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Cordless, Corded & Pneumatic Tools
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Cordless Tools
Cordless tools in the shop are really a great
time saver for me. This may seem counterintuitive since a shop,
ostensibly, has plenty of outlets. Well, this is true; there are
plenty of outlets in my shop. Yet I find that I will reach for a
cordless tool more times than not. There is one caution, do not
try and hog out large holes with a 2” forstner bit with a
cordless tool—you will wipe out the battery in no time! For
doing this kind of drilling I will use my drill press or if I
need to hand drill them, my Milwaukee 1/2” hole shooter.
My first cordless drill was a Makita 7.2v.
which had a rechargeable internal battery. It worked for years
and years until the batteries finally died. It was replace by a
Makita 9.6v. drill which I still have and use form time to time.
My first combo set was a Ryobi 14.4v. The tools
were OK, but the battery system was really poor. You could only
leave a battery on the charger for an hour as it would not
automatically move to trickle and would damage the battery. I
was FOREVER forgetting to take the batteries off the charger!
This severely limited the usefulness of the tools. Nothing is
more frustrating to me than to grab a tool and THEN have to
replace it with a corded tool because the battery died!
Therefore, the Ryobi combo pack was replaced by a Hitachi 14.4v.
which I still uses almost every time I am in the shop. It has
been a solid work horse in my shop.
 Although
I really like the Hitachi, I find I miss the convenience of the
cordless saws. So I was back to looking for a good combo pack. I
patiently watched the mail flyers, etc. when I received at my
office a commercial account offer to get this combo pack for
about $300 at a big box (which I bought on time for zero
interest). The purchase also included a FREE 18v. tool, so I
chose this cordless drywall gun.
The big advantage to this tool offer is that I
received an additional
battery charger and 18v. battery for the shop. The charger
is slick and unlike the early chargers of my experience! Leave a
battery plugged into it 24/7 and once fully charged, it
automatically switches to conditioning charge. This way you
always have a battery fully charged and ready to go. VERY slick.
One of the best additions I have added to the shop. Lastly, when
you are away from your shop installing one of your projects;
these tools are simply invaluable on the jobsite!
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A
Few Other Corded Tools
Plate Joiner -- My first plate joiner was a
Ryobi but it was frustrating because I could never count on
accuracy. So the machine was relegated to a drawer. That all
changed when I got a DeWalt DW-682. This is a very fine machine.
Extremely accurate fence, light and easy to handle. I reach for
this “biscuit cutter” more than I thought I ever would!
5” Random Orbit Sander. This is a large machine
which can be a little unwieldy when sanding small edges, but
makes up for it when you have to sand a large tabletop! It comes
with a dust collection system that works surprisingly well with
my shop vac. It uses Hook and Loop sanding disks—easy on and
off, great for sanding through the various grits. I found that
the
Norton 3X provides the best balance between sanding quality
and lasting wear.
I have not purchased a smaller machine, as I
have gotten used to using this larger machine, but if I were to
purchase one today, I would likely get the
Porter-Cable quicksand. It uses the same disks at my current
machine.
 Bosch
1587 If I can’t get the stock on the bandsaw safely, then
this is the saw I real for 90% of the time. My first jigsaw as a
small Craftsman. I never liked the quality cut and it shook like
mad to use. The first time I used a Bosch, I was amazed. Great
saw, worth every cent!
Years ago I purchased a Makita Hypoid saw for framing, and
occasionally, I will pull it out to knock down sheet goods. But,
since it weighs quite a bit and the DeWalt above has plenty of
power for cutting up sheet goods, it does not get used much now
a days. It is nice to have in the shop when you need the power
to cut a long bevel or something similar.
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Pneumatic Nailers
 I
use four nailers in my shop: the
Porter-Cable 18ga for trim and temporary nailing and Senco
16ga for cabinet work. Great nailers! Of course you can always
use a hammer and nail to achieve the same end result, but the
first time you use of these one-handed miracles, you will never
go back! It is kind of like power doors and windows in a car!
 I
then discovered the wonders of
a
Porter-Cable Pin nailer . Wow. This
is a
must have tool for the shop. At first, I was suspect of the
holding power of these micro-pin nailers. The nails are so thin
you can nail multiple pins in a pencil without spitting! When
installing trim, this is the only tool to have around. The nail
holes are so small, they are almost invisible! Great tool.
I also have a Tradesman 18 gauge crown molding
stapler. This tool does not get used very often, but when you
need to attach the back panel to a cabinet carcass, this is a
great tool to have on the shelf!
This 15 degree coiled roofing nailer is one pneumatic tool that I have yet to find a use
for in the shop. But if you have to roof a house, it is a
Godsend! My father-in-law and I built a
geodesic dome in the mountains. I had no idea home much a nailer
simplified roofing, especially when you are in an awkward stance
and you just want to get some nails in and back to a more stable
stance.
Indispensable tool for our mountain house!
This is another one of those tools that I may
rarely use in the shop, but I sure wish I had it when I first
started building my house in the mountains! If you have any
framing to do, this is a worthy investment. A smooth tool that
that has not even had one jamb to date. Add a lifetime
warranty...this is good buy! I placed the pin nailer next to it
to give it some scale. If you are used to using a brad nailer,
framing nailers add some bulk!
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Finishing Tool
I like a hand rubbed finish best and use either
Minwax Tung Oil Finish or make my own up using equal amounts of
Polyurethane, Boiled Linseed Oil and Naphtha. For large
projects, I like to spray a water based finish made by
Target Coatings. I
purchased a top feed HVLP gun but found that it gave my
compressor a work out, so I replaced it with
Rockler’s HVLP spray system, which I got on sale, of course!
This is a great little unit. Sprays consistently and does not
need a compressor since the internal motor provides the LP air.
The only draw back is it sounds like a shop-vac as it has a
small universal motor in the unit.
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