BuffaloFeeds » Toolmonger » December 19, 2007

Toolmonger (9 unread)

Change Blades Safely With The Saw-Jaw

Posted: December 19th, 2007, 12:28pm MST by Benjamen Johnson

Ever nicked your hand changing the blade in your table saw? The Saw-Jaw may be just the safety accessory for you. Changing a table saw blade involves using wrenches around a sharp blade — one slip and either you put a wrench into the brittle carbide teeth or, worse, your hand. Even though the blade isn’t spinning, it can still do a number on unprotected flesh. The Saw-Jaw encloses and protects the blade (and your hands) so you can complete the job safely.

Made in the USA from a sturdy yet flexible plastic, the adjustable Saw-Jaw acommodates most 10 inch sharpened blades. It completely encloses the circumference of the blade, and securely holds the blade for transport and storage. If you decide to store your blade in the Saw-Jaw, the blank area on the back side has an area for for labeling your blades.

Before you go buy one for every blade in your shop, check to make sure it works on your saw. It does work with most contractor and cabinet saws, but only some bench table saws, radial arm saws, and miter saws. Right now, Rockler is discounting the Saw Jaw to $10. Normally it runs anywhere from $14 to $17. Even discounted, the Saw-Jaw seems a little expensive for storing blades, but it’s not a bad deal for a tool that helps you safely change blades without a trip to the first aid station.

Saw-Jaw [Manufacturer]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Saw Jaw [Rockler]
Amazon(B00066N7B2) [What’s This?]

Bonus Review
Saw-Jaw Review - NewWoodworker.com LLC
It’s Just Cool: Antique Treadle Wood Lathe

Posted: December 19th, 2007, 11:47am MST by Audra Heaslip

As kids, we admired the carved wood-and-steel sleds and polished maple rocking horses in storefront windows — even though we actually rode the hollow plastic Radio Flyer spring-horse or those plastic discs whose handles rip out on the first hill. But there is a way to revive our nostalgia: woodworking, the old-fashioned way.

The artistry and the history behind treadle lathes reminds us of the individual care and attention (and sweat) traditionally given to hand-made wooden objects. A treadle lathe requires the operator to move a lever up and down with his foot. The lever connects to a shaft attached to a weighted flywheel, and the continuous motion rotates the piece of wood around a set axis as it’s shaped by a fixed tool.

The Barnes #3 Wood Lathe, pictured above, dates back to around 1884 and is the best known lathe of its kind remaining. This one’s a newbie in lathe terms: the first illustrations of wood lathes were carved in an Egyptian tomb wall around 300 B.C. Even Leonardo da Vinci had his own sketched plan for a treadle lathe with a crank mechanism in the late 1400’s. (Check out the guy who recreated Leonardo’s lathe according to the plans.)

But you don’t have to foot the $7500 for this antique model. There are a ton of books and websites that detail how to build your own treadle lathe, most notably the 1986 book The Woodwright’s Workbook based on Roy Underhill’s long-running PBS series, The Woodright’s Shop.

So get out there and make yourself a little part of history.

[www.finetools.com] (source of the picture above)
If John Wayne Had A Laptop…

Posted: December 19th, 2007, 11:12am MST by Eric Dykstra

Laptops are becoming as common as hammers and screwdrivers on the job site - for ordering materials, keeping in touch with home base, and a million other things. But dust, rain, and shock - all part of a day’s work - can bring a laptop to a screeching halt. With this in mind, Getac designed the A790, a hardcore computer for hardcore environments.

Getac designed this rugged beast to military specs, with a rubberized keyboard to keep sand and rain out, and a tough magnesium frame enclosing an extensively shock mounted motherboard, LCD screen, and hard drive. Its Intel Core Duo Processor running at 1.66 gigahertz, though it might not get you much respect with the gamers, will get the job done.

Cool features include an integrated GPS antenna plug (with an included antenna) and more expansion bays for extra batteries and media readers than you can shake a stick at. The A790’s PCI expansion unit, perhaps its most interesting feature, allows a whole series of legacy hardware to be controlled via the add-on slots.

Now for the shocker: This model sells for about $6000, so it’s not for the casual browsing session at Starbucks.

A790 [www.getac.com]
Street Price [Google Products]
Tite-Tie Now Available In The US — Or So We Hear

Posted: December 19th, 2007, 11:12am MST by Chuck Cage

Remember the Tite-Tie, the famous trucker’s knot for dummies? We posted about it back in March after receiving a tip from an astute reader, and the post generated a lot of discussion — both positive and negative. At the time it was only available in Australia, though inventor Chris Howard posted in comments that “it’d be available in the US soon.”

Well, today we received an email from him indicating that the Tite-Tie is now available at Home Depot. We tried in vain to find it via the ‘Depot’s infamously-bad search engine, but then again my recent search for “rigid conduit” didn’t return a single stick of conduit, either. So we’ll probably have to look in the brick ‘n mortar isles to see for sure.

If anyone happens to see it in the store, let us know in comments. And if you pick one up, we’d love to hear how it fares in actual use.

Original Tite-Tie Post [Toolmonger]
Glove Winner: Snow Blower Mods

Posted: December 19th, 2007, 10:31am MST by Sean O'Hara

Toolmonger photo pool member J.Levine posted this sweet mod to his snowblower. He tore off the old crappy crank that positions the blower’s snow spout, and he mounted a custom rig of his own design to power the chute’s movement.

Props to you, sir, both for the cut up drill motor you used to power the chute and for having the good sense to cut up a $10 Drill Master instead of something that might be good for another project. He even posted a video of his handiwork in action.

While he’s out in the yard blowing fresh piles of powder into the neighbor’s yard, we thought he might enjoy a new pair of gloves.

Toolmonger’s Photo Pool [Flickr]
Tools and Tunes While You Work

Posted: December 19th, 2007, 9:59am MST by Eric Dykstra

I can’t think of any gadget that’s become ubiquitous as fast as the Apple iPod, with its never-ending array of accessories that run the gamut from high-end earphones to toilet paper holders. Now Whatever Works offers an accessory especially for toolies: a decent tool box that offers protection to your Ipod or other MP3 player as well as an amplifier and AM/FM radio for your listening pleasure.

The iPod Radio Toolbox runs on 4 AAA batteries and plays audio from any 1/8th inch source. At 15″W x 10″D x 10″H, it’s perfect for toting around. It includes two pull-out drawers for storing small parts and a removable tray for storage of screwdrivers, soldering irons, etc. WhateverWorks.com doesn’t have any in stock at the moment, so none for you this Christmas, but maybe next year…if you’re good.

iPod Radio Toolbox [WhateverWorks.com]
Oil In Your Bearing, Not In Your Hands

Posted: December 19th, 2007, 9:12am MST by Benjamen Johnson

Fan in your computer whining because the tiny bearing needs oil? Nothing does the job as well as a micro oiler. Owned one of those cheap leaky plastic pen oilers — the one where you squeeze and too much oil squirts out? Empire’s precision oiler allows precise oil delivery, one drop at a time.

Don’t mistake this for a pen — the push button on the end controls the flow of oil from the tip. The 5-1/2″ oiler, complete with screw-on cover and pocket clip, sports a stylish brushed aluminum finish. An O-ring sealed compartment keeps oil inside the pen, not all over your hands.

Getting oil where you need it and only where you need it should be worth $8.

Empire Precision Oiler [Manufacturer]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Amazon(B0001ZYNE8) [What’s This?]
Dealmonger: 8-Pack Eneloop Rechargable Batteries $15

Posted: December 19th, 2007, 8:31am MST by Stephen Cooke

Rechargable batteries help the environment, but they can be a beating on your wallet. Fortunately Circuit City is listing this 8 Pack of AA Sanyo Eneloop NiMH rechargeable batteries for $15. And - extra bonus - if you take advantage of the mail-in offer, they’ll send you four Eneloop battery spacers, the spacers that turn your AA batteries into C and D cell batteries.

8-Pack Batteries [Eneloop]
8-Pack Eneloop [Circuit City]
Mail-in Offer [Eneloop]
Street Pricing [Google Product]
TV Tonight: Artificial Yule Log

Posted: December 19th, 2007, 8:00am MST by Nick Carter
(Wednesday, December 19th, 2007) Get ready for a week or two of reruns, but you’ll probably be too drunk on eggnog to notice.

All times are central.
- How It’s Made: Episode 7, manufacturing golf balls, furniture handles, parking meters and room dividers (Discovery, 5:00 p.m.)
- Holmes on Homes: A River Ran Through It (Home, 5:00 p.m.)
- Build It Bigger: Coaster Build Off (Science, 5:00 p.m.)
- How It’s Made: Episode 44, grinding wheels, compost, window blinds and milk (Discovery, 5:30 p.m.)
- How It’s Made: Episode 28, manufacturing engine blocks, jawbreakers, drum shells and drums (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
- How It’s Made: Episode 52, manhole covers, range hoods, artificial logs, and snowmobiles (Discovery, 6:30 p.m.)
- How Do They Do It?: Speeding Car, Water Display, White Wash (Science, 7:00 p.m.)
- How It’s Made: Episode 5, copy paper, jeans, computers, and plate glass (Science, 7:30 p.m.)
- MythBusters: Holiday Special (Discovery, 8:00 p.m.)
- Rock Solid: Granite Fireplace Revamp (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)
- Rock Solid: Kitchen Concrete Floor (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
- MythBusters: Christmas Special (Discovery, 9:00 p.m.)
- Street Tuner Challenge: Buckle up Tight (Speed, 9:00 p.m.)
- Street Tuner Challenge: Policing the Competition (Speed, 9:30 p.m.)
- MythBusters: Christmas Tree Lights (Discovery, 10:00 p.m.)
Enjoy.