(TV Tonight, Saturday, June 27th, 2009) Catch up on Ice Road Truckers tonight.

All times are central

• Top Gear: Season 12 Ep. 1 (BBC America, 5:00 pm)
• Modern Marvels: Mad Electricity (History, 6:00 pm)
• Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Ice Road (History, 7:00 pm)
• Ice Road Truckers: Rookie Run (History, 8:00 pm)
• Under Construction: Toughest Clients (DIY, 8:30 pm)
• Under Construction: Two Sides to Every Job (DIY, 9:00 pm)
• Ice Road Truckers: Canadian Invasion (History, 9:00 pm)
• Jesse James Is a Dead Man: Jesse James vs. the Cops (Spike, 9:00 pm)
• Modern Marvels: Ice Road Truckers (History, 10:00 pm)
• Jesse James Is a Dead Man: Arctic Bike Journey (Spike, 10:00 pm)

Have a passion for tools and all things Toolmonger? Willing to put in a little steady daily effort learning and writing about tools? We’d like to hear from you. Toolmonger is growing yet again and we’re seeking a few new writers to contribute to our daily flow of tool coverage and general fun.

As any pro blogger can tell you, the work is difficult and the pay is, well, not a lot. But there’s no better way to get (and stay) connected to the world of tools. If you’re interested, check out our application instructions (this is important) and then drop us a line as instructed. If you’re a match, we’ll have you up and blogging quickly.

How To Apply [Toolmonger]

After reading Kevin Pace’s Hot or Not? Consumer Reports post — and the great comments it’s generated — our friend Bob Markovich over at Consumer Reports dropped us a line to respond. Read on past the jump to read his note we received last week:

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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:

Get Down To Bare Metal With A Needle Scaler
If you want to remove paint, rust, dirt, or welding slag without damaging the metal surface, you may need an air needle scaler.  This air-powered tool has a piston that drives a number of needles or small chisels back and forth very quickly.

Add More Parking Space To Your Garage
Who doesn’t need more space in their garage?  Whether it’s that extra car that sits outside, all your lawn care equipment, snowmobiles, or ATV’s, there never seems to be enough room for it all.  With these four-post lifts from Dannmar you can recover that wasted space above your vehicles to store your stuff. 

Grinding, Milwaukee-Style
One of the reasons we like going to talk to the folks at Milwaukee is because we get to see all the latest tools and paw all over them with direct access to the folks designing and building them a few feet away.

Case Burnt Barnboard Handles
Since I tend to drool a lot in actual knife stores, I do the majority of my blade shopping online. The Burnt Barnboard handles from Case caught my eye this week. The orangey/yellow colors and rough texture carved into calf bone look beautiful and rugged at the same time.

Reader Question: Miter Saw Troubles
Kimberly in Salt Lake wrote to us about a problem she’s having with a Chicago Electric miter saw. The head of the bolt that holds the blade on sheared off and Kimberly is looking to get it repaired.

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.

Today a friend asked me a question that the folks at Stanley tell me they hear all the time: why does the claw — you know, the little catch at the end of your short tape measure — move back and forth? Is it just poorly attached? The short answer: no, the loose claw is no accident of manufacture. It’s loose on purpose. The longer answer lies after the jump.
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This recall is my most recent favorite. The Wagner Spray Tech heat guns are being recalled to due to — wait for it — fire and burn hazards. Wagner says you should stop using the recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Basically a component failure can cause the guns to continue to produce heat after the power switch is turned off, which melts the heat gun’s plastic exterior and causes burns if the heat gun is touched. It will also ignite nearby combustibles, posing fire and burn hazards. The good news (and the reason I’m joking around about it) is there have been no injuries or property damage, so this is totally preventative.

The affected models include the Milwaukee Heat Gun MHT3300, ACE HT3500 Heat Gun, and the Wagner Heat Gun HT3500. The heat gun’s name and model number are located on a black label on the bottom of the heat gun’s barrel.

If you have one of these guns, just contact Wagner for a free replacement product.

Wagner Spray Tech Recalls Heat Guns Due to Fire and Burn Hazards [CPSC]

Thankfully Toolmongers who’re required to wear steel-toe footwear now have a number of non-work-boot options from which to choose, including the ever-popular hiking shoe. DeWalt’s Baltimore (above) looks more like something you’d find in REI than the shop floor, but still exceeds ASTI standards for compression and impact protection.

Admittedly these look more than a little like DeWalt’s previous Oxford work shoes, but as far as I’m concerned, the more options steel-toe wearers have, the better. Maybe this will encourage more DIYers working around heavy equipment to ante up and protect their toes. Remember: you won’t know you need steel-toes until, well, you already did. Street pricing starts around $70. Keeping one’s toes starts around, um, priceless.

Baltimore Steel-Toe Hiker [DeWalt]
Street Pricing [Google]

Coastal Tool has the DeWalt D180004 Door Lock Installation Kit for $27.50. It may look like a medieval torture device but it’s a godsend when installing hardware to fresh door installs. For just under thirty bucks you, too, can get your doorknob to work without a string of profanities.

The kit allows you to drill the holes on the front and side of the door while maintaining alignment. It uses a simple clamp to hold it on the door and comes with the needed saws (there are three different kits for different doors and locksets). It’s mostly made of high-impact plastic so it won’t break the first time you drop it — maybe the second, but not the first.

Door Lock Installation Kit - D180004 [costaltool.com]

(TV Tonight, Friday, June 26th, 2009) Nothing much tonight but a new episode of Build It Bigger on NASA.

All times are central

• Holmes on Homes: Completely Incomplete (HGTV, 5:00 pm)
• This Old House: New Orleans Project (DIY, 5:30 pm)
• Ask This Old House: Mulching, Sash Balancers (DIY, 6:30 pm)
• How Do They Do It?: Glass, Changing a Jumbo Jet Tire, Soft Drink Cans (Science, 7:00 pm)
• How Do They Do It?: Logging, Baggage, Light Show (Science, 7:30 pm)
• Build It Bigger: NASA (Science, 8:00 pm) NEW
• Extreme Trains: Overnight Traveler (History, 10:00 pm)

There is one week left for the Paslode giveaway, so don’t forget to enter if you already haven’t — and remember that you can add to your chances by entering a comment on this or any of the other Paslode giveaway posts again.

Paslode was kind enough to offer up a set of cordless tools for us to give away to one of our loyal readers. Next month we’ll select a winner from all of you who post valid comments on any of the Paslode giveaway posts (like this one).

Sure, you already post your thoughts here — and you deserve a hearty “thank you” from me and the rest of the Toolmonger community — but now when you post a comment, you’re not only sharing your experience with other Toolmongers around the world; you’re also adding a chance to win!  That’s good all ’round, yeah?

Paslode Cordless Giveaway Rules [Toolmonger]

Once I saw this monster I quickly realized the race for the largest rolling tool chest had been won years ago by Craftsman. Near as we can figure, that is a three-piece, twelve-foot, rolling mechanic’s chest.

This image was taken at the Sears headquarters in Hoffman Estates, IL. The chest itself was, of course, just an advertising prop, but we still tip our hats to them for coming up with the idea and wonder who managed to walk off with it when they were done with it.

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Homemade chests or cabinetry can be some of the most rewarding projects a woodworker can produce. But if your potential client is a youngun’ with fingers just begging to be smashed, you have to consider their safety when designing your project. For all those items out there with closing doors or lids, Rockler has developed these stay-open hinges.

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The Drill Doctor has become an often-seen sharpening tool in many home workshops and commercial garages since its public release in 1997. The manufacturer claims the Drill Doctor can sharpen most bit sizes depending on the model of machine you are using, so the woodworking professional can save money by turning those rusted and dull bits into usable tools time and time again. Their website has this to say about the tool:

Since its introduction in 1997, the Drill Doctor® line has sold more than two million units. All major U.S. hardware retailers, as well as distributors in some 25 nations abroad, carry the Drill Doctor® brand.

Some of the retailers who carry the Drill Doctor® today are Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, TrueValue, Ace Hardware, Do It Best, Orchard Supply Hardware, Menard’s, and Amazon.com. They are also carried extensively by auto after market and industrial tool suppliers.

You might think the E-Z Mark butt gauge should be featured in a Sir-Mix-Alot video, but it’s much more useful than that. Its real world application is for laying out hinge locations so they can be mortised into the door frame or door.

Just line it up to any door frame or door itself and give it a good whack with a hammer. The score will line things up perfectly for the hinge and you get a pro-looking install out of it.

Grady’s Hardware has the E-Z Mark 4″ Butt Gauge for $5.20, so if you like big butt-joints and can not lie, this is the place to find one.

E-Z Mark Butt Gage [Grady's Hardware]

(TV Tonight, Thursday, June 25th, 2009) TLC brings us a gassy new episode of American Chopper and the excitement of auto paint on the new Paint Misbehavin’. We also get a new episode of Wrecked and rudder repair on World’s Toughest Fixes.

All times are central

• This Old House: New Orleans Project (DIY, 5:30 pm)
• How It’s Made: Cement, Caskets, Soft Drinks, Glider Rockers (Discovery, 6:00 pm)
• Overhaulin: The Marks Return—Chip’s Picks (TLC, 6:00 pm)
• Ask This Old House: Shower Valve, Recycling Batteries (DIY, 6:30 pm)
• How It’s Made: Crayons, Wooden Kayaks, Lawn Mowers, Gold Chains. (Discovery, 6:30 pm)
• American Chopper: Abu Dhabi Bike (TLC, 7:00 pm)
• Ultimate Factories: Peterbilt (National Geographic, 7:00 pm)
• How Do They Do It?: Mining Trucks, Money, Bowling Alleys (Science, 7:30 pm)
• American Chopper: Chesapeake Energy Bike (TLC, 8:00 pm) NEW
• World’s Toughest Fixes: 50-Ton Rudder (National Geographic, 8:00 pm) NEW
• Successful Farming Machinery Show (RFD-TV, 8:00 pm)
• Wrecked: It’s a Dangerous Job (Speed, 9:00 pm) NEW
• Paint Misbehavin’ (TLC, 9:00 pm) NEW
• Wrecked: Hogs (Speed, 9:30 pm)
• Top Gear (BBC America, 10:00 pm)
• Jesse James Is a Dead Man: Arctic Bike Journey (Spike, 10:00 pm)

We came across the sad story of a Snap-On distributor — they’re independent, remember? — and one likely disappointed child in an upstate New York newspaper recently:

Snap-On Tools valued at about $25,000 were stolen in a burglary discovered Tuesday morning on the property of a Snap-On distributor in the town of Pamelia, according to state police. [...] Intruders entered a garage at the residence as well as a truck containing the tools, parked outside the garage.

But here’s the sad part:

Stolen hand tools include wrench sets, drill bit sets, four 18-volt cordless impact wrench sets with cases and batteries, a tool bag, and a child-size Red Rider wagon having the Snap-On logo.

Doh! While those wrenches — and even impact wrenches — are infinitely pawnable, what kind of bastard-coated bastard steals a child’s wagon?

[Thanks, taomancer, for the great CC-licensed photo.]

$25k In Snap-On Tools Stolen in Pamelia [Watertown Daily Times]

While poking around recently in REI’s camping gear, I saw something that at first made me scoff: a $55 “stormproof” camping lighter, right next to the five-buck “stormproof” matches. But then I checked out the specs: the Windmill Delta Stormproof Lighter uses a catalyzer coil that will hold a flame even in 70 - 80 mph winds.
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