By Jon Eakes
TOOLS: Re-invention & Innovation
It is that time of year
again when the editor asks me to put together the most interesting things
I have discovered about tools recently. Although I do mention some power tools,
this year's list is more about the accessories, the blades or even the uses.
Here are some things that I think you may find very interesting for your sites.
In the category of "re-inventing
an old standard", this year has seen two radically new utility blades
come onto the market. Irwin, also marketed under the name Lenox, has come
out with a bi-metal utility knife. We use bi-metal blades all the time in
recrip-saws because you can bend them like crazy before they break. By sandwiching
hard steel (the cutting edge) with soft steel (the body), you get a blade
that stays sharp three times longer and won't snap when you accidentally bend
it.
Showing up under the name Rapid-Edge is the world's first serrated utility
knife blade. What a concept. I can't get this blade to bunch up the paper
on drywall.
When
we work with concrete, either drilling or chiselling, we use hammer drills
and usually SDS chucks. Because most of us in North America work with wood,
not concrete, we are not all aware that there is a variety of small but powerful
drills designed to drill, hammer-drill or simply hammer. Hence, you can have
a multi-purpose drill that can serve as well as a small jack hammer. What
even fewer people know is that Bosch makes a full set of wood chisels with
SDS shafts for use with those three-purpose hammer drills. If you have ever
struggled to chisel down some framing where you can't get in with a recip-saw,
you will love using these power wood chisels.
Another
innovation from Bosch is a "quick-connect" hole saw arbour unit.
They sell a whole line of hole saws with special collars that quick-connect
into their own chuck for instant size changing. Wide-set teeth make for a
loose plug inside the saw and, with the drill bit that stays back with the
drill, it is easy to eject the plug by pushing right up through the centre
of the saw.
One
more Canadian invention has been added to the list of hole saw ejection mechanisms.
This one is beautifully simple and sturdy. Lenox was apparently the first
to think of using extended locking pins to push the plug out of the hole saw,
but an inventor from Alberta took it one great step further. He put those
extended locking pins onto a reverse threaded shaft and called the thing the
Twister ezeOUT. Mount your hole saw as usual then push up the locking pins
as usual. They lock into place with a little collar on the threaded shaft.
After you drill your hole, you simply stop the drill, hold the rear collar
with your hand and reverse the drill. The collar will thread up on the shaft,
driving the plug neatly right out of the hole saw, even with wet wood. It
is hard to find but you can locate it, as well as a video of how it works,
at www.norstarmarketing.com.
A
couple of years ago, consumers got a little plastic gadget called Caulk-Away
that would rather easily scrape out silicone caulking from around the bathtub,
both sides in one pass. Contractors liked it but wanted something more sturdy
and able to handle tougher caulking beads. So the company just brought out
the Caulk-Away Pro, a sharpened metal version with replaceable blades. It
will cut on both the push and the pull, gets deep into the corner and has
a rear scraper much like an old beer can opener, which was always one of the
best tools for opening up hairline cracks.
Why
yellow safety glasses? You may not be aware of it, but yellow safety glasses
increase contrasts and improve vision in dimly lit areas like basements. Yes,
wearing shades indoors can even make your work safer and easier on your eyes.
Here
is a trades cross-over. In the top right photo you see a lag bolt going into
a 6x6, such as for deck and dock building. To its right you see a mechanics
impact wrench, modernized by being neither pneumatic nor corded. This small,
lightweight battery-operated impact wrench will drive in lag bolt after lag
bolt without even tiring your hands or your arms, because there is almost
no kickback and definitely none of that drill twisting right out of your hands
when you hit bottom. It never occurred to me to use an auto mechanic's tool
for woodworking, but I was amazed when someone had me try it.
What
is the first thing to break on any circular saw? The cord, right where it
enters the saw. So Bosch decided to simply take the cord off. Now you lock
in your own extension cord with the new "Direct Connect" saw. This
tool is designed to use the cord to lower a saw down from the rafters and
you will never have to send it in for repairs for a damaged cord - just change
the extension cord if you have a problem.
The Tiger Claw from Porter Cable is not a new tool this year, but it has got
me out of so much trouble that I just had to include it, in case you haven't
noticed it yet. The first joint sets to several useful positions, and then
the business end can be set to any position, or rotated freely during cutting
a full 360 degrees.
You can actually use it like a jig saw to cut a circle where you could not
even reach with a regular cut-saw. As we continue to cut large ventilation
duct holes in tight places, this thing is indispensable. When I really want
to see a speciality saw stay on the market, I will keep talking about it.
The
latest Alberta invention is a simple set of four handles and hooks called
Slab-Setter. Now you can place those patio blocks without sliding them and
messing up the sand below them - and keep your back straight while you are
at it. They won't hit the store shelves in time for this spring, so I have
put them in my on-line store at JonEakes.com.
Montreal-based TV broadcaster, author, home renovation and tool expert
Jon Eakes provides a tool feature in each edition of Home BUILDER.
www.JonEakes.com
