Benches, Stands, and Storage
May 8, 2013
My old pal JW (aka producerboy), just sent me an email proudly announcing that he was waiting for his Noden Adjust-A-Bench to arrive in the mail. "What the hell's an Adjust-A-Bench," I thought. A few clicks later, I was staring at a very cool piece of equipment.
The Adjust-A-Bench is a work table with telescoping legs that allow it to be set at a variety of heights. Actually, they're not really legs, but rather two nested frames made of 1/8-inch thick powder-coated steel. To adjust the table top, just grab a side and raise it up, then do the same with the other side. You can also set the sides to different heights if you want. Here's a video with some details and explanation:
Continue reading: "Noden Adjust-A-Bench"
May 7, 2013
Last week we reviewed the Overhead Crate Storage System which we think is pretty cool. It utilizes the space in between the joist bays of your garage or basement and fills them with easy to access storage containers. Now we want to call your attention to a different larger method for stowing stuff up high: the Racor Ceiling Storage Lift.
This one is a lot bigger than the Overhead Crate and takes a much higher ceiling to use. It's basically a platform on a lift system that can be raised and lowered at your convenience. The 4x4 platform can hold 250-pounds. In other words it can hold all of your Christmas decorations, all of your Halloween decorations, your kid's artwork that you refuse to get rid of, and the canoe that you never use.
The lift is operated by a hand crank or it can be operated by a drill. The max on the raise/lower is 8-feet.
The lift is priced at around $150. Seems like a fair price to us.
At Amazon
April 22, 2013
So what to do with all of our stuff? It's a constant question here and with the garage being pulled into the big renovation, it's something we've been thinking about a lot. The shop is going to get a major overhaul and storage is the number one concern. We're definitely going to use some of those Racor Snap2It hooks (reviewed here), and there will certainly be shelves for the daily use tools, but what about everything else? If there's something we only use a few times a year, there's no point in it clogging up valuable shelf space. Well, a while back, we were contacted by Overhead Crate and it just so happens that they have the perfect solution.
Continue reading: "Overhead Crate Storage System- Review"
September 25, 2012
Our garage is a disaster. There's no other way to put it. It's a varsity level display of a complete organizational breakdown. Every available space is covered with something. Every unavailable space is covered with something else. Finding anything in there takes days, weeks, months. Tool Snob Jr. wandered in there three months ago and we haven't seen him since. The entropy has gotten so bad that even the local wildlife has moved out. The little family of wrens that built a nest above the window (on the inside) have taken flight, probably disgusted that their front yard looks like a Home Depot fell from an airplane only to smash to earth in the form of a 20 x 20 garage. That's actually what it looks like; that it all fell from the sky. It's that random.
Continue reading: "Racor Snap2It Storage System - Review"
September 8, 2012
So with the renovation rumbling on and me about to clear out the basement for a full gut down there and me looking for a way to relieve some of the storage pressure that has built up in the garage and me needing long-term storage for the tractor, I decided it was time to get one of those portable garages.
Why do this and not smash together a shed in a weekend? Well basically because I can put it wherever I want to and I don't have to pay any taxes on it. There. Done.
So anyway, before the purchase, I did my research and it came down to Rhino Shelter and ShelterLogic as the two premier companies in the arena. I went with Rhino Shelter and I'll tell you why....then I'll tell you what happened once I placed the order....
Continue reading: "Rhino Shelter...a tale of customer service..."
August 29, 2012
It is our opinion that Veto Pro Pac makes the best tool bags in the industry. Hands down. No question. They can handle any and all abuse, there are a wide variety of models available, and most importantly, they're designed for not only storage but organization. The unique vertical pockets means a lot of tools in a little space with all of them somehow remaining accessible. We've had one of their XLs (review here) for over a year and we have no idea what we would do without it (or how we survived before it).
Continue reading: "Veto Pro Pac TP3 - Review"
November 7, 2011
So you're probably all familiar with the Little Giant Ladder. If not, it's a freaky sort of extension ladder that can transform itself through a lengthening or shortening of the legs into one of about fifty different configurations. They're very handy. They're also pretty heavy, but overall, great to have on site.
So last year, Little Giant brought the technology into the step ladder format and called it the Select Step. We thought this was a little strange and redundant, seeing as the standard Little Giant already can convert into something of a step ladder. We got in touch with the company and they sent us one to review. We've had this thing for a while now and honestly, it spent much of that time leaning against the wall in the garage. We never really dug into it until a few months ago when we brought it to the site.
Since then it has become something of a jobsite MVP.
Continue reading: "Little Giant Select Step Ladder - Review"
July 22, 2011
We did a pretty hefty eye roll when we first saw these things, but we've thought about it and now we're not so sure... Tool Dots are nothing more than magnets with an adhesive on one side. Just stick them on the wall and commence hanging your tools on them. Sounds kinda dopey, right? Our first thought was, "that's lame, we'll just go out and get our own magnets and brush some West System on one side and put them on the wall." But that would be plenty messy and once time is factored in, it probably wouldn't be worth the effort. Who knows?
We're still not inclined to go out and get these, but that's more because we keep all of our tools in bags or cases so we can travel with them. If you have a shop in the garage or a little set up in the basement then these might be perfect. They're certainly nicer looking than the dreaded pegboard.
You can get a 12 pack of them for about $12...a buck a magnet.
Available in a couple different colors at Laboratory 424
June 29, 2011
In our recent post on The Perfect Bungee, we noted our total devotion to the ratchet strap. There just isn't a better, more secure way to tie down your stuff. We've held down some pretty substantial lumber runs with a single ratchet strap.
The one drawback to the ratchet strap is storage. For a while we tossed them in a tupperware container under the front seat, but it always turned into a spaghetti mess and when we needed a strap, we always had to spend ten minutes trying to free the appropriate pieces. Then, we devised a way to fold and tie up each piece after use, but it takes some effort and most of the time it's not effort we're interested in. So here comes the Strap Sack...
Continue reading: "Strap Sack - Review"
June 7, 2011
We recently reviewed (and gave exceptionally high marks to) Veto Pro Pac's LC and LC-OT tool bags. We liked them for their easy tool organization and their durable construction. At the time of the reviews we were pretty convinced that they were the greatest thing out there in tool transportation. Well, at the time, we hadn't yet put our hands on the LX which is a size larger than the other two. Well, now we can say that this one is the best tool bag ever. Really. It is.
Continue reading: "Veto Pro Pac LX - Review"
May 11, 2011
Naming your product "The Perfect Bungee" takes some stones.
Perfect....really?
The company that makes them is called Just Ducky and they were nice enough to send us a handful of these bungees to test out. We tossed them in the truck and for the past couple of months we've been strapping down lumber and all kinds of other things with them. Here's what we thought...
Continue reading: "Perfect Bungee - Review"
April 22, 2011
Trucks are a total mixed blessing. Great cargo space, but when it rains...not so great cargo space. Most tools can be kept dry either by their cases (if not out for too long) or by tossing them up in the front seat (which can be a real pain in the rear). But the table saw, cursed by its size, can only sit in the back and get soaked.
Well, not anymore. Kerry Woodworking, makers of all things pouchy, have just devised their most intriguing item to date, the Kerry Saw Pouch. The concept is about as basic as they come: a fitted tarp for your jobsite table saw. They sent us one so that we could get a look-see and here's what we thought...
Continue reading: "Kerry Saw Pouch - Review"
April 18, 2011
A couple weeks ago, we reviewed the Veto Pro Pac LC tool bag and found that it exceeded our expectations in virtually every category. VPP then sent us one of their OT-LC bags so that we could check out one of their open-top models. So we unloaded the LC and transferred everything to the OT-LC and here's what we thought....
Continue reading: "Veto Pro Pac OT-LC - Review"
March 18, 2011
So you've got all the right tools, but you also need something to put them in so you can carry them around. The options are actually pretty slim. There's the hand-carved wooden tool box that some long-dead relative of yours made out of an apple tree that he cut down with his own hands, but who wants to lug that to a construction site. Then there's the duffel bag style that we've been subscribing to, which is okay, but tools get lost in the bottom of it and no matter how hard we try to use the side pockets, everything ends up in the center mess anyway like some giant metallic game of pick-up-sticks.
There is also the devil (a.k.a. The Bucket Buddy), but if you use one of these, we really can't muster up any respect for you. You're investing in nice expensive tools and carrying them around in a plastic bucket? It might be easy to move around and the pockets might work out for you, but there's no escaping the fact it's a freakin plastic bucket.
But there's actually another option...the Veto Pro Pac. This tool bag allows you to carry around all of your tools by positioning them vertically, meaning a lot of equipment in a small footprint. A bit ago, the company sent us one of their LC bags to test drive. When it arrived, we happily dumped out the duffel, threw it away and started loading up the new rig.
Continue reading: "Veto Pro Pac LC - Review"
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