Random orbit sanders were among the top most-loved tools of 2009 on the ToolCrib blog, so we decided to brush the dust off of 2008’s Top 5 Most Popular Random Orbit Sanders and see who the winners are these days.
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I became a true SawStop fanboy the day I watched inventor Steve Gass stick his finger into the blade of one of his creations. I recently learned about their upcoming release of the SawStop Professional Cabinet Saw (PCS), targeting the slightly-sub $3k price point.

So join me in fanboy worship as I provide a brief overview, history and review collection of this new saw currently available for pre-order.
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So once you’ve selected your 8″ jointer (or decided on a 6″…) you’ve got to pick yourself out a planer. We dug through hundreds of forum threads to find out which 15 inch planers have gotten the most recommendations.

This 15 planer comparison should give you a good idea on which planers are the most popular, and provide a starting point for making your planer purchase decision!
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I’m a big fan of tracks and circ saws… for me it all started with EurekaZone, and the moment I discovered that woodworking doesn’t always require a table saw. The success of EurekaZone and Festool’s TS 55 has brought DeWalt and Makita into the market. When there’s more competition, everyone wins…

In this track saw comparison I read through several forum threads discussing track saws and counted up the purchase recommendations. I did not use any of these tools myself! I hope that this comparison of recommendations, plus the links to my sources, will help you to make a better decision on how to spend your heard earned dollars.
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Milling rough stock into usable lumber typically separates the handy-folk from the woodworkers. The jointer makes further milling possible by giving you a perfectly flat face and edge. Once you have a true “flatness” point for departure you can then continue milling your board to the right thickness.

And even though we recommend a 6″ Jointer over an 8″ here it’s also true that an 8″ is the most often recommended width in the woodworking forums. So that’s why we researched the prevailing opinion on 8″ jointers. We only found one magazine jointer review, from 2005 and it was hidden behind FWW’s paywall.
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If you haven’t tried a lithium ion cordless circular saw then it’s time for you to adjust your expectations… UPWARDS. We rounded up cordless circular saw reviews, comparisons and opinions from forums to bring you the top 7 cordless circular saws of 2009. But first, here are a few things we learned during our research:
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The sliding compound miter saw combines the utility of the compound miter saw with the reach of the radial arm saw. To help you make your decision we researched nearly 20 threads from the top woodworking forums, plus reviewed all the latest magazine reviews we could get our hands on.

Though there are significantly more than 5 10 inch SCMS out there, only 5 got repeat mentions from woodworking forums…
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Hundreds of forum posts. Tens of reviews. Thousands of seconds. That’s what it took to bring you the woodworking shop vac smack down. We gathered and reviewed the reviews and then read every forum thread we could find that discussed shop vacuums used in the woodworking work shop primarily as dust extractors. Before we leap into our recommendations though, a word on using shop vacuums for dust collection:

Note on Shop Vac Dust Collection Usage:
-NOT recommended as sole dust collection approach (but better than nothing)
-Ideally for portable tools only: random orbit sanders, miter saws etc
-Compare CFMs as relative power baseline
-Check hose compatibility with your tools
-Some may still require hearing protection
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An insightful thread at FamilyWoodworking really got my wheels turning in regards to magazine tool reviews: Whats your view on Magazine Tool Reviews please vote in the poll. For the record, 61% of the Family does believe that woodworking magazine reviews have credibility while 32% do NOT (at the time I posted this).

>> 5 Problems with Trusting Magazine Power Tool Reviews:
These are problems that Family Woodworking members noted that crop up sometimes, not standing issues with every single magazine power tool review. I hold magazine reviews in high regard – as a writer/tool researcher for ToolCrib.com. Here are some of the problems mentioned in the discussion:
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Not only do trim routers remain popular with woodworkers for functionality, but their relatively low price keeps them moving off the shelves. To find the top 10 trim routers we gathered up all the trim router reviews and recommendations by professionals, hobbyists from around the web.

>> Trim Routers: the What, When and Why
>> A Note on Variable Speed (just say no)
>> A Note on Pat Warner Bases (just say yes)
>> Top 16 Trim Routers
>> Router Table Plan for a Trim Router: 3-in-1 Multi-Tool
>> My Trim Router Expert Review Sources
>> Forum Trim Router Recommendation Sources
>> More Trim Router Resources
>> More Top Tools Comparisons from Tool Crib
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