Sears has been running a sale on Craftsman tools on and off this week, and today they send out a notice to Craftsman Club members about a couple of specific deals including:

• a Craftsman 155-piece mechanic’s tool set for $99.50 (normally $149.50)
• a Craftsman 8-piece locking flex ratcheting wrench set for $99.99 (normally $124.99)
• and a Craftsman 14-piece 12 pt. combination wrench set for $49.99 (normall $64.99)

Sears says that they’re offering 20% off all Craftsman mechanic’s tool sets as well as all conventional and ratcheting wrench sets, too.  A quick look at the tool vertical on the Sears site seems to confirm it.  If you’ve been considering a Craftsman purchase, now may be the time.

Sears’ Tool Vertical [Sears]

(Tuesday August 8th, 2006) If you can manage to watch all the shows listed tonight you should both be able to make your own hot rod and understand how almost everything is manufactured.  Make sure you watch John Ratzenberger’s Made in America, if only to envy what must be one of the best jobs in America — travel and tools!

All Times are Central

Tonight:

• Machinery of the Past: Vintage Tractors (RFD-TV, 5:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 22, Steel Safes, False Teeth, Airplanes and Maple Syrup (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 7, Kayaks, Safety Boots, Electronic Signs and Breakfast Cereals (Discovery, 6:30 p.m.)
• Classic Tractor Fever: Everybody Loves Classics (RFD-TV, 6:30 p.m.)
• Overhaulin’: Junk in the Trunk (TLC, 7:00 p.m.)
• Pinks!: Mustang vs. Civic (Speed, 7:30 p.m.)
• Rides: Foose’s ‘69 (TLC, 8:00 p.m.)
• Overhaulin’: Chip and Chris Flipped (TLC, 9:00 p.m.)
• John Ratzenberger’s Made in America: E-One Firetrucks (Travel Channel, 9:00 p.m.)
• John Ratzenberger’s Made in America: Frye Boots (Travel Channel, 9:00 p.m.)
• Build or Bust: Jim the Survivor (Speed, 11:00 p.m.)

Our insomniac’s recommendation: Machinery of the Past at 1:00 a.m. on RFD-TV.

Removing press-fit parts can be a trick, especially when you may need to reuse the part.  That’s when it’s handy to have a slide hammer puller kit around. 

These type of kits are essentially the same as the slide hammers used by auto body workers, but come with a set of adapters to grab onto (or screw into) all sorts of objects.  We’ve used ours to pull bearings and oil seals, though we’ve heard of all kind of other applications as well.

The kit shown here is made by Sunex — a brand we’ve seen before — and is available from a wide variety of retailers starting at around $60.  The kit varies slightly from retailer to retailer, but most include a 5 lb. hammer, a 3-jaw puller, a 2-jaw puller, a puller hook, a rear axle puller, and a dent puller.  Be sure and check the specific kit you locate before you buy.

Street Pricing [Froogle]

A while back we reviewed Industrial Press’ great book Welding Essentials: Questions and Answers.  The focus of today’s review, Welding Fabrication and Repair: Questions and Answers is essentially a “sequel” to that book, covering more fabrication techniques than welding processes.  There’s some overlap between the two books, but not much.

Fabrication and Repair picks up where Welding Essentials left off, beginning with an overview of the most common fabrication hand tools and their applications, including various measuring tools, power tools, clamps, pliers, and jigs.  This will be handy for anyone who’s just getting started, though even seasoned pros may have seen others using a tool and wondered what it was and how it works.  From there the book moves on to common materials and finishes, some of which we’ve seen and used and some that we haven’t.   For example, a huge section on pipe and tubing explains how sizing works, common practices, and many, many ideas on how to create joints as needed.

Fabrication and Repair’s “basic building blocks” chapter truly shines with explanations of many common techniques, such as how to miter or notch material for rectangular frames.  As an example of how intuitive this book can be, it not only offers a wide variety of suggestions in terms of steps you can follow to improve the chances of a frame being welded square, it explains (with pictures!) how to use adjustable wrenches to bend the frame back into square if you have trouble.

Later chapters also cover all kinds of practical design and repair techniques such as: how to layout part cuts to waste the least material, how to use your welder to remove a frozen bolt, and even how to build a small stand for your handheld torch.

It’s hard to explain in a short post how incredibly valuable this book can be as a reference.  Since we’ve had one around the shop we’ve picked it up to reference fastener types, to find an easy method to weld wire mesh to a frame, to determine how to weld up a cracked beam, and to figure out the strongest design for a horizontal bracket. 

Trust us: If you’re fabricating — either professionally or just for fun in your home shop — this is a book that should grace your shelf.  We found it available from a variety of sources starting at around $30.

Marlow, Frank. Welding Fabrication & Repair: Questions and Answers. New York, NY: Industrial Press, Inc., 2002.  ISBN: 0-8311-3155-1

Street Pricing [Froogle]

Develpoed for race engine troubleshooting, the Provision Eagle is based on fiber optic technology and uses a long cable to view hard reach and sometimes impossible to see areas.

The concept is much the same as the scopes that doctors use to look inside a patient, except the cable is surrounded by a stainless steel armored shaft and has a machined-aluminum lighted lens tip to protect it against heat and harmful chemicals such as motor oil. The ProVision will fit into holes as small as 1/4 inch diameter, allowing you to look behind walls, down into drains, or even inside engines without costly demolition or disassembly.

The system is powered by 2 “AA” Lithium Batteries and sports a street price of around $225 (with some careful shopping).  That’s not super cheap, but then again it’s something that you just couldn’t even put your hands on for under a grand just a bit ago. 

We’re thinking about making the investment in one of these ourselves.  How handy would it be to be able to stick this through a spark plug hole and see what’s going on inside a cylinder?  Or how about seeing what’s actually stuck in the drain?  We can think of dozens of applications, and based on the response to our post on mirrors the other day, we bet you can, too.

The Elite ”Eagle” Fiber Optic Scope [Provision]
Street Pricing [Froogle]

(Monday, August 7, 2006) A standard night of Discovery’s build shows, however the Bill Murray Bike episode of American Chopper promises some comic relief to interrupt the predictable hour of yelling.

All times are central.

Tonight:

• I Love Toy Trains (RFD-TV, 6:30 a.m.)
• The Great Biker Build Off: Indian Larry vs. Paul Yaffe (Discovery, 9:00 a.m.)
• Biker Build Off: Corey Ness v. Eric Gorges (Discovery, 10:00 a.m.)
• Trains and Locomotives: The Pokey (RFD-TV, 5:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 19: Wooden Doors, Paintballs, Newspapers, Diamond Cutting (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 1: Aluminum Foil, Snowboards, Soft Polymer Contact Lenses, Bread (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
• American Hot Rod: Bud Light Car 3 (Discovery, 8:00 p.m.)
• Biker Build Off: Billy Lane vs. Russell Mitchell (Discovery, 9:00 p.m.)
• American Chopper: Bill Murray Bike 1 (Discovery, 10:00 p.m.)
• American Chopper: Wendy’s Bike 1 (Discovery, 11:00 p.m.)

Our insomniac’s recommendation: Trains and Locomotives (RFD-TV, 1:00 a.m.), nothing puts one to sleep like rhythm of the rails…

Wow!  We almost forgot this week’s Top 5.  We were so busy in the shop Friday that we totally forgot to run everything down for you.  Bad, bad us.  Shame.

If you’ve been busy in the shop this week and haven’t had time to keep up with Toolmonger, we recommend checking out the following posts when you have a chance:

Win a Milwaukee V18 Combo Kit Just by Commenting
Yep, the title says it all.  A side note: We randomly selected a winner for the game chair this week, and have successfully made contact.  Shipping arrangements are in process, and we expect to report back to you in a few weeks with some more details about the winner.  Thanks to everyone for their ongoing participation here at Toolmonger, and we’ll continue to do our best to reward it however we can.

First Look: Milwaukee’s New V18 HammerDrill
You’d think Milwaukee was paying us for all the coverage they’re getting from us this week.  (Hint: They’re not.)  If you read our preview of the V18 line, you know that the drill is the only new tool in the line.  We got the chance to check one out first hand, and we wanted to share.  We’ll follow up in a few weeks with a hands-on once we’ve had the opportunity to really put it to the test.

Harmonic Balancer Pullers
Sure, harmonic balancer pullers don’t seem that exciting — unitl you need to pull a harmonic balancer.  If you’re going to work on old Detroit iron — or, for that matter, new Detroit iron — you’re going to need one of these.  We give you the low down.

The Rip Master Circular Saw Guide
We saw this product from Choice Products — a company that produces all sorts of unusual items directly from the minds of inventors — and had to mention it.  It looks truly handy, and we’ve now got one in the shop.  In short: It lets you rip from 1/16″ to 24″ pretty accurately with your circular saw.  Check it out.

Mirror Mirror on a Stick
Another simple classic.  Reader comments suggested a webcam-on-a-stick, which might help in some situations.  We have to admit, though, that we’re a fan of the simple mirror.  We used ours while trying to see the thermostat in a Porsche 944 — think major PITA, snap-ringed into the water pump pointing downard on the front of the engine — and it saved our collective butts.  They’re also handy for seeing “invisible” bolts hidden behind or below “well-placed” engine components.

See you next week.

Rockler published a pretty good review of Metabo’s PowerMaxx cordless drill a few days ago.  We mentioned the PowerMaxx back when it was first announced, and’ve been meaning to get your a review ourselves.  Since they beat us to it we thought we’d pass on theirs first.  (Disclaimer alert: Rocker sells these items.)

From Rockler’s woodworking blog:

What about power? Power is what sets the Metabo apart form other small cordless drills and drivers. Its 80 In-lbs. max torque, 2-speed gearbox, 20-level clutch and long lasting 4.8 volt batteries put it in a class of tool that the suits the performance needs of professional cabinetmakers and cabinet installers.  The PowerMaxx Plus Package comes with two batteries and a charger.  Keeping one in the drill and one in the charger will keep you moving along, whether you’re driving 2-1/2″ screws into wall studs, putting on a kitchen’s worth of hardware, or just doing a little work around the house.

The obvious comparison here is Bosch PS20 (which we did a hands-on with last month).  The PowerMaxx uses a 4.8v battery instead of the PS20’s 10.8v, but the PowerMaxx claims 80 in-lbs of torque in similar comparison to the PS20’s “80+ in-lbs.”  Hmm.

The PowerMaxx does include a 2-speed gearbox — 0-200 RPM in low, 0-600 (like the PS20) in high — and a spindle lock.  One big difference: the PowerMaxx features a standard chuck as opposed to the PS20’s quick-change-only setup. 

I guess we’ll have to lay hands on one of these and get back to you with some real-life comparisons.

The Metabo PowerMaxx Cordless Drill [Rockler's Woodworking Blog]
The PowerMaxx Cordless Drill [Metabo USA]

Well, it used to be called the “French Lite,” but…  Just kidding.  A friend of ours mentioned this to us today and we thought we’d pass it on.  We love LED flashlight — look ma, no more bulbs! — but we still seem to be stuck with small flourescents for any jobs that requires widespread light. 

The Freedom Lite’s 30-LED array does a similar job in a much tighter and more durable package.  Plus, it’s completely cordless and can operate for up to 8 hours on a single charge.  It’s got a swivel hook on the top, so you can hang it up wherever.

We haven’t seen one in person, but we do hear good things about it.  Its one drawback is the price: $79.95 is a lot to pay for a light, period.  Then again, will your flourescent run for 8 hours on a charge?  Is that important to you?

The site where we found it appears to be a reseller; We couldn’t find the original manufacturer for you.  Sorry!  A little Froogle/Google searching returns a few other resellers, though we couldn’t beat the price by too much.

The Freedom Lite [WinTron Technologies]

(Sunday, August 7, 2006) Tonight’s just sad TV-wise, so we’re not even going to comment on it here.  Nothing on any of the Discovery channels, nothing on Speed until 2 a.m. (Chop Cut Rebuild), and so on.

Hey — you could help us out, though, if you happen to have TiVo’d or taped the episode of Unique Whips where they blow all the deliveries and Remy quits.  Some of us caught it, but others haven’t and it got pushed off the TiVo here.  If you’ve got it and can drop it to DVD, drop us a line.

All times are central.

Tonight:

• Pimp My Ride (MTV 7:30 p.m.)
• Pimp My Ride (MTV 8:00 p.m.)
• Pimp My Ride (MTV 8:30 p.m.)

Ouch.  That’s just sad.  No insomniac’s recommendation (unless you count Chop Cut Rebuild at the top).  We’re just going to cut bait and fish again tomorrow.

There’s been a lot of buzz here on Toolmonger this week about Milwaukee’s new V18 line that’s scheduled to hit shelves around the end of the month.  We had the chance this week to check out the updated tool in the line — the hammerdrill — and thought we’d share some first impressions with you, as well as some less marketing-oriented photos.

Our first thought when we opened the box is that Milwaukee indeed made an effort to make this hammerdrill appear less bulky than previous models.  It has a thinner look and feel, though it definitely keeps the solid, durable feel that you’re used to from Milwaukee.  Like many current high-end manufacturers, Milwaukee integrated a number of different materials into the drill’s casing to make for a very comfortable grip.  Fit and finish is excellent.

We couldn’t help but notice the all-metal chuck as well.  It’s definitely a high-end feature, and goes hand-in-hand with the drill’s massive 500+ in-lb. torque rating. 

The drill’s controls are simple.  The gearbox’s two speeds are selected with a switch on the top of the drill.  You can select from any of 24 clutch settings by rotating the ring just aft of the chuck — just like you’re used to.  Even numbered clutch settings are marked in white on the ring, while the “in-between” clicks represent the odd numbers. 

A ring right behind the clutch setting ring allows you to select from three drill modes: drill (no hammering action/clutch disengaged), driver (no hammering action/clutch engaged), and hammerdrill (clutch disengaged/hammering).  Each is represented by a little icon: a drillbit for drill mode, a screw for driver mode, and a hammer for hammerdrill mode.  So, if you were driving screws into a cabinet and had found the perfect clutch setting, then needed to drill a hole, you could simply switch to drill mode, drill the hole, then switch back to driver mode with the clutch still set.  It’s not a totally new feature, but it’s handy none the less.

A horizontal switch in the standard location above the variable-speed trigger sets direction with a center position for “off.”

The V18 battery does indeed feel exactly like a smaller version of the V28.  It seems larger and heavier than most Ni-Cd 18V packs we’ve seen, but it’s a bit of an illusion.  Milwaukee’s quite different slide-on mounting system makes the battery appear more “square” and makes it seem to hang off the end of the tool instead of integrating into the base.  Really, the V18’s back isn’t that much larger then most. 

The slide-on battery mount is slick as well.  The battery and drill mount are designed to allow the battery to mount forward and backward, so you can balance the tool more effectively for whatever load you’ve got on it.  With just a standard drill bit, you’ll probably want to leave it in the “normal” mode, but should you have a heavy or long item in the chuck, reversing the battery shifts its weight to the rear to help balance it all.  We really like the way the battery slides into the charger stand as well; It’s easier to deal with than the standard “stick it in the top” type.

We’ll definitely have more to say about the V18 this month as we have time to make use of it in some real-life situations, but our first impressions are quite positive.  If you’re in need of a very powerful 1/2″ drill, you’re going to want to check this one out next month.

Recip saws are incredibly useful; Once you have one, you’ll wonder what you ever did without it.  When you need one, it’s often the only tool that’ll do the job.  On the other hand, they can be a bit scary to use for first-timers.  They vibrate quite a bit, the blade’s completely exposed, and if it gets away from you it can make a hell of a mess quickly. 

Black & Decker recognized that you often don’t need the power of a full-on recip saw, but do often need the functionality, so they’re releasing the Handisaw in October: a miniature cordless recip saw for use around the house.

It’s a 6V unit with an integrated battery.  It drives 1800 strokes per minute with a 1/2″ stroke length, and blades are available for metal and wood.  Some of the potential uses Black & Decker mentions include cutting wire shelving to length, pruning a small tree or plant, trimming wood latticework.  Believe us when we say you’ll find dozens more.

Black & Decker says it’ll retail for under $50.  The only bad news is that you’re going to  have to wait until the holiday season to pick one up.

The CHS6000 Handisaw - Cordless Powereed Hand Saw [Black & Decker]

(Saturday, August 5, 2006) It’s still a pretty slow night tonight on the ‘tube, but most of the action’s on the Science Channel and Speed.

All times are central.

Tonight:

• Flip That House: Kelly’s First Flip (Discovery Home, 6 p.m.) 
• MythBusters - Jaws Special (Discovery, 7 p.m.)
• Extreme Machines Special: Bridges (Science Channel, 7 p.m.)
• Extreme Engineering: Tunneling Under the Alps (Science Channel, 8 p.m.)
• Building the Ultimate: Robots for Hire (Science Channel, 9 p.m.)
• Unique Whips: A Unique Dream (Speed, 9 p.m.)
• Unique Whips: A Unique Dream Part 2 (Speed, 10 p.m.)
• Pimp My Ride (MTV, 10 p.m.)
• Pimp My Ride (MTV, 10:30 p.m.)
• Ultimate Cars: Episode I (Science Channel, 10 p.m.)
• Extreme Engineering: Tunneling Under the Alps (Science Channel, 11 p.m.)
• MythBusters - Jaws Special (Discovery, 11 p.m.)

Our insomniac’s recommendation: The F1 Hungarian GP qualifying at 3 a.m. on Speed, or The Practical Woodworker on RFDTV at 2 a.m.

Having the right tool for the job is always the best way to go, right?  So we guess the second best way to go is an adapter for the tool you already have. Thus, the best way to pull a expansion plug is with a plug puller kit, but if you, like us, are short a puller kit, then a expansion puller adapter for your slide hammer is an acceptable alternative.

The adapter screws to the end of a slide hammer on one end and connects to the plug in queston with the other – a handy solution for those of you needing to remove that subborn holdout.

They’re widely available on the web for around $24, and are a great way to expand your capabilities without leaving your wallet too thin.

Expansion Puller Adapter [SK Hand Tools]
Street Pricing [Froogle]

We’ve seen a number of cool products from GearWrench this year, including some truly slick and innovative magnetic oil drain plug removers.  Now GearWrench has announced the Quad Box Ratcheting Wrench system:  a single tool with four reversible ratcheting box ends in 4 different sequential sizes. 

For a wrench, the Quad Box is stuffed full of features.  It boasts a 5-degree ratcheting mechanism – like other GearWrench ratcheting tools – so even in cramped areas the ratchet teeth will catch and provide movement.  The four box end collars protrude out only slightly from both top and bottom on each end of the wrench, which makes for a slim profile.  Each size has its own dedicated reversing lever recessed into the hardened, forged beam for easy control.

Each set (metric or SAE) consists of two wrenches, which gives you a range of eight sizes:  5/16, 3/8, 7/16, ½ (on the SAE smaller wrench), 9/16, 5/8, 11/16, 3/4 (on the larger SAE wrench).  Metric sizes are 8, 10, 12, 13MM (on the smaller wrench), and 16, 17, 18, 19MM (on the larger). 

If you’re like us, you’re probably saying, “Wait a sec.  Where’s the 15mm?”  Easily one of the most commonly used sizes in the metric set, the 15mm is MIA in the Quad Box line.  That’s more than a small hiccup.  On the other hand, the SAE set seems to offer a good range of sizes.

We couldn’t find pricing or availability for the Quad Box Ratcheting Wrench yet, but we’ll keep you informed as soon as we find out more.

Quad Box Ratcheting Wrench [GearWrench]

From reader comments:  Yihao Zhang of GearWrench left a comment to indicate that the QuadBox will be available shortly at Sears and NAPA for $24.99 to $29.99 for two wrenches (8 sizes).  A number of readers also commented that they haven’t had near as great a use for the 15mm as we have recently.  Mr. Zhang backed this up indicating that the eight sizes selected for the initial QuadBox set were selected via a popularity study using Danaher’s — GearWrench’s parent company that manufactures/has manufactured tools for a wide variety of brands including Craftsman — sales numbers. 

Metabo released a new 12-gauge shear earlier this week.  It appears to be a pretty straightforward shear with a 5.2 amp motor, a max torque of 53 in-lbs, and 3,000 no-load strokes per minute. 

Metabo says it’ll handle 12-gauge mild steel and 14-gauge mild stainless with a minimum cutting radius of 3/4″, and the tool’s designed for use with metal and plastic.  The tool itself is 11″ long and weighs 6 lbs.  One slick feature:  A tool rest on top of the shear can act as a bench mount so you can turn the tool over and use it as a stationary shear.  A lock-on switch makes stationary use make sense.

We’ll report back with more information once we have a chance to talk to Metabo about it.  On the surface it appears to be similar to the DeWalt and other shears on the market.  Often the difference between Metabo power tools and others isn’t clearly visible on the surface, though.  Their angle grinders are first class — look for a hands-on with one here shortly that’s in process right now — but many of their strong features are inside, designed to improve reliability as well as performance.

We couldn’t find a listing for it yet on Metabo’s website, but a Froogle search did turn up one for pre-sale at $575.40.

The Metabo Ku6870 12-Gauge Shear [Froogle]

(Friday, August 4, 2006) Ok, we’re not trying to be negative here, but there’s just not much on TV tonight.  If you’ve been telling yourself, “Self, you’ve got to get out more,” now would be the time.  Call up an old girlfriend/boyfriend.  Go build something.  Go see Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.  (”Tom Cruise, use your witchcraft to get the fire off me!”) 

Whatever you do, don’t count on an exciting night in front of the TV unless a) you love sharks more than life itself and really do want to watch a full hour-long program on shark sex, b) sleep in front of it anyway and don’t care what’s on, or c) have a TiVo that’s full of stuff from weeks past.

All times are central.

Tonight:

• How It’s Made: Episode 21: Fiberglass Boats, Clothes Dryers, Bubble Gum, Fireworks (Discovery, 6 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 5: Copy Paper, Jeans, Computers, Plate Glass (Discovery, 6:30 p.m.)
• Building the Ultimate: Working Up High (Science Channel, 7 p.m.)
• Trading Spaces: California: Corte Rosa (Discovery Home, 7 p.m.)
• Toolbelt Diva: Breakfast Nook Rescue (Discovery Home, 8 p.m.)
• Toolbelt Diva: Cabinet Addition (Discovery Home, 8:30 p.m.)
• American Chopper (Season 1): Commanche 3 (Military Channel, 9 p.m.)
• The Practical Woodworker (RFDTV, 9:30 p.m.)
• American Chopper: Senior’s Vintage Project (Discovery HD, 10 p.m.)
• Toolbelt Diva: Breakfast Nook Rescue (Discovery Home, 11 p.m.)
• Toolbelt Diva: Cabinet Addition (Discovery Home, 11:30 p.m.)

Our insomniac’s recommendation: the F1 Hungarian GP at 1 a.m. on Speed.