Looking for some nice small projects to tackle but don’t want to whip out too many tools or supplies? I’ve got a list of how-to, DIY, woodworking, metalworking and craft books I could recommend, but those types of projects are not exactly fun. Well, they can be fun, but not in a playful way as the ones found in the following highly rated books.

Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction by John Austin

A more appropriate title would have been Mini Weapons of Mass Distraction, but that doesn’t take away from its contents. This book, and its sequel, show you step-by-step how to build a small arsenal using common office and household supplies. Just be sure to fire the mini weapons at paper targets and not people or pets.

Buy Now

Backyard Ballistics by William Gurstelle

There’s no much else to be said after seeing the full title, which is Backyard Ballistics: Build Potato Cannons, Paper Match Rockets, Cincinnati Fire Kites, Tennis Ball Mortars, and More Dynamite Devices. There are 13 projects in all, with many opportunities to modify and build upon the designs.

Buy Now

Forbidden Lego: Build the Models Your Parents Warned You Against by Pilegaard & Dooley

There are only five projects – paper plane launcher, candy coated catapult, ping-pong cannon, all-terrain Lego and high velocity automatic Lego plate dispenser, but there’s plenty of skill-building opportunities buried within. If you don’t already have a stockpile of Legos in your home, you may want to skip the book and pick up a Lego Technic set.

Buy Now

Make Magazine

I’ve written about Make a number of times, and for good reason – it’s a fantastic magazine. You can order back-issues or pick up a newstand copy to see if it’s worth subscribing to. New issues come out quarterly, with one separate special edition every year or so.

The magazine covers a wide range of DIY interests and hobbies. You can also check out the Make website and blog for an idea of what’s in the mag.

Buy Now

The other day we posted about a decent deal we found on a few Popular magazines. Well, we’ve found another deal we think is worth mentioning – 1 year of Family Handyman for $7.

I just bought this month’s issue for $5 at the newsstand, and so I jumped at the $7 price. My Amazon order update tells me to expect my first issue in February 2012, but I anticipate that it might arrive sooner.

The special promo price is for the auto-renewal version, but as I have already turned that feature off in the subscription manager section of my Amazon account settings.

Buy Now(via Amazon)

This Old House is also on sale, for $12. But for the same money I think that Family Handyman and Popular Mechanics are the better buy.

Amazon’s got a great deal on these three magazine subscriptions. You can get a 12-month subscription to Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, or Maximum PC for $5 each.

If you’re already subscribed via Amazon, a 1-year extension gets tacked onto the end of your current subscription. If we had not already extended our subscriptions through 2013, we’d hop on this deal in a heartbeat.

Note that the subscriptions are initially set as “auto-renewal.” When your first issue comes in, or perhaps even before, you should be able to pop on into your Amazon account settings and disable the auto-renewal.

Popular Mechanics
Popular Science
Maximum PC

Deal ends 12/3/11.

Through the end of the month, Amazon is offering a 1-year Popular Mechanics magazine subscription for just $7. If you’re already subscribed through Amazon, this will give you a 1-year extension.

Popular Science is also available for the same $7 promo price. There are a few other magazine subscriptions that are discounted this month, but nothing else tool-related.

Popular Mechanics Subscription via Amazon

(Larger version via our Flickr gallery here)

The last time we’ve seen a Craftsman catalog was back in 2008 when the ’08-’09 catalog came out. Starting in 2009, with the Tools featuring Craftsman catalog, a sizable number of 3rd party brands were added to the catalog. Obviously, some Craftsman tools, most notably the open stock listings, were left out of the catalog. The 2009 holiday catalog followed the trend.

Then came the 2010 America’s Tool Headquarters Sears Blue Tool Crew catalog, which featured many 3rd party tools in addition to core Craftsman products For the ’10-’11 catalog, the cover was at least changed to feature an assortment of Craftsman wrenches.

Earlier this year, the 2011-2012 catalog came out, and this time it was called the Sears America’s Tool Headquarters Catalog. A few Craftsman tools adorned the cover, and this accurately reflected the shared spotlight within.

I just received the newest 2011-2012 catalog, and as you can see in the above scan, it’s officially a Craftsman catalog. However, its contents follows recent trends, and still includes “many other national brands.”

In an ideal world, I would like to see an annual full-line Craftsman catalog in addition to a mixed Sears Tool catalog. Two postcard advertisements slipped out of the catalog when I flipped through it. I would be willing to endure having to recycle a third or even forth postcard ad if it meant a full-like Craftsman catalog like the ones from 2008 and earlier. Am I right?

How to sign up for a Sears/Craftsman tool catalog
How to view the Sears catalog online

Amazon dropped the price of a Popular Mechanics 12-month subscription from $12 to $7. The promo is good until July 26th and is valid for new subscribers or current Amazon subscribers. If you’re already a subscriber through Amazon, then this extends your subscription by a year.

Popular Mechanics Subscription via Amazon

Note: once the subscription is processed after a day or three, you can disable the auto-renewal settings here.

The book is 480 pages, and in addition to insightful discussion of tools and how to choose the right ones regardless of brand or vintage, there is also a guide about how to build a ”proper chest”.

The Anarchist’s Tool Chest via Lee Valley
More info via Lost Art Press

I’ll be picking up a copy next month, so look for the review sometime in August (I’m a slow reader).

The new Cool Blue Tools catalog is now available for online viewing! I scoured through the new catalog last night and found that there were quite a few new tools worth mentioning, but that was to be expected.

In a surprising move, the catalog cover now predominantly features Craftsman tools. Dewalt and Hitachi tools are also shown on the cover, but it almost looks as if the brand names were intentionally obscured.

I can’t wait until the printed catalogs are out! While the digital version is very functional – moreso than I remember it being for previous catalogs, it’s not a suitable substitute for a printed one.

Sears 2011-2012 Tool Catalog

Because I waited too long to buy a 2011 wall calendar, the one I wanted is no longer available. Looking for an alternative, I came across this Garage Girls 2011 Pinup calendar over at Amazon.

From the additional views, it looks like the “garage” part is almost an afterthought, but that’s okay, it’s not like any of us are really bound to care. This is actually a bit surprising since the same publisher offers a Custom Motorcycle and Centerfold calendar that features a lot of unique hardware and not just a few generic props.

For a more collectible wall calendar, check our Ridgid’s 2011-2010 calendar, which is still available from Ohio Power Tool for $15, or free with ay Ridgid tool purchase. 

If you must know, the calendar I would/should have purchased last fall before it sold out was the WWF Wild Cats calendar.

GJ member fourfeathers pointed out that Amazon is currently offering a one-year subscription to Popular Mechanics for $6.99.

I subscribed to PopMech and another magazine via Amazon back in April, and didn’t run into any problems. It’s also worth mentioning that I haven’t noticed any increase in the amount of junkmail I’ve been receiving.

Popular Mechanics 12-Month Subscription via Amazon

Deal ends 12/18.

The other day my mother remarked that Leatherman tools are heavily mentioned in The Ark, by Boyd Morisson. I have to say, this was extremely unexpected. Not that Leatherman multitools were featured in the book, but because my mother new what a Leatherman was. Kudos and thanks to her for the tool sighting, and kudos to Leatherman for achieving such widespread brand recognition!

Normally we shy away from posting about deals like this, but Amazon’s “2 years for 1″ magazine promo is going on right now until the end of the month, and it looks like a few decent tool and DIY-related magazines are included as part of the offer. There are also a few other hobby, tech, and “men’s interest” (e.g. Maxim) magazines included in the offer, so you may want to take a look.

Amazon’s 2 Years for 1 Promotion
Listing of Magazine Subscriptions via Amazon

Amazon says that “Magazine subscriptions always ship free” but they can also be used to push free super saver shipping orders over the $25 threshhold. In any case, if ordering a subscription, be sure to read the reviews for the magazines as it appears some of the subscriptions are handled by poorly rated 3rd party companies.

Oxmoor House is recalling nine home improvement books since they “contain errors in the technical diagrams and wiring instructions that could lead consumers to incorrectly install or repair electrical wiring, posing an electrical shock or fire hazard to consumers.”

We’ve seen several posts elsewhere about this recall, but figured it couldn’t hurt to mention it ourselves. Following are publication details of the recalled books, as well as a link to the US CPSC recall press release.

The CPSC recommends that “Consumers should immediately stop using these books and contact Oxmoor House for a full refund.”

Recall Details via US Consumer Product Safety Commission
Recall and Refund info via Sunset Recall

Just a heads-up, the 21st volume of Make: Technology on Your Time has recently been published and is now available for purchase online and at newstands

We just now ordered a copy for ourselves via Amazon and then decided to spring for a subscription as well. The newstand price is $15 per volume, and while we’ve been enjoying prices of $11-12 per volume on Amazon, the subscription price of ~$9 per issue ($35 for four) is a bit better.

You can view a full table of contents for volume 21 via Make’s website.

Make Magazine Volume 21 (Amazon)
Make Magazine Subscription Link (Amazon)

Over at Barnes & Noble.com, enter coupon code F3L8Y9F at checkout for 10% off one item. The coupon is good until 3am EST on Jan. 25th, and can only be used once per customer.

There is another coupon code, T8R7W8F, which is for 15% off one item for Barnes & Noble members, in addition to the regular members’ discount.

We’re going to take news of this promo as a sign that it’s time for us to order more woodworking books. We also ordered a few DVD box sets as there’s a concurrent “buy two get the third free” promo (details), but discussion of that falls beyond the scope of ToolGuyd.

Before ordering from Barnes & Noble, we always compare prices at Amazon. If you’re looking for a new book but don’t know what to get, take a look at our reading list for suggestions.

For full coupon details, click on the above image.