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A Shop Smith Arbor That Fixes Ripping Headaches
I really needed to change blades on the Shop Smith recently in order to rip hardwood stock, but there were a few issues with that plan. The first is the Mark V takes special 10-inch Shop Smith blades...
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Stanley Magnetic Tape
The FatMax magnetic tape honestly looks like a normal FatMax with a magnet clipped to the hook — but sporting a $22 price tag instead of the $8 you’d find with the standard leverlock. However, as with...
View ArticleVideo Friday: Art with a Bandsaw
The City Wheel is quite striking to look at. Part of the “Long Nights Big City Lights” exhibit produced by McNabb & Co., the wheel is sharp, vibrant to look at, and makes quite a statement even if...
View ArticleKobalt Double Drive
The History Channel has been playing the damn Kobalt Double Drive mini-infomercial between breaks so much I would actually buy one if I thought it’d make them stop playing it. The funny part is, as...
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The Perfect Gift
It’s not often a home-brew item with wacky mods turns out to be the perfect gift, but this shovel/USB drive is a complete fury of win! This Christmas I’m totally going to do this to my father… and...
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Hands-On: Makita LXOB01 18v Cordless Palm Sander
It’s funny when you witness yourself becoming a supporter of the horse and buggy when you see an automobile go zipping by. When Makita sent us their LXOB01 18v cordless sander, I let it sit for a...
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Bosch And Ram: A Perfect Pairing
If Bosch was looking for a way to further solidify its brand ethos, it picked a heck of a good line with the Dodge Ram. Ram’s stark and powerful Super Bowl ad taps deep into the heart of the...
View ArticleVideo Friday: Riving Wood
It’s pretty easy to think that modern tools and techniques are the only way to reduce a piece of stock to size. In fact, methods handed down since edged tools existed are still extremely effective....
View ArticleHitachi Magnetic Driver Bits
The best part about this Hitachi magnetic driver bit video is when the guy says “You’re not going to lose your screw” and the screw promptly falls off the bit and bounces off the table. That aside,...
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Hungarian Shelves: Round Two
Last year around this time, Chuck and I built a set of Hungarian shelves at his place. This year, with lessons learned, I did the same at my place. I am decluttering the house and needed some overflow...
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Tool Pr0n: Refurbed Hatchet
One of my favorite things to do is rebuild or fix broken tools. There’s something about making an item useful again that appeals to me. When the crap-tastic handle on my cheapo hatchet broke a few...
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The Soccket Ball: Innovative Portable Energy
Who ever said that play can’t change the world? The Soccket ball, developed by two Harvard alumns, is a regulation-size soccer ball containing an inductive coil mechanism that captures and stores a...
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Recalled Tools: Spring Roundup
Before you head out to get your lawn and landscape machinery humming again, check out the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recent tool recalls (beginning January 1, 2013) to avoid unwanted burns,...
View ArticleVideo Friday: Golf Ball Drill Press Mod
In a quest for better ergonomics, YouTube videographer pocket83 designed a simple and creative mod for the handles on his drill press by hollowing out a few golf balls. He removes the original plastic...
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The Boxer 320: Giant Power In A Tiny Package
The Boxer 320 mini skid offers a number of badass features — but the most interesting is that for about $80, you can rent it for the afternoon at the local home center and fit it through the garden...
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Dremel 4200 with EZ Change
We’ve seen every model of Dremel rotary tool and put most of them through the shop to test this or that feature, but we kept coming back to the old Dremel 100 that never failed us. The phaser-shaped...
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Put A Korky In It
The term “builders’ grade” is often slapped on a piece of hardware you’re almost sure wouldn’t pass muster any other way new, much less after 6 or 7 years. Apparently such a term was appropriate for...
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It’s Just Cool: Chevy Stacking
As a general rule, we like to think we’re getting a great deal more creative when it comes to transport than we were 40 years ago. As it turns out…nope. These rail cars stowed 30 Vegas per car, nose...
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Irwin’s New Impact-Savvy Bits
One of the really cool upshots of the last few years’ more powerful and more compact drivers has been the renaissance of the impact driver. The small 10.8-12v models are incredibly powerful, able to...
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Ask Toolmonger: What’s Up With One-Handed Recip Saws?
From the (virtual) mail bin: “Have you seen or used the one-handed reciprocating saw? Home Depot and Lowe’s both have one, and I was wondering how well they work.” Indeed we have. Read on for details....
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Victor Rethinks The Oxy-Fuel Torch
What makes one oxy-fuel torch better than the next? Victor’s research says that we’re most efficient at welding and cutting when we can see our workpiece and easily control the torch. They...
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Feature: Taking Notes
My father loved to write crap down. He’d dream up some idea or another, and he’d jot it down in one of a half-dozen little notebooks he used to carry around with him. I remember one time as a kid when...
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A Rollerboard For Your Tools
Above you see Klein’s new Tradesman Pro Organizer rolling tool bag, which is, well, a tool bag with wheels. It caught our attention because it incorporates features we’ve seen in luggage for years,...
View ArticleVideo Friday: Moody Axe-Making
Sure, the music is a little bit moody for my taste, but (even without sound) this video does a great job of documenting the making of an axe from forging, heat-treating, and sharpening the head down...
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A Quick Read on Fastener Science
A mechanical engineer posted this fascinating (tiny) intro to the (vast) world of fasteners and what make them tick in answer to the Quora question “What is something useful about engineering you can...
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