JerryNY

I'm not a huge fan of double basins to be honest. They work ok if you have a huge sink maybe but in corner install you're already working against space constraints and I'd rather have one big sink than two smaller ones. If you have a dishwasher I don't think a double basin is really necessary. A separate prep sink somewhere else in the kitchen would be my preference. It's all a matter of taste, needs and desires what you want though. The sink I got is 28" and 10" deep so it pretty big for me.

The 7 1/4 fuel lasts a LOOOONNNGG time on a 5 amp battery, it'll last even longer on a 6.0 which will be the ideal battery for the saw. While I think there will be enough clearance for the 9 on the saw I'm not sure you need a huge battery on a one handed tool that already will last longer than you will for a day's work, the only thing the 9 will add is fatigue on your arm for whipping it around cutting stuff. The 9's will be great for beefier two handed tools or stationary tools like a miter or for lights where you switch them on and leave them be and want max run-time. I do hope it fits in the m18 vac though, I love that thing and use it all the time but it eats batteries like candy. I think the 9's will fit in there though, the battery compartment is oversized so it can have connectors for both the M18 and the older nicads.

For those who don't know what we're talking about: The wago lever connectors are really great little devices. These new ones are clear and more compact so you can get a positive visual inspection to confirm they are properly seated. They work with stranded or solid wire equally well, they are fast to use, compact and even more awesome in installations where it will be temporary or troubleshooting because the lever system means you can undo them easily. I really love them. In the photo you can see the comparison with some common red and yellow wirenuts as well as the yellow 4-way push in connectors which I also like but aren't quite as good or versatile as the lever ones...

Just FYI the oil is purely for aesthetics, it's not like sealing stone or marble to protect them from staining. Soapstone is almost completely non-porous, you literally can pour battery acid on it and it won't do anything to it. The oil just makes it darker and brings out the contrasting veins. If you want really dark coloration you need to oil it more frequently but the longer you have it the more it builds up and the longer it lasts til needing it reapplied. A new countertop might need weekly small applications to keep it black but after a few months might only need a monthly and then longer. It takes very little time to apply so it's not a big deal. I like both the black and the more concrete gray look so I'll see what's what. Either way it's reversible over time if you want darker just add oil, if you want lighter coloration let it just be for a while.

Yeah It's a great little router. The only thing it really lacks compared to the Dewalt is an LED light. That wasn't an issue for my occasional use and if you can get it on sale it's a no brainier. It has a solid feel and weight to it and good power for its size. No disappointments at all from me.

Those push In connectors shown are great for romex solid wire but I love the wago lever ones, the new compact 5 wire ones are awesome especially in a quad box stuffed full of dimmers which use stranded wire as they work great on solid or stranded and take up as much space as a single wire nut.

I'm not sure I care so much about having any and every tool brushless. Don't get me wrong, I love my Milwaukee Fuel impact, hammer drill, sawzall and 7 1/4" circ saw, but I also love my brushed m12 tools too for what they do. My m12 tubing cutter and right angle impact have saved me so much time and headaches it doesn't matter one iota brushless or not what kind of motor they have. I actually like my brushed hacksawzall over the fuel model because its size is a little more manageable and if I really need power I'm gonna grab my full sized fuel sawzall anyway. I never even thought about it but the funny thing is currently all my m18 tools I own now are fuel (brushless) models and all the m12 tools I have are non-fuel ( brushed). Bosch makes great tools and if they have what you need all the better. I do like the breadth of milwaukees m12 line though, so many mainstream tools and niche tools that makes it easy for them to relieve you of so much extra cash you may or may not have lying around ? After having a right angle impact for a few weeks now I can't see how I ever got along without one. The m12 tubing cutter is fantastic, especially in renovating an old house where you can't always access things easily, but the right angle impact is useful in so many places and even makes a great screwdriver with its medium weight 600 in/lbs of torque and even a fantastic ratchet replacement for assembling things too...

Yeah once you get your hands on a right angle m12, I have the impact, it's hard to go back. You don't always need a right angle but when you need one you really appreciate it.

The stone backsplash had a 1/4" gap under the wall cabinets and hood so I dropped all of them to sit flush on the stone for a more refined look:

Thanks, Yeah the drain board is relatively common on soapstone to the side of the sink but being a corner sink I thought it would be cooler to use that wasted space behind it. I love the way it came out. The fabricator/installer who's done 1000's of soapstone jobs told me he's never done a corner drain board and loves the way it looks with the faucet sitting in the notch back there.

Just finished...a few more shots...

After a long slog installing my entire kitchen solo the counters and backsplash are going in. The floors and stonework are the only things I didn't do myself. All the plumbing, completely new electrical, and cabinet install was done by me and it's a great day to see it all coming together I'll prob post a whole thread with photos throughout the Reno from bare studs to finish work all completed at some point soon. The counters are soapstone so they look light gray until oiled/bees waxed and the island and backsplash are super white quartzite.

I have the M18 fuel2 impact for most of my projects and the right angle m12 impact for tight spaces. I've only had the right angle for a short time and it made easy work of getting into multiple tight spaces without me having to bend over backwards. One project today where it was invaluable was securing some 2x4 cleats to a wooden kitchen floor to secure an island. I have the stone coming Wednesday and forgot to actually secure it to the floor after experimenting with its final position. I had to raise it up on blocks and screw the cleats down to the floor and with almost no clearance the right angle M12 made short work of it.

Yeah but the nature of laquer means every coat diasolves the one under it so it makes for a much easier process to get a really smooth result. It dries fast and you can do another coat in 30 minutes and you don't even need to sand much. A novice can make a laquer job look nearly perfect, it's a much steeper learning curve to get good with polys and takes much more patience too ?

Impacts can easily be used as drills but you can only use drill bits with hex shanks. Milwaukee's impact shockwaves are very good drill bits. That said impacts make for poor drilling in masonry and for hole saws. If buying a standalone drill it probably is a good idea to spend the little more for the hammer variant for the occasional job you need to go into stone or cement etc...

M12 is great for lighter weight and good performance, especially the fuel variants. I'm of a different mind than many here I would think. Personally I tend to like the m18 fuel line for all out performance but they aren't lightweight. They aren't crazy heavy either but the M18 fuel hammer drill, impact driver, sawzall and circular saw are top of class power, the later two give you essentially corded performance. The m12's are better in my book for specific needs not so much m18 -pro and m12 homeowner. M12's are great imho when you want a little less weight and size for easier one handed less fatiguing operation where finesse is required more than ultimate power. I own tools in both lines and for example say you cut lots and lots of sheetstock- the m12 fuel circular saw will eat that up all day and the smaller lighter form factor would be better for constantly reaching one handed over broad swaths of plywood whereas the 7 1/4" fuel circular saw might have power to spare it might be a little more awkward and fatiguing. If you are framing or cutting 2x4's or larger you'd want the 7 1/4". It really all comes down yo what you want. If you can only have m18 or m12 I'd lean toward the 18 just because there's no substitution for power and capacity but if buying for specific tasks that are more finesse than power oriented the m12 line might suit you better.

Yeah great grinder.

http://www.homedepot.com/s/ryobi+garage+opener?NCNI-5 For those who saw the TIA review of the new Ryobi garage door opener and are interested HD is bundling free accessories with the door opener unit for $248. I grabbed the cord reel which is the most expensive, and hence best deal, and most likely to be used by me so that's a $64 add-on for free that I would have gotten anyway. They have bundles for all the accessories; fan, Bluetooth speaker, cord reel, park assist and even a battery if you don't have one already. A good deal if you are considering this new opener...

Thanks for the reply, good points about mdf near the oven. Kinda makes you wonder what happened to mdf kitchen cabs with ovens in them though... I figured I could use steel wool to knock down the gloss if need be. Funny thing is the enamel laquer spray paint from the factory seems to give a nice satin sheet but the cabinets are definitely more glossy, kinda between satin and semi so it's easier to knock down the sheen than the reverse. From the looks of trim boards on other parts of the kitchen they definitely put a clear coat, many many coats from fhe look of it, over the base color to give the color lots of depth. I hope I have enough paint considering it costs like $40 a can and I want to paint some corbels too!!! ?

Just a question for the woodworking experts on here. Some background first; I'm in the process of renovating a kitchen and as I come closer to the end I'm doing some detail work. One thing I'm making is a trim surround for a wall-oven that sits in a brick wall. I'm trying to frame it with a surround that matches some of the gray colored cabinetry of the kichen and got a can of matching gray laquer from the manufacturer. After some experimenting I'm going to go with a some clear semigloss deft laquer over the base color coat to match the sheen of the cabinets. I was wondering if I'm better off making it out of mdf for a smoother painted surface or just use maple like the cabinets and if I should use a laquer sanding sealer on the mdf/wood then just sand, apply base coat and then multiple semi-gloss clears on top? Do I need to prime the wood if using the sealer? Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

I just got an HD jig too and I got a box of the HD screws on Amazon for $15, with free Prime shipping which isn't bad. I usually use Spax screws for most things so I don't mind paying for a better grade screw. I think I've broken exactly two Spax screw heads off in the probably 2k+ of various sizes I've hammered hard with my Fuel impact drivers at full power, some into concrete too with predrilling as specified. That being said the Kreg HD screws are big and heavy duty and do look like good quality for the price. They seem about 50% thicker than most screws in the same size class and I've had good results with my albeit limited use of them thus far.

I might be wrong but I think XC, 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0 are all identical externally save for the markings. That photo you posted has a skewed perspective which makes them look a little different. The forthcoming 9.0 has an extra row of cells and will be significantly larger, fine for things like a mitersaw that sits in one place. I read somewhere the 6.0 and 9.0 will be available later this summer...

This... You really shouldn't be torquing down your lugs like that. You risk the chance of weakening the studs and potentialy having them shear under load, also you can warp your wheels. I'd tighten them up to snug then hand toque them the last little bit.

I got mine from tools-plus.com for about $165 which seems like the best price around with free shipping. I like it; it's overkill and kinda on the large side so if you don't like a large hammer you might want to reconsider it. I like the fact that it's big and hits like a big hammer but feels like a medium weight hammer.

If you don't oil it, or put beeswax on it, the soapstone becomes more of a concrete gray color which I also like but you don't see the white veins pop in contrast . I attached a photo showing the side without any oil/wax on it. Some varieties come in greenish hues too. It's a pretty remarkable material; you can pour acid on it without worry, it won't stain, if you mark it up you can sand it down and you can even cut it with normal woodworking tools and saws. Kinda crazy. The place I sourced mine from sells diy slab kitchen kits really reasonably priced too. Because it's so easy to work with.