It’s almost guaranteed that I’ll get my car stuck this winter. I have a knack for it. Usually I end up calling my brother and he begrudgingly comes and yanks me out, because I’m too lame to carry a tow strap. I’ve owned tow straps in the past, but I usually lose them or they get damaged. Smartstrap’s retractable tow strap offers a solution that automatically keeps its strap neatly wrapped and ready to go — a solution that’ll probably even work for a lamer like me.

The Smartstrap is a 14′ nylon strap with a 10,000 pound breaking and a 3,333 pound safe working capacity. The strap is spring-loaded to pay out symmetrically as you apply tension to it. This tension prevents jerking and keeps it out of the dirt — dirt that causes excessive wear on these kinds of woven materials. It winds itself into the central hub, preventing tangles as well as making it very easy to store.

It retails for about $25.

Smartstraps.com [Official Site ]
Street Price [Google Products]

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Self-professed cheap-asses, listen up! By joining Kobalt Garage before December 31,  2007, you’ll receive an email voucher for a free 6-in-1 screwdriver. Redeeming this voucher at your local Lowe’s also enters you in Kobalt’s Test Drive and Win Sweepstakes, the grand prize of which is $4,800 in Kobalt Tools and the opportunity to wave the green flag at the Kobalt Tools 500.

A word of warning: your local Lowes store may not know about the give away. Mine didn’t. I printed out my voucher, headed to my local store, and tried to redeem it. No employees knew about the contest and they were unable find the 55 screwdrivers their computers said were in stock. I finally found one hiding among the aluminum multi-bit screwdrivers and checked out after 45 minutes.

The screwdriver is a standard 6-in1- model with #1 and #2 Phillips, 3/16″ and 1/4″ hex drive, and two different sized slotted bits. The molded rubber handle feels better in your hand than the standard cheap plastic mutli-screwdriver.

If you don’t mind trading some personal information for a $4 tool and a chance to win some more tools, this deal is for you. Just be sure to get your screwdriver before your fellow cheap-asses run the local Lowes out of stock.

Join Kobalt Garage [Manufacturer]

(Monday, November 19th, 2007) Tonight: two new episodes of a new show, Invention Nation, which promises to be a sort of mix between a travelling science fair and Junkyard Wars. Let us know what you think of it in the comments!

All times are central.

• How It’s Made: Episode 11 cement, caskets, soft drinks and glider rockers (Discovery, 5:00 p.m.)
• Holmes on Homes: This Mould House (Home, 5:00 p.m.)
• Build It Bigger: Coaster Build Off (Science, 5:00 p.m.)
• Trains & Locomotives (RFD-TV, 5:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 17, seatbelts, windows, wax figurines and hot air balloons (Discovery, 5:30 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Superhero Hour (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
• How Do They Do It?: Speeding Car, Water Display, White Wash (Science, 7:00 p.m.)
• Top Gear: Episode 1 (BBC America, 7:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made, Season 3: Episode 37, Halogen Bulb, Cellulose Insulation, Aluminium Ladders, Bamboo Fly Rods (Science, 7:30 p.m.)
• The Inside Job: Making a Table, a Door and So Much More (DIY, 7:30 p.m.)
• Top Gear: Episode 6 (BBC America, 8:00 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Confederate Rocket (Discovery, 9:00 p.m.)
• Invention Nation: Deep Fried Diesel (Science, 9:00 p.m.) NEW
• Celebrity Rides: Burt Builds a Bandit (DIY, 9:00 p.m.)
• Invention Nation: Human Powered (Science, 9:30 p.m.) NEW
• Dirty Jobs: Special Effects Artist (Discovery, 10:00 p.m.)

Enjoy.

Remember how Chris flung away his life’s worries with a trebuchet in Northern Exposure? Well, you can, too. In fact, you can easily find numerous sets of free trebuchet plans online, or you can purchase a kit to get you started.

Just don’t tell anyone we recommended you try this when you fling a bowling ball through the neighbor’s car.

Trebuchet.com [Corporate Site]

A roommate of mine in college used to build speakers of much higher quality than those you could buy — and for less cash, too. The trick is knowing how to calculate the box size(s) properly. Add to that a little bit of crossover savvy and some basic woodworking skills, and you’ve got $2,000 speakers for more like $250.

Just plug “speaker building” into Google, and you’ll find zillions of resources to get you started. Radio Shack still sells a book with the required calculations, but now you can find all that material online just as easily.

And don’t forget to stop by my favorite online parts provider, Parts Express. I’ve bought tons of parts from them with good results. Of course, if you have a better source to recommend, by all means post it in comments. I can always use another entry in my little black book!

(Thanks, Dieter Karner, for the great cc-licensed photo.)

Speaker Building [Google Search]
Parts Express [Corporate Site]

If you haven’t checked out the “home improvement” or “woodworking” (or sometimes “crafts”) section in your local used bookstores, get in the car and head that way right now. The skills and methods applied in woodworking haven’t changed significantly in the last hundred years or so, which means that you’ll find your local reseller chock full of great, useful how-to books cast off by those whose New Year’s resolutions didn’t stick a few years ago.

And guess what? They’re a hell of a lot cheaper than new ones at Barnes and Noble.

A tip for those of you visiting a small mom-’n-pop shop: negotiate. Really, it works.

This Soviet TV case-mod found by our friends over at Make is just a sample of the fun you can have case-modding. And unlike most high-school case-modders, you’re working with more than a Dremel and a dream. You’ve got a freakin’ welder!

Hop to it! (And don’t forget to post your project pix in the photo pool.)

Soviet TV Case-Mod [Make]

It’s Sunday, which around the Toolmonger offices means a chance to hit the shop for our own personal projects — the ones we put off all week in order to write about tools! If you’re not able to spend time in the shop, though, there’s some decent stuff on the tube:

(Sunday, November 18th, 2007) A measure of how much tonight sucks is that we’ve listed the Mythbusters special, even though it’s on a little early. If you haven’t seen the special, you are in for a treat, though! And there’s always Ice Road Truckers.

All times are central.

• MythBusters: Supersized Special (2 hours) (Discovery, 4:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 31, horse-drawn carriages, artificial eyes, dog and cat food and mirrors (Science, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 32, yogurt, candles, neon signs and book bindings (Science, 6:30 p.m.)
• Classic Tractors (RFD-TV, 7:00 p.m.)
• Tricked Out (DIY, 9:30 p.m.)
• Ice Road Truckers: Off the Ice (History, 10:00 p.m.)

Enjoy.

With colder weather setting in, keep in mind that the ole’ homestead may need some maintance around this time of year. Why not make a list and jump to it? We found Bob’s list of items that need doing on bobvilla.com. Here it is in part.

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There’s nothing glamorous about a wheel dresser, but if you own a tool with a grinding wheel, you need one. A wheel dresser removes the buildup of crud on the grinding surface, exposing new grains for better cutting performance. You can also use it to square the face of the wheel when it isn’t running true.

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Elmer the Bull — yes, he’s Elsie the milk Cow’s husband – has been helping woodworkers stick projects together for over 60 years now. Now the famous bull brings us some really handy stuff: stainable wood glue.

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As you can see from the screen cap above, Sears is advertising mechanic’s tools on sale this weekend. But we believe there’s more to this story than they’re telling you in the ad.

The real deal in our opinion? They produced a ton of special “80th Anniversary Craftsman” gear — everything from tools to toolboxes — and it didn’t sell for squat. (Who really cares that it’s Craftsman’s 80th?) Now they’re dumping it all to make way for the holiday stuff.

A friend of mine called last week and told me that he snagged an 80th-emblazed roll-away for under $100. If that’s not dumping, I don’t know what is.

Anyway, you might want to roll by your local Sears this weekend if you’ve got a few minutes to see if there’s any 80th gear left at good prices. Just a suggestions.

Tools On Sale [Sears]

(Saturday, November 17th, 2007) It’s nice to see Tank Overhaul, but we’d really love some new episodes of that truly insane show.

Of course, if you didn’t wrap up your projects from Get Off Your Ass Weekend, now might be a great time to hit the shop instead of sitting in front of the tube.

All times are central.

• Tank Overhaul: The Comet (Military, 6:00 p.m.)
• New Yankee Workshop: Wooden Bowls (DIY, 7:30 p.m.)
• New Yankee Workshop: Cherry Nightstand (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)
• Wood Works: Woodworking Fixes Tour (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
• Wood Works: Gilded Picture Frame (DIY, 9:00 p.m.)
• Freeform Furniture: Dining Room Chairs (DIY, 9:30 p.m.)

Enjoy.

Last week was 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:

Keep Your Jumper Cables Organized
It may look a bit like a brown bowling ball bag, but this thing actaully wrangles clunky jumper cables and a flashlight in a tight package to stow under the seat or in the trunk.

Smooth-Rolling Kickback Protection For Your Table Saw
Board Buddies are for woodworkers who aren’t big on featherboards but do a bunch of ripping. The ‘Buddies don’t leave marks on the wood and hold it secure like a set of rolling third hands.

Project: Build A Backyard Playhouse
A playhouse out back is a classic kid nirvana; the kids that had them were always the kings of the block. But the store-bought variety can get pretty steep. Why not build your own? Remember, though: the only thing better than having a playhouse when you’re a kid is having helped built it.

The Boy Mechanic: Kid Projects From Back In The Day
This book is something you don’t see much anymore: instuction on how to get a young person out in the shop doing projects they will enjoy building. Disclaimer: some of those things might actually be dangerous if you don’t supervise your kids. So supervise them.

Hot or Not? Electric Turkey Carvers
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, electric turkey carvers are here to stay. Our readers had some unique views on whether this innovation represents a step forward or backward. Check out their comments if you get a chance.

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.

Everybody hates clamshell packaging, and with the holiday season fast approaching we’re going to see a lot of it shortly. Many companies market tools make opening this viscious packaging easier, but Zibra’s Open It! has me intrigued.

The Open it! is more diagonal cutter than scissors, delivering the leverage to cut through those nasty clamshell packages — and to snip strapping, too. Built in to one of its handles is a retractable utility knife for cutting boxes and slicing through DVD packaging. And for opening battery compartments and minor assembly, the other handle hides a built in screwdriver with interchangeable Phillips and slotted heads.

The Open It! sells for about $12 at Amazon, Target, Walgreens, and other stores, so it’s a tempting buy right now. But is this $12 tool the solution to my clamshell woes, or is this a piece of junk that belongs only in As Seen On TV store?

More specifically, have you tried one? And if it sucks, can you recommend a good one? Let us know in comments.

Open It! [Manufacturer]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s this?]

Remember old-school Toolmonger that was all young, dumb and full of… vigor? So do we. Check out what we were discussing a year ago this week:

• We touted GearWrench’s cushion-grip ratchets, released at least year’s SEMA show. TM readers still seem to be split in their love of cushioned grips. 
• We previewed Bosch’s 36V drill/driver, a monster that we’ve had in long-term test for a year now. Look for a massive not-to-be-missed hands-on soon. A preview of the hands-on: this is a bad-ass drill that’ll take one hell of a beating. Ours has blood on it. Really.
• Audra reviewed W.R. Case & Sons’ self-published corporate biography, which she found interesting, but lacking in detail on knives, focusing more on the corporate elite.
• We saw pix of Eli with his Toolmonger-won Ridgid tools. Damn, we need to do another giveaway soon, don’t we?
• We posted about Stanley’s FatMax Xtreme 16′ short tape, which we still love. In fact, I’m using a thirty-footer right now.
• Looking for a nice stand for your T-handled hex/Torx wrenches? Snap-on makes one, and it’s actually pretty reasonably priced.
• I still want a Miller Passport — a suitcase-sized MIG welder. How cool is that?
• And we carried Case’s Red CV pocket knives for a month and reported our findings. In short: they’re nice knives.

Of course, you don’t have to wait for us to call out these great old posts. Try plugging your areas of interest into TM’s search engine to turn up hours of old-school TM fun. See you next week.