Popular Woodworking 2000-01 № 112, страница 21
Porter-Cable 690 Package $300 800-487-8665 www.porter-cable.com Porter-Cable 690 Wonder Pack About a year and a half ago, Porter-Cable made us and a lot of other woodworkers happy by offering its venerable 690 router in a package that included both a fixed base and a plunge base for less than $200. While that package was great, it didn't make last year's list of best new tools. But when the folks at Porter-Cable added the accompanying D-handle base, and threw in the 698 router table all for about $300, we knew we had a winner. The 690 router is a 10-amp, 1 Vihp motor with both V4" and V2" collets that has provided outstanding performance for home and commercial woodworkers for years. The three bases in this kit offer versatility usually only provided by three separate routers. The fixed base can stay in the router table, the D-handle can be used for hand routing and the plunge base for plunge cuts. The 698 router table offers a separate on/off switch, a hole capable of accepting 31/2" diameter bits, a split-fence design and attachments for dust collection. You can't get a much better deal or a more versatile router system, and that's why this package of "old" tools gets our nod as a best new tool. For more information, circle #176 on the Resource Directory Coupon. Lots of Features Make Ridgid's 13" Benchtop Planer A Great Buy We constantly get questions from readers about which 121/2" benchtop planer to buy, the Delta or the DeWalt. Both are good machines, and quite honestly it was difficult to recommend one over the other. This year the competition got thicker. Ridgid introduced a 13" benchtop planer that borrowed the best ideas from both competitors and added some of its own, then wrapped it up with an extra 1/2" of cutting capacity. Features include: a 15-amp motor providing 66 cuts per inch (better than the competition); a four-post cutterhead locking mechanism for reduced snipe; the Ind-I-Cut™ depth measurement gauge; and an eight-position depth stop that allows you to plane to a particular thickness again and again. There are also two sets of dual-edge re- RidgidTP-1300 Benchtop Planer At Home Depot for $399 800-4-RIGID www.ridgidwoodworking.com placeable knives, on-board tool storage; larger infeed/outfeed tables; and a removable top for easier blade changing. With the suggested retail of $399 it's priced a little higher than the competition, but with all these features, plus an extra 1/2" of cut capacity — this is an easy recommendation for one of the Best New Tools of 1999. For more information, circle #177 on the Resource Directory Coupon. Fein's Four-Gallon Vacuum is the Strong, Silent Type Let's clear up a myth about shop vacuums that has plagued woodworkers for years: Your 5hp vacuum has nowhere near 5hp of sucking power. For years many manufacturers have stretched the horsepower rating of their vacuums by calling it "developed horsepower" or something else. So don't be alarmed when you hear that Fein's new shop vacuum is rated for only 8 amps (about 1hp or 11/2hp) . Fein has refused to go along with the little fiction other manufacturers have been using for so long. Rest assured this new four-gallon vacuum has plenty of power. In fact, the only thing it doesn't have is the mind-numbing roar many other vacs have. This Fein vac is quieter than you think a vacuum could ever be. The Fein 9.11.20 comes with a nice array of 12 accessories, including an excellent 10-foot hose, extension tubes and brushes. The vac is well made, with details you'll appreciate, such as a switch that's sealed from dust, a hose that locks to the tank, heavy-duty swiveling casters and a 16' cord. Plus at only 201/2" high, this little guy can fit just about anywhere in your shop. The price is nice, too—$150. For more information, circle #178 on the Resource Directory Coupon. Fein Model 9.11.20 ShopVac $150 800-441-9878 www.fein.com/en/index.html 40 I Popular Woodworking January 2000 |
