In 1872 J. Robinson patented the first butt-locking sliding t-bevel, and ever since, his model has been the paradigm to all other models. It is an invaluable tool for people of all trades and can be used to easily duplicate and transfer any angle you can find; with a little help from a protractor, these angles can even be identified. The only downside to the t-bevel is that it can not be used to accurately set 90-degree angles.

Almost 140 years later Patrick Leach comes along and sets a new paradigm with his new sliding t-bevel that features a 90-degree locking mechanism. A simple flick of a switch is all that is needed to push a tab that sets the sliding bevel at a perfect 90-degrees. The design is so simple that we wonder how it is possible that fruition has taken so long. The coolest part of all is the fact that Leach built his bevel as an exact reproduction of the original Robinson bevel, the only difference being his improvement. As for price? Try in the neighborhood of $300.

Will it be another 140 years until we have a model that locks at 45 degrees as well?

The Superior Works via Popular Woodworking

Need a hose clamp, but the ones you have are too big? Or maybe they are not big enough? The Clamptite might be the ideal solution to all of your custom hose clamping needs, or maybe just a cheaper solution for all hose clamping. The Clamptite is a fancy little contraption that allows its users to make custom hose clamps out of basic wire. This design also allows you to match the size and type to your needs. Needs a copper hose clamp? Use copper wire.

The Clamptite sounds like a really cool product, if it works as advertised, but how often do we really need to fix a hose. Well, the same tool can be used in other applications as well. You can used it to fix split handles on your hand tools, use it on the ends of rope to prevent fraying, use it to squeeze out the very last drop of toothpaste, etc.

For around $30 you can get the smallest Clamptite that can handle all of the tasks mentioned above. For larger needs like fixing split telephone poles, they have a model that can use wire up to 1/4" thick, and will cost you about $130.

Clamptite
[:cicn:] Clamptite - LeeValley

Often it is the simple things in life that make us happy. In the case of tools, often the simplest tools are the handiest and the ones we turn to the most. But can a simple adjustable hook really be a go-to tool? Well, I can't answer this, but the Crown Hanger System sure looks like it would be a huge time & money saver.

Have you ever tried to install crown molding by yourself? It is almost impossible unless you have some kind of device to assist you. Some manufacturers offer fancy poles that help hold up crown, but those are still hard to manage with one person and can be expensive. The Crown Hanger System is just an adjustable hook, but it looks like it would work really well, and can turn a two man job into a one man job. To use the hook all you have to do is nail or screw the hook onto your wall an 1" or 2" down from the ceiling. The hook will hang off of the nail and can be adjusted to fit the size of your crown. You can then nail your crown to the wall, and when you reach the hook you can just slip it out; the nail will remain hidden behind the crown. The Crown Hanger will hold crown at 45-degrees, but can still work with crown that sits at other angles. The Crown Hanger costs about $10 each.

[:cicn:] Crown Hanger - LeeValley