The Power Tool Geek

The DeWALT Macho Man

2008-08-14T14:38:00.004-05:00

Apparently, DeWALT thinks "Macho Men" use their tools, and this latest promotional item helps us to enjoy that view of theirs. Thanks for the gift. It's making us laugh quite a bit.

What's going on with Laser Levels?

2008-07-03T10:04:00.003-05:00

We've been asked this quite a bit lately. Looking at laser levels on our site, you'll quickly see that many of them are on backorder. The question is, why?

Apparently, there is a little chip inside these levels that is currently in very short supply. Short supply as in almost non-existent. All of the manufacturers are in the same boat right now, so any that aren't currently on backorder probably will be soon.

If you need a laser level, I strongly suggest looking for ones that show stock numbers on the individual product pages. Those are the only ones we can 100% guarantee will ship in a timely fashion. I'll post an update when we get word on things getting back to normal, but this is the situation as of now.

Summer sandbox time

2008-06-19T14:18:00.003-05:00

Every now and then, I get to build something. Well, recently I got to build a sandbox. Being summer time, my two sons needed something to keep the occupied outside, and a sandbox is good, less than clean fun.

A few 4x4's, 2x12's, lag bolts, stainless screws and some lattice work, followed by some outdoor paint left over from our shed and it's all ready to go. Happy boys, and I got to use some power tools. Such fun.

Help! We're getting crowded!

2008-06-19T13:43:00.003-05:00

To keep up with our growing business, we've stocked up on things. We narrowed our aisles in the warehouse, put rails on the floor for the man-up stations, and invested in all sorts of new equipment including a second set of carousels.

Well, now our warehouse is completely full again, but business dictates that we have what we need in our inventory and could probably use more. So I guess we're at that crossroads once again - do we build more on our lot, get another building elsewhere, or do we look for a fulfillment partner to handle some of this product load?

So far, we're just investing in out-of-warehouse storage and keeping it close for easy use, but as we continue to expand our inventory to better service our customers it is getting to the point that we can't handle it with what we've got.

Thanks to our customers, it seems this problem comes up every couple of years. It's better that we need this type of help than help in getting business, though. Our customers are the best.

Thanks for the problems. They're appreciated.

ToolBarn.com New Additions

2008-05-29T15:14:00.002-05:00

Enter your email address in the form below to keep up on all of our new products. You'll get a daily email telling you what was added the day before and links to view anything you're interested in. The process is pretty quick and easy and is simple to unsubscribe if you decide you don't want to get the email any more.

Paslode Safety Recall on Red Fuel Cells

2008-05-14T15:33:00.006-05:00

Paslode has issued a safety recall on the "tall red" fuel cells used in cordless framing nailers. The part number is 816000 and the manufactured date on the outside of the master cartons is 11 - 13 Feb 2008. If you don't have the carton, the best use-before date to look for on the bottom of the cell is 09 - 11 Aug 2009.

If any of the Best Use Dates or Manufactured Dates above appear on the bottom of the Fuel Cell or side of the Master Carton as shown above, discontinue use immediately and return it to place of purchase for a full refund or credit!

If you'd like to read more, please see the original file provided.

Skil Power Cutter

2008-05-13T10:45:00.003-05:00

Skil recently released the power cutter and is advertising it pretty heavily. It's got many interesting uses, and this innovative tool is great year-round, indoors and out.

Cutting landscaping fabric is a great use this time of year. Scissors can easily dull while trying to cut this stuff, and knives are dangerous, so the auto-sharp blade on the power cutter is a great option here.

Great for Birthdays, Holidays, weddings and other gifting events, the power cutter makes easy work of wrapping paper, ribbons and boxes.

Excellence in cutting fabric means it's great for crafts and hobbies like sewing and quilting. Scissors can tire you out when doing large projects, so the power cutter is the perfect addition to any sewing room.

Outdoors, you'll find it a great choice for cutting vinyl siding, tar paper and more.

Of course, we can't show you everything, but some other uses include cutting carpet, plastic packaging, fabric, leather, paper, cardboard, vinyl siding, vinyl flooring, wallpaper and many others. Use your imagination and you'll find plenty of justification to buy this handy tool.

The tools for relaxation

2008-05-01T16:44:00.005-05:00

After a successful project or a hard day on the jobsite, nothing could be better than cracking a cold one. Well, Klein Tools was thinking that way too when they came out with their screwdriver handle bottle opener.

If your drinking is happening around the grill while you sizzle a steak, brat or burger, then the BBQ Tool Set will also be a welcome addition to your tool collection. Constructed with the same cushion grip screwdriver handles as the bottle opener, it's a one of a kind way to combine your hobbies.

Keep up with us on Twitter

2008-04-18T14:05:00.002-05:00

ToolBarn.com has a presence on Twitter now. You can keep up with new products and the latest articles by following us. If there is something else you'd like to have us send via twitter, please feel free to let us know in the comments on this blog post.

Oh, I almost forgot to link to our twitter page at http://www.twitter.com/toolbarn. We'll probably have a few contests coming out via twitter, too.

A Milwaukee Deal

2008-04-17T16:35:00.004-05:00

Sometimes, I see a deal that makes me say "Wow." Today is one of those days. We normally sell this Milwaukee 18V 1/2" hammer drill kit for $269, but due to a special purchase it comes with a reciprocating saw and we're selling it for less. Not just less, but a lot less.

I'm going to have to call this a great deal for someone wanting either a drill or a sawzall and get back to work, though. It seems I always have too much of that work stuff left, as I'm sure most of you can relate to.

Third Party Errors

2008-04-03T10:36:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, 4/2/08, we had a third party begin a test that affected some of our customers. This was specifically in the checkout portion of ToolBarn.com and created problems placing orders for a small percentage of visitors between 3:15pm and 6:15pm central time.

We would like to apologize for any inconvenience this caused and assure you that we are doing everything we can to ensure this does not happen again and this is not a normal occurrence. Unfortunately, the tests we were running are controlled by a third party and we had no control over fixing this.

Direct from the party involved:

...the bug itself originated at one point in our code where we've used a hard-coded URL by mistake.

Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and are taking all necessary steps to ensure this does not happen again.

Makita 5402NA Video

2008-02-11T11:55:00.000-06:00

A post I've been wanting to do for a while has been about Makita's 5402NA. This is a huge circular saw that is for timbers and beams. But, since I didn't feel I could do justice for it with words, I finally decided I should do it with a Makita 5402NA video.

If you don't subscribe to our power tool podcast, now would be a good time to do so. I have videos scheduled to come out Wednesday each week for a while. There's some good stuff coming up.

Skywalker Stilts

2007-11-21T15:25:00.001-06:00

Go ahead, throw the Darth Vader jokes out there. Yes, they're called Skywalker. Still, they have nothing to do with Luke or any Death Stars, at least that we know of.

We recently took a pair of Marshalltown Skywalkers out of the box and had one of our programmers try them out. He had walked on the old fashioned wooden stilts with the handles before, but never drywalling stilts, so we made sure his life insurance was paid up and headed outside.

Once out there, he fumbled a bit on the first stilt while trying to figure out how the straps worked. By the second one, he was getting better. You can see that one on the video below, as well as some of his first steps on the stilts. He said that the more naturally he tried to walk the easier it was, and the spring loaded "feet" actually made a huge difference even though he didn't expect them to. Overall, he really liked them.

I'll let you watch the video and see for yourself. Also, this is our first product video, so let me know if there are any issues with the flash player we created or with the bandwidth available for streaming the file.

After a bit of walking on a level surface (the grass didn't work so well), he was starting to get the hang of it already. Still, I think he's more valuable working on our website than drywalling. After all, it's guys like him that make it possible for you to watch the video and get cool tool related products.

Need some Milwaukee 18V batteries?

2007-10-19T16:03:00.000-05:00

Milwaukee just gave us an insane deal. They have a triple bay charger with 2 18V batteries for under $100 right now. That's a great deal for 2 batteries, and with the multi-bay charger thrown in you've got yourself a bargain.

On a side note, Matt says it looks like they made the charger much smaller than they used to. The truth is, it's actually just not to scale with the batteries in the picture. That's what happens when we use PhotoShop to create product images of multiple items.

** Added ** This is the older charger that doesn't handle Li-Ion batteries. Rather than being stuck with them, Milwaukee is trying to boost battery sales by giving away the older chargers. Still, it's a great deal if you're using 18V Milwaukee cordless tools.

Stanley Hacksaw - We've got 'em

2007-08-15T10:33:00.000-05:00

Yes, we got 'em. We got a lot of them. So many, in fact, that we're blowing them out for less than $5. And to make it even better, it includes a mini hacksaw that will work with the same blade.

This saw combo lists at over $23 and we usually sell them for around $16 - $18, so less than $5 is a great deal. What's even better is that we'll be adding a 10 pack for $45 and a 100 pack for $400. Did I mention that we got a lot of them?

Drill Selectors

2007-05-22T16:58:00.000-05:00

We've been working on a drill selector for some time now. As AJAX programming becomes more mainstream, we went ahead and developed this using that technology. The result has received positive reviews so far.

For cordless drills, you can try the cordless drill selector.

For electric, you can try the electric drill selector.

Any feedback is welcome, as well as suggestions for what selector you'd like to see built next. The technology was built flexible enough to handle just about anything we want to throw at it - I just need to figure out where to go next.

Our first podcast

2007-05-15T22:07:00.000-05:00

ToolBarn.com is now in the business of creating podcast content. The first one has been posted on our new Power Tool News & Views blog. It's all about top gifts for Dad for Father's Day. Oh, and that's Matt doing the voice in the podcast.

Spring Cleaning Tool List

2007-04-03T14:03:00.000-05:00

With the grass starting to grow and the weather turning nice, it's time to start thinking about yard work. Yes, I'm afraid it's returning to most of us this year. But the good news is that we've got some great tools for working on your yard.

For starters, no lawn is complete without a string trimmer. Simply mowing won't finish the job around the mailbox, trees, or even right up next to the house. A trimmer will finish that up and make it look freshly manicured, and it'll leave the other lawns "Green" with envy.

When you're done with that, you'll probably have some debris around. To quickly get that cleaned, you'll need a gas powered blower or even a cordless model. These will clean off your deck, patio, sidewalk and driveway in minimal time, and they'll be great when fall yard work comes around.

Now is a good time to mention safety work gloves. When working in the yard, work gloves are a good idea. There are sharp tools you'll be working with as well as sharp sticks, thorny flowers or vines and just plain dirty dirt. Work gloves will keep your hands clean and safe.

Once your lawn is under control, it's time to attack those bushes and shrubs. A hedge trimmer can quickly get it under control. Regardless if you're wanting to just trim or really shape your landscaping, a good quality hedge trimmer is the way to go.

For trimming trees or tall shrubs, adding a pruning blade to a reciprocating saw is the way to go. Recip saws are very versatile, powerful, and come in cordless or electric. The pruning blades have teeth specially designed for cutting through branches quickly. It's a fairly rough cut, but that doesn't usually matter on a tree.

For larger branches on shrubs or trees, you might need a chainsaw. While gas powered are the most common, we also carry cordless chainsaws which are powered from standard tool batteries. They won't run as long or cut as much, but they're lighter weight and very convenient when you don't need all the power of gas. Another option is an electric chainsaw, which is sort of in between for power, lighter than gas, but limited by the length of your extension cord.

Now that your whole yard is looking great, it's time to clean the car, right? Sure it is. It's time for a pressure washer. Not only will it clean the driveway, car and boat, but it's really good at cleaning the siding on the house and giving that final "Clean" look to your home.

With the right tools, Spring Cleaning can almost be fun!

Summer is coming - get your wooden patio ready!

2007-03-14T23:10:00.000-05:00

Summer is here and it's time to put that wood patio deck project on speed dial. If you haven't already started, the time is right to begin planning.

You'll certainly need the right tools. A nailer for hidden decking fasteners is one that I'd recommend. You won't have to worry about nails pulling up, and it will look very clean and hold better than standard nails.

The best holding power, although not as nice looking, is from screws. Auto-feed screwguns make that a whole lot easier. Of course, lag bolts will need a socket set and joist hangers could use a joist nailer as well, but what's most important is enjoying your patio.

Once you're lounging and feeling that summer sun, you might want to get a patio umbrella. That will make all the hard work of putting it together in the first place so much more rewarding.

More contest winner photos

2007-03-14T14:46:00.000-05:00

It was December in the windy city. It was cold outside, but inside was a hot round of prize drawings at Allan Dick's special dinner event. I didn't get pictures of every winner, but I "borrowed" a couple taken of a couple of the winners I gave prizes to.

First, Chris Sherman won again. He got an Irwin tool bag filled with Irwin tools. It was a great prize, although I felt sorry for him having to try to figure out how to get that home. After all, he doesn't just live down the street.

But, since I didn't hear any more about it later, I think he must have figured out how to get it all home. It was quite the bag of tools. It included vise grips, a mini level, and work gloves as part of the overall sampling that was included.

Yes, this is the same Chris Sherman that won a tool belt in San Jose in August. Now he'll have something to fill that belt up with, so I guess that worked out well.

The other prize winner that I located a photo of is Alan Rimm-Kaufman. He won a Bosch Litheon Pocket Driver. I thought that was a great prize, and he was pretty excited about it. At the time, it was pretty much brand new technology and it was pretty exciting to get one of those as a give-away. I'm sure Alan is enjoying it - I'm sure I would.

We'll have to see what I can get donated for the next dinner event. This one will be in New York next month and should be another top-notch event. The folks at Vintage Tub sure know how to throw an event.

SeeSnake Micro

2007-03-09T14:29:00.000-06:00

This tool just needs to be filed under cool. It's the SeeSnake Micro from Ridgid. If you've ever seen the SciFi show "Ghost Hunters", they use the standard SeeSnake regularly to see into rooms they otherwise wouldn't venture in to. But for plumbers (the day job for the two founders of T.A.P.S.), the SeeSnake is essential in seeing what has caused the blockage in sewer pipes.

But now, Ridgid decided to make a portable version for inside walls. This is a perfect tool for electricians, network techs or even cable installers. It's lightweight and powered from 4 AA batteries, making it very versatile. The screen, at 2.5", is large enough to be useful while still being inexpensive enough to make this device very affordable.

What good is it with a 3' cable you may be asking yourself about now. Well, it's quite useful, because you can add extensions to it easy enough to get up to 30'. That seems like enough length to make it very useful for wiring to me. Adding 9 extensions makes the price quite a bit higher, but it's still much more reasonable than the full sized SeeSnake by quite a bit.

But it's not just about the length. The mirror, hook and magnet (all included) make the uses continue to grow. I'm thinking this could actually be very nice for running network and phone cables behind cubicle walls around our offices. With some imagination, there are a ton of uses.

I'm excited about the SeeSnake Micro. It looks like Ridgid has a real winner, and I can't wait to get my hands on one.

Reading Blueprints

2007-03-05T15:31:00.000-06:00

I've never understood how to read blueprints. There are a bunch of lines, symbols, and unless you're in the know, it just seems like a bunch of junk on a piece of paper.

Well, if you're like me but actually want to know how to read a blueprint (I don't really care to right now), then DeWALT came out with a book for you. It's the Blueprint Reading Professional Reference.

In the 350 pages you'll see real-world blueprint reading examples, hundreds of charts, illustrations, formulas, laws, & symbols, and current materials which are up-to-date with industry standards.

They even realized where it was going to be kept, making the cover material flexible as well as water and oil resistant with a super-strong binding which allows the book to lay flat when open, and the large and easy-to-read text and illustrations make it useful at the jobsite while being the right size to easily fit into any pocket or toolbox.

I really didn't ever think about how much you need to know to read a blueprint, but I knew it was more than I wanted to memorize. The 350 pages pretty much cemented that opinion in my mind. If I ever have need of that, I'll be picking up the book from DeWALT.

Dangerous Tools

2007-02-26T14:39:00.000-06:00

I got a call the other day from Garrett, who had done quite a bit of work on a post about dangerous tools. I read through it, and my first thought was "I'm reading this whole thing?" It's long, but has lots of good information, even if the methods weren't the most "Scientific".

One of the main things that came out was that every tool can be dangerous, because the tool is only as safe as the person using it. That's brilliant, and very true. Of course, when it got down to the Wylie Coyote naming conventions of some of the tools, that led me off to another page which I had to read in its entirety.

If you use tools on a regular basis, or are just looking for some entertainment, I think his article is worth a read. You can find it here.

Forged vs Milled Phillips Bits - Irwin Torsion Bits

2007-02-13T09:24:00.000-06:00

Phillips bits are just a + shaped piece of metal, right? What's the big deal how they get that plus shape? After all, they all just wear out eventually.

Irwin didn't think that was the case. They thought the manufacturing process mattered, and they came out with new bits, named torsion bits, late last year that were designed to be different. They're forged instead of milled.

But what's the big deal?

When phillips bits are milled, they generally get produced with almost a "Scooping" motion. This leads to slightly rounded sides on the four pieces of metal, and the screws only touch at the tip of the bit. By forging the bits, they not only get a precise fit into the screws, but the bit lasts longer due to the decreased slipping and higher strength.

Irwin didn't shop there, though. They also tumble all of the bits to make them shiny, then paint a blue band around them to really make them stand out as being unique. In fact, more users liked the blue band than anything in field tests.

What makes them a real value though isn't just that they last longer, but they only have a marginal premium on the price. I'm using them right now at home and really like them, so I'll keep on buying them. Not that a bit wears out all that often for home use, but I can actually feel the difference in the fit inside the screw, and feel makes a difference to me. I'd recommend the Irwin Torsion Bits to anyone that's using phillips bits on a regular basis.

Hitachi's new nailer blows!

2007-01-18T16:36:00.000-06:00

Quite literally, the new Hitachi NT65MA3 blows. That's not quite how Hitachi wants us to view it though.

From their features list:

Integrated air duster can be used to clear away debris and dust from the work surface in preparation for nailing or gluing.

A very interesting idea to say the least, and something that I could actually see myself using. Of course it has all the bells, whistles and quality that the previous versions of this tool have been known for, along with a sleek new design and a decent price. But the air duster is the one truly new feature that I've not seen on competing guns.

More info can be found on the Hitachi NT65MA3 air nailer product page.