Highdesert Splintermaker

I've put this purchase off for a while now. I just got the 2015 TOOLS GUIDE by Fine Woodworking and on page 38 is a great article on how to select a miter saw and a comparison of 5 in the class they selected. As a result I've just ordered a Bosch CM12. It's a plain vanilla single bevel with a very high degree of accuracy. Looking forward to making splinters with it soon.

Never got into DeWalt tools. My only experience was with B&D drills with the 18v NiCad slide on batteries. Today when a drill goes south it's still cheaper to go out and buy a whole new set that includes 2 new batteries than it is to try and separately replace either the drill alone or a battery alone. The B&D 18v slide on NiCads seem to last forever. Again it is a pity they, B&D, never came out with an impact driver that would share that same 18v NiCad battery.

Apparently Steel City did not come out with the 8" jointer I'd hoped for. Guess I'll have to go buy and make do with one of those 6" bench top machines. I really would like to be able to joint a 2 x 8 without having to both buy and then make room for one of those $1,000 to $3,000 aircraft carrier.

EE I only mentioned the doorstop because - of all the ideas on the Dremel website for things to make with their 3D printer, the doorstop stood out as being the most useful and practical. If that makes me "ignorant" then I guess you're right. I suppose you're also right about the prototype possibilities for small parts in a manufacturing situation. I was thinking more in the relatively low budget one man home shop situation. I could buy a jointer, a planer, plus a few quality hand tools for the price of the Dremel 3D printer that can only produce a plastic final product.

And, all this time I thought binder clips were to clip your insurance binder to your sun visor so you can find it quickly when the officer asks for proof of insurance.

Looks like another sure way to win a Darwin Award.

Dwain: I know what you mean about manufacturers' tool ratings. The only way to know what any power tool will do is either first hand testing or an independent third party comparison. Just another good reason to appreciate TIA.

DR((: If you really like the Bosch miter saws you might want to check out the Fine Woodworking 2015 TOOL GUIDE, Pg. 38. It's an excellent article on both selection criteria, how much miter saw do you really need? and a comparison between some of the most prominent 12" single bevel miter saws. After reading it I ordered the Bosch CM12 from Lowes. It should be in and available for pick up any day now.

Not quite sure what you have in mind when you say "combo. kit" not further defined. If you are looking for a drill & impact driver set you might want to check out the Bosch drill & impact driver combo. at Lowes. The Bosch kit number I'm referring to is CLPK234-181. It includes a drill, an impact driver, 2-18v 2.0 Ah Li batteries, a charger, a couple bits, 2 belt hooks, a soft case, and when you send in the registration you get a 3/2 yr. warranty. They are selling them currently for from $179.00 to $199.00. You can find them cheaper on line. Take the online price proof to Lowes and they will match the price and then take off an additional 10%. I just bought that same set from Lowes about a month ago and, so far, I'm happy with it.

I'm with you DR99. A grand, plus supplies, for a toaster that makes plastic doorstops? I don't think so. I'll save my money 'till They offer a reasonably priced 3D printer that will let me make metal parts. Imagine; select and load the metal wire you want, program it in, and the operation adjusts the heat range and print speed to the wire you're using to make a copper, brass, aluminum, or even low carbon steel part. Granted it would be a much more serious shop tool but it could serve so many useful purposes. But you could then make those unusual parts you want and can visualize or even draw but can't find at Home Depot, Lowe's, or Ace Hardware. It might even give rise to a whole new one-of-a-kind-parts cottage industry. We may have to wait a few more years but, till then, melting plastic string to make purple colored doo-dads sounds too much like Playskool or Mattel.

I'm living next door to one of those myself. It happens to be a rental and the landlord is very "frugal" and knows absolutely nothing about trimming trees but does it himself anyway. The result is the ugliest hat rack you've ever seen. That poor poplar tree!

My B&D 18 volt NiCad PS1800 drill just bit the dust. I figured it would probably be the batteries that would go first since NiCads have that nasty habit of needing to be completely drained before being recharged or they form a less than full recharge limit that tends to grow more and more restrictive over time. I was wrong. Much to my surprise after almost 7 years of use the batteries are still pretty much fully chargeable. It's the drill itself that last time I tried to use it flashed and stunk like a cheap shorted out skunk. Hopefully it was a bottomed out brush but, since they are not externally accessible, I have not yet checked. It was nice having two drills alike and four interchangeable batteries. That way I could drill and drive without having to change bits and without running our of power. Guess I'll have to shop around for another drill or send this one to the nearest B&D repair shop. So, in answer to "who made the best NiCad tools" I can't very easily propose we fly the orange and black flag can I? Anybody have an old B&D18 volt NiCad (the slide on - not the stem pack) drill they no longer want?

An update on that old B&D model 7510 jigsaw I have. At the best tool specialty store in Reno (Apex Saw) I tried to see if I could get replacement brushes - just in case. They are no longer available, which was not all that surprising, but checking the ones in the saw (probably original parts) I was surprised to learn that they are actually round and not square (or rectangular) as most modern brush sets are. Fortunately, when I pulled out the old ones to look them over, it appears they still have a few hundred thousands revolutions remaining.

Hey! Only a few more days to go 'till I finally learn whether or not Steel City is going to release a new 8" benchtop jointer. Anticipation!!!

Yep! Another runner up candidate for this year's the Darwin Award.