The on-off switch is in a notoriously PITA position and they’re not great for table routing. But tell me. Does that justify dropping the price of the Porter-Cable 690LR 10 Amp 1-3/4 Horsepower Router from $284 to $122?

ONLY 14 LEFT.

57% off. Jiminy frikkin Cricket. This is a PORTER-CABLE router we’re talking about. This is 11 Amps, 27,500 RPM and a peak HP of 1 3/4. For 57% off.

This is a 1-year warranty and all the router a serious DIYer needs to last for years. And you put $162 in your pocket.

Or heck, take your wife out to dinner with that $162 and tell her all the incredible things you’re gonna build her with your new toy. Er, tool I mean.

But move quick pardner - there’s ONLY 14 LEFT!

Read some reviews:

1) “I started off w/this router thinking I would have to upgrade in a few years. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Unless you make a living building custom cabinetry, this is all you need.”

2) “The P-C 690LR router is well worth the money and would make an outstanding primary router for the average homeowner’s requirements. I have no hesitation recommending this machine.”

3) “Durable, capable, and simple in concept and design, the 690 is hard to beat.”

So do yourself a favor. Get the Porter-Cable 690LR 10 Amp 1-3/4 Horsepower Router now. At 57% off. While supplies last.

Hurry. I might buy the rest myself and throw them up on eBay… we’ve got to make a living you know.

Thanks to Michael Pleasant for this review of the
Hitachi WH12DAF2 12-Volt Ni-Cad Cordless Impact Driver.

1) When did you buy it?
About 6 months ago

2) What job or jobs did you buy it for?
I just bought it because I’d used a similar model, and I wanted an impact driver

3) You like it better than 18v models… why is this?
It does the job, for a lot less money, and with two batteries and 1 hour charge time, you don’t need a bigger tool

4) Why do you like it so much?
It fits my hand, the price was the best of all 12v Impact Drivers it was a well known brand and I’ve never had any trouble with Hitachi

5) What impressed you about it?
The torque, the power, the length of time that the batteries held a charge

Check out Michael Pleasant’s Atwater, California carpentry site.

We got this in the question box recently:

IS THERE A SAWZALL THAT CAN HAVE THE BLADES IN AT DIFFERENT POSITIONS?

I wasn’t sure. I wrote them back with links to all the available saw blades plus a history of the Sawzall.

And then I went over to the guys at WoodNet to see what they thought. Here’s the email I sent to the questioner, and links to the thread so you can get the whole story if you’re interested:

I found out that there is in fact a sawzall with a 360 degree rotating handle… which might or might not fill your needs…

Here’s the thread where Woodnet members answered your Sawzall question.

Thanks to the Woodnetters for help on this question!

Finding the right tool for the job can be hard. I think it was my high school physics teacher/basketball coach who proved, beyond doubt, that you don’t know what you don’t know.

Anyways, I got this question from a ToolCrib visitor recently:

I am needing a right angle drill for very tight spaces. I am fabricating a project which calls for a hole within one half inch from the wall, maybe a little closer through aluminum. Any pneumatic or electric drill available which works WELL in tight, close quarters?

Below is the email I sent back to the questioner:

I submitted your question for follow up in the WoodNet.net forum and was blown away by the kindness and knowledge expressed there… here’s the url of the post.

Visit that forum thread for ideas and recommendations for a right angle drill.

Thanks to the Woodnetters for help on this question!

Many of the questions we get are related to “the right tool for the job.” There are so many ways to cut a piece of wood, but every job asks for a slightly different tool.

This questioner had an interesting situation where builders had done an incomplete job on his cold air return.

“I need to saw out the floor plate in a cold air return.

Normally, the entire space is cut out for the cold air to flow. However, my contractor only drilled a series of holes and now I need to saw out the wood between the holes. The drywall is installed on both sides so I must reach through the cold air register.

What type of saw would you suggest?

I was thinking a keyhole saw. Is there a power or air saw that is small enough to get within the 3.5 inch wall and cut out the wood?”

We asked the guys at LumberJocks AND in FamilyWoodworking.

Some folks in the forums pushed back thinking that the cold air return didn’t need to be cut all the way to the sides. However, the questioner said:

When I had several HVAC contractors look at the house, they say these holes are reducing the air flow to 40%. The whole house has this problem. It is a new house and the builder did a very poor job with the construction.

Check out the LumberJocks and FamilyWoodworking threads for the full debate

When this question came in I tried to use my high school geometry. Then when my brain started smoking my buddy Adam took the question and went over to the guys at LumberJocks.

Attached is a photo of a sculpture I made with the kind of base I’m making with the compound miter. Once I figure how many degrees I want for the outside slope is there a scale to predict the miter angle?

Here are images of his sculptures:

Check out this LumberJocks thread for the ratio!

Who do you call when your Bridgewood goes out? One ToolCrib visitor called us. We called the guys at WoodNet.net and FamilyWoodworking.org.

Here’s the question we started with:

I have a bridgewood bws-37 wide belt sander that needs some repair. Is there anyone in the western new york area that could fix it?

Here are the great responses from FamilyWoodworking, and here’s WoodNet.

This question stumped us, so I shot it at the FamilyWoodworking guys:

do you sell a conversion kit for a makita gv5000 sander to convert from an adhesive back to a hook and loop back?

Check out FamilyWoodworking for a simple answer!

I like getting behind the scenes on the creation of tool classics, of which I think the IRWIN 3061001 Miter Saw Laser Guide qualifies.

It’s a simple, inexpensive add on that makes life easier. Brilliant!

I wrote to Irwin recently and interviewed Product Manager Scott Anderson, who delivered some fascinating insights into the creation of the 3061001, and cleared up some misconceptions I had. Thanks Scott!.

Q 1. How did Irwin determine that there was a need for this kind of add-on laser guide?

A 1: We saw the laser guide explosion with Strait-line, Ryobi, BDK and the likes and thought we could adapt the same timesaving benefits to the large miter saw install base. Miter saw manufacturers had begun charging premium prices for saws that included this type of feature. It was the perfect opportunity to create a less expensive solution, enabling the user to upgrade without the purchase of a new saw.

Q 2: What can you tell me about the team responsible for creating the 3061001 and their process for creating it?

A 2: Our internal engineering and marketing team did extensive research to determine the exact specifications needed to make this the most valuable accessory for our user. They studied different laser colors, different speeds for the automatic start feature and made it feel as close to “built-in” as possible. A very complicated process to make the product as easy as possible for our users.

Q 3: Your tools are for professional tradesmen, but my guess is that DIYs have been buying too because of the increased precision at a low cost. Did you deliberately target DIYers with this?

A 3: As with all IRWIN tools, the laser guide was specifically designed for the professional tradesman. But, given the nature of the product, we did anticipate that the serious DIY market would benefit from the use of the laser guide. The laser guide gives DIYers the opportunity to upgrade their current miter saw into a laser guided tool at a fraction of the cost of a new saw.

Q 4: Did you have concerns that professionals might not take your Laser Guide seriously because of its low cost?

A 4: No, conversely we thought there would be a greater chance to convert the professional with the affordable price. We felt the price was relative to other value-add items purchased from the professional trade community – i.e. Saw Blades, Tape Measures, etc.

Q 5: So where do you take a product with this kind of popularity next?

A 5: We want to expand on the popularity by driving awareness to those that may not be aware of the product benefits – there are more than 3 million miter saws without built-in laser guides and we would like to promote accurate laser cuts on all those. We also have plans to introduce a new laser design that will have greater adaptability to saws in the broader market place.

Q 6: I saw two requests of sorts in the reviews - one for a left side guide and the other for more explicit manual instructions for all the various saws. What is your process for implementing user requests into your products? Any chance you’ll be answering these two?

A 6: We welcome all feedback and/or recommendations from consumers. Once received, we consider the engineering feasibility of the suggestion and determine whether the new solution has a broad enough appeal… Our customer service center handles all requests and suggestions. You can contact IRWIN Customer Service at 800-GO-IRWIN or www.irwin.com.

Do you have any questions for Irwin? Comment this post or send an email to GFrench@ToolCrib.com.

Every Porter-Cable FCN200 Pnuematic Flooring Cleat Nailer review I’ve read hails it as a classic of great tool design and a stand-out in a market previously dominated by Bostitch.

That’s why I selected the FCN200 for an interview. Thanks to Jorge Silveira, Director of Marketing – Nailers & Combo Kits, PORTER-CABLE for taking the time to answer!

The story of the FCN200 is one of extensive research with end users and flooring manufacturers - enjoy!

TC 1) When did the PORTER-CABLE® Flooring Cleat Nailer, model FCN200, launch?

* Launched in 2001.

TC 2) At that time, what was PORTER-CABLE’s experience in developing pneumatic nailers?

* PORTER-CABLE entered into the pneumatic marketplace and officially started selling nailers in 1996. The company already had between 5 to 6 years of experience in selling nailers and staplers. While the company started with woodworking, it later included construction.

TC 3) What can you tell me about the team responsible for the design of the PORTER-CABLE® FCN200? What was their background in pneumatic nail design?

* The develop team for FCN200 was diverse in the sense that it drew from the experience of a team who came from other established nailing and stapling companies. The team had a considerable number of years of design experience.

TC 4) Reviews describe this tool as nearly-flawless. To what in the PORTER-CABLE® FCN200 design process do you attribute this accomplishment?

* In early research, the team found issues with the competitors’ tools working with pre-finish hardwood floors. The competitor’s tools would damage the surface of the wood. So the FCN200 was designed to work great with pre-finished and unfinished hardwood floors. In addition, the design team worked closely with suppliers of hardware flooring to get feedback throughout the design phase in addition to encouraging the involvement of training schools and design groups to make sure the completed tool would work for finished and unfinished hardware floors.

TC 5) What else made this tool great?

* The FCN200 utilizes an L-Shape cleat as its fastener. The L-Shape cleat allows the floor to contract and expand while holding the floor in place. The traditional tools use a staples fastener that does not allow natural expansion of the wood and shortens the floors life.

* The FCN200 was also designed to stand upright through better balance for easier use. The better balance and smooth operation delivers a consistent nail placement.

TC 6) Did you ever have trouble convincing the market that PORTER-CABLE could deliver a strong pneumatic flooring nailer?

* Once PORTER-CABLE involved major manufacturers of hardware floors, it was easier to come into the marketplace.

TC 7) Was the success of the PORTER-CABLE® FCN200 a surprise?

* No, we obtained a considerable amount of research from the end-users’ perspective and took the tool through a comprehensive testing process prior to introducing the tool to the marketplace.

Do you have any questions for Jorge Silveira or the PORTER-CABLE FCN200 team? Leave them in the comments or send them to me at GFrench@ToolCrib.com.