Decades ago, most hand-held power tools and portable machines were on the small side.

Dangerous drills

I have about 10 cordless drills. I’m not quite sure how I ended up with so many, but there they are, waiting for me on the shelf. Most cordless drills today are 18V or higher, and are fairly large and heavy. Sure, they have enough power to strip a 1/4″ bolt, but I simply don’t need that sort of capability. In fact, I usually want something that can be finessed and won’t risk damaging what I’m working on. For instance, if I’m driving in a 1-1/4″ long #8 screw to secure two plywood kitchen cabinets together I don’t want to drive the screw too far and have it protrude through the other face. Or maybe I’m hanging smaller doors with some 3/4″ #6 screws and don’t want to drive them even 1/4 of a turn too far.

I remember using one of my 18V drills in a tight space, with a single, extended hand. I didn’t realize the fastener was close to being seated properly, and when it finally did seat completely I twisted my wrist something fierce. It hurt for days. You can chalk that up to me being inattentive, but the fact is that it’s likely a fairly common situation in which to find yourself and a lighter drill doesn’t have that inherent danger.

I have four 12V drills and about six 18V versions, yet I almost always reach for the 12V versions first, unless I have a larger boring task to complete. I find the smaller, lighter drills are so much easier to manipulate and usually have enough power for most of my small shop drilling and driving tasks.

Monster mitre saws

I have a 10″ sliding compound mitre saw that can cut just about everything, short of a 4×8 sheet of plywood. It’s great, but it seems like every time I need to remove it from the stand it lives on, I throw my back out. It weighs over 50 pounds, which isn’t incredibly heavy, but when you factor in the fact that it’s awkward to carry, that weight becomes a serious challenge. Admittedly, I’m not a big guy, but I’m no string bean either. When you factor in a set of stairs, stepping over some other material or walking on uneven ground, I find this monster dangerous to carry. There are many other much larger mitre saws on the market, some upwards of 70 pounds. My back aches just thinking about them.

Last week I had some on-site trim work to complete on a fireplace surround I was installing. The thought of lugging my big mitre saw to the jobsite made my back twinge. I headed for the local supplier to see about a smaller, more manageable option. I came away with a corded 10″ mitre saw that weighs about 27 pounds. I can easily lift it and carry it to wherever I need without the risk of injury. Sure, it won’t cut 12″ wide pieces with a single cut, but I don’t need that capacity very often. I’m guessing most folks don’t often need that capacity, either. Now, if you’re a carpenter and regularly cut large baseboards, crowns and other trim members, buy the big one. Otherwise, I’d recommend going small.

Thankfully, this “bigger is better” trend isn’t seen across every hand tool, power tool and machine in the woodworking world, but I think it’s starting to get out of control. I’m not saying manufacturers should stop making larger tools, as some DIYers and tradespeople clearly need the larger capacity. I’m just saying I hope they continue to offer smaller, lighter, more maneuverable options as well for folks who don’t need the weight or capacity to do the work they do. All too often manufacturers offer the larger tools with higher-quality parts and manufacturing methods, while the smaller tools aren’t made as well. If I had my way, size wouldn’t be indicative of quality, and there would be all sizes available. My back is only getting older.