Lifting the door while simultaneously aligning the hinges is a bitch — probably the hardest part of installing a door by yourself. The Virutex door lifter simplifies the task, and is easier on your foot, too.
Remember that free shipping on purchases over $49 deal at Sears? It looks like they’ve extended it. And Home Depot is jumping on the bandwagon, too. An added bonus: Home Depot will ship Christmas trees for free.
I’m not certain about the pre-holiday deals, but I’ve picked up Christmas trees at Home Depot after Christmas for diddly-squat. Like, for example, I snagged a 7′ with lights for $40. Really.
Home Depot [Corporate Site]
Sears [Corporate Site]
(Tuesday, November 13th, 2007) A new Dirty Jobs promises to be poo-tastic and a new Trade School shows us the ins and outs of architectural metalwork.
All times are central.
Enjoy.
Keeping a set of jumper cables (and maybe a flashlight) is something we consider Toolmonger required. But you don’t necessarily have to just toss ‘em in their to tear up grocery bags and scratch up your wood projects. The ever-popular Bucket Boss offers a cable bag that keeps ‘em properly stowed — and offers room for a few vital tools, too.
Sears is hosting their annual Veterans Day sale over this long (for some, though not us obviously) weekend, and most of their tools are on sale for this event. There are also a couple of secondary promotions happening, too: Free shipping on orders over $49 and a free 11-inch tool bag (#00937533000) on tool purchases of $25 or more.
Some of the items that caught my eye — and will probably end up in my toolbox are:
Veterans Day Sale [Sears]
Since previous Dealmonger feedback about these gloves has been generally positive, we thought you’d like to know that Sears is offering them on sale again. Through Veteran’s Day you can can pick up a pair of these Craftsman Mechanic’s gloves for $10. (They’re regularly $20.) Sears sells Mechanic’s gloves in sizes medium to extra large and in colors red and black.
Medium, Black [Sears]
Medium, Red [Sears]
Large, Black [Sears]
Large, Red [Sears]
XLarge, Black [Sears]
XLarge, Red [Sears]
Rockler is currently offering free standard shipping if you enter promotion code U8101 at checkout. Obviously very large or heavy items that require special handling don’t apply for this promotion.
But quite a few of the items previously featured right here at Toolmonger are included, like a set of brass setup bars, all in one clamps, and abrasive cleaning sticks, linked below. If you decide to browse around, don’t forget to check out Rockler’s Outlet Store. The Outlet deals vary periodically, so don’t forget to check back after payday!
Precision Brass Setup Bars [Rockler]
All-In-One Clamp Guides [Rockler]
Abrasive Cleaning Stick [Rockler]
Rockler Outlet [Rockler]
(Monday, November 12th, 2007) Tonight: a new Top Gear and all the How It’s Made and Dirty Jobs reruns you care to (re)watch.
All times are central.
Enjoy.
You’re probably thinking, “I’m a Toolmonger. You don’t need to tell me how to hang a picture.” You’re probably right, but I can offer two great counter arguments: first, I’d bet a quarter you’ve got some pictures laying around the house somewhere waiting to hang. Hang them today. Get it done.
And second, there’s more to hanging pictures properly than most people suspect. So if you’re interested, you can check out the how-to from Tutorials.com linked below. From using the right wire to applying spacers — and choosing a pleasing layout on the wall — it’ll help you get the results you desire.
(Thanks, one2c900d, for the great cc-licensed photo.)
Learn To Hang A Picture [Tutorials.com]
Every kid knows that the best toy is one made lovingly by a parent. Why not spend some of your shop time this weekend making a special toy for your kids? Check out the link below for some excellent instructions on how to make your very own kaleidoscope.
According to the author, the kaleidoscope was invented in 1816 by Sir David Brewster. If Sir David can build one two centuries ago, you — with all your high-tech tools and know-how — can probably throw one together today, right?
(Thanks, fdecomite, for the great cc-licensed photo.)
Weekend Project: Kaleidoscope Making [Queens University Math@Home]
Home theaters can be as simple as hooking up a few components or as complex as building a new addition on the house. But one thing’s a given: if you’re still watching a tiny screen and listening through two speakers, you’re missing out. HomeTime.com offers a pretty basic introduction to the technology options out there, and if you add a little creative Toolmongering to the information they provide, you can pretty easily upgrade your football-watching and movie-renting experience without too much pain.
And don’t forget to check out the Toolmonger photo pool for some great pictures of reader’s projects along these lines. There’s a great set in there of a plasma TV install — look ma, no wires!
DIY Home Theater [HomeTime.com]
Getting off your ass doesn’t mean you have to build something. If you’re still too work-week weary to pick up a hammer, just do a little research to find your local mill and hop in the truck for a visit. Though most people have no idea they exist anymore, mills are a great direct source for trim, moulding, and rare lumber. For example, we recently discoved a mill near the Toolmonger offices that sells mesquite. Great stuff!
(Thanks, Egan Snow, for the great cc-licensed photo.)
There’s nothing wrong with ripping out the whole bathroom and re-designing it. But if you’re on a lesser budget — of both time and cash — the folks over at NewHomeOwnerGuide.com assembled a handy set of tips on how to personalize and fix-up your bathroom for under $100. Besides the scratch, they say you’ll need “a basic knowledge of painting, wallpapering, and light woodworking.”
(Thanks, daxiang stef, for the great cc-licensed photo.)
No problem, right?
Bathroom Makeover [NewHomeOwnerGuide.com]
(Sunday, November 11th, 2007) There’s not much on tonight, but you’re getting off your ass anyway, so who cares?
All times are central.
Enjoy.
Did you get off your ass yesterday and spend some time in the shop making your life better? If not, don’t worry: you still have one day left before Get Off Your Ass Weekend ends and you return to the grind. To help you make the most of it, we’ve collected projects from some of the other sites we haunt when we’re not writing and will share them all day today.
And if you get a chance, post some pictures of your GOYAW project work in the Toolmonger photo pool for a chance to win some work gloves. See you on the flip side — with some new projects completed and out-of-the-way!
Why buy one of those crappy plastic McForts when you could easily build an awesome playhouse for your kids on your own? This article over on FamilyFun.com offers some ideas on how to build a simple and inexpensive playhouse in an afternoon, but you certainly don’t have to limit yourself to their ideas. If you’ve got the whole weekend to work on it, why not build ‘em a fully-enclosed building complete with furniture and bookcases?
If you’ve been bemoaning your back yard’s lack of entertainment accoutrements, why not build yourself a sweet deck? It’s not nearly as hard as decking companies would like you to think, though we won’t kid you — it’s not a one-afternoon project. And planning before you start will not only save you a lot of time — it’ll assure you complete the project.
If you think you might be up to the task, check out this interesting how-to and summary of new innovations from DoItYourself.com. It’ll get you pointed in the right direction and help answer some of your questions.
(Thanks, Rob Lee, for the great cc-licensed photo. And that’s a sweet deck!)
How To Build A Deck [DoItYourself.com]
www.flickr.com
|
