I spotted this great deal over on Amazon: a set of four Freud Forstner bits in 1/4″, 1/2″, 3/4″, and 1″ diameters, with a lifetime warranty, for $16. I purchased some Forstner bits for a project a while back when I really should have bought spade bits — if you’ve ever used a Forstner bit in a regular hand drill, you know it takes a lot of force to push them into the material you’re cutting. But they work great in a drill press, especially for making pocket, angled, or overlapping holes.

Freud [Corporate Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Head on over to your local brick and mortar Harbor Freight for some seriously cheap-ass tools this week. They’re currently running their “Dollar Days” sale, which means they’re offering many items for a dollar — including ten Phillips bits, ten rolls of Teflon tape, and a handy battery terminal cleaner — and hundreds of other items at $4 or less. Fill up your shopping cart on the cheap, before the sale ends April 13.

Dollar Days Flier [Harbor Freight]
Harbor Freight [Corporate Site]

Right now at Sears.com, they’re discounting all their cordless power tools by 10%. You can pick the tools up at your local Sears, but you need to order online to get the 10% savings. The sale will run through this Wednesday, April 9th, but some of the individual product pages say, “Save 10% until the 12th,” so you may have a couple of extra days — act fast.

Sears [Corporate Site]

As if you weren’t already getting great bang-for-your-buck from your Ryobi tools — now they’re offering reconditioned tools through their official web distributor, at about 30% off retail prices. I’ve purchased a few items from them, and they were all in like-new condition. The only thing distinguishing these from brand-new is the “RECON” branding somewhere on the tool. They even carry a one year warranty.

If you have the One+ system, you can pick up some very nice additions for cheap, like the 18V angle grinder for $28 — nice!

Reconditioned Ryobi Tools [Gardner Inc.]

I’ll preface this post by pointing out that clearance deals vary from store to store. However, I’ve found Maglite and Nite Ize LED upgrade bulbs on clearance at three separate Targets. These replacements for standard flashlight bulbs shine for tens of thousands of hours, and they last longer than regular bulbs on a given set of batteries.

Maglite designed several versions of their LED upgrade bulb, and each version goes with a flashlight that runs on a specific number and type of battery cells. The Nite Ize versions will work in flashlights that run on two to six cells. I’ll point you to the Candle Power Forums to discover the finer points of each brand.

The official Maglite bulb was selling for $13, about $6 less than the normal price. I bought the Nite Ize version for $7, down from $10. Like I said, your local discount, if any, will likely vary. But you might want to browse a bit, next time you’ve got a few minutes.

LED Upgrade [Maglite]
LED Upgrade [Nite Ize]
Store Locator [Target]

Sean posted about Bench Dog’s ProMax Cabinet back in 2006, and now in 2008, for a limited time, Amazon is listing the Bench Dog ProMax Complete Router Table System with free shipping for $970. This “system” — really the whole kit and kaboodle for routing — includes the ProMax cabinet, ProMax router table, ProFence, cast iron end cap, Porter Cable router, and four Cab-Loc casters.

The cabinet features integrated router bit storage, pull-out shelves and flip-up doors, and a lower cubby for router storage. Bench Dog makes the cabinet with bolt and cross dowel construction, birch plywood side panels, and steel hardware for vibration dampening.

Promax Complete [Bench Dog]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

When I’m doing heavy grinding, I hate having to stop and change over to a flap wheel for the finishing work, so this is the perfect deal for me. Home Depot’s offering a two-pack of Makita 4-1/2″ grinders for $80. Most comparable grinders cost $80 for just one, so when I spotted this combo package while wandering through Home Depot’s tool corral, I couldn’t pass it up. But it’s in-store only, so keep your eye out!

Makita Grinder (In-Store Only) [Home Depot]

What’s better than one tool bag? Thats right, two tool bags. You can get this duo over at Sears for $7.50.  Each bag — one is 10-inches and the other 12-inches — features a large interior, three outer pockets, two full-handle grips, zipper top with a steel reinforcement bar, and double stitching on the base, which provides resistance to both water and abrasion.  Offer ends March 22.

Craftsman Tool Bag Two-Pack [Sears]

I’m finally getting into the world of routing, and my entry point is this Hitachi KM12VC plunge and fixed-base router kit, available from Amazon for $130. The router features an 11A, 2-1/4 HP variable speed motor (8,000 to 24,000 RPM), and it includes the plunge base, 1/2″ and 1/4″ collet chucks, template guide adaptor, centering gauge, sub-base plate, three wrenches, and a five-year warranty.

I chose to save a Jackson and a Hamilton and get the refurbished model from the folks at Reconditioned Sales for $102.

KM12VC [Hitachi]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Hitachi KM12VC Refurb [Reconditioned Sales]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

The hot weather hasn’t arrived yet, and those early-morning, outside jobs still bring a chill.  Luckily, Sears is offering their Craftsman heated work jacket on sale for $70. Thanks to the conductivity and heat delivery of the rechargeable Thermotex system, this durable, washable jacket will keep you warm for up to five hours, with three temperature settings between 85 and 110 degrees.

The outer shell is made from 100-percent cotton with a quilted nylon lining.  The jacket features a built-in Teflon fabric protector, triple-stitching, and a heavy-duty zipper.  You can get it in sizes Medium - 2XLarge, and Sears covers it with a two-year warranty.

Heated Work Jacket [Sears]

If you’re in the market for a cheap portable workbench, you can pick up this Denali benchtop work stand over at Amazon for $20. The bench’s steel frame and strong bamboo top will hold a hefty 60 lbs, and the whole unit weighs a reasonable 7-1/2 lbs. You can secure the workstation to most smooth surfaces with four heavy-duty suction cups.

The worktop features a protractor and ruler, in both SAE and metric units. You can insert the four included pegs into 18 available slots. You’ll have to throw another $5 worth of merch into your cart to qualify for the free shipping, which is a better value than paying the standard shipping rate.

Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

The Home Depot’s “Race For Savings” event is going down right now and for the next week. Among other discounted gear, the Ridgid 7-1/4” circ. saw that normally goes for around $100 is marked down to $80 plus free shipping.

It’s not a super steal, but it could mean the difference between being able to afford one and not. Check out the site for more details and the entire lineup of DeWalt and Ridgid gear that they’ve marked down. There are some good items on the list, especially if you were in the market anyway.

Race For Savings Sale [Home Depot]
7-1/4″ Circ. Saw [Ridgid]

The light-emitting diode — low-powered, long-lasting, bright, and cool — makes the perfect bulb for a work light. Toolsale.com is selling this Tooluxe 130-LED, rechargeable, cordless floodlight with stand for $48. The 130 pure-white LEDs, rated to 100,000-hours, run off of a 7.2V lithium battery. The battery will last 3-1/2 hours after each charge from either the included 12V DC charger or a 110V AC charger.

130-LED Work Light [ToolSale.com]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Amazon is selling this 38-piece impact-ready accessory set for $24 — you’ll have to throw something else in your cart to get the free shipping. The set includes eight #2 Phillips 1″ insert bits, eight #2 Phillips 1″ reduced-diameter insert bits for drywall, five #2 Phillips 2″ black oxide power bits, eight #2 Phillips 1″ double-ended bit tips, a 1/4″ nut driver, a 5/16″ nut driver, a 3/8″ socket adapter, a pivoting bit tip holder, and a 3″ stainless steel bit tip holder with a hog ring. You also get 3/8″ drive sockets in a variety of depths — 9/16″, 3/8″, 7/16″, and 1/2″ deep.

Impact Driver Set [DeWalt]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

With all the tools posted on Toolmonger, you’re gonna need somewhere to put ‘em all. Stanley recently added this 4-in-1 Mobile Work Station to their FatMax line, and Amazon is selling it for $80, with free shipping. The cantilever multi-level rolling cart gives you access to all of the storage areas — a toolbox, part bins, portable tray, and a larger oversized bin on the bottom — at the same time.

The handle telescopes for added maneuverability, and a single locking latch secures the entire cart. Stanley offers a limited lifetime warranty.

FatMax 4-in-1 Mobile Work Station [Stanley Tools]
Via Amazon (B000V29B7K) [What’s This?]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

I was looking for a gift for my better half on Overstock.com when I got sidetracked by all these Black Rhino hammers that’re on sale. Black Rhino has built their reputation on high-quality, ergonomic tools for the professional. These hammers in particular caught my eye:

Black Rhino tacker for $25 
Black Rhino 32-oz dead blow hammer for $18 
Black Rhino 4-lb engineer’s hammer for $20 

I discovered a couple of other nice things about Overstock.com: the flat shipping rate of $3, and their “guaranteed best on the net” pricing.

Black Rhino [Corporate Site]
Black Rhino Hammers [Overstock]

Throw away the apple crate and cardboard box, and get yourself a Rousseau 2850 miter saw stand kit — ok, maybe that’s just my workshop setup. At 39″ tall, it stands at a comfortable working height for the average user. The large 19″x31″ platform will support all sizes of miter saws and planers, and easy fold-down wings give support for long lengths of lumber. Two larger storage shelves hold your accessories.

The Dynamite Tool Company has the lowest listing at $95. Amazon sells it for a few bucks more, but they’re offering free shipping.

Miter Stand [Rousseau]
Rousseau 2850 [Dynamite Tool Co.]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]