Archive for the 'Masonry' Category
Thursday, February 7th, 2008
Lithium-ion batteries are allowing tools usually limited to cords to break out into cordless versions — Makita’s concrete pencil vibrator is one of these tools.Makita’s 18V Li-Ion concrete vibrator improves the finish and strength of your freshly poured concrete by vibrating it at 13,000 VPM.
Makita makes two models, with either a four foot or eight foot extension depending on how big the job is. The Li-Ion batteries will only run for 25 minutes of continuous vibration under load, but the batteries can completely recharge in 45 minutes, so downtime is limited.
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Posted in Makita, Masonry | 3 Comments »
Monday, January 28th, 2008
Forget those glass blocks! Don’t you wish you had a building material with the structural integrity of concrete and the light transmitting ability of glass? Litracon wins major cool points by putting fiber-optic strands in concrete blocks to achieve results like the ones above. Even cooler: Light can travel 20 meters through the fiber optics before losing brightness.
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Posted in It's Just Cool, Masonry | 6 Comments »
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
While doing some research on the deck I’m going to build next summer, I ran across these Bolt-Rite anchor templates over at Awesome Tools. You can get ‘em in a variety of sizes to suit your project/job. This 9″x9″ adjustable template takes anchor bolts up to 7/8″, and you can run conduit through the 2-1/8″ center hole.
Their aluminum construction makes them lightweight and reusable. You can adjust the templates for multiple applications. Center-line marks on the templates help with transit layout and stringlines. Normally $15 apiece, the price drops to $14 apiece when you buy a 10-pack.
Bolt-Rite [Corporate Site]
9″x9″ Four-Bolt Anchor Template [Awesome Tools]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Posted in Dealmonger, Masonry, Measuring | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
Buildex’s new Tapcon line of anchors cut their own threads as you drive them into masonry. And unlike most other types of masonry anchors, they’re removable.
You especially appreciate ‘removable’ when you’ve driven a bunch of anchors into a wall, then decided to rearrange or adjust your setup. With most anchors, you’re, um, screwed. But with Tapcons you just pull out the screw, fill in the hole with concrete patch paste, paint it, and you’re good to go.
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Posted in Fasteners, Household, Masonry | 7 Comments »
Tuesday, November 6th, 2007
Traditional drilling systems — especially modular core bits — are often made up of multiple pieces, like extension shanks, centering bits, and threaded arbors. The gaps between these pieces compromise the bit’s strength, and any time you want to use them or switch sizes, you have to piece it all together. Metabo’s newly-released a one-piece core bit family claims to solve that problem, making the bits easier to use and more effecient (read: faster) at drilling through concrete, block and brick.
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Posted in Drills/Bits, Masonry, Metabo | 2 Comments »
Friday, October 26th, 2007
Ok, so it’s not meant to be deadly, but it sure looks that way to us. This drill employs microwaves to drill through concrete, stone – and even glass without breaking it. And it produces no dust or noise, either. Of course, stray microwaves can effectively cook your internal organs if you’re not paying attention, so, um, pay attention.
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Posted in Break S#!$ Week, Demolition, Drills/Bits, It's Just Cool, Masonry, Unusual Tools | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, October 24th, 2007
Ingersoll-Rand’s workhorse rock drill is mean. It can drill a 2″ wide hole up to 18” deep into solid rock — perfect for when the s#!$ you need to break is made of stone. And just think how cool you’ll look weilding it!
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Posted in Air Tools, Break S#!$ Week, Demolition, Drills/Bits, Ingersoll Rand, Masonry, Pneumatics, Power Tools | 3 Comments »
Friday, September 21st, 2007
Felker practically invented the first diamond-impregnated saw blade back in 1924, but the military’s use of the blades during WWII to cut quartz frequency crystals for radios and walkie-talkies secured Felker’s place in history. So we’re not surprised to discover that their new Tile Master XL Plus High Production tile saw is pro-level gear that’ll cut pretty much any kind of tile, from granite and marble to ceramics and porcelain — up to 31” wide (22” if you’re cutting diagonally) and up to 3-3/4” thick.
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Posted in Abrasives, Felker, Masonry, Power Tools, Saws | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, September 19th, 2007
Not much will stop Stihl’s top-of-the-line cut-off saw, the Cutquik TS800. With a 6.7 hp gas engine and a 16″ cutting wheel, it’ll chew through six inches of stone, masonry, steel reinforced concrete, or a Jersey barrier on I35 — probably. Encased in a lightweight polymer housing, it weighs just 28lbs. By incorporating vibration control into a well balanced design, Stihl reduces operator fatigue and makes the TS800 handle like a smaller saw.
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Posted in Masonry, Saws, Stihl | 6 Comments »
Saturday, August 18th, 2007
Amazon is currently listing this 18V cordless concrete vibrator for $126.66. Features include a 1-1/8″ diameter flexible shaft that’s just a smidgen shy of 31-1/2″ long and am 18V Ni-Cd battery with a one-hour quick charger.
Via Amazon
[What's this?]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Posted in Amazon, Dealmonger, Masonry, Power Tools | 3 Comments »
Saturday, July 7th, 2007
I’ve never handled concrete before, except in the small amounts required to set a fence post, but I’d really like to pour a short walkway extension in my back yard. A little Googling this morning turned up this how-to over on DoItYourself.com. It looks pretty thorough, but I wondered if maybe any of you had found better information.
Am I wrong in thinking that planning is going to be one of the most difficult parts of this project?
(Thanks to rkimpeljr for this great CC-licensed photo.)
How To Pour Concrete [DoItYourself.com]
Posted in How-To, Masonry | 7 Comments »
Tuesday, June 5th, 2007
Though I’ve never had the occasion to try it, many of my friends have saved a ton by laying their own tile. Ray, my blacksmith friend who joined us in Tool Talk Podcast #3, for example, finished out most of an extension to his house in tile, all of which he installed himself. If you’d like to give it a shot, check out this how-to from DoItYourself.com which leads you through the whole process with animations.
How To Lay Tile [DoItYourself.com]
Posted in Household, How-To, Masonry | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, May 16th, 2007
Over at Amazon you can get this bull float bracket for $50.78 with free shipping. Bull floats are used to smooth out concrete, and this bracket allows you to work at hip level, eliminating back strain from caused from lifting and bending as with conventional floats. A half turn of the wrist gives you a full up or full down pitch, and it’ll work with an extension handle.
Via Amazon
[What's this?]
Product Catalog [Marshall Town Trowel]
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]
Posted in Accessories, Amazon, Dealmonger, Masonry | No Comments »
