Neil and Mark summarise Chris Elsworthy’s appearance on Dragon’s Den, including the success of the CEL multi-tool. We also feature some of your comments about the DeWalt subcompact range and Mark talks about his experience borrowing the DCD710S2 drill/driver the weekend he moved house.
Play the podcast; Download the audio file.
They also comment on the DeWalt DC618KB nail gun and how it runs on the same 18v battery as the above pack which means that you not only have power but don’t need to buy gas packs. However, we bring in an expert on nail guns, nail gun product manager for Makita UK, Roger Mayer, along with John Stark. Roger walks us through the range of Makita nail guns, explaining how they work, the nails they use, the benefits of air-powered nail guns along with gas nailers. Plus Roger shares his top tip for buying and using an air compressor.
Finally, the guys lay down their predictions for the English Premiership and Neil gets the chance to win back his tenner.
We want your comments and feedback on the podcast, so please get involved by leaving a comment here on the blog and remember to keep up to date on Twitter and Facebook.
Carrying out essential repairs on your power tools will save you time and money, both in extending the working life of the tool while meaning you don’t have to send it off to be repaired. One essential repair is replacing the brushes in your drills. Not only is it a cheap repair, but it’s really easy, as Makita’s Derek Wenham demonstrates.
Mark and Neil are joined on the podcast this week by CEL UK’s Chris Elsworthy, aka the brain behind the Power8 Workshop. Chris tells us about his experience on BBC TV’s “Dragon’s Den“, plus gives us some info on the direction CEL UK are heading in terms of the development of their range of power tools.
On this edition of “Challenge Colin“, we challenge Makita’s Colin Woolmer to see how quickly he could drill through a 4 inch block of brick using a Makita core cutter. Colin reckoned he could do it in around 5 minutes. Watch the video to see if he managed.
No messing about with this tool, it’s the Makita BDF453RFE LXT drill driver, powered by Makita’s ever-popular 18v lithium-ion battery technology (the LXT part), it’s going to do exactly what you want it to in the drilling and driving department. And that lithium-ion battery is going to allow you to do loads drilling and driving with it’s fast charging time of only 22 minutes.
The BDF453RFE also benefits from loads of power, its two speeds giving you a maximum torque of 27nm in speed one and 42nm in speed two. The power is managed via 16 speed settings and will let you drill into steel up to 13mm and wood up to 36mm.
Neil demos the “Flipper”, aka the Makita LF1000 flipover saw. This saw serves two purposes; a mitre saw and (after a very quick flip-over process (see video)) – a table saw. Full details on the spec of each saw is in the video.
We were impressed with the simplicity of the tool, the process to repurpose it to either mitre or table saw was quick and easy, and is ideal for those who have limited space in their workshop/jobsite. It comes complete with a TCT blade, blade guard and electric brake. It’ll mitre 90° to 45° left and right, bevel 45° to 0° left and has a blade diameter of 260mm.
Brand new from DeWalt’s subcompact range, Neil demos the DCF610S2 screwdriver. Small, perfectly formed and packing loads of power. It also benefits from all metal gearing, with 15 torque positions, giving the tool a longer and more reliable life-span. Even with the metal gearing, it only weighs in at less than a kilo!
We like the ergonomics of the handle due to the battery slotting into the base of the tool. This gives the tool the familiar DeWalt profile, allows you to get a better grip and adds a certain robustness. Perhaps you have to see it/hold to know what we mean!
Shear (no pun) cutting power from Makita, featuring the Makita JS1601 Shear. Mark overview the feaures and spec while Makita’s Colin gives us a demo of the shear in action. Watch out for the 4mm wide metal strip it produces.
15 Position adjustable torque control for consistent screwdriving into a variety of materials with different screw sizes
10mm Single sleeve keyless chuck with automatic spindle lock for quick and easy bit change
Two speed settings, variable speed and reverse switch
All metal gearing for efficient power transmission and long tool life
LED light for improved visibility
Comes with:
40 min charger
2 x 10.8V 1.3Ah Li-Ion batteries
Kit box
I had the use of this tool over the weekend to tackle a wide variety of jobs, from assembling Ikea furniture to removing fence panels, dismantling kitchen cabinets and putting up shelves. The battery already had a charge in it and I used the tool heavily on Friday, loads on Saturday afternoon and did a few bits and pieces with it on Sunday and it was still going strong without me needing to drop it on the charger. We want to know what you think about DeWalt’s subcompact range, let us know on the blog.
