Grumpy MSG

My 735 is mounted on one with the rollers and all it takes to make it look like it belongs is a piece of Unistrut/ Kentdorf (available at Home Depot for @ $20) and a couple of bolts and spring nuts. Throw in a little black spray paint and poof it looks like a factory kit.

The DeWALT DWE7490X is only slightly larger, comes with an X stand, which you could leave off and tuck behind a cabinet or bench to use later. It can run a dado stack, however it is in that $500 range you don't want to pay. Perhaps you should consider going the pawn shop/ Craigslist route for a table saw for now and save up the $500 or more for a new saw later (deals can be had on Black Friday in November as well as periodic times throughout the year). If it were me, I'd stick to DeWALT, Makita or Bosch for the table saw.

Hate on the Porter-Cables if you want but their meat and potatoes tools forever have been routers and sanders. the big differences between today's 690s and those from 20 years ago are a dust sealed switch and more ergonomic knobs. Norm Abrams used one countless times on the New Yankee workshop. Meanwhile the 890s have an extra 1/2 HP and a few other nice features like an easy big adjustment/ micro-adjustment feature and 2 location switch, but can work with the same bases as the 690s. Both the 690s and 890s have multiple numbers 690, 691, 692 which annotate which accessories cone with the router like fixed base, plunge base, D handle and combo kits. Don't think they are tough? walk into a Woodcraft store see what routers they are using for their classes and see how old they are. if you insist you don't want the P-C though, Makita, DeWALT and Bosch all make nice routers. As for features, If I were going for one router I'd recommend one in the 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 HP range with variable speed, 1/4" and 1/2" collets and get it in a kit with a fixed and plunge bases. A little bit of work on your part and you should be able to hit your price point with a kit like that. If you wanted to add to that later, a trim router in the 1 HP range would be the next addition for roundover, laminate trimming and small work. If I were to get a third, it would probably be a second 1 3/4- 2 1/4 HP or 3 HP (depends on what size bits you want to use most often) specifically to leave mounted in a router table

Since it is DeWALT, and it keeps the same specifications. It could keep the same model number and get a type number change. Just remember when DeWALT came out with the Bluetooth batteries they kept the same model number and added a B to it.

With a reciprocating saw, as a practical matter you can only have an orbital function or the 4 way blade system. I believe that DeWALT should offer the saws with either function available, just give it a different model number. That would just allow them to get a bigger slice of the market.

I don't have the Jessem lift, but I run the PC 892 with a Kreg portable table and love it. I haven't got it installed yet but will be adding the Oneida router hood to help with dust control on the bottom side when doing dadoes.

I just got an email from DeWALT announcing the DCF894 mid-range impact wrench, it says it has a max torque of 330 ft-lbs. The email mentions it joins the 1/2 inch DCF899 (with a max torque of 700 ft-lbs) and the 3/8 inch DCF890 with 150 ft-lbs of max torque. I don't see myself buying one since I don't turn wrenches for a living anymore, so my old Ingersoll Rand will eventually run with a FlexVolt compressor once every blue moon in the future should I need an impact in the future.

Call me crazy, but having your stuff stolen 4 times before you are old enough to drink legally is not a good sign. I am going to tell you to think about going a different route. Just taking the list of tools you have mentioned and using the thoughts of either large or small modular boxes like the Ridgid or ToughSystem boxes: Cordless circular saw -wheeled bottom box Cordless reciprocating saw and blades -small box Cordless drill and impact driver + bits -small box Cordless impact wrench + 1/2" SAE impact socket set -small box Cordless grinder -small box You could probably use the open totes which would probably hold more in each box, need fewer small boxes but the same principle would apply. You could have everything unloaded and in the house in a trip or two and seriously cut down on the theft from vehicles. Another thing to do is to put them in a closet or room out of view of a window in the house, so nobody can see them easily and be tempted by for quick theft opportunity. Another thing you can do, is to start at the closest pawn shop to the house and check all of them within a ten mile radius as quickly as you can for your tools. often you will find pawn shops like to cooperate with local PDs. It doesn't help them to get a reputation for selling stolen goods. Heck, you might find some tools at a price that would be a decent replacement for what was stolen.

You have to throw the Graco airless paint sprayer in there too. I forgot those other lines too. Somebody else had posted about another line in Europe or Australia that were rebranded DeWALTs too.

When you think about it, Stanley Back and Decker has 18 or 20 volt (I know inside they are the same cells) from Stanley (I haven't ever seen them), Black and Decker, Bostitch (new cordless nailers, and homeowner grade at Walmart), DeWALT and Porter-Cable. So that is 5 different style battery cases if you assume they are all different. I assume Stanley is either homeowner grade or intended for the European market, Black and Decker and Bostitch at Walmart are homeowner grade, Porter-Cable and Bostitch cordless nailers are toward upper homeowner/ lower contractor grade tools with DeWALT being intended to be the high line for contractors, with some lower grade tools sold on the various black Friday sales. It would be great if they got to where they had 2 lines of Lithium Ion batteries, one with a lower price for homeowner grade tools and a line that are more durable, tougher with a longer life that I would expect to be a higher price.

I ran 2 20 amp circuits in the basement shop I have, and spaced the plugs for each circuit a foot or two apart and then about eight feet to to the next pair and so on down the length of the shop. the other trick I did was use color coding for the plugs, one line had grey plugs in grey plates and the other white plugs in grey plates. makes it easy to tell the vacuum is on one circuit and the tablesaw is on the other. The other trick I went with was to label the plates as to the number in the box, to make resetting breakers and adding or moving outlets easy. Since I made those minor improvements, I haven't had to reset a breaker.

I used to go with Delta on those type of tools before Stanley Black and Decker sold the name to another company. A lot of the smaller stuff they made seems to be made by Porter-Cable now with similar construction to the older Delta Shopmaster line. Since it is for occasional use, I wouldn't hesitate to look around at pawn shops/ used stuff stores and see if any are around. it doesn't take much effort to tell if something was used once or twice and sold or was abused and dumped. You can also look at places like Rockler and Woodcraft. You would be surprised how inexpensive some of the Wood River and Rikon tools are, after that there is always Grizzley to look at. As for benchtop tools, one of my favorites is a spindle sander, I find I go to it before the 1"belt/5" disc sander I have and for that I would recommend going with the Ridgid (I didn't, but would if I had a Mulligan), it is a spindle/ belt sander.

Here is a couple of thoughts about your questions, You probably saw the Ryobi stuff at Home Depot not Lowe's. If you got a great deal on a Milwaukee combo for work congratulations, they always seem to be a little more expensive around me. If it were me I'd push the 18 volt DeWALT stuff out to the lawnmower shop and consolidate it out there, right at the moment a pair of 20V MAX batteries, adapter and charger are $99 at my local Home Depot. Another option is to pick up a pair of the NiCad XRPs for the same $99 and you will be good for the next half a dozen years or more. If you go the adapter route later on as tools wear out or you need something new you can start sliding toward the 20V MAX line I'd push to replace any other stuff at work with Milwaukee and since you have the Bosch drill and driver combo you like, I'd clean it up and pull it back to the house, maybe pick up some other tools that run the same battery along the way.

An Email just popped into my inbox, Acme has listed the 2 X 20 volt mower for $ 399: http://www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/dewalt-dcmw220p2 If my old gas powered mower ever dies, this might get a serious look, no engine to maintain, it takes the same batteries I already have. Seems like it is a little more expensive than a basic gas powered mower, but less than most higher quality mowers.

I am with you, cut everything on the ground that you can. Awful hard for gravity to kick your ass from the ground versus in the air. What I was trying to say was, you can adapt your cutting technique to the saw you are using and maintain the large part of the shoe on the work piece. If you have your rafter sitting on a sawhorse and you are standing looking down the 2X facing toward the eaves end and you were going to lay it out to cut it with a blade right saw, you would roll it 1/4 turn to the left and mark your rafter with the cut off corner to the right. If you were going to lay it out for a blade left saw you would roll it 1/4 to the right and mark it so your cutoff corner is to the left. After re-looking at my post, I think you were thinking I was talking about the the ends of the rafters. When I was talking about overhangs, I was talking about sheet goods or if anybody was doings some old school plank or tongue and groove roofing. I have seen plenty of contractors not worry about having perfectly aligned ends and the last thing they did was snap a chalk line and cut the end ensuring the overhang was straight.