I asked you to show me your tools, so I figured I’d better show you mine first.  This old Milwaukee portable band saw is a total lifesaver when you need to cut steel outside of the shop — or when you need to make a cut that’ll never fit into your standard saw.  My Dad picked this up used at a flea market about fifteen years ago, and I inherited it a few years back.

I’m always surprised at how few people actually own one of these.  I understand that there’s a stand available to turn it into a sort of mini-standard-band-saw, but Milwaukee wants about as much for the stand as they do for the saw itself.  Maybe I’ll get around to building my own at some point.

Anyway, now that I’ve shown you mine, you can show me yours via our new Flickr photo pool.  (You can see more pics of the portable band saw there, too.)

If you’ve been looking for a new heavy-duty cordless hammerdrill (like I have), you should know that CPO Milwaukee is currently offering refurbed Milwaukee 18V 1/2″ hammerdrill kits — complete with two batteries and a charger — for $190.  This model normally runs closer to $250 in refurb form, and they’re half-again that much new.  These are factory refurbished and carry new-tool warranty.

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If you’ve been looking for a pro-level li-ion cordless screwdriver, Milwaukee may have your number.  A few weeks ago they gave IBS attendees a preliminary look at their new V4 li-ion cordless screwdriver.  It’s one of the first “traditionally-shaped” cordless screwdrivers we’ve seen to incorporate li-ion and a pro feature set.

Besides the standard two-position handle, the V4 includes a two-speed gearbox (200 or 600 RPM) and a 21-position clutch.  (There’s a clutch-disabled “drill mode” for drilling small pilot holes.)  The battery is a 4V single-cell version of the V28’s 7-cell (and the 20V V18’s 5-cell) battery — a 3.0 Ah monster that should provide some pretty hearty runtime.

It’ll MSRP at around $110.  The only bad news: These won’t hit shelves until summertime, so you’re gonna have to stretch that old NiCd ‘driver a little farther.

It looks like Milwaukee’s willing to ship you a free sample of their Ice Edge blade in exchange for you turning over some personal information.  There’s a “contact me in the future” box you can uncheck if you feel the need.

Thanks to Myself for the tip, who saw it on BensBargains.net.

Free Blade Page [Milwaukee]

Or, of course, you can just buy your own, starting at around $12 for a 5-pack.

Street Pricing [Froogle]

Forget Drano – use a power tool!  Think of Milwaukee’s drain cleaner as your father’s hand-fed drain snake after a visit from Tim Taylor (”grunt, grunt, grunt”).  It’s a 450 RPM drain rooting machine.  

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Besides the normal bi-metal construction and aggressive cutting edge, the prime feature of Milwaukee’s new recip saw blades is their cryogenic heat treatment process which reportedly improves hardness and wear resistance.  If it’s true, it’d be helpful; it’s easy to burn through recip saw blades in a hurry.

We’ll have more on these shortly.

ICE EDGE Reciprocating Saw Blades [Milwaukee]

It’s getting to be Christmas shopping time, and tool manufacturers are starting to loosen the purse strings a bit to earn your business.  Here’s our first deal find of the season: Milwaukee’s offering a free V18 Sawzall (by mail) with the purchase of a V18 hammer drill during the month of November.

They’re also offering the same deal with the V28 hammer drill as well as a free tool (pick from their list) with purchase of a V28 combo kit.

Details are available on the Milwaukee website (link below).

Free Tool Deal [Milwaukee]

We’ve looked at some pretty cool work carts before, but these seem to be much more down to earth and functional.  They’re made of structural foam with a steel-reinforced base deck, and they include 6″ industrial casters — large enough to jump small bumps without a fuss.  The basic cart frame is 26″ wide, so it’ll fit through most standard doorways.

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PeterP, our winner in last month’s Milwaukee V18 Giveaway, received his combo kit last week and took a little time to drop us a line with some pictures and his take on Milwaukee’s new line:

“These things are solid. The shipping weight was almost 40 pounds. The tools themselves come in a sturdy plastic box, with plenty of storage for extra blades, so it should be nice if you have to travel to a job site.

“The battery charger is pretty beefy, so you don’t need to be gentle with it.  I think nothing short of a large truck hitting it would cause it to fall off your workbench/shelves/wherever you put it.  The batteries are pretty slick as well. They have an integrated charge meter so you don’t have to constantly guess when you are about to run out of power.  It comes with two (although since the manual says to charge them overnight before use, so there is the brief anguish of new tools you can’t use sitting in your garage).”

Read past the jump for more from Peter and some great pictures of the full kit as shipped.

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There’s been a lot of buzz here on Toolmonger this week about Milwaukee’s new V18 line that’s scheduled to hit shelves around the end of the month.  We had the chance this week to check out the updated tool in the line — the hammerdrill — and thought we’d share some first impressions with you, as well as some less marketing-oriented photos.

Our first thought when we opened the box is that Milwaukee indeed made an effort to make this hammerdrill appear less bulky than previous models.  It has a thinner look and feel, though it definitely keeps the solid, durable feel that you’re used to from Milwaukee.  Like many current high-end manufacturers, Milwaukee integrated a number of different materials into the drill’s casing to make for a very comfortable grip.  Fit and finish is excellent.

We couldn’t help but notice the all-metal chuck as well.  It’s definitely a high-end feature, and goes hand-in-hand with the drill’s massive 500+ in-lb. torque rating. 

The drill’s controls are simple.  The gearbox’s two speeds are selected with a switch on the top of the drill.  You can select from any of 24 clutch settings by rotating the ring just aft of the chuck — just like you’re used to.  Even numbered clutch settings are marked in white on the ring, while the “in-between” clicks represent the odd numbers. 

A ring right behind the clutch setting ring allows you to select from three drill modes: drill (no hammering action/clutch disengaged), driver (no hammering action/clutch engaged), and hammerdrill (clutch disengaged/hammering).  Each is represented by a little icon: a drillbit for drill mode, a screw for driver mode, and a hammer for hammerdrill mode.  So, if you were driving screws into a cabinet and had found the perfect clutch setting, then needed to drill a hole, you could simply switch to drill mode, drill the hole, then switch back to driver mode with the clutch still set.  It’s not a totally new feature, but it’s handy none the less.

A horizontal switch in the standard location above the variable-speed trigger sets direction with a center position for “off.”

The V18 battery does indeed feel exactly like a smaller version of the V28.  It seems larger and heavier than most Ni-Cd 18V packs we’ve seen, but it’s a bit of an illusion.  Milwaukee’s quite different slide-on mounting system makes the battery appear more “square” and makes it seem to hang off the end of the tool instead of integrating into the base.  Really, the V18’s back isn’t that much larger then most. 

The slide-on battery mount is slick as well.  The battery and drill mount are designed to allow the battery to mount forward and backward, so you can balance the tool more effectively for whatever load you’ve got on it.  With just a standard drill bit, you’ll probably want to leave it in the “normal” mode, but should you have a heavy or long item in the chuck, reversing the battery shifts its weight to the rear to help balance it all.  We really like the way the battery slides into the charger stand as well; It’s easier to deal with than the standard “stick it in the top” type.

We’ll definitely have more to say about the V18 this month as we have time to make use of it in some real-life situations, but our first impressions are quite positive.  If you’re in need of a very powerful 1/2″ drill, you’re going to want to check this one out next month.

We’re giving away a brand-new Milwaukee V18 combo kit to one lucky person during the month of August.  All you have to do to enter is post a valid comment on any Toolmonger post during August — and make sure you enter your information correctly so we can contact you should you win.

What’s the V18, you might ask?  It’s Milwaukee’s new cordless line that’s scheduled for release later this month.  We posted a preview of it a few weeks ago, but suffice it to say that it’s an incredibly powerful 20 volt tool line designed to bring lithium-ion power to Milwaukee’s existing 18V tools.  The new batteries are backwards-compatible with older Milwaukee 18V equipment, and the charger can handle both battery types.  The drill is also all new.  (See the article linked above for details.)

Should you win, you’ll receive one of the first combo kits to hit the shelves.  And if you can’t wait until then to find out more, check back later in the month as we perform hands-on testing with an early unit and let you know what we find out first-hand.

Check out our Milwaukee V18 Giveaway page for the details.

Through August 31, Milwaukee’s offering to send you a free V28 tool with the purchase of qualifying single tool kits.  You’ll need to check in at the Milwaukee website for details, but this looks to be a pretty slick deal if you’re in the market for a new high-power cordless tool.

For example, it looks to us as if you could pick up a V28 Sawzall for free just for buying the 0724-24 V28 Hammerdrill kit.  That’s not a bad deal, considering.

BTW: We understand that the new V18 gear should be hitting shelves during the month of August if all goes well.  We offered a little early information on the new like a while back, and we expect to have some first-hand “hands-on” experiences to share with you shortly.

V28 Free Promo [Milwaukee]

Milwaukee’s V28 line caused quite a bit of a stir in the industry last year, harnessing the power of lithium-ion, bringing it to the job site, and putting it to work in some of the most powerful cordless tools available.  In August, Milwaukee plans to bring the V28’s technology to the 18 volt crowd with the release of their new V18 cordless line. 

We spoke to Milwaukee about V18, and we’ve prepared this post to give you an idea of what to expect.  Read on past the jump for the details.  (more…)

Milwaukee has updated their cordless caulk gun line with a new 14.4V model, released in April and now available via commercial distributors.  The new model provides the same 620 lbs. of pushing force as the older 12V gun, but increases runtime — Milwaukee claims 185 10 oz. tubes of caulk per battery charge. 

Most notable among the 14.4V gun’s new features: you can now set the speed range of the variable-speed trigger with a small dial on the back rear of the gun, dialing in the correct speed range for the job so you don’t have to half-squeeze the trigger all the time.  The battery’s also reversible to let you improve the gun’s balance with different caulk loads.

Additionally, the new gun features an all-metal gearbox, electronic overload control, a 360 degree swivelling carriage, a trigger lock (so the gun doesn’t happily caulk your toolbag on the way home), and a manual clutch release to simplify reloads.

As with the 12V, Milwaukee offers the 14.4V gun in three kits, each equipped with a different carriage.  The 6562-21 fits 10 oz. tubes, the 6562-23 handles quart sizes, and the 6562-24 is designed for sausage packs.  Street pricing starts around $220, $235, and $245 respectively.  

You can also purchase the carriages separately, so if you commonly use more than one type of tube, you can swap them out as needed.

Note: We linked to the 10 oz. kit version below, but you can find the other two easily on Milwaukee’s site.

14.4V Caulk/Adhesive Gun [Milwaukee]
Street Pricing [Froogle]

We’d like to let you in on a secret we learned from the plumber a while back: it’s not necessary to break your back when using hole saws.  Milwaukee makes a slick set of “selfeed” bits that, well, feed themselves.  (Now if only we could do that.)

These bits essentially have a screw mounted in the center.  To use them, you simply act as if you’re driving a screw.  The screw grabs the wood and pulls the larger bit right on through.  Also, whereas hole saws fill up with the wood you’re cutting — they’re shaped like a cup, so once the “plug” you’re cutting out fills the bit, you’re in trouble — the Milwaukee Selfeeds actually chop up the center wood and eject it out the back.

The result: It’s easy to line up, easy to get started, easy to keep straight as it cuts, and it’ll cut through very thick material without problems.  Nice.

Street pricing starts around $25.

Selfeed Wood Drill Bits [Milwaukee]
Street Pricing [Froogle]

Milwaukee’s giving away a West Coast Dominator chopper to one lucky sweepstakes winner.  Additional prizes include:

• five V18 cordless combo kits (look for the new V18 series to hit the shelves in a few months)
• ten Jobsite Armor accessory kits
• twenty-five die-cast models of the ‘62 Milwaukee Bel Air Car (featured on Monster Garage)
• and a thousand Milwaukee branded hats

As if we need to tell you, this is the standard you-trade-your-information-for-a-chance-to-win sweepstakes.  The contest runs through Sept. 5, 2006, and you can register via the Milwaukee website (below) or at your local Milwaukee distributor.

Milwaukee Website [Milwaukee Tools]

Ironworkers love flap disc abrasives because they cut the middle between the finishing capabilities of a fiber disc and the bulk metal removal capabilities of a grinding wheel.  Earlier this year Milwaukee released a new line of flap disc abrasives made with a “high-performance” zirconia grain that aims to increase that convenience by improving disc life.

Flap discs are made of small overlapping sheets of cloth to which grit is bound.  As the wheel rotates, the sharp edges of the grit remove material.  When the grain becomes dull, it fractures to expose new cutting edges.  Eventually the grain fractures to the point that it’s too small to stay attached to the backing material and is ejected from the disc along with other grinding debris.

The grit used in flap disc applications commonly consists of aluminum oxide, but is often made of zirconia on higher-end discs.  (The fact that aluminum oxide grit is “stronger” works against it in this application because it’s less likely to fracture.) 

Milwaukee claims their “high-performance” grain improves upon standard zirconia by “micro-fracturing” — breaking off in smaller pieces when it fractures, thus maximizing the percentage of sharp grain edges exposed and keeping the particle attached to the disc longer.  Milwaukee claims a 15% increase in life span over other zirconia flap discs and a 30% increase over aluminum oxide.

Milwaukee offers flap discs in both flat (Type 27, recommended for light to moderate surface removal) and conical (Type 29, recommended for moderate to heavy surface removal) form factors, and the Type 27 is also available in an extra thick configuration that yields 40% longer disc life.

Street pricing starts around $5/disc. 

Press Release [Milwaukee]