ToolGirl Mag Ruffman's Official Web Log

Lamps from plumbing parts

via www.etsy.com

Oh, baby.  Drop dead gorgeous lamps and fixtures made from plumbing supplies. Check out the library lamp made from copper tubing, the wine bottle towel rack, or even more madly subversive...the beer bottle chandelier.

Post-it watches

via boingboing.net

These are brilliant. I wonder how many you could get on your wrist at once. 

There's been a whole lotta plumbing going on around here. (After the old water heater kept arcing and blowing out its thermostat, we hauled it out and got a new one, requiring 12 new plumbing joints.) If there's one thing I love it's the smell of soldering, but not so much the smell of lighting the basement paneling on fire because of faulty torch-pointing on my part.

The eyes have it - 22% of DIY injuries are to the face

Cutting edge safety gear including MP3 player ear-protection and a respirator that lets you sound like Darth Vader.

 

My grand experiment; the truth about lawnmowers and fuel consumption

Which of these would you say uses dramatically more fuel?

 

A Gassy Experiment Leads to Horsepower Love 

I’ve always objected to ride-on mowers because I’d heard that they consume a gallon of gas faster than a university student can shotgun a beer.  Is it true?

I went searching for specs comparing the fuel efficiencies of different types of mowers.  I couldn’t find a thing online, so I contacted some people I knew at Sears and Husqvarna asking for any research they had. 

They had charts comparing the amount of time that different mowers require to cut the same area of lawn. But they couldn't answer my burning question about how much more gas it takes to do the same job with a bigger mower.

So I proposed to Sears that I borrow a few of their demo models for the summer to do an experiment, cutting the same area of lawn throughout the summer using three very different-sized mowers.

They agreed to the experiment.  A few days later a big truck came up the driveway and dropped off a 190cc Eco Plus mower, a 12-horsepower Smart Rider, and the big daddy, a Craftsman 26-horsepower garden tractor. 

I alternated machines weekly throughout the summer and early fall.  I carefully measured the fuel consumption when refilling the machines, and kept a chart of litres used. 

I was really, really surprised by the results. 

 

Make a vertical garden from an old pallet

via thelocalspoon.com

From Steph Lawrence's excellent blog, this is a great way to upcycle an old pallet. Stand it up for an instant privacy wall.

Lightsaber Candlestick: The Force Burns Brightly with This One - Technabob

via technabob.com

I used to have a collection of Star Trek Christmas ornaments but this is way classier. (Starts shipping in December from ThinkGeek for about $40) WHO WOULDN'T WANT A PAIR OF THESE?

Canadians can now order 60,000 tools from Amazon.ca

Amazon.ca has launched its Tool & Building Supplies Store featuring more than 60,000 tool and home improvement-related items. Canadians can purchase power tools to DIY products from top brands at amazon.ca/tools and receive free shipping on orders of $25 or more.

 

Source:  Home Improvement Retailing Magazine