Popular Woodworking 2003-04 № 133, страница 31
Senco's New Kits are Affordable and Good Quality It's getting less expensive to own a pneumatic nailer every day. Senco has just unveiled three new combo kits that should sell like hot cakes - or hot dogs, in this case. The new kits each include a 1-horsepower, 1-gallon hot dog-style compressor with a 120-psi capability. This is one of the quietest compressors we've ever heard, and very handy to carry around. You aren't going to frame a house with it, but it's adequate to power the nailers offered in the kits for any home (and most small shop) needs. The pneumatic nailers offered in the kits are some of the newest and best Senco has to offer. The FinishPro 18 kit sells for $180 When chopping with a chisel, you need two hands and three eyes. Two of the eyes watch the chisel to ensure it's perpendicular, and the much-wished-for third eye guides your hammer to the back of the chisel handle. The new series of chisel hammers from Glen-Drake Tool Works (makers of the great Tite-Mark marking gauge) are designed so you could use them in the dark. The handles are so perfectly shaped for your hand that you can pick them up from your bench and the hammer will fall naturally into position without a glance at the tool. Made from recycled tanoak, the handles are rived by hand and shaped by a CNC machine to the asymmetrical but palm-fitting shape. The head is brass and has flat and domed heads. The flat head is for plastic chisel handles; the domed is for wooden ones. and offers the compressor, hose, fittings and an 18-gauge, (5/s" to 2" capacity) brad nailer. The similarly equipped FinishPro 15 ($160) includes a 5/8" to 11/4" capacity 18-gauge brad nailer, and the FinishPro 2N1 ($180) offers a dual-purpose nailer/stapler with 1/2" to 1" staple and 5/s" to 11/4" brad capacities. We were able to fire 10 brads before the compressor kicked on, and were able to continue firing at a reasonable pace without any loss in performance. These are well-priced and well-thought-out systems for the home woodworker who needs a system that is small but still provides excellent performance. For more information, circle #152 on Free Information Card. Kevin Drake, the inventor of the hammer, gave us a great lesson on using any chisel hammer based on techniques used by percussionists. First, squeeze the hammer to lift it above the chisel's handle. Relax your hand a bit to let the hammer fall and add a little throwing motion as it falls - but release that right as the hammer strikes the handle. Your hand and wrist should be relaxed on impact. Your chisel will cut just as well as if your hand were tight on the handle, but with much less effort on your part. Chopping is such a common operation that you should have a tool that makes things easier. The Glen-Drake hammer not only makes chopping easier, but more accurate, too. PW — Christopher Schwarz For more information, circle #122 on Free Information Card. SPECIFICATIONS Senco FinishPro Combo Kits Street price: $160 to $180 Performance: ••••O Price range: $$$$$ Senco: 800-543-4596 or senco.com SPECIFICATIONS Glen-Drake Chisel Hammers Street price: $39 to $49 Sizes: Four weights; #1 is 6 oz., #2 is 9 oz.,#3 is 11 oz., and #4 is 14 oz. Materials: Tanoak and brass Performance: ••••• Price range: $$$$$ Contact: Glen-Drake: 707-961-1569 or glen-drake.com Glen-Drake Chisel Hammer Feels Perfect in Your Hand Bosch's New Cordless Jigsaws Bosch has been making some of the best jigsaws in the world for decades and the company has now upped the ante in the cordless market. The three new cordless jigsaws (in 14.4-, 18- and 24-volt models), do an admirable job of offering near-corded performance. It won't cut quite as fast, and thicker materials slow it down, but it's not a wimpy tool.Add to this the excellent blade ejection and replacement feature and you've got a nice tool. They all include a 1-hour charger, offer a 1" blade stroke, variable speed, four orbital-action settings, chip blower and a pivoting foot plate.The saws can handle material up to 2V2" thick. We found the 14.4-volt model to be well balanced, with easy battery removal. We noticed blade deflection on hard turns, but nothing that we haven't seen on dozens of corded jigsaws as well. The 14.4 model (52314) costs about $175.The 18 volt is $250 and the 24 volt is $280.Though pricey, they're well made and perform well. Bosch Tools: 877-BOSCH-99, or boschtools.com 32 Popular Woodworking April 2003 |
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