Tape measures. There are so many types, yet don’t they all do the same thing?
Justus Roe & Sons began manufacturing steel tape measures in 1865. A patent filed on July 14, 1868 by Alvin J. Fellows of New Haven, Connecticut brought an “Improvement in Tape Measures”—a spring-powered retracting mechanism. The spring-powered tape measure, which we’re all so familiar with, gained popularity in the 1900s, when it started knocking folding rules off the work site. Read the full article…
I had been pining for a Festool dust extractor for a while. I mentioned this to a Festool rep a few months ago, and that I was thinking of pulling the trigger on one. He said, “Can you hold off till October?” Huh? I just said I want to buy something from you. What kind of a salesman are you? Of course, I didn’t say that out loud; I think I just said, “Sure.” The wait turned out to be worth it when I received my new CT 26 dust extractor a couple weeks after it was released. Read the full article…
I’ve just learned of two new accessories that I couldn’t wait to tell TiC readers about. The first is not just a tool bag but the Mother of all tool bags: From Occidental Leather, meet “The Doctor.” And from Festool, check out a systainer First Aid Kit! Read the full article…
I was excited to work with the new Bosch Axial Glide “folding” miter saw (AGS), especially since I’m still enjoying a prosperous relationship with its older brother—the 5412. With an innovative articulating arm straight out of a transformers movie, the neato factor of this unit alone has stirred more interest in carpentry circles than Obama-Care has in rest homes. Read the full article…
I had a Roadshow meeting at Festool a few months ago, and couldn’t help but take a peek around their workshop. They usually have something new and exciting going on, a new tool or accessory they’re playing with. I was pretty surprised to find a bunch of new things. Read the full article…
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been whining about Bosch’s Angle Finder for years. I mean, I even whined during my presentations at JLC Live shows: “How come the ‘Hold’ button doesn’t hold anything when you press it!?”
But the folks at Bosch must have been listening because they’ve improved their Angle Finder—finally! And while they haven’t done everything I would have liked (it would be nice if they’d put a key pad right on the tool, so you could just key in the crown molding spring angle), they have taken the tool to the next level. Read the full article…
In the early spring, I was up in Oregon straightening out my fly line—sometimes that takes a week or more, if you know what I mean. While I was up there, Brandon Vaughn from SawGear invited me to his office for a peek at their new automatic length measuring tool. Read the full article…
I recently had the honor of being invited to participate in Festool’s cabinet-making class at their corporate headquarters in Lebanon, Indiana. The class was two full days of solid training…and it was a lot of fun. They have a complete training room set up there, stocked full of tools—more than a person could dream of having in their own shop. In fact, when the class was over, I didn’t want to leave and go home. They had to make me. Read the full article…
Some days I hate my job.
Have you ever walked on a job and faced a pile of 150 solid core 3/0 x 8/0 doors? And they’re on the first floor? And there’s four floors? And no elevator? I have. All the time. Read the full article…
When I started teaching carpentry clinics at lumberyards around the country, one of the first companies I sought support from was Stabila—I used their levels for a couple of decades and wouldn’t think of switching brands. There was no other spirit level available that guaranteed the same degree of precision, whether the vials were right-side up or up-side down.
When I first started in the trades, I used an adjustable level, but threw it away after setting door jambs in a home getting bull-nose drywall. Read the full article…
As a young carpenter living in an apartment and specializing in residential remodeling, I have to wear a lot of hats—and make them all fit into a truck and small trailer. That is why I always look for tools and techniques that combine multiple tasks into smaller packages, especially when it comes to table saws and table saw stands. To start with, I’ve always wanted one that would fit in my truck, but that’s just for starters. Read the full article…
For years, the only oscillating tools made my contractors, capable of cutting, sawing, grinding—a multitude of tasks per- formed by no other single tool—were the Fein Supercut and the Fein Multimaster. Rumors have circulated that the patents held by Fein on its well known Multimaster have expired and now the doors are wide open for other manufacturers to introduce their own versions. Whether the rumors are true or not, today there is a multitude of multitasking tools available for carpenters, among them, the Fein, Dremel, Sonicrafter, Bosch, and Chicago Tool’s model. Read the full article…
www.dewalt.com :: List price $499
About 18 months ago I bought the Festool TS 55 track saw. I’ll admit that I was skeptical about all the buzz this tool was getting, but very interested to see how this saw performed. After doing everything from accurately ripping and crosscutting full sheets of plywood, to trimming new doors to fit old openings, to mitering maple butcher block countertops, ripping 45° bevels on cabinet face frames and end panels, and ripping long tapered extension jams, I have to say this saw met and exceeded my expectations. Read the full article…
A few years ago, other than the noise of saws and nail guns, jobsites were pretty quiet. But today, on almost every construction site, you’re liable to hear the clacking of an impact driver. After all, most of us have become completely dependent on them for driving screws: they never strip out a head, even when you’re driving a screw in tough wood; even if you’re standing on a ladder reaching over your head, you can still drive a long screw without throwing your weight behind the driver; and you can drive handfuls of screws without tiring. Read the full article…