I’m the last guy who wants to get in a fight, but I’ve had the same idea I’m sure a lot of you have while hefting a meaty Maglite: if worse comes to worse, I could give a bad guy a good thwack with this thing. Rothco has expanded on that notion with their side handle system. It turns any C or D Maglite into a police style tonfa club, for defense or just showing off your mad flashlight-twirling skills.

Rothco makes the Maglite side handle system of nylon and fiberglass, so it’ll put up with some abuse. Two inset screws clamp it to the knurled part of the Maglite tube to prevent slipping.

Street pricing is about $25, but check your local weapon ordinances to see if it’s legal where you live.

Maglite Side Handle System [Rothco]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

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]

An optical center punch can introduce a whole new level of accuracy to your projects. With the On Mark optical center punch, you can punch within .002″ of your mark, so your final hole position will be about as accurate as it gets.

First, locate the center punch over your mark. Using the optical pilot, line up your layout lines with the optical target. Then remove the optical pilot and replace it with the punch. Tap the punch with a hammer to leave your indentation in the exact location.

The 9x acrylic lens magnifies your layout lines without distortion or parallax, and the center-dot-and-circle target allows you to zero in on the the correct location within .002″.  The optical center punch comes in a kit containing the punch holder, acrylic lens, and punch insert, all of which store in a sturdy cylindrical case.

The kit runs as little as $60 or as much as $80, depending on where you look. A Cheap-Ass Tool it’s not — but if accuracy is your primary goal, this is your center punch.

Optical Center Punch [Mitutoyo America]
Optical Center Punch [Product Resultants USA]
Optical Center Punch [Products Engineering Corporation]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon(B000VBEL08) [What’s This?]

Recently we were testing some hole saws in the Toolmonger shop, and we managed to get a giant, circular hunk of two-by-four stuck in a saw. After some thought we ended up removing the chunk with a small drill bit and a large common screwdriver, but we started wondering if any of you have a better solution.

I found some interesting tools that could’ve helped — a slug ejector for $12 and a hole saw hook for $5 — but waiting for a tool to ship would’ve been downtime with no hole saw.

What would you have done? Let us know in comments.

Macro Hole Saw [Flickr]
Slug Ejector [Qk-Saw Store]
Hole Saw Hook [mytoolstore.com]

Irwin’s 25′ Strait-Line tape measure features a pencil-less, quick-marking tip. Simply measure out your distance, press the bottom of the tape against your material, and mark your line. I wouldn’t recommend using this for precision work, but for rough marks I’d use it all day long.

With the dual-sided blade, you can easily read both elevations and flat-surface measurements, and the blade’s bright white color will keep you working until that last minute of daylight — if you’re into that sort of thing.

Street pricing starts around $20.

25′ Strait-Line Tape [Irwin]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

It’s been a busy week here at Toolmonger. If you’ve been spending time in the shop — you should! — and you haven’t had a chance to keep up with Toolmonger this week, we suggest you start with these posts, which our readers helped to select:

Turn Over A New Leaf To Gauge Hole Size
When you need to measure the diameter of a hole, you can either start looking for objects about the same size for comparison or reach for a taper gauge. Aptly named for their tapered shape, the taper gauge measures hole and slot sizes quickly and accurately. The Starrett No. 267 taper gauge can measure hole and slot sizes from 1/16″ to 1-1/16″, to the nearest 1/64″.

Cheap-Ass Tools: $15 HF Micro Die Grinder
With Harbor Freight’s micro die grinder, you can grind or sand in tight areas or go to town on a carving project. The 1/8″ collet will accept most Dremel bits, which makes it good for all sorts of jobs — from sanding down the burs on your safety glasses to polishing up your iPod.

An Ambidextrous Tape Measure
Reading a tape measure upside-down is a good way to make errors, so FastCap makes a tape measure in their ProCarpenter line that reads both left-to-right and right-to-left. You don’t have to twist your neck to read the scale, so you’re less likely to misread the tape and wind up making a cut short or long when dyslexia kicks in.

How To: Build A Giant Dinosaur
Why build a giant dinosaur? Kids – and adults – love ‘em. And nothing spruces up a dinosaur-themed birthday party better than a giant wooden dinosaur. The best part: you can build your own for around $150 and a little sweat. It’s time to break out your tools for something whimsical.

Woodworker’s Bling
If Marlon Brando had carried a carpenter’s rasp in The Wild One, this would have been it. This rasp, originally used by staircase makers to smooth curved handrails, can shape tightly curved or concave areas where a straight rasp won’t work — but we can’t help but point out how mean it looks. Anything that looks like Klingon battle armor is good with us.

Help us choose next week’s Top 5!

We’d appreciate your help in choosing next week’s Top 5, which’ll be featured here, elsewhere, and in the podcast as well. While you’re reading TM this week, look out for the “Interesting Post” button at the bottom of the article:

When you see an article that piques your interest, click the button once. You’ll return to the same page, but TM’s software’ll score your click for future reference. We’ll check in on the totals before selecting next week’s Top 5.

Protect your ears, the ozone, and your wallet, all at the same time. Amazon is selling bulk boxes of 50 corded, reusable earplugs via Mytoolplace.com for $30, with free shipping. The earplugs feature a noise reduction rating (NNR) of 27dB.

Bulk Milwaukee Earplugs [dealnews.com]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

(Friday, May 9th, 2008) It’s Friday again, with nothing new on Home or DIY, just the same old tired reruns. But again we have salvation in the form of Forge and Anvil.

All times are central.

• Holmes on Homes: Out of the Ashes (Part 2) (Home, 5:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Cars, Grocery Carts, Rapid Tooling and Prototyping, Collectible Coins (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Steel Shipping Drums, Police Whistles, Miniature Train Cars, and Glass Blocks (Discovery, 6:30 p.m.)
• Toolbelt Diva: Deck the Hulls (Home, 7:00 p.m.)
• Take Home Handyman: Shedding It All: Alex & Danny (Home, 7:30 p.m.)
• Hammered With John & Jimmy DiResta: The Stained-Glass Panel (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: magnets, cooked ham, silver-plated teapots, crash-test dummies (Science, 8:00 p.m.)
• Holmes on Homes: Bargain Basement (Home, 8:00 p.m.)
• Wood Works: Veneering Tips and Techniques (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Curling Stones, Refrigerators, Alumnium Baseball Bats, Opalescent Glass (Science, 8:30 p.m.)
• Wood Works: Folding Panel Screen (DIY, 9:00 p.m.)
• Build It Bigger: Boot Camp (Science, 9:00 p.m.)
• New Yankee Workshop: Outdoor Cupboard (DIY, 9:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Aluminum Pots and Pans, Artificial Limbs, Peanut Butter, High Intensity Light Bulbs (Discovery, 10:00 p.m.)
• Cool Stuff: How It Works (Science, 10:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Pocket Knives, Soapstone Products, Electric Pole Transformers, Traditional Snowshoes (Discovery, 10:30 p.m.)
• Cool Stuff: How It Works (Science, 10:30 p.m.)
• Forge and Anvil: More Furniture. Episode 108 (RFD-TV, 10:30 p.m.)

Enjoy.

Whether you’re navigating the urban jungle or you just want to hop the neighbor’s fence to crash his patio party, the Tactical Fence Climber will get you to the other side a little faster. ZAK Tool designed it especially for police and fire departments — the tool creates sturdy scaling rungs on both sides of a chain link fence, for rapid traversal.

Zak Tools updated this version of the Tactical Fence Climber with a larger step area and an improved gripping edge. It’s collapsible to make carrying easier, and installation and removal won’t damage the fence. Simply push the climbers through the links for a makeshift ladder. When you’re done, you can remove them from either side of the fence, so you don’t have to leave them behind.

Made in the U.S.A., the Tactical Fence Climber kit includes three collapsible steps and a carrying case. The kit’ll only set you back about $25, but with this set of climbers and the High-Steppin’ Fence Tool in your bag, the world is as open as a cattle rancher’s dream — if you have permission, that is.

Tactical Fence Climber Kit [Zak Tool]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Cable ties belong in the esteemed category of tools that includes gaffer’s tape, super glue, and locking pliers — they’re almost infinitely useful, and if you’ve got some, you’re halfway to fixing nearly anything. However, if you’ve ever spent time bundling up a bunch of cables just right, only to have to snip apart all your hard work when you notice what you did wrong, you owe yourself a big bag of releasable cable ties.

I hate wasting stuff, and it’s always bugged me that you have to destroy a perfectly good cable to undo it. The first time I saw these reusable ties, I thought, “Duh, why haven’t I seen these before?” They’re identical to standard zip ties, except for a plastic tab sticking out from the ratcheting mechanism that locks the tie in place. Press this tab while pulling on the locking part to release the tie and gain access to whatever it’s holding.

Prices vary depending on the manufacturer, retailer, and quality of the material used, but generally the releasable ties cost a little more than standard ones.

Catamount Releasable Ties [Thomas and Betts]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon (B000L9CLJ8) [What’s This?]

File this one under Reckless. This guy was just asking for it, and — guess what? — he got it. I still don’t understand why he had to stand on the top step; ladder manufacturers print “DO NOT STAND” up there for this exact reason. Even so, I’ve committed that sin a few times myself, but I did so with extreme caution. Fortunately the guy wasn’t hurt — or was he?

The Task Force jigsaw we have here in the shop died last week. We’d like to be upset about it, but we’re actually amazed it lasted this long. The Task Force cost us $19 brand new — and though it was never a looker, it did work for a little over a year.

When you break it down, our saw cost us a little over a dollar a month during its time here. We’d have liked it to hold on another year, but the non-stop action in the shop of hard knocks didn’t exactly prolong its service life.

In the end we’re left with this question: Is it better to pay up for a longer-lasting tool, or to take the disposable tool for all it’s worth and see what you get out of it? Looking back over the life of the saw this last year, we’re inclined to think we got our money’s worth out of it. What do you think? Is this a bad deal or a great way to get some work done cheap? Let us know in comments.

Task Force Orbital Action Jigsaw [Lowe’s]

When the proud day finally comes, and your son/daughter/mother/girlfriend loved one is finally moving out, what tools do they need?  Whether you donate some of your extras or head off to the big box in search of a tool kit, you’ll have to decide which tools are the essentials for someone moving out on their own.  From previous posts, we obviously all agree that they’ll need a knife, at least a utility knife — but what about wrenches, pliers, and other handy life-saving tools?

Let’s say you’re limited to what can fit in a small tool bag, like the size of an overnight bag, or an average-sized men’s boot.  What critical tools go with your loved one, to get them through the shock of not being able to borrow yours?  And which tools do you wish would fit in the boot?  Let us know in comments.

When you’re setting posts for a deck or fence, you need either an extra set of hands or some jury-rigged bracing to keep the post plumb until the concrete sets. But with Cepco’s Post-Pod, you can set up and hold posts without the extra helpers.

Using the Post-Pod is simple: set the Post-Pod over the hole, tip the post into the hole and guide it into the Post-Pod bracket, plumb the post, and clamp it in place with the set screws.

The Post-Pod bracket adjusts to secure posts up to 8-1/4″ wide. Three user-supplied 2×4s attach to the Post-Pod for legs, which means you can cut ‘em to accommodate the terrain and/or the height of the post.

If you’re only setting a few posts for a deck, you might not want to pay $80 for this extra set of hands — but if you’re regularly setting posts in the ground, it might be worth the expense.

Post-Pod [Cepco]
Post-Pod [McFeely’s]
Via Amazon(B0015313DO) [What’s This?]

You know a tool’s good when the only place you can buy it is from the online corporate store. The Flexiwrench Plus smart tool system is so hot, they can’t keep it in stock anywhere else. Yes, I’m being sarcastic. The system features two different handles, each with a 3/8″ socket that accepts different wrench or socket heads, similar to the Stanley MaxDrive.  One handle sports two pivot points for snaking the wrench into hard-to-reach places, and the other handle functions like an articulated screwdriver.

In addition to the handles, the 19-piece Flexiwrench Plus set includes 3/8″, 7/16″, 1/2″, 9/16″, and 5/8″ open-end, box, and socket heads; a universal socket adapter for using standard 3/8″ sockets; and a generic looking case.

We can’t vouch for how well this tool works, but we’re pretty sure it isn’t the tool set we’d choose if we crashed our boat into a desert island. Can anybody take this tool seriously considering the Comic Sans-like font they chose for the case?

It’s a little late for Mother’s Day, but only $20 buys the Flexiwrench Plus 19-piece set for the father that has everything — if you really want to disappoint your father.

Flexiwrench Plus [Corporate Site]

(Thursday, May 8th, 2008) New episodes of Overhaulin’, American Chopper, and Cool Tools will keep you glued to the set tonight. Modern Marvels reminds us once again that we should get the mower working…

All times are central.

• Break It Down: Bridge (National Geographic, 5:00 p.m.)
• Holmes on Homes: Out of the Ashes (Home, 5:00 p.m.)
• Modern Marvels: Yard Tech (History, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Aluminum Pots and Pans, Artificial Limbs, Peanut Butter, High Intensity Light Bulbs (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Pocket Knives, Soapstone Products, Electric Pole Transformers, Traditional Snowshoes (Discovery, 6:30 p.m.)
• Overhaulin’: Wake Up Call (TLC, 7:00 p.m.) NEW?
• Classic Tractor Show (RFD-TV, 7:00 p.m.)
• Cool Tools: Demolition (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)
• Ax Men: A Logger’s Thanksgiving (History, 8:00 p.m.)
• American Chopper: Production Bike Showcase (TLC, 8:00 p.m.) NEW
• Cool Tools: In the Garage (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)NEW
• Dirty Jobs: Aerial Tram Greaser (Discovery, 9:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Gummies, Ball Bearings, Fish Farming, Bronze Sculptures (Discovery, 10:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Bronze Bells, Wooden Airplane Propellers, Charcoal Briquettes, and Gas Log Fireplaces (Discovery, 10:30 p.m.)

Enjoy.

Cortec corrosion inhibitors sold at Lee Valley will protect your rust-prone tools for up to two years. Instead of coating your tools with sticky, greasy, or oily substances, just throw one of these anti-corrosion emitters into any enclosed box, cabinet, or drawer where you store your tools.

These products emit a harmless corrosion-inhibiting vapor that forms an invisible barrier on most metals. Lee Valley sells three different types of emitters. The 10″x10″ foam sheet protects areas up to eight cubic feet, and you can cut it to fit where you want it. The small emitter measures 2-1/4″ in diameter by 3/4″ deep and protects areas up to five cubic feet. The large emitter measures 2-1/4″ in diameter by 1-1/4″ deep and covers a maximum of 11 cubic feet. The circular emitters come with a self-adhesive backing.

The 10″x10″ foam sheets will run you about $7 apiece. The small emitter costs $7, and the large emitter runs $10. Of course, these anti-corrosion emitters are no substitute for taking good care of your tools — they’re more like an insurance policy against rust.

10″x10″ Foam Sheet [Cortec]
Small Emitter [Cortec]
Large Emitter[Cortec]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Anti-Corrosion Emitters [Lee Valley]

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]

If you’re stumped for a Mother’s Day idea for your mom, don’t go the standard route and send flowers or candy. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Toolmonger recommends giving mom a set of tools to help around the house. You don’t have to shell out for a new Snap-on rolling tool chest filled with ten grand worth of shiny chrome — though that would be cool — but a nice set of sturdy gear makes a great gift for anyone, including mom.

Before you rush off to the Net to get the latest in pink fashion tools, stop and think about that. You wouldn’t want a set of pink tools that aren’t up to shop-quality, so why would she? Think decent and functional, the types of tools anyone could use around the house. If you can’t find a set that fits the bill, make one yourself, especially if you have a clue what she might need or what she’ll use ‘em for.

Here’s where you get to channel all your creative tool-buying knowledge gleaned from hard research and firsthand experience, and put it to work. Does she like to hang pictures? Then perhaps your mom’s kit should include a tack hammer and a box of angled picture hooks that hold 5, 10, and 25 lbs. apiece.

The best part: you’ll get to explain why you got her the items you did, showing her, through your selection, that you were really thinking about her and about how to make her life a bit easier. What would you get mom? Let us know in comments.

Street Pricing [Google Products]

Some Toolmongers can open a bottle with practically anything: this Appalachian Trail pocket knife, for instance, or the edge of a bar. For myself, the choice of tool is critical — so I opt for a pope bottle opener, which makes a great conversation piece as well as a functional answer to my need for refreshment. If you want a popener for yourself or for your favorite beer drinker, you can find at least one online.

Street Pricing [Google Products]

It’s hard to get a job done without the right tools, but I’ve often found it close to impossible to get even simple tasks done with no tools. So what do you do if you find yourself faced with a job that requires a few hand tools, and you’re stuck with no tools? Believe it or not, your local grocery store might be able to help you out when you’re in a bind.

A grocery store might not carry anything but the simplest tools, and those tools’ll be poorly made and cheap at best, but they’ll work. You can get yourself out of a lot of different kinds of trouble with just a few screwdrivers, adjustable wrenches, and three or four types of pliers.

What you’ll find will most likely be overpriced for what they are, but just keep the “Something is better than nothing” mindset, and you’ll get through it. Also, if it’s late at night and there’s not a Wal-Mart around, you might not have any other choice.

Teflon tape can take the place of a good thread sealant, but there are plenty of other alternatives. Occasionally you even hear stories about people confusing thread sealants with thread lubricants or, worse, thread lockers.

Worse still, you may someday be told not to use super glue on threads, and the admonishment could end with, “Ask me how I know.” Duct tape isn’t the only substance that holds the universe together.

I’ve always preferred Teflon tape, because that’s what my dad used. Do you choose Teflon tape over the alternatives? Why, or why not?

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

Your shop-vac may not be the most efficient dust collector, but you can turn it into a two-stage dust-collection system with the Mini Cyclone Separator from Woodstock International. You’ll change the bag or clean the filter less often, because larger chips will drop out into the attached five-gallon bucket.

Woodstock molds their Mini Cyclone Separator from ABS. It sits on top of a standard five-gallon bucket, where it accepts two 2-1/2″ hoses. To empty the bucket, simply lift off the separator.

Look to pay anywhere from $17 to $24 for the Mini Cyclone Separator. You’ll have to supply your own five-gallon pail. If you have 2-1/4″ hoses, you can get a reducer for about $5.

Mini Cyclone Separator [Woodstock International]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon(B0000223XZ) [What’s This?]

(Wednesday, May 7th, 2008) The Travel Channel promised us a new episode of Made in America every Wednesday night, but for some inexplicable reason we’re getting a show about McDonald’s instead — what a letdown. Maybe it’s a mistake?

All times are central.

• Holmes on Homes: For Annie (Home, 5:00 p.m.)
• Mega-Carrier: The Construction of the USS George H. Bush (Military, 5:00 p.m.)
• Rock Solid: Coverings Show in Chicago (DIY, 5:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Gummies, Ball Bearings, Fish Farming, Bronze Sculptures (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
• City of Steel: Carrier (Military, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Bronze Bells, Wooden Airplane Propellers, Charcoal Briquettes, and Gas Log Fireplaces (Discovery, 6:30 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Steam Cannon (Discovery, 8:00 p.m.)
• Build It Bigger: Hurricane-Proof Homes (Science, 8:00 p.m.)
• Under Construction: A Lally a Day (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
• Master Blasters: Killer Lawn Darts (Science, 9:00 p.m.)
• Hammered With John & Jimmy DiResta: The Pool Table (DIY, 9:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Steel Safes, False Teeth, Airplanes, Maple Syrup (Discovery, 10:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Dress Forms, Boat Propellers, Duvets, Faucets (Discovery, 10:30 p.m.)

Enjoy.

When you absolutely positively need to be inside a building two minutes ago, you need a Mini Pro-Bar. Fire and rescue crews commonly reach for this Halligan-type tool as a one-stop multi-tool for forcing entry into a building.

Whether you need to snap padlocks, rip down plaster, rip out recessed or flush cylinder locks, or pry open doors, the Mini Pro-Bar has you covered. Made from 4130 aircraft steel, the knurled shaft recesses into both the fork and adz/pike ends and is heat-pressed and welded. The adz and fork also double as nail pullers and gas shut-off tools.

Fire Hooks Unlimited sells the Min Pro-Bar in two versions: the 16″ bar weighing 3-1/4 lbs and the 20″ bar weighing 3-1/2 lbs.  Either Mini Pro-Bar will run you about $75 — getting caught with one in your trunk while wearing a black ski mask will probably cost you a bit more than that.

Mini Pro-Bar [Fire Hooks Unlimited]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Mini Pro-Bar [The Fire Store]