Features

• The device offers two blade speeds: 1620 and 3340
• Two dust collection ports.  One at the back and one at the front.  They are 2-1/2 in. and 4 in. deep.
• Include a standard 3/4” x 3/8” miter slot
• Seven foot power cord
• Upper and lower guards
• The saw has an 8-inch resaw capacity and ball bearing guides to help reduce friction and lengthen blade life.
• Craftsman One Year Limited Warranty
• 45-degree tilting table

A tension indicator is located on the side of the bandsaw.  Adjusting the tension knob on the top of the saw will move the indicator up or down.

The saw includes a large start and bright red safety stop lever.

The saw can be adjusted to cut at two different speeds.  A handy guide is included on the side to make it easy to adjust speeds.

Assembly

The assembly of the Craftsman Bandsaw went smoothly and overall was simple.  I did a quick video of how I assembled it below.  You can easily assemble it in less than an hour.

A nice thing about assembling the Craftsman Bandsaw were the directions.  They were complete and just made sense.  In fact most of the band-saw is already assembled for you.  You will need a few tools to complete the assembly:  Phillips screw driver, adjustable wrench, and a square.  The saw is heavy and I would strongly recommend that two people lift it onto the table when you’re ready to seat it.

Summary

I really like the Craftsman Bandsaw Model BAS350 (00932607000P).  This bandsaw is sturdy accurate and easy to assemble.  It’s well priced for what is included and should last for years.  The heavy cast iron table just looks and feels solid.  It is great for cutting wood, and with adjustable speeds it can be used for other purposes.  It’s extremely rare that I have no criticisms for a product, but honestly I have none at this time.  Perhaps with more use and time I will update this post, but for now it just seems solid.

Looking for more information?  Check out the Crafsman Bandsaw Model BAS350 Manual

The post Craftsman Bandsaw – Review & Assembly appeared first on WoodLogger.

The first thing I have to say about the Craftsman Orbital Jig Saw is that it’s more rugged and certainly feels more durable.  It’s a little bulkier than some of the other saw’s I’ve use, but it handles very nicely.  The grip handle has a hard rubber feel to it.  It also has a nice feature where you can remove the handle from the top and use the bottom of the drill as a barrel grip.  It has a rotating cut head on the top of the drill.  I haven’t found a use for that yet, but I suppose it’s beneficial to some.  It also has a laser trac attached to it to help with cutting straight lines.

I purchased my Craftsman Orbital Jig Saw 28223 from Sears.  I’ve been using it for a few months now, and it seems really solid.  In fact this is my third jig saw that I’ve owned and is by far my favorite.  It just feels rugged.  I picked mine up for around $70, and also bought a blade holder(it’s definitely “a nice to have”).

If you’ve read any of my other reviews of Craftsman product then you already know that I have mixed feeling about Craftsman tools.  Craftsman hand tools are hands down the best in the world.  No one beats them, and the warranty they offer.  Power tools on the other hand are a different story.  I think as a general rule high-end Craftsman power tools are usually pretty solid, but if you get the low-end or middle models of a craftsman power tool it’s a bit of a gamble.

• Jig Saw
• 2 blades
• Dust tube
• Hex Key
• Carry Bag
• Manual

Here is some more basic info about the saw:

• Has a 2-in-1 design that allow you to remove the grip handle and use as a barrel grip.
• Has a 6 amp, 800 to 3000 SPM variable speed motor.
• Has Laser Trac
• Has a variable speed based on pressure of handle
• Has 5 cutting modes
  • Scrolling 360
  • Smooth
  • Low
  • Medium
  • Fast
• Bevel cutting capacity 0° to 45° left to right
• Built-in LED Work light
• Blade storage in base
• Carrying Bag

The post Craftsman Orbital Jig Saw – Review appeared first on WoodLogger.

The drill was actually purchased as part of a kit (model# 935704).  The kit includes the following items:

• DD2100 Heavy Duty Drill/Driver
• CH2030 Multi-Chemistry Charger
• PP2020 XCP 19.2-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Battery Pack
• 2 Double Ended Screwdriver Bits
• Tool Bag
• Operator’s Manuals

If you’ve read any of my other reviews of Craftsman product then you already know that I have mixed feeling about Craftsman tools.  Craftsman hand tools are hands down the best in the world.  No one beats them, and the warranty they offer.  Power tools on the other hand are a different story.  I think as a general rule high-end Craftsman power tools are usually pretty solid, but if you get the low-end or middle models of a craftsman power tool it’s a bit of a gamble.

The first thing I have to say about the new drill is the size and weight is a big improvement over my old drill.  It’s more compact making it easier to use in tight spaces.  The handle and grip is also wrapped with a soft rubber grip.  Another plus is it just feels more powerful when I’m using it.  The manual states that the new battery technology XCP gives the drill 10% more torque than other lithium batteries.  I’m not sure if it’s the battery, or the fact that my old drill was 12 years old.  Either way it’s a more powerful drill which is always a good thing.  Here is some basic info about the drill:

• Two variable speed gear box with ranges 0-375 / 0-1,600 RPM
• Powerful motor up to 465 in-lbs. with forward and reverse selector
• 24 – position adjustable torque clutch
• 1/2″ all metal, single sleeve keyless chuck
• Micro texture grip
• 19.2 volt compatible lithium-ion battery
• Built-in LED Work light
• 1 year warranty

The new battery technology XCP is supposed to give your 19.2 tools more torque.  More power is almost always a good thing.  Another nice thing is the light that shows you when your battery is getting low.  It switches green to yellow to red to alert you how much energy is left.  Here are some of the features listed about the battery:

• Up to 35% more run time
• Up to 10% more torque
• Extreme Weather Performance (Operates in temperatures from 5° to 158° F)
• Energy indicator light on battery

The new charger that is included as part of the kit is also solid.  I’ve used it to charge three different types of batteries.  It’s designed for the 19.2 battery line and it’s really nice that it can handle all the flavors of that voltage.  It has light indicators to tell you what type of battery is being charged and what the status of the battery is.

Overall I really like the entire kit that Sears has put together.  The drill, battery, and charger all seem solid, and they even throw in a storage bag to keep it all in.  The drill feels lite, but strong and I believe will last for many years.  I think if you’re a casual woodworker like me, then this is probably a good fit for you.

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For my birthday recently my wife purchased me a Craftsman 16″ Variable Speed Scroll Saw.  (That’s right fella’s she’s all mine)  Having never owned a scroll saw, and quickly realizing that I’m a novice to this tool; I’ll do my best to give an honest review of this tool.

But…  Before I can start I have to give a little insight to my scroll saw bias’.

I’ve been doing the “woodworking thing”, for a few years now and I’ve always thought I had all of the tools that I needed. I also have always had two opinions when it came to scroll saws.  The first was that anything that I needed to do with a scroll saw could just as easily be done with a band saw and a router.  My second opinion was that these things were for people who like to make really intricate wood details.  A tool for a wood-carver, or a tool for a whittler.  After owning a scroll saw for less than a month now; I still believe my opinions are correct….  Mostly….  What I’m discovering though is how much easier it is to make more accurate cuts for smaller projects.  I’m currently working on a music box project, where I wanted to make a small rounded cut into the base.  In the past I would have gone straight to the bandsaw for this.  I chose to use my scroll saw to do this work and even though I screwed up a few times, I quickly learned that this was going to be a tool that I’ll use going forward.

The scroll saw I have is the Craftsman 16″ variable speed scroll saw(Model # 21602).  This was a good introduction model for me.  Craftsman hand tools I almost always give 5 star kudos too.  Power tools on the other hand I think craftsman is that great middle model.  It balances cost with performance, and amount of use.  I’ll be the first to say if your going to use your scroll saw intensely or for professional uses this model is probably not for you.  For everyone else though it seems to be pretty solid.

The saw allows for cutting wood up to 2″ thick.  I’ve only cut wood that is 3/4″ thick and it did excellent work on it.  I have cut pine and oak wood with various widths and for both hard and soft woods it seemed to handle the job nicely.  It uses standard 5″ blades and can use both the straight blade and those that have a pin on the end of them.  The saw came with four blades to help get you going.  Depending on what types of wood you’ll be cutting there are various size blades.  The manual includes a pretty good chart on what to use for this.  Another nice feature is that the saw base can be adjusted to a 45″ degree angle allowing for beveled cuts.  The saw includes a dust port, although from what I can tell most of the dust stays on the top of the table.  There is a small dust blower on the top of the table which helps somewhat.  There is a blade holder on the side of the saw, but its a little flaky because there is nothing that keeps them in place.  If your saw is going to stay in a stationary position and not be moved around then no big deal.  If however, you have a small shop like me and move tools left and right those blades won’t stay there for long.

I think my biggest complaint for this saw was the initial setup of the saw.  Usually when I get a new power tool everything is set and calibrated before receiving it.  Only occasionally do you need to make a minor adjustment.  This was the case for the scroll saw.  The table was not level when set to 0°.  No problem though, there is an adjustment screw located under the table plate that is adjustable.  On my setup it was WAY off so I had to really adjust the screw.  It makes you question was there any testing done on this before it was boxed?  Somehow I doubt that.  After leveling the table with the adjustment screw I also had to adjust the measure screw to point it to 0°.

Overall I like the saw, and think it’s a great starter saw.  If you’re a serious SS’er (“Scroll Sawer”, I just created that term ) then you may want to look at other models that have more features, and are a little more rugged.  If you’re a casual woodworker who enjoys playing around with these tools, then the Craftsman 16″ Scroll Saw is an excellent way to go.

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