Many of the clamps that we own and use are designed to remain parallel during the clamping process. The parallel faces on these clamps are great in ensuring that whatever we are clamping remains secure and square; but what if we want to clamp something that is not square, maybe a round closet rod, or a tapered chair leg?
I have always found that if your tools are easy to see, and each tool has its own place, then it is easier to spot a missing tool or one that is out of place. Not only does a system like this keep you better organized, but it many cases, it is more productive. Old sayings like "A place for everything and everything in its place" really do work.
A good roller stand is must-have for anyone working with long or wide materials, and while the Ridgid Flip Top stand doesn't exactly 'roll', it has a unique design and some great features that make it one of the best portable out-feed stands I have used. Because of the features offered in the Ridgid Flip Top Stand, it was an obvious choice to make it a Tool-Rank Pick.
It was a couple of years ago when I first wrote about the Veto Laptop bag, but somewhere down the road the bag was discontinued. Now Veto is back with two new versions of the laptop bag, and it looks like they made a few changes. From the outside, the bags look nearly identical to the regular Veto bags with slight changes to the handle and a now non-hook&loop shoulder strap that now uses a clip to stay in place.
The Model LT bag is the smaller of the two and is pure laptop bag with no room for hand tools. One side of the bag features four large neoprene pockets, two horizontal magnetic flap pockets, two PDA/Phone pockets, a few pen pockets and more. The reverse side contains a large padded slot that safely places the laptop (up to 17") in the middle of the bag, while a second outer compartment features six smaller neoprene pockets, two mesh tablet pockets, and three file folder pockets. In total, the LT has 34 pockets.
The larger Model XLT is very similar to the LT bag. The first side of the bag is the same as the first side on the LT, with the four large neoprene pockets, two horizontal pockets, etc, but this time, the padded laptop slot is also on this side. The reverse side now features many large neoprene pockets and a mixture of smaller pockets that can all be used to house hand tools. To accommodate the tools, the XLT is a couple of inches wider than the LT. The XLT offers a total of 47 pockets.
Both models are coming soon, so keep an eye out for pricing and availability.
Veto Pro Pac
Veto Pro Pac Bags - Amazon
A few weeks ago I posted on Facebook about my super simple method for growing hydroponic tomatoes with no electricity; and though this is not tool related, enough people seemed interested about it that I figured I would write up a full article explaining my Kratky hydroponics setup.
We have seen circular saws used as table saw replacements with the Eurekazone tracksaw system, and now there is a new system from PUPS (Portable Universal Power Station) that can turn a circular saw to an accurate miter saw.
We have seen a couple of combination miter/table saws now enjoying freedom in the U.K., one from Bosch with a table mounted on top of a miter saw, and one from Makita that flips to transform. Now it is DeWalt's turn to join in on the fun with their very own flipping combination transformation miter/table saw.
All to often I see news reports about tools that are stolen from a jobsite. These tools are required for a person in construction to do his or her job, and a loss of tools can be very damaging. Below I have put together a list of tips – some obvious, some not – on how you can prevent tool theft and how you can recover stolen tools.
