A few things are missing from the market.
A stout drill press for woodworkers, multi-rib drive for lower vibration, long throw and a split head to adjust the quill slop. Don't need 18 speeds, 5 or 6 would do. I would suggest DP OEMs could sell the same machine for metal or wood by having two tables available. Seems obvious to me. Table adjustments need to come out of the dark ages. Someday I may find a good vintage one. Some of the Delta features are about right, but missing some and quality...
Hand router plane(s) with better depth adjustment. Put the rack on the cutter, not some sloppy lead screw. More cutter widths. Removeable front bridge.
Larger tables on band saws.
Dedicated shooting plane one can buy with only money.
Something like a Lyon trimmer, but with adjustments for the ways and built in clamping so it can trim a thinner amount. A shooting board/plane is not always the answer.
ALL stationary tool makers need to hire someone who understands fluid dynamics to take a serious look at dust collection. What I see even on industrial tools are mistakes we knew better about in 1900, or at least after Smith and Morrison post war.
Table saws with brakes for normal operation. It is not hard to keep the nut from spinning off. I suspect, and by my own laziness, many accidents are by impatience clearing work and waste as we don't wait for the blade to fully stop. Easy on universal motors, easy on 3-phase, but tricky on single phase induction motors.
All Table saws should have a tray that slides out to recover a dropped arbor nut.
Table Saws need multiple fence stops with micro adjustments. Kind of like on my 1898 Underwood typewriter for tab-stops.
They should offer fences in right, left, and center offset of the "T" I have never used my fence on the left. If it was offset on the T, I would have 5 inches more width for free. If I find a used fence, I may cut it apart and weld it back to make one.
Better angle and height digital readouts on table saws. Designed in, not hacked on with always dead batteries. Planers too. Calibration needs to be easy enough we would actually use it. I have a Wixe fence on my TS I almost never use and one on my DeWalt planer that again, I measure and crank more often.
A "stupid" mode on the Nova. Just speed, none of the complicated depth and stop stuff. The posts with a quick release nut do depth just fine. It would be nice if drill presses had a zero-counter weight you could engage so they could work easier as a taping machine.
If DeWalt made their planer for a 20A outlet and increased the HP by just a tad. Better, if they had a 220V version. It could then fully fill the gap between lunchbox and full stationary.
A better integrated Dust Deputy/vac system.
A much more convenient lid and bins for a ClearView. A DC should have restricted flow and full bin warnings. I am working out how to use a cheap HF multi-tool for a canister shaker.
Non-clogging plastic blast gates with a mounting bracket built in.
The Harvey Gryo DC but make the port moveable from front to top, end, or back.
I applaud companies like Bridge City for re-imagining tools, but John seems to have gotten carried away fixing things that don't need fixing. I have gained more respect for Veritas but holes in their lines. L-N I would have dismissed as just prestige until I bought one. Bench Dog helping the lower end with decent tools but cutters only so-so. Taylor tools also OK with some tune-up, but again, edges don't seem to hold up. Wood river I am mixed. They seem very good, but somehow when I grab a #4, it is my old Stanley type 16. Stanley seems to want to try with updated designs, but just too sloppy. Primus seems to be out of stock. I wonder if wood planes could stand some re-think.
A stout drill press for woodworkers, multi-rib drive for lower vibration, long throw and a split head to adjust the quill slop. Don't need 18 speeds, 5 or 6 would do. I would suggest DP OEMs could sell the same machine for metal or wood by having two tables available. Seems obvious to me. Table adjustments need to come out of the dark ages. Someday I may find a good vintage one. Some of the Delta features are about right, but missing some and quality...
Hand router plane(s) with better depth adjustment. Put the rack on the cutter, not some sloppy lead screw. More cutter widths. Removeable front bridge.
Larger tables on band saws.
Dedicated shooting plane one can buy with only money.
Something like a Lyon trimmer, but with adjustments for the ways and built in clamping so it can trim a thinner amount. A shooting board/plane is not always the answer.
ALL stationary tool makers need to hire someone who understands fluid dynamics to take a serious look at dust collection. What I see even on industrial tools are mistakes we knew better about in 1900, or at least after Smith and Morrison post war.
Table saws with brakes for normal operation. It is not hard to keep the nut from spinning off. I suspect, and by my own laziness, many accidents are by impatience clearing work and waste as we don't wait for the blade to fully stop. Easy on universal motors, easy on 3-phase, but tricky on single phase induction motors.
All Table saws should have a tray that slides out to recover a dropped arbor nut.
Table Saws need multiple fence stops with micro adjustments. Kind of like on my 1898 Underwood typewriter for tab-stops.
They should offer fences in right, left, and center offset of the "T" I have never used my fence on the left. If it was offset on the T, I would have 5 inches more width for free. If I find a used fence, I may cut it apart and weld it back to make one.
Better angle and height digital readouts on table saws. Designed in, not hacked on with always dead batteries. Planers too. Calibration needs to be easy enough we would actually use it. I have a Wixe fence on my TS I almost never use and one on my DeWalt planer that again, I measure and crank more often.
A "stupid" mode on the Nova. Just speed, none of the complicated depth and stop stuff. The posts with a quick release nut do depth just fine. It would be nice if drill presses had a zero-counter weight you could engage so they could work easier as a taping machine.
If DeWalt made their planer for a 20A outlet and increased the HP by just a tad. Better, if they had a 220V version. It could then fully fill the gap between lunchbox and full stationary.
A better integrated Dust Deputy/vac system.
A much more convenient lid and bins for a ClearView. A DC should have restricted flow and full bin warnings. I am working out how to use a cheap HF multi-tool for a canister shaker.
Non-clogging plastic blast gates with a mounting bracket built in.
The Harvey Gryo DC but make the port moveable from front to top, end, or back.
I applaud companies like Bridge City for re-imagining tools, but John seems to have gotten carried away fixing things that don't need fixing. I have gained more respect for Veritas but holes in their lines. L-N I would have dismissed as just prestige until I bought one. Bench Dog helping the lower end with decent tools but cutters only so-so. Taylor tools also OK with some tune-up, but again, edges don't seem to hold up. Wood river I am mixed. They seem very good, but somehow when I grab a #4, it is my old Stanley type 16. Stanley seems to want to try with updated designs, but just too sloppy. Primus seems to be out of stock. I wonder if wood planes could stand some re-think.
I bet everyone can identify a little something that could be better. I do have and use some vintage tools, so I am no modernist by default. I appreciate a tool that A: works, B: is pleasing to use, C: is pleasing to look at. That combination is known as good industrial design.
