The Wood Whisperer has a new book coming out, “Essential Joinery.” Read More
Book Review: The Total Inventor’s Manual by Sean Michael Ragan
It’s not every day that I can say “I’m friends with the author, and really enjoyed this book.” Read More
Deal: Family Handyman, PopSci, PopMech Subscriptions, $5 Each
Do you miss the feel of flipping through magazines? Family Handyman and other loosely DIYer-related magazine subscriptions are on sale for $5 each. Read More
Holiday Deal: Popular Mechanics 1-Year for $5
Now’s a great time to subscribe to PopMech. 1 year for just $5, via Amazon. PopSci and Car and Driver are also on sale for $5/year. Read More
Make Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing
Make’s latest special issue is half 3D printer buyer’s guide, half beginner’s guide. Definitely a good read. Read More
3 Fun-Filled DIY Project Books (and 1 Magazine)
With cold and snowy weekends on the way for many of us, here are a couple of books that offer fun projects and playful afternoons. Read More
Family Handyman 1-Year Subscription for $7
Here’s another tool/home improvement magazine deal for those of you that need a break from hands-on work and DIY projects. Read More
Partial Victory!! New Sears Catalog is a Craftsman Catalog, Kind of
For the first time since 2008, I received an actual Craftsman catalog in the mail! Unfortunately, there are no new products, and the Craftsman-to-other-brand ratio is the same as in recent versions. Read More
Popular Mechanics Subscription Deal – 12 Months for $7
Amazon’s got a great deal on Popular Mechanics – 12 months for $7! Read More
The Anarchist’s Tool Chest by Christopher Schwarz
A new book by Chris Schwarz is said to provide a refreshing look at woodworking tool selection. Read More
2011-2012 Craftsman and Sears Tool Catalog Now Online
Craftsman and Sears’ 2011-2012 tool catalog is now available for browsing online, and it’s definitely worth checking out! The digital version is extremely quick to browse through, but I’m still looking forward to the print version. Read More
1-Year Popular Mechanics Subscription for $6.99
GJ member fourfeathers pointed out that Amazon is currently offering a target=”_blank”>one-year subscription to Popular Mechanics for only $6.99. Read More
Leatherman – So Ubiquitous My Mom Recognizes the Name
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 […]
Sunset & Lowes Home Improvement Book Recall
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. […]
Make Magazine Volume 21
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 […]
Taunton Annual Tool Guide
Taunton’s 2010 Annual Tool Guide is on sale for $5 via Taunton’s home page. If you haven’t yet picked up a copy at your local home improvement store or bookseller, now may be as good a time as ever before it goes out of print. If you’ve read previous editions of Taunton’s Tool Guide, most notably the […]
What We’re Reading – Make Magazine Volume 20
I’ve been going through Make Magazine Volume 20, and while it’s not one of their best issues, it’s still pretty interesting. If I can ever find the time, I might attempt their Auto-Phenakistoscope project. The highlight of this issue was definitely the feature on MythBuster’s Adam Savage, but there’s unfortunately only one narrow photo of his workshop. […]
An Inquiry Into the Value of Work
We’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work, so we figured it’s about time that we mentioned it. An essay adapted from the book by the author, Matthew Crawford, was published by the NY Times in late-May, and offers an excellent idea about what Shop […]
What We’re Watching: Cool Tools
Although we often heard good things about Cool Tools, our cable provider does not offer the DIY network, so we’ve never been able to watch full episodes before. Until now! Early this morning we discovered that Cool Tools episodes are available for free via Hulu and DIY’s own website. We cannot yet tell you which […]
What We’re Reading: Man Crafts
Man Crafts, by Popular Mechanics, is a collection of projects reprinted from booklets that were originally published right after World War II. Following are the 10 chapter titles of the book: Coping Saw Carpentry, Leathercraft, Bookbinding, Block Printing, Axe Craft, Tin-Can Craft, Braiding & Knotting, Fly Tying, Cartooning, and Lettering. I’m finding Man Crafts to be a pretty entertaining […]