OK, so it may not strictly be a tool — although it is done using a computer, which is a tool we use for reading TM — but it is a lot of fun. The site offers other options including building, gas station, and highway signs. You can also do computer error messages:

Atom Smasher [Manufacturer's Site]

I’ve seen 2 references (Brian’s Blog & Cool Tools) recently about using paracord to wrap tool handles, so it must be significant. Peter Atwood has both a video and a short web tutorial showing his wrapping method. The picture above is from Brian’s Blog showing the Atwood-method wrap on a mini pry bar (the Pocket Widgy® from County Comm).

Given that you can get 50′ of paracord for around $3 and that its 550-lb. tensile strength is useful in many other areas, this looks like a neat application for it. Maybe paracord should join duct tape and vise grips as another universal solution?

Paracord Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Paracord Street Pricing [Google Products]

You Toolmongers have been holding out on me. How come no one told me — or, perhaps worse, why didn’t I discover before — that there are simple formulas for determining the nominal diameters and clearance holes of (Unified Thread Standard) machine screw sizes 0–14*? All those years I spent looking up that little table, or trying to find that plastic gauge thingy…

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If you’re looking for a good weekend project, Lowe’s website offers instructions on building your own backyard putting green. Using wood, sand, paver base, astroturf, PVC, and a few basic tools — plus some elbow grease/quality time spent with the kiddo — this looks like a project you could do even without the big box. In fact, one online magazine dedicates a whole section to building your own greens that go beyond the 8′ by 8′ square.

We see a few potential concerns, though:  warped wood over time, protecting the green in winter months, and drainage issues since the flat turf and raised border can retain water.  Do you have experience building a green or ideas about how to improve drainage?  Post in comments and let us know!

Weekend Projects [Lowe's]
DIY Backyard Putting Greens [Residential Putting Green Magazine]

Drill Press Ratchet Bolt Modification

I’ve been using this modified table lock bolt on my drill press for over a decade now and figured I should write it up.

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In the never-ending fight for truth, justice, and efficiently running 4-cycle engines, the newest arch nemesis of mowers and small lawn equipment everywhere has reared its ugly head:  ethanol!  As crude oil prices rise, gas companies are trying to cut costs and encourage renewable energy sources by adding ethanol to their gasoline mixture — up to 30% by volume in some parts of the U.S.  For an easy way to combat the negative effects of ethanol in your small engine, you can install an inline fuel filter.  Follow the jump to learn how.

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After seeing his how-to on Instructables, I’ve been saying, “Eggman, the Noisemaker,” Mentos-style, all morning.  I can see many places in everyday life where this thing and a hearty rebel yell would be appropriate:  office meetings, standing in line at the bank — you know, somber occasions that need a little livening up.

Joking aside, reader Eggman is the man.  I love this thing, and I might have to build one myself, but I’ll make mine a little bigger and more obnoxious –- just for the hell of it.  We tip our hats to you, sir, for a finely crafted piece of fun.

And remember, noisemakers don’t annoy people — people annoy people.

Wooden Ratchet Noisemaker [Instructables]
Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

I was watching a teenager try to remove the window crank from his first car the other day, and it struck me that there are folks out there who’ve never suffered through it before.  For anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure, let me assure you that you won’t need the above tool in most cases.

Ah, the old window-crank removal game — it can be super-frustrating and time-consuming, however I benefited from a cantankerous mechanic taking pity on me about 17 years ago, and I will now pass that knowledge on to you.  When I did the procedure this weekend the entire thing was over and done with before anyone could grab a camera, so these pics are some I found at ColoradoFans.com.

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I thought you’d like to see some pictures of how I tightened up this standard Enco ratcheting arbor press.  As it comes from Enco, the bolts in the front and the side press against the ram to tighten it up against the casting and prevent slop.  The problem is that it doesn’t work that well — it tends to be either too loose or too tight.

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Sean noticed a picture I uploaded to the Toolmonger Flickr pool showing a sight aperture I made the other day. One of my hobbies is tinkering with airguns, so I often undertake little projects like this for my enjoyment.

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If you really want to give a group of full-grown adults a hard time, give them a child’s toy. Often it’s the simple-looking puzzles that can be the biggest challenge, and this little wooden puzzle is a great deal harder to reassemble than it looks. However it’s easy to make one. We put together a little walkthrough to show you how to get it done.

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We have fun with woodworking no matter what the project is, but the most rewarding thing for us is making our own furniture.  Let’s say you wanted a solid oak bookcase but didn’t have the four to six hundred bucks a retail store would want for one. You can achieve the same effect for less than half the cost, using a bit of solid oak trim and some veneered ply.

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Many of the project sites we look at take a Julia Childs approach to their holiday wood projects — you know, using materials you don’t have, tools you can’t afford, and plans you couldn’t draw up even if you were a rocket scientist. So to combat this effect we put together a reindeer and accompanying sleigh that you can assemble with a few simple tools and under $15 worth of lumber — in under a day.

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Strapped for cash this holiday season? Replacing an alternator can cost you several hundred bucks at the local repair shop, but it’s one of the simplest repairs you can do at home. With a few tools and about an hour you can swap it out yourself — and keep your dough in your pocket where it belongs. In this case we’re replacing an alternator on a ‘95 GMC truck, however the process is very similar for most vehicles.

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The third time I was attacked by my kitchen cabinets while trying to free a pot from the bottom cupboard, I decided to remedy the situation.  Nursing a bruised foot I went to the local big box to buy a few sliding drawer units to put in the cabinets — and I nearly popped a gasket when the size I wanted turned out to be sixty bucks a drawer.  So I built them myself.

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I love making tile-top projects.  However I’m pretty miserable at making grout correctly.  Maybe I don’t measure right, or I mix at the wrong intervals, but it always seems to go south by the time I’m through — always, that is, until I tried the SpectraLock grout system about two years ago.  Since then I’ve never had a problem with grouting tile, and it involves a great deal less swearing.  Here’s how it works.

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When it comes to decorating for Halloween, any soccer mom can run to the local big box and grab a light-up skeleton or animated rat — but any mad scientist worth his Bunsen burner knows a Jacob’s Ladder is the way to go. They look cool and they sound cool, and you can build one for next to nothing from scrounged materials.

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