Coming up next, Mark takes on some concrete, Izzy shows us his 5 favorite table saw tools and our favorite furry finds a crazy new hammer. This is your Power tool week in review.
Both Ridgid and Kobalt have been pushing furthering into pro territory with their octane and XTR series respectively. Are they getting the job done? Clint and Kenny set out to find out. For their Thursday Throwdown this week, the PTR crew pit the Kobalt XTR 24V Hammer Drill up against the Ridgid Octane 18V version. Chucking each one up with a Spade, Auger, Self Feed and concrete bits, the drills both showed up to the fight with the power and capability we’ve grown to expect. The guys found little to hate about either tool, but they couldn’t recommend every tool they used that day. To find out which tool won, visit Pro Tool Reviews on Youtube.
Mr. Thomas found another excuse to get his Milwaukee 9” saw out, this time to test a savage new Diamond Cutting Blade, called the ROC Crusher Supreme. So Mark set out to try a new blade in his Milwaukee saw, to compare it to the stock blade Milwaukee gives you. He tests both in a selection of masonry materials, and in the end, he says. Sooooo. I’m not sure if that means it beats the Milwaukee or not. I think so! You can judge for yourself at Mark Thomas Builder on Youtube.
Speaking of cool kids in high school (I’m assuming) Izzy Swan took a moment from making wooden wonders to share his top 5 table saw tools. Now a few of these I’ve never seen before. Most impressive to me was this Miter Set. It’s a plate and pegs you can permanently attach to a table, that helps you precisely setup your miter gauge to exact angles, or even preset angles for making specific numbered segments. Genius. There are a few other more predictable items on the list including a mag square and upgraded blade, but they’re all worth a look. For the full rundown head over to Izzy Swan on Youtube.
On our last stop at Youtube, we find an unusual new hammer, where else, THE DEN OF TOOOOOLS. Now we’ve seen this new jack of all hammers popping up all over Instagram this week, but the Bear gave us our first detailed look at how exactly this hammer, also works as a Square, and a ruler. It’s all thanks to a combination of the laser engraving on the handle, and a clever flat shoulder and claw that turns this thing into a square and straight edge. I have NEVER seen anything like this. We’ll have to check this out! For now, you can find the review at the Den of Tools, on youtube.
Let’s quickly move on to Industry News from the Construction Junkie. The pandemic is still crapping on all our fun, but on the jobsite, a worker’s gotta work. To help maintain new rules, a company called Triax has released a new product called trace tags. The small electronic devices are mounted to your hard hat, and alerts users whenever they’re less than 6 feet away from others, and tracks your contacts on the jobsite. Besides a daily reminder to keep your distance while mindlessly hammering on concrete walls, it can also trace all previous contact IF a confirmed case of covid-19 arises. You can find more at triaxtec.com.
It’s going to be Father’s Day again, and the Construction Junkie put together a list of tools that any Dad would love… mainly because it’s a list of tools. Any tools. That’s a hint. Wink. It includes a few fun but affordable ideas like a table saw dust bag, some ratchet tie-downs, and of course, a real dad wouldn’t be caught dead in anything but keen boots. For those stories and the rest of your Industry News, head over to constructionjunkie.com.
Heading over to Instagram, Thibault of French MTL Carpentry, shared a beautiful old DeWALT radial arm saw, and asked “What is the most vintage tool you own”
It’s no secret, The Toolpig loves his tools. But it’s rare we seem him so smitten with one. This week he showed off his new Sawmaster Tile Saw, that apparently cuts tile, a minimum requirement, but also doesn’t seem to lose a single drop of water, which is great news when you’re working indoors.
Joe the Canadian Carpenter was playing with the Milwaukee Trim router, where he was thrilled with the lack of measuring, as he puts it, you just plunge, pull and trace. Why don’t we work outside?
Our last stop is from the curators of wooden artistry at Popular Woodworking, who shared a photo and plans for this simple tea sideboard that’s so beautiful and calming, I just stared at it until I forgot about the nightmare we’ve all been living this year. Ahhhhhh.
While Rob slips into serenity, I wanted to tell you guys about the Bosch Father’s Day sale going on over at OPT. Currently, you can save $20 off of select $100 Bosch Orders. So if you, or your Dad has been eyeing something from Bosch, now’s a good time to buy.
Thank you Ohio Power Tool and Skilsaw for sponsoring this episode!