Know what’s cool? Braided wire loom, that’s what’s cool — it keeps your wiring clean and organized and also protects it from the elements. Thing is, plastic cabling is a real pain to install sometimes, and frankly I’m surprised it took so long for someone to make a tool like this. You just slip the PowerBraid Tool around your wiring, then put the split loom around it, and pull the tool along the length of the loom. Then you’re good to go. Talk about cutting your work in half.

PowerBraid Tool [Painless Wiring]

Making enough room for all your hobby gear might seem like a simple thing, but it can be quite the hassle. Reader ethernectar not only managed to build himself storage for his hobby — RC cars — he still has steam left over to want to build a matching set of shelves on the other side of the garage.

We dig this type of endeavor for two reasons: 1) because, obviously, we love anything that gets the garage or shop straightened up, and 2) because he didn’t go out of his way to approach it from a crazy angle or use material beyond the project’s scope.  2×4’s and plywood are the order of the day here, and we couldn’t have done it better ourselves.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

Craftsman has thrown down the gauntlet. OK, maybe more like a dish glove. Or a used latex work glove. Here’s the deal: if you can find “a better value at the same or lower price” with all the features of various Craftsman lawn mowers and tractors, they’ll “give it to you free.” Before you go diving for Google, here’s the fine print:

You’ll also find a few kicker requirements in the flyer, such as a “Die Hard battery” (so the mower you find has to be made by Sears) and a “free trip charge for in-home warranty service during the first year**.” What do the asterisks mean? “See sales associate for details.” This whole game reminds me a bit of the prizes Steve Martin offered as a carnie in The Jerk.

Oh yeah, you’ve only got until the 26th. And you can’t participate if you live in California. Unlucky you.

The Fine Print [Sears/PDF]

Who wouldn’t want a five-ton hydraulic bench vise in their shop? With Posi Lock’s model PHV859A hydraulic vise, you can clamp anything that fits into its 8″ jaws hands-free. It also pulls double duty as a hydraulic press capable of forming steel.

Posi Lock casts its hydraulic vise from steel — the finished product has a tensile strength of 52,600 PSI. The vise derives it’s power from an air-over-hydraulic 10,000 PSI foot pump. The foot pump sports a 10,000 PSI gauge, an air control valve, and a foot switch to control the vise jaw. A 10′ hydraulic hose connects the foot pump to the vise head.

The vise’s jaws open to a maximum width of eight inches, and a spring returns the jaws to the open position when hydraulic power’s removed. The vise comes with replaceable magnetic jaw plates.

The PHV859A retails anywhere from $900 to $1,000 — a sweet, if expensive, addition to any Toolmonger’s shop.

Hydraulic Bench Vise [Posi Lock]
Hydraulic Bench Vise [Granger]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon(B000B45AXM) [What’s This?] [What's This?]

If you’re new to pneumatic tools, you might assume that these tools are going to separate you from a bunch of your hard-earned green — but that’s not necessarily so. The 18-gauge Central Pneumatic is a fine example of an honest, hard-working nailer, and at $20, it won’t murder your budget.

Is this going to become a treasured family heirloom?  No.  But as long as you treat it with reasonable care, it’ll get the job done long enough for you to save up for a better rig a year down the road. In the meantime, for less than the cost of renting one, you can continue on your woodworking way.

Central Pneumatic Nailer [Harbor Freight]

(Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008) Not a particularly exciting evening, but the Coverings Show does bring the excitement of a niche trade show to your TV. We wish we knew which Mythbusters rerun is airing tonight, but as we write this the Discovery website is down!

All times are central.

• Holmes on Homes: Sunnyside Down (Home, 5:00 p.m.)
• Machinery of the Past (RFD-TV, 5:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Eye Glass Lenses, Granite, Potato Chips, Microprocessors (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Magnets, Cooked Ham, Sliver-plated Teacups, Crash Test Dummies (Discovery, 6:30 p.m.)
• Rock Solid: Coverings Show in Chicago (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
• Ax Men: The Close Call (History, 9:00 p.m.)
• Mythbusters (Discovery, 10:00 p.m.)

Enjoy.

What do you mean you don’t own a miter saw? Well, it’s hard not to own one now, with this steal/deal over at Amazon on Hitachi’s C10FCE2 10″ compound miter saw: $100 with free shipping. The 15A motor pumps out 1,950 watts of power for a top speed of 5,000 RPM.  Sporting that “aggressive” green Hitachi coloring, the saw features a 4″ tall pivoting fence, rubberized grip for reduced vibration, clamping vice to lock down your material, dust bag, and a carbide blade.

If you want even further savings on this model, check out the refurbed link where you can pick this up for $64 plus shipping.

C10FCE2 10″ Saw [Hitachi]
Via Amazon [What’s This?] (B000V5Z6RG) [What's This?]
C10FCE2 Refurb [Reconditioned Sales]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

It’s easy to see where the “UFO” part came from in UFO Tool And Flash Light: after watching enough bad sci-fi movies, you’ll notice this tool does resemble the typical alien flying saucer. Resemblance aside, UFO Toollight — the company — might really have come up with a good idea. Slip the UFO light over the shaft of your screwdriver, nut driver, 1/4″ ratchet extension, or any tool with a 3/16″ to 7/16″ shaft, and you can clearly see the fastener you’re trying to reach.

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Snap-on recently introduced the magnetic Lock-A-Wrench 12-piece wrench organizer under their Blue Point label. Apparently it isn’t just for wrenches — it appears to work with most shafted tools. Attach this organizer to your workbench for easy storage, or stick it to your metal toolbox or cart to keep tools within reach.

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My dad always asked me, “Why are you looking for a solution when there was never a problem in the first place?” Many companies tackle tool “problems” by re-inventing products — some of their solutions end up being useless, and some end up being revolutionary. But whether it’s useless or revolutionary, one thing’s for sure: the Worx Rolabit drill and driver bit dispenser looks like granny’s recipe rolodex on steroids.

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If you’re cheap and you like tools, you’ve likely spent some time browsing yard sales and flea markets looking for a great find. And if you’re computer-savvy, you can also find deals in the tool section of Craigslist, the flea market of the Internet Age. I bought the toolbox pictured above and a table saw for $25 on Craigslist. As with any private purchase, “caveat emptor” is the golden rule — but with some common sense, this free resource can lead you to unexpected tool treasures.

If you’re familiar with RSS feeds, you can make any Craigslist search into a feed. A search for “drill press” in your area will also produce an RSS link on the bottom right of the page — just plug that into your favorite feed reader, and it’ll keep you informed if anything you’re looking for pops up.

So what do you think? Is Craigslist just full of junk and scammers, or have you found some sweet deals? Tell us in the comments.

Craigslist [Main Site]

If you’ve ever had to ask for an extra hand while using a tape measure, check out this deal: Black & Decker’s AutoTape for $10 — marked down from $20 — with FREE shipping from homedepot.com. The offer’s good though April 30.

Black & Decker AutoTape [Home Depot]

(Monday, April 21st, 2008) A new Dirty Jobs promises decks awash with blood and guts.

All times are central.

• Modern Marvels: Horsepower (History, 5:00 p.m.)
• Holmes on Homes: Best Laid Plan (Home, 5:00 p.m.)
• Trains & Locomotives (RFD-TV, 5:00 p.m.)
• Dirty Jobs: Dirty Jobs of the Big Apple (Discovery, 7:00 p.m.)
• Top Gear: Episode 9 (BBC America, 7:00 p.m.) NEW?
• Top Gear: Episode 8 (BBC America, 8:00 p.m.)
• Dirty Jobs: Floating Fish Factory (Discovery, 8:00 p.m.) NEW
• How Do They Do It? (Science, 8:00 p.m.)
• How Do They Do It? (Science, 8:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Bicycle Helmets, Lithium Batteries, Car Brakes, Aluminum (Discovery, 10:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Automatic Transmissions, Silver Miniatures, Hot Air Balloon Baskets, Darts (Discovery, 10:30 p.m.)

Enjoy.

(Sunday, April 20th, 2008) We think that’s a new Ax Men tonight, which is pretty much the highpoint of the evening.

All times are central.

• Cool Tools: On the Surface (DIY, 5:30 p.m.)
• Ax Men: Reversal of Fortune (History, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Electrical Panels, Kites, Eyeglass Frames, Toothbrushes (Science, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Three-Wheeled Vehicles, T-Rex Vehicles, Baseball Bats, Artificial Bonsais, Trombones (Science, 6:30 p.m.)
• Holmes on Homes: Two Steps Back (Home, 8:00 p.m.)
• Classic Tractor Show (RFD-TV, 8:00 p.m.)
• Cool Tools: Down Under (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
• Ax Men: The Close Call (History, 9:00 p.m.) NEW?

Enjoy.

(Saturday, April 19th, 2008) We’ve got a Mythbusters marathon and the usual from DIY.

All times are central.

• Holmes on Homes: Flooded Foundation (Home, 5:00 p.m.)
• Cool Tools: Down Under (DIY, 5:30 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Cooling a Six-Pack (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Bullet Proof Water (Discovery, 7:00 p.m.)
• New Yankee Workshop: Steamer Trunk (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Supersized Myths 1 (Discovery, 8:00 p.m.)
• New Yankee Workshop: Adirondack Loveseat (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
• Wood Works: Turtle Toy-Box (DIY, 9:00 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Supersized Myths 2 (Discovery, 9:00 p.m.)
• Hammered With John & Jimmy DiResta: The Children’s Bunk Beds (DIY, 9:30 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Scuba Diver, Car Capers (Discovery, 10:00 p.m.)

Enjoy.

A few weekends ago I got restless — Norm’s project was a rerun, Bob’s old house episode was even older than me, and there weren’t any other good woodworking shows on. Trying to get my fix, I came across Woodworking Online’s podcasts and the new Woodsmith Shop show.

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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:

UltraShear From Superknife
The UltraShear is an anvil-style cutter rather like a set of pruning shears — but unlike standard pruning shears, when the Ultrashear’s blade gets dull, you can change it out with a razor blade. When not in use, a push-button safety locks the blade against the anvil. The shears weigh in at 7-1/2 ounces, and the sweet, contoured rubber handle fits comfortably in your hand.

Bosch Quick Change Hole Saw System
Bosch’s quick change hole saw system makes it simple to snap in a new cup to whatever pilot bit is already loaded into the adapter, so you’re ready to make holes in no time flat. Of course, you could always carry around a bunch of hole saws with the pilot bits already in them, and re-chuck them when you want a different size — but Bosch’s solution might be a bit more elegant.

Six-In-One Card Level
Ebisu Diamond’s card level — just 6mm thick and about the size of a credit card — integrates a level, a plumb, 60° and 45° slope, and 1 and 2 percent grade measurements into a single bubble vial. It’s only available in Europe, so shipping might jack the price up a bit.

Irwin’s Tie-Downs Enter Adjustable Territory
Versa-Link adjustable tie-downs help keep tie-down clutter to a minimum by eliminating the need for multiple lengths. The strap features an anchoring slot every few inches — if the strap’s too long, just double it up and attach the end hook somewhere in the middle. To make life even easier, the slots are large enough that you can fit 1″ webbing through ‘em, if you want a bit more hold-down power.

Festool’s KS 120 Miter Saw Is Coming Soon
The long-awaited KS 120 miter saw looks like it’s actually going to be shipping to a dealer near you this summer. The massive sliding compound saw will run about $1,300 and will come loaded with all the sweet Festool goodies tool guys have come to expect. Its variable speed capability will allow a great deal of flexibility in cutting material, with the right blade attached.

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.