We’ve decided to extend our Submit a Tool, Win a Tool offer, and we’re offering up some of the smaller post-test tools hanging around the office. This week we’re going to send one to our favorite tool submission. If you’ve got a minute, drop us a line using the Submit a Tool form and let us know what’s in your shop that we should have in ours.
Happy holidays!
Submit a Tool [Toolmonger, of course]
A retired sheriff’s department pilot in Westphalia, MI seems to have become a real-life Santa, using his woodworking skills to create beautiful custom toys which he donates to local children. From the article:
“Tony Pohl spent about eight hours a day for three weeks creating a wooden rocking horse. When he was finished, the retired law enforcement officer donate the horse to Clinton County Sheriff Wayne Kangas with the stipulation Kangas find a fitting home for the wooden steed.
“‘We gave the rocking horse to RAVE (Relief After Violent Encounter),’ said Kangas, ’so many children will be able to enjoy riding it and will benefit from Tony’s generosity.’
“Pohl also gave Kangas 25 wooden airplanes for distribution to county youths.”
What a great idea. I think next year we’ll fire up the Toolmonger shop and give this a go ourselves.
Slow housing starts put the hurt on power tool manufacturers, but it seems like the holidays are working out pretty well for them. According to the Frederick, Maryland News-Power Online, tools (as well as games) sold briskly over the holidays.
(BTW, I couldn’t resist posting the accompanying photo from the article, because judging by the bags they carry, these two seem interested in neither power tools nor card games. I’m just sayin’.}
Some of the hot items local retailers reported included power tools, wrench sets, screwdrivers, and tool sets as a whole.
I think next year we’re going to see a major swing toward promoting high-end tools to the DIY crowd, which IMHO is a good thing. Why buy a half-assed tool when you can have the real deal?
Games, Tools Selling Briskly for Holiday [Frederick News-Post Online]
Looking to recoup some cash before the Christmas-time Visa bill arrives? As we’ve suggested before, you can save a bundle by doing your own brake jobs on the family voiture. And while you can get the job done with basic hand tools, having the right tools takes the job from pain-in-the-ass to not-so-bad.
We always love to see units that make the shop more organized; whose shop is ever as big as it should be? It may take a bit more pegboard real estate than a hammer hook, but the circular saw blade holder keeps your saw blades nice and out of the way.
(Tuesday, December 26th, 2006) TV Guide says that both Overhaulin’ eps are new, but we think that they’ve already aired Short Bus. Otherwise it’s a bunch of reruns and what is probably a useful Trade School. We can hardly wait for the new episodes of Made in America to begin; we’ve seen these episodes way too many times.
All times are central.
Enjoy.
Today we’re proud to annouce our “Day 25″ winner in the 25 Days of Fuego give away: Ryan.
Ryan’s project: “My next project is to build a fence on the side of my house and then a shed in the spring time. I already made some shelves with a borrowed old saw and some embarassingly bad cuts with a dull blade. It would be great if I had my own saw, with a new blade to get the job done. I’m sure my dad is eager to let his nearly 20 year old circular saw resume rusting on his shelves at home.”
Congrats, Ryan, This one should make a difference over the dull cranky old saw. Be sure and send us some pictures of the new fence and shed.
Contest Details [Toolmonger/RIDGID]
It’s now time to take all those glittering family keepsakes off the tree and try and origami them back into their separate containers. If you’re not into that method, an ornament safe is a better way to go. Think of it like a hard-shelled suit bag for your holiday ornaments.
The safe holds up to 75 ornaments on 3 removable hangers that store the priceless clothespin reindeer or other child-artist masterpieces with the hooks still on them in a cushioned foam lined case for dust free, easy access storage.
Street pricing is $19.95 through the ornament safe website.
Ornament Safe Storage System [ornament safe]
Houdini couldn’t get that artificial tree back in the box it came in. Once it’s out, that bad boy isn’t going back in without a PhD in spatial mechanics. So don’t. Put it in a tree bag instead.
Once the orgy of greed and wrapping paper has come to a close, you’ll need to set about storing all the mini lights. Why not roll them up like an extension cord and get the lights out of the way without leaving them tangled for next year? Wrap N’ Roll Light Reels do exactly that — and trust us, it’s the way to go.
(Monday, December 25th, 2006) Merry Christmas! In addition to the shows below, Discovery is running a Mythbusters marathon, and TLC an American Chopper marathon all evening.
All times are central.
Happy holidays!
Today we’re proud to annouce our “Day 24″ winner in the 25 Days of Fuego give away: Brian C.
Brian’s project: “As an avid volunteer of his time and abilities in the Mountain Search and Rescue team and as a trainer of knot & rope work for firemen and other rescuers, my father-in-law is a man with ability and skill, just not a handyman. However, he is a man very short on time and his small house, where he lives alone, has some much needed work that needs doing.
Since he volunteers so much of his time, I thought as a Christmas present that I could volunteer some of mine this winter. His house is built into the side of a hill and has a large wrap-around deck as well as a smaller deck off of a back bedroom. These are roughly 20+’ above ground. They have fallen into disrepair and are now dangerous. The railings are loose, the deck planks are rotting, the framing is falling apart. His front porch, although not as high off the ground, is in a similar state. I believe he is semi-fearless as he still walks on these decks!!! I want to rebuild his decks and his front porch for him. He deserves it and it’s needed.”
Congrats, Brian, good luck on the deck and Merry Christmas to you!
If you didn’t win – you have one more chance today by posting your winter project (that makes use of the Fuego) as a comment on this post for another chance to win. (And remember, though you can only win once, you can post projects as often as you’d like. So, if yours wasn’t selected, don’t be afraid to give us a new take on it — or maybe link in a picture!)
Contest Details [Toolmonger/RIDGID]
Today’ll be a light day here on Toolmonger — just a few post-Christmas helper tools — as we take a break to spend some time with our families. If you’re online, though, feel free to comment here with some of your favorite tool gifts (given or received) this Christmas. We’ll probably break down and check in some during the day.
From Sean, Nick, and myself: Happy holidays.
A few years back my pipes froze on Christmas Eve. It was a magical time of constant swearing and throngs of family members giving me advice — that would have been useful 48 hours earlier. To help you avoid duplicating this experience, I give you this piece of advice: put faucet covers on your outside faucets.
Such covers are made mainly from an insulating styrofoam cup that slips over your valve knob and secures via a draw-tight plastic cable. Like the M.I.B. they are often times your first, last and only line of defense against freezing wind and frosty fallings from old man winter.
Archeologists on a dig in Northwest Alabama have found tools and pottery judged to be over 6,000 years old. Hunter Johnson, an adjunct professor of anthropology at Northwest-Shoals Community College, described the 300-acre property where the dig is taking place (which belongs, incidentally, to Alabama state representative Johnny Mack Morrow) as “the Wal-Mart of 6,000 years ago” where people of the time had everything they needed — and all the tools to make it happen.
No wonder I feel a thousands-year-old connection every time I pick up my hammer.
Dig In [TimesDaily.com]
James ran across this in the magazine ShopNotes. He writes: “When I got issue 88, I was amazed by this article on how to make a shoulder plane. Shoulder planes are rather expensive, but that’s not really why I want to build one. The article includes full instructions for the metalworking required. It even shows how to use your drill press as a vertical metalworking lathe. I’ve wanted to learn metalworking for a long time so this looks like a great project for acquiring some of the skills.”
In 1894 George Cole named this product because of its triple ability to “clean, lubricate and protect.” Over a hundred years later, 3-in-1 oil is to the shop what ketchup is to the refrigerator – it’s not complete until you have some.
The formula consists of pale spindle oil with a small amount of corrosion inhibitor and citronella oil which gives the product its familiar smel; my father’s workshop always smells of it. We use it around our shop to oil knife hinges, bicycle chains, and countless other metal moving parts.
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