To the casual observer there seems to be an ever growing divide between the power tool junkie and the traditionalist hand tool user. The check shirt and tool-belted enthusiast with a workshop full of power tools on one hand and the men in the brown coats who spend more time sharpening tools than using them....
This is, of course, the perception rather than the rule. Stereotyping is just as rife in woodworking as it is in every other walk of…
The GKS 190 Professional sets new standards for hand-held circular saws in the professional entry-level class. With its 1,400-watt motor, it offers the highest power in this category for fast sawing and the best power-to-weight ratio. It is the first in this class to offer a cutting depth of 70 millimetres and a maximum saw blade bevel of 56°.
A clear view of the saw blade and cutting line The…
There aren't many cordless circular saws on the market, mainly because they are such high drawers of power. This saw does utilise battery technology, however, how will it fare? Here's a bit of what testing king - that is, Andy King had to say about it:
Testing the saw on some 40mm-thick worktop, the first thing I notice is the speed of the blade, which runs at more than 1000rpm lower than a mains-powered machine. The…
Bosch's successful impact driver range has proven popular with woodworkers and DIY-ers, so seeing as the new ProDrive is pretty similar to its Ixo predecessor, what was the need to launch a new model?
Good Woodworking tool test guru Andy King gives his first impressions:
"The driver is capable of driving screws up to 5mm diameter and, indeed, I could get screws of this diameter to drive directly into pine,…
These new products are easy to assemble and dismantle with only one lever movement, without having to remove the benchtop tool. Large pneumatic tyres provide for easy movement on uneven construction site terrain.
The new mobility concept from Bosch consists of two products for interior fitters, floorers, window fitters, joiners and exhibition fitters who work with blue Bosch benchtop tools. The transport and work…
The power has been increased from 850 watts to 1000 watts, and the motor now has full wave electronics, which allows better feedback of its speed and a more stable rpm.
Ergonomic improvements have also been made to the spindle lock and handles. The spindle lock has been re-engineered and moved to the front of the router, which makes it more accessible for left or right-handed use. The handles now have a soft grip…
Reality strikes! We don't all have huge workshops loaded with high-end equipment, but what we lack in resources we make up for with resourcefulness at least, as the Good Wood team has been finding out.
Take Marc Holloway, for example, who works in one of the smallest 'shops we've ever featured; his Egyptian-style dresser shows us that it really ain't what you got, it's the way that you use it, and that's what gets results
Andy…
Peter Wood will be starting a green woodworking course at Warwickshire College's Leamington Spa workshop on the 30th April 2009.
The course is designed for students with basic woodworking skills and will provide access to a fully equipped workshop with experienced supervision. The aim of the course is to make a greenwood Windsor chair.
The course starts on the 30th April and will continue to run on…
Here's a quick look at two new router models from Makita.
The new RP1801X is a 1,650watt router and the RP2301FCX has 2,100 watt of power. Both will run up to 22,000rpm with no load and the full plunge depth has been increased to a useful 70mm. The depth of plunge is easy to adjust with finger-twist adjusters placed by the right hand control handle. The ergonomic design of the control handles gives a positive grip.
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