Wouldn’t it be nice to have a sink outside, so you could clean up before going into the house?  With an outdoor utility sink like this one from Vertex International, you can wash yourself, your toys, and possibly even your dog, if we’re to believe Amazon.

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Reader Mike is in the market for a Shopsmith band saw, and he asked us how we like it.  It’s a great question, and some folks have already rung in on this one in the positive.

I might be a little biased, but I’d say if your Shopsmith was made in the last 30 years and you want a band saw, it’s a no-brainer.  The saw features a 6″ depth of cut;  the table tilts 5 degrees left and 45 degrees right;  and the blade spins from 700 to 1,050 RPM.

As others have said, you’ll have to tune it and spend a minute or two setting it up, but it’s a small price to pay as far as I’m concerned.  Retail price is in the neighborhood of $500 — but the one I just started running in the shop is on its third decade, and it doesn’t have a single issue.

Shopsmith 11″ Band Saw [Shopsmith]

Grizzly’s SuperBar not only helps you align your saw blade to exactly 90 degrees, it’ll also help keep the blade parallel with the miter slot and the fence.  It runs in the miter slot, and its precision dial indicator gauge is accurate within ± .001″.

The dial gauge features a full inch of travel.  You can measure the saw blade itself or a Master Plate made by Grizzly or someone else — the gauge’ll measure other tools as well.

The SuperBar sells for $80.

SuperBar [Grizzly]

In 1974, James Dyson created the Ballbarrow, a wheelbarrow with a ball in place of the front wheel.  It’s no longer manufactured, but a company named NuVations markets a wheelbarrow similar in concept: the NuBarro.

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The war rages on between Toolmongers who favor store-bought shop storage and benches and those who prefer to build it themselves.  In the Toolmonger shop we’ve always had some of each — we support the DIY ethos, but who really has time to build their rolling tool chests?   Still, we’re curious about store-bought systems, like Whirlpool’s Gladiator line, that try to address all your storage issues.

Storage systems like the Gladiator consist of benches, cabinets, wall components, and flooring, available in configurable chunks so you can create the setup you need and stay flexible.  But most folks point out first-thing that these store-bought systems don’t really handle everything, which is true — only custom-built rigs can.

The next comment is about price:  the store-bought gear is expensive.  For instance, the Gladiator 6’ modular bench with a steel frame and solid maple top will run you about $530.  A home-built bench that serves the same function might cost half that or less, and the cash you save could be put to good use buying tools and doing projects.

In many shops we find a mix of both:  buy what you can’t, or don’t want to, build and make the rest yourself.  In the end, getting the shop “just right” is far less important than what you do in it.  If you happen to wind up with a mash-up of gear, so be it — interior designers call that “character.”

So what do you think?  Let us know in comments.

Gladiator Garage System [GarageWorks]
6′ Modular Workbench [GarageWorks]

My cold drinks always get hot in the shop.  Sometimes I carry a small lunchbox with a freezer pack out there, but I usually forget about it and end up leaving it out in the garage for a few days.  For Toolmongers who don’t keep a mini fridge, or the “old” fridge, out in the shop, Craftsman makes this Retro Design Cooler — it looks cool and it keeps your drinks cool, too!

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ManVenture Outpost (motto: “Make Every Day a ManVenture”) is selling this handheld metal detector for $11.50.  It’ll help you detect nails and other foreign metal objects in lumber before you destroy your saw or planer blades — and you can also frisk visitors to your shop.

Handheld Metal Detector [ManVenture Outpost]
Street Pricing [Google]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

(TV Tonight, Thursday, April 30th, 2009) We get a new American Chopper with a special guest appearance from Governor Palin, and a new Heli-Loggers swoops and cuts as usual.

All times are central.

• This Old House: East Boston Project (DIY, 5:30 pm)
• Modern Marvels: Insulation (History, 6:00 pm)
• How It’s Made: Police Badges, Rum, Car Washes, Pressure Gauges (Discovery, 6:00 pm)
• Overhaulin: The Boss is Back (TLC, 6:00 pm)
• Ask This Old House (DIY, 6:30 pm)
• How It’s Made: Metal Detectors, Muffins, Tiffany Reproductions, Aircraft Engines (Discovery, 6:30 pm)
• Top Gear: Season 8 Ep. 7 (BBC America, 7:00 pm)
• American Chopper: DECA Bike, Col-Met Bike (TLC, 7:00 pm)
• Dirty Jobs: Animal Rendering (Discovery, 8:00 pm)
• American Chopper: Unique Machine Bike (TLC, 8:00 pm) NEW
• Successful Farming Machinery Show (RFD-TV, 8:00 pm)
• Heli-Loggers: Calling All Climbers (TLC, 9:00 pm) NEW

Enjoy.

Who said a wheelbarrow had to have a tub?  Instead of a tub the Workhorse wheelbarrow line from Brentwood Industries features a bed and dash made from North American hardwood — it’ll haul brick, tile, hay, wood, or other stackable materials.

A steel undercarriage supports the 60″ North American hardwood handles, which are topped with comfortable hand grips.  Brentwood sells three different Workhorse wheelbarrows: one with a single 2-ply tire that retails for $200, another with a single 4-ply tire for $220, and yet another with dual 4-ply tires for $250.

Workhorse [Brentwood Industries]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Brave Products seems to be having a bigger issue with their hydraulics than they thought. Their semi-recent recall of a few splitters has been expanded to encompass quite a few more models. The issue is with the splitters’ hydraulic cylinders — defective rod retention causes the seals to leak and the rods to detach.

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The Ames True Temper lawn and leaf cart holds up to a 30-gallon bag open so you can collect your leaves, grass clippings, or even recyclables.  If your bag’s only half full, the flip-down lid keeps the contents in the bag until you can fill it completely.

Mount the cart to the wall, or use the wheels and tubular handle to move the plastic-bodied cart where it’s needed.  The adjustable bag holder works with either paper or plastic bags.

You’ll pay somewhere north of $30 for this lawn and leaf cart.

Lawn and Leaf Cart [Ames True Temper]
Street Pricing [Google]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

To follow up on the aforementioned sad state of affairs:  I have the home shop up and running again.  It’s not perfect yet and there’s still a ways to go, but I did manage to make room for two big pieces of gear — Chuck’s big Delta planer and my father’s ShopSmith have both come to live with me.

It’s a super-sweet turn of events, but I quickly found out I know precisely zip about setting up the eight tools the ShopSmith’s got going for it — so I’ve been poring over manuals to learn how to calibrate this hunk of wood-mangling hotness.  Also, I need to drop a 240 plug in the shop for the planer.

Speaking of the planer, here’s a handy tip for you folks setting up your own home shop:  Suggesting to your other half that you’ll just run an extension into the laundry room and unplug the dryer when you need it — not a good plan.  Who knew?

Tool Authority is offering an unbelievable (as in, we really don’t believe it!) deal on this Porter-Cable 5″ Angle Grinder, at just $70.  It’ll grind, blend welds, and help out with other fabricating tasks.

Porter-Cable 5″ Angle Grinder [Tool Authority]
Street Pricing [Google]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

(TV Tonight, Wednesday, April 29th, 2009)  We’ve got a new Mythbusters YouTube special as well as Metallica on Timewarp.  We only really care about seeing the chainsaw in slow-mo though.

All times are central.

• This Old House East: Boston Project (DIY, 5:30 pm)
• How It’s Made: Combination Wrenches, Deli Meats, Golf Cars, Airships (Discovery, 6:00 pm)
• Ask This Old House (DIY, 6:30 pm)
• How It’s Made: Wooden Bowls, Chainsaws, Stackable Potato Chips, Jet Compressor Blades (Discovery, 6:30 pm)
• Time Warp: Heavy Metal, Motorcross, and Chain Saws (Discovery, 7:00 pm) NEW
• MythBusters: YouTube Special (Discovery, 8:00 pm) NEW
• Drag Race High (Speed, 8:30 pm)
• Wrecked: Pain in the Glass (Speed, 9:00 pm)
• Wrecked: School’s in Session (Speed, 9:30 pm)

Enjoy.

Double-ended bits aren’t anything new, but we still like the concept — if you dull or damage one end of the bit, you just swap it end for end and keep on working.

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Norm catches a lot of guff for New Yankee Workshop.  It’s nothing new; folks have been doing it for years. The tools in the shop and the insane wood selection he pulls out of nowhere tend to send viewers into fits. But the truth is, Norm and NYW have done a lot more good than the general public gives ‘em credit for.

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Removing putty from windows is almost never a fun task — you run the risk of breaking the window if you push the wrong way, and you can scorch the wood if you try applying heat.  I usually end up just using a putty knife and hoping for the best, but this Prazi Putty Chaser looks like it could take a lot of the work out of the job.

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