Reader Litcritter decided to retrofit his staircase — he ripped out a bunch of the old and built in the new. The new stairs sport a reworked banister and some handy post work.

The best part: the new post matches the rest of the stairs — and he secured it with a bunch of bolts to make sure no one comes tumbling down because the post separated from the rest of the unit. Oh yeah, it looks sweet as well.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

We take our hats off to those guys who put their money where their mouth is and build something risky.  For instance, Toolmonger reader James Brauer is building this badass boat.  Though we’ve never made any personal watercraft before, we’re guessing this project requires some special skills — like waterproofing it, so it doesn’t sink — that make it more challenging than the standard coffee table project most guys do.

The best part: when James finishes this little boat, he’ll have himself a sweet ride for the lake, or a funny story and a lesson in sealing plywood seams.  Either way, we salute the effort.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

Automated machines, or robots, are starting to work with us on the jobsite. First they take on the dangerous jobs, where death, injury, and insurance put the capital “E” in Expensive. After the pioneering is done in those jobs, the robots will move on to the repetitive jobs next. Over time, bricklayers will become bricklayer-robot technicians, and other talented artisans will adapt in the same way.

The designer of the Mortar Machine is working on the cutting edge of the technology that could make such a future possible. For now, the Mortar Machine is barely half a bricklayer — it won’t actually lay the bricks, only the mortar. And someone will still have to lay the tracks it runs on, load it, fix it, and cuss at it when it doesn’t work. But consider how CNC technology is getting better and cheaper — and what is that but a stationary robot?

Toolmongers understand the unpredictable reality of the worksite, but it’s impossible to ignore that tools are progressing in complexity, quickly. How do you feel about working alongside a robot? Is this technological development hot or not? Let us know in comments.

Mortar Machine [ABC]
Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

Photo by tanakawho, posted on Flickr.

Toolmongers know that tools don’t always perform the way we want ‘em to. Similar to Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary, “What a Mechanic’s Tools Do” tells the truth about what really happens with some common tools. Here are a couple of examples:

ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning steel pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age.

VISE-GRIPS: Used to round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

These definitions got a few chuckles out of me, but I’d really like to hear Toolmongers’ takes on common tools. What definitions would you give? Tell us in comments.

Note: Thanks to Flickr member spacematters for the photo.
What a Mechanic’s Tools Do [SodWork.com]
Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

What does your shop floor look like? In the Toolmonger shop, we work on a concrete floor sealed with a water- and oil-proof coating. It gets a bit slick when there’s a spill, and it’s hard to stand on all day long. So when I saw this photo of a non-slip mat posted by photo pool member Looking Glass, it really got me thinking. I know there are a ton of anti-slip and anti-fatigue mats, floor coverings, and whatnot — but are they worth it?

Growing up, I always held with the dogma that a workshop should have a concrete floor. My reasoning: “What does it matter if it gets stained?” Since then I’ve worked on dirt floors, wood floors, lots of tile, and even carpet — and I’ve discovered there are benefits to each.

What do you do in your own workspace? What’s most important about your shop floor? Let us know in comments.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

No, you’re not lost on an arts and crafts blog. These polyacrylamide polymer crystals can absorb 400 times their weight in water, swelling up to a jelly-like consistency and looking like watery ice, and photo pool member Poekie knows how to capture the beauty of that process. But these crystals can also save your lawn and your pocketbook.

Those of you with lawns, especially if you’re in the southwest, are probably dreading the summer water bills — or you’ve abandoned your yard to the summer scorch and the fire ants. These polymer crystals’ll catch and hold the water that hits your yard, slowly releasing the water as everything dries out.

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Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about efficiency and which tools are most necessary to have around all the time, so this survival tool kit from Flickr pool member Alexander Becker caught my eye. All these tools fit into an Altoids box, which is a smaller package than I’ve been thinking of — but it would’ve been great for the Boy Scout campouts I went on as a kid. Alexander also posted pictures of how the toolbox packs and closes.

He obviously put some thought into the kit, with the mini flashlight, lighter, and knife — half the problems you’ll run into are covered right there. Of course, Sean would say you can’t have a survival kit without super glue.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

It always brings a big smile to our face when we see a group of kids learning about tools and what to do with them. Reader tmib seattle posted up a few pics of a local scout troop getting down on blacksmithing and forge work.

We love seeing this because it’s essential that youngsters learn early both how cool and how handy working in the shop can be — whether it’s metal work like this or plastic hobby-crafting. We have to pass the crafting spirit along to the next generation, or they’ll start to lose something very indefinable — until it’s gone.

It’s a little soapboxish and corny, but if you teach love of the shop — and the projects and tools in it — to young kids, they’ll carry it the rest of their lives.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

Sometimes we find better uses for our tools than the manufacturer had in mind when the design specs were originally laid out. Loading up this toolbox with tools made it too heavy for a second floor apartment — so we filled it with toys that needed a bit of organization which turned it into ultimate mobile toybox.

It might not be the most macho use of the 4 in 1 toolbox but for the household it sits in this is noble work indeed. The best part is the wheels and travel luggage handle that lets this rolling fun-time box go wherever needed.

4-in-1 Mobile Workstation [Stanley]
Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

We like reader Wattsei’s bed project because he incorporated storage in a normally under-utilized area of the bedroom. But he didn’t just make some drawers to store socks in — he built each drawer to hold 4’ x 4’ pieces of art and up to 240 lbs of stuff.

Functional and relatively inexpensive to build — we see no downside here.  Plus he made it for his girlfriend, so he earns points in that department as well.  Somebody’s thinking.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

You can always tell who uses a tool bag by what’s in it and what kind of shape it’s in. In this case, plumbing fittings and the nastified nature of the canvas scream ‘utility contractor’ — this is a working man’s tool bag.

The coolest thing about this rig: it’s used day in, day out, in the mud, and it still holds up. If it gets too nasty, hose it out and set it in the sun for awhile, and it’s ready to go again. It might not win any new design awards for fancy workmanship — but it might outlast the ones that do.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

We can always count on pegboard to start a hot debate among Toolmongers. We split right down the middle — the anti-pegboard people on one side furiously advocate toolboxes and storage systems, and the staunch pegboard supporters come back with tales of super convenience.  Toolmonger’s own Brad Justinen offers up this slick photo of his pegboard setup, brandishing his fine selection of hand tools.

We’ll say this: almost anyone’s shop can accommodate both pegboard and other storage systems, and it’s a totally subjective thing. Chuck and I often disagree on the virtues of the holy board ourselves, but clearly it does a great job of getting tools off the bench — and almost any tool guy will tell you, that’s a step in the right direction.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

Many folks don’t understand the beaming pride of transforming a rather pathetic looking object into something with an entirely new life, perhaps better than it ever was. Take this machinist’s tool chest, for instance. Compare the awful ‘before’ picture on the left with the breathtaking chest on the right. This goes beyond repair – it’s custom restoration.

With no control over what he’s handed, reader txinkman repairs and restores these old chests, creatively putting right what time and a few decades of hard shop treatment have torn apart — and obviously he’s not afraid to accept a challenge.  We put this kind of work on an even par with artistic endeavors.   Hats off and beers up to you, sir.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

Making enough room for all your hobby gear might seem like a simple thing, but it can be quite the hassle. Reader ethernectar not only managed to build himself storage for his hobby — RC cars — he still has steam left over to want to build a matching set of shelves on the other side of the garage.

We dig this type of endeavor for two reasons: 1) because, obviously, we love anything that gets the garage or shop straightened up, and 2) because he didn’t go out of his way to approach it from a crazy angle or use material beyond the project’s scope.  2×4’s and plywood are the order of the day here, and we couldn’t have done it better ourselves.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

The last time we saw this room, reader Butterjug2000 had a few tweaks — like flooring and paint — yet to go. Now it hardly looks like the same place. He created some sweet stereo speaker stands to go along with his bad-ass room, and the new stands won’t suffer from weeble-wobble syndrome, because he weighted ‘em down with sand.

As the cutaway picture shows, Butterjug cleverly stuffed the center pole to the gills with a few pounds of sand, then he covered it with a top plate to seal everything up. Is it the perfect solution? Maybe, maybe not — but it’ll last for a long time, and if it ever leaks the worst that could happen is he’d have to get a dustpan. Nice design and execution on the speaker stands and the room, Butterjug.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

You hear a lot about recycling old junk into shiny, productive items around the house, but photo pool member Nick Johnson put his skills where his junk was and came up with a great addition to his new lathe.

I built a drawer set to hold the plentiful accessories that came with my lathe.

The entire drawer set is built from scrap wood that was being thrown away on the streets of Brooklyn, with the exception of the wood screws, and the drawer pulls that I got at the park slope flea market.

Nick made someone else’s trash his building material — and he wound up with sweet storage for his lathe attachments. He wins a gold star on his planet-friendly card this week!

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

If you farmed the land fifty years ago, you probably owned or leased something a lot like this 1947 International tractor — a seriously handy thing to have. Reader Brad Huffman posted up his dad’s latest find, and from what we can tell it’s pretty well preserved. Brad says a few issues need to be worked out, though.

I’ll be redoing the mess of spaghetti that is the wiring/electrical. Someone converted the 6 volt system to 12 volt, and borked it up a bit along the way. May keep the 12 volt system, but may also go back to the original 6 volt. Not sure yet.

A Flickr commenter raised the question, is this an old Farmall Cub or a Farmall “A”? To be honest, we don’t know enough about old-school farm equipment to make the call, so we’ll leave that part up to you. Anyone out there a farm equipment aficionado?

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]