Every Toolmonger Sean and I meet seems to have one or more sources for low-budget materials — a scrapyard where aluminum is cheap, a junkyard full of make-specific car parts, or even a surplus equipment shack full of everything from busted computers to aircraft instruments. Personally, I’d like to find a shop that stocks (stacks?) Porsches like the one pictured above. Hell, even in the picture I can see a trim piece that I’d love to have for my 944.

So what’s your favorite secret stash? Where do you go to find parts and materials cheap?

(Thanks, Williamson, for the great CC-licensed photo.)

We argue about this around the Toolmonger offices every year, but this year we thought we’d let you into the game as well: What’s going to be the “Tickle Me Elmo” of tools this year?

Note: We’re not asking “What’s your favorite tool this year?” or even “What’s the most useful tool this year?” We’re asking, “What tool do you think will fly off shelves as gifts to friends, neighbors, and fathers everywhere this Christmas?”

Sean and I will jump into the comments and share our own ideas, but I can’t wait to hear yours.  Will this finally be the year of the useful, practical gimmick tool?

Toolmonger reader Scott writes in with an interesting question:  “I just bought a house built in 1958;  do you have any posts on general advice for a first-time homeowner?  We’re already planning several projects including adding more insulation to the settled insulation in the attic.”

Scott, a thousand things are about to come at you at warp speed, but I guess the first advice is, don’t get too carried away with the fluff stuff if there are function/utility issues you can tackle first.  For instance, if you need a new garage door opener and new carpet in the den, go with the garage door opener.

How ‘bout it, Toolmongers?  What words of wisdom can you muster for a fellow tool guy and first-time homeowner?  Let us know in comments.

Thanks to Patrick Q for the sweet photo.

This market research poll on the Ridgid website seems to be a sign of the times — contractors and DIYers alike are so well-connected these days that companies are starting to cater to their mobile gadgets.  The iPhone and other micro-devices with Internet are getting good enough that they can display most websites correctly, but the small screens apparently make for some awkward formatting issues.  I haven’t entered the high-tech world yet and I’m wondering if the situation is as bad as it sounds.

The question then is twofold:  How much tool stuff do you do on a mobile device, and what percentage of your tool stuff isn’t “mobile-friendly?”  Let us know in comments.

Poll Results [Ridgid]

Reader Jay writes: “I recently bought a Craftsman radial-arm saw from a friend, but it came without a table top. I built my own, but after a couple of uses, I think I might have missed something. Do any of you Toolmongers have a design — or just photos — of a good radial-arm saw table top? Just FYI, my saw is probably from 1976.”

Jay, the photo above is of my father’s old Craftsman radial arm saw, but as you can see I got it without a top, too. Doh! Most of the saw tables I’ve seen have been really simple, so my gut says that you might have an issue with how you’re using it. Google, however, turns up tons of pictures. And Craftsman (one of our current sponsors) shows a table on the site for their new 10″ Laser Trac saw.

But let’s let the real experts answer. Toolmongers? What say you?

If you’re working on your computer in the cold, you might wish you could type with boxing gloves on.  Computers are becoming commonplace on production floors and in utility vans, and a lot of people with cold hands have to routinely remove their hand gear to type, or to hit the tiny buttons on other tools.

Unless you’re running your laptop on battery power, these USB-heated convertible gloves could help out.  Even the non-powered version of these gloves might work pretty well, and you wouldn’t run as much risk of getting your hands sweaty before you go out into the real cold.  Or you could opt for a heated keyboard.

What’s the best way to keep from freezing your fingers off when you’re doing fine manipulation like typing?  Let us know in comments.

USB Gloves [USB Geek]
USB Gloves Street Pricing [Google Products]
USB Gloves Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Non-Powered Gloves Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Heated Keyboard Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Justin from North Carolina wrote in and asked us, “What’s the cheapest way to get a few good, adjustable bench planes without awakening the rage of my significant other because I spent a huge wad of cash.”  Well, Justin, that depends greatly on which tools you consider “good” and how much cash you can throw at them.

Construction, materials, and adjustability largely determine how much a plane will go for.  You can buy a cheap non-adjustable plane for a few bucks.  A fully adjustable high rig, like the Lie-Nielsen pictured above, can run you $300 a pop, which’ll probably lead to the rage you spoke of earlier.

In short, you’ll probably have to make some trade-offs.  If you just want something that’ll work, any number of planes will do; but if you really need the Full Monty (something like the old Stanley Bedrock) you might have to save a while.  Off the tops of our heads we can’t think of any that are super-solid AND cheap — but the Toolmonger readership might be able to help.

Do you know of any planes out there that could fit Justin’s bill?  Let us know in comments.

No. 4 Bench Plane [Lie-Nielsen]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

I noticed this stud remover from Craftsman because it’s a different design than I usually see, the ones that look like they belong in a tap and die set.  This one runs $25, which is comparable to the other design, so I’m curious as to how they stack up.

Have you used both designs?  Is one better than the other?  Let us know in comments.

Stud Remover [Sears]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

On Klein’s “What’s New” page they’re featuring a new Free-Fall snip.  Our question:  What exactly is a Free-Fall snip?  Klein’s Electrician Snips, which we’ve previously covered, seem to be almost identical except for the larger loop on the one handle.  Maybe that’s the only difference — but then why is it called a Free-Fall snip?

Klein makes the new snip from high-carbon steel rather than stainless steel like their previous Free-Fall snip, so while this snip is slightly harder, it’s also their less expensive — $18 vs. $24.  Both snips sport a scraper and file on the outside of the blades, and they feature serrated teeth for non-slip cutting of 19 to 23 AWG wire.

The cheaper, harder Free-Fall snip doesn’t yet seem to be available anywhere except the Klein Connection store.  If you know where the name comes from, let us know in comments.

Free-Fall Snip [Klein Connection]

There are those who can transform a normal pumpkin into an impossibly good-looking piece of slowly decomposing art — and there are those like myself and reader Kevin L. who can’t.  This Halloween, Kevin is giving pumpkin-carving a shot, and he asks the Toolmonger readership how best to create an impressive pumpkin.

Here in the Toolmonger shop we can do many things with pumpkins — blow them up, crush them with power tools, fling pumpkin guts at each other, and even make them into pies — but carving is not among our talents.  What tools should Kevin use, and how should he go about it?  Let us know in comments.

Reader Michael S. asks about something that’s been on our “to do” list for at least a year now:  He wants to know where to find birch lumber.  It seems Michael can find all the birch-veneered ply in the world but can’t locate enough solid stock to do furniture and cabinetry projects.

You’re not alone in this, Michael.  We’ve been looking for a good source of this nice, smooth wood ourselves.  At this point we aren’t even really picky — rough stock or not, we’ll make do.  Birch works nicely and features smooth grain patterns, and we often wonder why it’s not available everywhere. It would stand to reason folks would want to work with it.

So we put it to you Toolmongers:  Do you know a good source for solid birch, that’ll help lovers of that yellow, wavy grain pattern get going?  Or should we move to a different stock that’ll be cheaper and more accessible in the long run?  Let us know in comments.

Reader Dan Bridenbaugh asks us a question we’ve been hearing more and more: “How do I sharpen my ceramic-bladed knife?”  (In this case it’s a Boker folding pocket knife with a ceramic blade.)  This seems like a fairly simple and logical question — however the answers we came across may surprise you.

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Selling your house can cause a bigger headache than buying it ever did. Things you might not have had to deal with leap to the forefront for you to mull over and handle. Reader Lee asks a few great questions for those of the Mr. Fix-it persuasion.

My wife and I are selling our house (it just went under contract), and we’re starting to worry about the home inspection. There are a few things that I know are going to come up, but I’m not sure how to fix them myself. Here’s the list:

(1) There is a 6″ crack in our kitchen’s white laminate countertop. I was thinking of filling the crack with epoxy and painting over it, but I’m not sure if that’s the best/cheapest way to fix it.

(2) There is an 8″ black water stain in one plank of the hardwood flooring next to one of our toilets. I’ve heard of using Oxalic acid to bleach the stain out, then re-stain that part of the floor to match, but again, I’m not sure if this is the best way.

(3) One of the pieces of wood (about 10′ long) on the bottom of an overhang (just beneath the rain gutter) has rotted and begun to sag. I’d imagine that you just have to cut the piece of wood out and replace it, but what kind of wood do I use? Is there an easy way to remove the old piece?

Well, Lee, most of the tips you’re going to find on home inspection are geared toward the buyer not the seller. However, judging from your questions, you’re already putting yourself in the frame of mind of the buyer — that’s a good start.

You can replace that overhang wood pretty easily, especially if it’s painted. You could start with pine or fir (one of those was most likely used in the first place) — or you can cut off a little piece of it and find out what it is. Our helpful readers might be able to offer some pointers on this, and the other items on your list as well.

One sure way to go: Find a local handyman of good reputation, and ask. Get some eyes on the specifics of your issues, and they might be able to point you where you need to go.

Reader Dave wrote us concerning a tree in his backyard — it’s an old logic-problem-type issue that can really bake your noodle:

I need help in identifying what tool to use for this job: I have a tree (apple) that is bent and I plan on attaching a steel pipe to it to keep it straight for a year or so. The problem is getting the tree in a position to attach the pipe: I could use a ratcheting strap or come-along to get it close, but how can I get it the last 1-2 feet (the tree and pipe is only 3″ in diameter)?? It seems like there might be a device that given a loop of cable, it would pull the cable in to tighten the loop down to whatever diameter loop you wanted with force … any ideas?

I’m much better with wood when it’s in the lumber state of being. I possess the very unique gift of being able to turn any living plant dead in no time flat — it’s almost a superpower. With my limited knowledge I suggest a come-along hooked to the back end of a truck and looped back on itself, or perhaps two of them working together — one from the top of the tree and one at the bottom so you can adjust as the pipe is put into place.

However, if a tree’s big enough to go on the table saw, I tend to just call it “free lumber” and haul it inside the shop to begin its fabulous new life in the lumber bin — most of the time I laugh like a mad scientist for good measure. All you green-thumbed Toolmongers might offer some better advice.  How might Dave save his apple tree? Let us know in comments.

(Thanks to Outsanity Photos for the kick-ass pic.)

From time to time, readers ask us interesting questions that we like to share. In this case reader Becky has got her hands on an old drill press — which is cool in and of itself — but this one’s got the name “Thor” written on it, which always makes something more interesting. Becky took the time to send us a few snapshots and some observations.

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Our friends over at Popular Science are closing out their nominations for Best of What’s New 2008, and they asked us if we wouldn’t pass on to you an important question: What’s your favorite tool released this year?

A little background: For BOWN, PopSci seeks products that really push forward their category or represent some significant breakthrough. To get an idea of what they’re looking for, you can always check out last year’s winners.

They also asked us to let you know that your suggestions/recommendations are greatly appreciated. And regardless, you can always check out the results published at the end of the year. Good stuff!

It’s yours for the taking: a big tool with a history. It could be your father’s Little Giant power hammer, a Smithy 3-in-1, a ShopSmith, or a friend’s forge that he can’t move with him. If you haven’t a lot of space in your shop — or if you’ll have to pay a shipping cost that nearly equals the cost of a new tool — a large, expensive tool can pose a real question in terms of what to do with it. If the tool has a real history the decision gets even more complicated.

Sorry for the “word problem” feel of the question, but say you’re in Buffalo, NY, and there’s a Smithy 3-in-1 or a ShopSmith (either of which retails at about $3,000 for the basic model) waiting for you somewhere like Salt Lake City or New Orleans. And the tool’s history includes a dozen stories that you can tell without even stopping to think hard. Shipping on either would run between $500 and $1,000 most likely.

What would you do if you didn’t really have room in your shop for it? Let us know in comments.