You might have noticed that I have changed a bit of the look to the site over the weekend. The layout is basically the same, with the changes being mostly cosmetic. The biggest change is to the main menu. In the past you had to click on each tab in the menu the reach their sub-menus. Now you can easily access every tab and sub-menu from every page. This reduces the amount of clicks it takes to get to curtain pages.

What do you think of the new look?

I hope you enjoy the new menu and the new look. Please, if you notice any problems, let me know via the contact page or the support forum.

The Spout Popper is a small Guillotine type cutter that is specifically designed to cut open caulking and similar type adhesive tubes. The Spout Popper offers 3 bead sizes to choose from via an adjustable selector, and also features a built in seal puncturer. It uses standard utility knife blades as the cutter blade, so you never have to worry about finding replacements.

I usually don't care for unitask tools, but I think this tool has its place for painters, and other trades that do a large amount of caulking. The best part is that you can buy one Spout Popper and keep it next to your box of caulking so the whole crew can use it.

Would you use it?

Spout Popper

When I say cheap and mean the best kind of cheap, FREE. If you are reading this, it is probably pretty safe for me to assume that you own a computer. If you have the same luck that I have with hard drives, it is also very likely you have a couple dead or retired ones around the house.

Inside these hard drives are a couple very powerful neodymium magnets aka rare earth magnets. With these magnets you will be able to detect metal studs from behind drywall and other materials. You can also use these magnets to detect wood studs by locating the screws used to attach the drywall to the studs. Where ever you find a screw, you find a stud. Depending on the strength of the magnet, you could find buried electrical boxes from behind cabinets. You could even find the studs behind solid plaster walls, by locating the nails used to attach the lath.

So get those old hard drives out, and crack them open. The hardest part will be removing the glued on magnets from the hard drive, other then that, it is just a matter of removing a few screws.

If you are lucky enough not to have a hard drive crash on you, don't worry, you can easily find these magnets in stores and online. With magnets, size matters. The bigger the magnet, the stronger it is. Neodymium magnets also use a grading system to measure how strong they are, the higher the N-number the stronger the magnet. Currently an N52 is the strongest magnet you can get. You can get these magnets CHEAP. On eBay for example, you can get a 1" cube N50 magnet for under $12 and has a holding strength of over 100 lbs.

Neodymium Magnets - Amazon

People now more then ever before are looking for tools at a great price. They want to be able to finish those jobs at home without paying someone to do the job for them, but they might not have the proper tools. Skil has a new 7-1/4 inch circular saw out that might be just what you are looking for. The new HD5687 from Skilsaw has a good bit of power at 15 amps, a nice long 8-foot cord, and weights in at only 10.8 pounds.

Some key features include:

• 51° Bevel Adjust w/Positive Stop at 45° for increased accuracy
• "Worm Drive-Style" Handles-Proven Design Provides Comfort and Control
• Rear View Depth Adjustment for clear visibility & quick cut-depth changes
• Professional AC-DC Switch
• Patented anti-snag lower guard reduces snags when making narrow cut-offs

Surprisingly, Lowes beats out the online stores on price. You can pick the HD5687 at Lowes for just under $90

Skil Tools
Skil HD5687-01 - Amazon