BuffaloFeeds » Toolmonger » January 7, 2010

Toolmonger (7 unread)

Dealmonger: Black & Decker Workmate Swivel Grip Pegs

Posted: January 7th, 2010, 11:12am MST by Nick Carter

Including shipping, and assuming you order enough stuff to qualify for Super Saver shipping, Amazon has the best deal on the 4-pack of Black & Decker 79-010-4 Workmate Swivel Grip Pegs at $8.36.

These are the standard dogs that B&D includes with the Workmate, precisely the items that are almost always missing when you buy a used one. I’ve used them to great advantage when holding items for planing and routing. And they’re made of plastic so you can accidentally cut into them without ruining your tool.

As stated above, there are a multitude of deals out there on the internet, but all exceed Amazon’s price when you include shipping. Second best is Ace Hardware on Amazon [What’s This?], $10.60 including shipping, if these are all you’re ordering,

Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Milwaukee Compact Band Saw

Posted: January 7th, 2010, 10:07am MST by Sean O'Hara

This is the Milwaukee Compact Band Saw model 6242-6; it is the awesome. We got to play with one last year at the Milwaukee event but they were not quite ready to ship yet. They’ve been out for a little while now and we’ve seen a few of our friends pick them up — and they have nothing but good things to say about it.

One of the biggest features of the new saw is what’s not there; it’s about half the weight of previous models at a slim and trim 9.5 pounds. That’s less to lift and hold over your head and less to lug around. It also sports a 3-1/4” cut capacity that will keep plumbers and electricians happy.

Other features found on the regular portable band saws like tool-free adjustments, an LED light, a blade ejection system, and cast aluminum case also bring the 6242-6 into the top contender’s bracket. It’s a solid $200 investment considering the grunt you save lugging and hoisting the saw into place, not to mention the space you save in the toolbox. We can’t wait to get our hands on one.

Compact Band Saw Model: 6242-6 [Milwaukee]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
It’s Just Cool: Switchblade Flying Motorcycle

Posted: January 7th, 2010, 9:04am MST by Gordon DeWitte

Just when you thought it was safe to take the old flying car out for a spin, Samson Motorworks brings out its flying motorcycle, the Switchblade™ Multi Mode Vehicle (MMV).

I recently saw this gem in the Scientific American newsletter. DIY kits should be available in 2011 after the flight testing program is complete. A kit, without engine or avionics, will set you back around $60K; add another $25K or so for the engine and avionics. Shown above with its wings flipped out from their protective clamshell compartments and the stabilizer extended from the rear, the three-wheel Switchblade™ uses a motorcycle engine (~ 150 horsepower) to turn the propeller, or to drive the continuously variable transmission. When flying, the Switchblade™ will have a 340-mile range at a cruising speed of 134 mph while getting 22 mpg.

Reconfigured for ground operation as shown above, the Switchblade™ will have an 880-mile range, go 90 mph or more, and get as high as 60 mpg. It will seat two side by side. You can make a refundable deposit for your kit today.

Switchblade™ [Manufacturer's Site]
Easy Flyer [Scientific American]
Zero Goo In Your Bladder

Posted: January 7th, 2010, 8:37am MST by Benjamen Johnson

Anybody who’s ever left water sitting in their CamelBak or other similar water bags knows how nasty they can get. That’s why it’s important to dry them out if you’re not going to be using them for a while. Sure, there are drying hangers, both store bought and DIY, but the ZEROGOO claims their hydration bladder dryer works faster and dries them more completely.

Fit the the bladder dryer in the bladder’s fill opening, remove the bite valve, and plug it in. The fan inflates the bladder and forces air out the drinking tube. The constant flow of air removes moisture from all the nooks and crannies of the bladder.

The bladder dryer works on CamelBak’s hydration bladders with either large (newer) and small (older) fill openings. It’ll run you $30.

Bladder Dryer [ZEROGOO]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
iGaging SnapDepth

Posted: January 7th, 2010, 8:02am MST by Gordon DeWitte

Perpetuating the trend that the name of anything new must begin with a lower-case “i,” Incremental Tools (part of Taylor Design Group, the maker of INCRA Tools) has introduced new measuring and marking tools in their iGaging™ line. An example is the iGaging™ SnapDepth Digital Indicator shown above. Available for $16.99 (with coupon code GA15; $19.95 without), it can measure rabbet and grove depths in decimal inches to 0.0005″, in fractions to 1/64″, or in millimeters to 0.01mm. Its reinforced composite body includes a mounting lug on the rear that “fits most magnetic bases,” and its standard-thread interchangeable-plunger tip comes with 1″ and 2″ extensions.

With the coupon code, the prices on most of the new iGaging™ parts seems reasonable. What do you think?

iGaging™ [Manufacturer's Site]
Wire Bending, The Easy Way

Posted: January 7th, 2010, 7:49am MST by Sean O'Hara

For years this curiously-shaped block was bolted to my dad’s workbench. I’d never seen him use it and had no idea what it was for. When I managed to drop a bolt down a Y-pipe in my teens, he busted out a wire hanger and began twisting it around to form a bolt grabber using the pegs and shapes on this little jig. I felt like a door had just been opened.

Just unwind a hanger and start winding it through the forms and pegs to create almost whatever shape you’re looking for. The straight channels let you make bends to any degree up to 90, and the pegs allow you to create intricate curves. The two forms on the end create corners and half moons which can be compounded to form other shapes entirely.

Later on I came to view hangers as tools in the making. As long as you had a bender handy there was little limit to the things you could make from this golden wire. They did twist the wire into hangers after all; my concoctions were just as valid.

All this thanks to a $5 little bender that bolts to the bench. The only complaint my father ever had was it was next to impossible to keep wire hangers in the house after that day.

WIre Bender [Duluth]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
TV Tonight: Wheelies

Posted: January 7th, 2010, 7:04am MST by Nick Carter
(TV Tonight, Thursday, January 7th, 2009) A new American Chopper builds a wheelchair-themed bike (really, that’s what the promo says) for the Chris Reeve foundation. Paulie returns for a visit to get yelled at as well.

All times are central
- Prototype This!: Automated Pizza Delivery (Science, 5:00 pm)
- Some Assembly Required (Science, 6:00 pm)
- Ask This Old House: Damaged Lawn, Curved Stair Molding (DIY, 6:30 pm)
- American Chopper: The Jeanette Lee Black Widow Bike (TLC, 7:00 pm)
- Factory Made: Whistles, balloons, envelopes, car wheels (Science, 7:00 pm)
- Factory Made: Bricks, baseball gloves, Boston beer, cast-aluminum pots (Science, 7:30 pm)
- American Chopper: Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Bike (TLC, 8:00 pm) NEW
- Successful Farming Machinery Show (RFD-TV, 8:00 pm)