Specialty Tools
Over at Lumberjocks you can peruse a ton of user submitted projects. Most of them are woodworking. Some masterpieces and some questionable but all home grown.
This homemade cyclone dust collector caught our eye as it's a unique problem solving tool that many builders would love to have in their shop. Basically it acts as an intermediary between the vacuum canister and the end of the hose. The sawdust is deposited in the bucket and therefore the vacuum doesn't lose power as it fills up and the bucket has a higher volume before it is filled.
Here's what the inventor said of his diy concoction:
Our sense of hearing takes a lot of abuse and over time will deteriorate. It's not only the obvious times to protect your hearing such as at a rock concert, listening to your iPod or playing the drums, but also at home while mowing the lawn or using power tools.
Our Giveaway this week, the Ryobi TEK4 Audio Plus Noise Suppression Headphones claim to protect your hearing using active noise suppression/canceling technology, but they also allow you to communicate in regular conversations as they have a built-in mic that pics up nearby low-level sounds that are amplified into the headphones.
There's also an audio input so you can use these headphones with your iPod or other audio device and these headphones are water and impact resistant and should work well in outdoor working environments.
HOW TO ENTER
You've got 2 ways to enter to win these noise suppression headphones from Ryobi:
1. Leave a comment on this post. Just below enter your name and email and comment.
2. Tweet this post. See the green "retweet" button above. Just use it and tweet away!
Each method of entry counts so you'll double your chance of winning if you comment and tweet. Please use a real email address so we can contact you if you win and let us know in the comments if you enter by multiple methods.
GIVEAWAY DEADLINE
The random winner will be chosen at 12 midnight EST on Nov. 13, 2009 and will be notified immediately.
Comment Here to Win
It's decorating season and it starts for some by putting up amber and orange twinkle lights for Halloween then continues into late December with hanging Christmas lights. Toolmonger shares these holiday light string hooks that are so small and unobtrusive that you can leave them out year round which would make hanging holiday lights much easier year after year.
The rounded hook prevents the lights strings from being blown down by the wind but the design allows for easy entry and release.
Available from Lee Valley & Veritas
We've profiled a few of our favorite iPhone Apps for DIY and great ones keep on coming!
As of today, here's a complete list of our favorites.
1. Knot Guide - A must have for the boy scout within.
2. The Stanley Level - Is that a level in your pocket?
3. The Handyman App - Calculate paint, flooring, wallpaper and more.
4. ID Wood - Empower yourself at the lumber yard or flooring shop. Our review
5. Converter - Ultimate unit conversions
One of the cooler products (no pun intended) we've reviewed is the Ryobi TEK4 Infrared Thermometer. All TEK4 Tools are cordless and use a rechargeable battery. Built for toughness they are impact and dust resistant so you won't have to worry about taking it with you to the job site.
We certainly wish the TEK4 website ran a bit faster and was not built entirely in flash but it's worth the wait to check out the product line.
We found the infrared thermometer to deliver as promised. The real time readout is actually fun to play with and we couldn't stop pointing the laser at everything in the room. Turns out we should probably turn on the gas heater soon as our space was in the 60's. The thermometer measures from temperatures ranging from -4 to 590 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 to 310 Celsius). So no worries using this in extreme environments.
We're always inspired by entrepreneurs who see an opportunity that aligns with their passion and dive right in. Kelly Giard of Clean Air Lawn Care fits that description and has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as a finalist in their Emerging Entrepreneur of 2009 contest.
Launched in 2006, Clean Air Lawn Care has become the nation's leading full-service sustainable lawn care company. Dedicated to using clean electric and biodiesel powered equipment for lawn mowing and landscape maintenance that is run on renewable energy. Their electric equipment is charged during the day by solar panels mounted on our trucks and overnight with wind power. For an industry that he calls the "dirty frontier" they are about as clean as you can get.
Kelly took the time to answer a few of our questions about the lawn care industry as well as offering some awesome tips for taking care of your lawn. He's also does a great job of convincing us to re-evaluate our stance on synthetic lawns.
C&H: What's your background and how did you get into the clean lawn business?
Kelly: I grew up in Walla Walla, WA and had my own one guy mowing operation with about 25 clients. I've always enjoyed the work - especially the immediate satisfaction of seeing your efforts in the finished product. I went off to Boston University and got a masters in Econ, but also picked up a bachelors in Environmental Analysis and Policy. After 8 years as a retail stockbroker in Fort Collins, CO, I was getting a little bored and so I started Clean Air Lawn Care out of my garage mostly for fun. I got lucky and business took off, I sold my brokerage business, and made the decision to go big with Clean Air. Clean Air is what I would call the wedding of my high school job, my environmental interests, and my experience in business.
iPhone apps for the remodeling and diy enthusiast are plentiful. There's an app to pick a paint color and an app to level a shelf but we recently got a handy new app that is more educational than gimmick. This app from Double Dog Studios is a reference guide for wood and contains full screen samples and detailed information for over 50 different varieties. It's a standalone application that doesn't require an internet connection so you can access it at the lumber yard or design store.
We've had a chance to check it out and we really dig the educational reference pages that explain the types of cuts (quarter sawn, rift sawn) as well as the very helpful "wood" glossary for those not in the industry. But one of the most helpful features we found was their listing of sustainability of wood types from secure to moderate and threatened. A must for any green builder or customer who is conscious about the materials they are going to buy.
The Homewrecker is another demolition tool that promises to help you tear down much faster. What's unique is the cat's paw claw end that will have you pulling nails at a much faster rate.
If the Homewrecker is too light duty to do the trick then check out our previous list of Tools of Mass Destruction that will take down any home.
[via Toolmonger]
You've just spent time and energy refinishing your floors or installing new hardwood and the last thing you want to do is carefully drag that heavy armoire or cabinet back in place for danger of scratching your beautiful new floors. Most people resort to stick-on felt guides which might work for lighter furniture such as chairs or sidetables, but even with these high use items the stick-on guides will eventually slide off giving you a false sense of security.
One Project Closer advocates the use of nail-on felt guides which are a more permanent solution to saving your floor. They've provide a nice step-by-step for installing these felt guides. The only drawback is they are permanent and if you remove them the foot of the furniture will be weakened and will also have a hole cut into it. For most people this probably isn't a concern but for owners of antiques and classic furniture this may not be an option.
