I just returned from a couple days of media-event-fun sponsored/hosted by Bosch at their HQ in Mount Prospect Illinois. Several new products were announced and the media had a chance to go hands-on with many Bosch (and competitor) tools. The GLT (Global Leadership Tour) was action-packed, with several highlights that will likely pique the interest of any fan of Bosch tools, or those that might just be Bosch-curious. [Read more...]
Bosch New Tools GLT2011 – Helicopter Tool Drops, Beer Tap Prototyping and More
Douglas Tools Super Hammers – I think I’m in love!
If any of you have read my profile my favorite tool is my framing hammer. I’ve made a lot of beautiful music with it and it just feels right in my hand. But looking at the Douglas Hammer I can hear Eric Carmen singing ‘Hungry Eyes’ and my mouth begins to drool. Where do I begin with this piece of art? [Read more...]
How to Maintain Butcher Blocks and Cutting Boards – Give them the Viagra Treatment
All of us who enjoy working with wood have made cutting boards or butcher blocks that we’ve glued up from scraps. We couldn’t throw those great pieces away after a project was finished. Of course not! We woodworkers are the original green dudes. “Don’t throw it away! I can make something with that!” [Read more...]
Moving Heavy Furniture – Sometimes DIY Is Really Best
The offending product has been removed from this photo!
Skil DIY Contest – DeWalt’s Deluge of New Tools – Makita Cordless Miter Saw – Father’s Day Deals
Yup, it’s that time again. Our inbox has been crushed with an onslaught of tool news announcements, and we are ready to share some of the latest news with you in this 2nd installment of Tool News Nirvana! [Read more...]
Porter Cable PC1500HG Heat Gun Review – A Bad Choice for Pyromaniacs
Heat guns are versatile tools used for everything from heat-shrink tubing for wiring to paint stripping. In fact the heat gun has been the go-to paint stripper for many until recently. Two big issues exist when it comes to paint stripping: 1) heat guns potentially vaporize the lead in lead paint (and you shouldn’t be dry-stripping lead paint anyway), and, 2) you might burn your house down. I’ve heard anecdotal stories about heat guns igniting an ember in a wall where paint stripping was underway and, so legend has it, the house eventually burned down. Curious about heat guns’ incendiary qualities, I decided to channel my inner Beavis and see if I could get some stuff to catch on fire using only the PC1500HG heat gun sent to us by Porter Cable. I of course observed all the safety precautions of an untrained but cautious professional, but please, don’t try this at home (or at your friend Butthead’s house). [Read more...]
When Nerds Renovate – The Star Trek Door
As much as I like Star Wars, I have always been a Star Trek kind of girl. Sure, it’s easy to say that now, after JJ Abrams rebooted the series in such a hip way, but being a Trekker wasn’t always a respectable thing. Trust me – when all your tween friends were fawning over Bop Magazine and New Kids On The Block, admitting your cringe-worthy crush on Lt. Commander Data was not exactly the fastest way to achieve popularity and a successful social life. But even I, a solid devotee to the Star Trek franchise, would never think to do what this man did – and install a classic Star Trek feature to his home. [Read more...]
Sweet Free Plans – MacGyver Worthy Piano Tool Bench and Conversation Piece
They say that necessity is the mother of invention. And while that may be true I contend, in at least this case, that ingenuity is the cranky old grandfather and boredom is the big papi! What you think you see is an old upright piano however, de de de de, it’s a covert work station with pegboard and cabinets. So I guess the guy was like, “Well I have this 800 lb. broken piano, and all my tools in this itty bitty apartment. How can I have the best of both worlds?” I’d personally love to see what he could do with a recliner and toilet! Truthfully, when I see things like this I want to ask the person who did it if they are interested in taking a look at that pesky cancer thing or our energy dependence. I gotta think there’s more problem solving in that mind. Regardless of the rest of this guy’s life work, his addition to society, the Stealth Piano, has earned him a place on my mantle next to Mr. Dewalt and Señorita Makita. [Read more...]
Pocketweez – When You’re Serious as a Heart Attack About the Need to Tweeze
Scenario: I’m weeding my garden and as I brush a bug away from my face, feel a “man hair” growing out of my chin. (Damn, I’ll have to tend to that.) Moments later, an oversize thorn pierces my hand. (Man, that one went deep.) Before I even have a chance to regroup, a tick latches onto my backside. (This day just keeps getting better.) What’s a girl to do in a situation like this? There’s just one answer; if only I owned a handy Pocketweez. [Read more...]
How to Build a Rustic Picture Frame Using Half Round Birch
For those of you who like a rustic look in a picture frame, and I do mean rustic, the half round, birch wood frame is the ticket. As a custom picture framer hailing from Central New York, I can tell you that people around here like their wood rough. The grainier and knottier; the better. Bring on the imperfections. And, though I offer over two thousand moulding samples from quality, trusted manufacturers, in every type of wood and style imaginable, sometimes they don’t quite suit that “certain” client. The gruff man. The mountain man. The manliest of men. The man who barks, “Go$#@^!*mit, I wan’t a frame that looks like you just ripped it off a tree!” [Read more...]
