A neighbor of mine enlisted my help to put the finishing touch on his 1920’s bungalow home (a home he’s been renovating over the course of 10 years). He needed a good Craftsman-style door to match the look of the rest of the home. Somewhere in the past, the front door had been modified from the original. On top of that, a […]
I’ve got two corded orbital sanders, which is in itself a story. My Porter-Cable is about 10-12 years old. I’ve repaired and rebuilt that thing over and over again throughout the years. About 8-9 years ago I somehow misplaced it in the Jeep I drove doing trim carpentry work. In my defense, the back of […]
A trim router is great for Formica and getting those small details on door stiles. I do some custom kitchen doors, and a small laminate router comes in handy. Really, this type of tool is for anything that doesn’t require the removal of a lot of material. Bigger jobs take a larger shaft and motor as these smaller trim routers aren’t made […]
As a trim carpenter I was strictly a pneumatic nailer guy until about two years ago. That’s when I was introduced to some battery powered nailers that changed the way I think about lugging a heavy compressor to the job site. They can do just about everything I need, and I’ll swap the extra tool […]
I run just about all my trim off an 18-gauge nailer. The head doesn’t leave a large divot, so you don’t have to double fill your nail holes. It’s perfect for case, base, chair rail, and crown molding—just about any type of trim in a residential environment. This is really my go-to tool. I’ve even hung pre-hung […]
The Jackclamp is a unique animal from the minds at Lowell Thomas Tool that combines the function of a clamp system with a jack to provide a variety of uses. We’ll get into all of those momentarily, but first things first. When I took a look at the Jackclamp website (click here to see for […]
I was thrilled to receive the Ryobi 18V Cordless Narrow Crown Stapler (P360) to review after having the chance to use its cousin, the 18 Gauge Cordless Brad Nailer, a few months back. Together, they have become my go-to tools for trim fastening. Having a wainscoting job to do gave me the perfect opportunity to […]
The jig saw plays an integral part in what I do as a trim carpenter. It’s a tool I’ve used for many, many years, and I have my favorite features and characteristics which I’ve grown accustomed to over the decades. That’s both good and bad when reviewing a new product. It’s good because I have […]
I’ve been wanting to get my hands on the new Ryobi P320 AirStrike 18V brad nailer since it came out. Who wouldn’t? It’s a $129 cordless brad nailer that works with my other Ryobi ONE+ tools like the Ryobi P360 18 gauge stapler. Normally, I’d go and just buy one, but for several months it seemed […]
Sometimes you get tools and you jump right into a project. Other times it takes a couple of weeks until you land something that allows you to really give a product the proper time it deserves. This month I finally got a chance to try out the 1/2-Sheet Bosch OS50VC Orbital Sander. This tool followed […]
Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
