Gorilla Glue an extraordinary bonding product that is waterproof, versatile, stainable and paintable, easily sanded, dries light-tanish, non-toxic, acid-free, and takes enough time to dry so that you have time to work with it.

It's multitude of uses include: sealing window casing/trim, repair curtain rods, reattach loose knobs, reattach loose tile, fix broken ceramic pot, repair chair legs, re-apply peeling linoleum, glue cabinets, decorate photo frames, decorate lamp shades,glue loose bricks, repair window shutters, build a birdhouse, fix a birdbath, glue together a broken statue, attach composite decking, repair outdoor furniture, fix a broken fishing pole, build storage shelves, repair broken concrete.

Hey ~ it sounds like the WD-40 of glue !! Like the Duct Tape of Tape. It even comes in a tape version! ("the biggest and strongest thing to ever happen to tape") Try it, you'll like it ~ ~ ~ just don't eat it. Can you tell I'm excited about this product?  I just bought some to take home and fix the bottoms of my patio chairs.... 

The first cordless screwdriver I ever saw was a 3.6v Black & Decker my Dad purchased from Sears in the late 80s, similar to the one pictured at left. This was when all Black and Decker products were being produced in the "Dustbuster Brown" color. From the moment I saw the thing, I never quite understood the point of it. Back then, cordless tool technology was still in it's infancy. High-power Rechargeable batteries just didn't exist yet. Even the best rechargeable technology available at the time wasn't inexpensive enough yet to be considered feasible for something like a power tool. The primitive motor drew a ton of power and yielded surprisingly little torque. To make matters worse, the tool had to sit on the charger all night and you were lucky to get 10-15 minutes of run time out of it. After a few recharge/discharge cycles, the tool succumbed to one of the major downsides of NiMh batteries and began to lose it's battery charge capacity.

Needless to say, the tool was practically useless. It was actually more effective to lock the chuck and use it like a normal manual screwdriver, sans motor. Basically the little brown Black and Decker screwdriver sucked. However, it wasn't entirely B&D's fault, the technology just wasn't there. Yet.

Nowadays, modern lithium ion battery technology has yielded some of the most amazing power tools ever. Due to the high power, small size and low weight of Li-ion batteries, tool manufacturers are revisiting the concept of cordless screwdrivers and are actually producing cordless screwdrivers that work well.

In this article, we'll go over a few of the current models of cordless screwdrivers available:

Tool Hero: Kurt Buss - Deconstruction Contractor

Did you know that 1/3 of all garbage in our landfills is from construction waste - much of which can be reused/recycled? Kurt Buss does and he has decided to do something to reduce that number.  Kurt Buss is a Deconstruction Contractor. He likens himself to Robin Hood, "I get the stuff from the wealthy because they are the folks who can benefit from the tax deduction and I sell it inexpensively or donate it to the people who can't afford to buy new goods to improve their homes."

Kurt began his deconstruction career working for Eco-Cycle, Resource 2000. He managed the recycling/sales yard for 6 years and helped Resource 2000 to grow into the company that it now is. The ReUse People of America reflects where Resource used to be 7 or 8 years ago. When asked if TRP is now a competitor for Resource 2000, Kurt explained "We are both non-profits, can mutually benefit each other and share resources. We compete for customers, yes, but even more so, we both try to work in conjunction with the City of Boulder to get more deconstruction work accomplished. Resource 2000 is geared towards providing a drop-off site for homeowners. TRP works specifically with contractors for whole house deconstruction with the goal of keeping the house parts, door sets, etc., together. This process helps to maintain a more profitable inventory. We also donate material to Habitat for Humanity and places like that." The largest competitor for both non-profits is the bulldozer and the landfill. Until you take into consideration the tax deduction involved, it is cheaper to demolish and landfill the waste, than it is to deconstruct and recycle. The tax deduction is what helps to equalize the costs for the homeowner.

We just received word that Makita will be offering two new LXT lithium-ion Combo Kits early next month (September 07).  They are:

• Makita LXT407 18v 4 piece combo kit includes an impact driver, hammer driver/drill, Reciprocating saw, flashlight, two LXT batteries, charger and storage bag. MSRP will be $399
  
• Makita LXT700 18v 7 piece combo kit includes all of the above plus a Circular saw, cut-off/Angle grinder and a job site radio. MSRP will be $699
  

The LXT700 will now be Makita's largest combo kit offering to date, surpassing the 6 pieces offered in the LXT600 kit . However, we should mention that the only difference between the LXT700 and LXT600 appears to be the addition of the BMR100 jobsite radio. 

We should also mention that the LXT700's suggested retail price of $699 is equal to that of the LXT600. Why would Makita offer both kits for the same price? Perhaps Makita is just adding the radio to make the kit more appealing, so we wouldnt be surprised to see the LXT600 go the way of the dodo.

Of course, both new Makita combo kits will be available very soon from ToolKing.com

The Nail Kicker^® Denailer by Reconnx^®

^{Check out this useful tool for Deconstruction. It's a nail kicker, created by an innovative company in Boulder, Colorado that is dedicated to Deconstruction practices. "RECONNX believes, hidden within that industry-wide practice, an international business opportunity exists to provide the right tools and lumber reuse will become a financially competitive alternative to disposal."}

What is Deconstruction, you ask ????
Check out our site tomorrow to read about Kurt Buss, the Deconstruction Contractor.

Seven Strange Things to Cut with a Sawzall

Some of these were lifted off the SawMillCreek.org forum, some came from my brother and some are just plain weird.

1. A sawzall can be used to quarter a large sofa.
2. Mark Schwartz from SawMillCreek.org writes: "My neighbors had locked themselves out, called a lock smith, and he couldn't pick the deadbolt on the front door, so he tried the back door and couldn't pick that. So he ended up drilling it out, but there was a hitch. Well, there was a security bolt at the bottom of the door, so at 11:00 in the night I walked over with my cordless saw and cut it in about 5 seconds, and the door popped right open."
3. My brother Joe has used it to cut up a deer when they were building his hunting cabin.
4. Bob DiGiacomo writes "I was stripping paint from a 6 panel door and taped a brass wire brush to a sawzaw blade to help brush the paint from the door. Worked out well.
5. My husband has used the sawzall to cut branches off trees instead of breaking out the chain saw.
6. Mark Rios from SawMillCreek.org used it to cut up an intruders bicycle.
7. And this one is my favorite from John Schreiber "The Sawzall. The closest thing to a light saber I'll ever have."

Magnetic Pick-Up Tool 

While strolling through the store, I noticed this clever tool for picking up tools. Think of all those times that your screwdriver, etc rolled off the back of your workbench - or under your workbench - or basically anywhere just out of reach. This handy item will fetch up to 25 pounds of out-of-reach tool(s). Nice.

Grip-On-Tools aptly named it the 'Magnetic Pickup Tool'. It has a nice arm extension of 36" with a smart magnetic end. Costs about 7 bucks.

They also have Magnetic Tool Tray sets, bowls and bars to avoid having your tools roll around in the first place.