Workshops Galore

The MAKE blog is collecting a nice assortment of photos of workshops from their readers.

Some of them definitely put me to shame...I wish I was that organized!

View them all here and here and here and here.

Craftsman Magnetic Steel Bowl

Now I see that Craftsman has expanded in to magnetic bowls, which are available for holding screws and stuff I suppose.

On the one hand it seems funny to me to get a Craftsman-branded steel bowl.

On the other hand, after spilling a box of drywall screws last weekend I totally want one.

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Olfa Carpet Cutter - A Heavy Duty Retractable Blade

The Olfa Carpet Cutter is a heavy duty cutting tool with some extra thought behind it that greatly expands it's usefulness.

The standard disposable blade is fixed in place with a fly wheel rather than the traditional spring-loaded step lock. As a result--according to a reader over at Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools--is a much quicker action to extend and retract the blade.

Even more interesting, the tail of the blade housing is even more intersting--designed for tucking carpet edges it's universal pry tool useful for opening paint cans and situations where a delicate prying is in order.

(via KK's Cool Tools)

Wobble Light

The Wobble Light is a three-foot tall Weeble-like device that can return quickly to an upright position whenever bumped, jostled or knocked over.

Versions are available with halogen, flourescent or metal halide bulbs, which throw light in ranges from 16 to 110 feet.

If you're looking for fun, you can pass about 20 seconds by playing with the interactive animation on their home page and knock the Wobble Light over a few times.

NHS 2006: Fold-a-Cart

A lingering gadget from the National Hardware Show a few weeks back, Fold-a-Cart was another winner of Popular Mechanics' annual Editor's Choice Award.

The Fold-a-Cart does pretty much what it says, folding up and out of the way. According to their website they do it with a flexible tub that supposedly resists tears, punctures and fading (fading?). The payload capacity of the tub is 400 lbs.

NHS 2006: Noise Buster Noise Canceling Ear Muffs

The Noise Buster ear muffs bring noise cancelling technology made popular by high end airline accessories now comes to the job site to protect users of heavy duty power tools.

A major improvement over simpler muffling, circuitry in the headphones monitors external noise and produces opposing sound waves that cancel out loud noises.

The Noise Buster will retail for about $150.

NHS 2006: CreteSheet

Winner of Popular Mechanic's 'New Product of the Year' award at this year's National Hardware Show, we present you with 'the worlds simplest concrete mixer' - the CreteSheet...

Per their website:
"Made of thick polyethylene and treated with a UV inhibitor, the CreteSheet is solidly constructed to easily manage an 80 lb. bag of concrete. The four handles have been firmly bonded thermally and mechanically, ensuring stable handling and maximum control. "

Nope, nothing more complicated than that. Intended as a replacement for the traditional wheelbarrow or cement mixer, the tool targets the DIYer looking for a simple solution for mixing small batches of concrete for home or garden projects.

I'll admit I didn't get it at first, but their website's how-to steps actually did make this seem like a pretty practical (albeit simple) solution.

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LED Maglite Update: Mag-LEDs are Coming Soon

Gizmodo gets the scoop on this one--Maglite will begin to introduce their long-promised LED products beginning in May...

Believe it or not, all someone had to do was email their customer service group and they got the details. From that note:

"Here is the schedule we plan to use to deliver our Mag-LED lights: 2, 3 & 4 cell D Maglites in Black will be available in May or June LED upgrade kits for the D cells will be available in June or July 2 and 3 cell AA Mag-LEDs will be available in July or August No upgrade kits will be produced for the AA and AAA lights. The new products will be found in most Hardware and discount stores. "

(via Gizmodo)

Tiny Stud Finder

Is your toolbox already too full for another tool? Like mini-style tools? Are you a midget? If you've raised your hand, then you'll want to check out this tiny stud finder.

Miles Kimball offers this little marvel for just $5, and aside from being small it's also interesting engineering. As far as I can tell, it looks for nails in studs using a magnet. Not sure how it would detect studs otherwise--it's not a powered model.

(via bookofjoe and Apartment Therapy)

Review: Little Green Suckers

Recently, Bill over at Enon Hall mentioned that he had ordered a set of Little Green Suckers.

Intrigued, I went to the website and checked them out. Self-described as "the ultimate tool for accomplishing jobs that ordinarily take two people," they attach to an air compressor which creates a vacuum seal, allowing them to stick to any semi-smooth surface. To release them, you simply cover the exhaust port and they release into your hand. They have a built-in fence for quickly alignment when installing siding, as well as a magnet for hooking your tape measure to for easy measuring. They are available from littlegreensucker.com for $89.95.

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Bessy Irregular Angle Clamp Set

Looking for a way to clamp uneven surfaces or unusual angles? Bessy Clamps makes a clamp set specifically for your problem.

These clamps include two ball-and-socket joints that adjust to angles from 15 to 180 degrees. An adapter set is also available that mounts on their standard bar clamps.

(via JLCOnline)

Kobalt 4-Piece 2" Ratcheting Clamp Set

As far as I can tell, Kobalt is the house brand at Lowe's for mechanics tools...their website references that Lowe's is now the exclusive retailer of Kobalt Tools. This ranch clamp set is intriguing nonetheless.

I've always liked having small clamps around like this. They can be useful for project work, but they're equally nice for the random odd need around the house. At just ten bucks for a set of four you can't really go wrong.

Stanley MaxLife Tripod Flashlight

Stanley's new MaxLife 369 flashlight comes in a handy new tripod configuration for hands-free task lighting.

As is the trend these days in flashlights, it features bright-white LED bulbs for more power and a reasonable battery life. It also supports multiple light levels for different situations, and a warning light when power drops below 3% remaining battery life.

Black & Decker Crossfire Laser Level

Consumer Reports just completed a review of laser levels in January, and this little beauty from Black & Decker came out as the proud recipient of their CR Best Buy for the category.

The Crossfire is a self-leveling model, so you won't need to worry about any manual calibration. CR also liked how brightly the laser projected on to distant walls, even in brightly-lit rooms. The Crossfire also produces both vertical and horizantal lines simultaneously, making it easy to mark perfect corners whenever and wherever needed.

Finally, if your installing a wallpaper runner or a wainscoat, you should check out the BDL300S. It includes the ability to cast its line a full 360-degrees at one time.

If you hang lots of pictures or wallpaper, or if you'll be laying tile in the near future it might be worth checking out.

Flat Back Tape Measure

At first I didn't get it, but after thinking about it I'm a pretty big fan of this idea.

The 'flat back' tape measure skips on the usual curved structure you find in most tapes. Instead, the flat surface allows you to do different things that a normal tape measure won't do.

Obviously, what it won't do is stand out like a normal tape measure. That said, it's probably the kind of thing that would be nice to have around the house for the occasional measurement you need to do on a curved or angled surface.

Three Legged Ladder

I'm sure that if you could look in the file cabinets of all the independent inventors of the world, you'd see lots of variations on the three legged ladder. Turns out, even though you might not see them in your typical Home Depot, they do indeed exist.

In fact, the concept has been around for over a decade so it isn't really new. That said, it hasn't exactly caught on so it still qualifies as a 'speciality ladder' for most manufacturers. You'll have to put in some effort to get one.

This particular model (the FTP6200 Series) is from Werner. Aside from the whole three-legged thing, you'll find it also includes some nice features like a customized top step to better hold all your stuff.

So, check it out if your looking to get up high in tight, uneven or unusual work areas where a four-legged ladder won't easily fit.

Telesteps Telescoping Ladder

Move over Little Giant, Telesteps offers several telescoping ladders that expand from just 30" when closed to over 12 feet fully expanded.

They weigh in at between 20 and 22 pounds, depending on the model.

Check out an animated sample of the ladder expanding after the jump...