BuffaloFeeds » Toolmonger » March 25, 2010

Toolmonger (4 unread)

Get Your Garden Started: Mantis Tiller/Cultivator

Posted: March 25th, 2010, 3:55pm MDT by Audra Heaslip

Despite a late snowfall last week, spring is FINALLY here in Texas and people are making plans for their vegetable and herb gardens. While researching tillers for a friend, I found that Mantis reviews online far exceed those of other manufacturers when it comes to quality, durability, and warranty. The Mantis tiller/cultivator, shown above, weighs only 24 lbs. It’s powered by a 4-cycle Honda 25cc engine that’s both quieter and more powerful than the 2-cycle tillers.

The Mantis 4-cycle is gas-powered and requires no fuel mixing, as some tillers do. It includes a variable throttle and a shut-off switch to avoid “run-away” machinery, and digs as deep as 10″. The gear box is aluminum cast in a single piece for extreme durability.

Mantis guarantees their reversible serpentine tines against breakage for life, and they offer a risk-free trial — if you buy directly from Mantis, you can return the tiller up to a year later for a “complete, no-hassle” refund. Additionally, all components of any of their tillers are warrantied for 5 years against defects in workmanship and materials. Everything purchased from Mantis qualifies for free shipping.

The cons of the Mantis? Many reviewers complain it’s not the best at dealing with very hard or rocky soil. And the 9″ tilling width means a loooong time tilling if you’re planting a really big garden. But the warranties and refund guarantee, the Consumer Digest seal of approval, and the wide availability of parts and accessories seem to make this one a good call.

The Mantis 4-cycle runs $449 direct from Mantis, and the 2-cycle is $349. Other options include their 16″ XP tiller for $599 and the 9″ wide electric (plug-in) tiller, also for $349.

If you’ve had experience with Mantis tillers or others, let us know in comments what you think are the best choices for home gardeners.

Mantis Tillers [Manufacturer's Site]
Reviews of Mantis Tillers [gardenrototillers.com]
Mantis Tillers Street Pricing [Google Products]
Mantis 4-Cycle Tiller Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Stop Green Wood From Tearing Itself Apart

Posted: March 25th, 2010, 2:47pm MDT by Benjamen Johnson

As wood dries, it shrinks, causing it to crack and split. So if you find a beautiful piece of green wood that you’d like to work, you need a way to keep the piece from tearing itself apart as it dries. Pentacryl is a quick drying and non-toxic liquid which can be applied to green wood to stabilize it.

Pentacryl won’t discolor the wood and most stains and glues will work after it’s dry. Once it’s applied by brushing, spraying, or soaking, siliconized polymers reinforce the cells in the wood so they keep their shape as they dry. It can even reduce drying time compared to wax coating methods.

You can buy Pentacryl by the quart, gallon, five-gallon, or drum. A quart will cost you about $20 while a 55 gallon drum runs $1500. If you want to prevent dry wood from further cracking, you can try out their Wood Juice product.

Pentacryl [Preservative Solutions]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
A Strap Of Many Uses

Posted: March 25th, 2010, 2:43pm MDT by Audra Heaslip

A strap wrench consists of a plastic or wooden handle with a flexible rubber strap that often has small ridges that help it grip round, slick-surfaced, or odd-shaped objects. The tool is used to tighten, loosen, or twist objects such as shower heads, polished, glass, or PVC piping, water and oil filters, and even jar lids. Its main advantages are its flexibility and its ability to grip tightly without scratching or marring the object’s surface.

The 12″ handle Klein strap wrench above provides “cam-action design” that allows “uniform, high-torque application.” Weighing in at 0.8 lbs, the Klein 12″ has a diameter range of 1.5 to 5″, as does the 6″ version. The 18″ strap wrench adjusts between 1 1/8″ to 8″, but is usually quite a bit more expensive, running closer to $70 compared to about $12 and $20 for the 6″ and the 12″, respectively.

My question is: What other unique applications have Toolmongers devised for strap wrenches? It seems they’d be as good around the house as in the shop, and I suspect people have some great ideas that would save the rest of us a lot of time, pain, and grunting noises. Let us know your ideas for uses in comments!

Klein Grip-It Strap Wrenches [Manufacturer's Site]
Street Pricing for Klein Strap Wrenches [Google Products]
12″ Klein Strap Wrench Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Name That Wrench

Posted: March 25th, 2010, 1:59pm MDT by Benjamen Johnson

You’ve probably seen these wrenches included in tools kits that come with bikes, gas tools, or other machinery. Evidently in the UK these wrenches are called tubular box spanners, but what we call them here in the states escapes me. I’ve done a fair bit of searching and can’t find our name for them. Obviously we’re not going to call them spanners, and a search for “tubular box wrenches” turns up a completely different tool.

Made from high quality carbon steel and plated with zinc, this particular set of six spanners from Draper is double ended to fit 12 different Metric sizes: 8mm & 9mm, 10mm & 11mm, 12mm & 13mm, 14mm & 15mm, 16mm & 17mm, and 18mm & 19mm. The set also includes two “tommy” bars, 100mm and 150mm long.

This set of wrenches cost about 6 Euros or 8 dollars. If you know what to call these tools in American English, please drop a line in the comments.

Tubular Box Spanner [Draper]