On more than one occasion I’ve confessed my unhealthy obsession with Tanks — and I guess love really is blind, because I lump anything remotely close to a tank into that category. To be clear, when I say that bulldozers are close enough to tanks to qualify, I’m thinking of rigs like this T54 dozer conversion.
This bruiser is big, mean, tracked, and very loud — all the hallmarks that force me to love it so. Not only would I drive to work in it if I had one, but it would be super-handy to have around if you needed to knock down a large, fortified bunker or something. You know, the ho-hum everyday stuff you might have to take care of on weekends.
I’ll credit Dolmar with the brainpower to cobble up 20 chainsaws to a motorcycle. I’ll even go a tad further and give them props for having them all pull-start one at a time — that’s sweet.
They’ve definitely taken a go-big-or-go-home approach to this build, but I might’ve left the blades on and given it that Hellraiser, porcupine vibe. You’d have fewer people in line to test it out — and anyone who could ride it without serious injury would earn a few months of over-the-BBQ, smack-talking bragging rights.
The amount of time required to put this wooden exo-suit together boggles the mind. Artist Michael T. Rea calls it a “Suit for Stephen Hawking.” It’s actually life-sized –- which in this case is around eight feet tall — and a person can stand behind it on a step to make it look like someone’s piloting it.
What really gets us is the “wire” coming out from the arms. That had to be a fun time, figuring out how to get it right — probably with a few snapped wires along the way. Of course, we’re impressed by the overall scale of the thing, combined with the general coolness that is all mecha, but we can’t get over the care he must have taken to shape each tile and put it in place for the curved bits like the fist and shoulder armor.
Normally when a driver from Texas hits the news it’s not something to take pride in. Brent Boyd is not normal. Brent has driven a UPS truck for the last 22 years and racked up over a million miles. The impressive bit: He did it in the same truck — and he didn’t have one accident in all that time.
When truck number 507903 was issued to him in 1987, Mr. Boyd got behind the wheel and just didn’t stop. On September 4, 2008 Brent and 507903 rolled right past a million miles, and UPS saw fit to recognize his achievements. You might ask how an old Texas boy celebrates his steady driving and care for his truck — in Brent’s case, breakfast burritos.
If you ever watched Return of the Jedi and wistfully thought of living among the trees in the forest, this two-story tree house is going to hit you between the eyes. Of course, John Peterson didn’t set out to stop traffic and make a tourist attraction, but that’s exactly what he managed to do.
When confronted with an everyday object that most certainly isn’t the norm, a small window of confusion opens in your brain and it can’t easily digest the image that your eyes are sending. It’s this small moment that fills me with the need to obtain these door handles.
I want ‘em for only one reason: The look on people’s faces when you use it for the first time in front of them. Sure, they’re probably wildly expensive and a trick to install — but if you can manage it, does that really matter?
At certain times in my life I’ve fancied myself a woodworker. Then I see something like this wooden machine and realize that not only do I have a great deal to learn, but I hate that guy, whoever he is. Seriously, I can’t imagine the time it took to put this together, and even if he had a machine to do the work — it’s still badass.
It’d be a little more eye-popping if it actually did something other than creak and rotate, but that’s easy to say if you’ve never built and sanded a wooden sprocket chain. Of course, this “machine” wouldn’t hold up to stress or movement very well, but it’s impressive nonetheless.
Ever since computer modeling started transforming the future of manufacturing, we’ve dreamed of being able to do it ourselves, without having to pony up millions of dollars. The folks at Shapeways.com are bringing us a step closer to that dream of home tool design and creation — they put you in the designer’s seat, and they’ll crank out whatever you can dream up.
As the lawn-care season nears its end, many folks think ahead to storing their mower in the shed and not giving it a second thought until spring rears its grass-growing head — but not these guys. No, these gents took a look at their mower and thought a set of knobbies and a Grave Digger paint job would be just the thing.
Sure, it doesn’t cut grass anymore, and the neighbors think you’re a loon — but offer ‘em a turn on the Mini-Digger and they’ll come around. I mean, seriously, the thing’s amphibious and can roll over cars — it’s difficult to say no.
And you thought taper gauges were an expensive way to measure hole diameters — these internal micrometers from Brown & Sharpe offer a whole new perspective on “expensive.” They start at $450 a tool, but you’re probably going to need a bunch of ‘em because they only measure diameter within a narrow range, i.e. you need a separate micrometer for 5-6 inches, 6-7 inches, etc…
MNPCTech’s Bill Owen has laid out the steps for a great mirror-finish paint job, complete with video tutorials, tips, and tricks. I’ve no idea how many Toolmongers would want to go through all this work for a computer case, but I’d bet a quarter that there are a few projects out there that could use a perfect finish like this!
Maybe Chuck and Sean will go for this on the shop truck…
We love large builds, like this family of wooden brachiosaurs that seems to be taking over a courtyard. Reader dbthetd built them, and he breaks the build down for us like a fraction:
If you thought the hoverboard was the coolest thing about the Back to the Future sequels, you’ll agree that the Airboard, though bigger, is the coolest ride around. You might have seen it in the Sydney Olympics’ opening ceremonies, but you may not have known that the Airboard is another example of a tool company stepping out of its normal routine and doing something fun. Thank goodness the Arbortech Toolmongers took some time off from making Allsaws and power chisels in order to make awesome toys!
Pricing on the Airboard is a telephone call away, and there’s an authorized dealer in New York. (The Perth, WA location is in Western Australia, for any fellow Yanks out there who are confused.)
One thing leads to another: First you want to race cars, then you want to modify and maintain your racecar yourself — maybe because you’re broke — and then you already have the welding equipment and the garage and you need a worktable, and before you know it you’re building Truckosaurus, bane of garden equipment and eater of fences. Things just happen. With me, I started out to build a recumbent bike, and now this cool video of a personal blimp lands in my inbox — enjoy!
Most of us will never need a single clamp that holds seven tons — hell, most of us will never need a combination of clamps that collectively hold seven tons — but if you’re supposed to move some big equipment at highway speeds or across stormy seas, or if you just need to hold down a tarp in a tornado, then you may need the Flash Clamp.
How’s this for a drill attachment? Just in case you missed this DPX Systems drive unit when it was featured on ThisOldHouse.com, I’ve included video links and the link to buy if you want. It’s a bit steep at $630, but if you really do have one too many cordless drills, it could be fun for the kids or grandkids — maybe even better than a barrel full of monkeys.
It’s certainly going to be less mess than a bunch of poo-flinging monkeys.
My recent post of a new nailgun, with only the information that I’d received in my e-mail, drew the attention of the DeWalt-16’s creator David Wiggins. Dave graciously provided us with more pictures and the story behind his cool tool-themed M-16.
