If you're like me and consume batteries in all the gizmos you own like I consume ice cream then today is your lucky day. Graveyardmall.com is unloading "cosmetically blemished" AAA batteries in unpackaged lots of 100 for only $8.99. Batteries have expiration dates in 2010-2013 range and are all NEW! Regularly priced these would run close to $90.
Every handyman knows there's nothing a little duct tape can't fix. But did you know of the many things you can make from duct tape? This page from Instructables.com shows you them all, including a duct tape wallet, shoes, top hat and tie.
While some guys love their power tools, others prefer the artistry involved in woodworking with hand tools. For 25 years, Roy Underhill has hosted the PBS show The Woodwright's Shop and been a strong advocate of historical woodworking methods. Mother Earth News has an in-depth interview with him in which he discusses how he got involved in the movement and suggestions on how to get started.
If you have ever done a site job and said, “Gosh, this would have been so much easier to do back at the shop with my table saw,” join the club. Sure, I have a circular saw and a couple of collapsible horses to do the larger cuts, but the lines are never as clean or straight as with my table saw. To top it off, on smaller jobs I work alone and when cutting a 4’ x 8’ sheet of 3/4-inch plywood I often wonder how I am going to catch something before it hits the ground. I personally don’t like to bring a truckload of tools; I prefer to keep the big ones in the shop and just take the portables. Thank you, DeWalt, for making a tool that cuts like a table saw but can be easily brought to the job site. While the tool is far from perfect (no dust collection system like my home unit), but when I'm working alone and not bring a truckload of tools to the site then the DeWalt TrackSaw Kit with extra 44 inches of track is a time-saver and I am adding it to my tool box. The reason I really like it is with straighter cuts I have less waste. Less waste means I have less material to buy and clean up. Who would have thought that a tool that would save me time could also be green?
I dabble in woodworking and have made several things pieces of furniture. I am also a serious DIYer, having finished a complete basement remodel, including electrical work, myself. I feel like I am, for the most part, a safe person. I recently read a post on WoodNet.net where a father and his six-year-old son were working on a project together and the father tried to show his son how to use a table saw and give him some table saw safety. If you didn't see any issues with the previous sentence let me spell it out...SIX YEAR OLD and TABLE SAW SAFETY. The scenario of those two coming together should never exist. Power tools are awesome and something everyone should be exposed to in life, but please understand that tools can be dangerous and need to be treated with the highest respect. If you have a small child in the house (or even an inexperienced handyperson) please take care to safeguard the house or shop. Lock up power tools if need be. BE SMART!
It's been over a year since Popular Mechanics published their list of "25 Skills Every Man Should Know." Now they've revised and expanded the list to "100 Skills Every Man Should Know." Consider it the ultimate list in DIY. The list is divided into sections: Automotive, Handling Emergencies, Home, Medical Myths, Military Know-How, Outdoors, Primitive Skills, Surviving Extremes, Teach Your Kids, Technology and Master Key Workshop Tools. And if you are interested in #34 on the list, "How to fell a tree," we've got a video that shows you how to do it.
