Not many people are going to need a stainless steel pipe polisher, but the tool just looks really cool.  You can use Fein’s RS 12-70 to grind pipe welds, sand pipes to a satin finish, or polish pipes to a mirror finish and anywhere in between.

The variable-speed sander can drive the belt to speeds up to 22 m/s.  The belts rides on what I’m assuming are spring-loaded arms that allow the belt to flex around the pipe so you can surface all 360° of the pipe in only two passes.

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Rockler has a small autoloader screwdriver (see TM 2006 and 2007) for $10 as an online-only special. The unit comes with 6 bits (Phillips #0, #00, #000; slotted 3/32″, 1/8″, 5/32″; all bits are 5/32″ × 1″) that are accessed by pulling back on the handle, twisting to select the desired bit, and then pushing the handle forward. A large autoloader with 6 bits (Phillips #1, #2, #3; slotted 1/8″, 3/16″, 1/4″; all bits are 1/4″ × 1″), is also on sale for $15 (online-only). Free shipping with promo code V9789. This online sale ends this Wednesday, September 30.

Small Autoloader Screwdriver [Rockler]
Large Autoloader Screwdriver [Rockler]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

There are probably 10,000 ways to control cables, but let’s look at one more: the Wrap-n-Strap.  Made by Star Tech, the Wrap-n-Strap is just a rubber strap with a bunch of holes and a plastic fastener.

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If you’re looking for a camp shovel, rather than buying the folding variety, check out this Special Forces Shovel from Cold Steel. Sure, you can use it to dig, but you can also use it as a hatchet, an axe, a cleaver, a machete, a hammer, a paddle, and if you get bored you can throw it!

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There are numerous methods for stripping paint such as shaving, scraping, applying Dr. Pepper, and heating, but if you don’t want to spend lot of time and sweat equity, paint strippers are usually the way to go. They have their disadvantages: traditional strippers can use nasty chemicals you don’t want to inhale or get anywhere near your skin, not to mention they’re messy to clean up and they bring possible disposal issues.

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The General No. 142 6-inch dial caliper does direct reading of .01″ (outer scale) and 1/64″ (inner scale) on its dial (plus mm readings on the bar scale, but — without getting into that whole metric thing — I don’t find this “feature” very convenient). It can do inside, outside, depth, and step measurements. Its fiberglass-reinforced plastic body makes it a good choice for damp/wet environments. You can pick one up for around $24.

There are many alternatives (TM has covered calipers a few times: in 2006 and 2007, for example) and some are less expensive (HF or the General 141), but I especially like this model for woodworking.

General Tools [Manufacturer's Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Wearing safety glasses with a dust mask can be a bummer. Many times you end up fogging the glasses, so you either choose to risk your eyesight by forgoing the glasses or fill your lungs with crap. There are a few safety glasses with anti-fog coatings on the market, but this set of glasses from Milwaukee goes one step further — they have a channel for ventilation between the lens and the frame that supposedly reduces fogging.

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JessEm has created a featherboard that lets you adjust its height (or width) independently of position. What’s more, while positioning the height, guides keep the featherboard parallel to the fence or table.

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CH Hanson sells two low-cost accessories to protect and enhance your marking tools: Pencil Armor and Crayon Armor. Although I find it hard to justify spending a few bucks to protect a ten-cent pencil, I’ve held the pencil armor and it does look pretty cool. Armor for crayons, on the other hand, might make more sense since they’re a bit more expensive and fragile.

CH Hanson designed the aluminum Pencil Armor to work with rectangular carpenter’s pencils. The armor only exposes as much of the pencil as you need. You advance the pencil by sticking your thumb into the slot and pressing forward. The Armor also has a clip so you can keep the pencil in you shirt pocket.

The plastic Crayon Armor securely holds one of CH Hanson’s crayons and protects it from breaking since it only exposes enough crayon for marking. There’s a thumb slot for exposing more crayon and a lanyard strap.

The Crayon Armor will cost you about $4 and the Pencil Armor will run you $2 before shipping. Before paying double the product’s worth in shipping charges, check out your local Home Depot; mine carries the Pencil Armor, so maybe yours does too.

C.H. Hanson [Corporate Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Crayon Armor Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Pencil Armor Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Here’s an interesting looking tool from Trend. The Multiscribe Pro has a rotating block that can be locked in at any angle with respect to the steel blade. The blade has markings in both 3/16″ and 1/4″ increments and comes to a point on one end. The block sports a pencil sharpener, a bubble vial, and two holes for sticking a pencil through, which is useful for scribing.

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Cordless electric impact drivers allow everyday mechanics to access the power of air tools at a fraction of the blah, blah, you’ve heard it before.

But — DeWalt’s thrown a doozy into the works by adding another 18V to the usual power rating for battery impact wrenches. Gentlemen, meet the DC800KL, a 36V 1/2″ impact driver with DeWalt’s latest and greatest battery technology on board. It’ll deliver 325 foot-pounds of torque, and ships with two batteries and a 60-minute charger for $479. Keen observers of the DeWalt range will notice that this is only 25 foot-pounds more than a cheaper 18V model, but the 36V battery has nearly 3 times the life of an 18V equivalent.

DeWalt DC800KL Via Amazon [What’s This?]
DeWalt DC800KL [DeWalt]

Do you know what a good pair of fabric shears costs? It surprised the heck out of me the first time I borrowed my wife’s pair. I might have to pick up a pair of Fiskar’s titanium nitride Shop Shears for my shop so I won’t have to listen to that tirade again.

When you think Fiskars you don’t immediately think shop tool, but they’ve actually sold their Shop Shear for a few years now. They match ergonomic handles to TiN coated stainless steel blades which resist wear, scratches, and chemicals. The resulting shears will cut through fabric, cardboard, rope, wire, plastic strapping, Kevlar, and thin sheet metal, to name a few.

You can pick up the 8″ in pair starting at $11 and the 9-1/2″ pair starting at $16.

Fiskars [Corporate Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

I’ve never — knock on wood — had the “fun” of trying to repair stripped threads in a key mechanical component, but I’ve seen various options. It seems that the two main contenders for thread inserts are Heli-Coil® and TIME-SERT®, but I don’t know which one works better for which applications and materials. TIME-SERT® requires drilling, counterboring, and tapping before installing the insert. A typical TIME-SERT kit, with all the required tools and several inserts, costs around $74. Heli-Coil preparation needs drilling and tapping before installing the insert. A Heli-Coil kit, with a tap, the installation tool, and several inserts, will be about $27.

So, all you Toolmongers out there with experience in this area, what’s your favorite? Are there alternatives?

Time-Sert [Manufacturer's Site]
Time-Sert Street Pricing [Google Products]
Time-Sert Via Amazon [What’s This?]
HeliCoil [Manufacturer's Site]
Helicoil Street Pricing [Google Products]
Helicoil Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Wobble Wedges® are small (1″ × 1 ¼” × ¼”) tapered (4°) wedges made from hard clear (there’s also a black version for photographers) polypropylene or soft white vinyl, which is easily trimmed. They have interlocking ridge teeth to prevent slipping when stacked. The manufacturer lists a myriad of uses for these shims, including plumbers, installers, cabinet makers, homeowners, and even restaurants — for leveling those tippy tables.

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Many, many years ago in a land far, far away — OK, it was northern California in the early 90’s — I saw plans for saw ponies in the July/August 1992 issue of Fine Woodworking (reprinted in The Small Wood Shop, available from Amazon), and built myself a pair using short pieces of 2×4 and plywood. These miniature saw horses are stackable (when stacked two-high, they’re roughly standard saw horse height), sturdy, and can even double as step stools or seats. Recently, while searching for the article, I came across Lee Harps’ blog and his saw pony modifications. I like what he’s done, and think I will incorporate his ideas when I complete another set.

Via Amazon [What’s This?]
The Small Wood Shop [Google Books]

From time to time when you’re taking something apart, you run into an e-clip. Sure, you can pry them off with a screwdriver, but getting them back on can present a problem if you don’t have the right tool.  This set of tools from OTC allows you to both remove and install four different sizes of e-clip.

The set comes with tools for 6mm, 7mm, 8mm, and 9mm e-clips. One end of the tool removes the e-clip while the other installs them. Each tool locks into the provided handle to give you a better grip.

To buy this tool set you can pay anywhere from $10 to $20 before shipping and handling.

E-Clip Tool [OTC]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Do it Best has the Stanley 10-788 for $10 online before the $5 mail-in rebate. A nice feature of the rebate — if you’re so inclined — is the ability to donate it directly to Habitat for Humanity. If you don’t want the utility knife, you can get $10 off the $20 online sale for a Stanley FatMax 1-1/4″×25′ tape, or $5 off the $10 online sale for a Stanley 16-oz. Fiberglass Rip Hammer, with the same option to donate the refund. The offer expires 10/3/09. Do it Best offers free shipping of online orders to a local store for “participating” locations.

Stanley 10-788 [Manufacturer's Site]
Do it Best [Website]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]