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Toolmonger (4 unread)

Preview: DeWalt’s New Wearable-Backing Flap Discs

Posted: June 30th, 2010, 1:47pm MDT by Chuck Cage

I’m a total sucker for the ideas that never seem to make the pages of print publications. You know — tool releases that aren’t made of new unobtainum or attached to the latest chemistry battery. And here’s my newest favorite: DeWalt’s wearable-backing flap discs.

Here’s the skinny: Know how when you’re grinding with a flap disc it wears down (pretty quickly) to the point where you can only use the middle bottom of it since the edges are too worn to grind and stick out too much to fit in anything? DeWalt solved the problem. By forming the backing out of a material not dissimilar from a really thin grinding wheel, they created a wheel where the backing wears down along with the flaps. The result? You can grind with one of their new wheels — even with only a sliver of flap left.

And it works. I got to play with one last week at DeWalt’s product release get together, and the unworn disc acts pretty much like a normal disc, except that you can actually jam it into the side of a piece of metal and cut a notch with it. (Not that you’ll generally want to do this, but you can.) More importantly, you can still grind at all angles with an almost completely worn-down wheel. Really.

So besides the fact that it’s more functional, it also makes the disc last — according to the folks at DeWalt, anyway — about twice as long as a normal disc because you can continue using it far past where you’d toss a normal disc into the bin.

You should get the opportunity to try out these discs in person in a few months when they hit shelves, and look for a full-fledged hands-on from us sometime between now and then. We’ll happily give you the full run-down then with all of DeWalt’s data to back up their claims and lots more info. But in the meantime, you’ll just have to trust me: It’s cool.
Preview: Stanley’s Updated, Bostitch-Branded Short Tape

Posted: June 30th, 2010, 1:15pm MDT by Chuck Cage

You’ll note one big change in this long-popular short tape right off the bat: Gone is the FatMax Extreme brand, replaced with the familiar (if not on tapes) Bostitch brand. But hey — forget what’s printed on the case. The case itself represents one of the biggest changes in this tape. By changing the shape of the top just a little, the Stanley Bostitch folks have managed to render the lock switch significantly less susceptible to drop damage, at least according to the press release.

It does feel a more sturdy, and having seen Stanley’s test facilities up in Connecticut first-hand, I’m guessing they’ve dropped it once or twice to confirm their engineering claims. (Of course, as soon as we get our hands on one, we’ll be dropping it a bit, too.)

Until then, we can tell you that it’s pretty comfortable in the hand. It retains a very long — up to 13′, they say — standout as well as Stanley’s BladeArmor film covering and protecting the first six inches of tape. And new in this tape is a 150% larger hook. Sure, this sounds like a simple change. And it is. But it also works. Just like you’d suspect, the increased size makes it easier to catch the hook on whatever you’re measuring.

You’ll find three models on shelves soon: A 16′ checking in at $19 MSRP, a 25′ for $25, and a 35′ for $35. We expect they’ll street for a little less.

In summary: These are all pretty much incremental updates — exactly the kind of small improvements you’d expect in a tool that’s already doing well in the market. We look forward to spending some time with one soon.
Bosch Speed-X Video Demo

Posted: June 30th, 2010, 12:15pm MDT by Sean O'Hara

A few days ago we mentioned the Bosch Speed-X Hammer Carbide bit. Shortly afterward we found a link to a video about how the bit actually works and what its shape does to concrete.

The video pits the speed-X vs. brand-X in a very quick shot of a head-to-head with Joe the Pro. In case you’re wondering who the hell Joe the Pro is, he’s the sort of like a cross between the Geico Gecko spokesman and the crew from “This Old House.” He’s got years on the jobsite and we were pleasantly surprised when we talked to him that he actually knew his stuff on a wide range of subjects.

In any event Joe gives us the schpiel on the speed-X. We’d still like to know what bit they were going up against, but it’s clear the new bit does a number on concrete.

Bosch Speed-X Demo [YouTube]
Evolution Of Craftsman Table Saws

Posted: June 30th, 2010, 9:16am MDT by Audra Heaslip

The “Heavy Duty ‘Driver’ Bench Saw” from a 1931 Sears/Craftsman catalog, only four years after Sears registered the brand, boasted that it came “complete with motor” and Timken tapered roller bearings. It cost $9.50 at the time (an average month’s rent on a house was $18), and was considered innovative for its speed and durability. What I find interesting is how little the basic technology of the table saw has changed in 80 years — or how advanced it was for its time.

1972 Craftsman 10 Inch bench saw for $159

Modern Craftsman 10 Inch Table Saw, $799

The modern Craftsman 10″ runs on exactly the same 1.5 hp, and at 3450 rpm is in many ways the same tool as the Depression-era saw. Though I have to admit that I see some pretty big changes in the 40-or-so years between the first saw and the second — besides the fact that the price seems to have dropped significantly, at least in relative terms. (Considering that one can rent a house now for $750 to, say, $1,500, you can now own a Craftsman 10″ saw for somewhere between half and the same price.)

But what do you think? Could you work with the earliest saw? How ’bout the one from the ’70s? If we could magically give you any one of these three — and don’t think too hard since we can’t — which one would you choose and why?

Personally? I’d go for the ’70s model. It looks durable and solid. But don’t let me influence you. Let me know what you think in comments.