Okay, it’s that time – birthday, anniversary Christmas or other…you’re out looking for a great gift for that do-it-yourself partner.  I just might have a solution for you!  Here’s the story and 9 great reasons why a Bosch 4100 table saw is the gift that just keeps on giving…

A while back the “honey do’s” were piling up here at the house, only one problem… we just did not have the right tools.  So I hinted at my fiancé that if I had a table saw, I could start addressing some of the many projects we wanted to do.  Our townhome was built cheaply in the 80′s and it just needed updates and repairs.

Bosch 4100 Table Saw with Gravity Rise Stand

So I pointed at my table saw of choice at Amazon – a Bosch 4100.  Wow, all the right stuff.  It’s powerful, yet portable.  The stand has large wheels, so that it could lobby for its own space in the garage, and provides the ability to fold up for travel and storage.  Optional table extensions make the “portable” preform like a much larger saw.  Best of all, Amazon had comprehensive product reviews confirming the quality of the solution.

What really cinched the deal for my fiancé was that I told her we would start with the kitchen projects….boom the saw was ordered!

So here are some of the many reasons why this Bosch 4100 might just make a great gift:

Reason #1 - Remove and replace old cabinet with updated design.

New cabinet has sliding shelves double the cabinet storage.

Reason #2 – Gain more space by adding in new cabinets, this one with under cabinet lighting.

Under cabinet lighting provides low wattage night light.

Reason #3 - Hide the “booze” with this cabinet in the breakfast nook.

Cabinet used to hide the stuff that was cluttering up the top of our refrigerator.

Reason #4 - New valance adds finishing touches to old blinds.

Valance ties into white wood cabinet design

Reason #5 – Rebuild and replace laundry room cabinet

Extra heavy duty and deep cabinet for laundry supplies

Reason #6 – Completely gut and rebuild master closet with custom built hardwood cabinets and shelves.  This was  a much bigger project that meets the eye in this photo, but all do-able with just a few key tools.

Built in full custom closet.

Reason #7 - Why stop there, let’s do the kids room!  Kind of a shame that the new mirrored doors hide the full scope of beautiful cabinets behind them.

Boy's room....cabinets are all solid maple and birch!

Reason #8 – The guest room needs to match!

Guest room - two handing sections, drawers and shelves.

Reason #9 – Oh yes, there are more completed projects, but I think you likely get the point.

Full confession – Yes, with the Bosch 4100 I did build all these projects, but along the way a few more things were needed to allow this all to come together….  Specifically a dozen how to books, magazine subscriptions, updated saw guides for my circular saw, a router (which I built a router table and cabinet for), a mitre saw and many smaller tools to make these jobs easier.

Bottom line however, I highly recommend the Bosch 4100.  It is a great table saw at a reasonable price that can easily “do the job” and helps to catalize progress on home projects.  Hey, guys love their tools!

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Netbook – Acer Aspire One

by admin on July 30, 2009

Acer Netbook
Amoung the things I’ve been craving the most is a usable netbook for my on-the-go “business road warrior ” communications tasks.

I found exactly what I was looking for with the Acer Aspire One Netbook.

The key features I was looking for were:

  • High resolution screen
  • Usable keyboard
  • Quick boot up
  • Integrated video camera for Skype communications
  • Reasonable battery life
  • A price I could live withThe Acer Aspire One addressed these issues nicely. The screen is beautiful and at 1366×768 much higher resolution than many more expensive competitors and had a much nicer image quality than my pricey Lenovo Thinkpad. While shopping I was able to get hands on several competitive brands, the Acer Keyboard had a great feel that didn’t require me to adjust my typing habits, which was a pleasant surprise.Boot up of Windows XP was two to three times faster than my Lenovo’s Vista OS, making quick on the go email checks quite painless. Installing Skype was without problems, and true to form, the integrated Crystal Eye web camera worked great in low light environments as advertised.Costco’s price – $339. Similar model at Frys was the same price, but had a slightly faster processor.

    I’ll be taking the Aspire One with me for three weeks of travel in France – stay tuned as I put the unit to work!

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