Popular Woodworking 2008-12 № 173, страница 38

MAKITA

10.8v Lithium-ion

Compact Drill-Driver

Foryears we've been railing against high-voltage cordless drills (36 volts? Give us a break! Actually, give us a broken wrist!). So we used to tell woodworkers to buy 9.6-volt drills, instead.

Now - thank goodness - the world is changing. Manufacturers are using new battery technology to make smaller and more powerful tools instead of making bigger tools that mimic corded tools.

Our favorite of the new crop is the Makita 10.8-volt Lithium-ion compact driver, the DF030D. It has the right set of features for woodworking. It's small (of course), about 7" high and 6" long. And it delivers a powerful punch - 195 in./lbs. of torque.

But what we really like is the tool's two-speed gearbox (0-350 and 0-1,300 rpm) and its 18-position clutch. These are the two features you need to drive screws and drill bits effectively.

The drill features a V4" hex-head chuck. Some woodworkers prefer a standard chuck, but I've become fond of this sort of tooling because you can switch quickly from drilling to driving.

Makita also makes a pint-size impact driver in this format that you might be interested in. Though we prefer t he standard drill/drivers in our shop, many woodworkers like the extra driving power provided by an impact driver. If this describes you, then check out Makita's TD090D. It's also a high-qual-ity, compact tool.

BRIDGE CITY

Jointmaker Pro

When 1 saw t he Bridge Cityjoi nt maker Pro for the. first lime, it was hard to figure out exactly what it was. Was it a hand-powered table saw with a sliding table? An upside-down hand-powered miter saw? A precision joinery jig for a Japanese handsaw? li turns out thai the Jointmaker Pro is all those things and more.

At its heart, the Jointmaker Pro is a precision sliding table and an adjustable Japanese-tooth blade. How you combine those two features can create surprising results.

li can simply be a precision crossculting machine thai makes the cleanest crosscuts

you have ever seen. It can make glass-smooth miters. Dovetails. Precision veneer for inlay. All without a power cord or more than a whisper of noise.

When the table saw was first invented, I'm sure iis inventors were unable to imagine all the things that could be done with it. The Joint-maker Pro is like thai. Every time we stepped up to the tool, we thought of something else new and different thai could be done with the Jointmaker Pro with great precision.

The tool is made toexactingstandards from high-qualityand durable materials. The base model costs $ 1,095.

FESTOOL QF2200 Plunge Router

Lots of people want to sell you plans for the "ultimate" router table. But wouldn't you rather own the ultimate router?

Now you can.

Festool'sengineers pulled out all the stops when they designed the 15-amp OF22QO

router. Let's begin at the collet, which is where you spend most of your time and frustration with a router. Festool has a ratcheting collet. Press a button to lock the collet, then use a single wrench to tighten or loosen the bit using ent ratcheting mechanism.

Don't you hate changing the baseplates on your routers? We do. Festool fixes this frustration with bases that clip on and off the tool in a second. No more odd screwdrivers or fasteners 10 lose.

Havingdifferent bases for bigand little bitsallowsyou 10 actually collect dust with the router, thanksalso to the tool's spring-loaded retractable shroud.

Adjusting your plunge depth is fast, intuitive and precise. And the plunge lock is right where you want it (on the left handle).

Festool just forced the plunge router to evolve again. Now watch everyone else try to keep up.

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