Cyclone units for woodworkers separate out a lot of the woodchips and dust so you don’t have to empty your dust collector or clean its filter as often. Most people gravitate to the smaller trash-can lid models or the clear plastic ones, but the smaller units don’t give the dust much time to settle into the can, and with the plastic units static electricity can build up and start a fire*.  If you’re looking for something better, Gary MacIntyre Associates offers a big cyclone unit made of galvanized metal.

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This little 500W hand vacuum/blower from the Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Company looks like a handy little tool to keep around the shop or garage for those quick pickup jobs where it take too much time to liberate your shop vac from its dust-collection duties.  Best of all, it’s made right here in the USA.

Metropolitan manufactures the motor unit from steel and powder-coats it black. The 500W fan-enclosed motor pulls 4.5A at 110V, generates enough suction to lift 60″ of water, and can suck or blow 60 cubic feet per minute.

You’ll pay between $60 and $75 for their model VM1250 which includes the 3lb motor, five 2-ply paper bag filters, a shoulder strap, a 19″ flexible hose, a 20″ extension wand, and accessories like a dust brush, crevice tool, upholstery nozzle, and Magic Air inflator adapter.

Vac N Blow 500 [Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Co]
Street Pricing [Google]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

There are a few schools of thought on cleaning the grill.  Some think it’s the eighth deadly sin to clean it, that leaving the charred food and grease “seasons the grill”.  Others can be fanatical about keeping the grates sparkling clean.  Most of us probably fall somewhere in between.

If you lean towards cleaning the grill on a regular basis, these disposable grill wipes from Grate Chef clean and oil the grates at the same time. The absorbent wipes deliver a high-heat food-service grade oil to the grill which won’t burn off and keeps food from sticking to the grate.  The biodegradable wipes are also flame retardant and cling to the bristles of a rectangular grill brush.

Considering that a six-pack of disposable wipes will set you back a whole $3, are these wipes worth the money, or is the old grill brush good enough?  Let us know what you think in comments.

Grill Wipes [Grate Chef]
Street Pricing [Google]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

The Dremel has long reigned as king of the multi-tools because it can handle most small to medium-size jobs with ease, but several contenders are looking to unseat the Dremel from its throne, including Rockwell’s SoniCrafter.  Instead of turning its attachments through a full revolution, the SoniCrafter’s “Microsonic” technology creates a high-frequency oscillating back-and-forth motion that makes the tool easy to control.

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Wallpaper removal can go really smoothly if you dissolve the glue with moisture before you peel it off — the best way is to score the top layer of the paper and then apply steam to the scored paper.  Wagner’s 905 Power Steamer, their most powerful steamer, will deliver pressurized steam to your work area with a pull of the trigger, and Wagner claims it’ll remove wallpaper up to 20% faster.

The 905 can clean floors, grills, greasy stovetops, bathroom fixtures, and many other things, without any chemicals.  It sells for about $75, or you can rent one.

Power Steamer [Wagner]
Street Pricing [Google]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

You can throw it out or you can blow it out but from time to time your shop vacuum filter probably needs some maintenance.  If you don’t want the expense of replacing the filter, but tend to ruin the filters by trying to clean them, maybe you should take a look at the Tornado Manufacturing F4 Filter Cleaner.

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Polishing metals and plastics is almost an art, with so many different polishing materials and compounds to choose from.  If you’re looking for an easy way to get into polishing, or if you just need to restock the basic supplies, Eastwood’s Deluxe Polishing Kit can help — it includes the tools you need to work on large open items or in the details.

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A fireplace creates nice ambiance, but the mess left behind can be a nuisance to clean;  the fine, light ash can fly all over the room if you’re not careful how you remove it.  To address this problem the Love-less Ash Company designed the Cougar Model MU405 Ash Vacuum — it’ll remove warm to cold ash from wood stoves, pellet stoves, fireplaces, and barbecues, and do it quietly.

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After using Weber’s three-sided T-Brush for a grilling season, I have to wonder why I ever bothered with square grill brushes — in my experience the T-Brush cleans the grill faster and leaves it cleaner.  It’s a little dirty after a year of use, but the bristles have retained their shape pretty well.

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With Jet’s vacuum gun in your air tool arsenal you can vacuum with your air compressor instead of digging out the shop-vac — no electricity or extra cords required.

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If you store your metal tools in a high-humidity environment, you’re asking for rust.  Unlike older solutions such as an outer layer of wax, oil, or WD-40, Boshield T-9 Rust and Corrosion Protection actually penetrates into metals and provides them with a protective coating.

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Cleaning… does anybody really like to do it?  Riedel makes these beads that’re supposed to be for cleaning bottles and other odd-shaped glassware in the kitchen, but they’d probably work just as well in the garage when you’re cleaning your paint sprayer or soaking a bunch of small parts to loosen deposits.  Anything that might make cleaning go faster is worth a shot.

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Attention, gun buffs:  The Sampson Field Survivor contains all the basic tools you need to service your AR15 or M16 rifle, in a package that fits in the standard pistol-grip opening.

Packed with basic cleaning tools, case extractors, hooks, scrapers, adjustment tools, and gauges, the Field Survivor locks into place in the pistol grip by twisting the tool’s base.  You can get this multi-tool from Samson for about $119.

Field Survivor [Sampson]

Moisture in your house is an invitation for mold and mildew.  Having dealt with these unwelcome guests before, I’m happy to find a way to kick ‘em out without calling in a professional cleaning team — SporiClean’s “green” enzyme formula will actually eat up that mold and mildew and provide a protective barrier that’s safe for your family and pets.

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Most firearm owners will recognize this nylon bristle brush, especially if they’ve been in the service — the brush is included as standard issue with all M16s in the military.  One end is a normal toothbrush and the other end has a very thin version of the same brush. This narrow brush will enter most of those smaller areas to get them squeaky clean.

I personally keep two of these brushes in the shop:  one in the parts washer and another in the toolbox. The brush is made by many manufacturers, but I believe the Kleen-Bore is the most popular commercial version.

Street pricing starts at $2.

Gun Brush [Kleen-Bore]
Street Pricing [Google]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

You might have some luck getting a corroded fastener unstuck by heating it, but you probably want to avoid soaking the fastener with penetrating oil or lubricant before applying a flame to it.  With Freeze & Release, you can do the same thing with cold — get a fastener cold fast enough and the bolt and nut should contract at different rates, hopefully freeing the fastener — plus there’s no problem using penetrating oil to speed the job.

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Ron’s Home and Hardware is selling this Forney 1/2″-diameter tube brush for 92 cents.  Tube brushes are incredibly handy for cleaning tubes as well as slots — today one saved my bacon as I scrubbed out tough deposits in an electrostatic air filter unit.

Forney 1/2″-Diameter Tube Brush [Ron's Home and Hardware]
Street Pricing [Google]