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"Storage"
Many people have a hitch receiver on their vehicle, but how many actually use them on a regular basis? Sometimes you see a fourth brake light shoved into one, or they sport a fake propeller or Autobot badge to demonstrate the vehicle owner’s whimsical personality. With the HitchSafe you can put the hitch receiver to better use as a place to securely store valuables or spare keys.
Some people go to great lengths to keep their work space clean and free of clutter. This may not characterize your habits, but I think we all can agree that a mess of cables on your desk not only looks bad, but can constantly get in your way. Lee Valley added two promising cable management boxes earlier this year that warrant a look.
The first is a 6-1/8″ by 4-1/4″ surface mount box that protrudes 1-1/2″ above the surface of the desk. Made from powder-coated steel, it can be mounted on the side, back, or top of the desk. It has two 7/16″ and three 1/4″ cable ports lined with plastic grommets to protect the cables. A hinged metal lid covers the cables ends when they’re not in use and is held in place by a rare earth magnet.
Looking at the above picture of the Handy Hooker wood working clamp and tool hanger, I hear Comic Book Guy in the back of my head saying “Worst. Tool Storage Idea. Ever.” Normally if I come across a tool that I can’t say anything positive about, I just don’t post it, but every once in a while something so atrocious comes along I have to share it. The Handy Hooker wood working clamp and tool hanger crosses the line.
If it wasn’t for the one shot of all the tools clustered together and hanging from the straps, I might have passed the website right by, discounting the Handy Hooker as yet another typical As-Seen-On-TV type product. But the sloppy fashion in which the clamps are arranged left me twitching.
It’s bad enough that you have to drag the extension cord around to use non-battery powered electric yard tools, but you still have to figure out where you’re going to store that extra cord when you’re done.
Lee Valleys’ cord storage hooks let you turn the wasted space on your yard tool’s handle or shaft into a good place to keep that extra cord. Reinforced rubber belts hold the plastic hooks on any handle or shaft up to 1-1/2″ in diameter. Both hooks swivel when you want to remove the cord and are easy to reposition. The pair of hooks also comes with a cord-retaining clip to keep the loose end of the cord.
Long-time makers of popular messenger bags and backpacks, the folks at Timbuk2 decided to give tool storage a try. Result: The Timbuk2 Tool Shed, pictured above. Besides the any-color-you-want-as-long-as-it’s-blue-and-orange styling, other features include construction from waterproof “tarpaulin fabric” and an anodized aluminum buckle.
I can’t speak for any other area, but here in North Texas cycling seems to be steadily climbing to become one of the most popular outdoor activities (hey, we love soccer now, too — anything can happen). Recently even I started to re-familiarize myself with the West’s new favorite saddle. This, of course, brings the dilemma of shop space: Vehicles and tools/storage get the floor; everything else steps aside.
Amazon is currently selling the Racor PBH-1R ceiling-mounted bike lift for $18.43, more than half off normal retail, and Prime eligible. The specs: one 48-foot rope with a locking mechanism good for ceilings up to 14 feet high, a solid steel hardware pulley system, a rope cleat, and a couple of wood screws. Installation’s up to you (make sure to drag out the stud finder for drywall) and requires only a few basic hand tools — a Phillips screwdriver, drill with 1/8″ bit, and tape measure. Racor says the system will hold up to 50 lbs., though if you ask me, that’s on the heavy side for a bike.
With “innovations” coming from every direction every time you talk to a tool company, smaller things like a new storage system that stacks and locks together in one step seem like they may be small taters — and in the grand scheme of things, perhaps it is. However this didn’t stop Bosch from designing their new storage system.
This new system unveiled at the Bosch event received many looks and much attention. It still doesn’t have a release date or pricing info, but it’s clear to us that the guys in blue and red are serious about storage. Each container can be grabbed from the front, top, and either side by a handle. Each box also features a lock system that clicks into place once stacked on another box.
Reader Txinkman is a friend to beat-up toolboxes. We think of him like the kindly country doctor you see in the movies. His shop takes in sick toolboxes and turns out some of the nicest-looking tool storage we’ve seen. His latest patient the “Brit Box” is one of the prettier boxes we’ve seen him transform.
Of course, it’s well known that I’m a sucker for mahogany, and this box is loaded with it. The chest itself is mahogany veneer and the drawers are solid mahogany. It’s a simple and very clean look, but what he does to transform these boxes is nothing short of a labor of love. Just look at some of the steps he lists and check out a few of the pictures in his Flickr pool, and you’ll see just what goes into one of these beauties. As always sir, well done indeed.
Txinkman’s Photo Pool [Flickr]
We recently managed to lose the key to our favorite Foose toolkit. It’s happened to countless people over the years and is most likely very annoying to mechanics should this ever happen to them. So we decided to see how good Mac’s support really was and called to get a new key for our box.
To begin with we called the Mac support line 800.622.8665. Of course it was Friday evening and the call center was closed until Monday. As instructed by the voicemail system, we waited until the appointed 8am — 6pm Eastern time on Monday and called again.
One possible way to create extra space in your tiny garage is to install a vehicle lift like the SuperLifts SR-7H shown above. The standard SR-7H has a 7,000 lb. rating (its locks have a 3-to-1 safety rating), a 98.5″ drive-through clearance, a 71″ max. under-ramp clearance, and uses four aircraft-quality lifting cables, each with a lift strength of 14,500 lbs. Its 3″ hydraulic cylinder has a lifetime guarantee on its seals. 36″ approach ramps store between the rails. The SR-7H is heavily advertised as made in the USA.
TM on Flickr
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