The 12 1/2″ Ryobi thickness planer was recently released and I was lucky enough to receive one from team Ryobi to evaluate. The timing was good as I had recently gone back to a local Amish shed builder and restocked my supply of rough cut hemlock boards. They are all 6″ x 1″ full dimension rough cut boards. I have found a number of uses for these thick boards, and have primarily used them in their rough cut form. I was in need of some smooth boards though, as I needed a larger table top for set up at our local farmers market. Five boards planed smooth on one side and two portable saw horses later, I was in business. The table is ready, the vegetables are ripe and we’re ready to go! So let’s take a quick look at the new 12.5″ Ryobi thickness planer. Read More
power tools
Dynamic Duo – Skil PWR CORE 20 Chainsaw and PWR CORE 40 Brushless Polesaw
I’ve nearly lost track of the number of battery powered chainsaws that have passed through my hands in the last 3 years. My wife and I are working to reclaim a portion of the land on our 80 acre farm that has been overtaken by nature due to years of neglect. Though that doesn’t necessarily make me an expert on the subject of battery powered chainsaws by any means, it does go a long way to informing my opinion on what I like and what works for my particular application. We recently received a pair of battery powered saws from Skil to review – the new PWR CORE 20 brushless 12″ chainsaw kit and the PWR CORE 40 brushless 10″ Polesaw kit. Each one of these tools represent a lineup of outdoor tools from the folks at Skil, and The line was new to me. I have to say after using them in the field for the last month they have become my go to saws for brush clearing and general yardwork where a polesaw or smaller chainsaw is the best option. Here is the breakdown on these saws. Read More
