The CPSC announced a voluntary recall of the Rapid Reel portable garden-hose-reel carts and wagons.  Rapid Reel has received five reports of tires exploding while being inflated, resulting in lacerations to fingers, arms, and legs from flying pieces of plastic.  The tires in question have a white plastic rim and a steel ball bearing hub or a black plastic bearing hub.

If you own one of the affected units, don’t inflate the tires — you can contact Rapid Reel for free replacement tires.

Exploding Tires Prompt Recall [CPSC]

At certain times in my life I’ve fancied myself a woodworker. Then I see something like this wooden machine and realize that not only do I have a great deal to learn, but I hate that guy, whoever he is. Seriously, I can’t imagine the time it took to put this together, and even if he had a machine to do the work — it’s still badass.

It’d be a little more eye-popping if it actually did something other than creak and rotate, but that’s easy to say if you’ve never built and sanded a wooden sprocket chain. Of course, this “machine” wouldn’t hold up to stress or movement very well, but it’s impressive nonetheless.

Wooden Machine [YouTube]

The forged jaws of this thumbturn pipe wrench tighten as you apply torque to the pressed steel handle — and the jaws continue to tighten as you increase the force.  The knurled thumbscrew provides a convenient way to adjust the wrench without changing your grip.

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Metabo has added a 5″ angle grinder to its already-substantial line of grinders. The fact that the wheel is bigger than 4-1/2″ tells us that they’re focusing on productivity with this new model.

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That new shop cleaner may be better for your lungs, but the noise it spreads through the floor may be ruining your family’s mental health.  Stop your air cleaner, and other ceiling-hung shop equipment, from transferring noise and vibrations to the rest of the house with isolation hangers from KNC.

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To get started with air tools you don’t need to indulge in a momentous spending spree. If you’re just looking to get into some finish and trim work, Campbell Hausfeld’s bonus kit combo provides a cheap way to go.

At the core of the package are a two-gallon twin-stack air compressor and a 2-in-1 nailer/stapler that’ll handle up to 500 brads or staples in a few 18-gauge sizes. The kit also includes a 25-foot hose and all the assorted accessories that’ll get you going right out of the box.  Just charge up the tanks, load the fasteners, and you’re good to go.

It’s a good deal for an all-in-one package, and it helps the true beginner out by supplying all the right gear you may not have known you needed.

Air Tool Bonus Kit Combo [Campbell Hausfeld]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

The other day I watched an insurance adjuster evaluating a roof for hail damage and noticed that he didn’t whip out a tape measure to record the roof dimensions — instead he used a little measuring wheel like the Keson RoadRunner model 182.  Keson designed this dual-wheel measuring wheel primarily for measuring short indoor distances, but why the heck not use it on a dry roof?

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ToolDiscounter.com is selling the Mityvac Brake Bleeder kit for only $24. If you’ve ever had to cajole a roommate or neighbor into pumping your brake pedal while you tediously bleed a brake line, you’ll appreciate the ability to just do it unassisted!

Mityvac Brake Bleeder Kit [ToolDiscounter.com]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

If you work with metal frequently, you can probably tell what gauge material you’re working with just by sight and feel — for the rest of us, Starrett makes a precision US Standard Gauge for measuring the thickness of uncoated sheet, plate iron, and steel.

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Reader Dan Bridenbaugh asks us a question we’ve been hearing more and more: “How do I sharpen my ceramic-bladed knife?”  (In this case it’s a Boker folding pocket knife with a ceramic blade.)  This seems like a fairly simple and logical question — however the answers we came across may surprise you.

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Wearing a respirator mask usually involves fumbling with irritating stretchy straps, followed by muffled grumbling. AO Safety eliminates this frustration with their Quicklatch respirator — instead of grabbing for nylon bands, you tighten and loosen the mask with a flip latch.

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You can convert your quick-clamp-type bar clamp to act as a spreader, but that function seems like little more than an afterthought — on most dual-purpose bar clamps you have to take the clamp apart and put it together backwards.  With Gator Clamp’s Clamp N Spread, it’s obvious from the get-go they designed these clamps to quickly change from clamping to spreading.

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If George Jetson’s giant floating habitat pod had gutters, a little robot like the Looj would probably be up there cleaning them.  This kind of purpose-built tool screams both “Future!” and “Gimmick!” — but the little tracked gutter-runner does appear to work.

The general idea: You lug the Looj up to the gutter, pop it down in the channel, and, via the remote, send it down the line with its rotating brush spinning up a storm and clearing the debris in its path.  The agitator throws all the newly churned-up mess out of the gutter and onto the lawn, where you can dispose of it in any number of ways –- at least in theory.

We’ve checked out the videos and heard some stories here and there about how it works — but our question is, does this really help?  Or is it a machine that’s designed to separate you from $100?  Let us know in comments.

Looj Gutter Cleaner [iRobot]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What's This?]

If your taste in screwdrivers runs toward something a little different, check out this sharp-looking set of hardwood-handled screwdrivers with brass bolsters.  Made by Heritage, these drivers look and feel like old-school stock, but sport a more affordable price tag.

The ultimate, of course, would be to make your own handles, but most woodworkers can’t devote that much effort to their screwdrivers.  Heritage’s 6-piece set will set you back about $24 plus shipping — and it seems like they’re well worth the investment if you’re into that sort of gear.

6-Piece Hardwood Screwdriver Set [Heritage]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Skygeek.com is selling a 25-pack of 3/16″ Kwik-Loc cleco clamps for $10 — a pretty good deal if you need a bunch of clecos. For those who don’t know, a cleco is a handy little internal clamp that’ll hold together two sheets of metal via a drilled hole. Whether you’re riveting or welding, you can align and hold two pieces of sheet metal in position with several of these clamps, then remove them with special cleco pliers.  You can also get other sizes for about the same price.

25-Pack of 3/16″ Kwik-Loc Clecos [Skygeek]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Welding isn’t the cheapest hobby to pick up and start fooling around with, and some of the high-end gear can cost you more than a shiny new 60” HD TV. But there are ways to get your weld on without crossing into budget-killing territory — the Chicago Electric 90A flux-core welder comes to mind.

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Breaking your back on a smokin’ hot roof with your pitchfork-like tool is a little like hell on earth. Creator Bill Becoat thought there had to be an easier way to strip shingles from a roof, so he invented the Lil Doozie.  The Lil Doozie removes shingles faster and easier, all while sporting a devilish smirk.

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