During Core77's Festool trip in Germany, our hosts brought us to a massive power tool dealership and showroom called Miller Maschinen und Werkzeug (Miller Machine and Tool). This company sold everything from hand tools to monster-sized CNC machines, and had a selection so insanely deep we were told that customers would travel hundreds of kilometers to patronize it.

Festool had brought us there to see what might be the world's most comprehensive Festool showroom—Miller seems to stock every single thing they make—but the showroom also had plenty of other brands. I was so busy drooling over the Festool stuff we can't get in the 'States that I walked right past this Makita tool on display:

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That was shot by Tools of the Trade's David Frane, who's not only a tool journalist, but has actual working experience in the trades (he was previously a carpenter). Do you know what that tool does? Some of you have undoubtedly noticed the pivot on the side:

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Yep, it's a freaking miter saw that flips over and can then be used as a table saw. "This particular saw is from Makita, but many tool companies sell similar products in Europe," Frane explains. "Machines of this type were available here [in America] in the 1980s and 90s; I worked with a carpenter who had one from Elu.

"The idea of converting back and forth between table and miter saw did not appeal to me but my coworker liked it because he drove a small SUV and it fit the back with space left over for many other tools."

I just had to find a video of the thing in action:

This model is called the Makita Flipper, and while we Americans can't buy one, here's an English-language brochure for it.

Thanks David!