Tools

Most finish carpenters work with two types of nailers, finish nailers and brad nailers. If you look at the door casing in your home, you’ll see there’s a row of nails close to the edge of the trim, by the door opening; these are done by a brad nailer. Then there’s another row of nails farther back and these have been done by a finish nailer. If you look closely, you’ll see the finish nailers made larger holes than the brad nailers did. The longer finish nail is intended to go through the trim, drywall and well into the framing of the home. In contrast, the brads used on the edge of the door casing only have to go through the lip of the casing and directly into the door frame. Thus, the nails don’t need to be anywhere near as long nor do they have to structurally hold the trim since the finish nails going into the framing accomplish that. For more info rmation about selecting a finish nailer, check out our list for the best finish nailers in 2022 and the buyer's guide listed below.

Whether you are ripping down your own planks from fallen trees or cutting dovetails to assemble a delicate jewelry box, grab the wrong saw and you’re in for a heap of trouble. Selecting the right saw is a matter of knowing the job at hand, anticipating the grain of the wood and understanding what attributes make a good saw. The lists below will help you choose the proper saw for the job, but one major aspect requires a little explanation. Will you be making cuts with the grain or across? A rip saw is used for cuts made with the grain and named for the process of ripping down boards. Crosscut saws are the opposite and their teeth are optimized for cutting against the grain. The difference is all in the teeth and using the right one will make the job easier, more accurate and help to make a smoother cut. Beyond this, most saws are named for their intended task and are easy to distinguish. A pruning saw is meant for pruning while the wallboard saw isn’t useful for much else beyond drywall/wallboard work, so pay attention to the nomenclature. All saws benefit from hardened steel teeth. This keeps them sharper for longer and extends the time between sharpenings or replacements. The style of handle varies as much as the blade, but slight variations can really change how comfortable it is to hold. A handle that sits nicely in the hand will greatly improve your working experience. Find the properly named saw, make sure the materials are of high quality, consider the comfort of the handle and check the teeth to make sure you’ll get an easy cut. After that’s said and done, it’s time to get to work. Check out our list for the best hand saws in 2022 to learn more.

A good mechanic’s tool set is invaluable to anyone who prefers working on their vehicle at home instead of paying someone to do it in a shop. No matter what skill level you possess, a tool set is an essential thing to have. Regardless of your skill level though, all mechanic’s tool sets should have a few very key components. Whatever set you purchase needs to have a wide array of different-sized sockets, a ratchet, a set of open or box-ended wrenches, and a wide variety of supplementary tools to work with such as drivers, driver bits, mallets, pliers, and more. All of those tools could be expensive and challenging to purchase separately, so having an all-in-one kit like a mechanic's tool set is a great idea. The more supplementary tools you have in your set, the more valuable it is and the better chance you have of finding the right tool for whatever job you have to be working on.So take a second to think about your skill level and give the appropriate list a look. Do you operate a shop out of your garage and want a professional set? Do you want a great, budget-minded starter set? Or, perhaps you’re an intermediate-level tool user. Whatever your skill level, there’s a set for you. Check out our list of the best mechanic's tool sets in 2022 to learn more.

Of all the types of nailers on the market, brad nailers are the most common. If a woodworker has only one type of nailer, you can pretty much count on it being a brad nailer. That’s not just because they’re less expensive than the larger types of nailers, but also because they’re so versatile. These tools can be used for finish carpentry, cabinetry, and even furniture making. The big question for most people is whether to buy a pneumatic brad nailer or a cordless one. Pneumatic nailers must be connected to an air compressor as power source, making them great for use in a workshop, but a little less convenient on a job site. On the other hand, the added convenience of a cordless will cost you more. There are few features that differentiate pneumatic nailers although cordless ones do vary, especially in the manner in which the drive system works; choose wisely as some operate more consistently and controllably than others. For more information about selecting a brad nailer, check out our list of the best brad nailers in 2022 and the buyer's guide provided below.

A hex key set might just be my most used tool nowadays and I am regularly impressed by how well a set can stand up to the abuse inflicted upon it. For these lists I found the best balance of durability and price in the right range of sizes. Each best hex key set in 2022 on these lists will stand up to abuse and function beautifully for years to come thanks to careful designing and high quality materials.

A good set of sockets is one of the essential items you need to build a worthwhile shop. It's not as simple as grabbing the first set you see on the shelf at your local home improvement depository. Socket sets vary so much that you could buy the most expensive one in the shop with more than 200 pieces and still wind up missing the one socket you really need. Whether you are looking for a set of deep impact sockets to do some heavy-duty auto work or a budget set for the most common household tasks, we have the information you need to make the right decision.Be sure to also check out our list of the best socket wrenches in 2022.

Torque wrenches are precision instruments, used to ensure that nuts and bolts are properly tightened in automotive engines, aviation and industrial applications. They provide a means of measuring the amount of force applied to the fastener, in order to tighten it. Without this measurement, there is no sure way of verifying that these fasteners have been properly tightened. If you’ve ever tightened up something just finger tight on your car engine and then forgotten about it; you probably have experienced the bolt or nut loosen up fairly quickly when the car was started. Since there is no opposing force to cause the nut or bolt to remain tightened, it is easy for it to become loose. However, a properly tightened bolt or nut won’t come loose, even after many hours of operation. The way that nuts and bolts work is that when tightened they put pressure, called “clamping force,” on the items they are holding together. As those items are more massive than the hardware holding them together, they push back, actually stretching the bolt microscopically. It is this stretching which prevents the bolt from coming loose. The stretching is like stretching a spring, allowing the bolt head and the nut to maintain pressure on the sides of whatever they are holding. There is a strong element of friction involved in fastener holding power. The friction between the head of the bolt or the side of the nut and the object they are holding, prevent the bolt head or nut from turning. As long as there is enough clamping force to maintain that friction, they won’t budge. While tightening fasteners to the proper torque is the way that we ensure that there is enough clamping force, this clamping force can change due to the type of finish on the fasteners and whether or not the fasteners have been previously used. The threads of a nut and bolt pair which has been tightened and loosened a number of times (without rusting) become somewhat polished by the pressure. This will increase the amount of clamping force applied each time, if tightened to the same torque. Nevertheless, the torque values which are used for nuts and bolts take into account the type of material used in the fastener, the hardness of that material and any surface coating. Engineers use pre-calculated tables, which take all of those factors into account, when specifying the proper torque to be used. Most torque wrenches today are “click type” wrenches, meaning that they make an audible click when the fastener is tightened to a pre-determined torque. The torque desired can be set electronically, with a mechanical digital readout or with a vernier, depending upon the design of the torque wrench. Generally speaking, the electronic ones are considered the best, as they are the easiest to set and work with. Vernier calipers require knowing how to work with a vernier. Torque wrenches which have a dial or needle and gauge aren’t really torque wrenches, but rather torque meters. While it is possible to use them to tighten a fastener to the right torque value, it is extremely hard to do so accurately. Torque is measured in foot-pounds or inch-pounds. Conversion from foot-pounds to inch-pounds is simple; all you have to do is multiply the foot-pounds by 12. One foot pound is one pound of pressure applied over a lever, where the force is applied one foot form the fulcrum or rotational point. So, if you have two torque wrenches, one that is one foot long and the other that is two feet long, and apply the same amount of pressure, the actual torque would be different. That one pound of force would become two ft-lbs of torque with the two foot long torque wrench. When selecting a torque wrench, it is important to verify that he tool will cover the entire torque range that you will be setting. A torque wrench that has a maximum torque value of 120 ft-lbs. won’t do you a bit of good, if you have to torque a nut to 150 ft-lbs. Having all torque ranges you need may require having more than one torque wrench, although it is possible to get one torque wrench which will cover all needed torque values for working on a car engine. Check out our list of the best torque wrenches in 2022.

Every workshop needs a workbench... or two or three. While some people like to build their own, it’s a lot faster and easier to buy a kit or one that’s ready to go. This also ensures that you’ll have a workbench that’s going to hold up under heavy-duty use, as sometimes DIY projects don’t go as planned.The workbench is the center of the workshop, providing a place to work on projects, set your parts when you’re not working with them, store tools, and whatever else needs to be done. Without a workbench, you’re stuck with trying to find somewhere else to work, and often that somewhere is someplace that’s going to upset your partner!Picking a workbench can be tricky, especially for those of us engaged in a variety of different projects. Check out our list of the best workbenches in 2022 and the buyer's guide below for some things to look for in your ideal workbench before making a selection.

If a guy’s only going to have one shop tool in his workshop, it’s going to be a table saw. While other stationary power tools are useful, a table saw is all but indispensible. Oh, you can do many of the cuts that people use a table saw for with a circular saw, but you can’t do them with anywhere near the accuracy; especially if you’re trying to get a straight cut. The table saw is a very versatile tool. Although designed predominantly for ripping wood, it can also be used for crosscutting and miter cuts. All of them come with both a fence for ripping and a miter gauge for crosscutting and miter cuts. Some people pooh-pooh the table saw’s ability to do accurate crosscutting, but I’d beg to differ with them. I won’t argue that it’s easier to do accurate crosscuts with a miter saw or radial arm saw, but I’ve done miter cuts accurately enough on a table saw, to be able to make picture frames with expensive moldings. That requires a level of accuracy that’s hard to meet with any tool. If you do a lot of miter cutting on your table saw, you may want to consider investing in a quality aftermarket miter gauge. Even the best of table saws have rather simple miter gauges. However, there are some excellent after-market models around, most of which are much larger and much more accurate than the typical manufacturer's miter gauge. Like many tools, table saws have evolved through the years. Today’s saws have many improvements over the saw that my daddy taught me on. They also tend to be more accurate, which is extremely important if you are doing any sort of cabinet work. Before looking for a table saw, you really have to decide what you want to use it for. If you don’t need that large rip capacity, then there’s really no reason to pay for it. On the other hand, buying a small saw, which doesn’t have the capacity you need, will leave you frustrated, and probably set you up for buying a larger saw later. Take a look and check out our list of the best table saws in 2022 and the buyer's guide on table saws below, before looking at the lists of reviews we have prepared for you. This will give you a much better idea of the various saws out there and what you should be looking for in them.

Purchasing a ladder can be a bit of a daunting task. On one hand, you want a ladder that you know will be strong enough to hold you up no matter what job you’re working on. On the other hand, you don’t want to pay a lot without sacrificing quality. The decision, ultimately, comes down to what you wish to use the ladder for. Will you be using it for general-purpose jobs around the home? Will you be using it in your garage? Will you be using it to gain access to your attic? The types of jobs you do, factor into what type of ladder you purchase. We have different lists available for a variety of best ladders in 2022 depending on what type you need. Rest assured that every ladder on the following list is the best of the best in each category.

More than anything, reciprocating saws are demolition tools. There’s no finesse, no fine line of accuracy, and most of all, no “finish cuts” with a reciprocating saw. When you need to take something down quickly, a reciprocating saw will do it faster than anything else, except maybe a chain saw. These saws are often referred to by their nickname, “Sawzall.” This is the name that Milwaukee Tools gave their first reciprocating saw, and it seems to have stuck pretty well. While Milwaukee is still the champ of the Sawzall, there are plenty of other contenders to look at. Because these are specialty saws, most do-it-yourselfers have a hard time justifying their purchase. In that case, you might want to consider looking at the best reciprocating saws in 2022 that we have listed. While these are not as heavy-duty as the professional models, for the homeowner who occasionally needs to take something apart or cut up a fallen tree limb, they’re plenty. We’ve also included a helpful buyer’s guide below to take some of the guesswork out of your search.

Miter saws have probably been around since the birth of carpentry. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of exaggeration, but they’ve certainly been around a long time. That’s not to say they haven’t changed, because they definitely have. The old miter box with a back saw is getting pretty hard to find these days. Now, everyone is using power miter saws and getting their work done faster. Regardless of the type and complexity of a particular model of miter saw, they all serve the same purpose which is providing a way of cutting material on an angle accurately. This originally meant cutting picture frame molding, molding used on furniture, and architectural moldings used for finishing out a home. However, today’s carpenter and woodworker use their miter saws for much more. Miter saws come in a wide variety of sizes and styles. While power miter saws are the most common, there are still manual miter saws on the market. In some cases, they’re better than the power ones. More recently, sliding power miter saws have taken over a lot of the market by adding increased capacity for larger workpieces. Check out our list of the best miter saws in 2022 and our buyer's guide provided below will help you decide what type you need.

Multimeters, more correctly known as volt-ohm meters, are the electricians and electronic tech’s standard troubleshooting tool. With it, they can check a wide range of electronic devices, measuring voltage, current, and resistance in circuits. Those measurements are essential for effective troubleshooting of electronic and electrical circuits.These instruments have been around for years, ever since society started using electricity to power our lives. The multimeter eliminates the need for the technician to have multiple meters to work with, making their toolbox lighter and their work easier.While all multimeters perform many of the same functions, some special functions are only performed by higher-end models. We've compiled a list of the most important features to look for when buying a new multimeter. The buying guide down below will help you pick out the right one for you- read on to figure it out now!

Impact drivers trace their roots to the impact wrenches used by mechanics. Even so, they’ve changed a lot, turning into tools that are useful for a variety of purposes besides just tightening and loosening lug nuts on cars.Some have said that the name “impact driver” was only a marketing gambit, created to try and differentiate these tools from the pneumatic impact wrenches used by mechanics. However, there are more differences between the two than you might think. While the larger, pneumatic ones are essentially the same, there’s no way you can call a light-duty cordless impact driver an impact wrench. Not only is it not as powerful, it’s designed to be the best impact drivers in 2022 used differently.To see the differences and understand how to select the impact driver that will best meet your needs, check out our buyer's guide provided below.

An impact wrench is the epitome of fastening power. When the hand ratchet falls short and even the breaker bar doesn't quite cut it, this tool steps up and breaks those fasteners free with ease and speed unlike anything else. This is why the impact wrench might be the most important tool a pit crew works with. What else could remove and replace lug-nuts so quickly while guaranteeing a racetrack ready job? When buying an impact wrench you first need to consider your power source. Air driven best impact wrenches in 2022 offer the greatest power, but compressors are expensive and take up a lot of space. Corded electric impact wrenches are great for shop use and still offer some serious power without having to worry about compressors and air filters, but can't quite reach the peak output of air systems. Lastly, cordless impact wrenches offer unmatched versatility and portability, but you have to think about battery life and many are not strong enough for their intended jobs. The other big factor to consider is the power your job requires. There are some impact wrenches on the market that can snap a steel bolt cleanly if you're not careful and something like that will be overkill for everything except ancient, rusted lug-nuts. Bigger isn't always better and you need to get the right tool for your job or risk breaking a part of your project. Lastly, is it a comfortable tool to use? I'm not just talking about the weight and balance, but those are important factors. The nature of an impact wrench lends itself to vibration that can really wear on your wrists and arms over time. On top of that, wrenching your wrists when a fastener catches is all too common a problem. A good impact wrench should absorb a lot of the vibration before it reaches your hands and direct its power onto the fastener rather than you.

Table grinders come in a variety of sizes and configurations. The most common sizes are 6 and 8 inches. This refers to the size of the grinding wheel itself. For homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, and contractors, 6-inch stationary grinders are generally sufficient. The larger, 8-inch grinder is mostly for industrial applications. The major advantage of the larger wheel size is longer wheel life and a faster surface speed. While the motor probably turns at the same number of RPM, the larger diameter makes the outside of the wheel move faster, grinding faster as well. Although grinders are rather simple tools, there are several things to keep in mind when looking at them. For the most part, motor size isn't a big deal, as every manufacturer uses motors that are large enough to power the wheels. Instead, look at the tool rest, as a good tool rest will make sharpening drill bits and other tools easier. Many only have a sheet metal rest, while the better ones are cast. The other thing you want the rest to have is a notch for drill bits, to hold them at the right angle to the wheel. The biggest complaint most people have with grinders, regardless of how much they spend on them, is wheel wobble. This is mostly a result of poor manufacturing of the wheels themselves, not the grinder. Manufacturers don’t package the most expensive wheels on the market with their bench grinders. However, with a little bit of work with a wheel dresser (which every manufacturer recommends) this problem can be eliminated. Wheel wobble can be reduced by three things that a manufacturer can do: Using wider wheels, as there is more surface in contact with the arbor. Using a larger diameter arbor, as it is more rigid. Using machined washers, instead of stamped ones, for wheel backers.Please note that machined washers are extremely rare, but if you have some basic metalworking skills, you can produce your own. The thicker they are, the better; just as long as you can still tighten the nut on the arbor.

It doesn’t matter what you’re working on, there never seems to be enough light. While LED work lights on power tools are a great help, they really don’t provide enough illumination for anything more than getting that tool to the right fastener. One answer is to add a lot of best work lights in 2022 to your workshop, but that isn’t always practical. However, no matter how many lights you add, there are still things that are going to be in the shadow when you don’t want them to be. The only real solution is to have a portable light, which you can position where needed for what you are working on at the moment; hence the work light. If you're still not sure what you want in a work light, take a moment to look at our buyer's guide listed below.

Anyone who uses best tool chests in 2022 is eventually faced with the need for a toolbox. While a cardboard box might work for a few miscellaneous hand tools and a cordless drill, once you get past that point you need something a little more rugged. Tools are heavy and take toll on any cardboard box it's really hard to organize them in something like that as well. To meet this need for organization, manufacturers produce toolboxes in all shapes and sizes. They range from multi-pocket soft pouches hung over a five gallon bucket to huge multi-drawer, roll-around, tool chest big enough to need their own engine and steering wheel. What type of box you’ll need depends a lot on how many tools you have and how you’re going to be using them. Selecting your ultimate tool chest can be a whole lot more complicated than selecting the right tool for the job. After all, there really aren't all that many choices for what tool you can use, while there are many for what kind of toolbox or tool chest. Our tool chest buyer's guide listed below can definitely can help you narrow it down.

When it comes to tool collections, a decent set of wrenches is a always sound investment. Wrenches are suitable for a variety of jobs within the home, garage, or workshop and it's a smart idea to have at least one set on hand. What type of best wrench sets in 2022 you should purchase, however, is the biggest question. Whether it's plumbing, working in tight quarters, or general purpose applications, you need to make sure you have the right wrench for the job. The list of wrenches below will cover almost any project you have in mind and also check out our handy wrench set buyer's guide listed below which walks you through all the basics.

Cutting tile poses special challenges. Not only is this material extremely hard and abrasive which destroys normal saw blades easily, but it’s extremely brittle giving it a tendency to break and chip in unwanted ways. Because of this, special saws are required with special blades designed just for cutting tile. Typically, diamond blades are used to cut tile which consist of diamond dust glued to a metal saw blade. There are also some abrasive blades used for cutting tile but they’re usually used when cutting tile with saws other than actual tile saws. While most tile saws are stationary, there are some manufacturers who also provide handheld saws but these are mostly used for touchup work rather than cutting full tiles. They’re not as maneuverable as regular handheld saws such as circular saws, due to the need for a water bottle to cool the blade. Before looking at the best tile saws in 2022 we've selected, we recommend taking a moment to look at our tile saw buyer's guide below which will help you choose from the variety of models available.

Although contractors use generators to provide jobsite power at times, their main purpose is to provide emergency power in the case of a power outage. When the lights go out, people rely on firing a best power generator in 2022 up to keep them going until the power comes back on. Used in this manner, they’re highly useful tools that everyone needs.Generators vary greatly in size, configuration, type, and power output thus making picking the right generator a challenge. Most individual make a selection based on price without taking into consideration how much electrical power they really need to produce; this often leads to selecting a generator which isn't big enough to meet their needs. Choosing the right generator means having a good idea of what your needs are and how the various generators on the market can meet said needs. To better understand, check out our power generator buyer's guide below.

Of all the power tools manufactured, there are probably more types of best sanders in 2022 than any other category. A wide variety of sanders have been developed through the years, each of which performs a specific function different than the others. While there may be some overlap between different types of sanders and their use, there is enough difference to justify each style. Sanders are used more for finishing work than anything else. They’re intended for final shaping and smoothing after cutting to remove tool marks while smoothing out the shape of the workpiece. Determining the type of sander to use for a particular project depends upon the shape and size of the workpiece as well as how fine of a sanding job needs to be performed. It is not unusual for a do-it-yourselfer to buy several different types of sanders. Since there’s no one sander which can work for everything, having several different ones to choose from in the toolbox is a real advantage. To help you pick the best sander for your needs, we have prepared an informative buyer's guide provided for you below.

What do you do when you have to cut a thick material, such as sheet metal, hardened plastic or leather? Those are materials much too thick for scissors or standard shears so that’s when you’ll reach for a decent pair of snips. Best snips in 2022 are the tool of choice for professional sheet metal workers, hobbyists, or anybody that needs to cut something too intense for household scissors. While there are several varieties of snips, you can check out buyer's guide for everything you need to know before making a purchase. 

Purchasing a decent hammer should be one of the first things you buy when looking to your assortment of home tools. However, most people just assume a claw hammer is the either the only hammer type available or the just a option which is suitable for any job from auto body work to demolition. However, there are other best hammers in 2022 which have a bit more specialized use.  Just like any other hand tool, there are a wide variety of hammers out there, each with a specific use perfect for certain jobs. Our hammer buyer's guide provided below details everything you need to know if you're in the market for one of these essential hand tools.

Die grinders aren’t heavy-duty tools for knocking off weld slag like a right-angle grinder. Rather, they’re detail tools for those times where finesse is needed more than power. The small size and lightweight of these tools make them ideal for fine finishing work, something that’s hard to do with a right-angle grinder. Typically, a die grinder uses a 1/4 inch collet for holding a variety of tips. However, some of the smaller units such as cordless ones and pencil grinders use a 1/8 inch collet. Most die grinders come with a wide variety of tips, including grinding wheels, carbide cutting tips, sanding disks, and cut-off wheels. With a wide variety of tips available, these tools are very versatile and good for a wide variety of tasks.Whereas angle grinders are normally only used for metalworking, die grinders (especially the smaller ones), have found several other niches including jewelry making, crafts, model making, and anywhere else a small cutting or grinding tool is needed. Our buyer's guide listed below can help you to pick the right die grinder for your needs.

Chainsaws may not be the number one item on the wish list of most do-it-yourself individuals, but there are times when these power tools just can’t be beaten. Chainsaws may not be number one for those of us who don’t own a private forest we have to clear out. Rather, they’re a specialty tool, designed for cutting down trees and slicing up firewood; so they aren’t really useful for the individual looking to finish their basement. However, for those situations where the cutting power of a chainsaw is needed, there’s really nothing else that will do the job.The key to any chainsaw is the chain itself. The multiple blades are attached to a bicycle-type chain that goes around a bar. The bar functions as a track for the chain, providing it with backing to give it stiffness and allows guiding the cut fairly accurately, although there’s really nothing precise about them.You want to make sure the chainsaw you ultimately select meets your needs. The last thing you want to do is buy one, then later wish you'd gone a step larger; think things through carefully before making your selection. Our chainsaw buyer's guide can definitely help you with that.

The air compressor is the power supply for air tools. Most are powered by electricity, driving a pump that fills an included air tank. This allows the compressor time to rest, while the air is being used out of the tank. The capacity of the air compressor is a combination of the tank size and the amount of air that the unit can compress, measured in CFM (cubic feet per minute).When selecting an air compressor, it's a good idea to select one that's slightly larger than what you need. As you buy more air tools, your existing compressor will be able to work with them rather than having to upgrade to a larger compressor.One nice thing about using an air tool is they're less expensive and more compact than their electrically operated counterparts since it's much easier to build an air motor since it has fewer parts. Your compressor essentially acts as the power supply for all your pneumatic tools as opposed to buying one for each tool.Air tools are also safer than electric tools which is why they're so common in industrial operations. There is no electrical cord that can get cut, causing the potential of electrocution. and the tool itself can't short out, even if dumped in a bucket of water. While air tools can wear out, they are easily rebuildable.There are numerous configurations of best compressors in 2022 available on the market, allowing the consumer to select a compressor that best meets their needs. Our buyer's guide will help you pick the compressor which will best work for the way you need to use it.

Power planers were developed to take the place of the manual plane, which was difficult to work with, requiring skill to make a clean cut. The power planer is also faster, as it can take a thicker cut from a board than a manual plane can. Nevertheless, power planers can’t do everything that a manual plan can, especially the various molding operations that were originally done with planes. Best planer in 2022 come in both handheld and stationary models. The stationary ones are more limited in the types of things that can be done on them, although they can take off more material at one pass and make a much wider cut. Handheld planers, while limited in their thickness of cut, are not limited in the size workpiece that they can work on. They can even be used on hardwood floors. A stationary planer is used only to clean up wood that has been sawn on a sawmill, resawn on a band saw, or needs to be thinned for a project. It cannot be used for the edges of a board, but only for the surface. Even so, for what it does, there is no other tool which can replace it.For more information on choosing a planer best suited for your woodworking needs, check out our buyer’s guide.  

Many people think of the shaper as a big router table, when in reality the shaper has existed longer than the router. The router and later router table were invented to be a smaller version of the shaper. Both essentially do the same job, shaping edges of wood pieces, although the tools themselves are designed a little bit differently.Some would say that with a good router and table, there is no reason to buy a shaper. That would depend a lot on what type of woodworking you do and how much you would use it. While a heavy-duty router and table can do just about anything that a shaper can, shapers are generally more powerful, with larger motors and better fences. Even the best extruded aluminum fences I’ve seen on high dollar router tables don’t match the performance you can get out of a shaper’s fence.A shaper’s fence is almost always adjusted with a screw thread, unlike a router table, which usually has bolts through the table top. There is a separate locking screw, with a handle, to hold the fence in place. All of this is controlled off of a casting that is also the dust catcher and holds the guard. Each side of the fence is individually controlled, allowing micro-adjusting for full support of the workpiece on both sides of the cutter.Shaper cutters are mounted on a spindle, rather than using a collet to hold the bit’s shaft. Longer spindles allow stacking cutters on the spindle, allowing multiple types of cuts, without having to reset the tool. The spindle has some vertical travel adjustment, allowing you to move from cutter to cutter, on the same project. This is very handy when using a shaper for raised panel doors or the rails and stiles for doors.If you make your own raised panel doors or do extensive woodworking where edge profiles are an important part of your design, then a shaper would be an important part of your workshop.For more information on what to look at in selecting the best shaper in 2022 , check out our shaper buyer's guide. It will tell you the most important specifications to watch out for and what they mean to you.

Modern electronics are so compact that seeing the individual components so you can work on them can be a challenge and those aren’t the only things with miniaturized components either. Many other items from jewelry to specialized craft items have components which are hard to see with the naked eye so a magnifying glass is often essential when working with them.Of course, holding a magnifying glass in your hand while you are trying to work severely limits what you can do. Jewelers solved this problem long ago with the use of an eye loupe; while functional, an eye loupe is still somewhat hard to use because of its small size. Putting the magnifier on a stand or adjustable arm is the obvious solution. These have been in use for a variety of applications, especially in manufacturing industries, for a number of years. Having a combination magnifier and lamp together makes it much easier to see small objects that are being worked on and the built-in light eliminates the problem of shadowing the light with your body.There are several styles of these available on the market, but the three main styles are:Desk Mounted – A short, flexible neck on a weighted base.Arm Mounted – An articulated arm, with the magnifier and lamp mounted to the end. The arm anchors to the desk or workbench edge with a clamp.Floor Mounted – The flexible neck is attached to a stand on a weighted base. This allows it to be moved around and used where needed.In most cases, the arm mounted models are the best magnifying lights in 2022 , providing a larger magnifier and longer reach. Desk mounted magnifiers must be placed right at the workpiece; moving them requires that there be a clear area on the workbench where the magnifier needs to go.Older models of these magnifiers all used fluorescent bulbs, usually 22 watt “ring” bulbs but many of the newer options have replaced the fluorescent bulbs with LEDs, providing longer life and lower energy costs. Since LED provides light without heat, they’re also safer to work with, even safer than fluorescents which are typically quite cool.When looking at a magnifying lamp, there are several things you should consider:What do you need to use it for? This will affect the style you choose.How big a magnifier do you need? Generally speaking, the larger the magnifier, the easier it is to use.How much light do you need? For most applications, the more light the better.How much magnification do you need? Five diopter, 2.25x magnification, is the most common for arm mounted magnifiers, while desktop units will usually have less. The greater the magnification, the easier it might be to see what you’re working on and at the same time, it cuts down the viewing angle. If you need to see a lot of things, such as several parts and how they go together, a higher magnification might not be helpful.