June 29, 2009
AusAngle Saw Guide
Yet another interesting item out of Australia. This one appears to be a mini track saw with a miter gauge. If it works as advertised, it has a lot of the functionality of a sliding compound miter saw but with a much longer cut. While it can't do crown molding, the basic kit can slice up to about 3-1/2'.
It looks like it just attaches to your circular saw and you're ready to go. There's no information on saw compatibility (do Australian saws have different footplates than US saws?).
The AusAngle basic kit costs $299 ($240 US) which is a more than fair price considering that a decent miter saw is at least that. Rail extensions are available as well.
There is a little more information and photos over at AusAngle.com.
Here's a video of a guy making a bunch of cuts. Looks handy.
June 26, 2009
Wovel 2: Electric Buglaoo
It looks like the bizarre snow shoveling device that we told you about last winter, the Wovel, has been updated. Although shoveling snow is about the last thing we want to think about this time of year, it's tough to deny breaking news in Wovel technology.
Wovel 2.0 is lighter, and smaller and can fold up for easy storage and quick portability. Yes, that's right, now you can Wovel on the go! There's more information and tons of Woveltastic videos over at wovel.com.
At Amazon
June 25, 2009
EZY Hang Door Lifter
Our Austrailian invention connection has just emailed us about another interesting item that should be hitting the marketplace at some point soon. This time it's a device to assist with hanging doors. The EZY Hang Door Lifter is basically a jack that raises your door to the appropriate height in order for you to install the hinges. It looks like a much better version of what we usually end up cobbling together out of plywood scraps and a flatbar. Probably the nicest feature of the EZY Hang Door lifter is that it has one jack on each side, so slight adjustments can be made to the door once it's airborne.
The EZY Hang Door Lifter has a maximum lifting height of 25mm, which to us Americanos translates into just under one inch. There is no word on the maximum weight it can hold, but it sounds like it can handle just about any standard solid core door. We're curious about non-standard doors though. Yesterday, we spent the day hanging a 360 lb door (no joke) and something like the EZY Hang would have been helpful.
There is more information at ezyhangdoorlifter.com
June 24, 2009
Summer '09 Baseball Hat: Dead-On Tools
Every summer, we burn through a baseball hat. We don't wear it every day, but it's a nice item to have in the truck for keeping the sun off our face, the sweat out of our eyes, and the rain off our noggin. This summer's fashion selection is the blue cap from Dead On tools.
It's good because not only are we spreading the word about a tool company that we really like, we're also walking around with the American Flag/Skull and Crossbones combo on our forehead. Can't beat that.
We would also like to note that we never wear the hat backwards, and we never, never never hip-hop it off to the side like Michael Phelps does.
These hats are currently only $8 which is a great price for a nice hat from a cool company. You only have to pass on coffee break for three or four days and you'll be able to budget for one. It's a good way to support a little independent company without shelling out $40 for their Annihilator Wrecking Bar.
At Dead On
Check out our review of the Dead On Annihilator here.
June 23, 2009
June 22, 2009
Power Tool Drag Racing: The Results
The dust has settled over Columbus and the results of their first Power Tool Drag Race are official. To see the winners and losers in both photo and video form, check out the event's website. For a more descriptive view of what went down, go to CopTool for the round-up.
Outside the Not So Big House - Review
If you're thinking about some landscaping projects this summer, you might want to check out Outside the Not So Big House by Julie Moir Messervy and Sarah Susanka.
A lot of landscape books are simply portfolio pieces, little more than pictures of what other people have done. But the authors here understand the simple fact that every house is different and has different 'needs,' so along with the stunning photography showing you how nice things can look, they also provide a lot of information on how to think about your specific property to better improve it. It's like stepping into the brain of a very good landscape architect.
Their goal here is to bring all of the aspects of your property into a single idea and theme. To show us how this can be done, the authors walk us though a wide variety of successful projects, representing a wide array of house styles as well as landscapes. In doing so they discuss how to gain a new vision of your property and how to design a landscape that flows seamlessly from the interior to the exterior.
It's impossible to cover even a fraction of the ideas presented in this book, and there's no question that, after reading it, you'll have a completely new view of your house in relation to its surroundings. It's far headier than the average landscaping book, but well worth the effort to read and consider.
At Amazon ($15 paperback)
June 19, 2009
Hot For Tools: How to Hang a Door
Erica and her two assistants are at it again. This time she's teaching us how to hang a door. Nevermind that Erica manages to boil down the difficult process into about 3 steps, each of which seemingly takes 30-seconds. The details here are sort of besides the point. We're not so sure that the Hot for Tools videos are really about learning how to fix up your house. Maybe we were tipped off by the fact that one of the tags for the video is "boobs."
For her next episode, we hope that Erica demonstrates how to use the Bosch Brute Jackhammer. That, we would like to see.
And now, on to Erica....
June 18, 2009
Power Tool Drag Racing: Columbus, Ohio
If you live in Columbus, Ohio, or even if you live within a thousand miles of Columbus, Ohio, you should go to the Power Tool Drag Races this weekend. They're being held at the Columbus Idea Foundry from 4 to 6. If you want to enter your own dragster, you still have time because registration ends this Friday. If you don't have the time, but want to enter next year, they're holding a workshop on how to make your own tools into drag racers. How cool is that?
This is the first annual Columbus race and we hope that all of you who are able to go make it out for the event. It looks like a lot of fun, and the more people who show, the better the chance of it becoming an institution. Just think, someday you can tell your grandkids, "I was at the very first Columbus Power Tool Drag Race..."
Prizes for the event are being supplied by the great Ohio Power Tool and other sponsors include C.H. Hanson and Skil. There is more information on the Drag Races at the official site (http://www.powertooldragracescolumbus.com/).
In the spirit of the races, we'll send a tool to the first person who correctly identifies the movie that the above image came from. Just leave it in the comments.
Big Ass Fans Survive Big Ass Tornado
If you haven't heard of Big Ass Fans, they're a company that makes the very small fans used to cool down computer micro-processors. We're kidding. They actually make the largest freaking fans you've ever seen. They're so big they look like they fell off the top of a Blackhawk helicopter.
Anyway, not only are they very cool and very massive, they're also very durable. The above picture was taken at a shoe factory in Missouri after a tornado ripped through and took the ceiling off (click the pic to enlarge and get all the details). It's impressive, you'd think the fans would be the first things to go.
Big Ass Fans aren't just for industrial use though. It seems that they're catching on in the residential market as well. They're really a low energy way to move air around the house. It looks like they also help with LEED accreditation. Not to mention that Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips has one in his living room.
To learn more, check out the Big Ass Fans website here.
June 17, 2009
Wagner TurboRoll - Review
The Wagner TurboRoll isn't the first self-feed paint roller, but it's the first (we've seen, at least) that uses the same vacuum system found in a syringe to both store and release paint. It's an interesting idea and one we looked forward to testing out. Is it effective? It is more trouble than it's worth? Is it a gimmick? We gave it a good run it out in order to answer these questions.
The TurboRoll consists of a roller, a little fill port, a long tube which is the stem of the tool, the handle, and the plunger. The handle has a forward and reverse on it which feeds the plunger through the tube forcing paint to the roller. The TurboRoll also has a manual override, so if the automation is for any reason not practical, you can toggle back to 'old school.'
Continue reading: "Wagner TurboRoll - Review"
June 16, 2009
June 15, 2009
New Tools From Milwaukee
Last week we were lucky enough to go out to the Milwaukee Tools HQ to get a glimpse at some of the new releases they've got all geared up for this year. As one of our favorite tool companies, they didn't disappoint with the sheer variety and usefulness of their new tools and accessories.
A few of the highlights of what we saw were...
18-Volt Cordless Bandsaw - They're still putting the finishing touches on this one, but were nice enough to let us try it out and, honestly, it's the kind of tool that makes us wish we had taken up plumbing instead of carpentry. It's got a whole lot of power but it's light enough to easily work with both above your head and in tight spaces. Having an awareness of how people will be using it, Milwaukee has made the shoe retractable, so the tool is able to cut a pipe that's already attached to a wall. It's one of those tools that makes your chest swell a bit when you hold it. There will also be a corded version available and both will be hitting the market probably in October.
Shockwave Driver Bits - This is one of those ideas that, once you hear it, you wonder why it took so long for someone to think it up. Driver bits built specifically for impact drivers. Anyone who spends time on a job site these days (like we do), knows that impact drivers are taking over. That said, they really do a number on driver bits so Milwaukee has tailored this new line to withstand the abuse. In addition to other features, the new bits have a slight degree of flexibility in order to handle the added intensity of the impact driver.
Cordless Tubing Cutter - Much like their copper pipe cutter from last year, this one is a real niche tool. We tried it out and it had no problem slicing up pex and pvc. It has a great feel and possibly the power to do a little topiary sculpting as well.
Testing and Measurement Tools - This is a new area for Milwaukee, but judging from what we saw, they're going to quickly establish themselves in the market. Of the tools, the most interesting is the Sub-Scanner which is sort of like an amped up, battle-crazed stud finder. It can be used to find studs and pipes in walls and ceilings, as well as rebar in concrete. The cool thing about it is that it lets you know the exact depth of what it is you're finding, so if you only have one option for placing that pipe hanger, you'll know that only a 2" screw will work because of the rebar that's hidden in the wall.
Those are just some of the highlights and by no means a complete overview of what we saw. Milwaukee is also rolling out some nice 12-volt LED flashlights, a 12-volt power port, a very cool looking mini-radio, oh and about a thousand new grinders.
Follow the action over at Milwaukee Tools.
Milwaukee tools at Amazon
We Have Two Winners!
We did the old random draw and came up with "Bill" as the winner of the Home Depot Gift Card and "John" as the winner of the Skil 4-Piece Combo Kit. They've both been contacted and the prizes will be shipping out this week.
We want to thank both Home Depot and Skil for assisting with the contests. Both companies were great to work with and very generous with their prizes.
We also want to high-five all of our readers who entered. It's you people who are the reason why we're here in the first place, so we're happy to give a little something back now and then. This year, we've already had a few contests, and we're hoping to have more in the near future. So thanks again.
June 12, 2009
Free Percocets at Tool Snob!
...and by 'percocets' we mean, 'Skil 4-Piece Combo Kit' and '$100 Home Depot Gift Card.'
Don't forget, today is the last day to enter the contest for the Home Depot Gift Card, and tomorrow is the last day for the 4-Piece Skil Kit.
Details on how to enter are here (for the HD gift card) and here (for the Skil kit).
Tool Crib's Harbor Freight Buying Guide
This is great. Our pals over at Tool Crib have compiled the ultimate Harbor Freight buyers guide. It's a massive list of what tools are worth buying (for maybe one or two uses) and which ones to avoid like the plague. The article is split into the following chapters...
1) Developing Your Harbor Freight Shopper Philosophy
2) Top Ten Things NOT to Buy at Harbor Freight (Humor)
3) Derogatory yet Slightly Loving Harbor Freight Nicknames
4) My Harbor Freight Prediction: Prices Way Up Soon... End of the HF?
5) The List: Good Enough, the Bad, and the Abysmal
6) Harbor Freight Tips and Tidbits
7) Harbor Freight Resources Used in this Article
That pretty much says it all. It's fantastic stuff and a good example of why the internet was invented in the first place. If you have your own harbor freight stories, you're encouraged to leave a comment at Tool Crib. It might make it to the next update to the guide.
Check out the Harbor Freight Buyer's Guide here.
June 10, 2009
Paslode Unveils New Website
Paslode has recently redesigned their website and anyone who ever tried to navigate around the old one knows how welcome this change is. There would be times when we would be looking for information on a tool and we'd simply have to give up. Seriously, it was like they were playing Space Invaders and all the other tool companies were playing Half-Life. But now, after the redesign, the site is really top notch; it's easy to navigate, there's a ton of information on the tools, and it just generally looks alive (as opposed to the old one which looked like it had been sprayed with Round Up). Three cheers for Paslode!
The site also has a blog as well as an invitation for you to become a member of the Advisory Board.
At the moment, you can even win a CF-325 Cordless Framer (our review here) if you help them name the blog.
Visit the site and experience the glory at Paslode.com
Check out our reviews of Paslode tools here.
June 9, 2009
Websites We Like: TeddBenson.com
Tedd Benson has been a major force in the revival of timber framing. He's written books, appeared on This Old House, and most importantly, involves himself deeply in the actual construction of these aesthetically unique structures. We've been fans for quite a while and even reviewed our favorite of his books as one of our first posts on the site (here). There was also a time not all that long ago, when we were on the verge of heading to New Hampshire to beg for a job at his company, Bensonwood.
The other day, a carpenter/writer pal of ours pointed us to Benson's blog (www.teddbenson.com) and it's as impressive as the man's timber frame portfolio. Not surprisingly, Benson has a very thoughtful approach to the ideas of shelter, family, and generally how we live (and how little we really need in order to get by). The posts are lengthy, engaging, and well worth the time to read and consider.
If you're interested in more information on how the age old craft of timber framing collides with the computer era, we suggest reading this nice article from Tools of the Trade (written by the aforementioned carpenter/writer pal).
Check out Benson's blog here. Also, the Bensonwood portfolio is well worth a perusal.
Books by Tedd Benson at Amazon
June 8, 2009
Win a Skil 4-Piece Lithium-Ion Kit at Tool Snob
Earlier today, we reviewed Skil's new 4-Piece Lithium-Ion tool kit and found it to be a great set of tools at a great price. We'll now, we're offering a way to get one at 100% off. We're going to give away the kit that we used for our review to one lucky reader. It's dusted with sawdust,and you'll have to get new recip blades because we toasted the ones that were included, but other than that, brand new.
To enter to win, leave a comment at this post (don't worry, your email remains private) saying what you would build with the kit. The contest is just in time for Father's Day and we'll be randomly choosing a winner from all of the entries on Saturday, June 13th. Also, don't forget to enter to win the $100 Home Depot gift card as well. Details on that one here.
To learn more about the Skil Combo kit, our review is here and the Skil site is here.
June 5, 2009
Win a $100 Home Depot Gift Card from Tool Snob!
Remember how dad stayed up all night to build your fifth grade science project? Remember how he took years off his life by teaching you how to drive? Remember when he didn't kill you after you melted all of your crayons on the radiators? It's time to repay the old man, and there's really no better way than giving him a wild spending spree at Home Depot.
The way we see it, there are a few ways to go about this. First, you could go to any Home Depot and buy a gift card. Second, you could go to the Home Depot website and order up the card. The third way, and the most rewarding with the least amount of effort, is to leave a comment at this post telling us the items you would get your pops with a $100 Home Depot gift certificate and if you're the lucky winner of the random drawing, we'll have said $100 gift certificate heading your way with plenty of time to spare for Father's Day. The gift certificate is being very generously supplied by Home Depot and they will be mailing it direct, so there won't be the ridiculous delays that happen when we mail something out.
So that's it. That's all you have to do....just leave a comment on this post telling us how you or your dad would chew through $100 at Home Depot and we'll pick a random winner in a week...next Friday (June 12th).
What would we use the certificate to buy? We're of two minds with the whole gift certificate thing. There's something that really bothers us about paying to replace our everyday tools; things like tape measures, screwdrivers, adjustable wrenches, etc. So when we get a gift certificate, our first inclination is to use it for those items. Spending $30 of our own money to replace a tape measure really irritates us for some reason. But then we start thinking about it we usually end up using gift certificates for some odd splurge, some tool that we don't have and we really don't need. But why not own a 23 gauge pinner or a RotoZip?
So help dad out and tell us what you'd get him or what you think he should get. You just might win a $100 gift certificate.
Also, if you decide to get your own Gift Card, there are three new designs. One of which looks like it's made out of duct tape and comes with a free 3/8 drill bit.
Order a Home Depot gift card here.
June 4, 2009
Some Interesting Articles from Around the Internet...
Once again, we've run out of time to post anything original, so here are a few articles written by others that caught our eye. We figured you're sick of excavator videos.
Steampunked R2D2 (at b3ta.com)
Six Top DIY Project Kits You Can Buy (at Popular Mechanics)
How To Build A Mentos And Diet Coke Booby Trap (at Instructables)
Crown Molding: Mitering vs. Coping. Which Do You Do? (at Fine Homebuilding via Rob Yagid @ Twitter)
Buy the House from Ferris Bueller (at Charles & Hudson)
Win a Gutster at Extreme How-To (at Extreme How-To)
Poison Ivy FAQ (at Poison Ivy Info Center) please don't ask why this is top of mind
June 3, 2009
New Porter-Cable 18-Volt Tools Now Available in Stores
In late March, we told you about Porter-Cable's seven new 18-volt cordless tools. It looks like they're now finally available in stores. Just in time for Father's Day.
It looks like the best place to find these tools is at Lowes, but from what we understand they will be sold at other retailers as well.
There is more information at the website: deltaportercable.com/18volt/
Porter Cable tools at Lowes
Pizza Boss 3000 Pizza Slicer
If you don't trust your dad enough to get him a real circular saw for Father's Day, you can get him this pizza slicer that looks like one. It's sort of the same thing in a 'not really' kind of way.
His chest will puff up as he cuts slices of extra-cheese and he won't lose a finger when there's a little kickback. Depending on how this thing works, it might be good for rigid insulation too.
$14.99 at Perpetual Kid
h/t Foolish Gadgets
June 2, 2009
Newborn U-Lite Caulk Gun - Review
Newborn, makers of many fine caulking guns (we have a nice old one that we use all the time) have recently released a new gun with an interesting design, one which makes it look as if half of the gun missing. This illusion is due to the fact that Newborn has managed to remove the forward portion of the gun; the half circle which supports the front of the caulk tube as well as the arms that support it. But what holds the tube in now, you say? Well, at the base of the tube, the plunger end, there is a circular ring of plastic 'fish scales' which angle back towards the handle and grip the inside flange of the tube. The design is such that the more pressure is applied to the plunger, the stronger the hold becomes. It's a pretty smart idea.
The main benefit of the redesign is that it lessens the real estate the the gun consumes, but not by all that much. In the storage position with the plunger in, the gun is barely smaller than a standard gun. Other perks include a quick snap-in/pop out loading process of the caulking tube, the ability to easily twist the tube around to get the beveled cut end into corners, as well as a non-dripping tube when the gun is at rest.
According to Newborn, the gun has a force ratio of 10:1 which is the same as any homeowner-level caulking gun, but much less than the really nice ones that carpenters and the other pros are going to be using. The fact that this isn't a job site gun is backed up by the plastic construction of the U-Lite. If this thing gets stepped on, it's all over. So the bottom line is that the U-Lite is going to have no problem with light-duty around the house tasks, but it's going to run into some difficulty with a half frozen tube of PL Premium on a job site. We're not saying that it's a bad gun at all, just that it has limitations.
So with all this in mind, we have to give props for the concept. Like we said, it's an innovative change and one that works well under light-duty circumstances. And it only costs about $10.
At Amazon
June 1, 2009
May 2009 Monthly Roundup for Tool Snob
So your deck is half framed. You were hoping to get it done by the end of the month so you could enjoy it all summer, but you found that rot in the sill and it set you back a week or two. And then there's the mere fact of finding the time after work to go to the lumber yard for the screws you need, then home to set up your tools and figure out where you left things off. Sometimes it's not easy, but you have to do it or you feel, well, lame. We understand and can offer only encouragement and possibly a tip on a tool that might make things easier for you. Good luck.
Not much reviewing done in May, only the Gorilla Expoy and the Easy Chamfer. So we're going to hand the coveted Tool of the Month to the Easy Chamfer, mostly due to the fact that it looks like some kind of Pokemon weapon.
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Megapro 13-in-1 Ratcheting Screwdriver - Review
