PU ag Baa) Best tools of the year */, 18” Pro 10-347 ! BIGGER IS BETTER Spring Loaded Tool-Less Guide System No tools needed to quickly adjust your guide bearings Quick Adjust 6” Tall Rip Fence System Easily adjust your fence to ether side of the blade Foot Brake With Micro-Switch Provides additional safety to quickly stop the ‘machine @ Powerful 4H.P. Motor Highest In Its Class @ Big Work Table 25"x19” @ 19” Resaw Capacity © Keyed On/Off Safety Switch System @ MSRP $2199 Massive Cast Iron Drive Wheels Call today for more information 877-884-5167 or visit www.rikontools.com for a dealer near you!a j Battery pack AC Adapter [SWI Cordless Sanders RTSC 400 ETSC 125 festoolusa.comFineWoodworking FineHom 2018 Benchtop planers, p56 contents POWER TOOLS MACHINES Departments TT Cordless Sliders Benchtop Planers On the Web Letter from Track Saws Choosing a Lathe the Editors Cordless Multitools Cabinet Saws neta for the Home Shop Our evo tools Compact Routers tested in the past year Shop Essentials Rotary Hammers What ail bits do you Ca Portable Compressors Compressors, BaeRotary hammers, p. 44 Dust collection, p. 72 HAND TOOLS ACCESSORIES Essential Clamp Kit 94 Dovetail Jigs 5 Jack Planes 00 Essential Bandsaw Blades 5 Tablesaw Blades for Joinery 2 Faster Drywall Finishing pais Best new tools, p. 10on. HIN, WEDD on reson ® vioeo Mean Green Cutting Machine The somewhat searylooking Sraight Fash ein. worm dive crear saw can cut 34, deep and beve te 65°. also has avtsting handle anda fush-uting ade 3 you can wim door jams and eut outdoor and wine openings a @ vive Osha-Approved Tunes! Heorng protection doesnt have tobe boring Tae a ose ook at he tote Pro nase olan buetoth earbuds @ vive A Woodworker's Best Friend? We take a lok at Deas now $4, tape ‘measure and se ft measures up fom woodworkers needs ® virco Load a Foam Gun the Right Way Learn how load a eam gun wih minimal meet and ers chance of fture clogs Members get special benefits ‘Subscibe to FineWoodworking com to gain exclusive access to more than 3.000 project and technique videos, Yout aso get more tan 40 years of magazine archives at your fnget Including 2400-1 atcies and project plans, Sharpen Your Tablesaw Skills Unc our ables’ fo potendal with nt maker and teacher Mare Aas nth sre, Adar wats you trough arty of eel teehigves,Ineking row Bal your own spire and zo-claranos tet plate ‘conte custom eect led = ut preci joinery 3: TOOL «© GUIDE Tool Guide At Dacor Miho Poti opy/Foducion Eaor lanbeth Holy Conutne Dasiener aly) Danton Fine Wood Working Depty Estar Jonathon Binzen Spee Preece Eliar Matthew Kenner Bory NM Dime Manage fox’ Elaabeth Healy Save Hack Ste Ltt Wich! Foran hi Boca wes fosicar Ban Sano iio Dresor Gln ue aia) stort Orecor Rob Yass stor an Fok fxeouthe At Otc Rebert Gooden Dssgr Eater an Ponto et Prodcer Micha Morn Aro ‘ideo Oiecor Con Rusa Senor Eos Ane Eng “ese thew hina Soca Meda Eor Mat ashe Copy Posieion Ester Semana ese Deni reer Rodney Die NonaserVebo Sisto Jat Poor Conttatre Esto Maran Coto Sean room Jossoh Letra contin Winer Seat beon etating Unc Eaour oF Sinan tatePace ee WETETEL 3 E aad PNZU mn ceane nas MANY OF OUR MACHINES HAVEWON NUMEROUS AWARDS IN MAGAZINETESTS. HERE ARE JUST A FEW. 17" HEAVY-DUTY EXTREME BANDSAW 920 eK wees secs a WITH MOTOR BRAKE 5 Senge seri rere eur 3 82 selene + Paucergeurceetiay 4 Preeti ground stro see xinon Son Wee pens tn cape 16 hie tate spent 8 0 Ft Ben ncn (Ce wa) Gust dour nace tne mer Eten gas mows Fa Ayo sn ee ss Spr ang weg 12 osisx2 ONLY “150% — ~" 1285 astsxan ONLY $1795" ~ 225 10" 3HP 220V CABINET TABLE SAW = 15" PLANER Wirt 3 KNIFE CUTTERHEAD WITH LONG RAILS & RIVING KNIFE + Mora zm nga 54 4 Matoe 3 He 220 single-phase, 128A Nomi stack bikes 1 Preemon-gund cotton oat nina tek cknes tenon trseuen 2x10 nine sae eng Fomtonusehagie ot + Mumumcating ap a eee couse taee + Spa oz «Meee ary, SRC Dre em 1): cunrawantaws rein nr eo ae Aparoxmsts shop Wea BBs. Goeo1 ONLY *1725" By cots ONLY *1250" 8 JOINTERS 12" COMBINATION JOINTER/PLANER (“hg o> * ana 20% so hn, Ee, WITH CARBIDE INSERT SPIRAL CUTTERHEAD angiomas on table aa oct Ensenane meres 25m Ne pte ep of et Cis per mn 700 Nac fehl ext 12 ‘ep sping wet SEs ‘Goss6w ONLY °875° Fomine Ue te W svn corene rug 1 Repro rig wat 78. ‘Gassoxw ONLY "12950" aa) ‘cossixe ONLY *2550% OSCILLATING SPINDLE SANDER [amy | 12 SPEED 20" FLOOR DRILL PRESS meanest Pgegesmegrenramete Serre geet ae Sac See pcurasiag Shing Sateen G1071 ONLY *815 7 G7948 ONLY*725" ga) 1-800-523-4777 Uetz Br ec eo pe oe Lieaeell Pere Uae Th uedLETTER FROM THE EDITORS THE FIRST TOOL YOU BUY As homeowners, woodworkers, and home builders ‘ourselves, we know that you have more options than ever these days when It comes time to choose a new tool ‘You can search online, check reviews from people who say theyve bought a particular tool, compare prices and features, ask questions on social media ... you can even 0 old-school and ask your neighbor. But when all that's ‘sald and done, you can't be truly sure that the information youve gathered is accurate, You can't be certain that the reviewers" youve encountered have really used that tool. ‘And you can’t determine how one tool stacks up against ‘another in a heaco-head test ‘That's where the 2018 Too! Gulde comes in. In these ‘pages, weve gathered tool reviews from Fine Woodworking ‘and Fine Homebuilding magazines, where each too! has been tested by professional woodworkers and contractors ‘ho use these types of tools every day. That alone makes ‘our reviews stand out, but when you add the fact that we do head-to-head tool tests, showing clearly how one too! Performs vs, another and rating each tool for data such 28 power, accuracy, and run time during realife use, our reviews stand out even more. Then we add ratings trom ‘our readers, surveying thousands of passionate tool users ‘about the tools they own and which ones they like best. ‘Combined, these attributes mean that our tool reviews are Unlike anything else you will find. Buying a hand tool or power too! Is a dificult, often ‘expensive, decision, Let us help you simplify the process. Make the Too! Guide the fist thing you add to your tool Kit this year. After you do, all the other decisions will be easier. Three different awards Look for these logos in each af our tool tests. Two ‘writers, and one is detormined by our readers. BEST OVERALL This award goos to the best This avard hignlghts best Diys overall pertoxmer. in every too category. from our editors and READERS’ CHOICE This award is based fn our survey of more than 1,240 readers, Fine WoodWorking ig tags ens Sperone sence @BPA, Sil Cony Sales @ eoavowese: r ‘The Taunton PressNO oe WWW.ROLAIR.COMBest Tools ‘The experts at Fine Woodworking and Fine Homebuilding test hundreds of new tools each year. Here are some of ‘our favorites from this year. nen all you need 5 #choppng action, you can fock the ing arms in place, — Shae wings extend to ‘support ong beards SLIDING COMPOUND MITER SAW BY BOSCH omazsD = $549 The miter look has detents for common ansies / / In saw oan crossout boards up to 14 in. wide Miter saw has the power and capacity to cut big boards Boschis newest 424. siding compounceniter saw is a woldosigned tol ‘and a great improvement over older miter saws, The saw has plenty of height capacity easly cuting a 5%in wide board standing on eg. I also an cut material 4 in. thle atts full width eapzcty of 24 i, Finally eut ‘accurately at both 45° and 90° right cut of the box ‘This saw has plenty of power cutting wide ploces of 2in-thick and 2%4In-thick ash with no trouble. Toop support long boards, you can ‘extend wings on the sides to increase the table's width to 39 in. The miter lock, orate at the font ofthe saws simple to use and has detents at 0°, 15°, 225", 31.6°, and 45°. The saw can cut up to 52° to the left ofthe blade and GO" tothe ight The bevel lock i located atthe back of tho saw, on the right sido ofthe blade, but is large and easy to 10 teach from the front. A lock forthe slide mechanism, located behind the {ence on the left ofthe blade, comes in handy wien youre cutting narrow ‘tock and don't need the sie. [AL 65 Ib, the saw Is heavy, So wold recommend bullding a permanent 0 for But youll need a ot of raom—A2 in. of space front to hack ‘and botwoon 26 in. avd 40 in, side to sido. placed against wall, ‘heeds a counter at least 30 fn. deep) ‘With just the bag in place, dust collection wasn't great It was better ith the bag removed an the sew hooked! up toa shop vacuum, We also {ound the sto be loud, But the saws ability to cut big boards accurately ‘overshadows these problems and any one of us would be glad to heep it nour shop._Fine Wood Working Toeomtact us ne Wooavortns “Taunton ‘south Nain St Po Bex S506 Newtown, CT 06 sen an ema fibounton om ‘pawosdnorang cam Te submit on ate propose inte 1 Fne Weeaworang tthe adcese above oe (al 800088965 Fox 2032705753 mal: fteunton om ‘To subscbe 0 place an onde Vist fnenoodvorking eon Forer reali 806.4825141 am-Spn EF Mon Fai Sam Tpm ET Sat ‘of out about Fine Woodworking products: Visit noweedwerking.com/ products ‘To got naip win oni member series Visit inewoodwotkingcom/eustomerserie “Tod snsners to trequety asked questions: Vist feweedvorking.com/FQs To contact Fine Woodworking customer serve: Ema us a [email protected] Te speak chest toa cotome service pokes (Cal 8562526141 Gam 9pm ET Mon ri Sam7pn EF Sat ‘sell Fine Woodworking your stor: Callus tollfes at 8664525179, or emai ve at wadecetauntoncom “To advertse in Fine Wooden cal 800.3096: ‘emai ue at fade @taunton.om ang 16 emake a portion of ow mailing st valle torepustle rms. i'you would prefer that wenotineude your name, please vist Tmewoodvorknecam/p1Naey or nl B6B52514% Som-pm ET Mon Sare7pm ET Sat For employment intrmaton: ‘he Tauren gunratce Ita anytime youre not complete sated with Fhe Weocwerhing, you can cancel your Subscription and receive a ful and immediate Tefund ofthe ene subseipton price, No questions asked Copmght 2017 by he oun Pees. Ine. Ne Peeper ees setae wer) PeEb Ona nee er , * | CHESS Mas one ares 28 YOUR SNF Snows [Sinem AUTOWATIC On MANUAL On BOTH ‘tiwcH otasr ones roo smisct fokcerrteadenon @ Saieaiee ecm GUM pevteae ties tc é CrnGareeateuea seausnmoronree | /% IZ Pisa) Tools. ‘Superior Quality. AfordableEficieney. 16-32 DRUM SANDER eeretereorith Drive Motor (© Patented Quick Adust Lever for fast adjustments {© Turbo Vented Dust Por {or norease ae fo. '© Bulla DRO for consistent ‘hleknesees 1© INTELLISAND Technology. introducing the newest member Newly designe colnet oy 18 uikn otal Rest utes matrn concent lanes {omeesse acusey ‘daly Patra Qdok Aust SerenBest Tools continued AIR HOSE BY SENCO Pe1si9 $20 Senco’s new compressor and flexible hose i ——— are a perfect pair In furniture making, reumatie nairs ‘come in handy when making is and attaching te occasional piece of tim or ‘rawor stop. For the 18 gauge or 23 gauge nallers commonly used in woodwerking, you don't ood a big compressor. Senco’ PCLO40N fins COMPRESSOR nd trim compressor isthe perfect fi. Khas a 34p BY SENCO Induction motor and a 4a tank, and easlly handles & Pc1010N varety of work 5150 ‘The punishing roar of @ compressor can wear you ‘down, but the Senco PCLO40N, thankfully creates Ite ‘more than a moderate hurn and isnot disturbing. ‘The cornpressor aso ls very small an light It weighs Just 24 1b. and fits perfectly under @ workbench, The knob to adjust the hose pressure Ison the front of the compressor, ss the hose connector, which makes it easy to hook up to a hose and adjust the pressure even ‘when the compressor is stored under a bench. ‘Senco’ now hybrid a hose, which combines the benefits of rubber and PYG hoses, Isa handy secessory {or the comprossor Like rubbr,Its lexibe and has no ‘memory, its easy to lay out nd cof and it doesnt ‘ant to pull back into a coll ke PVC hoses can. Like Assembling gs and ‘tacking on melding doesn’ require a big, loud compressor. The ‘PVC hose, the Senco howe very ight for its SOR. Senco PCIOLON has 2 length Hook t up tothe Senco 4020N compressor, and big enough tank to power you have a wonderful eombination for a turture shop. 418 gauge and 23-g0ug0 rallers, ands quiet enough that it doesn't {rown out conversation or {your favorite shop tunes, in es ‘Compact and light. The PCIOION is small Up-front control The hose connector and Hose Is supple and lightwolght. Big loops ‘enough to mt under a bonch, and ean be carried hose pressure adjustor aro onthe frant of (or small, Senco’ hybrid hose easily curks Into with ono hand, tho compressor, s0 changes are quick and thom. Andi fools surprisingly ghtwoigh for 2 convenient 50%. hose 2Capable caulk gun (Cox's mode! 4100427 high-everage caulk gun has ‘double te mechanical advantage of most caulk guns, ‘so oven in cold tornporatures you can easily squeeze ‘ut a uniform bead of polyurethane soatant. ‘There re two other features you wort find on most guns: am ABTS cage tral prevents dropped tides ‘during loading and a swivel that allows you to rotate the tube tp wile the plunger Is extendes. The latter feature i especially handy as it eliminates the need to contort the whale gun (aid therelore your had and shoulder) in awkward postions. The oniy dounside: The standard Cox gun takes 27 squeezes for he plunger ‘travel the fll length of the cage, so it's not ideal for dispensing large volumes of material quley ke ‘warm subfloor adhesive. Otharwiso, it's an excoptional tool that we recommend without reservation, CAULK GUN BY Cox = 4100427 Frustration-free safety glasses = $40 2M SecureFit safety lasses work wal, They don fll off your Face or {ve you a headache from a poor ft. Of the threo pales included in the ‘three-pack, the indoor/outdoor lightly tinted “miror” pairs our favorite Compact drills have lots of muscle ‘While there's an air of Bono In how they look, we lke them more for ‘thelr utt inthe un The reflective lenses knock down glare without being dark which is great when making cuts outside and then bringing the pieces indoors. ‘Tho second—and primary—reason we ke theso asses is how easy they ae to wear The lenges don attract dust, and somehow they stay {tee of sweat and grease, Theyte also amazingly scratch resistant But ‘most important, these gasses are so comfortable youll forget you are ‘wearing them. It that what you relly want frm safety glasses? \)) MAKITA DRILL AND o IMPACT DRIVER KIT "= CX200RB = $239 v é ¥ tts amazing how much power Makita has managed o pack nto sew {Bot stor iad mpc ver kt. Teil wih it 28 by ac he me ve’ 2h Wo wed tem fr ener een nok Eotirsae fencer bccn einer Sen tener Pessoa lm claacandel linia il ses nd ot rit oc Ie Tt 8 SAFETY GLASSES BY 3M ‘is comfortable, and both have a spotlight that improves visibility around @ patnea sein ‘aon. noe ec TAUNTON'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 13Best Tools continued Wornr-drive tablesaw has no shortage of power ‘Skisaws new SPTTOWT.22 Is the fst portable wonm-dive tablesaw ts a if onthe company’s venerable worm. chive cieular saw, and it promises tobe as durable and as powerful. The saw we tested over thre months s equipped ‘with a 04a, Freud blade and includes an optional folding stand (motel SPTATOWTST, $80). Te fence locks down try, requiting only a minor adjustment to bring within ‘an acceptable margin of eror right out of the box The saw has great onboard storage for a provided push stick, as well, as storage for the miter gaugo, blade wrench, and fene. We put the saw to work ripping a stack of ft. cherry 2x board and were immediately impressed by its power, The aw’s wormatrive motor and razorsharp Freus blade tore ‘through the 200 ba. ft. of cherry with precision and ease. Board after board, the saw sliced through without a groan ‘or whino. Tying to bog down tho saw became a garne. We ‘ipped everything we had available trying to grind the brass {gears toa hit The saw finaly met ts match with some 8/4 white-oak boards and an itadvisod food rato. ‘The saw weighs 49 fh. which in the mide range for compact saws, Alnough it’s not exactly easy to heft around, W's well balanced, and the Integral handles on the rol cago help make t more comfoctablo to cam. Over several months, this saw was used relentlessly and saw more than is share of rudd ob sites and even the occasional ght ran and noaw ‘ow, Yot somnetiow it came though all that torment retatvely unseathod, it continues to cut true and square, and it shows only normal wear an tear Wie do have few concerns. For starters, the fence is finicky tone up {or removal and installation. We suspect that this results In a square locke Affordable sander has high-end features. RANDOM-ORBIT SANDER (5 IN.) BY DeWALT « pwes42K = 859 “4 TABLESAW BY SKILSAW = sprzowr22 = $350 ‘down, which is certainty more important than ease of instalation, but the ‘downside is that it easier not to remove the fence when breaking down the saw for anspor, Also, Because this fsa worm drive saw It requires rogular maintenance. The worm ative gearbox has an oll eve that should bbe checked regulary and changed every 60 hours of operation (bx ‘months toa year of almost dally uso) This is a powerful, lightweight saw that euts square and true even after daily use on an ative job site, I's packed full of useful features and thas no shortage of power. I's no substitute fora shop-based cabinet or ‘contactor saw, but i's perfect for day-to-day ripping on the jobsite ‘Thore are @ ot of Sn, randomorbit sanders on the market, but DeWalt latest model has some features that set it apart, The switch Is perfectly located on top and atthe font ofthe hand grip right where your index finger naturally lands. The compact dust bag snaps on socurely with a simple twist, but we Wouldnt use i because the dust pot is argor than average (about 1% in) and easly hooks up to a dust extractor. Finally, the 3-amp motoris plenty strong but not too loud The sander has an ergonomic rubber gp and a low-profile design that makos it oss fatiguing to use for extended sessions. The single-speed motor spins at 12,000 orbits per minute. here fs a model wth variable speed (OWEGA23), but the single speed is adequate. We find that the fastest speed generally produces fewer ‘swirl marks and gets the Job dane more quickly. This fa nice sander at a goed pic.Turning your passion for woodworking into a full-time business is easier than you think, When you franchise with Furniture Medic* you become part of a multi-billion dollar industry*, maintaining, restoring and repairing commercial and residential wood of all kinds. As a Furniture Medic” franchisee, youll Benet rom eannu National accounts with potential for recurring revenue** . oa 2 Join our winning team of Scalability across multiple revenue streams more than 300 franchises. Expert business, marketing, and technical support 4 or visit furnituremedicfranchise.com to take the first step in transforming Franchisee intranet and technical hotline your business. Extensive education and training programsBest Tools continued Cordless jigsaw never gets snagged No matter how many Jigsaws youve owmed, one itating feature they al seem to shate fs the cord. always seems to hang up on ‘something onthe bench or on the edge ofthe workplace just as you ‘come toa cial spot ina cut, Bosch has come to the rescue with & cordless version. and its exactly what flgsaw should be. (5 small lightweight, has a good blade gudo, a great quick change collet, viable speed, three diferent blade strokes (straight, ow ‘osclaton, hig oselation), and a nifty LED light. The base accepts ‘an almost transparent zeroctearance insort and a snapeon plastle shoe that protects the workpiece frm marrng. The barrel {ip Is narrow ane fatty easy to grasp, but our tester wasnt ‘able to wrap his hand completely aroun it Although the saw is sold without batteries it uses the uasaw same 22: Ithiurnionbatoy that other Bosch 42a tools Use, Ofcourse one ofthe saw’ best features fs the lack ofa cod men "Weve used th lsaw quite a bit now, andl nave not had to stop once to re the e100 06 hive. 908 cord, W's been wonder for two 12a battrios and charger Wet sharpener is a great value A slowspeed wet ode or sarpener, excels at creating square, Another featite we ied iste roversibte motor, which allows you to smoath even hollow grind in a plane bio o chisel without hers of sin the lather whee toward the back for polishing. What’ the big deal? ‘overheating the blade. The gd is so good that honing the cutting edge with waterstones goes very quekly After using Fokon's new wet sharpener for several months, ‘we are happy with te clean, smooth. and square bevels it gins, ‘The Rikon sharpener comes with ‘an 8in, 220, grinding whoo! and an in. leathor stop wheol, Aso included are «a blade-hoiing fg that helps maintaln a ‘square cutting edge, andl a guide that sets the correct bevel ange, The water reservoir is removable, which makes filing and omptying it no ‘rouble After setting up the sharpener, we uta chisel n the fig an set to work reining the bevel. twas not grinding ‘square, and Ie wurned out that the tabs on the holding jg that align th blade square A leather whee! should spin away rer you so that the biade doesn't ut into the feather. On other slow-spood wet sharponers, the motor doesnt reverse, which means that you must rotate the machine 180°, move the too rest, and work forthe back. side when usin the polishing ‘wheel. Thats not necessary with the Rikon, Finally although Rikon {4085 not sll any means to ross the wheel, there azo a numberof aftermarket tools {or dressing grinding wheels, Alin ll, this Is good siowe speed wet sharpener, and its 2 good value, to, tothe wnoel were shy off, We ted BIN. WET ‘hose, and ater a few minutes were back In SHARPENER business with the wheel creating a square sido . and even betel The whee! spins t 45 rpm, en os Tewas able to work through several chisel quickly 16Gebers hg om eee THE FUSION Wi2 40 ENGRAVE IT CUT IT MARK IT. eet) Oe ens os: |e 888.437.4564 | [email protected] by CASER www.opilogiaser.com/iwwBest Tools continued Bandsaw has plenty of power and great guides Powered by a 2%4hp motor Rikon’ newest 4n, bandsaw has easly handled everything we've thrown ati for ripping ‘a bench’ worth of aah—somne of 28 in. thick to tesaning 410- and 424n.wide boards, The largo tabo, nearly 46 in. deop by 22 In, wide, isa ‘eat platiom for working wth such large boards. The table sits atop a rackand pinion trunnion tha is easy to adjust ‘with one hand. The locking lever can be operated with one hand, too. ‘Setting the blade guides was especially easy because it rogues no tools. The guides are springtoadod, with tho spring pushing the guide away from the blade when its not locked in place Iwas no problem to push inthe guide with ‘one hand and rotate the locking knob with the othe. All adjustments tothe fence can be made without tools 35. ‘Wo The adjustments include suftching the fence becwoen Its S4in- and 6 in-tall oriontatlons, and adjusting the fence for dit The saw has 2 single 4n, dust port, and the dust collection Is good. The power such is also well designed. The shutoff button is larger than the on switch and sticks @ bitfartor out, making it easy to push to turn of the sau. Wie nad one small complaint Thore's an adjustmont bolt ‘on the bottom of the fence head (see photo, below rit) ‘that falls into the lettalde miter slot everytime the fence crosses over it It makes moving the fence a twochanded fal Ul, his fa minor complaint about an otherwise eat bandsaw 14-IN. BAND BY RIKON 10326 \ $4,000 Big power. The 12hp motor spining the wheels on Rikon's new bandsaw Is more ‘than enough for demanding jobs like resawing wide hardwood boards ‘Snappy guldes. Pinch the springoaded Easy target. To large of bution makes it easy Adjust for avi. An eccantric cam in tho button to movo tho guide agains tho blade, to turnoff tho saw, big plus when you ae pre- _fence's hoad rotates to angle the fonce, ‘and turn the Keob tock tn place. ‘ccupiod witha workpiece and spinning blade. allowing you to match ito the blado's avi 18TOOLS FOR MULTI-CUTTERS Staeck enables edtemely reliable and fast ac essory changes in record tie of las then 3 seconds I alsa guarantees 9 secure ft and therefore maxmura power transfec The result: up to around 35% foster perfor mance depending onthe aczessoy, noticeably improved precision end reduced noise. The ex ception qualy nd senive he of out aooes- sovies combined withthe perfect results deers excelent value for money a 2) we \ GRINDING ANCE COTING + SAWING» MOD cUTING + JOINT OPENING + CUTING LAMINATE SHEETS * ASTICOUTTING » TUBE LENGTH THMMING + CARPET FEMOWAL » NAL CUTIING Theseall Mee Ug oe Kitecome with ea a everything you SSB irae reed to make Z Now Three Weights trooden nuts Avaliable wootte 7 oe & i a afterent ¢ eae ~~ 4 rT £00,836. 3906 sorbothane.com (DDCRAFT CMAs AD TULOMEWS} Poece toc Eanes Bsomtiragar ROMA Clac iyo Tho CNC Prana XL" can reat custom carved projets wth ite hol frm you ‘Design your work wth the icudes VCarv Desktop VE Design software ona PC compater with USB-20 port’ Then simply sav the program directly to USB ash driv, plug nto th Pendant, select your il, and hit the rum uton Features Include: + Fipndad Caring Paton + Auta Ege 2 Rotation Sonn Techoogy » Vater + false Viral ern Stare» Vetr At 30 Sane Pack» Two ld Clays + New Tuc Screen enfant Centred Gap Sofrae Package + src Marl “tong We USE 20 Por AUS Fh ri Nt nce Flows #¥ PO eee ects TAUNTOR'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 19Best Tools continued Nailer lets you lose the compressor [Atthe heart ofthe Grex GC1850 cordless 18 gauge nal |s en tntemal combustion engine. tue! cartridge and a pair of AAA batteries provide the energy needed to activate the engine and dive the nals, ‘The GCLASO shoots standard 48 gauge brads frorn in, t02 in long. A dopth-adjustment kno limits ‘uel low from the cartridge, so setting this according to nail length and wood densly saves fuel, Te fuel carvidges, hich are speci o this gun, come in packs of 4 and 12 (a 4pack sels for around $25). Abelt hook and an extra nomar ruber tip ae included, ‘A couple of things to note. The locking mechanism for the fuel cell was abit iif on the model We tested. We also recommend you head toa store fora test run CORDLESS NAILER ‘to ee ifthe handle ft yout hand, Overall the fuetdiven Grex i a webu aller with BY GREX {004 weight and balance that performed well = Ge1s50 = s4a0 WIRED EAR PROTECTION Ear-protecting earbuds BY PLUGFONES = 625-599 The basic models ($25) ‘The i model ($30) The Liberate mode ($99) pairs ‘are avila five coors, limits dio to 82 3, ith Bluetooth to your ever. Plugtones are insho-car hearing __plastie poston the end of the wire audio to 82 db. toprovent hearing the matiadovice Isnt with you. protwctrs that allow you to and can be removed for cleaning damage. 1s avaliable with or without a listen to audio (and one model or replacement, Our tester you want to cut he cord, youll telephone microphone. The mic ‘een allows phone cals) Alot prefered the scone tips because want the Liberate model ($99). works well wnen I's close to your Plugione’s products nave a nolse they it better When property hich is a set of earplugs attached mouth, but the elt Is poor when redution rating (NRR) of 25. seated, the tps block as much toa small Bluetooth control, the control medule ison the back ‘Tho baste model ($25) has sound as most inthe-ear plugs module chargod by a propristary of your neck. ‘standard 35mm jack and a that don’t have audlo capabilites. USB chargor. Tho unt pairs casil, __Plugfones supply comfortable, 448:n. cord and includes scone The VL model ($30) Is similar runs for about eight hours, and effective hearing protection, and ‘anv foam tips. The tps ft over a tothe basi version but limits has reasonably good range when theyte reasonably priced, 20 rnreams k at at 12" SLIDING COMPOUND 721 GALLON, 2.5 HP, 125 PSL DDOUBLE-BEVEL! VERTICH AES “= sure con Alba SiGe vennim : Cerne "PODERFREE na WATTS "30.5 DRAWER ea faon” UMREGLVES “Bn || Fa oa ef r eee H Ca aaa g spa, 157 iT TLL i ? ' aaa ERRIRERT som PPPS ‘4 Ta ROUTER emer oar 5AM, CORTARLE AF Tipe ees ' 288 | SAM coon 54.20 que ¢L A orc MTT Su Bay ects eae haa ica UFFS! 12x 33-9/8" WOOD LA °C SANDE aa WITH REVERSIBLE Heh fe 11 PIECE woo! Eq canvue st4 Se ee © ‘, SHOP TALK L't’VE Se UM oa cue Ben Strano weigh in on reader-submitted topics and talk about their all-time favorite woodworking things. FineWoodworking.com/shoptalk ela Na podcasts \ devoted to Sol msc lig @FHB malas Se ae see eae ee hee area ka FineHomebuilding.com/podcastBest Tools continued Track-guided cordless sidewinder ADJUSTABLE STOP LaRGe ScALE ALIGNS THE TRACK SETS ANGLES Untho the Festoot track saws most carpenters are familar wit, Fostoo's now 28.vl cordless 6¥n. cour saw—the HKC 55—foks ard ‘operates tke a regular sidewine circular sau Ths tol ample power ‘and pair of quic-chareng batteies make ft possible to cut 2x8 and sheathing al day. ‘Th saw directs almost ll ofthe dust produces through a swiveling dlscharge port rather than spewing chips all ver. And when connected to dust bag or vacuum, the saw makes proctically no mess. The depth coteat adjustment isa simple squeeze lever atthe rer, and the indening Shing (ne fixed pivot and one adjustable An easytovead scale onthe oft ‘stop (hold in postion with tho freon sido ofthe track shows tho angle thumbscrew) work together to allow setting for miters. The notehes tho track to sot at angles from 0° cut into th track are detonts for t060°, common ents, CORDLESS TRACK SAW BY FESTOOL = HKe 55 ‘= $870 for saw with 2 batteries and charger ‘= FSK guides, $150 to $200, depending on longth <= scale I precise ‘When the saw i located lnectly over a cut, you just start the ‘motor and plunge the saw nto the workpiece, ‘whore it stops and locks at the chosen depth song. Festoo also has simplified retracting the blade guard with a front ‘mounted lever that makes starting bevel cuts easter. ‘The HKC 55 works withthe Festool guide rails that you may already have, but it also works with @ new sive of rack, the FSK, which comes in three lengths that provide upto 40 in, 46 in and 27 in of 90° crosscut capac. Unlike with provious Festoo! track saws, tho FSX guides TRACK GUIDES THE SAW ANGLES ARE EASY Interlock with the bottom ofthe HKC 55, joining saw and track as one Unt. An elastic cord retracts the gukle 10 its original postion when you finish your eut and lit the saw of the workpiece, readying the too for another cut. Wie used the saw and now guide al to cut rafters, including valley Jacks and hip rafters, with clean results It eut composite exterior rim ‘a accurately asa sling compouns-miter saw but was actually more ‘ificiont. Instead of moving heavy 164, 4142 im pieces onto a mitor- ‘saw stand, you can just cut ight off the stack, One limitation isthe ‘exttng depth, which falls just shy of being able to cut through 2x stock at {945° bevel when using a Festool track or FSK guide. We hope Festoot introduces a similar saw with a bigger blade for cutting rafters and With the xed pivot and adjust. By adjusting the siding pivot, the Hoists, able stop tight fo the stock. tho saw can make left and ight angled ‘There's also a corded version of the sav with all the same features aluminum track guides the saw. cuts. Tha track's plastic ede fines (the HK 85), which sells for $560 with the 46 in. track. up with the blade for accurate alignment and fess splintering.Meee RE Perl Leto TSS ole} . Compact Routers +4 Rotary Hammers Sorel Re CSE‘emadelers build everything from finished basements to business offices, and much oF the time, power is readily the job site, So the latest of cordless technology that's ipplied to miter saws struck tus as a rather expensive option that many could do without. But someone hhas to build malls and olfice build- sings where the nearest working ouilet ‘might be a hundred feet away, These are also carpenters who have to trim ‘ut tract homes where several tries spend their workdays fighting over one oF 10 outlets, Plus, everyone ‘wanis to spend less time sering up, and eliminating cores isa big help. Even though we wete skeptical ini tially, our testers had a few months to use the hall-do1 some full-size ls, some smaller models—currently on the market, and we have changed our tunes. We found the smaller sliders useful as a superportable second saw, and the langer ones could even replace your corded slider. Remodeling contractors Mark Clement, ‘Andy Doyle, and Craig Ostrander contributed o this art,247 RIGID 48BIG SAWS, BIG CAPACITY ‘The 404n, Milwaukee saw and the 124n, DeWalt have all the features common to cordad sliders inching tall fences and large, ea5ytoead bevel and miter scales. Both saws have the power and eut capacity to replace @ corded saw, but they far from equal DEWALT DHS790A (a2 IN.) ‘This big DeWalt uses a completely new battery technology, It accepts ‘a palr of dual-voliage (18-volt and 56-volt) batteries that also ‘work on DeWait's 20-volt MAX tools. The big battery packs detect the tool theyre being used in and supply the correct, voltage automaticaly. The kit ‘even includes an AC adapter, $0 you can plugin the saw when you hhavo access to power. Combined with rock-olis features borrowed from its corded brother (DWS780), ‘this tool offers both performance ‘and value, The saw is big enough {or crosscutting 14:n.-wide 2x ‘stock and for cutting up to 7¥*in~ wide nested crown molding. Its well designed, powerful, accurate, land comes with a dacent blade, ‘The louvered guard prevents dust bulldup and the side mechanism Is smooth and floxfree, Miter and bevel adjustments aro intuitive ‘and hold securely while sibility ‘of the cut line is excellent. Tis is the tool to beat Price: | Weight:|| Bev: Mier Battery S79" | sé. | AP Ioft/ 50'left? Two. 49° ight 60" right Soy DoWaits big cordless sliding mitor saw Js virally identical to the company’s corded 42:9. slider, and is two big batteries lve the saw as mach power 2s its corded brother. When power | avallable, the saw’ two 56v0! battery packs can be swapped for ‘an AC adapter thats Included in the {$799 kt providing the best of both Worlds: corded-saw abilty with cordless convenience, 28, eo-24HD (10 IN.) Unfortunately ths saw isa disappointment, For starters there'e movement inthe saw head because the lide tubes can flex when they'e extended halfway or more, particularly when she saw heed is set for steep bevel ces. Milwaukoo says the saw ist any worse than other sliders and at trst we lant tink the movement was affecting our euts, but Wwe later realized we sometimes had gaps in mitered outside comers and compound cuts Other problems include having to remove the upper sliding fences when making steep Dovel and compound cuts. Even the dust collection seems like an afterthought. The ‘chute moves withthe rll, soit hits farther ‘sway from the dust source as you make the ‘ut, The resut is very litle dus in the bag at the end of the day Price: | Weight: | Bevel: Miter Battery $597 a5. 48° lft / 50*left/ One 48° right 60° right tv Tho Mibvaukoo slidor has 2 10‘, blade, allowing ito crosscut a 2x12 and cut ‘upto 5¥ein.wide crown molding nested against the fence. The saws vertical ‘motor allows ico hovel 48° in both ‘rections. The bevel fock Is mounted (n top of te saw and the levers Intermediate position engages one ofthe ‘a's nine bevel detent TAUNTOR'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 29GO SMALL, GO FAST Although they'e light and easy to handle, the Tein, and 754In, saws have tiny tables and short fences, so you ca ut common sted beseboerd of crown mokiing Even witha single battery and no bevel stop at 39.9° (a common seting ia aa ar for cutting crown molding), this tool performed accurately and smoothly. Feast Acer Ge aaa ae ‘We liked the visibility provided by the louvered blade guard and LED bevel settings. All the smell sas ean ‘worklight, and the saw has a good-sized fence and an easy-toread miter ‘Gecctin's a ne pass Ot Gaye scale, The bevel scale Isn't a¢ hatd to read as those on the Makita saws, Makites ean evt a 2x12. but the small markings ae alittle tough to see. The only real downside Is that the saw bevels in only one direction. While you can always fp the ‘stock end over ond to make a cut with a single-bevel saw, swinging around rong lengths of trim can be a problem in tight spaces, which is where these imal saws should have an advantage, not a drawback. rr ‘The sma DeWak can cut 3% Brown nested agains the fence. Like the Makita saws, this saw only bevels {othe lat, which means fing stock end over end. Reve stings J are changed by loosening a star Shaped handle at the back of the saw. Mitr setuings are oa witha quick- I) acjusting levertype lock. Price: J Weight: | Bevel Miter Battory sam | a2m. | Aer lott/ 48 ott) One right 4B right 184 RIDGID 48607K (744 IN This isthe most versatile small saw inthe group and it did everything we asked of it with no drama, The slide/plunge action isnot as smooth as on the Makita saws, bu it has big-saw features, including an easy- totead bevel scale, an adjustable miter seale, sold detemts, and a reasonably sized fence, Despite an ‘abrupt blade brake that jerks the saw head slightly when it activates and somewhat stif movement In the bovel lock, it's a good sav. I's the samo price as th litle DeWalt, but it bevels in both lctions. Compared tothe twin-battery Makita XSL02 ($567 without battorles) is a bargain, Tho Rigid Is easily our favorite among the small saws. Perfect for smal obs and ‘Quick sotups, the Rida ‘an cut 3h, baseboard upright against the fence ‘and 3554n,erown na ‘nested position. The action 4s smooth enough to pass ‘muster, and the motor has plonty of powor oven though t sports a single battery. Price: | Weight: | Bevel Miter: Barter S309 24h, 48° lft / 48"le 7 One 48 right 28 right 180There are some things to lke about tis saw that ‘ean also be found on its ‘two-battery counterpart, such as the comfortable handle and tigger and the smooth stide/plunge mechanism, But this unit Is underpowered for cutting anything but narrow tie land strip flooring, Cutting ‘raming lumber took far 100 long to be practical, and the saw even labored while cutting a cedar 2x6. The fence Is too short and we found the blade guard Uniike the other cordless trustrating, as its nearly ‘sliders, which have two, the impossible to see through Makieas have four side tubes, when youve ning up cut. pic weigh) Bowl ne are ‘ving the saws a surprisingly ‘Compound cuts were also a “mall footprint and an extra challenge because the saw | S710" 27,45 ft / an 4:n. of erosse eapacty with doosn't have bevel stops 5° right SP right 180 2x took (12 in). The newer ‘and the bevel scales are so ‘model (SL02) accepts two ‘small they*e hard to road, 48,0 battery packs and has 2 brushless motor, giving the ‘saw noticeably more power than its singlepack sibling. Both saws are easy to carry because oftheir small size ‘and comfortable handles, and both have silky-smoot slide rails and an easy-touse bevel adjusiment fs 1N Every powertool signer should chock ‘out this machine for its ‘supersmooth slide rails ant head-plunge mechanisms. This saw shares the comfortable handle and ‘rigger of its one-battery counterpart, but unlike its underpowered sibling. it has ample power provided by two 48-olt batteries Unfortunately, talso shares the short fence and bately readable bevel scale, plus the blue-tinted guard makes ithard to see a pene tine. ‘Once again, there are no detents for common bevel Price: Weight: Bava Miter: Battery cuts, and, tke its siblin oyeeeeaae sso 29m, 45 ahs artes | Two 5° right SP right 180 5 Fight, which means a lot of tlipping stock. oh root cvipr 31POWER TOOLS> saws TOOL TEST These versatile tools make fast, precise cuts and weigh a lot less Url Vol mele) (Lt Co aca aerated on the underside prevents the aluminum | ead | Green ctery Sar een rte Preteena artes plunge-cutting circular saw with an alumi- straightedge when they aced straight cuts. Hut alter you try a saum guide rail, wack sa from o od- track savy, youll find that method sloppy and tedious. On a c 10 common job. ventional eireu he blade is seldom parallel the edge of the base, so cuts are rough and sometimes burned. Track saws oth with litle or no chipping, The ‘on materials prone to chippingALL THE SAWS SHARE THE SAME BASIC DESIGN AND OPERATION Track saws have two components: a plunge-cutting circular saw and a track that’s available in various lengths, The track has a flexible edge that aligns with the path of the blade to aid setup and to prevent splintering Le MY mS Plungo euts are accurate. All tho saws lunge by way of 9 springioaced hinge, so "yu have to push down on the handle to ‘make a cut This makes stopped cuts easy ‘and accurate. Marks on the blade housing ‘show whore the blade wil enter the wood. as melamine, Track saws also can plunge cut—meaning you can Sop and start a cut wherever you want—which Is difficult and less aecurate with a wadstional circular saw We tested trick sams from DeWalt, Grizaly, Festool, Mafell, Mak 1, and ‘Triton, Most track-saw kits come with a single length of track that's long enough for a 41 cut, designed to be able 10 cut aa sheet of plywood in half, But if you want 10 ce longer cuts dow the length of the sheet, you'll need 8 ft of wack. Although a few manufacturers offer single 8 wack, those are hard to store Guts are procise. The tracks leuble splinter ‘2uard follows the cut ine exactly, you justine {up the track with your marks and cut, instead of ‘compensating for the width of the saws base. Bove! euts are easy. Amazing), the path of the blade isn't altered when a track saw is set to make @ beveled cut. This _makes 2 track saw the perfect too! fr mitered corners on ‘columns, eabinets, and more. and handle without damaging them, Instead, we prefer to make S.L.ps by joining two 411, uacks with a connector provided by the manufacturer. When offered by the manufacturer, this is the setup we requested Blade sizes vary slightly in diameter From model to model, so you should stick with blades made by the saw manufacturer or confirm that a replacement is exactly the right size. W's.a good Idea tw have extra blades on hand befove you need them because track saw blades can be hard to find at home centers and humberyards TAUNTOR'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 33THE BEST SAWS STAND OUT FOR THEIR USER-FRIENDLY CONTROLS ie comand eee ce ene? ete ec Sree ccicuy Cee ee er te without wobbling on the track. Festoot's | ory ers ocean i How we tested these saws : all oft In addition to ° ws hoo 0 ‘acum so we could sy Features, Each baseyBee se uc ee hs have a one-touch sooting feature that ae tt arent eon Seer oe er oer ett? er eee S) Cone coon eco ‘opens the blade cover and locks the arbor for Lae cleak eRae ee ees ee ot, ees spin and the housing will plan those on a regular circular saw, but the baseplates are engineered so that the tick always Devel angle, Beyond these consistencies, we were surprised how the Feanures and safery me example, many of the saws have some means of preventing kick= back during plunge cuts, The DeWalt and the Triton have a setting fon the base that allows the to0] 10 mave forward on the wack but ‘not backward. Festool’ stop block prevents the saw from moving. Bevel adjustments are similar te Higns with the blade regardless of the panismns Varied from saw to sa¥, For Ss ‘The Festool, Grizzly and Mafell saws, eer Ce Lond backward during plunge cuts The bocks Senet En a eee) peer enerreres ce Benegrer ts comers Ror es backward during plunge cuts. Grizzly includes a similar device in las accessory kit, and Maell sells a similar device as an accessory ($25). The DeWalt, Festool, and Grizaly saws have a riving knife to keep the blacle from binding while curing, The knife deploys ‘when the blade is plunged into the material Depth-of-cut adjustments \With all of the saws, he depth-of-cut adjustment is move precise than you'l find on a regular circular saw. On the high-end track TAUNTON'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 35.Ec y Festool TS 55 REQ This tools the complate package of power, precise cutting, and easy adjustments. In a ‘single pass (without scoring), It left a nearly perfoct odgo when cutting melamine. In the Power test, the motor maintained a constant speed while slicing through the thick oak, The depthotcut adjustment is excolient, ‘and the track has a thick and affective splinter guard, The Festool also has great dust collection. The depth scale Is in motrie, but Festool includes a sticker with imperial measurements to place over the millimeter seale. Power, ease of use, and overall cut quality made this tool stand out above the rest Makita SP600) The Makita’ handles are comfortable, ‘and the plunge spring offers just tno right ‘amount of resistance, The thumb safety switch Is tho easiest to use, and the saws base locks into the track for added stability ‘during beveled cuts. With its scoring setting, the Makita made an almost tlavess cut in the melamine. The dust collection was also very good. The Makita weighs at least 51 less than the other saws and easily plowed through 4+in, plywood; however, Itstruggled alittle with the thick oak, leaving burn ‘marks as It cut. The depthotcut scale Is in milimeters, Because it was <0 comfortable ‘and easy to uso, though, the Makita was our {avorlto midpriced saw. DeWalt DWS520CK ‘The DeWalt track ls the only ne with splinter guard on both sides, so we dint need to constant fp the track, an advantage when working in tight quartors. ‘But DeWalt does not sla track connector, 0 for cus longer than 4 f,.you must get ‘9 1024in rack. The DeWalt also the only saw that uses a linkage connection rather than a single plot point forthe saws plunge ‘mechanism. This means you havo to push the handle forward as wel as down to make {a cut, tricky motion with one hand. in addition, the depth-otcut dials too small and s dificult to operate with gloves on. The ‘DeWalt is bul tough, but ergonomically, ts not the strongest of the bunch. Tacos CCU cs DeWalt OwS520cK | S023 ‘Sav, 5:n. ack, 1024n. rack 11.802 Yes Yes Festool TS 55 REQ $880 Saw, 55: track 401.402 ves | os ‘riety 125552 $260 Saw, SBin. rack, clamps, connector | 40 b., 9 Yes Yes Mafell mT55e¢ $870 Saw only 20,202 No | es Makita $P600), $406 Saw, 55:in track 81.6.0 No No Titon 7151400 $310 Saw only 11,90 No | ys saws (Festool and MafelD, the adjustment is made by squeezing depth pass creates a much cleaner edge on finicky surfaces such the depth stop and sliding it up and down the gauge. The rests melamine or veneer plywood, While all ofthe saws can be set of the sans use locking dials. The squeeze adjustment is more manually to scoring depth and thea seset to the cutting depth, the ergonomic and more precise. The dials can be icky, espectally abity o toggle hetween the 1Wo senings saves Kime when the depth of cut is bottomed out and the dial Is hard up against the saw's baseplate and bevel amuge, leaving hitie room The bottom line for fingers, The saws are priced a thice levels A the top (about $800 and up ‘One feature we especially like—which can be found on the for a setup for Sf. rips) are Festool and Mafell. These two saws Mafel, Makita, and Titon saws—is the seting for making a shal- stood apa from the rest due t the smoothness oftheir moto4s, low scoring cut. Using the scoring setting before making a full 36 excellent dust collection, and overall build qualityGrizzly T25552 The least expensive rack saw wo tested, tho Grizay nas enough power and ability {et basle tasks done ata decent level of quality. Th too! Is easy to us, but It has tho smallest motor of all the sows and lacks. both varlable speed anda soft start. I's also not a vory comfortable saw to use. The safety switch is tough to reach with your thumb, and the plunge mechanism has a vory strong spring that makes cutting tring. |Aso, when we tried to dial ina specific ‘angle, we found the bevel markings to be Unclear. The dust collection was good. For ‘occasional use, this tool will get the job done, but If you plan to use your track saw often, its worth stepping up to one of the other tool. Mafell MT55cc ‘The Mafoll backs up Its high price tag with precise adjustments, easy toread gauges, ‘and the simplest blade change weve ‘soon on any citeular saw: Pull a lover, and the entire blade shroud pops open. The Mafell track fs only 5 in, wide—over 43 In. narrower than the rest—so its easy to work with narrow material. Using the scoring feature, the Matell made a perfect cut tough the melamine and, ke the Festool, kept constant power while cutting the thick ‘09k, Overall, the Mafell sa nice tool with ‘superior dust collection, but we wish it had 1 front handle for better control, especially when cutting at an angle. Triton TTS1400 ‘Tho Titon toggles easily between cutting, scoring, and blade-change mode. It also has an antlklckback mechanism and ean lock Into the track withthe turn ofa dial Unfortunately, when using the scoring function, we could never get the second cut to line up perfectly withthe first. We also ida’ t ike how the kickback stop needed to be manually overridden every time we sla tho saw backward. Its espocally tedious because the knob Is located In a hardto- reach spot under the motor. The Tilton has {8 good soloction of features, but its overall, design makes ita difficult and frustrating ‘ar to use. On the plus sido Its the second- leastexpensive saw in the test Sar) Ceca at a wees rane 2a 12 | ortoa7 No sea Not offered 59,102 2, 10 | -a*to47° No $7a7 sia 22, 42,55, 75,408, 118, 197 atten, | 9 | ottoase No $295 Included In kit 55 2in 10 Yes $211 376 32, 43,63 24h 12 Yes $520 827 55,118 hin 2 Yes $400 In optional $100 kit 59.27% The middle range Cabout $400 ta $620) includes saws by Makita DeWalt, and Triton, We had some issues with the Triton, but even though the DeWalt and Makita are missing some of the finer points found on the uppertier tools, they would both pesform toktotok eA HI LY 449 Mann 001 2 FESTOOLTS 5 55 REQ admirably on a job site The Grizzly costs roughly a quarter of the most expensive saw yet it would be OK for occasional use. However, it lacks the fea tures of the other saws and Isnt as comfortable to use o Doug Mahoney, a carpenter in Harvard, Mass, contributed to this article. Sete de Hee? 00 sevow 51400 Weve Wee 3.97 parr owssz0ck ete te des a1 mareu wssce Pete wiry 282 cearessse TAUNTOR'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 37POWER TOOLS > muLTITOOLS Cordless Multitools Modern batteries make this problem-solving tool even more useful 0: muliigols ate invaluable when you ipe in pl sent years, modem ing them even m Now you cin set up quicker and c ‘where no other powe pacity batter tugeful than the corded! versions. cork spaces without having to drag a cord around Jers and in awkward We tested 18- (0 20-volt cordless multtools from the major manu: facturers, using them in variety of real-workd settings: plunge cating In hardwood, plywood, and melamine; scrapl silicone, and mastic; removiny > ested their relative at and light sanding, We a pw long it took them to flush-cut 10 8d galvanized 1 dhe playing field, we used Imper Titanium stom on all the tools except the Fein, which only accepts Sta ‘On this tool, we used Bosch StarlockPhis carbide blades, The s from both mani ime. 00d ¢ prietaxy qorees cut Fast an: of top billing the Dewalt omics and power to quality of blade-mounting system on the Fein model knocked it ou because we prefer tools that ha which accepts blad cut and ease of blade chang 2. good deal. F Kit with plenty of exara, which also cae | makes it our pick wuauree262620 | for Best Value. C) Daa Des3ss vanara x0T02 bain nae2004 ROCKWELL RK2BEK Steve Smith, a remodeler in Seat contributed a this arte. PORTER-CABLE PCCTIO foal P40 baci cvsepatraPrice $129; ke, $179 (DCS3SSD1) WaIGHT 3 Ib. 2 oz LENGTH 12 in With precise and powertul cuts, fast blade changes, and great ergonomics, the DeWalt is a contractor's dream, Its LED lighting Cleary illuminates the cut and stays on for 20 seconds after activation. Is oversize variable-speed trigger allows precise control no matter what your hand position. The kit version includes a depth stop, mute blades, and twice as mary sanding sheets as the oarest competitor DeWat’s pinch grip blade clamp accepts C-style blades. The DeWalt {and the Porter-Cable are the only tools tested that allow you to remove and instal blades with only one hand on the tool, The tool also accepts conventional (Foinstyo) blades with an adapter HITACHI CV18DBLP4 Pract $192; battery and charger, $112 WEIGHT 4b, 5 02, LENGTH 12. With its brushless motor and electronic Citcutry, the Hitachi provides smooth cutting and emple power. thas an LED, hich provides @ good viow of the cut in low lighting, but i turns off immediately when you stop the motor, The Hitachi isthe only tool with an auto made that boosts power as cutting resistance Slows the motor. The festure works well, but Hitach’stoolless blade mount mechanism isa litte frustrating, Designed for conventional and C-syle blads, the Hitachi has a unique two stop locking system. The mount holds securely but the process is more ii. 4 tedious than otner systems. Price kt, $399 (71292261090) WEIGHT Ib. M4 oz. LENGTH 13 in The only tool with a vibration damponing housing, the Fain is {quiet and comfortable to use. Unfortunately, t was the slowest in cutting through galvanized nals although this sluggish pace was less noticeable when cuting wood. The tool's lack of a light was frustrating in low-light setigs. Paired with Fein’ rigid scraper, ‘excelled at scraping mastic of af plywood subflooring without damaging the surface. Fein’ Starlock and StarockPlus blade mounts are very sturdy. When ‘blade is snapped in, it's truly locked tothe tool there is no play whatsoever. The tool only accepts Bosch and Fein blades, but pricing ‘seams consistent with athor brands. BLADE MOUNT TAUNTON'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 39MAKITA XMTO03 PRICE $119; kt, $251 (XMTO25) WEIGHT 5 Ib. 2 07. LENGTH 14 in The Makita Is @ heayy tool and is soil bul. It provides vibration free, accurate, and relatively powerful cuts. ts batteries charge the fastest (30 minutes fora 4.An pack) ofthe tools teste ‘None with the Hitachi, tis the largest tool in creumference, and this made comfort and control of cuts in tight settings (eg. nside cabinets) below ar. ts lack ofan LED anc its threaded-spindle blade changing mechanism were lsappointments in a kit picod at $300, [BLADE MOUNT ‘The Makita accepts conventional and Csiyle blades. The release levr on the front of he housing locks open for easy blade changes and ‘angle egustments, but the spindle can be lost. PRICE $99; kit, $800 (2826:22) WEIGHT 4 Ib. 6.02. LENGTH 14 in, The Milwaukee makes precise cuts and has ample power. Its conical shaped handle isthe most comfortabl of the lagor ‘lamotor tools, butts housing isthe longost ts light iluminatos the cutting area well and stays on for about tive seconds arte the ‘motor stops. The spindle sive blade mount is an improvement ‘over hoxkey systems, but the loose spindle can still be ost, and ‘sitching blades is not especially fast Mitwaukee's spindle style blade mount allows you to use conventional and Csiye blades. You don't need to rly remove the threaded spindle when mounting C-style blades, so it's less likely tobe lost. The bladerelease lever locks open for easier changes and blade-angle adjustments, 40 PRICE S65; kit, $149(PCC7IOLA) WEIGHT 2 Ib. 10.02. LENGTH 11 in ‘The Porter Cable has the same blade mounting system as the DeWalt, but ts kit costs $30 less than Dele’ sknilar kit. Short and light, its great in tignt spaces. Givon its sizo, tho Porter Cable is surprisingly powernul, cutting as fast as the heavier tools. Unfortunately, its loud and transfers vibration directly back tothe set. Ils LED provides good visibility but turns off when you stop ‘he motor t ' rige {AS with the blade clamp found on the DeWalt you squeeze the ever with one hand, treeing your other hard to remove or insert style blades. This style is the fastest, most trouble free blade- ‘mounting system of those tested. The tool accepts conventional blades with an adapter plate and machine screw.PRICE $99: bottry nd charger $140 WEIGHT 3 Ib. 14.02. LENGTH 15 in In addition to an oscillating multitoo! head, the Ridgi's body accents ‘a compact reciprocating saw are arightangle impact diver, both Sold soparatoly. As a multitool, i's powerful and precise, butts also loud and vibrates more than most ofthe other tools. While its good tw have an LED, this one casts a shadow that partially abscures the cutting path, Variable speed is controlled by the trigger ony. = | | The Ridgid accopts conwentionel and C:style blades. Notably, both ‘ypes are mounted! without removing a threaded spindle. pair of ‘magnets holds the biade while the clamp Is tigntaned. Aer the DeWalt the Porter-Cable, and the Fein, this isthe best toolless blade change. PRICE S69: battery and charger, 59 WEIGHT 3lb. 11 92. LENGTH 14 in, ‘Tho Ryobl is pricod for tho contractor who rarely ses an fosellating multitool. afters ‘olativaly precise cuts but has noticeable issues with power ‘and vibration. It especially struggled during the nail test. The tool body is configured much liko the Ridg’s and even accepts Rid’ ini reciprocating saw head and right angle impact driver (Both brands are owned by the same parent company.) ROCKWELL RK2863K PRICE kit with one battery $99 WEIGHT 3 Ib. 202. LENGTH 12, Rockwell's Sonicratter Is small and light, butt prevides decent power and a comfortable housing. The downsides are that it vibrates more than most of the others and the motor housing gots unusually lot with hoavy cutting This was especially ‘apparent during the naitcutting test. The twin LEDS proud @ £2001 ne of sight fr cutting, This was the least expensive kit in the test. BLADE MOUNT \whilo not especialy fast, the Rockwoll'sblaclochango system ‘minimizes the likelinoad ofa dropped spindle, The rtating lever ‘nthe top ofthe housing provides plenty of leverage and cinches ‘down effectively on the blade. It accepts both corwentional and Cie blades. ‘This is the only too! inthe test that stl requires a hex wrench for blade cnanges, The mount accepts both conventional and ‘Cstyloblados. Tis too has tho slowest and least user-friendly of the clamping ‘systems—not surprising, since this is the least expensive tool inthe test. TAUNTOR'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 41How we tested y Since We routinely use compact routers for dadoes, grooves, and rabbets, we began the process with a power test. We gathered halt a dozen species of hardwoods and some MDF and took successively deeper passes with a in, momising bit. All but one of the routers took Jein-deep passes with litle 42 PIM Y 448 FESTOOL MFA 7006 | thc problem. With power no lo day-to-day shop and job-site tasks, ed on We used these routers 10 round jer 4 question, we concen ‘over hundreds protiles into cabinet tops and shelves, we momtised hinges, and we ‘cut slots, rabbets, and dadoes, fect of door edges and cabinet faces, we routed Best Overall and Best Value After a few weeks of use, the Makita and Ridgid were in the sunni ‘Overall, Both are solid tools, but in the end the Ridgid’s ease of use and solid perfor mance make It our choice for Best Overall and Best Value, It's quiet, ight, and per: PORTER-CABLE forms well, ao oasors raw Tari39 for Rest DewaLt pupae waxrra erozoxex7 ioe Rae01 Paul Johnson, 2 cabinetmsker and remodeler In Lake Oswego, Ore, contributed to ths article.RIDGID R2401 rice $99 POWER 1% hp ‘SPEED 20,000 t2 30,000 rpm_WEIGHT 34 Ib ‘The Ridgld Is one of our favorite compact routers. Its the quietest and one of tho lightest routers tested, which makes it comfortable to use. I has LED lights {and easytouse macro and micro depth ‘adjustments. Prossing down on 3 lever fenables macro height aciustments, and a ‘thumbwheel ellos tor tne-tuning. We don’t lke having to hows ‘down the macro ‘agjustment to remove the ase, however, Theo process Is awkward, especially when you're tying i9 put the base back on, FESTOOL MFK 700 EQ PRICE S525 POWER 1 hp SPEED 10,000 0 26,000 rpm WRIGHT 42 Ib. ‘Theft and finish ofthe Festoo! tim router is exceptional, The bases attach with absolutely no slop, and tne deptn adjustment is the most precise of allthe routers tested. At 13 f. the ower cord is algo the longest ‘ofthe bunch, making an ‘extension co‘ unnecessary inmost cases. Nice and quiet, the MFK 700 router putes pleasingly. 1s easy to hold ene hanced, ane has a mite, stable bose. Unfortunstaty, vsibity Is poor because the big hesoplate novars the work area completely, mmeking freehand routing neatly impessibie DeWALT DWP611PK PRICE S161 POWER 1% hp SPEED 16,000 0 27,000 rpm WRIGHT 46 Ib The DoWalt’s best feature is Its Innovative dopth adjustment, The base attachos 10 acing that rides along threads in the router body. Turning the rng. moves the base up and down, making it easy to dial Inte eoreet depth. We alse ik how ‘the basopiatos square on ono sido and round an the other, wich ofers stability when nang against ‘aferce ar ji and enhances access In taht spots. One rauback was that the DeWalt was uncomfortable to hod Irhas a wide body, and the depth adjustment ring makes It oven widor lxthe spot where Fone would typically erp. Those wath larger hands might find it more comfortable. MAKITA RTO701CX7 PRICE S140. POWER 1% hp SPEED 10,000 to 30,000 rpm WRIGHT 2.9 Ib The Makita is comfortable witha narrow. ‘smooth body that’s easy to grasp. This Is also ane of the few router Hits that includes blastic shrouds (both fied and plunge) for Improved dust collection. The fixed base sides on ane off very easily and can be acusted up or down by hand for macro ‘agjustmonts or ‘with a thumbunee! ‘or micro adustments. The disappointment here is thatthe = raokand pinion pth adjustment Is finicky for miero changes, and we had to hold the base tightly ‘when locking ‘own the clamp to prevent it rom ‘moving. PORTER-CABLE PC450PK PRce $170. POWER 1% hp SPEED 27,000 7pm WEIGHT 4.6, ‘Te Porter Cable router appears to be Identical to the DeWalt, and it shares the DeWalt’ innovative depthradiustment rng, ‘and quick release for changing bases—not surprising, since both brands are owned by tho samo company Unfortunately, the Portor Cablo version dosn't have variable speed or the LED ight, tuo usetul features found on ‘te DeWalt. Variable ‘speed is helpful when using larger bits and ‘to.control burning ‘These omissions don't mako much sense, especially ven you consider thatthe Porter Cable ig yricod about the ‘samo as the DeWalt. GRIZZLY 727139 PRICE S78 POWER 1 hp SPEED 10,000 to 90,000 rpm WEIGHT 3.9 Ib, Although the plastic components are slightty ferent, the Grizly’s body and bases appear tobe the same as the Makita’, And like the Makita, the Grizy’s body is slim and easy togiponehanded. The Grizzly’ $75 price ‘tag makes it the least expensive tool in the test. We found that it worked ‘ine for ordinary edge profiling and adoes, but when we tried deeper passes in dense ‘material, we could feel the motor slow. Also, the depth adjustor stuck both when adfusting the depth and when instaling, for removing the base, TAUNTOR'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 43TOOL TEST Rta Hammers handle. Some prefer the pistol andl more comfortable 10 READERS’ RATINGS: ROTARY HAMMERS Pete te te fe 401 mez te teddy 496 menpo wie use Pete te te fe 422 mumuneeses2.21 ee fife Ve 410 mama neers PA PAYS 406 panairo25139KThree classes PAC g Creer eee eee ea addition to the three basic classes of the tool, there ee eee Cee eee ee ere Se ec ee ed for residential work is SDS-plus. Made for chipping and drilling relatively small holes, SDS-plus tools are inexpensive. See ay Ce ee eed ‘than 2 in, wide with a twist-style bit and up to several inches wide with a core bit (essentially a hole saw 2 i Us ee ea cee ® ; BN (oe ee oe from ground-od drivers to small ampers, es Ree eee ee os Se ee De ee eg breakdown in the size of tools andthe size of holes they pe ee ee eee refers to the maximum size hole the hammer can dill with a conventional twist style bit. Rotary hammers Oe eee ee ce ee size of %s in. to % in. When you're considering a rotary ee eo ee ete cee ere eee oe ce tcc A BIT ABOUT BITS The many sizes and styles of bits and chisels give rotary hammor its vorsallity. Point bts ro meant for starting holes In concrete or creating spots fora larger chisel to geta good bite. Chisel bits are used for breaking up concrete ‘and masonry and for removing tile tits can cil theMetabo submitted pistol-grip models for the test, Milwaukee doesn't offer a 1-in pistol-grip model, so they sent their D- handle equivalent Fast concrete drilling ‘Once your use a rotary hammer for drilling small holes in concsete and masoney, you'll be hard-pressed to go back to the howling, whine of a hammer drill. Akhough there are notable differences among the models in this test, there really isn't a ba In the bunch, Al drill holes in concrete like they're supposed to. They are also nicely balanced and feel good when held in both typical and awkward positions Afier deiling, our testers drove concrete screws into the holes to see if there was any bit of wobble that might enlarge the holes and affect the screws’ grip. Every screw held tight AS a speed test, we weighted each tool with a 10-tb. sandbag, then used it to drill wo S3zin, holes in a factory-made concrete paver. The Milwaukee stood out with a neasly 25-second lead over the slowest too}, the DeWalt, However, a speed test Is not indicative of a rotary hamnmer's overall performance. The reality of most projects is that you dell afew holes at a time, then put the tool down; you're not building a inl for seating. Our aim with the speed test was t0 see if there was an under- performer in the lineup. ‘There was not Te is rare in remodeling jobs to drill much larger than a 44in. hole through 2 wall, But a 1+in, hole for a new gas pipe fr conduit is necessary on aceasion, 50 we chucked up 1-in, bits and went For broke, ‘The Makita punched hard, detiv- ering smooth operation with lite torque rransfersed back to the user. 1€ also had minimal vibration, which kept our hands from buzzing afterward, The Metabo seemed to labor during this test, and the Hii, which admittedly isthe smallest too! of the bunch, was a middle-of-the-road pesformer. The Milwaukee vibrated more ‘wool cadiurn with a mnillion holes co than the others but also delivered fast, consistent dilling. #/Online Extra “To see a retary hammer dil inaction, 0 to FineWoodworking.com/T62018. 46 HOW WE TESTED ‘To test these rotary hammers, we drilled hundreds of holes into concrete—both straight down and out front, simulating what it's like te attach a deck ledger to a concrete wall. For consistency, we included a speed test using a 104b. weight instead of muscle power. And just to be mean, we installed a 1-n. bit and repeatedly buried it in 4 in. of concrete. We also spent hours chipping concrete at a low angle and then straight down like when you're enlarging a sump pit. MAKITA. HR2611F ‘Seconds to drt asein, hole in concrete: 4.7 Warranty: 1 year Price: $180 Pacey The Makita is sufficiently balanced and agile to hol out front for mounting everything form @ TV brackot to dock ledgers, but it stil has onough mass for effective chipping straignt down and at low angles. t also has plenty of power for driling larger Holes. Rs cord i 160 in long, and its function dial [s eaay to adjust and to tead. The forward reverse switch requires you to manipulate it intentionally, making an accidental direction ‘itch nearly impossibie. The solidly built Kt box has sensible compartments that separate the bits from the tool, making t easy tocol the cord and latch the id. The trigger lock doesn't engage accidontally and It works easily when needed. The chisol adjustment Settings @ valuable adeition tothe too. DeWALT D25133K ‘Seconds to drill aSiein, hole in concrete: 5.9 Warranty: 3 years Price: $175 This tool performed weit n al aspects of ding and chipping. Its comfortable to use, thanks to Its god balance and the ‘Sensible layout of is controls. The kit's box, however, eels ike ‘an afterthought and is aot reflective of how rotary hammer 's transported and set up om-site—often with 20 bits and some ease rattling around. Some vibration was noticeable through the side handle while driling with a 4n. bit, but notin the rost ‘of tho tool. The depth-od adjustment works fino, but tho rod itsolt |s made of timsy plastic and is kely to catch on a ladder or tool pouch and snap. The sido-mounted forwarc reverse button roquires you to fipit intentionally, eliminating accidental direction changes, ‘The function dial is harder to read than on other tools, and at 93 in, the cord is relatively shor, There's no trigger lock.HILTI TE2 ‘Seconds to drill a Sir-in, hole Imconerete: 45 Warranty: Litetime Price: $326 I all you dois dill and armor, this isa comfortable, lowsibration tool. But it doesnt chip. For a premium cost, ts hard to justity losing an important function. While the toa dled well With email and large bits and is Well balanced for deving holes laterally or straight down, ts performance sn" as good as Its pice tag I high. The ‘unetion icons are easy to read, and the sidemounted function dial makes Iteasy to change settings. The depth rod Is steel and adjusts with a twist ‘ofthe side handle, The tigger lock's easy to engage but Is stil fush with ‘the pistol handle, 0 it's hard to activate aceidentally. The forward reverse ‘suitch roquiros you to change it intentionally. At 152 in. the MILs cord is ‘among the longest. The tool itself dlls great, but at $100 more than its rarest competitor and without a chipping function i's overpriced METABO KHE 2444 ‘Seconds to dill a Sixin, hole in concrete: 5S Warranty: 3 years Price: $200 ‘The most compact ofthe tools teste the Metabo haa comparative lack of mass that showed wp in various degrees of vibration across all tasks. Stil, he tool worked hungsiy, taking on the big bit test serviceabl. ts box, however, isa miss. The blow: ‘molded plastic takes up room that should be reserved for bits, precious few of which can be stored withthe fool. The hammar’s steel depth rod, operated by ‘turning the se handle, works easily. The forwarc-everse switch Is ike that on a drywall gun ts easy to engage, but you have to be Intentional about Rt. The {unetion dials blackcom-black markings can be dificult to see. Stl, the knob works easily. The trigger lock can't bo engaged accidentally, and the 448:n, cord 's reasonably long, The Metabo is compact and performs wel, butt dd labor 2 bit under duress, and its ht box doesn't syne up with how users organize bits. MILWAUKEE 5262-21 ‘Seconds to drill Yan, hole Inconcrate: 36 Warranty: 5 years Price: $180 This D-handle unit produces a lot of vibration when chipping and ‘riling with large bits, but it easly accomplishes what rotary haramers ‘need to do. The fit and finish ate nice, and the power is abundant. The tools blow-molded box has robust bucklos but room for ony few bis. you prefer a D-handle rotary hammer this model is worth considering. One small annoyance was the forward-raverse ewiten, which is mounted on the Wigger handle. We found that ita litle too easy to knock the tool nto reverse inadvertently. Also, ‘at 91 In, the cord Is the shortest ofthe bunch. On the plus ske, there Is no ‘rigger lock, the chisol adjustment sot is great, and tho depth ros much better than that on any ofthe other tools Chipping and breaking ‘Whether it's separating tile from whatever's underneath it or pounding olf the edge of rock that won't clear out of a post hole any other way, chipping is an important task for a td formed the smoothest, and we were able to take surprisingly large chunks off the edge of a sidewalk slab. The Milwaukee exhibited the most vibration from the tool body right on through the side handle. The Dewalt seemed 10 vibrate only through the side handle, which was peculiar, but it otherwise was a good performer. The Hilti has no chipping function, so it sat cout this test. ary hammer. The Makita per Controls and kit boxes Except for the Hilt, all the tools have at least three settings: diill only, drill and hammer, hammer only. The Makita and the Milwaukee also have a fourth setting that tenabiles you to position the chipping tn, Pulling the trigger eatses the iron to rotate slowly to whatever postion you want, This legs you get the chisel in the sight posttion without resorting to bumping the tool's trigger several times, We think a Functional kit box for carrying all the bits and chisels is a key compo- nent of a rouury hammer, so we considered those too when resting The bottom fine For some tasks—such as working directly hole or for repeated straight-clown diuiling—the longer body of the D-hanelle Milwaukee hammer is an advantage. Gen- erally speaking, though, the pistol-arip tools fan smoother and were more com- fonable to use. They're also more compact, which comes in handy when you're work {ng in ight spaces. The pistol arrangement also worked beter ata low angle, which is, the way you would use a rotary hammer for chipping up ule, Tis well-designed box, smooth power de- livery in all functions, good balance, intel- ligent controls, long cord, and affordable price make the Makita our choice as Best (Overall and Best Value a Professional eontractors Mark Clement, Andy Doyle, Motnias LowjewsK), and Derek ‘Schroeder cortnbuted to this arte, as dd Fine Homebuilding associate editor Patrick McCombe. Invin provided ne ts forthe test TAUNTOR'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 47POWER TOOLS> compressors Portable Compressors The best models are quiet, durable, and easy to operate ith a big pump and two air tanks, a twine stack compressor is « mainstay on modern job sites. Capable of powering nail guas from the tiniest pin nailers 10 roofing and framing: nailers, win stacks are the most versatile hanc-carry compressors. That means they are great for Divers and woodworkers, too. Although portable, these ‘workhorses weigh between 60 Ib. and 70 Ib, s0 you should give some extra thought to how you want 10 hoist and carry them A newer group of twin-stack compressors promised smuch-improved performance and esgonomics, so we decided to test them, We stuck to compressors with the conventional design of a pair of 2-gal. Capproxt- ‘mate) tanks and a piston air pump powered by an electric motor Al of the compressors in this test have oll-splash pumps, which is the taditional choice for a compres- sor that gets a dally workout. How we tested One of the most common complaints we hear about twin stack compressors Is that their large motors and ;plash pumps trp breakers because they require a large surge of electricity 10 get turing, especially In coll weather when pump ol 1s more viscous, To. measure the propensity of the models in our test to trip breakers, we used! a clamp-on multimeter to m ‘awe their amperage draw at startup and ar their maxi- 48 mum, 4 point usually reached just hefore the tanks are full. We did the same test at low temperature by putting them in a wallc-in freezer (at -10°F) for about 1S hours, Te low-temperature test was especially revealing (Only two of the seven compressors Would even start up after their stint in the deep ficeze: the RoleAir and the Makita, Both models were completely trouble free, “The compressors that wouldn' start also worked fine ‘once they had thawed our. To check the accuracy of regulators and gauges, we connected a high-quality pressure gauge and com- pared its reacling 10 that of the compressors" gauges. ‘We found all the gauges on these compressors to be EO totter sat Wow Wty 430 Pot tote tr 428 Tote teary a6 Pot totes sat tet tks PA Wk yy 322 JENNY ANTBOHOAY ‘Senco pousa4. OLA VI20ST waxrtaac2400 Dewatr 955153. Comp aE cRasacrs ‘cenTRat PNEUMATIC 60567TWIN-STACK COMPRESSORS WHAT Hose connections. Pane! mounted ‘hose couplings on the Makita ‘compressor alow the connection of two tools and are easier to access than the single hose couplings found on most of the ether compressors. Unfortunately, the DeWalt and Jenny compressors don't include 9 hose coupling, s0 one hha to be added or testing. Drain vaivos. The best draln-valvosotup is 2 single quartr-turm ball ‘valve that drains both tanks. The Central Pneumatic, DeWalt, Makita, and Rol-Air compressors all have this. The Hitachi has a ball valve for each tank: Less rellable are the serew-type drain valves found on the Gripe, the Jenny and the Senco. Serewtype valves are tough to turn and prone to leaks. $320 $212 ‘The Makita’ roll cage protects the purnp, the motor, and most of the Asie from its darker paint job, the Senco appears identical to the ‘components, and it provides the structure supporting the intelligently | Grip-Rite(p.52). They share the same components, pump, and even signed forward-facing gauges, regulator, and hose couplings. The the same painful plastic handle Like Its Gip-Rite brother, the Senco arrangement makes it easy to connect hoses one-handed and to thas two screwstyle tank drains, which we find inconvenient. On the adjust pressure. The Makita Is also quiet thas a single two-way bal plus slo, i's reasonably quiet and is tied with Grip Rito for secone- valve for draining both tanks, which is our preferred arrangement. Our | highest cfm ating in the test. Given its good air delivery, quality ‘only complaint about this compressor Isis 721b. weight, which makes | components, and reasonable price (second lowest inthe lineup), it Ite heaviest model inthe test sets our vote for Best Value. 50Air filters. To prevent ‘damage, 9 compressors air fier should be tuched Detweon the pump and the tanks, an arrangement fund onthe DeWalt, the Grip it, the Jonny, and the Senco. Alternatively, should have robust ‘onstruction as on the ‘Makita and the Rott. Central Pneumatic’ fiter sticks out enough to bo damaged esi. $234 ‘The DeWalt isa simple, smartly designed machine. Al the parts and _dauges are tucked between the tanks and the pump, protecting them from {damage and eliminating the bruises that come trom carrying a compressor pressure switch, and nts. Despto Its motor ‘water that accelerates tank rusting, with protruding parts. The high-qu ‘gauges can be replaced with of-the having the smallest horsepower rating, his compressor has 2 very fast recavety time. We lke the single easly accessible ball valve for draining than a deafening compressor, we 1 the tanks, but wish the compressor came with @ hose coupling. Gauges. The compressor from (Makita has 2.n. gauges mounted in an instrument panel that protects from damage and ‘makes it easy to check both tank ‘and regulated pressure. Central Pneumatics comparatively small sin. rogulatod-pressure gouge is ‘mounted just infront ofthe hose Ccanneetian, where i could easily be broken. within a pound or two of their stated pressure. T Judge the nomics of carting around these heavy tools, our experts repeatedly caried the compres- sors from their shops to their wucks, negotiating long walks, entry doors, and slippery staies, We found that all of the compressoas ate heavy and hasd co carry Because the differences in ergonomics were so slight we put less emphasis on weight and ergonomics when In addition tc yur testing, we also gave a critical eye to the location and quality of components. We loo! for parts that could be broke: loading the rig into a track or carrying tt through a n off or damaged when door opening. We paid special attention to the drain aves because We find the simplieity and rebability of a ball valve to be a significant upgrade over the screw-type valve, Which is tough on fingers and more prone 1o leaking. A leaky drain causes the pump (0 in more often, and one that’s tough to open and h can lead to a buildup of And because there are few things more annoying with a decibel meter placed about 3 ft. away:CENTRAL PNEUMATIC 60567 $130 Harbor Freight Central Preumatie compressor Is tho lightest in the test and, therefore, the easiest to carry It's also the loudest ‘and has the second/Jowest cfm rating, trailed only by the Hitachi ‘The regulator accurate, but adjustments lack precision, espe: aly at higher pressures, and the gauges are small with hard-to read numbors. The air iter and the coupling are positioned where ‘they could easily be broken. A cross-threaded machine serew ‘securing the motor shroud left us concerned about the company’s ‘quality control department. We'd choose anothor model ‘To test air delivery, we connected each compressor 10a rans new Max CN S90F coil framing nailer. We used this setup 10 drive 32in. nails into Douglaslir lumber and stacks of Yin, fie plywood. All of the compressors had enough pressure to fully set the nails Nailing speed was dependent on the compressors’ respective cfm rating. Not surprisingly, compressors with higher cfm ratings could nail a litle faster than those with lower efin ratings, but rhone of the compressors were d We also timed how long it took for each compressor to fill ts tanks completely when starting from empry (see chart, opposite age). The verdict ‘The Makita MAG 2400 compressor Is our overall favorite. I's a quiet machine and has excellent performance, and the iasteu- 52 GRIP-RITE GR254CTS $249 ‘The Grip Rite Is ted for second in air delivery, and is priced reasonably. As on the nearly identical Senco, the components are ‘cked between the tanks and the pump, protecting them from ‘damage, Unfortunately the arrangement has the gauges facing ‘away from the coupling, making ther harder to read than the ‘gauges on most of the other units. Another downside is that both ‘tanks include screw-type drain valves, which Is the style we find ‘most uncomfortable to use and the least reliable, Also, the hard Plastic handle has square bs that dig into your hand, ment panel makes it easy to connect hoses, adjust pressure, and see the gauges. This compressor only has one downside: At 71 Ib, i's the heaviest twin stack in the lot. OF course, a heavy compressor is a drag, but far Worse is a compressor that won't work because of a broken component. The Makita’s sturdy soll ‘cage adds weight, but more importantly, It proteets the compres sor’ vital components, ‘With sls quiet operation, intelligent design, reliability, the Rol-Air is also an excellent compressor. It weighs In ata more manageable 61 Ib., and at $330, IIs priced only a linle higher than the Makita (Our Best Value pick Is the Senco. Tt has quality compone 3004 air delivery, anda selling price of just over $200 o Patrick MeCombe, associate enor at Fine Homebuilding magezin, contuted to this articleJENNY AM780-HC4V $549 The Jenny and the DeWalt have nearly identical designs, but some components ate different. The Jenny's pressure switch is ‘easier to operate and looks especially sturdy Unlike the DeWalt single ball valve, the Jenny has two screw-type drain valves. Sturdy pressure gauges have a low-profile design that makes thom less Holy to snag cords and hoses. Likely becauso I's bult in western Pennsylvania, includes long-life synthetic ol, and has ‘some upgraded components, the Jonny is the most expensive ‘compressor in the tost, even though it ike the DeWalt) doesnt include a hose coupling ROLAIR VT20ST $330 Atonly db, louder than the Makita, Real's compressor is ‘extremely quiet. The heavy-duty components are located in protected spots between the tanks and the pump. A single two- ‘way ball valve drains both tanks, and the regulator Is precise and ‘9887 to adjust, The regulated pressure gauge Is smaller than the tankcpressure gauge, but i's easy enough to read. Rolair's good ait delivery, cold-weather reliably, and quiet operation make it our second favorite freer teas poms | coser | 2 | siao| $8at Dewalt ossisa | as | szaa| 38st crore | crosacts | 2 | somo) 4%, $m wien] [ne] at cBomans | cowo | 25 | aco 42x Rolair vrzost | 2 | $330) So. By senco rcatst_ | 25 |sai2| stot ected sodns | se w | 09 | we or syear | 60 | we | ua | ose tmer | 68 se | ze | na | 00 tyr | ot ee | ue | ir | 100 2 yer a mw | ot | aaa 12 ayer | ot mua ae | ane a year sa a | ar | ua satBoy Meany ena Cy Mose nec) telomeres for the Home Shop Wem tamer to for the Small ShopMACHINES > MILLING TOOL TEST WHAT MATTERS MOST ‘When It comes toa planer the most important evaluations are whether it makes ‘smooth cuts with both faces ofthe board paralle! to. one another. After that, about features including dust collection. GRIT The curly maple challongo. lof the planers we tested handled white oak and ‘white pine without eeuble, but onty the wo ‘DeWalt machines and the Ridid planer produced usable surfaces on curly maple. Paralfolism and snipe. planer’ job isto make ‘wo faces paral t one anothor and any machine ‘that leaves surfaces more than 0.01 In, out of parallels to be avoided. As for overcuts near the ‘ends, called “snipe,” moro than 0.04 in. is too much [oer s ‘Mako it fast. Changing knives should be (0a5y so that you can qufehly got back to work. DeWalt embedded magnets into te handle of Its wrench (above), making ita snap Count ald ives and put now ones in place./ FE] ners The best machines produce smooth, parallel surfaces on your lumber snchtop planer ts an essential tool for car ers and furniture makers alike. Portable yet power, these m z down in thickness, taking any to more than ‘sin. at a time, leaving a perfectl smooth surface behind. Benchtop models handle Sock 12% in. to 13 in. wide and 5 in, to 6 in. thick » you can mill the beefiest boards. These plank also nun on a 120-~lt circuit, so they can be used in any home shop. There axe a lot of benehto bn the mar ket, bur we limited! he models that have what we atlal Features: dst, collection and in Planets without a Just port will create @ huge mess and flood the air with dust, Ind have pins that guaran. tee that all of the knives project the same amount, sures smooth planing, This feature takes greatly speeding Peace eC ‘Givo ta twist. The insert cutters on the ‘Conventonce Is king. A depthof Dopth stops simplify repoat milling. Stops General International segmented cutterhead adjustment wheel onthe side is easy to each. for common thicknesses make ta snap to mill ‘an be turned toa fresh ee without Three ofthe machines have side mounted ‘parts tothe same thickness, a handy feature completely removing the screw that olds Wheels, but this convenience doesnt ump when you need to remake a part All he stops ‘tom in place. surface quay tosted wore accurateDeWALT DW735X re: 3049 ne De Wa 725 poten a wots prety ara Warranty: 3 to one another, with surfaces rowers A rset tn siz: 13in. READERS? ster msctines prosuca, > thanks to its two feed Dapin steps: ‘speeds, At high speed, snipe: 0:0 the narr wet ute prae:0000in, _alemes sth ai Dust collection: Excellent Noise level: 202 a Surface quality White pine: Excelent White oak: Excellent ‘Curly maple: Very good Depth stops: 8 ut of parallel: 0.005 in Dust collection: Good Noise level: 190 ab. ‘Surface quality White pine: Excelent White oak: Excelent ‘cury maple: Good 58. RIDGID R4331 Surface, ut the slower, finish speed procucos an almost glass — | changes are easy, with spacious ‘access tothe cutterhead from the top and agib screw wrench that doubles as a ‘magnetic lift to remove the knives. The 735X also has _outfeed sie of the machine and exits straight back. I you {reat dust collection, thanks to an intemal blower that don't pull the hose to tho sido it interferes with material helps evacuate chips. The dust port has a 254inia, 2 t eaves tho machino. Tho top is largo and flat, 0 tS a ‘opening, but has a builtin adapter for 4-in-dla, hoses. feat place to set material in between passes through the ‘Our only complaints the location of the por. I's on the machine, Pisss ear $300 es han 19 DeWalt 736K. the Rida R4331is an excllont value, Its three-enife cutterhead let \wondertuly clean surfaces on plainsawn white oak and white pinot didnot portorrn nearly as well on curly maple as the 735, butt created less tearout than all butane ofthe other machines (the DeWalt 734 was its equal, Knife changes were quick and 208) wth the provided Thane ‘wrench. Dust collection was. 04, assisted by an Internal fan, The Dein, port fn the outieed side ofthe ‘machine s rected to the side, so the hose is out ofthe Way. Te planers top i lat and provides ‘ good surface fr holding stock between passes.DELTA 22-555 Price: $339) [iritcbansss nts lane or easy waraen yeas enough, excopt that you need an Alen Gene ‘wrench to open the dust cover and gain ‘access tothe knives, and it's not the same Shap: 13 in Size as the wrench used to loosen the screws that secure the knives, The 2%in- da, dust port ean be reversed for use on Snipe: 0.006 in. ‘ther sido ofthe machine, Two material Out of parallel: 0.008 in, rollers ontop ofthe machine aid with ‘transferring stock trom the outfeed side Dust collection: 20d ack o the infeed side Finally, there fs no Noise level: 95 gauge that indicates how much matetial Surface quality youre about to remove, a convenioneo that ‘White pine: Good ‘two other planers also lack. White oak Gooa Ccuy maple: Foor Depth stops: None DeWALT DW734 Price: $399, ne of only two machines with a ie ita cutterhead perfectly parallel tts Were beds the DeWalt 734 is avery good Knives: S Planer. Knife changes overall were Size: 12% in. ‘talghtforward, but access is dificult : Because you mist remove Pilpshead Doptn stops: 4 screw from under the dust shroud—not Stipe: 0.002 in {an easy task The dist port onthe back ut of paral 0.000 in, ofthe machine has 2%india opening but can be hooked up ta 84nd. hose. Connected toa dust collect ita an Noise eve: 202 a excellent job gathering chips. And because ‘Surface qualty the pot eit tothe lef of the machin, te hose s never in the way of sting boards. The top ofthe machine is lat makingita ood placa to stack bards between passes, Dust collection: Excellent ‘White pine: Excellent White oak: Excellent curly maple: Good Ens ms Pete tte he 457 owarrssx ‘To test the planers, we looked at what matters most ee Wee te aan ownrtse to woodworkers, We ran a wide board through each So 0 ors cosra comes Pete te Rey 3.99 mana 2012N0 tendency to cut a bit deeper at the leading and trail We te te tee 3.96 0010 Rasa ing ends of a board than in the middle. We also Seed kes tecieeee evaluated the quality of the surface each machine ete ter 22 mon ze son Ques showed tha al of he machines were su eta HS? 2a cxzyeore able or woodworking. tthe machines sth three Pe Mee Wy'y 302 coverat nm. 20-0604 Iknives produced the best surfaces. Also, the two ms [och | chines with segmented cutterheads performed about TAUNTOR'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 59GENERAL INTL. Depth stops: & Snipe: 0.002 Out of parate: 0.008 Dust collection: Good Noise level: 102 ‘Surface quality ‘White pine: Good White oak Gooa curly maple: Foor Size: 12% in Depth stops: None Sipe: 0.004 in ut of parallel: 0,013 in. Dust collection: Fair Noise level: 99 db Surface quality White pine: Good White oak: Gooa curly maple: Foor MAKI Price: $540 Slap: 12 in Depth stops: ‘One, butts adjustable Sipe: 0.003 in. ut of parallel: 0.002 in. Dust collection: Fair Noise tovel: 98 ab Surface quality White pines very goon White oate Very good curly maple: Fair 60 2012NB Trane srt oe to planers in the test with a segmented ceuttornoad (the Rikon 25-430H isthe other) The 26 cutters, arranged in six rows, enter the wood straight on. Ea cutter has two cutting edges, and can be rotated to get a fresh edge, However, rotating and changing out the euttorsis 2 bit tricky because there sno cuternead lock, s0 tends to move as you loosen and tighten the serew fora cuter. A dust chute ‘on the outfeed side of the machine has both a 28sin. ane dna. port, one ceting to each side, The top of the machine is large and fiat, great place to rest boards botwoen passes. rife changes on the Grizaly planer wore trek, bocause accoss was tight, the seraws were small,and the Allen ‘wrench provided was hard to use. The ‘machine has a single dust port that's not a standard size, and we needed tape to connect a nose toi. Two tollers onthe top fof the machine make returning materia tothe infeed side easy, and theyre stable ‘enough that you ean stack boards on them. The Grizzy is one of thre plane? ‘that donot have a gauge insleating how mush material fs about tobe rernoved on the next passthrough the machine. tho planers with two-knife cutterneads the Makita produce the best surface quality.The knives very narrow andl abit tricky to change, but Makita provides two magnets for iting thom off the euttorhoad, and these make it easier, The machine's dust port isan od size, with an outsige aiameter ‘of approximately 2% in. Using an adapter to.connectit toa 4nd, hose, dust collction was ont fal. Finally, 2 full revolution ofthe heightagjustment whet moves the cutternead %ae In, The ther machines move a, with a complete revolution ofthe handle, a dimension that’s much easier to work with because the most common thicknesses for {urnicure are in multiples of en,RIKON 25-130H Price: $650 Warranty: 5 years cutters: 26 Size: 13 in Depth stops: & Sipe: 0.003 in. Out of paral: 0.001 in, Dust collection: Good Noise level: 99 a ‘Surface quality ‘White pine: Good White oak Gooa curly maple: Foor TRITON TPT125 Tree 26120 a we cane Intemational 30-060HC, has a sogmontod cutterhoad with 28 cuttors, arranged in sb straight rows, that enter the ‘wood straight on, Rotating and changing ‘the cuters was easier on the Rikon than ‘on the General Internationa, because it has an automatic cutterhead lock, There Isa flat top that isa good staging area for boards between runs tough the machine, ‘Tote ara two dust ports on the back of the machine (2% in, and 4 in. cia), with ‘one exiting on either side ofthe plane. Dust collection was good with the Planer connected toa 4in-dia hose and dust collector Price: $425 Warranty: 4 year Knives: 2 Slap: 1248 in. Depth stops: None Sipe: 0.104 in, Out of parallel: 0.04 in Dust collection: Good Noise Surface quality ‘White pine: Good White oak Goos curly maple: Foor vel: 202 db coessing the knives on the Triton was. facut but getting the knives out to change them was tricky because no ‘magnetized handles were provided to hit the knives off the cuttarhead, There isa incl, cust por, and chip collection ‘was good when hooked up toa shop vacuum. The housing has an open top with Just one rotur roller, making i impossible to stack boads there in between pastes ‘through the machine. Also, there Is no ‘gauge that Indicates how much material youtare removing in a pass, making it ‘one of three planers that don’ offer this feature, as well a5 those with two knives, This Is probably because the cutters enter the wood straight on, just, like straight knives. ‘One important thing to remember is that all of the machines are loud. Youll need hearing protection ‘when using any of them, However, the planers were not all equal, and three pevtormed better than the rest, The DeWalt 735X clearly was the Best Overall, With a three-knife cut- tethead and 1wo planing speeds, t produced neatly slass-smooth surfaces, even on curly maple. left ven litle saipe and had outstanding dust collection, and the knives were dead-on parallel 10 the bed. Two other machines did very well, the DeWalt 734 and the Ridgid R4331. Both have three-knufe cutter- heads and produced very good surf some tearaut on Figured woods, The Ridgid casts 30 less than the DeWalt 734, so its our pick for Best Value a Kely 1 Dunton professional uriture maker ‘rom Terral, Conn, conributed to this atc 61MAC ee) Everts More money gets you ‘fe now to wood turning, You may be trying to decide more capacity and power, but great values exist at every level 0 hold chuicks and faceplates a drive center and other snl the talstoc nis also bored is the bang the lathe bed and tool restProducts in tis catagory aro low-priced ‘and lightweight. yor large and powerful enough to satisy a range of needs. Many ‘come with the same hhandy features as their larger cousins, including variable spacd contr! nd a spindle loc, ‘Amplo capacity. Most minifathes wil let you turn a bow! 10 in to'12in dla. ust be sure the lathe is mounted an a heavy, stable stand or bolted to a bench ¢o dampen vibration and to prevent everything from wobbling when you begin to tum an iregular Dov bank. Features that matter ‘Though all luhes share 4 common anatomy, features differ among models based on their size and capacity when you're shopping for a lathe, be sure it will give you some Fexibilty—the size and power o let you turn new things as your mass as possible, Mass dampens vibration, which makes turning, worlds easier When decid the distance hecween centers. The swing is the largest diameter feats change, W's also important to get a tool with as much fon the right size for you, note the swing and Mini-lathes: A good first choice steers vos Ly, 2 7. Tool rest ‘Small pieces are a snap. A minitathe Is tailor made for tuming pens, bottie-stoppers, ‘ormaments furniture knobs, tay components, ‘and other small pieces. you the length of the longest spindle you can turn, A small lathe 's {deal if you plan 10 tum nly pens, boitle-soppers, and other smal things. You'll need a bi cor long spindles. Aside from size, you should consider other features, Tool rest—In general, 2 longer tool rest Is more useful 1S espe- ally efficient for spindle tuming, because it ets you work a lager area before having to mow. the size of the lathe—mint-athes (above) have rests that are only cr lathe to tum wide, deep vessels it. The size of a stock rest depends on { in, to in. long while full-size models may have resis that are 12, to 14 i, long, Length is a plus, but 0 is 4 rest that is smooth, with TAUNTON'S 2018 TOOL GeIDT 63Full-size: Bowls and beyond With a good fullsize lathe, you ‘ean turn just about anything— {rom a small idded box toa banquet size serving plater. A larger spindle and greater mass ' make it easier to work with heawy, rough ehunks of wood. Vorsatiio machines. Larger tul'sizo lathes nave ‘enough horsepower and {torque to ot you tako hoawy ‘ents ina ange blank without stalling (above). Some also have @ movable headstock ‘assembly and an outboard {ool rest (right), so you can ‘um very lange bowls and Plattars without the Bed Botting in the way. 64 ‘no bumps that could inteyfere with your tuming tools. IF your lathe is good but you're unhappy with the tool rest, you can replace it with an accessory one Electronic variable speed control—Alihought not essential, electronic speed control is quite handy. I lets ‘you safely star taming an regular blank ata very slow speed, then run faster as the bowl takes shape. Headstock spindle tock—The lock makes ita bit on a chuck or faceplate. Some min: lathes and inexpensive full-size lathes lack this feanure Indexing head—thisfeatute lets you loek the head- stock at any one of numerous positions, Most full-size ‘and heavy-duty lathes Copposite page) have an index: ing head, but some mini-lathes don’t. If your use the lathe and a router to cut Hutes or reeds in a period lable leg, an indexing head is essential Forward and reverse—Being able to nin a lathe Jn reverse is useful when sanding or appiving finish, Many fullsize and heavy-duty lathes have reverse; its easier to thre rare on mintathes, Beefy deive belt—This isn't a factor with minklathes, which work fine with a narrow poly-V bell. Bigger lathes need wide belts that hold up under heavy «se Sturdy stand. needs solid support. A universal stand for mini-lathes, about $180, will hold them steady. Many full-size lathes come with a good wide-body stand or well designed legs. If your stand is to light, you can weigh it down with bags of play sand to prevent rocking or shaking Now ler look at the common sizes of lathes. What size you choose will depend on what you plan to rum, whether it's parts for furniture or vessels and bowls, To avoid excess vibration, a lathe Mint-lathes: These are the smallest, least expensive lathes on the market. Despite their name, most have the capacity (0 Jet you turn spindles 16 in, to 24 in. ong and bow's ar vessels up 10 20 in. to 12 in. diz. A min-athe usually makes a good fist choice and is great for learning the basics of wood turning. If you are a furniture maker, a mini-lathe might be all you need for making knobs, le bolt-on bed extension, about §80 to $160, gives a mint Jathe the capacity to handle long table legs. AY-hp motor is typical on mintlathes, but some of the newer madels come with a 34-hp of I-hp motor. Typically, you change speeds by movin, ditferent pair of stepped pulleys, but electronic vari- able speed control is a commen option, -Ming-lathes have a headstock spindle that's 1 sn. dia, with § threads per Inch (abbreviated 1x8 tpD). The headstock and tailstock are hored with a No, 2 Morse taper, the most widely used size “Most mint-lathes cost between $250 andl $600. There sare many that weigh less than 100 Tb., making them portable, but youll tmde some performance for that and spindles. A pelt 10 aportability, Better to buy a heavier model and put i on a very solid stand or benchtop, Full-size lathes athes in this category are suitable for just about any kind of turning, from big vessels and long posts dawn to pens or bottle-stappers. At one end of the spectrum ate lathes that resemble elongated versions of a mini-athe ly deliver not much mose bowl-turning capacity than, these gener their smaller counterparts, with a swing Of 12 in, or 1 In, They can handlle spindles up to 40 tn, long and have a 9¢hp of I-hp motor. As with mlnt-lathes, you change speeds by moving a belt on stepped pulleys, but varlable speed control is a handy option. AL the other end of the full-size spectrum larger, heavier machines with plenty of power. These models, can tum 42a, spindles and bowls ar platters up to 21 in, across, Some have a sliding or pivoting head- stock and an auxiliary tool rest, so you can tum even larger pieces off the side or the end of the lathe. Motors deliver 144 hp 10 2 hp and deliver constant que even at slow speeds; vatiable speed control is standard Some less-expensive fullsize lathes have a 1x8 pi spindle, but most in this cate ea 4x8 pl spindle, The larger diameter makes the headstock spindle stiffer and better able stocks and tailstocks have a No. 2 Morse taper ‘Although a few full-size lathes Cost less than §1,000, ‘most are in the $1,200 10 $5,000 range, All ae 100 big for a bench and need either bolt-on legs or a stand Heavy-duty lathes ‘These large, expensive lathes ‘meant for profes- sionals and very dedicated hobbyists who want silky-smooth, vibration-free pesformance even on the largest bowls and vessels. If all you turn 1s spindles ‘and sill furnituse pasts, a heavy-duty lathe is over. Some of these lathes weigh 900 Ib. A 3-hp, 240-volt electronle speed control are standard, Prices stat at about $5,000 and go up from there. Most have a 1x 8 tpi headstock. Some heavy~ duty lathes have a larger No. 3 Mosse taper in the tallstock to handle bigger work: Try before you buy If you're really unsure how much lathe you need, seek out a nearby wood turning clubs. You can find ‘dubs in your area through the American Association of Woodtumers (wooklurnerorg). Visiting members shops gives you a chance to try different lathes, and club members will almost certainly offer their own, buying advice. Many will be happy to give you some free turning lessons, 10. a Wood turner David Helm contributed to this aril Heavy-duty: For serious turners ‘These are the largest, heaviest, most exponsive lathes on the market. They perform extremely wel, but are more lathe than most people need. ‘Siz0 and power to spare. Heavy-duty lathes are meant for turing bowls. vessels, ‘and Sculptures that would tax smelor machines, Heo, awara.winning Wood turner David Elsworth shapes a blank that wil become a hollow vessel TAUNTON'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 65UE Dh ES TSW TOOL TEST Ler] [ie aeeys ly mM Cem IHD Compact models give you the power and accuracy OTR Alay easy adjustments—for I In ‘wobble (rinout) and whether the blad was parallel to the miter k the tip fence, th ‘many of us don't have in our gata lings for ult and height, the basement shops. Finally, they take up alot the power switch, and the ease of chan, ing blades. To gauge power, we ripped 8/1 sbinet hard maple and timed each rip. nefits of After the tests, It was clear that th ‘awStop PCSI7S Was the Best Overall It collection, vibration-dampening mass, and dead accurate, has 4 top-quality fi Pee eee Pete He fy 439 saustor resi 175 Pete te ted 426 rowemane uto00 craw corsse Lacuna rus! ALEICH and finish, is and has Sav nology and blade brake among th Ws heavy olan Jotnson contributed totFees tease sapere eearet {uty ede sates nese ast prt see (Quick exchange from rving knife to guard. A big, easytoreach lever Js all you need to fee them on the SawStop. . Throw in its 's exceller Motor: 1% hp, 140 Table size: 27 in, by 44 in. Rip capacity: 30 in. Arbor-flange runout: 0.000 in READERS’ Blade-to-slot parallelism at O°: 0.000 in. HOE ‘at 45°: 0.001 in. Warranty: 2 years but connected, leaves on each side of the blade. Thel light ‘wolaht made it easy to push thin or light stock under the guard, and the leaves fall sequentially back into position. There is no locking device for holding the leaves off the table, but it was easy ‘lift the leaves manually above the fence for ripping narrow stock. When making a replacement insert plate, you have to do some extra work to make way for the safety gear, a small, inconvenience that doesn't outweigh the safety aspect. Overall, ‘the SawStop PCS175 is excellent. Throw in its safety device, and Ws tremendous. ‘Sek fence. Sturdy and deflection free, the ‘SawStop's fence locks ‘iow tight (above). Italso lies over the table as it were floating ona, thanks to 2 pair of small wheels at the end a, TAUNTON'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 67izzly you get a lot of saw for well under $1,000. Powered by a 2-hp motor, the GO745P has plenty of muscle ‘and did very well in the ripping test. (It comes wired for 220 volts, but can be rewired for 110.) The Tsquare style fence is stout ‘and locked down square with no deflection, Even though there is no blade shroud, dust collection was still quite good, and a big. hinged door over the motor makes it easy to vacuum out any dust that falls to the bottom of the cabinet. ‘The release mechanism for the riving knife and blade guard was ‘easily the most convenient in the test. You don't have to remove Power switch Is hard to miss. The Grizzlys ‘suite is easy to find while you Keep your eyes (on tho blade and workplace, making for safor transitions atthe start and end of a cut the knite or guard 68 ‘Awesome riving knife removal. There's no ‘neod to remove the throat plate, and all you have todo Is move a small thumbwheel to tree of saw for well under $1,000. ‘Motor: 2 hp, 2207 Table size: 27 in. by 40 in, Rip capacity: 30 in. ‘Arborslange runout: 0.000 in. Blade-to-slot paral Warranty: 1 year the throat plate to switch between the knife and guard. Just slide a thumbwheel back and to the side, and the riving knife is. released. Slide in the guard, push the thumbwhee! to the side and forward, and it locks the knife into place. Wonderfull The blade ‘guard is good, with a leaf on each side of the blade. The leaves pivot up as wood is fed under them, and rise independently so that {yu can raise just one for thin rips. The arbor lock worked well ‘and was easy to access, making single-wrench blade changes convenient. A minor downside is that the throat plate is very thin, which complicates making a zero-clearance insert fo it. (Guard works for thin rips. One side can be rotated up above the fonce, while the other sido stays down to cover tho blade.inct saws are heavy and difficult to move by yourself, /which is something you might need to do in a home shop that doubles as a garage. Baileizh addressed the problem by ‘mounting four wheels inside the TS-1044H’s cabinet. They allow you to roll the saw forward and back, but not side to side, ‘To make turns, you can lift up on the fence rails and rotate the saw. When you don't need the mobility, the wheels lock with ‘thumbscrows. ‘The saws fence is T-square style and worked very well. I's ‘the only fence in the test that comes with a digital readout that displays the distance between the fenc: Digital fence readout. Th distance from the blade to the fence is displayed to a thousandth of an inch, and its accurate, 2 few tums ofa thumbwheel. Builtin mobile base. Four wheos in the eabinet alow you to move the saw “The only fence in the test that comes with a digital readout” BAILEIGH TS-1044 Price: $1,595 Motor: 1% hp, 140v Table size: 27 in, by 44 in, Rip capacity: 36 in. Arbor flange runout: 0,000 in, Blade-to-siot parallelism at O°: 0,006 in, ‘at 45°: 0.026 in Warranty: 4 year ‘thousandths of an inch. It's easy to zero out when you change blades and we found it to be accurate. Dust collection was fair. ‘The Baileigh did very well in the ripping test, but its miter slot was significantly out of parallel to the blade with the blade tilted to 45°. Fortunately, the trunnions are mounted to the ‘cabinet, which makes it easy to fix. The power switch is very low on the cabinet, making it hard to reach with your hand or knee. Also, the riving knife and blade guard lock in place with the spin ofa star knob. It's not difficult, but itis less convenient ‘than the locking mechanisms on the Grizzly, SawStop, and Powermatic saws. ‘Long reach for the power suite. ‘Located beneath the height adjustment Torward and back. The wheels leek with wheel, the switch requires you to Jean ‘over too far. TAUNTOR'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 69f you have a garage shop that doubles as a place to park your cars, then the Fusion’s builtin mobile base will come in handy. ‘You can move the saw with ease and store it neatly against a wall when not in use. The saw has two casters, Pick up the fence rails ike a wheelbarrow and the saw is ready to rol into action or back into storage. Thumbscrews lock the wheels so that it doesn't roll during use. The motor provides plenty of power, and the T-square-style fence slid easly, locked securely, and resisted deflection. The ‘magnifying curser makes the fence's scale easy to read. The Le and rol. The novel dasign ofthe Laguna’s mobile base (it works lke ‘2 whoolbarrow) made tho ‘saw very easy to move ‘around the shop. “Plenty of power, and the fence slid easily and locked securely” eT elt) Table size: 27 in, by 44 in. Rip capacity: 36 in ‘Arborflange runout: 0.000 in. Blade-to-slot parallelism at 0°: 0,020 in at 45°: 0.019 in Warranty: 4 year power switch attaches to the front fence rail with two Tholts, and ‘can be positioned anywhere along the fence that's convenient, so you can get itn the exact right place for easy and safe use. Although there was no arbor flange runout, the miter slot was ‘significantly out of parallel to the blade at both 90° and 45°. ‘Because the trunnions are mounted to the cabinet, itis an easy fix. Although it's not exactly difficult to switch between the riving knife and blade guard (just spin a star knob a few times), the process took longer compared with the Grizy, SawStop, and Powermatic. Dust collection was fat Power where you want ‘It The paddle switch can be positioned anywhere along the front rail, so no mattor how tall you are or how Jong your arms are, it can always be within close reach. Fence scales easy to ‘read. Th largo redline Jin the magnitying curser Js perfect sized to line up accurately with the lines on the scatMotor: 1% hp, 115 oe Tae dae 27 iO SS Wotan 5 yeas his is an excellent saw. It sooms li slightly smaller, but no less impressive, version of the PM2000, a proven winner over the past couple of decades. The fit and finish ‘were as neat as a pin. Equipped with a 1%hp ‘motor, the PM1000 did very well inthe ripping, test. It's massive, too, weighed down by big castiron trunnions and a stout motor and arbor assembly. The T-square-style fence was solid, had the least amount of deflection, and was ‘simply bigger and beeffer than the other fences. ‘The riving knife and blade guard are locked in place by a cam clamp, making switches from ‘one to the other quick and painless. There is a ‘single leaf on each side of the blade guard, and they operate independently, so it's no problem to raise one above the fence for thin rips. A detent holds the leaf up. Blade changes are a breeze, too, thanks to an easy-to-use plunge lock on the arbor. The power switch is another great convenience, as it's perfectly positioned at hip height and easy to find with your hand or hip. Dust collection was good, too. [As good as the PM1000 is, it's a ‘microscopically close second to the SawStop, only because it docen't have a safety eystem ‘that's equal to that on the SawStop. ‘Arborflange runout: 0.00% in, Blade-to-slot parallelism at 0°: 0,000 in, Adjustment wheels roll easily, ‘A tew fingers on the nob sal takes to spin the height and tt wheels. The “action is smooth with no fash in the soars. ® ‘Cam lover simplifies riving knife. Tho lover A great arbor lock. There's plonty of room ‘Is within easy reach and can be opened and for your thumb and i takes ite efort to closed with just two fingers. dopress the lock. TAUNTON'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 71MAC ES > DUST COLLECTION Ca eT) Dust Collection for a DUST COLLECT Se ee) Cec error tenes eee oes erect oat ers CC Ou em ee ot een een L Scie Preeerecrren ores ree Peersthe Small Shop An effective and budget-conscious trio of solutions hetmponance st olecon ca about spending money on tol ato ‘Sut mundane as cobecng dst Cont hae he cachet of ack hand tol The god news hut as i ust doing woodworking Ina basement or garage, building projects large or small, the essentials are the same, In the example shown hete, the shop #8 lo- cated in a two-car garage in a community ‘with strict homeowners’ association rules that prohibit tuming a garage into a pet- manent workshop. So atthe end of the day (or a few days running), the owner needs tobe able to park the motor vehicles back in the garage In the end, no matter what size shop you're in, a three-prongedl approach is the best way to atlack dust before it settles on {you and everything around you. Use a dust Ta ay ae eae collector for bigger, statlonary machines, a shop vacuum for handheld tools, and round things out with an overhead ait file uation system combined with a dust mask. Go big for bigger machines It’s tempting to think that vacuum can solve all dus sues. That might be true when working ‘with only stall Benchtop tools that don't include a jointer and planer. But if your woodworking Involves milling rough lumber, a jointer and planer (or a combo TAUNTON'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 73Small dust collectors HY (Xm Lees ‘Koop your colloctor close to tho dust. When using a small dust colloctor, typically a ‘machine with about hp, use 2 faley ‘short nase, about 410° ong. Too Jong a run of hose reduces the aifow, ‘and tho rosut fs Inerective dust collection as woll 2s possible jams, When floor space Is tight. Though it can ‘weigh about 65 iba wallmounted dust collector can be moved quickly (itust nangs ‘on a bracket) and stored elsewhere if need. Get an extra wall brace oF two and move it ‘around the shop where its needed. 74 machine) are absolutely essential, and s0 Is a dust collector. Jointing and planing woo produces large, heavy sawdust particles, and to move them, a fairly large amount Of air Volume (about 350 elim) as well asa i-in-dia, hose are required. Shop vacuums aren't suitable for a job that big A dust collector Is also more capable of grabbing sawdust from a tablesaw and bandsaw, again because of the large volume of aisflow. That said, you can do a preity good job using a shop vacuum booked up toa 1Hin, bandsaw and a henchtop table saw that has a built-in dust housing under the blade. For larger machines, andl espe- cially if you plan to do a lot of resawing cr dadoing, the dust collector would do a better job than a shop vacuum, whose hose can sometimes clog when taking big cuts, For this article, we wied two L-hp dust collectors that would fit the small space: mobile tool (General International moc No, 10-050CF M1) and a wall-mounted machine (Grizzly Industrial madel No, G0785), each with pleated filters. Bot were up to the task and handled every situation presented In the shop.DON’T LET THE BAG 7 GET Too FULL Empty the bag before its completely {ull (shoot for about one-third ofthe Way from the top of the bag) to provent loging and to keep the dust from piling out during the chango-out To keep the costs down and get the most fm at the tool, forget about ductwork and blast gates. Just hook up the dust collector to one machine at a time Downsize for smaller power tools Power sanders create very fine dust and are good candidates for a hookup to a shop vacuum, Chopsaws, routers, and Discult joiners also can be handled bs shop vacuum, which can generate close 100 cfin. Finer and Fewer cust particles don't require as much air volume, That id, chopsaws are pretty messy no matter whats hooked up to them be have not been designed with highly ettec- live dust capturing capably When using and handplanes, the chips and shavings produced are relatively large and won't get alrbome. 4 broom and ust pan can handle the job just fine, Anather option is to use a floor sweeper that attaches toa ust collector. It captures both the large chips and fine sawdust left behind from use most Easy hose attachments and fieings. Whether theyre spring loaded or the thumbscrow ‘ype, theyre Immediately accessible using (nly your tngors The thumbscrew ‘ype hola a bit tighter nan the spring clamps, but the lator aro the fastest to get fonand off when switching between tools Quick and easy ‘hango. Rochler’s ust Rint handle ‘and too ports speed up swapping a4in. hose from machine to ‘machine, Once the ports are installed ‘oneach machine, the handle slips snugly over the ‘open end, requiring no tools or clamps.Narrow hose Works better. ho | 2in-dla. hose that comes with ADAPT AND CONNECT Most shop vacuum manufacturers have dedicated adapters that make changing ‘rom one too! to another easy, Get a brand that fits your vac,Powered arlters ish the job eT eae milks In spite of one's hest attempts tor control the mess, some dust always escapes and the finest pasticles can end up suspended in the ait. For that, we recommend a cell- ing-mounted air filter. Now, some experts say that these machines circulate dust par- icles while they are sunning, atime curing which your lungs may be exposed to more ‘dust (v8, quiet ait, when dust tends to set- Ile). So to be really safe, it makes sense to swear a respirator or dust mask when dust {sin the ais. Or, un the air cleaner during fa break when you're not in the shop. Anote about dust collectors and filters There's a lot to learn about the types of dust collectors and filles, but 1o cut to the chase, here are the key points For respirators, use one rated for fine particles (N95 rating) as the last stand 2ainst sawdust. Use high-elficiency filers on all dust- collection devices (dust collectors and shop wicuums) that capture panicles clown, 10 1 micron of less, These small particles can enter deep into the respiratory tract ast the body's ‘The cartidge-style filters you see pic tured on the single sage dust collectors in this atcle are a big improvement over the bags typically supplied with budget dust collectors, Cartridge filters have a large surface area, which allows the machine 10 breathe hester Gimproving aieow), and defenses, include internal flapper arms, which ale low the user to brush off dust inside the curuidge, keeping them operating more efficiently ‘Anotoe Burkin crtetuted to this arte Sry eri Lhp dust collector '$300-$400 14-gal. shop vacuum $100 Alt cleaner fon s Forthe dust that romains. Use an air : sikyation system. These machines creulato Accessories dust particles while they work, soto be really $100 ‘s2fe, wear 2 respirator or dust mask when dust ‘sincthe al. TAUNTON'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 77nd Tools =] Ue As 2) wayte) oT) SHOP OUTFIT SERGE OMCs What clamps to have and why you should have them if = ee eee eee T Pee eee ee ee ee eee RSEBar clamps are the shop workhorse. They excel at gluing up panels, assembling carcases, building chairs, clamping up large laminations, poe te ee es ina variety of lengths and are capable of exerting a great deal of ee ee ee en Cee eee ee | Ce ee ee ee eal Pree ee ee rs es ed Lied NTS eae the most expensive and 2 bars sidors. Al thom inero and lots ‘of clamping power. Rigialty ‘one of the main reas ‘lamps are so potent. A super: Hig bar not only allows more pressure to be applied oops the clamping px direct in tine with the e heads—exactly where y. it bbear ‘equipped with plate clutches and heawysduty serew mechanisms; both of which make setting up a clamp on the work as painless as possibie, WHERE TO START 480 i be enough to nae ling panels where the larger lamps can be cumbersome, For long giveups, such as tabletops, Benches, ana beds, a eM il bs vital Bat 24 in.long 6-8 at 26-48 In. long 2-4 at 72 in. longOnline eae eee tse lampe to ka Your glucups tao to FnatlocdceingSon/ rez028, PIPE CLAMPS Aa ada Shas Pipe clamps are less expensive than ‘aluminum bar clamps, and can be found at ‘most hardware stores Pipes ean't match beam bars for rigty, and some brands of pipe clamps don't have the jaw depth found on the other bar clamps, But even, in a shop well equipped with bar clamps, pipe clamps are good to have around for unusual clamping situations. With a handful of lengths ané a few eouplers, you can easily create clamps of any sie to tackle projects the others cant each. Got %in, Pipe clamps if you ean. They are more right ‘and have better handles compared with the fittings tor Yin. pipe oul Protect your work ‘Many bar clamps come with plastic or rubber pacs from the factory (lef). If yours don't, attaching some ¥i and leather pads will Keep your work from getting dinged. We Bs recommend silicone adhesive toattach the pads (ri) ts flexible and easy to remove when the pads need changing, eee Ce ee a ce ce ‘Alursinurs bar clamps ace a far loss exponsive option than Hbeam clamps. The tradeoff with these lightweight clamps i that they exert less pressure flex mote, and are senerally more cumbersome to adjust. However, the lighter weight can be a tremendous benefic when youre working alone on a tabletop or case lueup. Untke castiron ‘lamps, the alurninum wort react withthe water in glues andthe tannins in wood to stain your work. Clamps with wing-ype nandies are the best, but those with a sliding pin work fine as wel pipe clamp threads onto the end ofthe pipe, whe tho tal (above) slides on and retains its position witha pate clutch Tho pipo comes threaded at both ends, ‘soll you need to create a longer clamp Is an inexpensive coupler and another Fen of pipe (righ, plywood TAUNTON'S 2018 TOOL GuIDT 83ie ud F-tyle clamps, sometimes referred to ‘as steel bar clamps, are great for most ‘smaller tasks, such as gluing up drawers ‘and boxes, and clamping narrower stock together. Langer versions are useful {or holding work or jigs on a bench, {or smaller lamination work, and for ‘persuading joints to close on smaller pieces. It's important to align them ‘woll, because ifthe bar isn't parallel tothe intended direction of pressure (usually perpendicular to the surfaces being glued), they can cause parts to slip as pressure is applied. Two of the ‘most important features to look for are ‘smooth adjustment and adequately sized handles. Parallebjaw clamps are a popular variation on the F-style clamp. But they ‘can be cumbersome to adjust, which makes glue-ups more difficult. Quick-Grip clamps WHERE To START 2d at 42 intone Li ‘Afew ofthese are terrific to have because they are easy to use with one hand and provide a quick and easy hold. They can exert alot of pressure, but there is litle fine control ofthat pressure. ‘They're great for getting something in clamps easily, whether itis ‘a part in ajig,a glue-up where you have only one hand free, or a quick patch-andrepairjob. 84 Pinpoint clamping. Fstylo clamps are {reat for smaller jobs that don't need high pressure or larg clamps, such as gluing up 2 drawer (above). Versions with an extra. ‘deep throat make It easy to clamp jigs to bencitops and work surfaces (left) WHERE TO START 2-4 at42in.long 2-4 at 48 in. long 2-4 at 22 In. long, deep throat C-clamps are always useful to have around, mostly because of their good functionality and low level of fussiness. They're small bbut strong and are unlikely o distort under pressure. They are used for a variety of tasks, but are especially useful for clamping down stops on tablesaw sleds and other jigs with a fence, or any ‘small jobs where an Fstyle clamp would be unwieldy.eum Cul ‘They may seem like a throwback, but hand ssctews are great for a number of obs. Use them for holding odé-shaped pieces safely ‘when cutting on the bandsaw or when eilling on the dil press. They are also ood 28 a vise for holding small parts on the bench of in a bench vise. Hand screws are ‘easy to find and even easior to modify. If you find yourself trying to get a firm grasp on ‘oddly shaped parts, modify the jaws to fit WHERE TO START your need. For example, adding V-notches i ; ch at In. and 40 In ‘across or along the jaws makes clamping round parts much easier. Porfect for small or ‘odd-shaped parts. Gotting a stoady hold ‘on tured oF round work ean be tricky. Aaiing notches to hand sorews is an easy and secure way to hold round ‘stock atthe bandsaw {above) or upright in 2 bench vse (lf) Aholping hand for big gluo-ups. Use a hand seraw toalign the ends ‘of boards while slung tabtetops, benchitops, or panes ETC These are generally cheap ‘and useful for holding parts in jigs, for holding templates place when marking out parts, and even for lighteluty gluing. One big drawback ie that there is little to no control over the amount of clamping pressure they provide, In general, the bigger ones apply more pressure. They can be found cheaply in sets and are worth having in the shop. WHERE TO START 2 each at 4 In. and 8 in long,eel mira acl smoothing, the No. 5 handplane can do it all al woodworking liand tools, the jack See een cn ers ene era Pe ee eee ree eee tas ees bur it also can be used for the flattening eee ate eee ent as een ea eee ee al Prone A jack plane should be capable of tak ing very fine shavings and leaving a great ne nae Sree ree see It should also be adept at jointing edges eee eee eer ee ee rt eee ere ets ees iF ees eee ee ei terme tren eee ec an eee eee ercgs oe nr teen ee ree ene sd aeU Ly Partch ees eee) ead ed rey een ed rary ere Sea ng De 86 eee1o use the jack for shooting (squaring eciges while lying on Its side). All but a few planes needed some work to flatien, the soles, and some needed work on the sogs. The least expensive planes in the rest needed a lot of work, Blade and chipbreaker—All planes ‘need sharpening out of the box, a straight- forward job. But if the back of the blade Isn't ground the factory, you have some labor to do. We Mattened and pol. ished the blade backs and sharpened all the laces, The amount of work required vasled among the different models. ‘We also looked at the chipbreakers to see IF they made solid contact with the iron, and if they were stamped oF ma- chined, Without perfect contact, the blade ‘will vibrate and chatter, and any gap can ‘cause chips to clog the plane. The stamped Iype are thinner and generally need more attention to ensure they contact the back ‘of the blade properly, Be they don't dampen vibration at the tip of the blade as well asthe thicker, machined chipbreakers, Bur even the machined eip- breakers will occasionally need fine-tuning 10 be sure that they seat well and that the machined! contact face is smooth and Ha Blade adjustments—An easy-to-use biade-adjustment mechanism—one that ss they're thin, holds its setings—is incredibly smportant. Jack planes come with ane of wo types, the Balley-style mechanism (Stanley, Foot- print, Wood River, Clifton, and Lie-Nielsen) orthe Nomtis-style adjuster (Kurz and both Veritas planes), You can probably get used to either type, but there was great varia- tion in how well the mechanisms were de- signed and machined. Most worked well but a few had more slop and backlash. Mouth adjustments—You typically set the mouth opening ight wo the blade for ine work and more open to keep the mouth ‘rom clogaing when removing heavier shav- ngs. The jack plane is one ofthe few planes where youTl regularly use this adjustmenn, Features to consider FAST AND PRECISE BLADE ADJUSTMENTS ‘Spit adjustments. Planes with Two in one. Planes with Norristype adjusters, ike the Balleytypo adjustors use a whee! Veritas 5%4W, combine depth and lateral adjustment into ta set the blade depth (top) and a one mechanism. Turing the knob changes the depth and lever for lateral changes (bottom). swinging the lever makes lateral adjustments. CONVENIENT MOUTH ADJUSTMENTS ay You shouldn't have to romove the blade. Mouth adjustments are made by moving the frog or by sliding toe, oF shoe, atthe front ofthe plane. Panes with a Bodrockestyo fr (or similar let you move the trog withthe blade n lace by tuning screws a the back ofthe frog. With planes that use @ sliding foe to adjust the mouth opening like the Veritas Custom No.5, you never have fo remove the blade for mouth adjustments, Bevelup jack planes: In a category of their own ‘The beveldown jack planes are truly the grab-and-go tool for a multitude of shop ‘tasks. But the bevelup (low-angle) jack planes—originally designed to plane end drain —are versatile tools as well, especially considering that simply regrinding the blade's bevel gives you the ability to have a low cutting angle for end grain (or a high cutting angle for difficult grain. So we tested each type separately, awarding a winner for each. The bevelup models are featured on pp. 90-91. TAUNTOR'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 87since it tends to be used for a wide range ‘of tasks, On the planes we tested, you can adjust the mouth either by moving the frog with the blade in place or out), oF by slide ing a toe, or shoe, atthe fiont of the plane. Planes wath a sliding toe let you keep the blade in place for mouth adjustments, The Veritas planes have additional con- venient features. They employ set screws In the plane body to restrict any side-to- side movement ofthe blade. And the Veri- ‘as Custom No. $ has a stop to prevent the toe from smacking into the blade when you close up the mouth. Put to the test For the eal world teats, we set up Wo fobs at ‘opposite ends of the spectrum. First, we cic some finish smoothing on straight-grained ‘walnut, cusly maple, and finally weak, Once the smoothing tests were done, we reflat- tened a couple of heavily used workbench- es (a brutal task for a plane). We cycled through the planes on both tasks, evaluating how they held up under fine work and then under hard work, reshaspening as needed ‘We noted how the planes Felt use—which seemed to make the task easier oF hares, land which scemed the most responsive. Conclusions ‘we were able to nine up each plane, but the Lie-Nielsen No. 5 stood out for overall ‘quality, ease in getting it to work perfectly and good, solid adjustments, It had tight achining, the most positive feedback, rnd could do any job from finish smooth ing 10 rough flattening, or shooting end again, The Veritas No, 5 W was close Dehind the leader and priced well below i, making i the Best Value, ‘Custom fumiture maker and woodworking Instructor et Miler contributed to this aril. READERS’ RATINGS: JACK PLANES, BEVEL-D0 Pete fete e 481 uemaserne.s He Fe HH Ay 4.50 ves custom No.5, Woke teed 451 venms 5.14 ete fetes 47 curonno.s WAH ATT 3.98 woo RWER NO. 5 ete HP a9 steno. WoW Hey 242 roorenrne 5 Pee Hees 200 wonz sus LIE-NIELSEN NO. 5 Price: $325 Blade material: A2 Chipbreaker: Machined ‘Tho Lie-Nlolson No. 5 was very well-machined overall, with lateral and depth adjustments that had the least backlash of any of the Baloy-styo planes. The back ofthe blade was perfectly flat, and the chipbreaker seated fully against the blade, The sole was flat and the Sides were square. The Bedrockstyle frog made adjustments to the mouth quick and easy without the need to remove the blade, With a quick honing of the blade his plane cut very Wel and adjusted easily between fine smoothing and heavier flattening. VERITAS 5% W Price: $258 Blade material: PMV Chipbroaker: Stamped arg ‘The Veritas 5% W had a great overall fit and Finish, The Norris-stvle adjuster was tight and precise. The blade was tat, easy to sharpen, and withstood the bencteflattening test with barely any duling, unlike some of the other blades, The stamped chipbteaker set up well and mated tightly to the blade. The 5% W has a handful of useful features at an affordable price, such as toolless mouth adjustment via a sliding toe and serews inthe plane body that prevent lateral movement ofthe blade during adjustment. Choosing this as Best Value was ‘an easy call,CLIFTON NO. 5 Price: $335, Blade materia: Cryogenically ‘rested high-carbon steel Chipbreaker: Machined, worpiece This is a wellmachined plane with only 2 small amount of backlash ia the Baile: style adjustment mechanisms. The blade ‘was ground slightly unevenly and had to be flattened, but the unique, two-piece chipbreaker worked wll and contacted the blade sola. The sole was tat, but the sides were slightly out of square, whieh Himits the plane's use with a shooting board. A Bodrock-stye frog allows the mouth to be adjusted without removing the blade, a great time-saver, FOOTPRINT No. 5 Price: $60 Blade material: Carbon steel Chipbreaker: Stamped This plane required a lot of work. The stampad chipbroaker intially had very ttle ‘contact and the back ofthe blade was convex, ith a high spot in the midi. The trog was poorly machined and neither flat nor smooth. The sole needed the most work-—we spent atleast 30 minutes flattening ft. After all this work and a careful sharpening, the plane ‘ut falely well but excessive slop inthe Bailey. style blade adjustments and overall poor _machining hindered its performance. The frog, was a rudimentary Bailey type that required blade removal for mouth adjustments, KUNZ SPLUS Price: $240 ‘Bade material: High-carbon steel Chipbreaker: Machined ‘Tho cap.iron serow on the Kunz SPlus was vory fussy in use and while the back of the bade was very close to fat, it was ground coarsely, and it took a while to remove the scratches from it, The plane needed alot of work to get the sole flat as well although the sides were square tothe sole, The Notts-tyle adjuster had a lt of slop, which translated {o Unpredictable cuts and settings that didn't ‘quite keap. The mouth adjustment requires blade removal, which slows down setup. STANLEY NO. 5. Price: $75 Blade materia: Carbon steel Cchipbreaker: Stamped Out of the box, the Staniey model 42.905 stamped chipbreaker was easy to tune up, but the blade sutfred from a high spotin the center that was hard to remove, The plane iron didnot sit flat on the frog, and we discovered a significant hollow area (almost sa in.) on the frog. ‘The sole ofthe plane was seriously out of flat and took 45 minutes to fatten, Despite al of our efforts, the plane still cut pootly, mostly due to poor machining. ‘The Balleystyle frog worked decently but required removing the blade for mouth adjustments. VERITAS CUSTOM No. 5 Price: $330 Blade material: PMV Chipbreaker: Machined ‘The Veritas Custom No, S was well. ‘machined and its Norris style adjuster was tight and precise. Ithas a unique system for setting the chipbreaker with two small Allen-nead bolts: one sets the location ot the chipbreaker and one attaches the blage to the chippreaker. This system is coat in that it retains your chipbreaker location setting perfectly but the button-head bolt {s very small and not easy to get hand ‘on, The back ofthe blade required only ‘minimal work to flatten, The sole was flat and tho sides wore square to the sole. [Adjusting the mouth was easy and quiek Via an adjustable toe, WOOD RIVER No. 5 Price: $175 Blade materia: High-carbon stool Chipbreaker: Machined Tho thick blade on this plane isa nice feature but its back was high in the center, making ‘talfteut to flaten. Tae chipbreaker well and was also thiek, but its machined ‘edge needed a litle refining for optimal contact, The sole needed fattening, but the sides were square tothe sole, The Bedrock: style frog worked well and made mouth adjustments easy Aftor a small amount of, work, the Wood River planed fairly well but the Balley.style depth and lateral adjusters both hal significant amount of backlash, TAUNTOR'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 89The best of the bevel-ups When compared with bevel-up models, standard Jack planes are a better choice for first-time buyers because they leave a slightly better surface when doing fine work and they adjust more easily, characteristics that are beneficial, expecially for ‘someone relatively new to planing. That doesn’t ‘mean bevelup planes don’t have a place in the ‘shop. Four planes in the test are bevel-up models. With the blade bedded at a low angle, these planes. ‘wore originally designed for surfacing end-grain butcher-block tops, but they have gained popularity ‘as a general jack plane alternative. The likely reason is their versatility. ut of the box, a bevelup plane is typically sharpened for a 37° cutting angle, which is the bed angle plus @ 25° bevel on the blade. That's great for ‘end grain and wood with highly cooperative gr but they tend to tear out with more challenging rain. In these situations, you need to increase the effective cutting angle by sharpening the blade’s bevel at a steeper angle. For instance, to match the 45° cutting angle of a standard jack plane, the blade needs a 33° microbevel (or a completely roground bevel, if you want to go through all that work). And you can go steeper. For example, you can keep two extra blades on hand: one for a 45° cutting angle and another for a 75° cutting angle. ‘The steepest blade basically turns the plane into avery effective scraper plane. Keep in mind that these steeper angles aren't as durable and will dull more quickly than a blade sharpened at 25° to 30*; that's an optimal angle taking into account smoothness of cut and durability of the edge. ‘These planes can be a good replacement for the beveldown jack planes, as long as you're wil spend the time resharpening the blade for different tasks or have the budget to invest in extra blades. to have at the ready. But that’s not for everyone. Of the bevetup planes, the Lie-Nielsen and Veritas models stand out due to the quality of their machining and precise adjustments. Preset ee Bee te oe We 480 uemensen wo. 62 fe te te tar Hy 4.70 vermas no. 62-1/2 ‘VIP 5.84. STANLEY SWEETHEART no. 62 PORCH HEY 3.84 wooo river na. 62 CHANGE THE BLADE TO SUIT THE TASK Te beveLup Jack plane's effective cuting angle can be changed with ease just by rogeinding the bevel or adding a microbeval. Switching the angles (or entire blades) lets a single plane tackle many tasks other planes cannot, Low angle for ‘ond grain. blade ground at 25° results in a cuting angle of 37°, Which is perfect for leanly slicing end grain. ats why'9 Jow-angte plane is Ideal for use with 3 shooting bard, ase / ‘Most useful angie. 33° grind will ur ‘your bevelup plane Ino 2 standard jack lane, making easy Work of smoothing and flattening tasks, 95" t0 75° ‘igh angio for difficult woods. Wah a blade ground toan even stooper angie, bevelup jacks can tackle heavily figured or wild wood with ease,LIE-NIELSEN No. 62 Price: $245, Blade material: 2 aT This plane was very well ma- cchined, with a fat blade back, aflat sole, and square sides, ‘and it eut very well, Mouth ‘adjustments were precise. Blade-dopth adjustments wore precise and easy, but using Tap to square It up. mo ‘ahammerfor lateral aust’ Le-Aolsen and Wood River ‘ments takes getting used to. No, 62 (below right) have no ‘Once made, the adjustments mechanism for lateral bade hold. An accessory handle aejustment, sot done with ($60) is also avallable for use a small hammer after tho witha shooting board. blade depth nas been set STANLEY SWEETHEART NO. 62 Price: $140 Blade materia A2 ‘The back of the blade was mounded in the mide, but we were ‘able to fatten it. The adjustment mechanism had a lat of slop land backlash, and allowed limites movement. We had to file the bed of the plane (Model 42-437) etl to allow the blade to sit square, The sole needed a fal amount of work to get flat and the sides wore not square withthe sole. Oneo tuned up the plane cut wel, but suffered because of the poor machining ‘and 2 cast aluminum cap-iron serew that was not easy to gp. VERITAS NO. 62% Price: $257 Blade materia: PMV CS This plane was machined well, andthe Nortissty aguster was spoton. Its wider and heavier than the ret ofthe bevel ‘up jacks, which means it takes a wider cut and has the ‘momentum to power through some heayy flattening, On the other hand, the added width also meant the plane was a bit hhard on the user and could be a boar to push through heavy cuts, The solo was flat, the sides wore square, and the PMV1 blade sharpened easily and took a beating without flinching WOOD RIVER NO. 62 Price: $200 Blade material: Highearbon steel ‘One corner of the blade did not clean up even after 10 ‘minutes of flattening. The small front knob was noticeably less ‘comfortable than those found on the other planes. The sole hooded a falr amount of lattoning, but the sides care square ‘and tho untt planed well ater this work. The depth adjustor had ‘small amount of backlash, Lateral adjustments are made with 2 ligt hammer, but the blade shape makes that dificult. TAUNTOR'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 91There we tested only the blinds and through-dos are used with a handheld router, but ple with a router table, That meaz table must have an insert plate that can accommodate 1 standard 14¢In.- BLADES Tablesaw Blades for Go beyond the basic blade for better woodworking YT) ee ae ees Nes eee eaten et ne eee eerste eestor a ee titre mcr et erent ling operations. But when it comes to joinery, blades that are designed for Pe eee ee eee ee eT Pree a eee eet et aes Ts T Perea eee ee eee ere yy Fiting dovetails, set of four blades makes many joints quickly and precisely ‘The most essential joinery blades are an $-4n, stacked dado set, a box-joint set, a specially ground Mattop rip blade, and a blade specially ground cut nce eee ee at ete te ees ne es Pee ee ea ene) et ee th ob Van Dyke, director of the Cannectcu alley School of Woodworking Dood me LL eae ead 106mre) tits 1a aeany people already own an Bin. stacked dado blade set. ts the most versatile joinery blade, making jobs such as cutting tenons, rabbets, dadoes, and grooves simple ‘and straightforward. You change the ‘width of a cut by stacking different ‘combinations of blades and shims. To cut a groove or a dado, simply load the number of blades and shims ‘needed to make a specific width, and use the rp fence or miter gauge to make the cut. Make sure the scoring, blades are on either end, with the high point ofthe angled teeth on the outside (see above). To cut a rabbet, use a sacrificial fence and bury the blade init. The Width and height of the exposed section of blade determines the rabbet size. After dialing in the cut, run the board against the fence to ‘create the rabbet. Cutting tenons is quick and ‘straightforward with this blade. With the dado set sized narrower than the tenons length, use an accurate miter ‘gauge or a push block to guide the ‘workpiece and use the rip fence as a ‘stop to set the length of the tenon. ‘The narrower dado set doesn't have ‘tobe buried in the fence, and the ‘smaller cuts are more accurate, While this isa very direct method, you'll ‘sometimes encounter inconsistencies in tenon thickness. The easiest way ‘around this is to eet the saw to leave the tenon just alittle fat and then fit Addo set is a stack of blades that ean be adjusted to cut wide flat-bottomed notches {generally from % in to% in, wide), ideal for sffooves and dadoes, Two scoring blades go on ‘the outside ofthe stack to score the edges and cut thom cleanly Flat topped chipper blades ‘ae stacked between the scoring blades to hog bout the majority of the waste, Most sets include ‘shims for sight changes in the width of cut Easy grooves and dadoes. To cut grooves, and dadoos, stack the blades and set the depth of cut ‘chippere ms) ‘ne dodo set makes @ wide, rat ut, excep forthe ‘deep marks, or ‘are fot by the Scoring blades. Searing =< abbots, too. To cut abbots, clamp a sacrificial ence tothe rp fence and postion it over the blade. Sot the depth of cut and run the stock agninstthe fence. ‘each one with a shoulder plane. ‘Tonons made simple. Cutingconons with a dado sats fast and easy, Use a miter dauge to hold the workpiece and the rip fance to set the tenon® length. A few passes on each cheek will produce tenons ready tobe ted by hand with a shoulder plano.The box sot Includes two & in-da. blades that have flat topped teeth, So they cut flatottomed ers, which is Important when the front ofthe 700% ae ne \ willshow. You can buyaset that cuts pesovee he The teeth leave Yswin, and Sein, slots or one that cuts Sitering the 7 a perecty fat Sein. and in, slots, ‘Orientation ofthe tottom wth no ars" et by scoring Blades. y 2 wets “wee boxion blade st sinilr to the dado set but has Just two blades. Ws used for cutting box Joint, als hrown ee gor ints, The blades hav ofc teeth so thet when thoy ae stacked one wey they cut narrower ker and when their order revered, the eut ower Box lat sets are desinod to cut a porecty flat bottom, so the joint it together with no gaps visble slong the ont of the joint. ‘st hon ie cri te stock vertical ina dedicated i, gonjeint esis Agha tewarkoece Aeros ft When tee setup ‘where an indexing pn sland to the pipe an naan pl sted witch he crc tect wis ae ten Tract with ofthe her reisters how ae epone ou te recy. tian tee ee Iruch te stack is moved to create the tigers. The potion ofthe pin controls the fit of the joint. Even you rarely make box ent, Youll find he box pnt st tobe {eat for thor joinery applications. Ihe bottom a a roove or dado ie exposed the lat surface ofthis blade allows thoudadoes and Pooves tort the mating portions ofthe joint perfects nother eases where flr) Ie vile, such ae trough tenons and bret, where the searing teeth fa dad Made wold noticeably tifect the appearance ofthe jit, bor bin blades make tenon that ae perlecty at and ft into the mortise wth no gape #/Online For a vdeo on cutting perfect box Joints go to FineWoodworking LOR e eee ‘com/T62048, Dade fs also porfect for making narrow grooves ‘anc dadoes with perfecty fat bottoms.‘The Mlat-top rip blade has its teoth ground fat ‘nese blades can be ground by a saw sharpener ‘or bought new from companies such as Freud, ‘Amana, and Forrest, They also come in heavy- The lattop rp blade cute duty versions for a slighty wider Ket 2 Skin-wise ker within ‘spectally ground fat-top rip blade leaves a perfectly flat- bottomed kerf. Most easily found ina Yein, size, this blade is useful ‘when cutting narrow exposed grooves, dadoes, orrabbets, such a for fitting dividers or a bottom in a small box oF cabi W's an excellent choice for cutting splines in the comer of a miter joint, where the flat- bottomed kerf can form a crisp line with the spline being inserted. Hore the miter joint is typically hheld in a fixture, which is then passed over the blade. perfect fat bottom, Flat-bottom grooves. The Nat‘ rp bade | perfect fr making thin, pertectly squared grooves in small profects lke boxes. The ‘abbeted portion ofthe box betom fits into the flat groove ofthe side without gaps. pe i The secrot to perfect splines. The spine ig (let) res on the tabiesaw fence and holds a mitered case or frame. Used in conjunction with the flatop rp blade, allows splines to tall the way into the slots (above) without any gaps.‘The dovetail blade is a modified rip blade that has had all the teeth ground ‘the talls. Saw sharpeners can grind ip to a set angle that matches the angle of blades down to hese specifications, and ‘companies like Forrest soll blades that 210 realy touse, blade are ground dovetail blade makes \cuiting dovetails on the teblesaw practically a no- brainer. Almost any blade ean bbe reground by a good saw- ‘sharpening service so that all the teeth are at a consistent angle. It's up to you, but, ‘something around 10° looks and works great. The tails ‘are cut on the tablesaw with the blade tilted to match the slope of the dovetail and the angled teeth. The pins are ‘cut by hand. Because you are just cutting to a line, you can use any spacing, including, ‘asymmetrical, While you ean use any tablesaw blade to ‘out dovetails this way, the ‘specially ground blade cuts Fight up to the baseline and leaves a fla, clean surface all ‘the way into the corner with barely any cleanup between. To use 410° blade, set the angle of the blade to 10° and raise the blade until it just touches the baseline of the dovetail layout. Ifyou have set the blade correctly there's very little paring to do with ‘a chisel afterward. The reat advantage ofthis system, ‘aside from speed, is that each ‘of the tails will come out dead straight and exactly square to the face of the board, which is critical when you transfer the layout to the pin board. tone same andl, ‘pica between sand 32 Anglo the blade. Bocauso the dovetall blado’sceath ‘are ground to match the angle ofthe tll iting the blade to that angle results in 2 fat cut atthe base of Allthe teeth onthe When the blade f ited ta the same angle 92 he tet produces a ‘One sido first. A jig with an oversize fence holds the piece upright With the tails laid out, ‘make all the cuts on one side of the tals At the fend, make passes to remove the waste Ta watch a video on this tech igus, go to FineWoodworking com/Te2048. Fp and finish. Fp the pioce ledge for edge and ‘make tho cuts for the ather side of the tals. Al that’s left after this isto {chop out the salt amount of waste ‘and cut the pins to imate,PVE RYTperry pore Preeti eer srownits ies Automatic tools produce al oa) ee ore Pre eg cote eek der how the builder who hired them can afford se 50 much time on the Job. With modern taping cee eee kent (columbiatools.com)—awo workers can tape and finish Tee eee ee ean Sere te ke hee Roeser i SG neon err aes ete cee eee eee learning curve—it takes a few jobs to become truly proli- See ogee ag eee ee Peete creeks the tools all at once, you can significantly boost your Cee ome mee emery pump to fill them, which adds up to about $1,300, eee tee re ete as fear sete ce rete ree e rer ees angle heads ($750) for finishing corners. Another option ee eee as Re era Teen er Gee oeLoad the tape and mix the mud Automatic taping tocls require thinned mud to work propery, so we use a sopping wet grout sponge to add water to lightwelght ali purpose Joint ‘compound, Then we mix the thinned mud for a few minutes witha heaw.duty dil and a mud paddle. Mus for the automatic taper gets five to ix sponge ‘squeezes, mud for angle boxes gets four t five squeezes, and mu fo flat boxes, ets two to tee squeezes, . 7 he at 4 pane tope wing Bot as) Sato nara aaa eee eae eee ee SSS eee 3 Quicker corers. When taping inside comers, ipa lover on the tools hhousing to depioy the creaser wel, Which folds the tape and pushes it Into the corner,Faster taping. Loaded with joint tape and thinned compound, an ‘automatic taper can tape seams ‘and corners quickly. As the foo! advances, it rls out the tape and dispenses the compound atthe ‘same time. Another finisher on the three-person crew follows behind with a taping kniteto fully embed ‘the tape and smooth the joint 2 Go fong. Angle feads, fishers, rollers, and spotters can be equipped with extension hhandies to roach tall walls and colings. Most tools have universal mounts that make the handles and heads interchangeable betwoen manufacturers. Gotan. Adjustable ‘and available in mutple heights, stts allow you to safely reach tall celings with the automatic taper without hnauing to stop ‘and mow 2 stepfadder or volling scaffold,Finish coats feather out faster Uke with hanetaping, joints and comers get progressively ‘wider withthe second and thed coat of compound. Most drywall contractors who rely on automatic tools have fat boxes and angle heads in two or threo widths. Adjust the flow. Te eccentric cam adjusts the flaw, 50 You ean determine tho amount of compound to dispense. The idea isto fully coat the seam without excess and leavo a smooth nish tree of voids as you so. ‘Spotters fll screws. Made in 2n. and [Angle box for corners. Adaptable to angle Handwork Is still required. Automatic tots ‘in. widths, screw spotters are used to lay heads of various sizes, an angJe box sponses can finish a large part ofthe Job, but you sll down a stripe of compound to cover drywall am even coat of compound to both sides of an _nged to know Hw fo use hand tools fer corner pails and serews. Inside corner beads, repairs, and tight spots, ike this AV ‘equipment but 116Faster, easier ‘sanding. Attached toa toottvigered vacuum, a drywall, sander captures oary all tho dust Its also fess taxing because the orbital sanding disks doing ‘mulch ofthe work nd the suction helps bold the sanding ‘oad tothe drywall BLUE GRIT Before applying the final cost of ‘compound, sand the joints and comers with 150 get sandpaper. ‘The final coat af compound is sanded with 220-ait paper. Festool's B¥in disks are calor. coded for easy Kentitieation, atl Hand-sand comers. Drywall sanders {don't reach athe way into inside comers and tight spots, so these areas ‘must be touched up by hand with 2 Uraditonal pol sander. Tanwton's roo. cvipr 17Sy Secrecy ‘What Drill Bits A : MCR Tacs adh bit for every taskBrad-point bits Brac-point bits look lke slightly modified twist bits. The bit has spurs machined on the tips of the flutes (some designs simply have the tips sharpened at an angle, resulting in a point at the outside edge) and a centering spur that is slightly longer. The spurs cleanly shear the fibers and the helical flutes efficiently transport waste {rom the bore. Bradpoint bits create clean bores both on entry and during the cut. Brad-point bits have a downside. They aren't very good at drilling ‘end grain cleanly. They will cut most angled holes cleanly and. cfficiently, but ifthe angle is too shallow (5° to 10° off center), you won't get good results. BRAD POINTS ‘Tit oot $8 In. 10 48. This kt covers the gomut of {20s or furtive making. wor {Clean and easy. Grad-paine bits make a very clean entry. leave clean ‘ole wall, and don't wander atthe start or during a cut. They are perfect {or shalt pin hoes that wil be wsiblo and must be precise. ‘Superior chip ejection. Idoal for pog holes the brad-pont bit romoves ‘chips as you go, Use a tape fag stop (eft) when you dont need to be Uultraprecise. But use a wooden stop (above) when you need to prevent the bt from breaking through the other side, TAUNTOR'S 2018 TOOL GUIDE 119Shop Essentials continued Twist BITS fi 7: apiece set, WIST DITS en. to ain, a | Tost its are superb forse in ‘Alack ofall bits, the common twist bit pice es does a good job at cutting a variety of Imetats, except ‘materials—wood, plastics, and sheet hnardened ste ighrspsed steet bes goods. However, these bits excel at are the best generar tiling shallow, smaltdiameter holes in purpose bits. ‘wood (for hinges and hardware) and drilling clean holes in end grain. ‘There ate limitations, too. First, unless you'e cutting into end rain, these bits leave some tearout. Twist bits also can meander at the start of the cut if there isn'ta starter hole or center point forthe bit to register in Plus, they'e not great at evacuating, chips because of their rather small flutes and they tend to scorch the wood, on occasion creating enough heat to damage the bit. ‘That means they're not great for deep holes—use brad points for those. Twist bits also are not good for cutting flat bottomed holes or diling at angles over 4 VIX BITS. S.poce set for serow ‘zee 6 through 10, Tie it with 2 spring Iaded sloove are used for dling centered holes for hardware, COUNTERBORES ~ Bppoce set for scrow ‘ses through 10 These threeinone bite dr clearance holes pilot holes, ‘and counterbores all ono or etaling flathead serous, Follow the leader. Because of is web, or Vang point ofthe bt twist Dit is the bt of choice for deiling mutiplo steps because it fliows tno center ofa pre-drilled hole or the centerpoint a Forsiner bit leaves. Anctervratan whew inocansar Contor perfect. fedora wien sensi inert ‘surrounds = twist ane oe me ‘ease ene pe ferment automatically ee aligns the bit oles that alo seers terete wraraan te mw on man Soran oe 120Expert tool reviews you can trust. NEW VIDEO SERIES eee ae eet Try membership FREE for 2 eR Looking for precision, power and reliability? o 800.869.4169 www.timberwolftools.com Max Strength = Maximum Control fina Ew CONCEPTS Get Control with the Serongest, Stiffest Fret Saws on Earth Available in Titanium of AluminumEssentials continued * a | FORSTNERS: Forstner bits | ce The ideal woodcutting bits, Forstner- a style bits circumscribe the rim with sti with smooth aslicing cutter and follow the scribe side bis with lowangle shearing wings that leave a flat, clean bottom and a smooth ‘wall. They can be used effectively for overlapping holes and can produce clean, accurate angled holes even when the bit enters the board at a steep angle. AA drawback with Forstner-style bits is the lack of chip extraction in deep bores. As the bore deepens, the chips tend to clog around the bit shank. I the bit isn't retracted from the bore at regula intervals, the detritus packs tight, sealing the bit in the bore. Toothed Forstner-style bts are excellent for boring large holes. Sawteeth cut into the tim do an effective job of shearing the ‘end grain, and gullets between the teeth help control the debris. Toothed bits eut much faster than a continuoue-rim Forstner but don’t leave as crisp a shoulder. Big holes aro no problem. Forsiner bits make a clean ‘entry and dont wander during the (ut 0 wider holes are easy. Moke ‘ure t back the Dit out of the hole Irequently to clear the waste, or the it wil jaro inthe bole and bur the wood. ‘Stoop angio ‘overachlover. Forsiner bits excel at cutting severe ‘angles accurately ‘and eleany Just be sure you give the workpiece sold support. Partial holes are easy. An [MDF scrap offers ational protection against tearout and 7 ‘eps register the bit. 122Part#13114p #2x 2-3/4" ce Power si Combo 10 Pr Posoros761 Made in Taiwan I) ne ney P i e a4 iN “ae. it 1 i } Re atts KIS] SEREWORIVERS, NUT San Mol CALL OR ORDER ONLINE 800.743.6916 * www.quickscrews.com/' morethanjustscrewsHITACHI YOUR TIME IS MONEY. COUNT ON THE TOOLS THAT WON'T LET YOU DOWN. 1.800.809.4752 warwhitachpowertoo's.com