So you’ve set up shop at home, but for some reason the home owners association won’t let you keep a tank of acetylene (next to a big tank of oxygen) big enough to turn the neighborhood into a crater.

This may be the one time the HOA is right, but don’t tell ‘em I said so.

What you really need is a plasma cutter.  Yeah, they’re a little expensive, but once you see what you can do with one, you’ll be ready to raid the kids’ college money.  We tried out Hobart’s entry level AirForce 250A, and we’d have a hard time without one now.  Thankfully, it’s part of our long-term test group, so you’ll see lots more about it in future posts.

Read past the jump to find out more about our experiences with the 250A along with lots of pictures.

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Here’s a kick-ass present for your favorite “apprentice” — or “the boy” as my father always called me: a miniature wood workshop complete with a lathe.  This looks like a great way to help kids develop and hone skills that should apply well when they’re are ready to step up to the big versions — and will last a lifetime.

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RGuimont sent us a link to these diamond-tipped screwdriver bits.  The diamond coating “roughs up” the surface of the bit helping it to hold tightly to the fastener — and helping you avoid slipping off the fastener and tearing up a prepared surface beneath.

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Cleaning up small metal bits (especially in grass) is like herding cats, but attach the Mag-Rake magnetic bar to any steel rake and you’ve got the ultimate nail sweeper designed to simplify the task.

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When was the last time you saw a lawn rake that compacted what you were raking?  Yeah, we hadn’t either until we came across the Flymo Lawnrake Compact 340 this morning.  Don’t let the looks fool you: it’s not a mower.  it’s a vacuum for your yard.

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(Thursday, March 29th, 2007) Tonight: a New American Chopper (With mega cross promotion!) and Biker Build-Off tonight, as well as some good stuff on DIY.

All times are central.

• Science of Concrete (National Geographic, 6:00 p.m.)
• Chop Cut Rebuild: New Challenge (Speed, 6:00 p.m.)
• Modern Marvels: Assembly Lines (History, 6:00 p.m.)
• Classic Tractor Specials (RFD-TV, 7:00 p.m.)
• Overhaulin’: Junk in the Trunk (TLC, 7:00 p.m.)
• Rock Solid: Tile Bathroom Upgrade: Country to Elegant (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)
• American Chopper: NY Yankees Bike 2 (TLC, 8:00 p.m.)
• Rock Solid: Flagstone Kitchen Floor (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
• Finders Fixers: Vent and Prevent: The Case of the Annoying Drip  (DIY, 9:00 p.m.)
• American Chopper: HP 1 (TLC, 9:00 p.m.)
• 10 Things You Must Know: Installing a Sprinkler System (DIY, 9:30 p.m.)
• Biker Build-Off: Williams vs. Compton (TLC, 10:00 p.m.)
• Don’t Sweat It: Brick Patio and Tree Fort (HGTV, 10:30 p.m.)

Enjoy.

We’ve received a ton of email from folks asking, “Do you know of a decent starter air compressor that’ll run air tools?”  Our answer: yes, we do.  Here it is.

We spent eight weeks with Husky’s 26-Gallon compressor and the bevy of air tools that come with it — enough time to discover that it offers some serious value for its price and a great way to add air tool functionality to your home or small shop.  Read past the jump for our hands-on experiences and lots of pictures.

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Grab a beer and learn how to avoid getting screwed when you take your car in for repair work.  We walk you through checking parts prices, locating labor book rates, and other ways to keep things “honest.” (Podcast Download)

We’ve seen quite a bit of unfocused discussion regarding the quality of Harbor Freight’s extremely cheap torque wrenches, so we thought we’d ask the question straight up: are they accurate enough for real use, or are they a crap shoot?

One reader mentioned a while back that he put an HF 1/4″ torque wrench on his tester at work and it was quite accurate.  Though I have no evidence to support it with HF’s wrenches specifically, it’s been my experience that many times cheap-ass tools aren’t necessarily all bad — quality simply varies more tool to tool because of poor quality control. 

On a side note, poor QC is a very effective way to save production cost.  If you’ve ever visited a quality tool plant — as we have — you’d be blown away by the sheer manpower that goes into good QC.

And at $12 for a 1/2″ torque wrench, you’ve got to figure they’re saving dough somewhere.

Anyway, what say you?  If you have data (or experience) with these HF wrenches, jump in and let us know in comments.

1/2″ Clicker Torque Wrench [Harbor Freight]

Roscoe writes: “There are lots of expensive heavy-duty hose reels out there, and a few cheapies now on the scene, but this model from Northern splits the difference nicely.  They’ve been on sale for a few weeks and we just hung two in our shop.  So far we love them, and the price couldn’t be better for how well-built they are.”

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Tim writes: “Princess Auto carries basically the exact same thing as this Harbor Freight arbor press for around $35 Canadian — a great deal.  I’d love to know from Toolmongers how good these really are, though.  I’d be using it for things like pressing out/in suspension bushings, press-fit objects like brass bushings, pins, etc.”

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This morning I ran into a great article over on American Artifacts about old hand-style corn shellers.  The disk sheller pictured above, for instance, represents 19th and early 20th century machine power before the addition of modern mechanized corn separation.  Someone (or a group of someones) would run each ear of corn through the hole at the top and crank it through the gears to separate the kernels from the cob.

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We just wanted to take a moment to thank our sponsors who make it possible for us to continue bringing you tool content.  Specifically, their recent financial contributions have made it possible for us to bring you additional tool testing — like the tests you’re seeing as part of “Hands-On Week.”

This week’s sponsor: Equipment Insurance International.

If you get a chance, keep an eye on the right sidebar for our sponsors, and check ‘em out if their line of business meets any of your needs.

Sizod writes: “Check out this mail-in rebate which offers up to $500 off on select power tools.  It expires April 11th.  Deals are as follows: $35 off orders of $199 or more, $75 off orders of $400 or more, $125 off orders of $600 or more, and $500 off orders of $2,000 or more.”

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Ever need to create something circular with wood, but can’t afford — or don’t have space for — a wood lathe?  If you’ve got $25 and a little bit of free table top, this drill-powered mini lathe might fill the bill.

It can accept up to a 24″ long workpiece between centers and offers 6” of spindle width capacity.  (Think ashtrays as opposed to salad bowls.)  It also comes complete with a tool rest and chip guard, but you’ll have to supply your own turning tools.  Stock is secured to the drill by a screw and plate assembly that attaches to either end of the workpiece, holding it firmly in place.

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(Wednesday, March 28th, 2007) Tonight: Reruns galore, but at least there’s something to watch.  If you haven’t yet caught How It’s Made: Episode 23, the segment on post clocks is pretty cool. 

All times are central.

• Chop Cut Rebuild: Show & Shine (Speed, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 23, windshields, english saddles, butter and post clocks (Discovery, 7:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 24, individual transporters, cedar canoes and electric guitars (Discovery, 7:30 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Concrete Glider (Discovery, 8:00 p.m.)
• Unique Whips: Big Trouble (Speed, 9:00 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Deadly Straw (Discovery, 9:00 p.m.)
• Junk Brothers: The Two Benches (HGTV, 10:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 52, putty knives, garage doors, electric motors, and wool (Science, 10:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 51, architectural moldings, pulleys, industrial rubber hoses, and sheet vinyl (Science, 10:30 p.m.)
• Dirty Jobs: Viewer’s Choice (Discovery, 11:00 p.m.)
• I Love Toy Trains (RFD-TV, 11:30 p.m.)

Enjoy.

As fans of the other two tools in Bosch’s still-relatively-new 10.8V line, we’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of the PS40 10.8V Litheon Impactor.  So as you might imagine, we were pretty excited when we received one of the first marketing samples of from Bosch.  After playing around with it a bit, though, we found ourselves in a quandary.  How could we show you the crazy-mad power this little sucker puts out? 

We decided the best way was to stack it up against a totally unfair opponent: Bosch’s classic 14.4V Impactor – the PS40’s ”older brother” that hangs out with the in-crowd and spends too much time at the gym.

Read on past the jump for the results of the showdown plus lots and lots of pictures and video.

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