renovationism » tools http://renovationism.com zen and the art of doing it yourself Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:29:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 my favorite tools #2: tile saw contradictions http://renovationism.com/2009/03/my-favorite-tools-2-tile-saw-contradictions/ http://renovationism.com/2009/03/my-favorite-tools-2-tile-saw-contradictions/#comments Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:19:13 +0000 Tim http://renovationism.com/?p=369 a tray of water
beneath cools your spinning blade
yet i plug you in

nippers are so coarse
yet you beget a perfect
cut with toothless blade

WorkForce THD550 7" Wet Tile Saw

WorkForce THD550 7 inch Wet Tile Saw

]]> http://renovationism.com/2009/03/my-favorite-tools-2-tile-saw-contradictions/feed/ 1 how much would you pay for a hoe? http://renovationism.com/2009/03/how-much-would-you-pay-for-this-hoe/ http://renovationism.com/2009/03/how-much-would-you-pay-for-this-hoe/#comments Tue, 03 Mar 2009 06:04:11 +0000 Tim http://renovationism.com/?p=312 I’ve mixed grout and thinset mortar in small amounts, without the right tools, and it’s no fun. Trying to get the mix right with a wooden stick is just plain crazy. So with the deck mud for the shower pan on the horizon, I decided to spend some hard-earned coin on a high quality hoe. You see it all the time on TV – people using hoes to mix small batches. I thought I might find a hoe with the other concrete tools. You know – trowels, floats, etc. No luck. So I went cruising where you’d expect to find a hoe – the gardening department. Bingo. There, amidst the shovels and rakes, I found a surprising selection of hoes, both triangular and square, ranging in price from $9 to nearly $40. The hoe pictured below was $15. Right next to it was a hoe labeled Mortar Hoe. I admit I was a bit surprised to find something so specific. I was also surprised to see that it was the same hoe, with two half-dollar sized holes in the blade. I guess this helps with mixing. But the same hoe, with a little less metal, was priced at $30. I bought the $15 hoe. And I still can’t figure out why punching two holes in it makes it worth twice the price?
It's just a hoe

It's just a hoe

]]> http://renovationism.com/2009/03/how-much-would-you-pay-for-this-hoe/feed/ 1 my favorite tools #1: shop•vac, you really suck http://renovationism.com/2009/02/my-favorite-tools-1-shop%e2%80%a2vac-you-really-suck/ http://renovationism.com/2009/02/my-favorite-tools-1-shop%e2%80%a2vac-you-really-suck/#comments Thu, 19 Feb 2009 06:57:58 +0000 Tim http://renovationism.com/?p=89 It goes without saying that the shop•vac cleans up construction mess, from drywall dust to large chunks of wood and concrete, without missing a beat. But here’s my favorite shop•vac story. My friend’s car is, sadly, lacking in cup holders. He was in the habit of wedging his 149 oz. 7-11 Big Gulp into the tray between the seats. Can you see where this is going? Without commenting on his driving style, let’s just say the cup spontaneously tipped backwards and poured its entire contents of sticky Coca~Cola into the footwell behind the driver’s seat.

Him: Aaaaah!

Me: [Admires caramel-colored Lake Superior sloshing behind his seat] Wow, that really sucks. [Light bulb appears over my head. In all fairness, it could have been the dome light]

Him: Aaaaah!

Me: Drive to my house, quick.

Him: [In fairly decent harmony with his squealing car tires] Aaaaah!

Me: [Grabs shop•vac and vacuums up Coke]

Him: Ah!

Me: [Grabs bucket of water and pours it into the footwell]

Him: Aaaaah!

Me: [Uses shop•vac to vacuum up water]

Him: Ah.

Me: [Repeats the last two steps]

Him: [Feels slightly damp carpet] Wow, it’s never been so clean.

ShopVac Contractor 16 Gallons 5.75 Peak Horsepower With Built-In Water PUMP

ShopVac Contractor 16 Gallons 5.75 Peak Horsepower With Built-In Water PUMP

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