Halloween is just days from Thanksgiving, which means we’re actually starting to see some Christmas goods hitting shelves around these parts. And you know what that means: It’s time to start digging for the boxes of house lights in the storage unit — and time for us to start thinking about our holiday gift guides.

Obviously we have some favorites that we hope will end up in socks and boxes this year. It’s been a great year for tools in many ways! But before we start the list, we’d like to know what you want to find under the tree in a few months. Let us know in comments if you will, as long as you don’t mind us maybe borrowing your favorite want this year to add to our own, both personally and professionally.

(Thanks, Hendrick’s Photos, for the great CC-licensed photo. And we hope Dennis liked his toolbox and other tools.)

At some point, every one of us has heard this yarn: take a torch and a block of ice, heat a dented piece of bodywork, then apply ice to the center. Supposedly it pops the dent right out, but I’ve never met anyone who claims they pulled it off. I’m contemplating filling a dented motorcycle fuel tank with water and chucking it in the snowbank, but that’s an entirely different principle, and it might be roughly as sane as trekking through the lion pen in flank-steak briefs. Can the contraction from slapping an ice pack on a hot fender straighten it out? Or is it just a way to wind up with a burnt headliner and nothing to cool your beer?

As we are Toolmonger readers as well I wanted to get the opinion of the TM faithful on my latest project. I have a table project I’m working on that needs to have some awful, snot green, latex paint removed. What’s the best way to go about that?

I’m guessing scrapping, sanding, and picking at it are in my future, but I’ve always wondered if there is a better chemical way that everyone uses that is “the way to go” when it comes to removing unwanted paint.

Can you point me in the right direction? I really like the table and there is some good-looking wood underneath that I’d like to save instead of dumping more paint on it to hide the crappy paint. School me in comments.

A few months ago, with the noble goal of getting into a locked junkyard Grand Am through the trunk, I used my pocket knife to slice through the upholstery from the rear. The steel grate supporting the seat put one hell of a nick in the blade, and it took a good three hours to massage away the nick with a coarse diamond whetstone and a bottle of Tap Magic. The process left me wondering if there’s a better way which produces an edge as good as hand-grinding. Ceramics are excellent finishers, carbide removes burrs with ease, and whetstones produce the best edge, but which is best?

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Reader Jeff sent us a question about those big road-going tractor trailer trains that they drive down under. He asks, quite rightly we think, how the hell they back up. This is a great question I had never pondered before.

The short answer is, we have no clue. If I had to guess I’d say either very carefully, or they have some sort of steering control on the trailers as well as the cab — though if this is the case I would be very surprised. If you pushed me to make a call, I’d say the guys driving them are just that good.

What say you, Toolmonger hive mind? Are these guys just the Barons of Backwards or are there steering assists involved? Let us know in comments.

Triple Roadtrain Reversing [YouTube]

Cash for Clunker signs or ones just like them are popping up all over now. A few folks I’ve met seem to have taken to it and report back that it does indeed work as advertised. We’ve even heard of folks trading in their work truck for a new, vastly more efficient work truck and being delighted they can afford it now.

We’re curious as to how many working folks are doing this. It does seem like a good deal, and trading in a rather thirsty old truck for a newer truck that gets over 20 mpg, is safer, and has more power doesn’t sound like a huge downside to us.

You do wind up picking up a new car note and insurance will go up as well due to the minty freshness of your purchase, but if you were thinking about making a run at a new rig anyway it doesn’t seem that bad.

What do you think? Is this a good way to go, or just another way to plug a leaky dam with chewing gum? Let us know in comments.

Car Allowance Rebate System [cars.gov]

The ancient question of a fastidiously-organized tool chest or spreading wrenches and pliers willy-nilly has been done to death, so there’s no point in starting that one up again.

*coughorganizecough*

The question this time is: what little tricks do you use to keep your tools in good condition? Those of us in the Rust Belt have a rough time keeping everything in good shape. Moisture creeps through even the tiniest gaps, turning carbon steel into an orange-flecked wreck. Every one of my chest’s drawers has an oil-soaked sheet beneath a foam liner, and a silica gel packet to keep moisture at bay. Each tool gets an occasional spritz of lightweight. The catch is, this doesn’t work. How do you keep rust and corrosion at bay when even those measures aren’t enough?

(Thanks to Flickr user Swanee 3 for the great photo)

Michael over at Oakland Ballistics wrote us with a question that we’re just going to have to forward on to you readers for the simple reason that they build things that throw heavy objects long distances — and we support that.

I am looking to make a tripod made out of 4×4’s and about 12′ tall. I am trying to find a bracket to bolt the 4×4’s into and just have it work. Do you know of anything?

Well, Toolmongers, we leave it to you. We don’t know of anything off the top of our heads, but we thought you might. It is in the interest of “science,” after all.

Oakland Ballistics [Web Site]

A friend of mine with a taste for autocross racing (tight blacktop circuits laid out by cones) recently ran into a major problem with his Toyota Celica GTS. In his second race of the day, his motor died, and later diagnosis revealed a spun bearing and a dropped valve, two of the worst problems an engine can have, and it cost over $6,000 to repair. Not bad for one day’s work.

He’s decided to scrap or sideline the car, which brings up the question: what should he replace it with? We went back and forth for a little while on the subject, coming up with a bevy of interesting options in the $6,000 to $10,000 range. He’s looking for something with decent fuel economy, low miles, and performance credentials. An added bonus is the same wheel pattern as his Celica, so he can reuse his expensive lightweight rims and race tires. We came up with the Porsche 944, older 911s, old BMW 3-series and M3s, Honda S2000, Mazda Miata and RX7, and C4 Corvette, but what did we miss?

(Thanks to Flickr user stevelyon for this great CC-licensed photo.)

Our friend Rick wrote to us about a problem he was having with his PS40-2. It seems he found out what happens when you use a straight bit in a quick change chuck.

I’ve got a little bit of a dilemma. So I had let my brother-in-law borrow my Bosch PS40-2 (The Impactor) When I gave it to him I only gave him the bit so he could use it with a 3/8″ socket set for his brakes.

Anyway - today I was over at my in-laws and he still had it and I needed to screw some sheetrock screws into some plywood and figured I’d use my handy dandy PS40-2. Problem was I didn’t have any quick change Phillips bits. So I used a regular bit (half inch tall one, or 3/4″ or whatever the normal ones are). I screwed in a few screws and everything worked great - I even pulled it out once or twice. Well at some point between the 4th and 8th screw, it seemed to sink into the quick change chuck a little more than it had been - and when I was done I could no longer get the bit out. I’ve tried everything - but there’s barely anywhere to get some purchase to grab it. I’ve gotten a good hold on it with a needle nose pliers and still no dice. The Quick Change chuck only comes up a little - but it doesn’t pull up all the way to completely disengage.

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Kimberly in Salt Lake wrote to us about a problem she’s having with a Chicago Electric miter saw. The head of the bolt that holds the blade on sheared off and Kimberly is looking to get it repaired.

The trouble is, Chicago Electric is one of the lower-end tools in the marketplace. They generally go for cheap and disposable, not serviceable. They don’t seem to have a website and the only brick-and-mortar storefronts I can think of that sell the brand are Harbor Freight and Auto Zone. If the tool doesn’t have any support numbers on it anywhere or you can’t find (or never had) the manual, you might try heading down to one of the stores and checking the labels on the Chicago Electric tools you find there for a service number.

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Reader Richard wrote in with a question about home repair, and we want your help with it — though half the Toolmonger staff has lived in manufactured housing at one time or another, none of us has ever re-leveled one before.  Richard writes:

My North Texas home is of the doublewide variety. It’s a perfectly lovely little home and only about 8 years old but I think one side has sunk a little, just a little. I just noticed it in the seam of the ceiling and would like to nip it in the bud. What are the options and what is involved in fixing it? I’m guessing you can either do it yourself or have it done for you through some kind of service. Does your readership have any idea what I’m in for?

How about it, readership hive-mind — anyone have experience in this matter or know a good resource for navigating these waters?  We looked around and found a guide that might help you get your bearings to start with — we posted the link below.  If you have first or even secondhand knowledge, let us know in comments.

Releveling Kit From Aberdeen Repair [MHGN]

Reader Gil sent in a question about acceptable tools for the job.  He asks, “Can I use a 3-pound cross-pein #3 sledge hammer on masonry chisels?  Or will the hammer explode like a clay-more?”

Well that’s a new one for me, but in my experience hammers are made to beat on things.  I’ve cracked handles, and heads have slipped off before, but I’ve never had one explode.  However I’m not the best judge in this situation — there are far more experienced folks of the hammer out there.

How ‘bout it Toolmonger readers — does our friend Gil worry with good reason about this hammer, or does the “grip it and rip” philosophy apply here?  Let us know in comments.

Kobalt Tools [Lowe's]
Street Pricing [Google]

Reader Mike is in the market for a Shopsmith band saw, and he asked us how we like it.  It’s a great question, and some folks have already rung in on this one in the positive.

I might be a little biased, but I’d say if your Shopsmith was made in the last 30 years and you want a band saw, it’s a no-brainer.  The saw features a 6″ depth of cut;  the table tilts 5 degrees left and 45 degrees right;  and the blade spins from 700 to 1,050 RPM.

As others have said, you’ll have to tune it and spend a minute or two setting it up, but it’s a small price to pay as far as I’m concerned.  Retail price is in the neighborhood of $500 — but the one I just started running in the shop is on its third decade, and it doesn’t have a single issue.

Shopsmith 11″ Band Saw [Shopsmith]

Longtime reader Peter P. wrote in with an excellent question about ceiling construction. Since ceiling work can be a big deal, we thought opening it up to the readership would be the thing to do.

My dad is working on building out his basement workshop, and is trying to decide between suspended ceilings versus drywall. Drywall is cheaper, but will limit access to the plumbing and wiring. Suspended ceiling will give easy access, but at the cost of some clearance. Have any other Toolmongers faced this problem?

Thanks for the question, Peter. We hope the comments that come in help you and your dad get where you need to go on this project.

I’ll fess up and admit that this really isn’t a reader question — it’s mine. I’m in the market for a 1/2” plunge router, and I thought I’d engage the Toolmonger hive mind and see if you guys have any advice for me on what would be a good choice.

What I’m after is a better unit for doing 3/4” slot cuts in hardwood and ply. My Bosch Colt will do them but starts smoking after the second 6’ cut. So I figure a larger unit with a little more grunt is just the ticket. Hopefully I can get the router and a base plate that’ll let me use the edge as a guide to cut the trenches — without crushing the wallet.

What do you think? Is there something out there with my name on it? Should I watch out for something, or will almost any of them do? Let me know in comments.

A friend of mine called me today having recently seen Skil’s Power Wrench (pictured) on QVC. Her question: Is it good for anything around the house? Sadly I don’t have a good answer. My father had an old Black & Decker model that looked sorta similar back in the early ’90s and it was pretty worthless. But then again, battery — and small device — technology has come a long way since then. Has it improved this tool type?

If you have some experience with this model (or these tools in general) I’d love to hear about it in comments. And if you have one, don’t forget to tell us what you do with it!

Skil Power Wrench [QVC]