As you can see in the photo, there are many different cutters, or tin snips, for cutting sheet metal. Although you can often force any cutter to cut anything, there is a proper cutter that makes each kind of cut best. The colour coded handles help to get the right one out of the toolbox. The y...
Although half a potato will sometimes actually work to remove a broken light bulb from its socket, the gadget in the photo works every time. It is a rubber tipped socket that fits the center part of the light bulb. The plastic base can be screwed onto a broom stick. Remember if you are looking...
Why did I install a small light bulb on the shaft of a very small wood chisel? I use this on the wood lathe when I turn the inside of very small wine glasses. I turn out all the lights in the shop and the light coming through the wood acts as a dynamic thickness gauge as I remove wood. The int...
One way to cut paving stones or bricks is with a brick chisel. It has wide top and bottom flanges to protect your hands -- and of course you wear goggles to protect your eyes from flying pieces. Score both edges, then whack it across the face. A heavy hammer works easiest as you don't have to ...
Some things I never buy but always rent, such as the drywall lift that you see in the photo. That puts drywall right up to your ceiling and holds it there until you get it screwed in for under $30 a day. That's a lot less than a chiropractor's visit.
It can also be used for placing the drywall o...
Here is one of those little tools that do a big job; a simple sharp piece of carbide steel set into a red handle. This carbide scribe is specifically shaped for scoring ceramic tiles so that they can then be snapped at the score mark. This is not the cleanest way to cut ceramic tiles, but it is c...
Resin build-up on saw blades can hamper fine wood working, especially when working a lot with pine.
New Teflon coated blades reduce that build-up, but to get it off my old stand-by is to put the blade in a pizza pie tin, cover it with Ammonia and then cover that with another pie tin so I don't h...
The secret to drilling relatively straight with a portable electrical drill is to run your hand up the handle until it settles into the 'saddle' on the top with your forefinger pointing out along the side of the drill. That puts your arm in a direct line with the drilling action, rather than off...
On my TV show we often showed little but useful tools, this time a drill bit extension, often used with wide spade bits for drilling right through the wall. You do have to have a drill head that is wider than the shoulder on this extension, or it won't go through. If you are going to drill a lo...
Oscillating Tools