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Discover our picks for the 12 Best New Tools of 2009 in the December issue of Popular Woodworking , if you’re a subscriber, you should be getting the new issue any day now (it will be available on newsstands late next week).
While I can’t reveal the Best New Tools here, I can tell you that it’s a good year for small makers (though some major manufacturers won kudos as well). Here’s one hint (for those of you who have been reading the blog throughout the year): Christopher Schwarz got the first of these in, and Glen Huey and I each placed an order within days of using Chris’s (and in a reversal of traditional gender color dichotomies, mine is blue; Glen’s is pin…er…red).
Also in the December issue:
– Compact 12-volt Drill/Drivers , we test six to see which one bores and screws the best , for the best price. (They’re pictured above, if you care to take a guess as to the Editor’s Choice winner.) And, read about 18v drill/drivers here to compare them to their smaller, lighter cousins , and see which is right for you.
– An elegy for Sam Maloof , John Economaki writes about his friendship with this maker of iconic, elegant furniture
– An elegy for James Krenov , Ron Hock remembers one of the most influential woodworking writers in recent history
– Bibliophile’s Bookcase , This large, Shaker-inspired bookcase provides plenty of book storage, with two drawers to boot
– Build a Boomerang , Making a boomerang (or a bunch of them) is simple and fast , and these fun projects will set your head spinning
– Shooting Boards , Small work is safer and easier to size when you work with a handplane and a ell-made shooting board
– Seamless Curved-panel Glue-ups , With careful layout, you’ll be able to hide seam on even the widest panels, even when the grain throws you a curve.
Plus, an “I Can Do That” recycling station, an inside looks at a Pennsylvania Spice Box in Arts & Mysteries, finishing with Gel Varnish and much more.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
Meagan,
Well it’s obvious that you are talking about Dave Jeske’s Blue Spruce Toolworks unbelievable mallet. I’ve been using mine (the original brown) since they became available. This, just like all of Dave’s tools work flawlessly and is aesthetically pleasing as well.
Michael