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I used to use powered respirators when power carving with an Arbortech and sanders, but now use a 3M 7502 mask and importantly a full-face visor attached to ear defenders. As mentioned in the current BW, I had a brilliant pair of Hellberg ear defenders with a visor that could be removed easily...

I'm not sure about the mobile bases. I have a 10x6ft shed and have worked on the layout very carefully. I make do without a planer-thicknesser, have a plunge saw and rail for working sheet materials outside, but have a pillar drill, router table, bandsaw, lathe, quite large bench and disc sander...

Bosch showed how the charger could be built into a workbench, beneath a thin sheet of Perspex. When not in use the tool sits on this area of the bench and is charged, without the battery having to be removed. The time saving on assembly lines is obvious, and possibly in workshops. We will see!

It could indeed be unnecessary progress. Charging times would appear to be the same. And yes it may be inefficient use of power supply compared with direct charging.

The ABC of Woodwork by Charles Hayward, because it's so brilliantly illustrated, and way ahead of its time One Good Turn by Witold Rybczynski, because it's an interested take on a woodworking tool Jack's Adventure by Edith Thacher Burd, because it helped get me into woodwork The Nature and Art...

I'm just back from Berlin where Bosch were launching a wireless base station for charging their cordless tools. This could be a game-changer, and works in a similar way to the charging of some powered toothbrushes. It transfers power by a magnetic field, which is shielded and protected so that...

I know Timberpride well: they're great. Vasterns good too, and Haileywood (though not sure if they do oak).

Sorry, I missed this, but have received your PM and will look into doing an article. I consider ear protection my first line of defence when woodworking, not only to save my hearing, but to create a calmer environment. Cheers Nick

Another option is the Veritas Inset Vice, which I've fitted in the latest issue of BW. Mine is about 4in from the edge so that the line of dog holes don't interfere with the bench's top front rail (which I'd like to remove). I can't see why this vice couldn't be right up to the front of the...

Yes. But I don't have the money! Hopefully going monthly will bring in more revenue and as a result I'll be able to employ more testers. It's an important role for magazines, but not that easy to do in reality, especially group tests. Thanks for the thought. Cheers Nick

The long-term bike tests are excellent, but easier in a way because the writers just commute on them for a bit. The logistics of machinery is trickier, and we have fewer staff writers (1, me). Group tests are difficult over a long time, mainly because there isn't room in the workshop for so much...

It's the Mafell MT55. Perhaps I shouldn't have said that so early before the results are posted. One of the real problems with testing a group of products like this is that we can look at the features, and use our experience to evaluate which seems best, but by the nature of it being a group...

The comment about the Festool losing power has spooked me, and I've decided to delay our group test of plunge saws a month so that we can investigate. So far the Mafell is looking like the best, but that's hardly surprising as it is the most expensive, but it will be interesting to see if the...

I think we'll have to show a drawing in the magazine!!!!! I think a lot of this comes down to how one stands relative to the board you are cutting. Some people will stand on the 'thin' side of the board (the waste side, normally), and some people will stand on the 'wide' side of the board. If...

I have photos of our resident craftsman, Steve Prescott, crawling over a huge tabletop using a Mafell plunge saw as you suggest, Chippy. It just seems a bit undignified!

That's ok. I just wondered how much of a fiddle that little blue button might be. It took me a while to work it out (oh to read the instructions). The plunge mechanism isn't the smoothest of those on test with ours: is that the same with yours? Thanks Nick

What do you think of the blade changing mechanism? It seems a bit awkward at first, but I wonder how well one gets used to it?

Good point, but doesn't that mean you are having to reach over the workpiece, which might be quite wide sometimes?

Phew. I thought it was only me. I think it's because with a 'skil' saw I tend to clamp a batten as close to the cut line as possible, so I have the smaller part of the saw sole on the workpiece and the larger part on the waste. That means you are cutting from right to left, with your right hand...

Probably me, and proud of it!!!!! I'll have another think about this, and you can see what you think from the article, out at the end of the month.