It will cost you $350 and includes one peg hook tray, one universal double hook, one double hook tool rest, one pivoting storage tray and six peg hooks. Kind of makes me wish Festool made a just a standard work cart.

ProTool Reviews and The WoodWhisperer both have some great articles about SawStop, a new rival flesh detecting table saw safety system, and what the Consumer Product Safety Commission can do to help lesson table saw injuries.

It turns out that SawStop as a brand was not the first choice for Stephen Gass, the inventor of the table saw braking system. He originally went directly to table saw manufacturers to try and get them to license his SawStop system from them; but his licensing efforts failed. The SawStop technology was too expensive, heavy, and ruined saws blades after each stop. Manufacturers were also afraid of the lawsuits they would get for only using the technology on certain table saw models; it was just not possible to use it on every model.

This is why SawStop went into the saw making business and also why Gass went from a great inventor in my mind, to another money grubbing Washington lobbyist. Instead of letting people make a choice on weather to buy his safety system by purchasing one of his saws, he went to the CPSC to try and force manufacturers into using a flesh detecting and blade stopping system. And because he had the only system, he would have SawStop on every saw sold in the USA. The CPSC never drafted new rules regarding flesh detecting tech back when Gass first went to them in 2008, but now it looks like the CPSC is taking another look; and this is where Gass' lobbying might end up hurting him in the end.

There is a new flesh detecting kid on the block called WhirlWind. WhirlWind might not be as flashy as the SawStop, but it has other things going for it that could make it make it the overall winner. Instead of requiring users to touch the blade in order to activate the blade brake, the WhirlWind uses a flesh detecting blade guard. This system might be a bit more cumbersome, but because your hand is further from the blade, the blade can be stopped without damage, and any false positives will also result in no damage. The WhirlWind is sure to be cheaper for manufactures to add to their saws, and can be done so without adding a ton of weight. A WhirlWind prototype has already be added to Makita, Delta, Powermatic, and Ridgid table saws, so the WhirlWind has already proven to be adaptable to even small jobsite saw.

If the CPSC does indeed require more protecting from manufacturers in the form of flesh detection, at least now there is some competition. And who knows, manufacturers might even be working on their own systems.

WhirlWind Tool
Additional Reading - USAToday

Many tool stores have a few of their tools out of the box and on display so you can get a better look and feel, but how much information can you really gather from a tool that is tethered to the display case? It is when you actually get to use the tool that you really begin to understand what it is capable of. The idea behind the Festool Test Drive Center is simple enough; provide access to the tools, and let people use them. WoodWerks wants people to have usable access to the tools so they can better understand them; let the customer make cuts with the Kapex miter saw, let them test out the drills to find out which one they need. This is a step in the right direction, and yet another area where the big box stores fail us. The Festool Test Drive Center can only be found at WoodWerks in Columbus Ohio right now, but if it is successful, it seems likely that it will make its way to other Festool dealers.

Side Note: WoodWerks will be holding their Woodworking Expo this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and Festool is bringing all of their new 2011 products to show off. If you live in the Columbus Ohio area, you might want to check it out. There will also be demos of the following new tools:

• Rotex RO 90 DX Multi-mode Sander
• RO 90 DX Accessories
• WCR 1000 Dust Extractor Workcenter
• UG-Kapex, a wheeled miter saw stand
• T-Loc Systainers

WoodWerks

We have miter saws with lasers, drills with lasers, and even hand saws with lasers, but up until now I have never seen a table saw with a laser. Rockwell has finally given us the laser line table saw you never knew you needed. The laser is designed to make it easier to see exactly where the saw blade will meet the wood, and should really come in handy for getting accurately sized miter cuts.

The laser grabs our attention, but there is more to the saw. This is the first jobsite table saw from Rockwell and they have packed it full of features and accessories options. The saw has a full 3-9/16 inch cutting capacity which allows it to cut through 4x4" dimensional lumber, and has a 30-inch rip capacity to the right side of the blade. The optional Sliding Extension Table (RW9189) increases the rip capacity to 36-3/4 inches, and enables crosscuts up to 28 inches.

Another interesting optional add-on to the saw is the Rockwell Finisher (RW9188). As crazy as it sounds, this add-on turns your table saw into a portable jointer. It can handle stock up to 11 inches wide and 3-1/8 inches thick. When used in conjunction with the Sliding Extension table, it can handle sheets up to 36-3/4 inches wide.

The Rockwell 10 inch Jobsite Table Saw with Laser (RK7241S, $349.99), and the optional accessories are expected to be available the first quarter of 2011. For those hungry for more information check out the Press Release after the Read More.

Rockwell

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 of Johnson, levels.

The year 2011 is the first to see Bamboo levels, and Johnson is the first to bring them to us. The Johnson Bricklayer Bamboo Level is not only sustainable, but it is also very strong, and stable. It features a nailed-on stainless steal binding to protect the frame, and screwed on stainless steal end caps. Also available is the EcoTech Bamboo level that features angle metal bindings, and rubber end caps. The bamboo probably comes from China, but these levels are manufactured in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. Both models can be had in 2 foot and 4 foot lengths, and should hit store shelves soon.

Johnson Level

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 modern marvels. We normally see polyurethane in a hard form of some kind or used as a glue, but the folks over at Just Ducky Products seem to have mastered its flexible side. Not only is The Perfect Bungee strong, but it can also be safely stretched to twice its length and always return to its original length. The Perfect Bungee comes in a number of different colors and lengths, but they also have a few end choices. For non-marring applications they have cords with nylon ends, while heavy duty users will be happy to find galvanized ends as the second option, third, they have a looped end.

The Just Ducky Products website lists a number of retailers for the Perfect Bungee, but to give an idea on the price, [:cicn:] Bass Pro Shop sells the 16.5" length for just under $5. Did we mention these are made in the USA?

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 Grinder as it is said to be the most powerful grinder on the market today; which means these battles between companies make us all winners. Some improvements over the competition include a higher top speed of 10,000 RPM's, and the best performance-to-weight ratio in its class. Bosch uses electronic cell protection (ECP) combined with electronic motor protection (EMP) that they say provides "unmatched battery run time and 2 times longer lifetime ". One of the coolest features, is also something that can also be found in the newer Bosch corded angle grinders, and that is something they call Restart Protection. Restart Protection will prevent the tool from running while in the On position after the power has been cut off. So lets say you run the grinder until the battery dies, and you leave the tool on. When you replace the battery, you will have to turn it off and then on again to get it to run. Very smart.

Oh how I love cordless rotary hammers, and the Bosch RHH180 SDS-Plus will likely be no exception. When I installed doors I dreamed of the day I would own one, thus preventing me from taking 100' of extension cord to each and every door when I had to install door stops or thresholds. The RHH180 shares many of the same features as the CAG180 Angle Grinder, such as ECP & EMP, but it also uses a much different brushless motor. Bosch probably chose a brushless motor because of the added protection it would provide for the dusty environment the tool would likely be in. The power-to weight ratio on the Rotary Hammer is also very good, and weighs in at only 5.7 lbs and has a 3/4" drill size capacity. Another nice touch is the added LED light, which should be a standard by now on every power tool made.

Both the [:cicn:] CAG180 Angle Grinder (around $400 Amazon) and the [:cicn:] RHH180 Rotary Hammer (around $500 Amazon) can be purchased as a kit with 2 FatPack batteries and a 30-minute charger, or as tool only as the [:cicn:] CAG180B (around $210 Amazon) & [:cicn:] RHH180B (around $230 Amazon).

Bosch

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 that cuts down on suction. The BlueTube solves this problem by using an exoskeleton coil, thus allowing for a completely smooth inner tube. This design is so affective, that even when tied in a knot, it can pull dust and debris through.

With a relatively unexciting name like BlueTube, the product itself must be something to behold. WoodWerks calls it "the best dust collection hose in the universe", and I doubt they would lie to us just to sell a product or two. The BlueTube is available in 4", 3", and 2.5" sizes starting at $19.95 for a 10' length.

[:cicn:] BlueTube - WoodWerks