tools

New woodworking tools among dozens of new products from Bosch

Written on June 19, 2012 at 3:25 pm , by Bob Hunter

It seems like every time I speak with someone at Bosch, they’ve got new tools to tell me about. Last fall I was fortunate to tour Bosch’s worldwide headquarters in Germany, as well as four production facilities, and the thing that most impressed me about this German-based company is that it’s made a commitment to reinvest 8% of its sales into research and development for new products. Well, I just returned from Bosch’s North American headquarters in Chicago, and I saw that commitment carried out in the launch of nearly four dozen new power tools, measuring tools, and accessories for woodworking, construction, metalworking, and concrete. You’d never know there was a recession in the U.S. based on Bosch’s output. I’ll focus on the tools most applicable to woodworking.

The biggest splash, in my opinion, is the launch of a plunge base for the Bosch Colt palm router. Read more

AWFS Fair delivers innovative tools and products

Written on July 25, 2011 at 2:49 pm , by Bob Hunter

Despite what we all know are tough economic times, many tool and woodworking-product manufacturers continue to bring new and innovative tools to the market. I got to see many of these first-hand the past few days at the Association of Woodworking and Furnishings Suppliers Fair in Las Vegas, the biggest U.S. tradeshow of the year for woodworking. Over 500 manufacturers showed up to display and demonstrate their new products (and some launched in recent years), hoping to generate business with retail distributors and end users.

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Bosch launches innovative new tools

Written on June 9, 2011 at 4:03 pm , by Bob Hunter

Never a company to sit back and rest after launching a line of tools, Bosch instead keeps on finding ways to make their tools better. I spent two days this week at Bosch’s U.S. headquarters in Chicago getting a first-hand look at new cordless drills, random-orbit sanders, a benchtop tablesaw, measuring tools, and lots of other tools related to construction and concrete work.

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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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Stanley Black & Decker sells off Delta line of woodworking tools

Written on January 10, 2011 at 10:30 am , by Bob Hunter

Stanley Black & Decker, the conglomerate that has, for the past year, owned five of the major brands in woodworking tools (Stanley, Bostitch, DeWalt, Porter-Cable, and Delta), has sold the Delta line of stationary and benchtop tools and machines to a start-up company, Delta Power Equipment. A source inside Stanley Black & Decker confirmed this morning that the deal was finalized late Friday. He said no jobs would be cut at the manufacturing facility in Jackson, Tennessee, where Delta made its Unisaw tablesaw and radial-arm saw.

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Vacation stop: Festool

Written on July 27, 2010 at 11:45 am , by Bob Hunter

Okay, so I’m a tool junkie, so sue me. Last week when I was back home in Indiana on vacation—yes, my wife and I sing “Back Home Again In Indiana” when we cross the border; our girls just roll their eyes—I couldn’t help but swing by the U.S. headquarters of the German-based Festool tool company. After originally setting up shop in southern California, Festool moved its offices to Lebanon, Indiana, about an hour northwest of Indianapolis. On a sidenote, Lebanon is famous for producing Rick Mount, one of the best high school and college basketball players (for Purdue) in history.

So on Friday I was welcomed by Rick Bush and Michael Williams, two guys who share my love of tools. Rick showed me around the warehouse where Festool stores and ships all its products as well as parts for all its tools. I was encouraged to see products flying off the shelves and onto trucks—a good sign for the sagging economy we’ve been mired in the past two years. A few points I found intriguing. Read more

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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Getting a first-hand look behind the scenes at DeWalt and Delta

Written on June 25, 2010 at 11:55 am , by Bob Hunter

I just wrapped up two days at the home headquarters of the Black & Decker family of tools—DeWalt, Porter-Cable, Delta, and B&D—in Towson, Maryland, a Baltimore suburb. While there I got a sneak peek at lots of new tools, some ready for launch this summer, others for later this fall, and still more even farther down the road. I even got to use several of the tools—my job is so COOL!

Most of what I saw for release this calendar year carries the DeWalt brand, but I did see a few from Delta and Porter-Cable. Before you get too worked up with excitement, let me disclose now that I can’t talk about most of these tools today. It was one of those spit-in-your-hand-and-shake-on-it kind of promises. You know the type: If I tell you about those tools now, there will be a team of mysterious yellow-and-black vans following me home tonight. Yeah, I know, too bad, but stay tuned—you’ll really like what’s coming. Some of it I’ll get to write about in August when the company officially launches those products at the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta. And you know WOOD Magazine will be all over that show!

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TOOL NEWS: Rockwell shows new cordless tools to WOOD Magazine

Written on June 18, 2010 at 9:32 am , by Bob Hunter

If you’re not familiar with the line of new Rockwell tools—sold at Menards home centers as well as online retailers such as Amazon.com—then let me bring you up to date. For decades, Rockwell was one of the standards in woodworking machinery, and later changed its name to Delta Machinery (after starting out as Delta back in the 1930s). Now another U.S.-based company is licensing the Rockwell name for its own brand of portable power tools.

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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