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Once again the NewWoodworker.com viewers choose the best!

NewWoodworker.com Top Ten Tools of 2012!

Our viewers still like the best!

Text and photos by Tom Hintz

Posted – 11-20-1012

Once again the NewWoodworker.com viewers have made 10 of my 2012 Tool Reviews the most popular. What should not be a surprise is that once again they paid the most attention to the best-made, most useful products that I reviewed. It also is not surprising that the SawStop showed up in the #1 spot. As noted by many of the viewers this review was also important safety news for those looking for more information on this relatively new saw.

The rest of the Top Ten Tools of 2012 also drew lots of attention and positive remarks from a wide range of viewers. With over 5-million page views in the last 12 months the Tool Reviews section of NewWoodworker.com continues to be a favorite on my site!

1. SawStop Professional Cabinet Saw In addition to being the most popular Tool Review on NewWoodworker.com the SawStop Professional Cabinet Saw is also one of the best-selling table saws in existence. I can remember when most people thought the price of this level of safety would be too much but the woodworking market, and NewWoodworker.com viewers have proven that wrong in a big way. In addition to the obvious safety offered by the blade braking system the SawStop Professional Cabinet Saw is a first rate table saw overall. It is very well made and loaded with innovative features in addition to the ground breaking braking system. Many NewWoodworker.com viewers expressed surprise when I changed to the SawStop Professional Cabinet Saw surprised in my own shop. Visit the Review - Click Here.

2. INCRA IBOX When I first got the INCRA IBOX in the shop I had doubts that a box joint jig just could succeed in the modern woodworking market. Then when I saw firsthand how well it worked I knew it would be a winner. The folks at INCRA always do their homework and produce some of the most accurate, high-quality tooling available and those qualities have made them very popular with a large portion of the woodworking public. Many of the NewWoodworker.com viewers who responded to the INCRA IBOX review mentioned the ease of use and being able to adjust the joint so easily. More than a few were amazed that after years of struggling with homemade jigs they could now make perfect-fitting box joints in their projects. That simplicity and versatility put the INCRA IBOX #2 in this years’ NewWoodworker.com Top Ten Tools list! Visit the Review - Click Here.

3. Rockler’s Carbide Mini Turning Tools Rockler has always had a knack for coming up with tools and supplies their customers both like and need. The Rockler Carbide Mini Turning Tools are a shining example of their understanding their customer base. Turning continues to grow in popularity and a set of easy to use tools that do not require a stand-alone sharpening system is proving to be very popular with the real-world woodworkers. In addition to the quality materials and design the woodworkers like the selection of cutter shapes as well as the flexibility of each individual shape. The full set of just three Rockler Carbide Mini Turning Tools has filled the needs of a bunch of NewWoodworker.com viewers who have begun using these tools since the Rockler Carbide Mini Turning Tools review was posted. Visit the Review - Click Here.

4. Rockler’s Excelsior 5-Speed Mini Lathe Keeping with the popularity of wood turning the Rockler Excelsior 5-Speed Mini Lathe easily took the fourth spot in this years list. Most of the NewWoodworker.com viewers commented on its solid construction, performance and value because of the moderate price. Until I actually used the Rockler Excelsior 5-Speed Mini Lathe myself I worried about it just being another “store-brand” knock-off. What I found was a nice running, fully capable lathe that fits virtually any shop size and budget. Many of the NewWoodworker.com viewers that responded to the Rockler Excelsior 5-Speed Mini Lathe review said that this machine made it possible for them to add turning to their skill set without killing their tool budget. The number of viewers feeling like they need a larger lathe was surprisingly small making the Rockler Excelsior 5-Speed Mini Lathe the easy favorite. Visit the Review - Click Here.

5. GRR-Ripper® System When I did the GRR-Ripper® System review I immediately received a bunch of “it’s about time” emails and had to agree with them. I don’t know why it took this long to make this review happen but the NewWoodworker.com viewers have since made it clear that they like the GRR-Ripper® System and many had already had been using it. Safety is always important and the GRR-Ripper® System certainly does make woodworking safer but it has other utility as well. The design of this tool gives you more control over a wider range of project pieces in terms of size and shape. That not only makes you safer it can make you more productive and even more accurate. Visit the Review - Click Here.

6. Bosch 2.3 HP Plunge & Fixed-Base Router Kit Bosch has always been one of the most favored router manufacturers with woodworkers and their 2.3 HP Plunge & Fixed-Base Router Kit continues that dominance. Routers in this size are hugely popular with home-based woodworkers and the Bosch 2.3 HP Plunge & Fixed-Base Router Kit appears to be near to if not in the lead of that bunch. I have always liked the Bosch no-nonsense design criteria as well as the first rate materials and manufacturing. The number of favorable comments from the NewWoodworker.com viewers shows that Bosch is not in danger of losing its popularity with this crowd any time soon. Visit the Review - Click Here.

7. Bessey Rapid Action Clamps Clamps can seem like ancient technology but put a good one in front of woodworkers and they recognize the value of modern thinking and manufacturing technology. The Bessey Rapid Action Clamp review drew lots of favorable reactions from the NewWoodworker.com viewers from the first day it was posted. Like all of their products the Bessey Rapid Action Clamps are made very well but it was the technology that keeps the clamping pad motionless when applying pressure that got everyone’s attention. That simple sounding difference is not so simple to build into a clamp and our viewers appreciated that effort! Visit the Review - Click Here.

8. Lumber Wizard™ 4 The Lumber Wizard™ line of metal detectors has been popular with woodworkers for a long time but that hasn’t slowed their penchant for making improvements. The new Lumber Wizard™ #4 comes along with more features and more power and even more followers within the NewWoodworker.com viewer ranks. It is good to see so many people using technology to be safer in their shops along with saving money on ruined blades and cutters. Until we can magically make metal disappear from the wood we use there will be need for the Lumber Wizard™! Visit the Review - Click Here.

9. Milwaukee Super SAWZALL® Reciprocating Saw I know that the Milwaukee Super SAWZALL® Reciprocating Saw isn’t a pure woodworking tool but it is very useful in and around our shops nonetheless. Also, because so many woodworkers are equally proficient DIY’ers the heavy interest among NewWoodworker.com viewers in the Milwaukee Super SAWZALL® Reciprocating Saw is understandable. Woodworkers always love tools that are easy to use, dependable and do what they are intended to do. The Milwaukee Super SAWZALL® Reciprocating Saw has met those requirements for decades and is now even easier to use which brought it in at #9 in the 2012 NewWoodworker.com Top Ten Tools list! Visit the Review - Click Here.

10. The LaSquare Probably the biggest surprise in the 2012 Top Ten Tools list is the LaSquare. This is an innovative tool but I thought that it lacked the power-driven function to draw this much attention. But the NewWoodworker.com viewers appreciated the new design features and the top-shelf manufacturing and gave it enough attention to make this years list! No matter what else we buy we always need good layout tools for any project we build. The LaSquare makes those jobs easier and more accurate. The innovative body also extends the capabilities of the LaSquare in more situations, something that was not lost on the NewWoodworker.com viewers who commented on it. Visit the Review - Click Here.

That’s it for this years NewWoodworker.com Top Ten Tools list. Once again our viewers show that they have an appreciation for great quality tools that also have the level of function that makes them useful in our home-based shops.

Tomorrow I start compiling the NewWoodworker.com Top Ten Tools list for 2013. Watch for the new Tool Reviews over the coming year and let me know when you see one you like!

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