August 31, 2007
Just face-nail it. Avoid Dr. Bostitch by reading our gallery on safe shooting.
Open wide: a foot-powered dentist's drill from the 19th century. [Toolmonger]
But we can still hurt ourselves in modern times: here's how to rebuild a defunct NiCd battery pack. [Astromart]
While you're at it, you could just zap those batteries with a welder. [Make]
Then use them to fix up the decrepit house you're squatting in. [Shelter Life] via [NY Times]
Or clean the place with a vacuum even nature doesn't abhor. [Wired]
A ruler from Crayola hollers out measurements as you take them. For best results, wear crayon cologne while using. [Book of Joe] and [Gizmodo]
While we're on eau de toilette, learn how to turn your toilet into a sink and stop flushing money down the drain. [Instructables]
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August 31, 2007
I've got an old house. As such, no walls, floors, openings or corners are ever square. No worries, though, because I had a fresh pack of composite decking sliced into shims.
Plastic shims? I feel a slight disruption in the part of my brain responsible for eco-consciousness.
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August 30, 2007
Alas, hardware stores rarely traffic in such treats.
This is the cutest film of puppets arguing in a hardware store that I've ever seen. That said, I don't think I've seen puppets in such a situation before.
Not to spoil it, but one asks another for nails "to nail someone's feet to the floor."
Are we talking about driving a nail through the puppeteer's hand?
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August 30, 2007
This is the first time I've heard this particular complaint about a pad sander: Donald here has worn out the poor thing's pad, and when he presses down on it, the body's screws poke through his paper.
You technically should let the sander do the work, but this old DeWALT 411 (DeWA?) looks like it's worked hard enough for one lifetime.
I'm more of a random-orbital fan myself, but I'm curious: anybody have a screwy sander story to share? Give us the gritty details.
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August 28, 2007
This unidentified plying object came in from reader Ken in California. He writes,
It's marked with a number "two" and the word "warranted" sort of implying it comes in different sizes. The working surface is two steel hemispheres with a flat surface between them.
Guesses so far at the office have included:
- A penny-pincher
- A bacon-flipper
- A molar-extractor
Dear readers: what y'all think?
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August 28, 2007
Mitered joints can open for a variety of reasons--the angled cut of the wood fibers can cause the tips of the joint to splay, changes in seasonal humidity can move the wood around--but whenever one does open up, it reflects badly on the craftsman. So I’ve taken out a bit of cheap, but extremely good insurance: Collins Miter Clamps.
I used to take the time to back-cut my joints with a low-angle block plane. Now, I run a bead of glue, set my miter clamps, and fire in a few brads to hold the assembly together. In addition to keeping constant pressure on the mitered joint while the glue dries, using these clamps allows for a hands-free assembly.
This eliminates greatly reduces the risk of accidentally shooting myself in the finger with a brad.
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August 27, 2007
I have a drill. I have an impact driver. One has three retractable jaws that grip any size bit, the other uses a 3/8-inch chuck and accepts quick-release hex-shank bits (only).
Until now, I needed a combination of sets and adapters to drill and drive with both guns. Ahem: until now.
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August 24, 2007
Ancient hardware store sign, Mission Street, San Francisco. Thanks, Ali!
Your appliances were stuffed into your drawers. Thrice. [Wired]
And Japan laid plans for the world's tallest building--by a long shot--at a proposed 13,000 feet. [scifi.com]
Until it's built, we'll have to settle for the world's tallest Lego tower instead. [Gizmodo]
More modest structures could consider a whole-house off switch. [Inhabitat]
And even more accessible: a couple dozen seasoned whittlers explain how to sharpen a pocket knife. [Toolmonger]
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August 24, 2007
Like any good organic gardener, I like to give my plants a good sip of compost tea every now and again.
But the effort required to unscrew my old sprayer's lid to top off the tea feels like unwrapping a CD from its cellophane tomb without the services of a Swiss army knife.
So I figured if Ryobi's Home and Garden Sprayer could bid good riddance to that nuisance, then it's worth its $30 asking price.
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August 23, 2007
My cats have shed so much hair onto the carpet that the carpet seems to be shedding it back onto them. Not that I have time to do anything about it.
So I'm curious about the newest Roomba, a redesigned version of the robotic home vacuum that debuted five years ago. Seemed ideal--turn it on, sit back, watch it clean--but the old model required a bit of "room prepping" before you could set it loose, otherwise it'd get stuck.
Sounds suspiciously like work, if you ask me.
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