A woodworker’s wish list

December is a great time to take stock of a shop’s tool inventory, especially as so many suppliers run sales in January. And looking at all the options available is a bit of a treat. Some new tools simply replace aging forebears, while others approach problems in a whole new way.

Take, for example, DeWalt’s new Multi-Head Drill/Driver (item DCD803B at dewalt.com). The company’s research revealed that drill users wanted a more versatile cordless tool that could handle a wider range of applications. The new 20-volt Atomic tool has a drop-in loading mechanism that quickly switches between a 1/2" chuck, a 1/4" right-angle attachment, a 1/4" offset attachment, and a 1/4" quick-connect attachment. It’s available as a bare tool and includes a mountable organizer and belt hooks to hold the attachment heads.

The new GSH06T1 from Makita USA (makitatools.com) is another innovative idea. This is a 16-5/16" cordless circular saw that can cut 6x material at 90 degrees and 4x material at 45 degrees in a single pass. It comes with a blade stabilizer, an electric brake, and soft start. Makita says this is the world’s largest cordless circular saw.

Metabo HPT (metabo-hpt.com) has released several new MultiVolt options, which are 18- and 36-volt power tools that can also accept an adapter that lets them plug into household current. Among these is the Stud, a 7-1/4" cordless circular saw (C3607DBQ4) which automatically switches the saw from high speed to high torque for tougher cuts or thicker wood. It’s like an automatic transmission. The saw has a cut-depth indicator and a 55-degree bevel capacity.

New from Fein (fein.com) is the Renovator XL Combo, an 18-volt set of three tools that are packaged with a lot of accessories. The tools are a four-speed drill/driver, a 1/4" impact driver, and an oscillating multi-tool. The lightweight drill (ASCM18 QSW AS) features a QuickIN interface for fast accessory changes. The impact driver (ASCD 18-200 W4 AS) has six electronic torque settings and a 1/4" hexagonal tool mount. And the multi-tool (AMM 700 MAX) comes with an anti-vibration system and StarlockMax tool mounting. These tools work with AMPShare batteries.

The new Handy Bench from Rockler (rockler.com, item 62650) is made from solid beech and has a Moxon-style, twin-screw vise. It can convert sawhorses or Rockler’s work stand into a rugged, go-anywhere workbench. The top is 16" x 32", and the vise will clamp workpieces up to 3'' thick and about 10'' wide. The unit comes with four aluminum bench dogs, and the vise can be moved around as needed.

The T34243 mobile router table/workstation from Grizzly industrial (grizzly.com) includes a router table, built-in storage for bits and accessories, and a mobile stand with four locking swivel casters. There are two doors, one on each side, with storage space for bits, wrenches, and other accessories, and routers can be kept below. The aluminum fence is adjusted topside and tool-free with handles, and the T34243 has both fence-mounted and tool enclosure dust extraction. T-tracks on the router table allow for feather-boards, hold-downs, and other work-holding, and there’s a 3/8"-thick phenolic insert.

Kreg Tool’s Dowel Jig Kit (KHJD345 at kregtool.com) lets a woodworker create clean, consistent dowel joints without measuring or guesswork. It has removable 1/4" and 3/8" drill guide blocks (plus a 1/2" upgrade option), a clamp-ready design, and multiple intuitive alignment methods including dowel alignment grooves, reference lines, and alignment pins. The built-in stop collar setting and measuring scale also simplify setup.

FastCap’s new Crown Stop Fence (fastcap.com) has two parallel T-grooves cut into the face of the fence, allowing slide bars to move freely up and down to fit any crown molding up to 7-1/2" wide. When not in use, a woodworker can store the slide bars in grooves on the backside of the Crown Stop Fence. To install them, remove the existing fences and slide them in.

Two new edge banders from Maksiwa (maksiwa.com), the Platinum and Titanium, offer compact designs and lots of extras. The Platinum CBC.PCR model handles EVA and PUR and it has a corner-rounding feature, pre-milling, trimming, glue-scraping and buffing. And the Titanium CBC.TPM model has a compact footprint along with pre-milling, a gluing unit, a multi-function group for end trimming and top/bottom trimming, glue scraping, buffing, and vertical rounding.

Jobsite cleanup can be challenging, especially when the work is being done where people live. Exchanging an older, louder and less efficient shop vacuum for one of the four new HEPA wet/dry dust extractors from Festool USA (festoolusa.com) could be a significant upgrade. The smallest, the Cleantec CT 26 EI, is a 6.9-gallon unit with Bluetooth start-up when an attached tool or remote is turned on. It has five suction levels, an anti-static feature, clever hose and cord storage, large wheels, and an integrated brake. Other units in this family are the CT 36 EI and CT 48 EI AC with Autoclean, which allows the user to set filter cleaning intervals at 15, 30, 60, or 120 seconds.

Measuring for casework or countertops is a whole lot easier with digital templating (using a laser on a tripod). The new Leica (leica-geosystems.com) iCON iCS20 and iCS50 models, combined with a vPen, can capture any contour, no matter how complex. Hidden points, glossy surfaces or even glass are no problem, and setting up target plates on edges is no longer necessary. By touching the pen at critical spots, a woodworker can complete a 2D or 3D jobsite drawing with offsets, profiles and cut-outs. The digital template can then be used to program a CNC machine.

Lee Valley (leevalley.com) has just released a feeler gauge for woodworkers, which can be used when adjusting items such as plunge routers, fences, or planer knives. Referenced as item 86K9902, it has 1/2"-wide by 5-1/2"-long fingers. This lets a woodworker see what’s going on and also use combinations of two or more fingers without distortion. The set runs from 0.0015" to 0.035".

Anyone who has ever installed a kitchen knows how it feels to wish there was a jack around. Lining up base cabinets or raising wall units is a two-man job — well, it was until Irwin (irwintools.com) introduced its Quick-Lift. This is a jack that has a 10” lifting height and a capacity of up to 330 lbs. Use the no-load Quick Release feature to slip the lift plate under an object, and then squeeze the trigger to raise a cabinet, door, panel, or countertop.

The new L5300 from Wagner Meters (wagnermeters.com) is the manufacturer’s most advanced industrial-grade moisture meter. Powered by Wagner’s IntelliSense pinless sensor technology, it measures 1" deep into the wood, not just on the surface.  It also integrates seamlessly with Wagner’s L722 Lumber Stack Probe, which lets users detect moisture deep within stickered stacks. And it stores up to 1,000 readings across 100 groups.

A couple of new 3/4" down-cut pattern bits from Bits & Bits Co. (bitsbits.com) are AstraHP Coated for extended tool life. These are triple flute router bits with 1/2" shanks, and they’re now available in 3/4" and 1-1/8" cut lengths. The triple flute down-cut pattern bit delivers clean top edges and a smooth finish at any depth.

Grex (grexusa.com) says that its H850LX is “the most advanced 21-gauge nailer on the planet.” The gun drives 2" brads into hardwood and offers a middle ground between the small hole size left by a 23-gauge pin and the holding strength of an 18-gauge brad nail. It comes with lots of new features including an integrated edge guide, a swivel connector, a hardened steel one-piece driver, a Posit-Lock nose cover that dramatically reduces jamming, a one-touch lockout override, rear exhaust, and a narrow nose design.

Adding a digital gun in the spray booth can help reduce errors by monitoring inlet pressure, operating time, and temperature. The SATAjet X 5500 has SATA’s (sata.com) new X atomization system, which handles all paint systems and increases both control and consistency.

Bosch Power Tools (boschtools.com) has a new cordless 16-gauge (7/16") crown stapler, the GTH18V-50MN. It comes with a thumb wheel for quick, stepless depth changes, quick toggling between single and bump-fire modes, low recoil, and pneumatic-like performance. There’s tool-free jam clearing, a quick-load magazine, and an LED light. And it works with AMPShare, which is a multi-brand compatible battery system.

Kyocera Senco Industrial Tools (senco.com) has introduced a new cap stapler for jobsite work that will fire without plastic caps when simple stapling is required. The CS61H1 has been awarded a 2025 Pro Tool Innovation Award.

Originally published in the December 2025 issue of Woodshop News.