If you do any kind of machining or part-making, you need to check your accuracy on an absolutely flat surface, like this 24″x24″ black granite surface plate from Grizzly. For only $110 you get a grade B, non-magnetic, abrasive-resistant, corrosion- and warp-resistant, easy to clean surface with a +/- tolerance of .00015 inches. The plate weighs 234 lbs, so you’ll pay around $100 for shipping — but even for $210 it’s a sweet deal.

24″ x 24″ Granite Plate [Grizzly]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

If you need to cut a hole in the middle of a sheet of metal duct, Malco’s CDR duct ripper will get you started. Designed especially for puncturing and ripping ductwork, this tool looks somewhat like a standard blade screwdriver, but the similarities end there. 

Malco grinds the tip of this hardened, corrosion-resistant blade to a perfect angle for puncturing sheet metal. A hanging hole penetrates the cushioned grip for easy storage.  If you don’t want to ruin a perfectly good screwdriver, you can pick it up for about $12.

Duct Ripper [Malco]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Engine turning (also known as damascening, jeweling, krayling, or swirling) has long been associated with fine metalworking.  Whatever you call it, it’s a great way to add some bling to your project.  The process consists of using a spinning abrasive cylinder to make dazzling 3-D looking patterns on polished metal. You can see examples of the technique on everything from antique handmade pocket watches to retro hotrod parts.  If you want to try it yourself, Eastwood offers 1″ and 1/2″ kits that can be used with any drill press.

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It might be too late to do any good, but we’d still like to help out our friend Joe Brown over at Wired who asked us to pass on this question. He writes:

“My father claims to be a woodworker, but rarely ever builds anything. (He’s actually quite skilled, but he says he’s waiting for retirement, when he’ll actually have the time to work on projects. **cough cough bulls#!$ cough**). So every year I get him a woodworking-oriented Christmas present with the goal of inspiring him to get in his (awesome) shop. I’ve bought him tools, a subscription to Fine Woodworking, and last year I designed and built him a workbench. (We actually built it together, which was a ton of fun.) But this year I am out of ideas. Can you, or your readers, think of a really cool gift — tool, book, ANYTHING — that will motivate him to get his ass in the shop?”

Let us (and Joe) know in comments.

(Thanks, karen.fromthelbc, for the great cc-licensed photo!) 

This pocket book is a great resource for anyone working in a shop. It’s designed for metal workers and machinists, but the information contained within comes in handy in lots of situations. Best of all, it’s durable enough to survive in a shop environment, and every page is coated in a glare-free laminate that resists tearing and won’t get all filthy.

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If you’re a Toolmonger, chances are you had an Erector set when you were a kid. 80/20 — yes, that’s the name of the company – now offers a product that they call the “Industrial Erector Set.” It’s a complete system of extruded aluminum T-slot pieces that attach via standardized components to become all sorts of usefull stuff — like a bike rack.

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A enormous trade deficit with china has left the United States with a glut of shipping containers stacked up so high that neighborhoods near Long Beach harbor experience sundown an hour earlier than the surrounding area. But the news isn’t all bad: these standardized 40′ X 8′ X 8-1/2′ boxes are being repurposed by people all around the world into low cost housing, internet hubs, and even workshops.

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Are you still bending metal using the old fashioned clamp and mallet method? You need a break – a metal bending brake that is! Brake-bending metal is superior to manual bending methods for two main reasons: you’ll end up with a cleaner and straighter bend, and you can skip the tiresome pounding session entirely.

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That old axiom that you can never have too many clamps in your shop? It’s true. And it’s time to add one more: the V-Clamp connects to your shop air supply to produce up to 330 pounds of holding force. It works on non-porous materials by creating a vacuum between itself and the work piece, and it can hold your work piece vertically, horizontally, or even upside down. And because it clamps to the bottom, the V-Clamp won’t get in the way when you’re working on the top and sides.

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The Milwaukee 4208-1 Adjustable Position Electromagnetic Drill Press sounds like something NASA would use, doesn’t it? That’s not too far off the mark. It’s essentially a drill press with a magnetic base, allowing you to take the press to the work when you can’t bring the work to the press — perfect for drilling accurate holes into heavy ferrous metal surfaces.

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Body workers know that there are two kinds of dollies: one kind has wheels and moves boxes and the other kind moves sheet metal.  Mac’s new multi-dolly is the latter type, and offers three different faces — adding up to many various curves — in a compact hand-held package.

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We all know how standard locking pliers work: squeeze the handles, turn the knob to adjust the opening of the jaws, and clamp down on the handles to lock. But sometimes you have to open and close the jaws a couple of times to get it right, which can be tiresome. The LockJaw automatically adjusts to fit as you squeeze it shut.

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Mirka Abrasives offers a revolutionary solution to the long-standing problem of woodworking dust inhalation: their Abranet sanding discs look like a sanding screen, but the abrasive particles are arranged in a row formation.  This means that dust is never more than half-a-milimeter from an opening through which dust collector can extract it — and prevent it from entering the air.  As a side bonus, Mirka says the discs also last three to five times as long as standard abrasives.

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This ground block makes it easy to establish a solid ground for arc welding when you can’t find a good place to clamp the lead — as long as you’re welding ferrous metal.  Just smack the magnet onto your work piece, then attach your grounding clamp to the stud on top.  The stud is spring loaded so that when you attach the magnet it presses against the metal and ensures a solid ground.

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Although it’s primarily popular among electricians, Greenlee’s Slug-Buster punch works beautifully for cutting a perfect hole in sheet metal while exerting minimal effort — something almost anyone will end up needing to do at one time or another.  And at around $30 for a basic set, there’s really no excuse not to own one.

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We have a couple of manual deburring tools around the TM shop, but what if you’re dealing with thicker metal or lots of it?  Just chuck up Greenlee’s deburring bit in any 3/8″ or larger drill to deburr up to 10-gauge steel very, very quickly.

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Heat can help loosen stubborn bolts, but what about situations when open flame isn’t an option?  The Mini-Ductor applies the same magnetic induction technology you see in modern rangetop stoves to heat up metal – and only metal – in very specific locations.  This might be great for working near fuel lines or in tight spots.

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