DeWalt is apparently looking for the world's greatest finish carpenter and they're willing to load up a lot of people with prizes in order to do it. It's a unique contest in that it's done in two stages and it seems particularly susceptible to huge amounts of fraud.
To enter, you first have to log on to DeWalt.com and set up a profile. Then you have to choose a project category; built-in cabinets, custom stairs, or mantles as well as send them some images of other work that you've done (do this by Sept 24th). At this point, DeWalt will narrow the field down to 17 contestants, who they will ship a ton of tools to, in order for you to complete the project. Then, after eight weeks, you've got to send back pictures of the project. DeWalt then chooses one grand prize winner and showers them more tools, some Carhartt gear and race tickets.
And as far as the idea of fraud goes, we would like to direct DeWalt to the above picture of a staircase we just built.
Everything you need to know about the contest is here.
We were at Home Depot the other day and in the paint department we saw an interesting item. It was a little drywall patching kit that consisted of one small piece of aluminum step flashing and one piece of drywall joint tape. It was selling for $2.50 or so.
It's an idea that we've never heard of, putting the flashing over the hole; taping the whole thing and then mudding it smooth. The profit margin for a piece of aluminum and tape has got to be huge, but if you don't want to deal with the extra materials, then it's probably worth it.
We also have absolutely no recollection what the product was called, so we're really no help at all.
Storage and organization is a constant problem for us and we're guessing many of you as well. Just the other day, we spent a good deal of time dealing with the giant pile of tools, fasteners, and lumber that had accumulated over the past weeks. It's no fun to do and we always have to deal with a vague sense of failure when we do it. Is it that tough to put things away when you're done with them?
The trick is, obviously, to have a place for everything (and everything in its place), instead of some hazy "I sort of keep these over here, and sometimes (but not all the time), I put those over here," concept of organization. With this in mind, our pal Mark Clement has come to the rescue with a nice article on tool organization. In it, he leads us through the construction of a workbench, a cart, a tool belt hook, and a bracket for cord storage. As always with Mark's articles, it's informative, clearly written, and accompanied with some nice photos.
We also highly recommend Sandor Nagyszalanczy's (say that five times fast) Setting Up Shop if you're looking for a far more detailed look at the principals behind good shop organization.
We're not huge fans of August. It's too hot to do much outside and we just find ourselves overbooked all the time. There's a lot of living crammed into August. We prefer the mellower months of October and November when we start preparing for the winter and we're not sweating through three shirts a day.
We only reviewed one tool this month so it's no shocker that Ze-Vo EndCuts gets the Tool of the Month. It's a gimmie, but even up against tough competition, it would still get the prize. If you've never heard of it, we highly recommend it.
This is very cool. It's just out in Europe at the moment. It's got a maximum height of 3.6 meters (just under 12 feet), with two other working heights; 1.2 meters (around four feet) and 1.8 (around six feet). It sells for 3295 pounds, which is about $6000 U.S. More information here.
You know those creepy photos you can find on the internet, the kind with the frog that wandered too close to the nuclear power plant and now has an extra arm growing out of it's forehead? That's what we think of when we look at Stanley's new 3-in-1 Tripod Flashlight. We've got one of their standard tripod lights and are so used to it that this thing looks like some kind of ghastly genetic mutation. See it there with its freaky little, stunted silver legs and it's three heads all perched up top crowding each other in some Darwinian competition for to be the dominant head?
It's probably a nice light, but it sends a shiver up our spine.
Bosch Releases 14.4-Volt and 18-Volt Litheon Tools
Bosch just sent out word that they're finally getting into the 14.4-volt and 18-volt lithium market. Up until now they've kept their Li-Ion tools at the extremes, with either the little 12-volt or the Conan the Barbarian 36-volt. But now, finally, they've discovered their middle ground.
The new tools are exclusively in the hammer/drill/driver category and from what information is available at the moment, they look pretty nice. In addition to there being the two voltages (14 and 18), there are two types of batteries as well. The Brute Tough tools come with a FatPack battery and the Compact Tough come with a SlimPack Battery. The systems are compatible with one another, meaning that SlimPack batteries fit on Brute Tough tools and vise versa. Got it?
The tools also come with a nice 2 year battery replacement policy.
The new tools are as follows:
18V Litheon BruteTough Hammer Drill/Driver
14.4V Litheon BruteTough Hammer Drill/Driver
18V Litheon BruteTough Drill/Driver
14.4V Litheon BruteTough Drill/Driver
...and...
18V Litheon CompatTough Drill/Driver
14.4V Litheon CompatTough Drill/Driver
The best news is that this is just the start. After the release of these tools in October, we can expect to start seeing more tools start to appear in the lineup, including a circular saw, a reciprocating saw, and a flashlight, all 18-volts.
As the summer comes to an end, and your deck project drags on and on, you should possibly think about picking up a BoWrench. It's a decking tool that helps create a consistent layout, particularly being useful with warped boards (specifically yours which have been getting rained on for the past month). The idea behind it is simple; the wrench binds up on a joist and the handle allows you to press the deck board into place.
Although we've never used a BoWrench, we've used plenty of other methods for getting deck boards straight; from beater blocks to ground down, sharpened screwdrivers driven into the joist and levered back. Pretty much at some point during every deck project we do, we think, "we should get one of those BoWrench thingys."
Here's a 40 second video of the BoWrench with some killer salsa music accompanying.
Because of the website, we're always checking out Amazon's bestseller list for the home improvement category. And today, for about the billionth day in a row, the number one spot is held by Dremel's Cordless Pet Nail Grooming Rotary Tool. It goes to show you what a little marketing can do. From the looks of it, it's simply a Dremel Rotary tool that comes with a few grinding drums. But it's packaged as a pet grooming tool, so it's bought as a pet grooming tool. They also have a pumpkin carving tool, which looks suspiciously similar.
We looked through the comments at Amazon (the majority of which were positive), hoping to find one of those choice negative ones that is completely irrational and written entirely in caps, but unfortunately, they were all pretty sane. It sounds like the major complaint is that the tool goes through batteries at a good clip. But, like we said, most of the comments are positive, so at the reasonable price of under $25, it might be worth checking out.
For more specifics on the tool, see what our pals at SuperCoolPets have to say.
While we're waiting very impatiently for the release of Dremel's new oscillating tool, the Dremel Multi-Max, we thought we'd tell you about three new glue guns that they're adding to their lineup. These new guns are stripped down versions of their existing gun, the 1200 which is for heavy duty work (it even has an LED). Each of the three has different features so it doesn't really matter what you do with a glue gun, you'll likely be able to find one of these four that matches your needs.
According to Dremel:
The only glue gun in the new line designed specifically to hold 7-millimeter glue sticks, the Dremel 1225 Glue Gun (20 watts) is perfect for light crafting projects like school assignments and decorating picture frames. It features a built-in stand and wide base to keep the glue gun upright and help to prevent the glue gun from tipping over while working on a project. It also offers an ergonomic handle for comfortable use and an anti-drip nozzle with silicon tip for protection from accidental burns. The suggested retail price is $5.99.
The Dremel 1230 Glue Gun (40 watts) offers a built-in stand, wide base, anti-drip nozzle with silicon tip plus a soft grip handle for extra comfort and control. It holds 11-millimeter diameter glue sticks and is ideal for home decorating projects and fixing broken household items. The suggested retail price is $9.99.
In addition to the features on the two previous models, the Dremel 1235 Glue Gun (60 watts) offers a textured soft grip handle, a dual temperature setting and power indicator LED light to clearly indicate when the tool is on and heating. This model holds 11-millimeter glue sticks. It is perfect for light DIY projects such as repairing a loose chair spindle or reattaching countertop laminate or cabinet veneer. The suggested retail price is $15.99.
The newest additions to the Dremel Glue Gun line join the brand's flagship model, the Dremel 1200 Glue Gun (80 watts), which offers all of the features on models 1225, 1230 and 1235 plus an LED work light, a light that indicates when the glue gun has reached optimal temperature and three changeable nozzles (one fine, one standard and one wide). This model holds 11-millimeter glue sticks. The suggested retail price is $24.99.
The best part is that they are all Dremel and that's likely to mean quality. But, like the Multi-Max, we're all going to have to wait until October.
We always like to see something new and different, and that's just what Milwaukee is delivering with their new Hackzall, due out later this year. The easiest way to describe it is to call it a single handed Sawzall, but that's actually pretty far from the truth. For one, it's only 12 volts and when put up against 15 amps of destructive power, it's not up to the same tasks at all. But because it's so small, it doesn't even want to do those tasks, due to the face that it's busy doing all the things that a full-sized Sawzall can't. Things like cutting in outlet boxes, cutting pipes in cramped spaces, and plenty of other things that you'll discover once you get your hands on one.
We were fortunate to try out a Hackzall at Milwaukee when they released the tool and there, under a very controlled setting, we really liked it a lot. We're curious to see how it does under less controlled circumstances.
Another thing worth mentioning is that when we were at Milwaukee, all of the employees, every single one, seemed very, very happy to be working there. It wasn't the pasted on smiles that you see at some press events, it was legit and almost unsettling. It had us thinking that either a) there's some pretty strong Kool-Aid in Milwaukee, or b) it really is a great company to work for. Our guess is the latter, due to the fact that everyone made eye contact when they spoke to us, as opposed to that having that glazed-over look that you see in George Romero movies.
With everyone out buying the hip and trendy Skeletool, there must be an abundance of ignored, old, neither hip nor trendy Leathermans. If you've got one, and you're looking to give it a second life, you now have the opportunity, thanks to Instructables, to turn it into a keychain. The transformation from multi-tool to keychain involves everything you imagine it would; take apart the Leatherman, grind down the keys, and then put the whole thing together.
It's an interesting idea and perfect for those mini-Leathermans, which we think are pretty much useless anyway.
We've had our eye on this crazy little thing since we first heard about it earlier this year. It's a little circular saw that dresses like an angle grinder and has the strength to cut through metal, ceramic, wood, and stone.
The kit comes with the saw, a variety of blades, a carrying case, a level, and a few other saw accessories. Out of the box it looks compact, but has a nice heft to it, indicating the possibility of a really quality tool.
The Croc Saw sells for about $100. If it's what we hope it is, that's not a lot of money to pay. We're going to start putting it through the ringer tomorrow. More information about the tool is here (pdf).
Also, we've got a few other reviews in the pipeline; DAP's new quick drying caulk, Paslode's new roofing gun, and Bosch's little 12 Volt Max (which we've been seriously abusing lately). All these are coming up, so stay tuned.
Making sure that cut ends are primed is an essential part of quality building, but it's also a royal pain in the ass. It's a whole separate set-up. You need to break out the primer (or head to the store to get some), make sure you've got some brushes handy, and then as you work all day, you get to watch your fingers get increasingly covered with primer, starting with a spot here and there, then on to the fingertips, and then, somehow, all over your hands and on to your shirt.
We saw Ze-VO's new EndCuts at the hardware store a few weeks ago and figured we'd give it a shot. It's a little tube of acrylic primer with a little foam applicator tip (think shoe polish). The intention is that you can quickly and easily prime the cut end of whatever it is you're working on. At the time, we were putting up clapboards and since we're manic about having our ends primed, why not see if it works?
Over at the Hardware Aisle, they've got a great posting on our preferred method of patching drywall. It's when you take a scrap of drywall and peel it away, leaving a little plug with paper flanges. From there on out it's all mud and smoothing.
It's a really easy way to do it and the results are great. We've been using this method for years and don't miss the old way of trying to screw some piece of wood across the hole in order to attach the patch.
DeWalt Top Finish Carpenter Contest
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Ze-VO EndCuts - Review
