Most cordless drills come with on-tool storage for one or two bits, but sometimes one or two bits just isn’t enough.  That’s why Kobalt created a weird-looking bit strap: to keep you working instead of climbing. Of course, unless this bit strap gets you coffee or cleans up after you, we suspect it won’t “change the way your work.” Read on past the jump for a massive picture, plus lots more information.

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Engine turning (also known as damascening, jeweling, krayling, or swirling) has long been associated with fine metalworking.  Whatever you call it, it’s a great way to add some bling to your project.  The process consists of using a spinning abrasive cylinder to make dazzling 3-D looking patterns on polished metal. You can see examples of the technique on everything from antique handmade pocket watches to retro hotrod parts.  If you want to try it yourself, Eastwood offers 1″ and 1/2″ kits that can be used with any drill press.

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It might be too late to do any good, but we’d still like to help out our friend Joe Brown over at Wired who asked us to pass on this question. He writes:

“My father claims to be a woodworker, but rarely ever builds anything. (He’s actually quite skilled, but he says he’s waiting for retirement, when he’ll actually have the time to work on projects. **cough cough bulls#!$ cough**). So every year I get him a woodworking-oriented Christmas present with the goal of inspiring him to get in his (awesome) shop. I’ve bought him tools, a subscription to Fine Woodworking, and last year I designed and built him a workbench. (We actually built it together, which was a ton of fun.) But this year I am out of ideas. Can you, or your readers, think of a really cool gift — tool, book, ANYTHING — that will motivate him to get his ass in the shop?”

Let us (and Joe) know in comments.

(Thanks, karen.fromthelbc, for the great cc-licensed photo!) 

I cherry-picked a few deals from a recent Lowe’s sales flyer (forgive the photo-chop), with prices valid until 12/24. To see the full details of the sale, head over to Lowes.com and check out the “Weekly Ads”. Or click on the link below, and be sure to select the flyer that says “12/17″.

Included in the sale are quite a few Toolmonger favorites and featured tools, such as Kobalt’s CO2 Regulator (don’t forget to pick up your free 9oz CO2 tank at the store), Black & Decker’s Workmate, and Skil’s Power Wrench.

Lowe’s Weekly Ads [Lowes]
Kobalt CO2 Regulator [Lowes]
Skil Cordless Power Wrench [Lowes]
4-Tool 49 Piece Air Tool Kit [Lowes]
B&D Workmate [Lowes]

(Friday, December 21st, 2007) Tonight you can learn how they make curling stones.

All times are central.

• How It’s Made: Episode 46, 3D commercial signs, hardwood floors, corrugated polyethylene pipe, and mattresses (Discovery, 5:00 p.m.)
• Holmes on Homes: Sunnyside Down (Home, 5:00 p.m.)
• Build It Bigger: Fault Zone Tunnel (Science, 5:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 14, three-wheeled vehicles, T-Rex vehicles, baseball bats, artificial bonsais, and trombones (Discovery, 5:30 p.m.)
• Chop Cut Rebuild: Corvette Special (Speed, 6:00 p.m.)
• Toolbelt Diva: The Great Gate (Home, 7:00 p.m.)
• How Do They Do It?: Vehicles, Deep Mine, Ultimate Football (Science, 7:00 p.m.)
• Take Home Handyman: Getting Plastered: Hunter & Will (Home, 7:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 7, kayaks, safety boots, electronic signs, and breakfast cereals (Science, 7:30 p.m.)
• New Yankee Workshop: Miter Bench and Storage (DIY, 7:30 p.m.)
• Holmes on Homes: Bar None (Home, 8:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made 4: Episode 15, Curling Stones, Refrigerators, Aluminium Baseball Bats, and Opalescent Glass (Science, 8:00 p.m.)
• New Yankee Workshop: Miter Bench and Storage (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made, Season 3: Episode 10, goalie pads, lapel pins, cardboard boxes, and crystal wine glasses (Science, 8:30 p.m.)
• Wood Works: Drum Table (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
• Build It Bigger: Battle Machines (Science, 9:00 p.m.)
• DIY Inside: LA Auto Show (DIY, 9:00 p.m.)

Enjoy.

A transfer punch fits snugly in an existing hole and precisely transfers the center of the hole to another surface when you strike it. You could just use a pencil to mark the hole; but then the holes don’t always align perfectly, which can be a huge PITA.  When your holes absolutely, positively have to line up, grab a transfer punch set.

Because they’re designed to precisely fit in the hole, these punches are straight along the entire length, not tapered like most punches. This set from Grizzly includes 28 4-7/8″ long punches for hole sizes ranging from 3/32″ to 1/2″ by increments of 1/64.”  The punches are slightly undersized so as not to bind in the holes.

You can get the Grizzly set or one like it for about $11 at many tool shops.

Transfer Punch Set [Grizzly]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What's This?]

While 40′ probably doesn’t sound “short” to you (or me!), most framers call any self-wind tape like this one a “short tape” — distinguishing it from the soft, hand-cranked types that extend 100′ or more. In the past, short tapes have been 25′ long, or maybe 30′ for some of the newer ones. But with taller-peaked roofs becoming ever more popular in today’s McMansions, some runs now exceed 30′. That’s why Stanley’s now offering a whopping 40-footer.

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Anyone who offers to build an entertainment center for someone else is either a true friend or completely unaware of the commitment they’re taking on.  (I speak from experience.)  So hats off and beers up to Toolmonger photo pool member djakbar56 for taking this one on and finishing it!

He built the center with 3/4″ oak plywood, 1.5″ solid oak trim, particle board base (inside only) and aluminium rails to keep all the gear in place. He then covered it in Minwax Special Walnut 224 Stain and Semi-Gloss Polyurethane finish to give it the “living room fresh” look.

Toolmonger’s Photo Pool [Flickr]

Work gloves generally come in a small selection of sizes for men, with a few women’s sizes thrown in for good measure. To my continued shame, I sometimes find myself wearing pink or pastel-colored women’s gloves because the men’s gloves don’t fit my hands very well. No more! Lee Valley now sells an affordable line of Work Gloves in sizes children to extra large, all in the same neutral green.

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I need to hit up the Toolmongers for advice on working with RG6 CATV coaxial cable.  Firstly, if I need to splice two segments, how should I do it?  It needs to be weatherproof; are there specially rated connectors for outdoor use?

I want to get a starter tool set for crimping and/or using compression connectors on RG6. I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, but on the other hand I’m tired of using the crappy twist-on F-Connectors. Any of you Toolmongers out there know where I can get a cool stripping/crimping kit online that’s good enough for occasional, non-pro use and will last beyond my first crimping job?

I found these online:

DataShark Cable TV “F” Compression Bundle Via Amazon [What's this?]
F-TYPE 2Ghz VIDEO COUPLER F/F [Cables-to-go] 
Paladin SealTite Pro Compression Cable Kit Via Amazon [What's this?]
Paladin Compression Crimp Bundle Via Amazon [What's this?]

It seems to me that I can just pick up the first two and be done with it. Do you have experience with any of these?  Are the Paladin kits worth the extra dough?

Of course, we can’t forget the Harbor Freight option:

Coax Cable Tool Kit [Harbor Freight]

Your help on this in comments will be much appreciated.

This season, give your little girl a chainsaw – a chainsaw ornament, that is — with pink Swarovski crystals and a pink ribbon to match.  Or, if a chainsaw doesn’t seem just right, maybe a circ saw or a power drill are more her thing. 

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Between now and January 22nd, get $5 off any $5 tool or lawn and garden purchase at Sears. Sears outlet stores are excluded, as are clearance and closeout products. Don’t forget to read the fine print before you head out of the house.

A strong word of caution:  Grab the pdf from the site while you can, before it gets pulled by Sears. In case you’re not as computer savy as you are with tools, right-click the URL and select “save target as…”. 

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(Thursday, December 20th, 2007) Tonight the very enthusiastic Cool Tools BRINGS US 2 NEW EPISODES!  (All caps because the host is always freaking out with his dial at 11!!!)  And a new episode of How Do They Do It explores two of man’s most wanted items: big screen TVs and Ferraris.

All times are central.

• How It’s Made: Episode 8, suits of armor, street light poles, bent hardwood and membrane switches (Discovery, 5:00 p.m.)
• Holmes on Homes: Best Laid Plan (Home, 5:00 p.m.)
• Build It Bigger: Deepest Tunnel (Science, 5:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 5, ambulances, dining room tables, diatonic accordions and acrylic awards (Discovery, 5:30 p.m.)
• SEMA 2007 (TLC, 6:00 p.m.)
• How Do They Do It?: Cruise Liner, Satellite, Suspension Bridge (Science, 7:00 p.m.)
• Wrecks To Riches: Chevy El Camino (TLC, 7:00 p.m.)
• Classic Tractors (RFD-TV, 7:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 6, Nails and staples, safety glasses, fabrics, bicycles (Science, 7:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 35, carbon fibre masts, fortune cookies, IMAX projectors and roller chains (Discovery, 8:00 p.m.)
• American Chopper: Christmas Sleigh (TLC, 8:00 p.m.)
• Cool Tools: Clean Up (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)NEW
• How It’s Made: Episode 45, pistons, paint rollers, parachutes and chimneys (Discovery, 8:30 p.m.)
• Cool Tools: Ergonomics (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)NEW
• MythBusters: Air Plane Hour (Discovery, 9:00 p.m.)
• How Do They Do It?: Episode 4, fresh drinking water in the desert, large LED TV screens, and Ferrari sports cars (Science, 9:00 p.m.) NEW
• American Chopper: Make-A-Wish-Bike (TLC, 9:00 p.m.)
• How Do They Do It?: Episode 3, electricity and the world’s largest floating cranes (Science, 9:30 p.m.)

Enjoy.

Ever nicked your hand changing the blade in your table saw? The Saw-Jaw may be just the safety accessory for you. Changing a table saw blade involves using wrenches around a sharp blade — one slip and either you put a wrench into the brittle carbide teeth or, worse, your hand. Even though the blade isn’t spinning, it can still do a number on unprotected flesh. The Saw-Jaw encloses and protects the blade (and your hands) so you can complete the job safely.

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As kids, we admired the carved wood-and-steel sleds and polished maple rocking horses in storefront windows — even though we actually rode the hollow plastic Radio Flyer spring-horse or those plastic discs whose handles rip out on the first hill. But there is a way to revive our nostalgia: woodworking, the old-fashioned way.

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Laptops are becoming as common as hammers and screwdrivers on the job site - for ordering materials, keeping in touch with home base, and a million other things. But dust, rain, and shock - all part of a day’s work - can bring a laptop to a screeching halt. With this in mind, Getac designed the A790, a hardcore computer for hardcore environments.

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Remember the Tite-Tie, the famous trucker’s knot for dummies? We posted about it back in March after receiving a tip from an astute reader, and the post generated a lot of discussion — both positive and negative. At the time it was only available in Australia, though inventor Chris Howard posted in comments that “it’d be available in the US soon.”

Well, today we received an email from him indicating that the Tite-Tie is now available at Home Depot. We tried in vain to find it via the ‘Depot’s infamously-bad search engine, but then again my recent search for “rigid conduit” didn’t return a single stick of conduit, either. So we’ll probably have to look in the brick ‘n mortar isles to see for sure.

If anyone happens to see it in the store, let us know in comments. And if you pick one up, we’d love to hear how it fares in actual use.

Original Tite-Tie Post [Toolmonger]