BuffaloFeeds » Toolmonger » January 26, 2010

Toolmonger (5 unread)

A Good Read: Forty Power Tools You Can Make

Posted: January 26th, 2010, 3:29pm MST by Nick Carter

Popular Mechanics published Forty Power Tools You Can Make in the early 1940’s as a thin hardback. The book is, as are most Popular Mechanics books, a collection of articles from the magazine. At a time when most machines were required for the war effort it must have been seen as a way to encourage people to keep up their hobbies in the face of scarcity.

The book is about 96 pages and has 3 plans for bandsaws, 3 for drill presses, 2 scroll saws (one of which is pedal powered!), 7 sanders of various types, 3 power saws, 2 wood lathes, shaper, power plane, model maker’s metal lathe, power hacksaw, and filing machine. Sprinkled within are other articles on accessories and other modifications to tools. It’s one of those books that can jog your creative urges as well as showing just how thrifty people used to be.

The book is available used from a variety of sellers between $2 and $10, while Amazon has a much higher price. It doesn’t seem to be available as a reprint.

Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
It’s Just Cool: Benchtop Laser Wire Stripper

Posted: January 26th, 2010, 3:25pm MST by Benjamen Johnson

Ideal’s benchtop laser wire stripper will, without blades or heating, perfectly strip insulation from most wires and cables in less than a second. Its 10W CO2 laser can strip wires as small as .005″ to as large as .150″ in diameter.

The Wiremaster’s laser head rotates around the wire to give you a 360° cut. The laser light vaporizes the insulation while it bounces harmlessly off the wire. The Wiremaster I can strip up to 1″ of insulation, while the Wiremaster II can strip up to 6″ of insulation and even slit the insulation along its length or spiral cut it for easier removal.

The Wiremaster II weighs 103 lbs and measures 14.5″ wide by 13″ high by 28″ long. The Wiremaster I is a little shorter and lighter. Compressed air or nitrogen is required for operation of both strippers but the Wiremaster II also requires a vacuum line — presumably to remove the vaporized insulation — while using one is optional on the Wiremaster I.

No information on pricing is posted, so you’ll have to contact Ideal directly if you’re interested in their benchtop laser wire stripper.

Wire Stripper [Ideal]
1/4″ Hex Bit Adapter for Bit Braces

Posted: January 26th, 2010, 3:22pm MST by Nick Carter

My friend Kiko Denzer dropped off a project yesterday; he wants me to make an adapter to allow the use of 1/4″ hex screwdriver bits in his bit brace. While I enjoy odd projects, I decided to search the Internet and see if anyone already made such an adapter. I discovered two sources, one in Europe and the other more useful source, Lee Valley. They sell bit brace adapters for 1/4″ hex bits as well as 3/8″ square drive sockets at a low price of $8.50 each. Chuck here at TM has already covered actual square taper shank screwdriver bits for the bit brace as well, although the price is significantly greater than the Lee Valley adapters.

This leads me to ask — does anyone know other sources of bit brace adapters and chucks that allow their use with modern straight shank drills and hex bits?

I have a Goodell type keyless 3-jaw drill chuck that has a tapered bit brace shank, but I doubt that they’re made anymore. Of course there are plenty of modern bit braces that have a 3-jaw chuck, but my luddite friend likes using his old Stanley brace, and I don’t blame him one bit.
Ultimate Garage

Posted: January 26th, 2010, 2:50pm MST by Gordon DeWitte

No, that’s not my car, and that’s definitely not my garage. But I can dream, can’t I? And I thought that looking through the Griot’s Garage catalog was fun. The Ultimate Garage, started by Steve D’Gerolamo, provides a variety of products and services — “The only limits are one’s imagination and budget” — to assist you in building or outfitting your garage and workshop. It has all the usual stuff like architectural plan reviews, air conditioning and dehumidification systems, audio and video distribution — doesn’t your garage have CAT6 hookups and a video server rack? — building acoustics, electrical-power distribution and backup, fume extraction systems, and more. The link below is the first of several pages showing some incredible garages, cars, and equipment.

Must. Stop. Drooling.

Technology & Design Showcase [Ultimate Garage]
TV Tonight: Paddle to the Sea

Posted: January 26th, 2010, 9:22am MST by Nick Carter
(TV Tonight, Tuesday, January 26th, 2010) A new non-animal-husbandry-related Dirty Jobs at last, with Mike cleaning out the Soo Locks up in the Great Lakes. We also get a new Howe & Howe Tech where they build a smaller version of their small tank. Will it ever end?

All times are central
- Holmes on Homes: Ceiling the Deal (HGTV, 5:00 pm)
- Machinery of the Past (RFD-TV, 5:00 pm)
- Dirty Jobs: Dirty Chip Maker (Discovery, 6:00 pm)
- Ask This Old House: Repairing a Deck, Hydrangea Bush (DIY, 6:30 pm)
- Ask This Old House: Converting a Bathtub, Solar-Powered Fountain (DIY, 7:00 pm)
- Dirty Jobs: Chicken Busters (Discovery, 7:00 pm)
- Dirty Jobs: Soo Locks Technician (Discovery, 8:00 pm) NEW
- Howe & Howe Tech: Ripsaw’s Mini-Me (Discovery, 9:00 pm) NEW