Popular Woodworking 2003-12 № 138, страница 92
Grizzly G0500 8" Jointer When it comes to 8" jointers, nobody can touch Grizzly Industrial. For years, the company's G1018 machine has been the hands-down best value with the unbeatable price of just $695. This year Grizzly outdid itself with the new G0500 8" jointer. This machine is much like its little brother, but it has a four-knife cutterhead (instead of three), the bed is 10" longer and the motor is beefier (2 horsepower instead of 11/2hp). And somehow Grizzly manages to sell this machine for just $795 (plus shipping). So what do you give up if you buy one of these machines instead of its closest competitors (which cost $300 more)? Nothing, as far as we can tell. The machine we tested was sharp. The fit and finish were superb. The tables and fence were ground perfectly flat. The machine went together with ease and exceeded our every expectation. If you're in the market for an 8" jointer, this is your baby. If you're shopping for a 6" machine, you owe it to yourself to save your pennies and step up to the big iron in the G0500. — CS Contact Grizzly at 800-523-4777 or grizzly.com And Another Thing... There were a number of tools that were either too new to include or are going through some refinements that affect their inclusion. While not full-fledged Best New Tools of 2003, they deserve mention and watching: ■ Porter-Cable's 890 Router Series: Porter-Cable is re-energizing a part of the router market that it established - the multi-base kit. With the new 890 routers, Porter-Cable has set the bar high with variable speed, a soft-start 21/4-hp motor and three base options. The two bases shown below are the fixed and plunge bases. The fine-adjustment depth features are impressive and a two-position power switch makes hand-held or router-table use equally convenient. Bit changes and height adjustments also are possible through a router table's top with these units. The third base is the Grip Vac handle, a vari ation on a "D" handle base that offers through-the-handle dust collection. These routers and kits cost $190-$250. (Contact: 800-321-9443 or porter-cable.com) ■ Lie-Nielsen Chisels: Hand-tool users have been waiting for these for a long time. We can't say much except that we think the long wait will be worth it. (Contact: 800-327-2520 or lie-nielsen.com) ■ New Rip Dozuki Saws: Dovetailing is best done with a rip saw, but until recently finding a rip dozuki has been a challenge. Lee Valley Tools now sells one ($69), as does toolsforworkingwood.com ($80). Both saws are excellent after preliminary tests. (Contact: 800-871-8158 or leevalley.com) ■ JET Multitool: We tried like heck to get our hands on this one. It is a grinder that runs a very slick sandpaper sharpening system using a high-tech 3M sandpaper. Plus it includes a disc sander. Very cool. (Contact: 800-274-6848 or jettools.com) ■ Shepherd Tools' A6 Smoothing Plane: Look for this beautiful dovetailed smoothing plane with brass sides, steel sole, high-pitch (471/2°) iron and Norris-style adjuster. The kit will be $465. This small Canadian company has been releasing a slew of new products recently. (Contact: 519-624-7350 or shepherdtool.com) ■ Glu-Bot & Babe-Bot: These glue bottles from FastCap deliver the correct amount of glue exactly where you want it. While the products are good, we understand some planned refinements will improve them. (Contact: 888-443-3748 or www.fastcap.com) ■ Trend Airshield: The respected British tool company is entering the U.S. market with a self-contained face shield that ventilates and cools while keeping dust away from the user. See our full review on page 32. (Contact: 859-485-2080 or trend-usa.com) ■ Miller Dowels: This joint-making system shown above hit the market hard this year, offering quick, strong and hidden joinery. Basically an option to screws, the system offers an all-wood, self-capping joint. Available in a growing variety of wood species, the dowels are a little expensive and may not be the product for every project, but they are worth taking a look to see if it's a reasonable option for your work. (Contact: 866-WOODPEG [966-3734] or millerdowel.com) PW popwood.com 109 |
