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Box Joints Made Simple

Posted: July 30th, 2010, 9:36am MDT by Benjamen Johnson

If you just need to create simple box joints rather than fancy joinery, MLCS has another system for quickly producing these joints on your router table.

The three different spacer bases in the Multi-Joint system allow you to make 1/2″, 3/8″, and 1/2″ box joints as well as rabbet, dado, spline, and sliding dovetails. The bases are 24″ long pieces of laminated MDF with guide bars made from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW).

To set up the system, choose which size box joint you want to make — we’ll choose 1/2″ for our purposes. Chuck a half-inch straight cutting bit in your router table and place the 1/2″ base over the top of the bit. Use the 1/2″ setup bar to set the height of the bit, use it to set the distance from the bit to the plastic guide bar, and then clamp the base to your table. Then place the right angle fence with the 1/2″ notch over the guide rail and clamp the work piece to the fence. Now you’re ready to start cutting.

When you buy the Multi-Joint system you get 1/4″, 3/8″, and 1/2″ spacer bases, three right angle fences, a dovetail liner offset fence, a positive stop setup block, and five brass setup bars. You’ll need to supply your own 1/4″, 3/8″, and 1/2″ straight cutting bits. You can purchase the entire Multi-Joint spacing system for $120, or you can buy a kit for just one size box joints for $50.

Multi-Joint Spacing System [MLCS]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Cutting Big-Ass Cable The Easy Way

Posted: July 29th, 2010, 1:15pm MDT by Chuck Cage

Ever wonder how pros cut those huge cables you see in commercial electrical installations? Here’s the kind of tool they reach for: a power tool that’s like a motorized, ratcheting version of your limb pruner. Greenlee’s ES1000 (pictured) features a 2-1/8″ opening that can cut through any copper or aluminum wire — sheathed or not — that you can stick through its maw.

It draws a tad bit of juice to get the job done, though. It’ll make 35 cuts of the big copper stuff on a single charge. And Greenlee calls it “compact” even though it weighs about 7-1/2 pounds.

I find it a little interesting that we’re not seeing a lot of innovation in terms of lithium ion in these type of commercial tools. Is it because the specialty companies like Greenlee don’t sell enough to justify the research expense? Or are these tools just more than enough for the people who buy them?

One thing’s certain: They’re not cheap. Expect to bay around $1,200 for one. (Though honestly, I suspect if you already knew what one of these is, you probably already own one.)

ES1000 Cable Cutter [Greenlee] (Warning: PDF Link)
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Fancy Joinery With Your Router Table

Posted: July 29th, 2010, 9:39am MDT by Benjamen Johnson

To create interesting joints, previously we covered Isoloc joint templates for Leigh dovetail jigs, but the templates were expensive — plus, you need to already own an expensive Leigh dovetail jig. MLCS now sells the less-expensive Fast Joint system that you can use with a router table to make similar fancy-looking joints.

Using the system is pretty straightforward. Fit the male and female templates in the Fast Joint jig, install the correct bushing in your router table, chuck the bit into your router, and lock the work piece into the jig. Then just start routing. After you finish the first piece, flip the jig over to use the complementary template and lock in the mating work piece.

In their video they share some techniques on using the system effectively. The most important thing to remember is to remove material slowly, not all at once, then make a finishing pass to ensure a perfect fit. You also want to make sure you move the wood in the direction opposite the way the bit is turning — don’t climb cut — but if you use a router regularly you should already know these tips.

Some of the more interesting templates available are:

Heart
Key (more like a rounded dovetail)
Arrow head
Teddy bear
Lollipop
Crown
Dog bone
Top Hat
Bird’s eye

and..

Butterfly wings

With the system you get the Fast Joint jig platform with hardware, three toggle clamps, two spring clamps, a 3/16″ high-speed steel spiral upcut bit, 14º CT dovetail bit, .308″ OD bushing, .311″ OD bushing, dovetail 7/16″ OD bushing, brass centering pin, and a 3/8″ by 3/8″ brass setup bar.

You can purchase the Fast Joint system plus four templates for $170, spend an extra $100 to get the system plus 11 templates for $270, or go hog wild and get the whole kit and caboodle including 20 templates for $420. If you want to buy a single template it’ll run you $18. MLCS also sells replacement bushings and spiral bits on their website.

Fast Joint [MLCS]
Fast Joint [Peachtree]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

What Makes A Good General Purpose Screwdriver?

Posted: July 29th, 2010, 8:09am MDT by Chuck Cage

Every year we see a couple of new screwdriver releases. Hell, every now and then one of the manufacturers even mentions the screwdrivers in a press release. But most of the time they linger just out of sight behind the “tool count” in kits, or behind the new whiz-bang specialty tool at product seminars.

But the screwdrivers in our toolboxes probably see more use than damn near any other tool in the box. And we know for a fact — having met a few of the guys in person — that tool engineers put a lot of thought into designing screwdrivers that’re more comfortable in your hand and less likely to chip or cam out a screw.

That said, we want to know what YOU think. Who, in your opinion, makes the best screwdrivers? And more importantly, WHY are they great? Are they slip resistant? Easy to control? Durable?

Let us (and your fellow readers) know in comments!

Delta DP350 Drill Press: Assembly

Posted: July 28th, 2010, 9:58am MDT by Benjamen Johnson

Sick of struggling with a micro-mill machine from Harbor Freight to drill holes, I decided to buy a real benchtop drill press. I really didn’t want a full-size floor model because I don’t have the floor space for it in my shop, but I have plenty of bench space. A few years ago I did the research and determined that a Delta DP350 was the best option, but lost my good judgment at the last minute and figured I could do more with a micro-mill. Now, after a little more research, I discovered not much has changed.

I headed on over to my local Rockler to pick up the drill press, but was dismayed that they didn’t have any on the floor, even though they had in the past. I thought maybe I should have called first, but figuring it never hurts to ask, I found out they had a few Delta DP 350’s in the back. So I ended up paying about $230 after tax and Rockler’s super secret 10% discount, which is about what you’d expect to pay looking at the street price.

Hefting the box into my truck with the manager, I noticed it was damn heavy, about 80 lbs. of awkward box. Although the weight was a good sign, there was no way I was carrying it by myself down to my shop; I would have to take it out of the box and transfer it piece by piece down to the basement.

Opening the box in my garage, my first impression was the smell of oil; yes, all the metal parts were soaked in oil to prevent them from turning into a pile of rust while it was shipped overseas. After unpacking and safely carrying down the base, table, column, and miscellaneous parts, I lifted up the head and wondered if I should’ve asked for some help. In the end I was able to carry it down to my shop, but just barely.

The first step was to wipe the oil off all the parts. Delta recommended using a cloth moistened with kerosene — not gas, not lacquer thinner, and not acetone. Who has kerosene just lying around? Not having any on hand, I just used a cloth to wipe down all the components. They also recommend coating all the unpainted surfaces with paste wax, but I’m holding off on this step until I can properly remove all the residue.

The next step was to attach the column to the base with four bolts. Compared to the weight of the column and the base, the bolts seem rather small, but we’ll see how well they hold up. The raising rack has flat spots on both ends, so you can’t just lower the table onto the column and rack — you need to remove the ring and the rack.

The rack fits into a groove atop the flange on the column and the bottom of the ring so it can rotate around the column with the table. You need to slide the table with the rack over the column and replace the ring in just the right position — too tight against the rack and it won’t rotate freely, too loose and it’ll move up and down with the table. Add the crank and the table clamp screw, and the table is in place.

The head sits atop the column and is kept in place by two set screws. The bottom set screw went in fine, but the top set screw kept turning and turning. I was afraid that maybe the head wasn’t fully seated on the column — that I would screw the set screw all the way through the inner wall and it would drop into the column. Eventually, I did start encountering some resistance. It turns out that the set screw it just short and the top threads are very deep.

Finally, after screwing in all the handles and mounting the chuck on the tapered spindle, I turned on the machine and tested it with a 1/2″ Forstner bit and a piece of crap wood. I didn’t measure it, but there was practically no run-out so I did a good job mounting the chuck.

A few notes from the experience: As far as I can tell, all the pictures in the assembly instructions are actually taken of a fully assembled machine; they just zoomed in on the area of interest for the step. The most glaring example of this is when they show the chuck already mounted to the head many steps before you are supposed to do it. Plus, they never actually tell you to screw in the handles on the speed selector (though if you couldn’t figure that out on your own you probably shouldn’t own a drill press). Despite these flaws, the instructions were pretty easy to follow.

Look for the next post about the DP350’s specs and features soon.

Shopmaster DP350 [Delta]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Shopmaster DP350 [Rockler]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Create Captive Rings

Posted: July 27th, 2010, 12:13pm MDT by Benjamen Johnson

They’ll stare in wonder at how you got the unbroken ring around your creation, but you’ll know it was easy with just a little practice and the right tool. That tool is a captive ring cutter like this one from Robert Sorby. And you’re not just limited to making captive rings — with these tools you can also make other rings like bracelets, napkin rings, or even wheels.

Sorby’s captive ring tools can carve 3/16″, 1/4″, 3/8″, or 1/2″ rings, depending on the size you choose. Each tool uses the same handle which accepts interchangeable cutting tips. The finely-honed tips give you a clean cut and can be sharpened with a diamond file.

If the normal retail price of $60 for the full set is too steep, you can buy the set on sale at Hartville Tool for $50, or buy a single size for $25 and add additional sized tips for around $10 as you need them.

Captive Ring Tool Set [Robert Sorby]
Captive Ring Tool Set [Hartville Tool]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Carve With Your Router?

Posted: July 27th, 2010, 9:33am MDT by Benjamen Johnson

Denker’s rotary planing and cutting head fits any rotary tool that will hold its ¼” shank, whether it be a router, a rotary tool, a spiral cutter, or tool with a flex shaft.

Made in the USA and hardened to 62 RHC, Denker claims the cutter can slice through tough hardwoods even if it’s green or has burls. They design the head to cut one chip every revolution, and it rides the surface of the wood to help guide the cut. It will cut a little or a lot of material depending on how you hold it against the wood.

Even though Denker claims “This is THE safest, most versatile, efficient ¼” shank power carving tool available,” I find something scary about chucking this cutter into a full-sized router like they show in the picture. A router has a large 1 to 3hp motor with a lot of momentum behind it. Besides being heavy, it will torque your arms when you tilt it, making it much harder to control. It’s hard enough to control a router freehand while resting on a flat surface.

My concerns aside, you can pick up this planing and cutting head for $50.

Rotary Cutter [Denker]
Rotary Cutter [Eagle America]

Are Self-Re-Keying Locks Secure?

Posted: July 26th, 2010, 1:04pm MDT by Chuck Cage

While picking up the parts to fix my front door the other day I ran across this SmartKey system from Kwikset in the big-box lock isle. Here’s how it works, in case you’re (like me) lucky enough to avoid re-keys for the last half-a-decade or so: To re-key the lock, you simply insert the current key, turn it a 1/4 turn, insert the SmartKey tool, and rotate it back. Blam. The lock’s now matched to the new key.

It sounds convenient as hell. But I can’t help but wonder how secure the system is — and whether or not a maid or buddy with one of the SmartKey tools couldn’t easily jack your lock. Any locksmiths out there who could weigh in with some experienced info?

The website suggests (predictably, I guess) that security isn’t an issue because in order to re-key the lock you need both a working key AND a the SmartKey tool. If you lose all the keys, you have to take the lock back to an authorized locksmith who sticks the thing in a cradle that resets it to accept a new key.

Besides that, the SmartKey locks incorporate all the modern mods including anti-bumping tech. What say you?

(P.S. Also, a funny note: When I was buying my parts at the big-box, the helpful lady gave me a weird look when she noticed that my parts were from a Kwikset lock. “Those are cheaper stuff, mostly found on mobile homes,” she said. She did, however, show my second-class-citizen ass over to the rack where I found my part. Go figure.)

SmartKey Re-Key Technology [Kwikset]

Harbor Freight Family Drama

Posted: July 26th, 2010, 10:44am MDT by Chuck Cage

A couple of things you might not know about that place you go to pick up cheap-ass screwdrivers and wrenches: It’s family-owned. And the family, it seems, isn’t getting along all that well. This article in the Ventura County Star indicates that a few days ago everything came to a head with ‘Freight founder Allan Smidt escorted out of the door and locked out of the building.

The drama in short (according to VC Star): Smidt’s son nagged him to hand over control of the company for years, and back in 1999, he relented. Unhappy with how his son “dramatically leveraged the company,” Smidt complained, resulting in Smidt’s untimely departure. Smidt filed a lawsuit afterward “accusing the son of looting the company to buy such things as a $20 million Manhattan apartment and a single painting for $100 million.”

Normally we don’t think too much about this kind of stuff at Toolmonger, but hey — $20 million will buy a lot of tools. A hell of a lot of tools if you’re buying at Harbor Freight. Our concern lies primarily in terms of what this means to the consumer. Will it affect the stores in any obvious way?

Honestly, we just don’t know, But we’ll keep an ear to the ground and let you know if we come across any new news. And if you hear anything, don’t be afraid to let us know.

(Thanks, Tom, for the tip.)

Harbor Freight CEO Accused By Parents of ‘Looting’ Company [VC Star]

Denker Hand Shave

Posted: July 26th, 2010, 9:12am MDT by Benjamen Johnson

I’m not full-hog into carving like Sean; I’ve whittled a piece of wood or two over the years and never really got into the hobby, but watching the video of the Denker hand shave in action makes carving with the tool look like a lot of fun.

Able to cut the toughest hardwood — knots, end grain, and all — the shave’s 62 RHC hardened steel tubular cutters can either quickly remove a lot of wood, or just slivers at a time depending on how you use it. Held in either your left or right hand, the tool is more controllable then pushing a chisel or gouge.

Made in the USA, this hand shave will run you $70.

Carving Shave [Denker]
Carving Shave [Eagle America]

Store The Extra Cord On Your Yard Tools

Posted: July 26th, 2010, 7:45am MDT by Benjamen Johnson

It’s bad enough that you have to drag the extension cord around to use non-battery powered electric yard tools, but you still have to figure out where you’re going to store that extra cord when you’re done.

Lee Valleys’ cord storage hooks let you turn the wasted space on your yard tool’s handle or shaft into a good place to keep that extra cord. Reinforced rubber belts hold the plastic hooks on any handle or shaft up to 1-1/2″ in diameter. Both hooks swivel when you want to remove the cord and are easy to reposition. The pair of hooks also comes with a cord-retaining clip to keep the loose end of the cord.

If you space the hooks 18″ apart they’ll hold up to 100′ of 16ga extension cord — your distance may vary depending on the gauge of your cord and how far apart you space the hooks. Since I can’t quite read the labels in the picture and I can’t find any other retailer selling the hooks, I’m not sure where these are made, but you can pick up a pair of these cord storage hooks for $10 at Lee Valley.

Cord Storage Hooks [Lee Valley]

Permalink for 'Toolmonger/2010/07/21/The_Hipster%e2%80%99s_Tool_Case'

The Hipster’s Tool Case

Posted: July 21st, 2010, 1:03pm MDT by Chuck Cage

Long-time makers of popular messenger bags and backpacks, the folks at Timbuk2 decided to give tool storage a try. Result: The Timbuk2 Tool Shed, pictured above. Besides the any-color-you-want-as-long-as-it’s-blue-and-orange styling, other features include construction from waterproof “tarpaulin fabric” and an anodized aluminum buckle.

Though it looks like a roll, it’s actually more of a folding case. The orange flap on the top folds over and buckles down to hold the tools in place.

I’ve actually had good luck with Timbuk2 products in the past, at least in terms of their virtually-indestructible messenger bags and backpacks. But this item’s $35 price tag says to me it’ll probably end up holding things other than screwdrivers and wrenches. Timbuk2’s site agrees. Found under the features list: “Doubles as a dopp kit. Loved by hair stylists.”

Personally, I’m more a fan of the standard GI-style tool bag — available at pretty much any Army/Navy shop (or Harbor Freight) for $10 or so — at least for in-car storage. What do you like?

Tool Shed [Timbuk2]

Quick Projects: Fix Your Sticky Door Knob

Posted: July 21st, 2010, 9:57am MDT by Chuck Cage

My front door has been sticking for, well, months. And I’m not talking about the door itself, but rather the interior mechanism of the door latch. It’s essentially been a grip-strength test for anyone wishing to enter or exit my house from the front ever since it got sticky. The really sad part, though, is that it took a whopping half-hour to fix, twenty minutes of which I spent running to the local big-box to grab a couple of bucks in parts.

Bottom line: Don’t make the same mistake I did. Take a sec to fix it. Here’s how.

The mechanism inside doorknobs is actually called a latchbolt, as pictured at the top of this post. Over years of use — and a little moisture leakage from time to time — they tend to get a bit corroded. The springs can weaken as well, leaving you cranking the hell out of the knob (and/or wiggling it around) to get the pin back far enough to let you open the door.

You have two choices to repair the issue: Lubricate it or replace it. You can try lubrication — be sure to use graphite, as any wet lubricant will just attract even more crap into the mechanism over time — but honestly you can buy the whole thing for less than $5. Mine was a Kwikset model (link below) which set me back a whopping $4.27.

Installation is easy. Just remove the screws from the knob, pull off the front and rear knobs, unscrew the plate on the edge of the door, and pull the whole assembly out. You’ll need to assemble the new one before you stick it back in the hole. You’ll find a little switch to select the mounting depth. But if you’re replacing the old one with the same model, you don’t need to figure out anything. Just set the switch in the same place as the old one and assemble the new one to look the same.

Reverse the process and you’re done.

Kwikset Adjustable Interior Latchbolt [Lowe's]

Ditch The Film Over Your Headlights

Posted: July 20th, 2010, 12:24pm MDT by Chuck Cage

The switch away from sealed-beam headlights helped us all. Seriously. There’s nothing crappier than having to search around all weekend for a bulb that’s EXACTLY the right shape and size for your 280Z. (Yes, I’ve been there.) But that’s the upshot. The downside: Over time the plastic covers over modern headlights starts to develop a fuzzy film from scratches and weather wear. And this dims your lights. Plus it looks totally crappy.

So why not take some time this weekend and polish ‘em up? A number of companies sell tools to help you do the job, and they’re all pretty effective — assuming you get started early enough. (Hint: If your headlight covers are yellowed, you’re probably screwed. That’s a chemical change that you can’t polish away.)

Most kits include some kind of polish plus a polishing wheel for you to chuck up in your cordless drill. At the high end of consumer products you’ll find Meguiar’s kit, checking in at $25, for which you receive a tube of their PlastX product, a buff pad, and a microfiber towel. Reviews of the kit online seem mixed, but I suspect that those results might be skewed a bit by sour grapes over waiting too long to start the process.

On the cheap-ass tool end you’ll find a $10 kit from Harbor Freight, pictured above, including a tiny tube of polishing solution, three foam pads, and a 2-3/4″ backing pad with a 1/4″ shank for drill attachment.

Of course, if you’re planning on going into the headlight cover restoration business, Meguiar’s offers a “pro” kit with two pneumatic buffers, a ton of buffing pads, and their commercial-level solution for a whopping $500.

Regardless of which solution you choose, though, we recommend trying a little of it on the corner of your lamp cover by hand first to assure you’re not going to make a bad situation worse. If all goes well, switch to power and take it a little at a time.

And if you don’t get decent results with polish, you can always opt for replacement. Some covers are pretty reasonably priced, starting around $50 each. Others can run upwards of $200. Doh!

Headlight Restoration Kit [Meguiar's]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
12-Minute Headlamp Lens Restoration Kit [Harbor Freight]

Reader Question: Green Home Certifications?

Posted: July 20th, 2010, 7:21am MDT by Chuck Cage

We’re hearing lots of buzz in the tool industry surrounding the new materials making their way into homes as builders look to meet all the various state/local “green home” certifications. But we also get the feeling that no one really knows yet where the whole process is headed. Certainly with new home sales dropping so dramatically over the last year or so — and especially recently with the tax credit drying up — there’s plenty of motivation out there to do whatever the hell it’ll take to get you to buy a new home.

So that said: Do you care about green home certifications? And if so, how much do you care? How high is the green factor in terms of your buying decision?

Personally, while I love the idea of reducing waste, it’s pretty much a financial decision for me. How much can I save on power/water bills, and how long will it take me to recover whatever I’m spending to get that savings. Another factor for me is the confusion. With no obviously clear (at least to me) method for determining what benefits we’ll actually see from the build process, it’s pretty tough to make serious decisions. On the other hand, we’ve also seen some pretty damn miserly homes assuming money is no object.

What do you think? Educate us in comments if you will.

[Thanks, seeks2dream, for the awesome CC-licensed photo.]

Green Home Guide [US Green Building Council]
Buying a Green Home [Green Living Tips]

My Blacksmith Tongs

Posted: July 19th, 2010, 1:18pm MDT by Chuck Cage

In last week’s all-new Tool Talk, I mentioned that I own a pair of blacksmith-made blacksmith tongs. And here they are. While I admittedly don’t own a forge — I had to sell the one I inherited from my father — I kept these around because they’re just about one of the coolest tools I own.

They were made by my friend Ray Robinson, whose touchmark you can see on them in the photo below.

So far they spend most of their time in the pliers drawer, but one of these days I’m going to get around to setting up a forge and spending some time with it. I’m in a suburban neighborhood now, so a classic coal-burner (like my father’s) is out, but I’ve been considering a small gas forge — and maybe a foray into bladesmithing.

(PS: Yes, those are bits of Sean’s table project laying on the floor in the background. I promise I’ll clean ‘em up later today.)

Cheap-Ass Tools: Novelty Pocket LED Flashlight for $4.50

Posted: July 19th, 2010, 8:10am MDT by Chuck Cage

These aren’t exactly going to make killer work lights, but it seems everyone I know loves the idea of these little, bright pocket LED flashlights. And who wouldn’t? The form factor is perfect for tossing in a camping bag or your glovebox. Of course, the high-end ones can run you upwards of $50 — and blind you from 50′. But the cheap-ass models, while significantly less powerful, get pretty cheap indeed. I guess they’re pretty much the penlight of the new century.

And here’s one you can have for $4.50. Hell, it’s even Prime-enabled on Amazon, so if you happen to have a Prime account, you won’t even pay shipping.

PS: Yes, I know there are shops online (and even on Amazon) advertising this for as little as $0.01. But you’ll pay an imperial assload of shipping, which means you’ll likely pay more than $4.50 all said and done. Hence why I picked this one.

Neiko 9-LED Compact Aluminum Flashlight Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Mini-Bike/Go-Cart Recall: Build Your Own!

Posted: July 16th, 2010, 1:29pm MDT by Chuck Cage

Baja, Inc. of Phoenix, AZ, announced a recall of around 300,000 mini-bikes and go-carts today. Apparently the affected models’ gas caps can leak or detach (potentially causing burns) and their throttles can stick, possibly due to the fuel line and throttle cable being improperly attached.

According to the CSPC, the recall involves mini-bikes with model numbers beginning with HT65, MH165, WR65, MB196, DB30, WR90 and DR90, as well as go-carts with model numbers BB65, SD65, DN65, and TR65. You can find the model number on the fenders of mini-bikes. On go-carts you’ll want to check either the (irony alert) decorative fuel tanks or the carts’ roll cages.

As usual, you’ll want to stop using the recalled bikes immediately and contact Baja Motorsports (check out the CSPC link below) for a free cap and/or repair.

And next time, you might consider building your own mini-bike or go-cart. Not only will you be able to take full responsibility for the safety and build quality of the final product yourself, it’s a hella cool bonding experience you’ll share with the rider-to-be.

Mini-Bike/Go-Cart Recall [CSPC]

Permalink for 'Toolmonger/2010/07/16/The_Chairmaker%e2%80%99s_Travisher'

The Chairmaker’s Travisher

Posted: July 16th, 2010, 11:48am MDT by Benjamen Johnson

Above are two examples of chairmaker’s travishers. These specialized convex spokeshaves are used to create the final shape of a chair seat after it’s been roughed in with an adz and shaped with a scorp.

The Travisher on the left runs $120 at Highland Woodworking. It has a 3″ wide convex blade and handles which continue along the curve of the blade so you can cut into deep hollows. The one on the right is sold at Classic Hand Tools for £82 or $130. It has a 4.75″ radius and is designed to be pushed by your thumbs. It also has a slot in the top for shavings to exit.

Travisher [Classic Hand Tools]
Travisher [Highland Woodworking]

Permalink for 'Toolmonger/2010/07/16/Bostitch%e2%80%99s_Spring_Steel_Demo_Bars'

Bostitch’s Spring Steel Demo Bars

Posted: July 16th, 2010, 10:22am MDT by Chuck Cage

When Stanley looked to update their 24″ and 36″ demo bars this year — and let’s face it: we haven’t seen a whole hell of a lot of “updates” in the demo bar field lately — they looked to material. Specifically, they calculated that by selecting the correct steel and dialing in the heat treatment perfectly (just like spring manufacturers do to make heavy-duty springs like the ones that hold up your car), they could create a bar that’s just as strong as before, but also 30% lighter.

I can hear you right now thinking: “Who cares?” Consider this: What if you were a bodybuilder, and every single day you pumped a particular weight for, say, 5,000 reps. Hell, even if the weight was pretty small, you’d build some muscle, right? That’s pretty much what any major remodeler (or anyone who’s ever ripped up sub-flooring) does. So maybe that 30% will make a difference for you.

Designers also added 25% to the width of the bar on both ends to provide improved leverage and stability. And, as with a number of new tools from the ‘Works this year, this one will carry the Bostitch brand name. Expect to pay around $15 for the smaller of the two, and about $25 for the big one.

Spring Steel Demo Bars [Bostitch]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Sarah Palin Keynotes STAFDA. Wait. What?

Posted: July 16th, 2010, 9:34am MDT by Chuck Cage

Believe me when I tell you that the last thing I have any desire to do is draw politics into our enjoyable look at tools. That’s why it surprised the crap out of me when I noticed that the Specialty Tools and Fasteners Distributors Association — a not-for-profit educational trade group — selected Sarah Palin as their keynote speaker for the yearly convention this November.

Really? Wouldn’t it make more sense to invite someone who, I don’t know, knows something about fasteners, specialty tools, or fastener and specialty tool products? Forget politics here. I’d be just as stunned if they invited Nancy Pelosi. Or Rush Limbaugh. Or Harry Reid.

Hey, maybe this makes sense to you. If it does, by all means let me know in comments where I missed the boat.

Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association [Main Site]

Two Pipes Are Better Than One

Posted: July 15th, 2010, 2:31pm MDT by Benjamen Johnson

Pipe clamps aren’t the optimal clamp to use for glue-ups, but they are cheap. You can usually buy three or more pipe clamps for the price of one parallel jaw clamp. Plus, they’re very versatile — you’re only limited by the length of threaded black pipe you have on hand. Some of their downsides are the jaws don’t always stay parallel and the workpiece can buckle if you’re not careful to support both faces.

Pony’s double pipe design attempts to remedy these shortcomings by using two pipes instead of one. The clamps straddle the glued panel, keeping it flat. The pipes are spaced wide enough apart to accommodate stock up to 3″ thick.

The hardware for one double pipe clamp retails for $36, pretty much eliminating the advantage of being more inexpensive than a good parallel jaw clamp. So whether you’re better off with one of these double pipe clamps or a parallel jaw clamp will probably depend on your particular circumstances.

Double Pipe Clamp [Adjustable Clamp Company]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Bosch Electric Mower Combs Your Grass

Posted: July 15th, 2010, 12:26pm MDT by Benjamen Johnson

Bosch’s new electric Rotak lawn mower has an interesting new feature: grass combs. These combs pull in grass at the edge or even a little outside of the deck so the blade can cut it. With the combs, Bosch claims you can cut around flower beds, walls, and paths in one operation, presumably allowing you to skip trimming afterwards.

What you sacrifice with these mowers is cutting width — the largest mower can only cut a swath 43cm (17″) wide. Forget about the smallest mower; it only cuts a 32cm (12.5″) swath. What remains to be seen is whether eliminating trimming makes up for the extra time it would take to cut the lawn with a smaller deck. I don’t know about you, but I have better things to do then spend an extra hour cutting the lawn.

Bosch sells several models of their electric Rotak mower, both plug-in and battery powered. The bad news is I can only find these mowers for sale in England. The cheapest plug-in mower will run you £84 or approximately $130 at today’s conversion rates, and go up in price from there. The cheapest Li-ion-driven mower will run you £200 or about $300. It’ll be interesting to see if any other companies copy this “innovation.”

Rotak [Bosch]
Rotak Models [Bosch]
Via Amazon UK

Mora Drawknife

Posted: July 14th, 2010, 7:27pm MDT by Sean O'Hara

One of the great things about picking up a new hobby is the great gear that goes with it. With my thirst for woodcarving gear in full swing, I came across this sweet Mora draw knife. To the uninitiated it may appear to be an amusing assembly line accident. What it really represents is a recently constructed version of a very old tool.

As you might imagine, this blade works a little differently than some of the knives you might use in day-to-day shop use. It really only does one thing — it strips wood very quickly by placing it near the top end of the wood and pulling or drawing the blade down. If the edge is keen, everything in between the handles gets a very smooth shave.

It works a great deal like a spokeshave (which is used to do exactly what it sounds like it would) but doesn’t have a preset gap so much more material can be taken off in one pass at a time with a draw knife — plus it’s a bit harder for a beginner to do precision work with one.

This Mora does have a double bevel edge dissimilar to other draw blades I’ve run across in my travels. It might have been that it was used before it got to me, but the edge itself was very dull and little more than a stick before we handed it to the Toolmonger sharpener. It can now slice through hardwood without any trouble and seems to be holding its edge just fine.

It’s not the best or biggest draw knife, but for the kind of carving projects I’m undertaking it’s about the fastest way to de-bark a limb I’ve found. The blade was an $8 find from the depths of eBay, but normally a 4 3/8″ knife like this would run about $20 retail.

Woodcutting Knife [Mora]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Cuticle Scissors Save The Day

Posted: July 14th, 2010, 12:28pm MDT by Benjamen Johnson

While replacing the headphone jack in my iPod Touch, I was temporarily stymied on how to cut a flex circuit so I could remove the jack, desolder the tail, and resolder the new jack. Then I remembered my wife’s cuticle scissors. In hindsight I could have just desoldered the connector without cutting the flex circuit, but cutting it sure made the whole operation a lot easier.

It’s not the first time I’ve turned to these type scissors for fine work. I guess it’s not surprising a manicure tool would be useful at the workbench — the scissors are made for precision cutting in close quarters and the curved blades let you get really close to what you’re cutting while still allowing room for your fingers to fit into the loops.

The reason scissors like these are called cuticle scissors is because they are meant for trimming cuticles and hangnails. (Shhh… you didn’t hear it from me, but these scissors are also handy for removing stitches.) This pictured pair of curved cuticle scissors from Revlon have ultra-fine, curved blades made from high-tempered stainless steel.

You can pick up a pair of cuticle scissors like these for $10 in the health and beauty section of a local store or you could pay a little less online, but have to deal with shipping charges.

Cuticle Scissors [Revlon]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

How Moist Is It?

Posted: July 13th, 2010, 3:51pm MDT by Chuck Cage

Whether you’re drying your own mill-sawed wood or just working with pre-sawed lumber that’s been sitting outside for a while — and maybe got a little rain — the moisture content of the material you use may well make the difference between success and failure in your next woodworking project. But besides waiting around until you’re pretty sure the wood is “dry,” how do you know how moist your stock is? Easy: You apply a wood moisture meter.

The first time it really dawned on me that wood can hold varying amounts of water was when my father and I were off-loading some oak he picked up from a mill in Mississippi. It was finish-sawed, but not dried. (His intent was to dry the wood back at his house in Texas.) He bought just over 1,000 board-feet in the form of 12″ x 1″ (and some 2″) x 10′ boards. They were heavy. Seriously heavy. As in, the two of us could just about pick up the 2″ boards and the 1″ boards were difficult.

A couple of years later we moved the lumber from where we originally stacked it to another place about 40′ away, and guess what? It was significantly lighter. Besides the length, each of us could easily pick up the 1″ boards, and the 2″ boards were easy for the two of us. The wood had dried that much, even just sitting under an open-around-the-bottom tarp.

Sadly, my father never got around to doing anything with the pile of oak before he died, though it’s now resting in a safe place waiting for Sean to take a run at it with his soon-to-be-installed planer. So when I saw the low-buck moisture meter (pictured) in the tool corral at the local big box, it reminded me of the whole process.

The meter seems pretty simple: It measures the resistance between the two conductive prongs, interpreting the result in terms of moisture content. (In fact, I’d bet this works in a surprisingly similar fashion to home body fat percentage testers.)

But I’ve got a few questions that maybe some of you more experienced Toolmongers can answer. Do the cheap meters like this suffice for woodworking purposes, or would one require more accuracy than they can offer? I noticed that the Amazon reviews for the one above, while all pretty positive, indicate that purchasers are using it for other purposes, like detecting the extent of water leaks or checking to see whether firewood is dry enough to burn.

A quick look around the ‘net shows that wood moisture testers start around $13 and run up to around $150. Admittedly, the $150 models look a good bit more carefully-made. But are the electronics that more accurate?

Digital Moisture Testers [Google Shopping]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Richard Kell Honing Guide

Posted: July 13th, 2010, 2:58pm MDT by Benjamen Johnson

Sharpening is an art — some would call it a black art, but an art nonetheless. You can obtain excellent results with nothing more than a few stones and hours and hours and hours of practice, or you can buy honing guides that almost ensure that novices can achieve acceptable results if they follow directions. That’s not to say that honing guide are for novices, though; there’s a place for them at any skill level.

Some guides are better than others. From experience I can say that some of the cheaper guides can be frustrating to use. They can be hard to set to the correct angle, don’t hold the blade securely or even straight, or are too large to make use of the whole sharpening surface. On the other hand, there’s just something elegant about Richard Kell’s honing guide. The tiny guide puts the fulcrum between the guide wheels rather than above them, making the guide harder to tip and resulting in a much smaller footprint.

Utilizing English craftsmanship, the rollers are turned from solid brass and a self-lubricating Ertalite TX low friction material to within ±.001″, then assembled in matched pairs. The stainless steel positioning rods allow you to clamp the blade to be honed either above or below them, depending on the bevel angle you’re after.

Kell’s no. 1 guide accommodates blades from 0 to 1″ and his no. 2 guide can handle tools from 0 to 2-5/8″. As with any tools, quality come with a price. That price is $60 for the no. 1 guide and $70 for the no. 2 guide.

Honing Guides [Richard Kell]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Honing Guide [Hartville Tool]
Wide Honing Guide [Hartville Tool]

Stanley High-Vis Green

Posted: July 13th, 2010, 2:36pm MDT by Chuck Cage

Writing about (and talking about writing about and talking about talking about writing about — you get the idea) tools all day, we hear a lot about branding, especially from those who work in the field. You’d be flat amazed by how much effort (and cash) goes into training you to Pavlovianly think “BOSCH!” when you see blue power tools or “DEWALT!” when you see yellow ones. So when a company changes the color of tools, it’s usually a much bigger deal than you might suspect. Hence why we took notice when we started seeing green tools from Stanley.

I know. You’re probably thinking: “Why the hell are you babbling about the color of tools? I just want the damn thing to work. I don’t care what color it is!” And you’re not wrong. In fact, that’s the idea (at least officially) behind the green tools: Stanley’s R&D folks discovered that the green tapes are easier to see than the classic yellow-and-black, so they produced a whole line of ‘em. As far as I’m concerned, that’s pretty cool. If you can see green better than yellow, hell, make ‘em green. Or fluorescent orange. Or glow-in-the-dark pink. Whatever gets the job done.

(I bet folks would be less likely to steal the glow-in-the-dark pink ones.)

But what do you think? Try to be painfully honest here: Would you buy a green tape over a yellow one if they’re functionally the same otherwise?

Permalink for 'Toolmonger/2010/07/12/Tool_Talk__61__DeWalt%e2%80%99s_Summer_Press_Event__Carving'

Tool Talk #61: DeWalt’s Summer Press Event, Carving

Posted: July 12th, 2010, 4:25pm MDT by Chuck Cage

Enclosure: [download]

Join us as we run down this week’s top five, share some stories and new tool news from DeWalt’s summer press events, and discuss carving — one of the world’s cheapest (and some might say most entertaining) hobbies. Remember: If you’ve got a question or comment you can call us at 214-296-9229. (Podcast Download)

A Marking Gauge For Curves

Posted: July 12th, 2010, 2:59pm MDT by Benjamen Johnson

Recently, while I was browsing the Hartville Tool catalog, I found Woodjoy’s marking and cutting gauge. It’s a tool that works on similar principles to the their chairmaker’s router I wrote about a few years ago, and it even looks like it might use the same reversible edge guide.

This marking gauge not only allows you to follow the edge of a board and mark straight lines up to 5″ deep, but if you flip the edge guide over you can use the gauge to follow a curved edge. The 1/2″ wide double bezel blade comes to a point and can cut in either direction, and the hardened steel blade can be removed for sharpening. The gauge is 7-7/8″ long and apparently made in the USA according to Hartville Tool.

You can purchase the marking gauge in either cherry or Cocobolo at the Woodjoy Tool store for $59 or $60, respectively. Hartville Tool only sells the Cocobolo version for $69.

Marking Gauge* [Woodjoy Tools]
Marking Gauge [Woodjoy Tools Web Store]
Marking Gauge [Hartville Tool]

* To see the marking gauge on Woodjoy Tools site you need to click the Marking/Cutting gauge link.

SafetyGate Prevents Accidental Restarts

Posted: July 12th, 2010, 2:36pm MDT by Benjamen Johnson

Many times when you blow a breaker, lose power, or even if the cord just becomes unplugged, you forget to turn off the tool. This can lead to the dangerous situation where the tool restarts unattended after you restore power. This may not always be a problem, but what if you left stock in contact with a blade or you left the belt sander face down on the table?

Woodcraft amusingly describes this scenario in their writeup of the SafetyGate:

Most belt-sander races aren’t sanctioned events. Accidentally pull the trigger, set the tool on your bench, and when as you plug the cord into the outlet, you’ve got yourself a track-side seat.

Sanctioned belt sander races are fun, but when an accidental trigger pull turns your workbench into the drag strip, the event ends with a damaged workpiece or trashed tool. Considering the potential of other tools, it’s easy to imagine how an unexpected start–when you’re plugging it into an outlet, or resetting a blown fuse–can be much worse than an amusing anecodote [sic].

Plug the SafetyGate into the outlet and your tool into the SafetyGate. If you leave the tool on when the power goes out, its patented sensor technology recognizes this and prevents current from flowing to the tool when power is restored. When this condition happens a yellow LED on the device turns on and you need to switch the tool off then back on again to make it work.

SafeStartSystems sells two versions of their SafetyGate product — a consumer and a professional model. The consumer model retails for $19 and the professional model retails for $24. Both have a 15A maximum rating, but the professional model meets several national standards including OSHA, NFPA and CSA standards. Plus the black and yellow coloring of the professional version looks much cooler.

SafetyGate [Corporate Site]
SafetyGate [Rockler]
SafetyGate [Woodcraft]
Amazon(B003OC37CO) [What’s This?]

Permalink for 'Toolmonger/2010/07/12/You_Can_Have_It__Sean%e2%80%99s_Favorite_ish__Tape'

You Can Have It: Sean’s Favorite(ish) Tape

Posted: July 12th, 2010, 2:17pm MDT by Chuck Cage

We can’t say for certain whether Sean’s input actually had anything to do with it, but consider this: Every time we at Toolmonger had any contact at all with the folks at Stanley, Sean made it a point to go on at length — and I mean shut-up-we-already-know-how-you-feel-about-this length — about how much he loooooooves their 12′ short tape. He got one free with a set of Stanley screwdrivers years back and was heartbroken that he couldn’t easily buy one separately.

Then a while back we started seeing Stanley 12′ short tapes in Lowe’s again. And then we saw updated versions with all Stanleyworks’ modern features.

So when I saw this box chock full of ‘em on the shelf, I thought of Sean. And how you, if you happen to be like Sean in this aspect, can now buy one easily. Hell, I’ve got one. Then again, I’m around Sean more than most of you, so the thought probably planted in my head by osmosis.

Anyway, enjoy.

Stanley 12′ Hi-Vis Short Tape Measure [Lowe's]

Which Contractor Saw Would You Buy?

Posted: July 9th, 2010, 11:02am MDT by Chuck Cage

I made a stop at the local Lowe’s today to grab a wall box (and some drywall materials to fix the “other” hole I made before I found the right spot) and came across the above display in the tool corral. It made me wonder: If you were faced with this selection — from left to right: Skil’s 3310 for $140, Skil’s 3410 for $190, Porter Cable’s PCB220TS for $300, and DeWalt’s DW744X for $500 — which saw would you buy? And most importantly, why?

The two Skil entries are obvious choices for the financially strapped. Any saw that’ll cut even reasonably straight in the $150 range is pretty hard to complain about. (Well, you can complain, but no one will listen. They’ll be too busy telling you that you should have shelled out a little more cash.)

But that’s a pretty big jump up to $300, isn’t it? And $500 for the DeWalt is a huge jump. Incredibly, as far as I can tell, each of these saws is made for the same purpose. I do know — having used saws from crappy to excellent — that there is a difference in quality among saws, even sans feature differences. In short: If it doesn’t cut accurately, you’re screwed. But how much does one have to spend to get that accuracy at a minimal level?

Of course, you can spend a whole hell of a lot more on a saw. And you can spend more on a stand, too. But as I stood there blocking the isle pondering, I just really would like to know which one of these three saws you’d buy. Let me know in comments?

PS: You’re welcome to do any research of your own, but to simulate my experience I’ve added links to Lowe’s online shop for each saw below.

Skil 3305 [Lowe's]
Skil 3410 [Lowe's]
Porter-Cable 10″ Jobsite Table Saw [Lowe's]
DeWalt 10″ 15A Jobsite Saw [Lowe's]

A Really Simple Label Maker

Posted: July 9th, 2010, 10:21am MDT by Chuck Cage

Kid all you like about the anal among us labeling everything (including the label maker), but labeling your work makes life much simpler — especially when you return to a task months (or years) later and have to remember what the hell you were thinking the first time around. But those nifty electronic label makers have a serious flaw: they run out of batteries. And they’re expensive. And they tend to get dirty or damaged in the shop.

(Ok, that’s a couple of flaws. My bad.)

Label maker giant DYMO, already known to many Toolmongers (see TM’s earlier post on the DYMO Letratag), offers a solution I think sounds great: A truly simple write-on-it-yourself label dispenser.

The Rhino 101 consists of essentially a case to store a reel of label material, a window where you can write on the label using the case as a steady surface, and a cutter. Just write whatever you want on the label, tear it off, and move on. No batteries for you to find dead when you’re ass-deep in the attic identifying wiring someone else installed years earlier, no print head to get gummed up with crud when you’re blasting grinding particles and wood dust (or God forbid Bondo dust) all over the shop — and a pricetag you can actually afford: $20 freakin’ bucks.

I’m afraid I’m gonna have to get one of these.

Rhino 101 [DYMO]
Street Pricing

Permalink for 'Toolmonger/2010/07/09/Paladin%e2%80%99s_PowerPlay'

Paladin’s PowerPlay

Posted: July 9th, 2010, 8:14am MDT by Chuck Cage

If you work in the datacomm installation business, then you know Paladin. Sean, for example, is very proud of the set of Paladin CAT5 crimpers he owns. After going through a couple of sets, he finally bought a “good” set — by Paladin. But did you know Paladin makes multitools, too?

They do, and they call them PowerPlay. Specifically, they make three models, one designed for datacomm specialists, one for telcomm people, and one for electrical work.

For the datacomm folk, they offer the PT-510 (pictured). Wrapped up in a classic multitool form factor you’ll find a ton of tools helpful for running low-voltage communications wiring — a drywall punch and rasp, needle-nose and gripping pliers, wire strippers, a punchdown tool, a ruler, and wire cutters, plus all the stuff you’d expect like screwdrivers and a serrated knife. You even get a bottle opener for post-installation Millertime. (Just please don’t leave the bottle in my wall, you lazy bastard.)

The other models trade out various tools for specific tasks. For example, the PT-540 adds a nut driver (electrical) and the PT-525 gives you two punchdown tools instead of one (telcomm).

Street pricing runs around $45 for all three, which doesn’t seem too far out compared to what you’d pay for a Leatherman or other brand-name tool.

The PowerPlay [Paladin]
Street Pricing
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

From The Flickr Pool: Old School Black & Decker Lineup

Posted: July 8th, 2010, 2:33pm MDT by Sean O'Hara

Here’s a great lineup of older Black & Decker sidewinder saws from reader PutnamEco. Generally I love any circ-saw, but I’m fascinated with older ones. PutnamEco lists out what each one is and they’re all interesting — but the one that caught my eye was the Super Sawcat.

Black & Decker circular saws from my collection. The closest saw in black is an 7 1/4″ 1 1/2 HP saw from early 80s?, no model is listed on the tag, the grey saw is an model no. 3057 Sawcat from the late 70s, a poser living on the reputation of the next saw with the black handle, a real Super Sawcat cat. no 997 from the late 60s, last a cat. no. 730 aluminum bodied saw from the early 60s.

Mostly because the 60’s were before my time, I haven’t gotten my hands on one but once. It was the first circular saw I ever held. It was a thing of mystery at the time but it kicked off a lifelong love of all things noisy and dangerous. Glad to see they are not as rare as I thought they were. Nice circ’ collection, sir!

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

Project: Trash Heap Table Rescue

Posted: July 7th, 2010, 11:43am MDT by Sean O'Hara

Last week while out and about, Chuck sent a picture of a small kids’ table one of his neighbors was throwing away. It looked a little rough for wear but still in decent shape. He hauled it back to his shop where it awaited transport to my shop. He then went back and got the two rather beat-up chairs that went with it.

The table top had a butcher-block style hardwood top that was in desperate need of refinishing, and the legs on it had to go. The chairs could either be cannibalized to make one good one as one was missing its seat and the other had back issues — or, with a little time and effort, I could salvage both and have the whole set. I opted for both.

The first step was to fix the most troublesome area, which was the chair with back problems. Because I didn’t want to make a whole new top piece and I was going to repaint those parts of the chairs anyway, I decided to chisel out the chip so it was flat on two sides and make a wedge to fit in the gap. Once cut, fitted, filled, and painted, no one will ever be able to tell anyway.

Next the chair with the seat bottom missing required a new seat. So with a little cut-up 3″ oak trim that had a run or two on the jointer, I glued up a few pieces that would make up the seat and set it in clamps.

From that point I spent a little time cutting and gluing up a few legs and sanding down the top with the random orbit sander, and it was time to let the glue set and call it a day.

Next up comes the fun part — making all of this mess go back together and look like it had never been apart in the first place.

Permalink for 'Toolmonger/2010/07/07/Forging_Yields_Tools_%e2%80%94_And_Vegetables'

Forging Yields Tools — And Vegetables

Posted: July 7th, 2010, 11:18am MDT by Audra Heaslip

As interest in urban and rooftop gardens increases, especially where growing space and access to fresh produce is limited, companies like Trenton Forging in Michigan are stepping in to help. The company developed a system that transports excess heat in the form of water through piping; from there it runs to the rooftop and through narrow metal tubes that heat a rooftop greenhouse. So far they’ve harvested tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, and strawberries, and they share the produce among the company employees and visitors.

The good news is that the forging company runs year-round — therefore it can support a longer growing season, compared to other greenhouses that are forced to close during winter in the north. Additionally, the greenhouse helps insulate and thus reduce heating and cooling costs to the building. So basically the smiths save the day: lower energy costs, and better, less expensive food.

Having been gobbling up salads loaded with homegrown tomatoes myself the past few weeks (see my gardening post from May), I can attest that once you eat the real thing, you’ll never want to go back to store-ripened, mealy, seedy tomatoes again.

More Companies Create Tools for Rooftop Gardens [AP Via NPR]
Trenton Forging [Company Website]
Trenton Forging Greenhouse Video [Website]

Permalink for 'Toolmonger/2010/07/06/Contech%e2%80%99s_Scary_Motion_Activated_Sprinkler'

Contech’s Scary Motion-Activated Sprinkler

Posted: July 6th, 2010, 1:30pm MDT by Audra Heaslip

The Scarecrow CRO101 Motion-Activated Sprinkler from Contech Electronics is one of the scariest and most hilarious things I’ve seen lately. A bestseller on Amazon with hundreds of positive reviews, the Scarecrow is intended for “humane animal deterrence” and can spray a moving object in a 1,000 square foot area — though many of those glowing reviews mention that users should beware that the Scarecrow will shoot at anything that moves, so don’t forget to turn it off from behind before enjoying that mint julip out back. The Scarecrow’s made of a plastic shaft with a metal sprinkler head and motion detector — all you need to buy is a 9v battery and a poncho.

The Scarecrow is supposed to be quite effective at deterring cat-and-dog land mines, foraging raccoons and possums, and predatory birds. But the most excellent part of this sprinkler system is the creative plethora of user photos [What’s This?] uploaded at Amazon, in which the Scarecrow sprays an unsuspecting deer, a man in a Godzilla costume, the Grim Reaper, a trespassing little girl, Chuck Norris, a pair of grizzly bears, an Imperial Walker (AT-AT), a giant cheese wedge, and Pope Benedict VI, among others. There’s even a terrific shot of Scarecrow posing with his buddies in the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a joke I was going to make except I got beat to it.

Right now the sprinkler’s retailing on Amazon for about $45. It might be worth it just to see the teenagers who solicit my home every day for a new phone service get completely drenched and have to bicycle home in their dripping short-sleeved business shirts.

Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Caddyshack [IMDB]

Vintage Hand-Forged Wrenches

Posted: July 6th, 2010, 11:49am MDT by Audra Heaslip

Flickr user whiteforge has a great collection of forged and antique tools, as you may remember from previous TM posts. This set of adjustable wrenches he posted caught my eye, since I’ve never seen any quite like them. Oldtools in the UK has some cool-looking twisted handle wrenches that are similar, but not identical.

Have any Toolmongers out there forged your own hand tools? It’s act of labor and love, and pretty humbling to think that people used to forge their own tools as the norm — not to mention every nail they used to build a house. I’ve heard that centuries ago, families would burn down their houses before moving just to collect all the hand-forged nails to build the next house. I don’t know if this is really true, but I wouldn’t blame folks for taking their nails with them.

If you’ve forged your own tools, or if you possess any hand-forged tools, do they still get regular use, or do they get a protected place in the tool retirement box?

Oldtools.co.uk [Website]

ShopSmith Jointer: Back From The Dead

Posted: July 5th, 2010, 5:03pm MDT by Sean O'Hara

Slowly but surely, I continue to raise from the dead all the accessories on the old man’s ShopSmith. This weekend the jointer came out of retirement. It took about an hour to disassemble, knock all the rust off, and align correctly, but once it was ready, it fired right up.

The simple fact of it is this is still a great way to get the job done in my shop. I don’t really have the room to set up full units of each power tool station I might need, but this rig works just the same in the end. As many have pointed out, there are better jointers in the world, and you do pay a setup cost in time with each tool swap — but for the sheer bonus of having one, the ShopSmith pays out in spades with each project.

This was also the first day of service for the accessory coupling that connects the jointer to the head stock. It makes one of 3 parts I’ve paid the rather heavy SS retail price for. However, with the excellent results I’m getting out of the rig, it seems to be worth it.

ShopSmith [Website]

Have You Seen A Blacksmith Demonstration?

Posted: July 1st, 2010, 2:29pm MDT by Chuck Cage

Sadly, blacksmiths are few and far between these days. Certainly there’s not a whole hell of a lot of need for a guy with a forge to shoe horses. But the artistry of blacksmithing goes way beyond the practical. I’ve seen lots of cool projects ranging from iron gates to pot hangers to a fully-forge-welded table you wouldn’t believe.

But what’s better is that you, too, can see such work — and see it made. Because the art’s effectively on its deathbed when it comes to large numbers, those who still work the trade spend a significant portion of their time demonstrating the art to others. You’ll find them at forge council and other organization meetings — plus fairs are all sorts of gatherings — banging out roses and leafs, and sometimes even teaching others right on-site.

Even more important, you’ll find (or at least I have) that most blacksmiths are a friendly sort, often willing to give you significant (and often free) advice to help you get started in the art, assuming you’re willing to get a little sweaty. (Let’s face it: Forges are, by definition, hot. And summertime is, well, hot. Put the two together, and you get damn hot. But you also get a hell of an experience.)

Where am I going with this? I’m simply suggesting that if you’re interested in learning how it’s possible to turn plain old iron into beautiful objects with the help of a surprisingly-heavy hammer, there’s help. And there’s no excuse not to find out if it’s for you.

So have you seen a demonstration?

(Thanks, brightlifephotographydotcom, for the great CC-licensed photo.)

BuffaloFeeds » Toolmonger » July 2010