Why my string trimmer whacks more than just weeds

May 31, 2007

Yard work. You’d be hard pressed to find two other words that can suck those few free hours out of a weekend any faster. This past April proved "tax time" to be a close second.

But when power tool companies started making combo kits that save time by giving you every tool you could possibly need, the lawn tool companies that make split-shaft string trimmers took notice. The multi-use system Troy-Bilt built centers on a $200 string trimmer with a fuel-efficient 4-cycle engine. That's great for whacking weeds, but the real versatility comes when you add on some of the seven attachments, including an edger, leaf blower, or hedge trimmer. Ranging from $50-$100 each, these tools attach to the power head with a mere tightening of a nut, instantly expanding your lawn arsenal.

Filling the hole the Powerbore left in the toolbox

May 30, 2007

You can find spade bits anywhere, but for a neat and smooth hole, who would want them? They scrape and stick and they blow out the other side. Stanley Tools used to make a terrific drill bit they called a Powerbore. It had a long sharp point, and it cut with a sharp rim spur and a radial lip for lifting the chips out of the hole. This geometry is like a Forstner bit, which cabinetmakers prefer for drilling precisely when boring a mortise once they've carved a tenon.

Well, Stanley stopped making Powerbores, for whatever dumb reason, leaving those of us who owned and loved them to protect our sets like they were family heirlooms. Not the tools you’d lend to your clumsy neighbor.

Now the good folks at Lee Valley have developed a very similar piece they call the Greenwood bit. The $60 set of 6 cuts with the same long, sharp point as the old Powerbore, though the Greenwoods are beefier than their somewhat fragile predecessors. The long tip is key, as it guides the bit on a straight path through the wood, and also helps you avoid any splintering on the exit side. Here's the drill: you keep a finger an eye on the back side of the work, until you see the point just breaking the surface. Then you withdraw the bit and complete the hole by drilling from the back side. 

Mama's got a brand new bag

May 28, 2007

I have something I have to admit, something a woman hates to ever have to admit. I have bag envy.

See, I spend several days a month working out of the office on how-to project shoots with our technical editor, Mark Powers, and I'm always jealous of the two large tool bags he takes with him. They're full of slots and pockets and everything has its place, neatly organized in a manner only a control freak like me could truly love. I, on the other hand, have been slinging everything into an old messenger bag. Nothing fits, it's all rattling around at the bottom of the bag, and I constantly stab myself in the side with the pointy end of a combination square as it telegraphs through the thin mesh.

Then Mark showed me this bag, from Duluth Trading Co. It's made from a heavy canvas, sits compactly, but has lots of narrow and wide slots all around the outside for perfect tool hyper-organization. I took it on a project the other day, and I never had trouble digging my utility knife out from the bottom of a bunch of hammers and chisels. And for the same reason, it's really protective of all the tools stashed in its pockets.

The best part is that it's not too heavy when it's full, which is an issue when I try to pick up some of Mark's fatter, more rigid bags. It even has room for my sunscreen bottle, which is very important when you're outside digging and building for two days straight. Which gives me an idea: I really need a new beach bag for the weekends. Hmmm…

Canvas Rigger's Bag (item #22653), from Duluth Trading Co., duluthtrading.com, $26.50

The Peoples' Guide to Homeland Security

May 25, 2007

Homeowners, arm yourselves with knowledge!

This gem of an instructional text, which I holstered on a recent trip to the NRA Museum in Fairfax, Virginia, covers every aspect of using a gun to defend your home. You get advice on shooting techniques when firing over a bed or filing cabinet, strategies to make your house safer, and tips on how to "shoot to stop" a knife-wielding intruder.

The book adds, "Even if your use of a firearm in self-defense was legitimate, you might still have to suffer the embarrassment and stress of being arrested." Jeez, NRA. Now you tell me.

Gnawing them bones

May 25, 2007

Insinkerator’s new Evolution garbage disposer accepts all kinds of castaway food waste into its gaping maw, yet uses noise-reducing technology to dampen sound by 60 percent. Its 40-ounce chamber grinds food in 3 stages, quietly pulverizing coffee grounds, corn cobs and the notoriously difficult celery stalk.

The $299 Insinkerator was one of the best kitchen products we saw at the International Builders' Show. I'll be wishing I had one this holiday weekend, because any serious griller has long since learned that rib bones are best gnawed over the sink anyway. Or, as my dad calls it, "counter eatin'."

Ne’er do smell

May 24, 2007

Brondell’s Breeza toilet has a tiny built-in fan and a charcoal filter that promises to “eliminate odor at its source.” Some of the fragrance choices include citrus and eucalyptus, or jasmine and lavender; regardless, they go to work as soon as you sit down. If an outlet is handy, a plug-in version includes a heated seat.

The toilet goes for about $130, and it was one of the best bath products we saw at the International Builders' Show.

Porno for pyros

May 23, 2007

With five feet of flames dancing on a bed of broken glass, Travis Industries' Fireplace Xtreme is a Molotov cocktail aimed straight for the heart hearth. The 95,000-Btu immolation innovation warmed my cockles at one of the hottest booths at the International Builders' Show.

This unforgettable fire is the scorching start to our list of the show's top ten products to make the neighbors jealous.

Don't huff that dust

May 22, 2007

Having choked down enough sawdust to fatten a swarm of termites, I breathed a splintery sigh of relief to find the Saw Muzzle at the recent International Builders' Show. This shop-vac attachment clamps over the sawdust-spewing mouth of most circular saw models, keeping the carcinogen out of your lungs (and out of your saw's gears).

The $70 Muzzle is one of Dustless Technologies' several tool-specific dust-control systems. It was also one of the best tools we saw at IBS.

Putting pegboard in its place

May 21, 2007

We all know that as storage solutions go, pegboard's got its problems. Get it wet if you don't believe me.

This month's National Hardware Show presented some alternatives. First, a perforated 20-gauge steel sheet called the Gator Grid. These 24x36-inch or 3x36-inch panels are built to project 5/8-inch from the wall, an improvement over pegboard, which you often mount on furring strips to give the hooks rear clearance. Add some heavy-duty hardware and the Grid can easily hold a ladder.

I like package deals myself, so I couldn't resist an attraction (!) to the magnetic board systems from Stuck-On Tools. Prices start around $50 for a 2x2-foot magnetized board and a slew of magnetic hooks, pegs, and several of those super-strong rare earth magnets the size of watch batteries. Their large hook can handle a lightweight drill, but I see its advantage as a customizable organizer of small hand tools—and a good place to keep extra wrenches and screwdrivers.

You spin me right round

May 17, 2007

Our July/August issue will feature some of the most incredible ceiling fans I've ever seen in my life. The article made me wonder, though: what can I do to beautify the boring white blades hovering overhead in my own house? How can I wake each morning to a whimsical vista and take advantage of an oft-overlooked avenue of aesthetic expression?

Spin Shades, that's how. These decorative appliques, sold 5 for $12 in patterns such as grapevine (above) or heart (right), stick to the blades' faces, spinning in style. The company also specializes in revolving lampshades and aromatherapeutic fragrance lamps.

All of the 30+ decals are removable, so you can switch them out with the season. I can't wait until crisp autumn breezes are blown down on me from actual autumn leaves (left), twisting my optic nerve into a corkscrew as I watch each beautiful blade twirl in a blur.