I chose the Makita LS1013FL 15 Amp 10-Inch Dual Bevel Compound Sliding Miter Saw with Laser and Fluorescent Light despite several ‘issues’ I have with the saw. The first thing that does not appeal to me is the location of the miter gauge arrow. It’s on the far right, at the fence. Beside having to twist around to that side of the machine to see what angle you are selecting, you cannot see the setting while material is against the fence. WTF? The rest of the Makita’s details seem beautiful. This will be my first saw with a flex work-light and a laser. I can’t count the jobs I’ve clamped a halogen above my saw station to get in a few more cuts end of the day.
It’s much smoother and with a more powerful cut than the DEWALT DW716 I had. My new Makita is mounted on a Rigid Mobile Miter Saw Stand, which is damn heavy but very helpful.

I picked up the Makita LS1013FL for $399 at Home Depot due to a mismarked label.

This past weekend, I built myself a secure box to protect a new Logitech AudioStation and my iPod Touch while on the jobsite, complete with power outlets, extended cord and metal speaker grilles.

A 4×6 served the final blow to a cheap RCA radio with an AUX input I used before so I set out to find a replacement, this time with a dock. At the beginning of the summer I purchased the least expensive unit I could find at Circuit City, the GPX BI108B Radio Docking System, as a “disposable” jobsite radio.

The GPX BI108B Radio Docking System is an FM radio with an iPod dock and a special spot for the new iPod shuffle. I used this GPX unit on my jobsite for about three months with my iPod Touch but most of the movable parts have broken off. Sensing imminent destruction of my iPod Touch I bought an iPod shuffle and clipped it on. It’s a great combo but the volume is seriously lacking, especially over the din of construction. Unplugged, the radio burned through a set of batteries in a day, the sound is distorted over volume 6 and though it’s form factor is a plus, it just isn’t cutting it on the job.

I found a rebate deal for the Logitech AudioStation Speaker System, bringing the MSRP $149 radio to $29.99. Now, this is a much louder, much more substantial radio system for the iPod. I built the box from maple and 1/2″ plywood to encase the Logitech system. My new jobsite radio case has a heavy-duty 8′ power cord, two outlets on the exterior and is wired inside with antennas and an A/C outlet for the radio. I used lexan for the ‘window’ and aluminum grilles to protect the speakers. I’ll wrap them with material to keep out dust when I find some.

I used a drawer lock to latch the lid, sprayed the interior and exterior black, stained the lid, applied my stencil and plugged it in.