Tools

So yeah…using a tool…to do some tool kind of stuff…’cause tool kind of stuff is the sort of stuff you do when tinkering on Old Victorians… …and then of course…I needed the tool to fix the tool…which I couldn’t find … Continue reading →

My plan yesterday was a simple one…my woman was well over 100 miles away from me so it went something like this: 1) Coffee. 2) Ride motorcycle. 3) Woman. Like any good plan…I accomplished all these. Like any intelligent plan…it … Continue reading →

This is a large Fuller pipe wrench. It’s 18″. Drop forged. Top of the line brand. Bullet proof. Unrestricted, unlimited, lifetime warranty. Quite substantial. You can’t break them, or they’ll replace it for free. Except for mine. This one. I … Continue reading →

So…yesterday I had to visit the Homeowner Hell store to pick up a couple tools. I was installing a new dishwasher at the suburban “blah” house (again), and I needed an adjustable wrench and a level. Seems most of my … Continue reading →

My friends Dean and Cindy got me this Dewalt electric screwdriver thing for Christmas last year. I also have a dedicated screw/impact driver for the bigger jobs but it turns out this tool is very robust and lends itself to … Continue reading →

With all the window repair and trim to be done, as well as such projects as making storm windows and window screens, I knew I would need a router table. My Dad got me this one for Christmas a while … Continue reading →

Didn’t get all that much done this weekend…we chose to relax most of Saturday. Ate nice meals. Drove around and looked at property. Talked. Solved all the worlds problems at one time or another. Sunday, we trimmed some trees and … Continue reading →

*schhniiick* “Full power restored.” “Excellent! More than a match for poor Enter….” Oh…wait…that’s a different movie. Ah well. This weekend was a change. A real change. I’m not quite sure what to make of it yet. See, for the first … Continue reading →

I ordered the shakes for our 1880’s Gothic Debatable tower today. I’m replacing all the cedar on it. Got some trim work around the edge of the roof to do as well. Oh, and a couple pieces of tin to … Continue reading →

Well, with forcast temperatures in the teens, we decided we wouldn’t be getting much work done this weekend. Painting? Uh, no. Not only do I not want to be outside, but the paint would be somewhat solidified. We may have … Continue reading →

ROAD TRIP!!! So, I jumped in the left-handed fargle-snorker and trucked on up to Clarksville on Saturday. The trip itself is kind of a big deal. It’s an old rig, yet brand new to me, so I’d no experience as … Continue reading →

Playing with the new toy…ur…tool…TOOL today. TOOL. Wanted to get used to the boom movement/bounce etc…since I haven’t been on a boom truck since my Llamco Electric days…gad…30ish years ago…and that was a squirt boom instead of a knuckle boom… … Continue reading →

Most of us that have aged beyond our second decade realize something about guys. They’re guys. Single minded. Determined. Sweaty. Messy. Passionate. We LIKE blowing stuff up. Pretty simple creatures. Our lives revolve around just a few things. 1) What’s … Continue reading →

Bucket truck…also known as the left-handed Fargle-snorker Sigh. I know. “Boys and their toys.” For what I paid I figure I can use it for what I need to get done now, and if it seems I’ve little use for … Continue reading →

Our first casualty on this project…my Skil Saw. An actual Skil brand Skil saw even. Dead. Spectacularly dead in point of fact. And at the tender age of only…(divides by pi, carries the two)…wait, what? Really? I’ve had that Skil … Continue reading →

Well, after spending several weekends of rooftop acrobatics getting this dormer ready for paint…lots of scraping, manufacturing new and repairing some fishscales, reattaching many of the rest, repairing the trim, and rebuilding the sills, I finally got to the point … Continue reading →

This is a Dewalt Sawzall…and when you feel the need to break one of these out, you are probably dreading the amount of work that is to come. Actually though, this thing makes any sort of difficult cutting challenge remarkably … Continue reading →

On a project such as this, I’m of the school that believes, “You can never have too many sawhorses.” My friend Mike got me a sawhorse kit for Christmas. This is a Harbor Freight sawhorse kit. Now…I figured something out…it … Continue reading →

This is a Painter’s Pry Bar. It’s used for removing trim, moldings, and other things that need a fine touch to remove without damage. It has a very thin blade for getting behind things, and is strong enough to get … Continue reading →

Santa brought me this for Christmas. (puts on his best “Dr. Evil” voice) It’s a saw! A saw with fricken lasers on it! (ends his best “Dr. Evil” voice…my wife’s looking at me all kind-of-strange like) This is a 12″ … Continue reading →

A table saw is a requirement for ripping sheet wood, trim pieces, or any other sorts of accurate lengthwise cuts (rips) on lumber or mdf. The short of it is, we needed one. I looked around on the ‘net…even Craigslist … Continue reading →

This is a Stanley Tools Wonderbar…I believe the 11″ version. Note, I have no stake in Stanley Tools…yet…(Hey Stanley! Wanna sponsor me?) but must mention this by brand and name. It is an amazing tool! I’ve been around a while, … Continue reading →

If you’ve done any sort of work on or about the house…you know you always…and I mean always need a table handy. Tools need to be set down…saws need a spot…plans need to be spread out, and if you passed … Continue reading →

My wife got me this for my birthday. Any woman that’ll give ya power tools…well, ya just gotta hang onto her! This thing is VERY handy…it’s rechargable, has two intensity levels (bright and VERY bright), a hook to hang it … Continue reading →

There is some minor foundation jacking to be done on this house. Really only one low spot that I can see, and it’s easily accessible (the house is nearly 4′ off the ground and easy to get under) so it … Continue reading →

Yes, I am a Texan. I have the requisite “big-ass pick-em-up-truck”. Frankly I’m not sure how anybody gets by without one, but for a project like this you really need one. This is Big Iron, the 450 horsepower, V-10 powered, … Continue reading →