Issue 462
Issue 462
Craftsman Purchase by Stanley Black + Decker
In some ways, it was not a surprise. Many in the industry have wondered if Sears was going to sell some of its legacy brands (Kenmore, DieHard, Craftsman), because it was obvious that Sears was struggling. But the sale of Craftsman to industry giant Stanley Black & Decker still caused me to stop and reminisce. Craftsman is a great brand with a long and storied history. The good news is that it is being purchased by a great company (that knows a thing or two about legacy brands), who said in their press release that it will be increasing its U.S. manufacturing as a result of bringing Craftsman into the Stanley Black & Decker fold. The unfortunate side of the coin, in my opinion, is that industry consolidation is not great for the market, specifically consumers, in general. With that said, I am really glad Craftsman will be around for my grandchildren, just as it was for my grandfather.
Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
Industry Interviews
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Inventor’s “Restorer” Tool (for Sanding-plus) Licensed to Porter-Cable After Long Journey
Robert Kundel Jr.’s “Restorer” tool invention has applications for sanding, buffing, metalwork and more — and a backstory of how it came to be produced as a tool licensed under the PORTER-CABLE brand.
Tricks of the Trade
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Dual-Bar Crosscut Fence Jig
Table saw miter gauges are OK for crosscutting short workpieces, but they aren’t stable for long stock — as designed, they cantilever bad.
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Shop-made Iron-on Edge Banding
Iron-on edge banding is easy to make. This reader offers his trick for creating your own edge banding in your workshop.
What's In Store
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Festool SysLite DUO Work Light
Eighty LED lights, rated for 10,000 hours, provide bright natural light in a compact package to help illuminate any workspace.
Q & A
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How to Chamfer Large-diameter Dowels?
I have been chamfering smaller-diameter dowels for years, but I would like a way to do the same thing on larger dowels, up to about 2 inches in diameter.
Reader's Project Gallery
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Garden Hose Holders
This reader took a new scroll saw delivered by Santa and created some wonderful artwork for outside the home.
