BuffaloFeeds » Toolmonger » January 29, 2010

Toolmonger (8 unread)

We Want Your Input!

Posted: January 29th, 2010, 3:29pm MST by Chuck Cage

When we started Toolmonger back in 2006, we mainly wrote about tools that interested us — things we found in our shops, at the places we shopped, and that our shop buddies chatted up to us. But almost 8,000 posts later we’ve expanded our coverage quite a bit. But now we’d like your input:

What would you like to see more of here on Toolmonger?

Your reward for answering? Nothing except the knowledge that you’re helping your favorite source for a daily tool fix direct our attention in the right direction. And, of course, our thanks.

(Thanks, Margaret Anne Clarke, for the great CC-licensed photo.)
A New Jack For My Hydraulic Press

Posted: January 29th, 2010, 3:27pm MST by Nick Carter

I’ve been using a simple hydraulic press powered by a bottle jack for years to produce our stamped jewelry. The old bottle jack was a Harbor Freight 20-ton model that finally gave up the ghost. What I hated about the jack was how much pumping it took just to get to the point where it was acting on the die, so I decided to look around at other options. While I’d love an electric powerpack with a ram, as used on the Bonny Doon presses, the cost was beyond our tool budget. Likewise an air over hydraulic jack would have required a larger compressor than we have. And an Enerpack with a long lever? Maybe next time.

So I decided to try the Northern Hydraulic Torin 20 Ton Fast Lift jack. It promised quicker ram travel than a regular jack and the price was reasonable ($49.99). I installed the jack in my press and was amazed at the difference it made. I now only need a couple of strokes to engage the die — then there is a sound that is probably related to whatever bypass valve switches over for greater force (I’m guessing here, but I think that’s how it works) and it completes the pressing in another couple of strokes. Less time equals more money and less boredom.

Above, you can see the jack in my homemade press (the top isn’t that curved; it’s an artifact of the camera). As you can see I added a knurled handle for the pressure release valve so I wouldn’t have to use the jack handle every pressing. While I don’t have a huge amount of confidence in the longevity of import jacks, generally, if the jack even lasts a year of use it will have saved me a huge amount of time. My only complaint thus far is that they painted the jack with thick red paint that flakes off.
A Big Foot For A Little Saw

Posted: January 29th, 2010, 3:26pm MST by Benjamen Johnson

Forget cutting your sticks one piece at a time; with a little bit of help from an A-daptor kit*, you can turn your Skil or Bosch 7-1/4″ worm drive saw into a 10-1/4″ saw that can take a big 3-3/4″ bite out of your stock — enough to gang cut a mess of 2×4s.

Big Foot Tools sells kits that fit Skil Type 14,15,16, and 17 saws, the Bosch 1677M, and the Mag Type 1. Their adapter kit ships complete with a 10-1/4″, 36-tooth carbide blade. Using the supplied instructions it supposedly only takes 15-30 minutes to convert your saw.

You’ll pay about $300 for the kit.

*(Thanks to the Man in Black for this great song)

Saw Adapter Kit [Big Foot Tools]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Dealmonger: “3 Sew” Whisk Broom

Posted: January 29th, 2010, 3:20pm MST by Nick Carter

Looking around for a replacement for my old, worn whisk broom I settled on a few parameters. The replacement should be of broom corn, not plastic, and the sewing should be three, not two, rows of stitching. This led me to two possible candidates: the Harper Brush 338 (pictured above) and the Weiler 44266 (.pdf) The best deal on the Harper Brush is $6.69 from Restockit, and on the Weiler $5.48 from Paintstore.com. That said, I’ll likely hunt around my local stores to avoid shipping. Either brush should be heavy duty enough to deal with the metal chips and other heavy, oily messes I generate in my shop.

Harper Brush 338 [restockit.com]
Weiler 42266 [paintstore.com]
Hot Or Not: JoolTool

Posted: January 29th, 2010, 3:15pm MST by Gordon DeWitte

Apparently this sharpening tool has been around under various names since 2004 or earlier, but I just recently found out about it — I know: if I don’t start paying attention, I’m going to have to turn in my Toolmonger badge. The 12″ tall, 8″ diameter JoolTool™ (a.k.a. Ninja™) is a variable speed (500 to 5,000 RPM) dry sharpening system that has a 17° forward tilt for easy use, a vacuum port, and several accessories allowing it to sharpen, polish, grind, lap, sand, and deburr. Highland Woodworking and Japan Woodworker both have a basic package (inc. the JoolTool™, an instructional DVD, a backpad, a buff/polish felt wheel, a small block of honing compound, a variety of different grit discs for various materials, and more) available for $279.95.

Have any Toolmongers used one of these? What did you think? How does it compare to something like the Work Sharp? What’s your preferred tool for sharpening?

JoolTool™ [Manufacturer's Site]
Spring Cleaning: The Pro Gear

Posted: January 29th, 2010, 9:45am MST by Chuck Cage

Are you still mopping the garage floor with the mop rejected from the kitchen last year? If so, upgrading to the pro’s solution — a nice rolling mop bucket and wringer — makes the whole process a lot easier. And unlike upgrading to the latest table saw or knee mill, it’s pretty easy on the wallet.

Of course you can get by with a bucket and crappy mop. But you’ll save a bend-down-to-pick-up-the-bucket rep every time you move. And by pairing this with a good ‘ole standard mop you’ll save yourself the indignity of sticking your hands in the moist remains of floor nasty in order to repair the kitchen-style self-wringing mop. And when you’re done, just stick the whole thing in the corner — or out in the shed if you have one.

The Rubbermaid rig pictured above runs $54 from ACE right now, though you can find a similar deal (or even better) all over locally. For the best deal check out your local restaurant supply store. Not surprisingly, restaurants need a lot of these, and the fact that they’re notably cheap-minded when it comes to things that don’t draw customers or save cash works in your favor.

Combo Mop Wringer/Bucket [ACE]
Other Sources [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Stand-Up Bolt Hole Marker

Posted: January 29th, 2010, 7:34am MST by Benjamen Johnson

Big Foot Tool’s Stand-Up Bolt Hole Marker allows you to mark the location of bolts on plates quickly. Once you’ve dialed the correct bolt size and lined up the plate next to the bolts, you simply push the tool against the bolt and hit the spring-loaded plunger with a hammer to mark each bolt.

The bolt marker has a bolt size dial for 1/2″, 5/8″, 3/4″, 7/8″, 1″, and 1- 1/4″ bolts on each end; one end is used for 2×4 plates and the other for 2×6 plates. It retails for $33 at DHC Supplies, plus an extra $10 for shipping.

Stand-Up Bolt Hole Marker [Big Foot Tools]
Stand-Up Bolt Hole Marker [DHC Supplies]
TV Tonight: Back Log

Posted: January 29th, 2010, 7:28am MST by Nick Carter
(TV Tonight, Friday, January 29th, 2010) In spite of there being tons to watch, only Swamp Loggers is new tonight.

All times are central
- Holmes on Homes: Falling Flat (HGTV, 5:00 pm)
- How Do They Do It?: Wool Carpeting; Legos (Science, 5:00 pm)
- How Do They Do It?: World’s Strongest Knives, Diamonds, Bricks (Science, 5:30 pm)
- Dirty Jobs: Cave Biologist (Discovery, 6:00 pm)
- How Do They Do It?: Passenger Airplanes; Lightweight Chainsaws (Science, 6:00 pm)
- Ask This Old House: Repairing Backyard Gate, Drafty Window (DIY, 6:30 pm)
- How Do They Do It?: Overnight Shipping; Mining Coal (Science, 6:30 pm)
- Ask This Old House: Banging Pipes, Installing Fiberglass Door (DIY, 7:00 pm)
- Dirty Jobs: High-Rise Window Washer (Discovery, 7:00 pm)
- How It’s Made: Aluminum Foil, Snowboards, Soft Polymer Contact Lenses, Bread (Science, 7:00 pm)
- How It’s Made: Compact Discs, Mozzarella Cheese, Pantyhose, Fluorescent Tubes (Science, 7:30 pm)
- Swamp Loggers: Money Pit (Discovery, 8:00 pm)
- How It’s Made: Toothpicks, Acrylic Bathtubs, Helicopters, Beer (Science, 8:00 pm)
- How It’s Made: Hearing Aids, 3-D Puzzles, Rubber Mats, Toilets (Science, 8:30 pm)
- Swamp Loggers: Waterlogged (Discovery, 9:00 pm) NEW
- How It’s Made: Copy Paper, Jeans, Computers, Plate Glass (Science, 9:00 pm)
- How It’s Made: Nails & Staples, Safety Glasses, Fabrics, Bicycles (Science, 9:30 pm)
- Dirty Jobs: High-Rise Window Washer (Discovery, 10:00 pm)
- How It’s Made: Kayaks, Safety Boots, Electronic Signs, Cereals (Science, 10:00 pm)
- Deconstruction: Nail Guns & Air Compressors (DIY, 10:30 pm)
- How It’s Made: Trucks, Adhesive Bandages, Computer Circuit Boards, Liquors (Science, 10:30 pm)