Woodworker's Journal 2011-35-1, страница 52

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Porter-Cable's 12-volt compact reciprocating saw includes an adjustable handle and a moveable shoe that clamps onto the workpiece.

February 2011 Woodworkers Journal

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on these saws have limited use lor woodworkers. As a result, full-size machines, either cordless or corded, are si ill the common choice here.

"I'm now looking into a circular saw that's smaller and lighter than my corded Porter-Cable IV" saw, says Barss. 'That one is fine, but a lighter one with less cutting capacity would be great." His wish may have come true.

Corded, but Uncommon

A funny thing happened on the way to the compact revolution. Users welcomed cordless offerings so readily that manufacturers began to wonder if smaller corded tools would have a viable market, too. If users like Barss are any indication, there is a market.

"Compact cordless is a reality, and as a general rule users desire more power in a smaller, lighter-weight product," says Bill Harmon, a product manager for DeWALT and Porter-Cable. Harmon noted that the market is there, but the challenge lies in the fact that once you limit a tool to a target weight range, current motor configurations eventually max-out on the power they're able to deliver in the space available. Still, manufacturers are eager. "I'd say generically speaking we'd like to go that route, but currently much of this is dictated by the user's desire to trade off power for size."

And there's the key for compact corded tools, just as with cordless. For some jobs — building a deck.

demolition work, remodeling — you'll still need tools with enough power to make Tim "The Toolman" Taylor a happy guy. But for day-to-day work, the options are wider.

"Compact tools can perform the majority of a contractor's needs without the need of a full size tool," says Rachel I >ombardo, Porter-Cable's manager of corded products. 'This size vs. power equation gap is closing and users prefer to use more compact designs when available. Knowing that compact tools can't perform all tasks equally, their value is the weight, ease of use and the ability to get into smaller areas easily."

Small corded tools — like their cordless counterparts — have been around for ages, mainly small drills, palm sanders and I he like. An upgrade to these occurred several years ago with the introduction of laminate trimmers. These little routers were great for, well, trimming chores, but they often lagged for tougher work. Bosch was a leader again in this area with their Colt router, a lhp dvnatno that caught on quickly with woodworkers.

'The Colt is fast and easy to use for light routing tasks, but it has the power that laminate trimmers lack," says woodworker and writer Ralph Bagnall, noting that compact corded tools offer something besides lower weight. "1 really like the small Porter-Cable

No matter what kind of job you have, there's a recip saw sized to match. Shown here are the full-size DeWALT, RIDGIO Fuego compact and Milwaukee's Hackzall.

The first batteries

Same power; different shape: Most 12-volt compacts use a triangular stick battery, but DeWALT's flat battery allows tools to easily be set upright.

for cordless power tcols were NliCad (nickel cadmium), followed by nickal-matal-hydrida (Ni-Mh). The current crop of cordless power tools use mainly lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries. Lithium's light weight in thess batteries is primarily responsible for the inciedible shrinking power tool.

Lighter, smaller and with better bulbs, today's crop of utility flashlights truly outshine their older counterparts.

And, of course, just about everybody offers a flashlight. Combo kits have always included one. it seems. The difference is that these smaller ones are lighter and, in many cases, brighter than those big clunky ones we've seen over the years. You might actually use these.

Oddly, as of this writing, there aren't many circular saws in this class, with the near-twin Kyobi CS120L and Craftsman Nextec saws in a lonely category — for now. Unfortunately, the 3%" blades