Archive for December, 2007

X-mas Loot: Gardner Bender Automatic Wire Stripper

Friday, December 28th, 2007
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This year, Amazon Santa dropped a Gardner Bender SE-94 automatic wire stripper in my stocking. The SE-94’s jaws automatically adjust to strip 10 to 26 gauge wire. One set of jaws grips and cuts the wire while the other set pulls back the insulation — all with one squeeze. I’ve enjoyed it so much, I spent the last 36 hours looking for wire to strip.

Garnder Bender also included an integrated blade-and-anvil type wirecutter as well as a set of crimpers. If you want a really nice, super useful tool, cash in those gift cards and get yourself one of these for about $14.

Automatic Wire Stripper [Gardner Bender]
Street Price [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Dealmonger: Spend $50 At Lowe’s, Get $10 Off Next Purchase — Sorta

Friday, December 28th, 2007
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According to Lowe’s website today, they’re willing to give you a $10 “project starter coupon” if you’ll spend at least $50 in the store or online between now and Dec. 31st. As always, there’s a ton of small print, but hey — it’s pretty damn easy to spend $50 at Lowe’s. I spent $50 there on light bulbs the other day.

Spend $50/Get $10 Promo [Lowe’s]

TV Tonight: Ol’ Dependable

Friday, December 28th, 2007
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(Friday, December 28th, 2007) Woodworking and home repair shows never get old, do they?

All times are central.

  • Holmes on Homes: House to Home Part 2 (Home, 5:00 p.m.)
  • Build It Bigger: Mountain of Steel (Science, 5:00 p.m.)
  • Toolbelt Diva: Attic Access (Home, 7:00 p.m.)
  • How Do They Do It?: Black Boxes, Steam Turbine, Racing Car (Science, 7:00 p.m.)
  • Take Home Handyman: Bachelor Party House: The Dingles (Home, 7:30 p.m.)
  • How It’s Made: Episode 12, Aluminum screw caps, chocolate, pills, and pasta (Science, 7:30 p.m.)
  • New Yankee Workshop: Canopy Bed (DIY, 7:30 p.m.)
  • Holmes on Homes: Hullaba-Loo (Home, 8:00 p.m.)
  • How It’s Made 4: Episode 16, Levels, Hot Dogs, Abrasive Grains, and Sandpaper (Science, 8:00 p.m.)
  • New Yankee Workshop: Shaving Stand (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)
  • How It’s Made 4: Episode 15, Curling Stones, Refrigerators, Aluminium Baseball Bats, and Opalescent Glass (Science, 8:30 p.m.)
  • Wood Works: Jigs and Fixtures Tour (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
  • Build It Bigger: World’s Tallest Skyscraper (Science, 9:00 p.m.)
  • Classic Rides: Harley-Davidson (DIY, 9:00 p.m.)

Enjoy.

A Simple Metric/US Pocket Converter

Thursday, December 27th, 2007
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I recently found this useful little slide chart (close cousin to the slide rule) that converts metric to US units on the fly, and vice versa. It converts back and forth between feet and meters, pounds and kilos, gallons and liters, as well as a few other common units. If you don’t want to fill your head with conversion factors, this will save you the trouble.

There are two identical items under the Skill Tech and Empire Level brands — that means it’s likely manufactured by some third party company. Does anyone know know who made them? They each cost about five bucks.

Street Price [Google Products]

A Domino Case From Festool

Thursday, December 27th, 2007
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Festool’s Domino joiner has seen a lot of positive press this year — from us and others. It was even included in PopSci’s Best of What’s New 2007, with our hearty recommendation as part of the selection committee. But those of you who read past the basics know that you’ll need a variety of various-sized cutters and Domino tenons to really make use of Festool’s new rig. Thankfully, they now offer a sweet case to store your collection in a style worthy of this high-buck tool.

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X-mas Loot: Klein Toolbag

Thursday, December 27th, 2007
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Reader and Toolmonger photo pool member poinographer posted this picture of his sweet new Klein leather tool bag. I’m jealous. I didn’t even know Klein made bags like this: simple, sturdy, handy, and easy to get at. Congrats on the cool bag, sir, and we hope it’ll see many a One-Beer Project in years to come!

Did you get any cool, tool-related loot this year? Post it up to the photo pool — we’d love to see it!

Toolmonger’s Photo Pool [Flickr]

Cheap-Ass Tools: A $10 Heat Gun

Thursday, December 27th, 2007
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Sure, it’s not the quality of a Bosch. But hey — for $10 you can own your own heat gun. This cheapie from Harbor Freight works great for shrinking tubing or removing glued-on emblems from vehicles. (Just take your time and don’t melt the paint.)

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Preview: Sears Brings Li-Ion To C3 Series Cordless

Thursday, December 27th, 2007
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Though we’re generally not fans of most Craftsman power tools, the C3 line has been a perennial best-bargain buy since its release, often selling for under $100 — with a free light. If you’re one of the many who invested in the 19.2V series to get started, you’ll be as pleased as I was to hear that Sears plans to offer a C3-compatible 19.2V lithium-ion pack for $70 starting in 2008.

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X-mas Loot: Toolmonger Shop Stool

Thursday, December 27th, 2007
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One of our favorite things to do in the days after Christmas is talk about the sweet haul we got from friends and relatives. My other half totally scored this year by getting me this custom shop stool with my favorite blog’s logo emblazoned on the seat.

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Glove Winner: ‘Twas the Night Before Toolmonger

Thursday, December 27th, 2007
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Reader Frank Townend posted this awesome modification to the Night Before Christmas poem on our Merry Christmas post. I laughed so hard, I nearly cried.

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
apologies to Clement Clarke Moore

‘Twas Christmas at Toolmonger, when all through the blog
Not a creature was building, not even a dog couch;
The tools were hung in the workshop with care,
In hopes that a craftsman soon would be there;

The boards were stacked all snug on their rails,
Had visions of hammers dancing with nails;
And dressed in my shop apron, and safe in my gloves,
Had just settled down for a late evening’s task,
When up on the screen, the RSS rose such a clatter,
I sprang from the workshop to see what was the matter.

Away to my Windows I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
Which added each to the “to-do” list and “get-to” cache.
Clicked on my favorites, hoped the URL wouldn’t crash,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a Christmas greeting in the form of a post.

Words about time off, words about family,
But words without bargains, and no mention of loose cash.
I searched the listings, none younger than a day,
And I whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
“Now, Stanley! now, Duluth! now, Garrett Wade Tools!
On, Home Depot! on Lowe’s! on, Grizzly and Lee Valley too!
To the top of the Web page! to the top of the Hot Five!
Now cash away! cash away! cash away all!”

As Parts Express supplies us much better than the Shack,
When we meet with an obstacle, no trouble do we lack,
So on to my workbench, my projects they flew,
With a pile of One Beer Projects, my time was thus due.

… more next year…
Merry Christmas All!

Hats off and eggnog up to Frank and his quick-witted effort this holiday season. If that doesn’t deserve a pair of gloves, I don’t know what does. Thanks to Frank and to Toolmongers everywhere for making this a great year!

Merry Christmas Post [Toolmonger]

Dealmonger: Craftsman 5-Piece Screwdriver Set For $5

Thursday, December 27th, 2007
Craftsman 5 pc. Screwdriver Set, Slotted

Sears is selling a five-piece slotted screwdriver set for half price at $5. The set includes the following sizes: 3/32 x 1-1/2 in., 3/16 x 1-1/2 in., 1/8 x 4 in., 3/16 x 4 in., and 1/4 x 4 in. Serrated tips provide better biting grip. And of course, they come with Craftsman’s lifetime warranty.

Craftman 5-Piece Screwdriver Set [Sears]

TV Tonight: Read the Instructions!

Thursday, December 27th, 2007
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(Thursday, December 27th, 2007) Some Assembly Required premieres, and we’ve got a new episode of Cool Tools! There’s a mini marathon of Dirty Jobs and American Chopper as well.

All times are central.

  • Dirty Jobs: Snake Wrangler (Discovery, 5:00 p.m.)
  • Holmes on Homes: House to Home - Part 1 (Home, 5:00 p.m.)
  • Build It Bigger: Major League Stadium (Science, 5:00 p.m.)
  • American Chopper: FANtasy Bike - Bryan King (TLC, 5:00 p.m.)
  • Dirty Jobs: Bio-Diesel-Man (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
  • American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior 1 (TLC, 6:00 p.m.)
  • Dirty Jobs: Mosquito Control Officer (Discovery, 7:00 p.m.)
  • How Do They Do It?: Spacesuit, Diesel Engines, Neon Signs (Science, 7:00 p.m.)
  • American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior 2 (TLC, 7:00 p.m.)
  • Classic Tractors (RFD-TV, 7:00 p.m.)
  • How It’s Made: Episode 11, plastic bags, solar panels, plastic gasoline containers, and hockey sticks (Science, 7:30 p.m.)
  • Dirty Jobs: Exotic Animal Keeper (Discovery, 8:00 p.m.)
  • American Chopper: Intel 1 (TLC, 8:00 p.m.)
  • Cool Tools (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)NEW
  • Cool Tools: Multi-Task (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
  • Some Assembly Required: Episode 1 (Discovery, 9:00 p.m.) NEW
  • How Do They Do It?: Episode 5 (Science, 9:00 p.m.)
  • American Chopper: Intel 2 (TLC, 9:00 p.m.)
  • How Do They Do It?: Episode 4 (Science, 9:30 p.m.)

Enjoy.

Make A Lathe Out Of Your Drill Press

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007
Drill Press Lathe

Grizzly sells a jig that lets you turn blanks up to 24″ long in any drill press with a hole through the table. It’s a great low-cost alternative to a lathe — especially if you don’t do enough turning to justify the expense of a dedicated tool.

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My Everyday Tool: Electrician’s Snips

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007
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My dad’s “everyday tool” was a pocket knife he carried since Boy Scouts — until he surrendered it to the TSA on a recent airline trip. Personally, my “everyday tool” is a pair of electrician’s snips. I grew quite fond of them while doing telecom equipment installation, and I still use them for everything. They’re sharp, durable, and I can’t seem to keep enough of them around.

I think with that $5 off $5 coupon at Sears, it might be time to pick up a spare pair — or three.

Electrician’s Scissors [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Klein Electrician’s Scissors [Sears]

Editorial: Funny .. And Not

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007
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Toolmonger photo pool member Tssparky posted this great image of Marketing at work. It’s a classic example of the dismal state of tool education in this country.  Here’s my guess on how this image came to be:

The call went out to a marketing department somewhere for a photo of “construction work” with a strong lad doing quality craftsmanship – something to inspire consumers to shell out for the installation package at the local big-box.

Not finding any appropriate stock art, they had to stage a photo shoot to get the picture on the banners. That means they had to find the guy – probably fresh off work in the latest Gap ad – and dig up a drill from who-knows-where in order to do the shoot.

The really funny part: clearly has this guy not only never used a drill before, but for some unfathomable reason he’s selected a hammer drill for use on soft wood. And, as Tssparky points out, the model isn’t even holding the drill correctly. If he hit something hard, it’d whack him in the ribs. It is impressive, however, that he’s able to install countertop without getting that cream-colored shirt dirty at all.

The sad thing is that as this photo traversed the approval process, no one knew the difference. Not one person looked at this picture at any point before it went out and said, “That looks wrong.” 

The end effect is funny, but I worry for the future.

Toolmonger’s Photo Pool [Flickr]

Jason Should’ve Wielded A Bill Hook — For Pruning

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007
Bill Hook

If I wrote a slasher B-movie, my villain would definitely wield a bill hook. This is one mean looking tool, as well as a tried and true pruning knife. The design extends back hundreds of years as both weapon and tool — similar designs are found in medieval weaponry. If it can slice through medieval armies, it’ll make quick work of the untamed woods out back.

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Craftsman’s Miniature Racing Jack

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

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Can’t afford a new aluminum racing jack? Maybe you can swing Craftsman’s $25 miniature version. It’s only 8-1/4″ long, but it’s a fully-functional model of Craftsman’s full-size version. And although this mini jack is only intended for display, we’ve heard of it crazy people employing it to lift various light objects like toy carts and desks.

But whether you set this on display or play with it until it breaks, this “collectible” is sure to stand out at home or in the workplace. Sporting a $25 pricetag, this would make a great late holiday gift — for yourself. Don’t forget that Sears has posted a $5 coupon to make the price a bit sweeter.

Mini Model Racing Jack [Sears]