Saws
Death of a Tablesaw
A sad moment over at the Hilsdale House blog, where their old faithful Skil tablesaw bit the dust after many years of service.
Fair thee well.
It makes me think about how a good friend has the table saw that his father purchased decades ago. The thing is a tank, but it still works. In contrast, a contractor friend say that tool replacements represents a major chunk of his business expenses every year.
That would make sense if there were lots of features you'll want to upgrade to every year (read as: computers) but I'd bet there's nothing feature-wise that will be better about Hillsdale's new table saw that is remarkably better than the last one.
Without a doubt, we're a landfill society...
Combo Table Saw/Miter Saw?
Normally I expect strange tool mashups to come from small-time inventors or those As Seen on TV guys, but here's an odd one from a reputable, mainstream manufacturer: a combo miter saw-table saw from Makita.
Posted on the Makita Japan website, it looks pretty official. Some folks over on the Taunton Breaktime forum (where I first saw it) even claimed to have used one. They say it's good for small stock like floor boards or trim.
My fellow contributor Eric actually had another reason to speak with a Makita rep, but that guy'd never heard of it. I've heard some speculation that in some countries it's common to see alot of rebranding, which means Makita might not have a whole lot to do with the actual design.
In any case, I think I'll keep mine separate.
Kugihiki Flush-Cutting Saw
Sometimes going old school can beat out all those new-fangled gizmos. That's apparently the case with Japanese flish cutting saws like this Kugihiki model featured over at Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools.
Perfect for flush cuts and apparently able to cut without leaving a mark, Alan's testamonial is pretty convincing:
These and other Japanese hand saws such as Dozuki and Ryoba have caused me to abandon power tools for many jobs. The cut almost never needs cleaning up and is good for many materials. The Ryoba looks intimidating but can replace a cheap circular saw any day for a lot less money.
Several versions are available at Amazon for not-that-much.
(via Cool Tools)
Black & Decker Alligator Lopper
Kick a**! This new Alligator Lopper from B&D is basically a set of pruning shears on steriods.
Clamp it around a branch up to 4" thick and it will hold and cut it in a single action.
Plus it has a sweet alligator face on the blade.
