Tools of the Trade Online delivers hands-on tool test results and reviews of professional power tools, pneumatic tools, hand tools, and construction equipment, plus continuous coverage of the tool industry, tool technology, and tool design trends.
Today's cordless drills are significantly better than the ones I used four or five years ago — they have more power and greater runtime, and take less time to charge. Many of them are lighter, too. The most obvious change has been the move from nicad to lithium-ion batteries, with lithium-ion becoming the de facto standard for pro-grade tools. But it's not just the batteries that have gotten better; now motors are smaller and more efficient, and chargers charge more effectively, because they communicate with the batteries.
Most carpenters still carry a hammer on their toolbelt. But even those who pound a nail the old way once in a while would probably admit, if pressed, that hammers are beginning to seem sort of, well, last century.
"Last fall I went to Switzerland to visit the plants where Bosch produces jigsaws, sanders, and a host of accessories. Some of the tools I saw there have yet to be released so this will be your first opportunity to see them..."
"Last summer I built a set of craftsman style carriage doors for my house and decided to use mortise and tenon joints. I hadn't made this kind of joint before so I asked my friend, Gary Katz, how to go about cutting the deep mortises....."
"It rains a lot in the Pacific Northwest and we can't stop working just because it is wet. I don't mind working in the rain, but I do mind being uncomfortable – so for me, good rain gear is an important part of my tool kit...."
"It rains a lot in the Pacific Northwest and we can't stop working just because it is wet. I don't mind working in the rain, but I do mind being uncomfortable – so for me, good rain gear is an important part of my tool kit...."
"Last summer I built a set of craftsman style carriage doors for my house and decided to use mortise and tenon joints. I hadn't made this kind of joint before so I asked my friend, Gary Katz, how to go about cutting the deep mortises....."