By
Jon Eakes
Layout & Alignment: Getting Simpler (March 2008)
In an era when more and more tools are being loaded with laser beams and built-in calculators, it is a pleasure to see some very simple but extremely useful tools showing up on the market.
Compact tools (November 2007)
Lithium Ion batteries have opened the door for more power in a smaller and lighter package.
Accessories:
Sometimes they're more important than your tools! (September 2007)
A lot of tool accessories
never get noticed but the little sleepers can be as important as the tool
itself.
When
New Is Actually Better (July
2007)
Given the competitive
nature of our society, the push for manufacturers to always have something
new creates a lot of products that are new just for the sake of being new
or different, not because they represent some form of real progress.
Shifting
Gears: New
ways to do old thing (May
2007)
Every one of you has a
pneumatic nailer and some of you have gone to heavy battery-operated cordless
nailers to get away from the hose. Sure, there are gas nailers on the market
but how about turning your standard pneumatic nailer that you already have
into a truly portable machine?
Testing:
(March 2007)
I receive a lot of tools to test out; sometimes they are just minor competitive
changes to standard tools and sometimes they really break ground.
Construction
Clamps (November 2006)
Clamps are the mainstay of any
woodworking shop but we get good use out of clamps on construction sites as
well.
Ode
to Little Things (September
2006)
What is so special is that it is
actually a battery-operated vacuum pump, and you keep that pump going while
you are using it - so it really does stick to just about any surface with
tremendous holding power.
Controlling
Dust
(May 2006)
Some tools make dust, some tools collect dust and some tools collect specific
types of dust. Even the broom has its limits - as the instruction manual for
fibre cement siding states that you should never dry sweep their dust!
One-Tooth
Saws (March 2006)
Can a one-tooth saw possibly be worth $375? When it will cut a hole for a
six-inch rigid ventilation duct without twisting your arm off… yes!
The
Tools of Demolition (November
2005)
Almost all renovations
start with removing the old, so since this issue of Home BUILDER concentrates
on renovations, I thought I would seek out some of the front-line tools: the
tools of demolition.
Why
get complicated with Saw Blades? (September 2005)
It is kind of funny to
think that we work seriously at efficiencies in our furnaces and in our vehicles,
but never think how we could double or triple the power of our saws or spend
less time with chipping and splintering by looking at the efficiencies of
specialty saw blades...
New
Products
(July 2005)
This whole issue is about new products, so when we're talking
about new tools, I like to mix up the little gems with some powerhouses.
The
challenge of air-powered tools
(May2005)
For years, pneumatic tools have dominated our worksites and, to a large extent,
they still do. However, the cumbersome hoses and heavy compressors have provided
a driving force for alternatives.
Time
testing comes to Tool Talk
(March 2005)
Once a year I get the opportunity to call up all the power tool manufacturers
and ask them to send me one - only one - of their tools that would knock the
socks off of a contractor audience...
Getting
a grip on things - and wearing nylons
(November 2005)
You have probably noticed this yourself, but scientific studies have shown
that it takes as much as 30 per cent more muscle power to hold on to a tool
that is slippery than it does when working with a non-slip grip. A better
grip translates into less fatigue as well as fewer accidents.
Tough
Tool Testers Found Nailer Wanting
(September 2004)
When tool companies set
out to innovate, sometimes they do really well on part of the new tool and
not so well on the rest. Our tough group of Canadian builder tool testers
were thoroughly impressed with the ability of the new Stanley N88 (RH-2MCN)
framing nailer to do a superior job of nailing in hangers.
Real
Tools for the Real World
(July 2004)
Twenty years ago I was active hands-on in renovation, and my hands were considerably
younger and more flexible. . . Let me share with you some of the tools that
really made a difference in my real world.
TOOLS:
Re-invention & Innovation
(May 2004)
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. ... Here are
some things that I think you may find very interesting for your sites.
How
soap can rot your exterior walls
(March 2004)
Soap is often used to clean house siding, usually with a pressure washer.
Soap is also often added to stucco to make it more workable. Soap is good
stuff - isn't it? If you believe that, read on...
The
Tools for Energy Conservation (November
2003)
When the editor asked me to write about tools for energy conservation in this
issue, what came to mind was the whole evolution of making airtight electrical
boxes. It was the National Research Council that came forward with the data
that enough moisture can flow through an ordinary electrical box to accumulate
10 pounds of ice during a cold Canadian winter...
"Please
destroy my drill" (September 2003)
Manufacturers go to
all sorts of lengths to get my attention, but this was a bit different. A
good robust half-inch cordless drill showed up on my doorstep. It seemed just
a bit heavy but I charged up the batteries to check it out later...
