Many of the standard features of today’s portable circular saws originate from Festool’s TS55.
The latest generation of TS55s are innovating again with an ultra slimline housing providing a side clearance of only 12mm, and a guide wedge for greater safety and precision. A movable, transparent window also offers a clear view of the scribe mark.
The current RRP of $1090 plus GST, includes an extraction attachment, saw blade and 1400mm guide rail. Order number 561655.
For more information see http://hml.co.nz/
Racing motorcycles – the art of engineering
12 March 2026
Chris Gordon has been devoted to the internal combustion engine since his earliest days, when his next-door neighbour was a motor mechanic.
At 14, he was a crew member for Ron Collett, who successfully ran a Top Eliminator class dragster at strips throughout New Zealand. His Chris Gordon Racing Team won the 1998/99 125cc New Zealand Road Racing Championship, with well-known rider Dennis Charlett riding a Honda RS125 that Chris owned and prepared. Chris and his team ran the bike in the 125cc class at the Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island in 1999.
Chris has also, from a very early age, made things: models, an electric bicycle, an electric go-kart; a fibre-glass, road-registered, scratch-built car; and a 500cc V8- powered grand prix racing bike. He has a minimalist approach to tools and equipment, but to make the racer’s V8 engine, he had to buy and master a small lathe and a serious, large and highly capable milling machine. The alternative would have been to get the machining and development done professionally. Chris calculates that this would have involved thousands of hours of very expensive machine time – say, 3000-plus hours at $100 per hour. That’s a lot of money.
