table saw

New Delta CEO says customer’s won’t notice the transition

Written on January 14, 2011 at 6:16 pm , by Bob Hunter

Woodworkers who buy or own Delta machines should not notice a difference in availability, performance, or price following last week’s acquisition of the Delta brand by a Taiwanese manufacturer, says Bryan Whiffen, the new president and CEO of that company. Delta Power Equipment Corporation, a subsidiary of Chang Type Industrial Company, purchased the full line of Delta’s woodworking tools and machines, as well as the Biesemeyer line of accessories, from Stanley Black & Decker. This comes just six years after Black & Decker purchased the Delta and Porter-Cable brands from Pentair Group. (Stanley Black & Decker still owns the Stanley, Bostitch, Porter-Cable, and DeWalt brands.)

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TOOL NEWS: Ridgid, Ryobi launch new tools for second half of 2010

Written on July 15, 2010 at 2:51 pm , by Bob Hunter

More cordless, more compact, more do-it-yourself home-repair tools. That’s the latest from the folks at the Ridgid and Ryobi brands of tools. Jason Swanson, spokesman for both brands, came to the WOOD Magazine shop today to show us dozens of new products, most of which will launch later this year at Home Depot stores.

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TOOL NEWS: There’s a new bear in town

Written on June 7, 2010 at 1:33 pm , by Bob Hunter

Grizzly Industrial Tools has announced it’s adding a new line of machinery to its woodworking and metalworking lineup. The Polar Bear Series of tools and machines will be available in July, sporting a new logo and predominantly white paint scheme with Grizzly-green accents.

The tools are identical to existing Grizzly machines in every way except for the paint and price, according to Melinda Sweet, assistant marketing manager for Grizzly. The Polar Bear Series will launch at introductory prices that are about 10 to 25% less than the same green Grizzly machines. Sweet said the company has not yet established regular prices for the Polar Bear products once the introductory period expires. She also said Grizzly will continue to sell its current green line of machines, as well as its sibling line of Shop Fox machines. Read more

TOOL NEWS: SawStop adds 110-volt closed-cabinet tablesaw

Written on June 1, 2010 at 2:24 pm , by Bob Hunter

SawStop has added to its ever-growing lineup of tablesaws with a 110-volt version of its Professional Cabinet Saw. This new model, available in August, is essentially the same 10″ saw as the 3-hp version we reviewed in the May 2010 issue of WOOD Magazine (and won a Top Tool award), except this one has a 1-3/4 hp motor and 30″ rip capacity. This new saw features the same heavy-duty cast-iron table, steel cabinet, and cast-iron trunnions (which mount to the cabinet rather than the top, for easy adjustments), as well as top-notch dust collection. And, of course, it includes SawStop’s patented blade-brake safety system. Weighing just 367 lbs in its basic configuration, this left-tilt saw will sell for $2,299. It includes an aluminum T-square-style rip fence, but a traditional Biesemeyer-type fence is available. Also available as options are 36″ and 50″ rip capacity fences and rails, as well as a mobile base integrated inside the cabinet or an industrial mobile base the cabinet sits in. For more information, go to sawstop.com or call 866-SAWSTOP.

Mobile Tablesaw Base, Part 4

Written on December 15, 2009 at 5:00 am , by Lucas Peters

Switching over to the new blog system had me traipsing down memory lane a bit. And I realize that I’ve not updated you on the progress of my tablesaw mobile base. I know that you’ve been hanging on the edge of your seat with your fingernails, but just in case you don’t regularly read and re-read this series of blog posts, here’s where you can get up to speed: part 1,  part 2, and part 3. I’m riffing off of a plan that can be found in the October 2003 issue (no. 151) or for purchase here.

And here’s where it’s at now:

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New Tools from Ridgid and Ryobi

Written on October 23, 2009 at 9:54 am , by Bob Hunter

Showing us new tablesaws, sanders, drills, and lots of helpful shop accessories, representatives from Ridgid and Ryobi came by the WOOD Magazine shop yesterday. Some of these were pre-production samples just to whet our appetite, but others are ready for store shelves now at The Home Depot. We’ll test these tools as soon as possible and provide reviews for you in WOOD Magazine.

First up is Ridgid’s newest version of its jobsite 10-inch tablesaw, model R4510. Read more

Welcoming a new friend into the WOOD Magazine shop

Written on April 27, 2009 at 10:38 am , by Bob Hunter

Mobile Tablesaw Base, Part 3

Written on April 21, 2009 at 10:29 am , by Lucas Peters

Mobile Tablesaw Base, Part 2

Written on April 12, 2009 at 10:23 am , by Lucas Peters

Something old, something new

Written on April 5, 2009 at 10:45 am , by Lucas Peters

So, while it was a tough decision to get rid of the old tablesaw and spring for a new one, I’ve decided that I will keep one memento. I’ll be switching out the fence for the Biesemeyer that was attached to the old saw. In most cases, the fence makes the saw, and I think this will be an improvement here. The fence on this saw has a bit of flex in it. To make up for it, they’ve added a rear locking mechanism, but that’s a bit less convenience than I’m accustomed to. Plus it is in the split-rail style that has become popular among the home center set. Great for shipping purposes. Not overly useful for my purposes.

But while I was in the process, I decided to make some repairs on the fence that were nagging at me. The corner of the fence nearest the operator was beginning to delaminate and some of the plywood plys had begun to work loose and splinter away. It was quickly throwing a good fence out of square. Time to replace the fence board.

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