It’s been a busy week here at Toolmonger. If you’ve been spending time in the shop — you should! — and you haven’t had a chance to keep up with Toolmonger this week, we suggest you start with these posts, which our readers helped to select:

Make Flush Cuts With Your Recip Saw
We found a sweet recip saw attachment that converts your regular recip saw into a flush cutting monster in no time flat.  It attaches between your saw and blade, offsetting the blade to add a ton of functionality to what Toolmongers call an “underused tool.”  We agree.

The Footprint 220B Professional Block Plane
Our resident Dealmonger Stephen wrote about this $25 footprint block plane that he picked up at Sears.  As it turns out, Stephen says this little plane actually works quite well for the money.

Give Bosch An Earful About The 10.8V Line
Bosch asked Toolmongers to sound off about what new tools they’d like to see in the 10.8V Litheon line and you responded in your normal level-headed style. Check out the comments on this one for details, and add your requests.  Big Brother Bob is watching.

Spider-Man-Inspired Linesman Pliers
Other than the web-crawler colors these new Knipex Linesman pliers feature improvements like a relocated pivot point and diagonal gripping serrations in the jaws.

Duplicate Curved Shapes With Your Drill Press
This little $12 drum sander won’t compete with a pro sanding unit, but as Toolmonger readers pointed out it’s at least worth a second look considering the price.  Hey, it’s a drum sander that hooks to your drill press and copies small wooden pieces for under $15 – nuff said.

Help us choose next week’s Top 5!

We’d appreciate your help in choosing next week’s Top 5, which’ll be featured here, elsewhere, and in the podcast as well. While you’re reading TM this week, look out for the “Interesting Post” button at the bottom of the article:

When you see an article that piques your interest, click the button once. You’ll return to the same page, but TM’s software’ll score your click for future reference. We’ll check in on the totals before selecting next week’s Top 5.

We want to see your work areas and shops!  Toolmonger reader and photo pool member Cbyrneiv posted this photo of his workbench, where he reloads shells and takes care of other household business.  Now we’d like to see yours.

Take a moment (if you haven’t already) and sign up for a free account on Flickr, then join Toolmonger’s group and share a photo of your work area.  Don’t worry if it’s a mess or “not as good as so-and-so’s.”  We don’t care!  If anything, a messy work area just means that you use it.

We’ll be watching, and we’ll post as many as we can here on Toolmonger.

The Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

My first thought when I saw this magnetic wrist band was to question its usefulness.  Then followed by a burst of giggles as it brought forth images of former Teen Titan Magenta’s magnetic evil superpowers.  After a moment, though, I could think of times when the Magnogrip could have come in handy.  It makes more sense than chipping a tooth holding screws in the only other available place.

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The Proxxon micro planer is a perfect clone of a high end planer, but 1/8th the size.  It’s great machine for all kinds of fine precision planing work – as long as you don’t need to plane wood taller than an 1-1/2″ or wider than 3”.

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(Saturday, June 30th, 2007) Tonight: Mythbusters and How It’s Made, Season 3 marathons assisted by DIY’s Saturday woodworking lineup.  And don’t miss a re-run of one of the few existing Tank Overhaul episodes as well.

All times are central.

• MythBusters: Dog Myths (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Mind Control (Discovery, 7:00 p.m.)
• Tank Overhaul: The Hellcat (Military, 7:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made, Season 3: Episode 9, sulkies, bagpipes, Yule logs and fishing lures (Science, 7:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made, Season 3: Episode 6, alkaline batteries, wheelchairs, flutes, cowboy boots (Science, 7:30 p.m.)
• The New Yankee Workshop: Garden Armchair (DIY, 7:30 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Mega Movie Myths: Episode 1 (Discovery, 8:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made, Season 3: Episode 14, three-wheeled vehicles, T-rex vehicles, baseball bats, artificial bonsais, and trombones (Science, 8:00 p.m.)
• The New Yankee: Workshop Workshop Hutch (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made, Season 3: Episode 7, golf balls, furniture handles, parking meters, and room dividers (Science, 8:30 p.m.)
• Wood Works: Folding Panel Screen (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Mega Movie Myths: Episode 2 (Discovery, 9:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made, Season 3: Episode 10, goalie pads, lapel pins, cardboard boxes and crystal wine glasses (Science, 9:00 p.m.)
• Wood Works: Woodturned Vessel (DIY, 9:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made, Season 3: Episode 15, springs, pavers, and pianos (Science, 9:30 p.m.)
• Freeform Furniture: Mobile Entertainment Center (DIY, 9:30 p.m.)

Enjoy.

After a short break, we’re back with more weekly one-beer-easy projects.  So grab a bottle (or can) of your favorite brew and learn how to remove those ugly emblems from your truck.  Start with the ones the dealer adds.  They’re not paying you for advertising, right?  We’ll talk you through the whole process.  (Podcast Download)

Thumbs and beers up to this week’s sponsors for keeping our bills paid so we can bring you new tools and news each day: Harbor Freight, RIDGID, and Equipment Insurance International.  Want to join them?  Advertise with Toolmonger.

Parts washers are incredibly handy and essential for cleaning and de-greasing oily parts.  They’re also flammable, toxic, and caustic, and you have to change the nasty cleaning solution regularly — until now.  Microbial bacteria in Bio-Circle’s “Bioremediation” washer eat oil and grease and excrete water and oxygen, automatically renewing the non-toxic, water-based cleaning solution.

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The Maxi S5 claims to be the “only Phillips driver you’ll ever need.”  Maxi promises it’ll drive fasteners normally requiring #0 to #3 Phillips bits without slipping or tearing up the fastener.  Late-night-TV boasts aside, that sets of my BS alert.

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TM reader and photo pool member Problemsolver posted a series of great photos of his highly custom dent repair project.  I must admit that this style of auto work appeals to the very core of what makes me a Toolmonger. As you can see from his pics above of the dent and the major “tools” applied in the project, he’s a man who means business.

I say hats off and beers up to you, sir, and to your spot on analysis and execution of the “window doesn’t go down” problem.  You’re a man after my own heart.

Toolmonger’s Photo Pool [Flickr]

Need a King Dick?  (Take you mind out of the gutter people!  I’m referring to the British tool manufacturer.)  British Tools & Fasteners has a plethora of tools  — made in England, of course — as well as fasteners in all Brit flavors such as British Standard Fine, British Standard Whitworth, British Standard Taper Pipe, Cycle Engineers Institute, and British Standard Brass to name just a few.

If own old British cars (like me), then you know all about trying to find correct fasteners state side.  Bookmark this site!

British Tools & Fasteners [Corporate Site]

Tired of wrestling your lawnmower around obstacles in your yard?  Just replace your front or rear non-drive wheels with Eazy Mow’s swivel wheels to convert your old-school walk-behind into a low-buck zero-turn.

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Bit sets like this mitered door frame router bit set are a great reason why MLCS is always a good place to stop in and drool.  These look perfect for making panel doors, and you could always make your own pro-looking decorative picture or door frame in one pass with a single bit from the set.

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Our friends over at ReadyMade magazine are offering Toolmonger readers an exclusive deal: order their combination tape measure/level ($6) from the ReadyMade Store before July 4th, apply coupon code “DEALMONGER0707″ at checkout and get free shipping on your entire order.  (U.S. only.  Sorry, Canadian and Australian Toolmongers!)

The ReadyMade tape measure level is a credit card sized 79″ tape measure with a level built into the top – perfect for those Home Depot/Lowes trips and hanging framed photos.  The back has a cool museum-worthy “wall text” design.

And hey — if you haven’t already, give ReadyMade a look.  They’re always offering sweet projects you can make out of stuff you find around the house — and well as tool reviews from time to time — and the editors and staff are first class people.

Wall Text Tape Measure Level [ReadyMade Magazine]

(Friday, June 29th, 2007) DIY has now completely forsaken Friday, with only a rerun of the Jay Leno Duesenberg Collection. Everything else is a rerun too.

All times are central.

• Holmes on Homes: Showing the Cracks (Home, 8:00 p.m.)
• Toolbelt Diva: Episode 9 (Home, 8:00 p.m.)
• Take Home Handyman: Help in the Bedroom: Holly & Dave (Home, 8:00 p.m.)
• Holmes on Homes: Out of the Ashes - Part 1 (Home, 8:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made, Season 3: Episode 49, handcuffs, caulking and joint compound, propane tanks, and forensic facial reconstruction (Science, 7:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made, Season 3: Episode 50, fur coat, a hearse, outdoor lighting fixtures and a golf tee (Science, 7:00 p.m.)
• Celebrity Rides Special: Jay Leno’s Duesenberg Collection (DIY, 5:00 p.m.)

Enjoy.

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I wonder if Knipex chose the Spider-Man blue-on-red color scheme for their new heavy-duty 9″ linesman pliers in order to tout the “upgraded gripping zone” featured in the new design.  Maybe not, but it’s still cool — and the gripping zone is pretty neat, too.

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