Power Tools for Professionals

Whether it’s new construction or maintenance, many jobs require drilling holes in concrete. Selecting the right tool for the job is critical, but making the right choice can be complicated. Types of tools, bit holding systems and drill bit types, as well as nature of the job that needs to be done and availability of electric power – these are some of the variables that need to be taken into consideration.

Learn more

Lots of experienced woodworkers name the router as one of most versatile power tools. Workers using a router can shape decorative edges, form raised panels, cut grooves and slots, carve signs, make moldings, rout intricate inlays, trim plastic laminate and veneers, and mill dozens of woodworking joints, including rabbets, dovetails and mortises. And while the best router is handheld for most operations, it can also be mounted in a router table, creating a small stationary shaper.

Learn more

When it comes to studs, instead of automatically buying wood, consider metal. According to the Steel Framing Alliance, more than 40 percent of commercial structures are now built with steel framing and nearly 500,000 homes have been built with steel framing over the past decade. The best tool for fasteners in working with metal studs is an impact driver.

Learn more

If you’ve ever done tuckpointing, or most other masonry grinding applications for that matter, then it’s no mystery how much hassle it is to clean up the aftermath – let alone work through the cloud of dust these grinders can cause. Grinding applications, especially with concrete, also can create health risks that should be taken seriously. General recommendations range from wearing a certified respirator to providing exhaust ventilation to employing a dust collection system on the jobsite. OSHA regulations in place to ensure proper dust extraction equipment is used and precautions are taken to reduce exposure to dust.

Learn more

It may be easier than you think to expand the remodeling and construction service offering, especially on that great get-away place—the deck. Decks need TLC too—particularly if those boards are exposed and regularly face wind, rain and heat. A single tool – the oscillating tool, does most of the heavy lifting.

Learn more

Grinder uses vary, but surface grinders for concrete applications have one thing in common: dust.

Dust collection has become a big issue, with OSHA looking closely at silica dust regulations. (You can read a primer about concrete grinding and OSHA here.) And, according to Cop Tool and Jay Amstutz, Bosch has a great new solution with the CSG15 Concrete Surfacing Grinder with Dedicated Dust Collection Shroud. The Bosch CSG15 is a next-generation surface grinder, replacing the Bosch 1773AK.

Learn more

Laser tape measure is a term used by those who are used to occasionally digging out their old tape measure to find the length and width of a shelf. But for many who measure every day and value accuracy and simplicity, laser measures have become the de facto way to make all their measurements.

Learn more

Multitool reviews and roundups have a little something for everyone, much like oscillating multitools themselves. These multi-tools are designed to perform a lot of tasks, and no one has a more complete solution of tools and accessories in this category than Bosch.

Great for woodworking, remodeling, floor installation and other tasks (some that can't really be done well with any other tool), oscillating tools are outstanding additions to your toolbox. Recently, several Bosch models made it to the top of the editors' assessments of these woodworking tools. And whether you prefer corded or cordless, there is a Bosch that can help you get more done.

Learn more

Power tools from Bosch, such as the cordless drill DDH181X, have a new technology to reduce the risk of kickback. As this drill and other tools are amped up with more power, the problem of managing kickback become more pronounced. That's where Kickback Control comes in.

When one of these drills is jammed – put into a bind-up situation – applying power to the motor will not free the bit. Some of these new cordless tools have power to spare, and sudden high-torque movements rotate the drill … and the operator's wrists and arms. This at the least is tiring. It can be dangerous. Sometime the tool will twist out of the user's hand, swing around and hit the operator or someone close to the tool, causing bodily harm.

Learn more

Wood router tools provide power and maximum control. That is especially true for palm routers, a class of woodworking tools that many may know as laminate trimmers. The Bosch PR20EVSPK Colt™ 1.0 HP Palm Router is a router tool that is a variable speed model, and the kit includes a plunge base to make it a handy and extremely versatile tool. It can handle many routing tasks just this side of a router table.

Learn more

Boombox music for the worksite is an essential part of the working environment for many professionals. And there are jobsite radios made specifically to stand up to the harsh surroundings that many construction sites dish out.

The jobsite radio or worksite portable sound system category is now one where, instead of the old portable CD player, users are able to get durable boomboxes with pumped up sounds connected to their MP3 players or phones for stored music or internet radio. And according to the reviewers in the field, none is tougher or sounds better than the cordless, portable Bosch PB360S Power Box Jobsite Radio and Charger.

Learn more

Toolbox pride is nothing new to professionals in the trades who need every advantage to be as productive and profitable as possible. That's why Bosch keeps improving the Click & Go™ storage solutions system – a pro's toolbox. But a recent innovation takes integration to a new level.

Learn more

OSHA has proposed regulations that would raise standards of exposure for airborne crystalline silica, also known as silica dust. As Lauren Hunter of Hanley Wood wrote, "OSHA's proposed rule would reduce the current permissible exposure limit (PEL) from 100 μg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) to 50 μg/m3. Reminiscent of the Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting rule, projects that would exceed the new silica dust limits limit would require the use of special tools, respirators, or other remedial measures."

Learn more

Circular saws that have worm drive gearing are popular choices in the West and the Midwest, according to Fine Homebuilder magazine. In the East, sidewinders are the circ saws of choice. With the different gear configurations come different strengths (and weaknesses), so many professionals including carpenters pack one or several of each kind of circular saw, to use for different applications.

Learn more