Air Tools

[GH85Carrera]

I have air and battery tools. Both have applications better than the other.

[Zeke]

I'd like to see a battery powered 7 1/4" saw rip a few 16' 2 x 6's. My Skill 77 will do that all day long and not complain. Won't quite cut a 4X but that's what the 8 1/4 is for.

Then there's the Makita and other's timber saw. Battery that.

[911 Rod]

I have all the air tools I have ever needed and rarely use them anymore.
Just use the air to clean parts and I always seem to be cleaning parts.

[Cajundaddy]

In the 1970s I had a full set of air tools and they were my first grab as a fleet mechanic for a service company with 20 light trucks.

By the 1990s Makita cordless had replaced many of the lighter power tools and I sold off what I didn't use.

By 2010 I was doing a lot less vehicle wrenching and a lot more deck builds, studio builds, feed barn build. Cordless became my primary power tools and the air tools stayed in the drawer.

2025- I do minor automotive work including swapping wheels, suspension, brakes, track prep. I get annoyed by the sound of air tools and my cordless can do 99% of the same work easily. Probably time to sell the few AT I have left. Not likely I will ever go back.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Zeke

I'd like to see a battery powered 7 1/4" saw rip a few 16' 2 x 6's. My Skill 77 will do that all day long and not complain. Won't quite cut a 4X but that's what the 8 1/4 is for.

Then there's the Makita and other's timber saw. Battery that.

How often are you turning multiple 16' 2x6 into 16' 2x3? Or making your own 2x4s out of 4x4?

[herr_oberst]

I remember someone on this thread once posted about pole barn builders, and how the battery powered tools they used were just consumables. Drop 'em, run over 'em, whatever, just get more because the savings in labor from not having to rearrange cords and hoses was worth the cost of the tools.

When I think about all the trades around the world running their jobsites on batteries it boggles my mind.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Zeke

I'd like to see a battery powered 7 1/4" saw rip a few 16' 2 x 6's. My Skill 77 will do that all day long and not complain. Won't quite cut a 4X but that's what the 8 1/4 is for.

Then there's the Makita and other's timber saw. Battery that.

I think its just a matter of time for the bigger cordless saws to get to the market. The Makita wormdrive, oK,ok, Hypiod geared saw I tested cross cut a 4x6 with ease. I even pushed it and it didn't breath. I am sure it has enough to rip through a couple of 2x6, 16s. Honestly, I am not sure of the run time on something like that, if I have to rip over 10-12 pieces, I would get my cord out and set it up to cut on the floor. Now, if I have to climb up the ladder to cut something, you bet I will grab the battery wormdrive just so the cord wouldn't hung up.

I have a big 10" Skillsaw for large timbers. That's a great tool, if they has a battery operated one back then, I would have bought it without thinking twice about it.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by masraum

How often are you turning multiple 16' 2x6 into 16' 2x3? Or making your own 2x4s out of 4x4?

It happens and when it does you need a saw that will do it. That's all.

Originally Posted by look 171

I think its just a matter of time for the bigger cordless saws to get to the market. The Makita wormdrive, oK,ok, Hypiod geared saw I tested cross cut a 4x6 with ease. I even pushed it and it didn't breath. I am sure it has enough to rip through a couple of 2x6, 16s. Honestly, I am not sure of the run time on something like that, if I have to rip over 10-12 pieces, I would get my cord out and set it up to cut on the floor. Now, if I have to climb up the ladder to cut something, you bet I will grab the battery wormdrive just so the cord wouldn't hung up.

I have a big 10" Skillsaw for large timbers. That's a great tool, if they has a battery operated one back then, I would have bought it without thinking twice about it.

I believe you but the weight factor will crossover at some point. Still, the 77 needs no charging and as long as I have been using them I would have gone through dozens of 100 dollar batteries. At what point is not having a cord affordable?

[GH85Carrera]

All you cordless power tool uses can thank NASA and the moon landings for cordless tools.

https://apollo11space.com/how-the-apollo-program-inspired-the-evolution-of-cordless-power-tools-and-the-iconic-dustbuster/

They helped develop the cordless tools used on the moon. They were made mostly by Black and Decker and made to operate in space.

[Cajundaddy]

Originally Posted by Zeke

It happens and when it does you need a saw that will do it. That's all.


I believe you but the weight factor will crossover at some point. Still, the 77 needs no charging and as long as I have been using them I would have gone through dozens of 100 dollar batteries. At what point is not having a cord affordable?

For any major project involving lumber there will always be a place for 120v tools like a radial arm saw and table saw for quick precise cuts. (these are not air tools). You set up your saw station, run a few cords, and it doesn't have to move.

Cordless and air tools are highly portable, go up a ladder, get into tight spaces hand tools by design and that is what they do best. For me the days of air tools are in the rear view mirror but If I find myself building another deck, patio cover, or studio there will certainly be a saw station powered by 120VAC, even if it requires a generator. They just work.