The Power Tool I Didn't Know I Needed -- Until I Did

Rockwell RK5140K 3.0-amp Sonicrafter

Apparently every well-equipped DIYer’s workshop needs an oscillating multitool – at least that’s what the BigBox stores told my wife when she was shopping a couple of Christmases ago. That’s why she gave me a Rockwell Sonicrafter kit that year. 

I’ll be honest: I looked at the thing, took all the pieces-parts out of the handy carrying case, and then shoved it under the workbench with several other power tools that only come out for special jobs, like a palm nailer and an angle grinder. I pretty much forgot all about this tool until starting my latest DIY job, remodeling the powder room in the new home. After pulling all the fixtures and removing the molding, my next step was to pull up the cheesy-looking sheet vinyl floor in preparation for laying ceramic tile. I’d started that rather laborious process by hand, using a heat gun and a scraper, before I remembered the multitool sitting unused in the workshop. Yippee! Not only did I have a chance to use the new toy, but I had a much faster way to strip that crummy flooring!

What’s in Your Pocket? A Mini Kreg Pocket Screw Jig

Kreg MKJKIT Mini Jig Kit

There are many ways to create strong, secure joint in wood; but only the more difficult methods leave a finished surface unscathed. A glued joints doesn’t hold up with constant stress, doweled or biscuit joints take time and patience, and so do countersunk screws with wood plugs. Is there another solution?

Yep, there’s the pocket screw. To use pocket screws, you come in from the back side of the finished board at a shallow angle (about 15°) so that the screw exits near the center of the edge. Screws naturally draw two pieces together without additional clamping, and they hold better than nails or glue. You'll find pocket screws used to build high-end furniture as well as DIY projects.

The hardest part of using pocket screws, however, is getting the holes located at the right entry point and set at the correct angle. Good carpenters use jigs when they’re repeating a task; and if that is drilling pocket screw holes, they probably use pocket screw jigs. Mine’s a Mini Kreg Jig Kit MKJKIT, a simple tool that, when used correctly, lets me todrill holes for pocket screws in ½”, ¾”, or 1½” stock. The jig kit includes 3 pieces:

This Stud Finder from Stanley Conforms to the KISS Principle

Stanley 47-400 Magnetic Stud Finder

Included in the wisdom my Dad taught me decades ago is what’s known as the “KISS principle.” That’s the acronym for “Keep It Simple, Stupid,” advice I came to remember the last time I shelled out double-digit dollars for some bright-colored, battery-driven stud finder, which – of course – was a waste of hard-earned cash.

You’re Your Own Locksmith with Kwikset’s SmartKey System

Kwikset Smartkey System

Not long ago, we did what most Americans seem to do every five years or so: we moved into a new house. Although it’s the sixth home-buying trip for us, this time we did something for the first time: We changed all the door locks. You would have too, if you’d seen the dude been living there (the previous owner’s son-in-law – we think).

The three outside doors and the fourth into the garage all have deadbolts, and three of them also have locking knobs. The sellers turned over three keys, claiming that was all they had. The people had five kid, but only three keys? I became more concerned by the minute. No question I was changing the locks – the problem was how to get all seven locks keyed to the same key.

For the Times Ordinary Lumber Doesn't Cut It: Resawing on the Band Saw

Kreg 4-1/2-Inch Resaw Guide

Your typical amateur woodworker is well-equipped for making straight-line cuts; normally using a table saw and a power miter saw or (perhaps more rarely) a radial arm saw. When it comes to cutting curves, though, a portable jig saw is often all that can be found in the tool chest. If your favorite projects call for curved cuts, you know that the next bench- or floor-mounted tool you’re gonna buy is a band saw.

In a Tight Spot? That’s Where You Need Some Finger-Bit Screwdrivers

Titan 3-Piece Finger Bit Screwdriver Set

All you toolheads out there have heard someone say, "A thousand clamps is a good start." The same adage works for screwdrivers: just when you think you have a screwdriver for every situation, a different screw proves you’re wrong. So I'm quite likely to buy the next weird screwdriver design when I have the chance. That’s the main reason I have a Titan 3-Piece Finger Bit Screwdriver Set. 

Description

Unlike a traditional screwdriver with its long handle and integral shank, a finger bit design is stubbier than the stubbiest screwdriver in your toolbox. Each driver consists of a 1” disk about ½” thick with a 1-inch cylinder centered in the disk. The cylinder has a female hex socket on one end and a female ¼-inch drive socket on the other. The disk’s rim has a diamond pattern for better grip. The whole assembly is somewhere about the size of a ping-pong ball, and all told weighs maybe 1¼ ounces. 

Sometimes, Building a "Better" Mousetrap Doesn't Make Sense

Lufkin L725SCTMP 25-foot x 1-inch Self-Centering Tape Measure

It used to be that products stood on their own because of their virtues, whether they be convenience and quality or something else that's intangible. Apparently now, manufacturers believe every product must always be continually “new and improved” or the shareholders won’t get their dividends. Who cares what the customers need, let’s give them what we think they might want! 

KomelonUSA 2125 Gripper-X Tape Measure ~ 1" x 25' from: Hardware World

A while back I inherited (that’s a long story) a Lufkin L725SCTMP 25-foot x 1-inch tape measure. Like almost every other tape measure in its price class, this product has the obligatory belt clip, inch-wide fluorescent yellow tape marked for 16-inch stud spacing, thumb lock, and power return. It’s a bulky package at 3” high, 3½” front to rear, and about 2” thick (including the belt clip). It’s beefy, too, sagging those jeans with a whoppin’ 14 ounces of high-visibility orange plastic and black “ergonomic” rubber trim.