Since previous Dealmonger feedback about these gloves has been generally positive, we thought you’d like to know that Sears is offering them on sale again. Through Veteran’s Day you can can pick up a pair of these Craftsman Mechanic’s gloves for $10. (They’re regularly $20.) Sears sells Mechanic’s gloves in sizes medium to extra large and in colors red and black.
If you’re not sold on the traditional featherboard as kickback protection and you want something that’ll glide a little easier along your workpiece, you might want to give Board Buddies a try. Instead of numerous little “fingers” rubbing against your workpiece as you run it through your table saw, the ‘Buddies sport two wheels (that roll in only one direction) to provide constant pressure via a set of springs. The result: a nice smooth cut with no potential for chattering, and since the wheels won’t turn backwards you have the kickback protection you need.
To help prevent a foggy view, slap some Cat Crap — no, we’re not kidding – onto your goggles or other fog-prone surfaces such as scopes and face shields. Cat Crap, an all-in-one cleaner and anti-fog treatment, is claims to be safe for all lenses. And with winter on the way, maybe now’s a good time to try this stuff out — especially if you plan on hunting, skiing, or doing some work in the garage.
There’s no question that Hurst’s Jaws Of Life lives up to it’s name. But what if you don’t have them — or don’t have access to the hydraulic pressure required to make them operate? Defense contractor Hi-Shear developed the Lifeshear to provide a mechanically simple, lightweight, pyrotechnic extraction tool to supplement these larger, heavier options like the ‘Jaws.
You wear safety glasses in the shop because seeing is an important skill. But hearing is pretty damn useful, too. Yet in all the home shops we’ve visited we almost never see hearing protection. Try this: every time you throw on a pair of safety goggles or prepare to use heavy equipment, take a second to consider if the intensity and duration of noise warrants additional safety gear. Even simple low-cost products will provide you with a measurable level of protection — and a few more years before “WHAT?” is your standard response to any query.
Radians’ Concealer goggles — more popularly marketed by DeWalt — offer a number of features desirable in safety eyewear: they’re designed to be comfortable, provide reliable protection, and look good in the process. With soft rubber seals and an adjustable neoprene headstrap, they kick the crap out of those cheap-ass goggles you wore in shop class.
Gloves only protect your hands if you have them on. The Glove Guard operates on the (true) principle that if you don’t have your gloves with you, you’re not likely to go and find them to put them on. The ‘Guard consits of two plastic clips held together with a breakaway synthetic cord. The larger clip attaches to your jacket, shirt, belt etc, the smaller part clips to the gloves.
The Shoulder Dolly supposedly helps you move heavy objects by supporting them on your shoulders, taking the stress off your back. One possible downside: if your partners slips going down the stairs, you, him, and that refrigerator are all going down together.
Don’t let getting hit in the head by flying debris stop your demolition fun — especially when you can pick up this hard hat is from Mfasco for under $4. Is it the best hard hat around? We doubt it. But every bit of damage this cheap-ass hat soaks up is damage you won’t take to the head.
The Radians #300 Safety Hard Hat features a snap adjustment and meets ANSI Z89.1-1997, Type 1, Class E g and C standards for helmets. And it rings up at $3.92 — which means you have no excuse for not owning one.
Plus, if nothing else you could wear it with a suit and be Max Zorin for halloween.
The AMPCO 7920 German-type sledge hammer will run you $900 on Amazon. Believe it or not, this 23.79 pound — when you pay almost $40 a pound you want to be accurate – German-type sledge serves a practical purpose. Its non-sparking, non-magnetic, corrosion-resistant, beryllium free head meets OSHA and NFPA requirements for use in hazardous, flammable, or combustible environment. So you can break s#!$ just about anywhere.
If that isn’t enough to make you run out and buy one right now, AMPCO’s offers a lifetime warranty. (They don’t specify whether that lifetime is the tools or yours, though. We hear toxic waste can sting.)
Don’t forget to read the reviews on Amazon as you rush to purchase this sledge — they’re quite amusing.
When I came across this video, I watched it a second time to count the luthier’s fingers. Holy crap! He’s resawing a board using a table saw blade mounted horizontally on what looks to be a shaper. With such carelessness, I’m surprised that he had all his digits at the time of the video. For resawing wood, your best bet is a table saw or bandsaw.
Building codes across the country are now requiring more and more metal connectors (joist hangers, hurricane ties, etc). In order for a connector to meet code in most places, you need to have a nail in every hole available. This meant a lot of hammering, because you couldn’t just use a pneumatic nailer — until now. Stanley Bostitch’s StrapShot pneumatic nail gun actually exposes the tip of the nail, so you can place it right in the hole in the metal connector. Pull the trigger, and move on to the next nail. (more…)
We featured the LifeHammer last month – a plastic safety hammer used to escape a crashed car or truck. Nov8safty also offers the ResQMe, which similarly performs the thask of cutting seat belts and busting auto glass. But unlike the LifeHammer, it’s small enough to fit on a key chain — and inexpensive enough to give away as stocking stuffers.
It’s a good idea to keep dangerous power tools and appliances out of the hands of people who don’t know how to use them correctly, but who wants to keep everything in a tool crib like your shop teacher did? The Stopower cap offers a better solution, firmly locking onto any 115V American-style two- or three- pronged plug, requiring removal (with a key) before you can plug the attached tool into an outlet.
Remember how Sean described his superglue weakness? Mine’s duct tape. I’ve even used it as a bandage in a pinch, but here’s a product that makes my temp solution legit: Nexcare Duct Tape Bandages. Now you can cover up that boo-boo while still looking like the the tough guy (or righteous babe) you are.
I can’t think of any job in the workshop where safety glasses aren’t warranted — even just sweeping the floor or using a Dremel tool. You’ve only have two eyes, and you’ve got to protect them. But what happens when you’re working on small parts (or your eyes just aren’t what they used to be? Forget those granny glasses you got at the drug store. Get some dioptric (reading) saftey glasses.
The Bigg Lugg 2 is just an elastic loop with a ball on the end that fits a socket that clips on your belt. But it beats the hell out of balancing that $400 pneumatic nailer on top of a ladder and hoping for the best. Think of it as a universal tool holster.
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