One of the capabilities missing in mywoodworking shop was that of a high quality jigsaw. The fine linesand controlled cuts a jigsaw can produce are immensely useful.Unfortunately jigsaws are also notorious for producing roughsurfaces and plenty of tear out. Only the best jigsaws are goodenough for fine woodworking.

I chose to audition one of the best, the Festool PS 300 EQ, inmy shop. This saw is supposed to be perfect for furniture building.Let's take a look at what the PS 300 EQ brings to the table.

Festool PS 3

The end of the year is a always a good time toreflect on the state of things. 2012 has been the year of thebrushless motor in the world of power tools. Motor technology isnot the only thing changing in 2012. The power tool market is morecompetitive than it has ever been. Many very capable companiesfight for our tool purchasing dollars. Let's take a look at thebest power tool manufacturers in the US in 2012.

The Big Three

The power tool market in the US is being dominated by the BigThree: And Milwaukee Tool, DeWalt, an

One of the most anticipated products for thehome this year has been the Nest thermostat. This device has easilybeen the most visible development in home technology in recentmemory. Everyone is talking about it.

Recently Nest released the second generation of the thermostat.Let's take a look at what this version can do and if itsperformance matches its good looks.

Difference between the Nest Gen1 and Gen2

The Gen2 Nest primarily represent an update in the manufacturingprocess. The new version is s

Makita's compact line has been a favorite amongcarpenters ever since it was created. The tools in this line aresmaller, more compact versions of the regular lineup(R5FZQ43AN86S). The LXFD01CW is the entry level drill/driver inthis lineup. It has been designed to make the best compromisebetween performance and size . Let's take a look what it can do inthe workshop.

The LXFD01CW Drill/Driver

The LXFD01CW is one of the power drill options in Makita's 18Vtool lineup. Being a compact tool, the drill is smaller than theful

Over the years Makita has built an impressivetool lineup for its excellent 18V battery system. This systemoffers more choices than any other battery system available today.The LXDT04CW impact driver fills the spot of the compact, yetpowerful everyday driver in the lineup. Let's take a look at how itdid in our shop.

The LXDT04CW impact driver

Unlike most Makita tools the LXDT04CW is styled in white insteadof the traditional turquoise. The LXDT04CW is part of Makita's"compact" line of tools, which are all designed in wh

The router I use most frequently in my shop isthe Bosch 1617EVS. I have given it little thought, because therouter always does what I need it to do.

The 1617 router series is one of the most widely used series ofrouters amongst woodworkers. The fixed base version in particularis universally lauded.A 1617 router found its way into my shop totake care of medium duty routing tasks. Let's take a look at thelegend that is the Bosch 1617 router.

Bosch 1617EVS Fixed Base Router

The Bosch 1617EVS is a fix

The cheap, plastic hose I use with my bench toppower tools was never my favorite. It was inflexible and hard touse. A month ago I decided to upgrade to a proper small tool hosedesigned for the task. Enter the

Porter Cable's 557 Plate joiner has built anexcellent reputation with woodworkers in recent years. The tool isseen as the gold standard among plate joiners. Many a woodworkersings praise of this particular plate joiner in the forums.Needless to say, I was very interested in using one in my shop.Let's take a look if the Model 557 Plate joiner is all that it'smade out to be.

The 577 Plate Joiner

The 557 uses the standard push design all plate joiners use. Afence assembly positions a saw blade over the work piece theslo

The Model 342 Palm Sander

The 342 is a 1/4 sheet palm sander. Two metalspring arm mount a sheet of sanding paper on a padded sandingplate. The sander follows a very traditional design for this typeof machine. There are no innovative features or gizmos to befound.

The motor and oscillation distance of the sander are on thesmaller side. Porter Cable designed this sander to be more of afinish sander than a rapid stock removal tool. Several designdecisions reflect this assertion.

The sander has only

A cordless drill is probably the most importantpower tool to have in your toolbox. It is indispensable around thehouse. In the shop it forms a natural pair with the impact driver.Since the drill sees so much use it's usually a good choice to buya powerful, capable unit.

DeWalt's DCD940KX cordless drill is the company's flagship modelin the 18V range. With a metal chuck and gearbox the DCD940KX hasbeen built for power and longevity. I use the DCD940KX as the maindrill in my shop. Let's take a look at how well it did in theHingmy w