They say that necessity is the mother of invention. We think that more often than not, laziness is the mother of invention (Snuggie, anyone?). Sadly, not all is well in the Lazy Family – laziness is also the mother of accidents. We ask you to keep that in mind while you watch this delightful self-propelled lawnmower at work. Before you go off and build your own Blade Bot (our name for it – the actual name is the AutoMower), just remember Brother Accident is lurking nearby:

Korey Atterberry, the mad genius behind the contraption, also has pictures showing you what’s involved – but don’t say we didn’t warn you should things – like you toes, cats and neighborhood children – go astray.

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Automower Video, The Self-Propelled Lawnmower

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The following review of the Staple Jack, Nail Hunter and Nail Jack Pro will attempt to address a terrible inequality we’ve found in the world of home improvement and construction. It seems that just about everyone covers tools and products designed to put nails and fasteners into things. Hammers, nail guns, staplers, powder actuated nail drivers are all covered online. But what about fastener removal? Can you hear the crickets? Has the entire media forgotten that we frequently have to remove staples and nails too? Oh sure, there’s a random crowbar article here and there, but it’s window dressing! To address this “fastener insertion” media bias, we’re reviewing not one, not two, but three “fastener removal” tools; the Staple Jack, Nail Hunter, and, the ultra beefy Nail Jack Pro.

At this year’s National Hardware Show, we stumbled (literally? It was in Vegas) by the Nail Jack booth. Michael Foley of Nail Jack enthusiastically showed us their lineup of tools geared to remove everything from the tiniest brad and staple, to the most stubborn framing nail. Nail Jack sent us a trio of their tools to review, all in the interest of overcoming “fastener insertion” media bias of course. It’s also nice to see a tool company not taking themselves too seriously, as you can see in this video. It’s a brave stand in the battle against “fastener insertion” media bias:

First, a few words about what they have in common. Most people use the claw end of their hammer to remove nails. That works fine if you have a protruding nail with a well defined head on it.

Hammer-able rear end, with additional nail grip

The Staple Jack is the smallest of the Nail Jack lineup, and it excels at removing small brads and, you guessed it, staples. Trying to remove staples was previously an awkward prying match pitting you and your screwdriver against two prongs that rarely pulled out at the same time. With the Staple jack, you actually grip the staple, making complete removal effortless. The “spoon fulcrum” design also minimizes any surface marring as you pry up those pesky fasteners.

The Nail Hunter also has the unique spoon fulcrum, and adds both more heft and a clever recessed area which helps you grip nail heads. That recess feature makes it very easy to grip the nail and get some extra gripping power on the initial pulls. It also has a gripping area on the rear of the tool which can be handy for gripping the shaft of the nail once it has been pulled from the surface a bit.

The beefiest in the lineup is the new Nail Jack Pro. If you’re serious about pulling nails, this is the tool for you. The Nail Jack Pro feels absolutely solid. The robust handles are long enough to give extra leverage, but the tool design is still such that you can do nail removal one-handed. Like the other Nail Jack tools, the Nail Jack Pro enables you to “reset”, meaning once you pry some of the nail out, you simply re-grip the nail closer to the wood and use that leverage to pry out more. Try that with your average pry bar. The Nail Jack Pro is definitely the best of the three if you’re dealing with larger nails (plus it looks pretty awesome too).

So, the next time you hear someone complaining about media bias, make sure you educate them about “fastener insertion” and how important fastener removal is. Then mumble something about “fighting the power.” While a long pry bar could still have an advantage on really stuck beefy framing nails, I’ll now reach for one of the Nail Jack tools for about 95% of fastener removal jobs. If you’d like to remove your own fasteners far more effectively than with a hammer claw, you can pick up the <a href=”http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000032167310″>Nail Hunter</a> for around $25 from Rockler.  The Nail Jack Pro should be available soon for around $35 too.

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Hunting Nails and Media Bias With The Nail Jack

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Back in April we provided some cutting-edge journalism discussing the phenomena of Power Tool Drag Racing, something we think falls into the “don’t try this at home” category. So who wants to build crazy Mad-Max meets Transformers meets Home Depot blade-wheeled speedy gadgets of dismemberment without any payoff? Ok, a lot of people apparently.

Now, who wants to build them with the lure of fame, fortune and free prizes? Maybe just cool free prizes? Well then, check out ToolRaces.com and their upcoming race in Ohio August 21st. Our sponsor Ohio Power Tool is chipping in with some great tool prizes. Plus, I’ve heard there may be tool-drag-race-groupies there. That’s “drag-race groupies”, not “groupies in drag”, just for clarification. No matter who attends it’s sure to be a good time.

They even have edgy graphics with hands missing digits! A totally great idea as long as 1) No one actually loses a finger at the event, and 2) No surly carpenters or construction workers missing any digits show up and get offended. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for a safe and happy event for everyone (surly tradespeople included).

The Columbus Idea Foundry will be holding several build sessions so you can craft the first power-tool to ever break the sound barrier. Full details at ToolRaces.com.

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ToolRaces.com – Power Tool Drag Racing In Columbus Ohio

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This article has it all!  Biscuits, Joints, and a Pictorial.  Almost everything one needs for a satisfying evening, almost.  The hardcore woodworkers may whine and squeal that doweling a joint is better, faster, stronger, cheaper, etc…and there is something to that, I’m not going to get into that in this article.  But–since I have a new tool, and a need to make some mitered joints–I went with a biscuit joint.  It allows for some fiddling around with your alignment as the biscuit joiner will oversize the slot for the biscuit a bit allowing you to line up the joint.  Be advised:  a biscuit joiner isn’t exactly cheap–but if you are into Home Improvement/furniture/woodworking for the long haul: you would definitely put this tool on your wish list.

Ok–I can’t help myself:  Biscuit joints vs. Doweling quickly summarized:  Biscuits:  More play, faster, more expensive tools, better pull-apart strength.  Dowels: Has to be dead-on, easier dry-fit before glue up, cheaper tools, better shear strength.  I’ll let the real furniture/woodworking guys debate the merits of either joint.  I’m merely a carpenter, and there won’t be much–if any stress on my joints so a biscuit will work just fine.  So–with out further muddying the waters:  The pictorial, and brief description of my 45 degree miter joint.  Would work good for building a picture frame, window, trim set up–just about anything you want to miter.

Lining up, and marking the joint.

Biscuits are merely pressed wood in the shape of little footballs.  (American footballs to our International crowd.  Shhh about the World Cup.  My wife recorded them as I try to maintain my sports bubble until I get back to civilization).  They come in different sizes, and your biscuit joiner should have a size selection knob such as the one in the photo.

Selecting the biscuit size

I chose to use a #10 biscuit for my example.  So–turn the knob to the correct biscuit size, and the next step is to figure out the center of your stock (lumber, material).  I was using 3/4” Pine lumber, so half of that is 3/8” of an inch.  I set my biscuit joiner using the dial to 3/8”.  This will place the center of the tool’s blade at that measurement.  Coincidentally–this seems to be a pretty common size stock as my joiner sat perfectly flat on my worktable at this depth.  The shoe of the tool will now hold my stock at a 90 from the blade opening.  The blade looks like a tiny skill saw blade.

You will want to make sure your marks are on both pieces of stock to be joined.  When you’re satisfied–go ahead and take the plunge.  I start my joiner by pulling the trigger and letting it get to full speed before moving the handle toward my stock.  One of the nice things about this tool is that it is pretty safe.  There isn’t (and shouldn’t be) any blade exposed, and the possibility of flying debris is pretty minimal.  Still:  use all the regular stuff.  Eyes and ears people.  Making a habit of good safety allows you to feel confident when learning new techniques.

Biscuit slot cut, ready for glue

Once you have your slot cut–it’s time for glue up.  For wood glue–I prefer Titebond.  I like the initial tackiness of it, it dries a pretty neutral color, and it’s just what I’ve used.  It works good.  By all means use your favorite wood glue and go to town.

Since you used your joiner on both pieces of stock to be joined–glue up both of them on the joint.  Make sure and get some glue into the slot you cut for your biscuit.  It’s not going to do you much good to sit in there loose.  Before gluing–you can dry fit it–but as I mentioned, a doweled joint will make for a more accurate dry-fit, so it’s not something that is entirely necessary here.  Of course you essentially dry fit it as you measured and marked for your biscuit slot so at this point all it will cost you is time.

Glued, clamped, drying.

The next step can be a bit tricky.  You’re going to clamp the joint.  The joint itself doesn’t exactly need pressure on opposite ends–but that is optimum.  You can do it like I did, but you need to have a small enough work table that the size clamps you will need will fit.  You’ll notice that I used my JackClamps for this one–the small level vials are nice for this–but don’t get married to the idea of level and plumb when clamping.  Your floor or bench could be a bit out–it’s more important that the joint is flat.  Also–try and wipe off the excess glue you may have. You might notice I have indeed glued a finish joint to the table I was working on.  I did not enjoy having to chisel it off messing up my bench, and my finish joint.  I had to do it over.  Not cool.

All in all–biscuit joinery is pretty simple and effective.  I wish I could say that most mass produced furniture is done this way–but not likely.  Mastering this technique, and using it–you could indeed build something that looks nicer, is cheaper to build (sans your time of course), and is stronger than something you can buy off the show floor.  Plus–I just like working with wood and learning new things.

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Biscuit Joinery, A Pictorial Of a Picture Frame

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As much as someone who makes her living writing hates to admit it, sometimes a video is much more helpful than a manual. While manuals are certainly useful and should be consulted with for the little details, we like that more and more, companies are developing clips to show their products in action.

Rockler, HomeFixated’s sponsor and your favorite woodworking resource, is hip to this fact and has an entire library of product demos.

Rockler Video contains a collection of clips that let you see as first-hand as possible the appeal of several Rockler woodworking products.The listing of offerings is large – including Rockler Bench Cookies (a product we actually reviewed ourselves!), the Cove Cutting Table Saw Jig, the 9 Piece Power Bore Drill Set, and much more.

The extra great thing we like about this section of Rockler’s site is that they don’t just showcase their own videos, but they also post the clips made by customers and media who are doing their own demos and product reviews. A video and a second opinion – we love it! (And remember, if you’re making a video, it’s best to hire a writer to nail down those scripts! Most important part!)

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Rockler’s Own Version of YouTube: Woodworking Video Demos

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Ah yes, the lavish, opulent, some might say decadent lifestyle of a home improvement / tool blogger! I just returned from a couple days in Milwaukee after someone apparently bribed convinced Milwaukee that HomeFixated is some sort of vaguely legitimate media source. I flew in to Milwaukee late Tuesday night and was surprised to find a stretch limo waiting for me.  I somewhat eagerly leaned in when the driver opened the rear door.  Naturally, I expected to find a hot tub, frolicking women in bikinis, and dozens of bottles of Cristal. Unfortunately it was just me, all alone.  It felt a bit odd occupying one of about 12 seats, until I found the switches that control the limo’s interior lighting. I made sure I wasn’t bothering the driver and then proceeded to experiment with all the various lighting options (depending on what music was piped in).  The fiber optics and ambient bar lighting were especially sweet.  Yes, I am easily entertained.

Fast forward to the next morning, when several dozen real journalists and one pseudo journalist (me) hopped in vans to visit Milwaukee’s HQ.  The HQ tour was optional, but a good crowd rallied early to check it out.  After brief introductions, we were walked through some of the history, including a collection of Milwaukee tools representing the many decades they’ve been in business (since 1924).  Milwaukee has an impressive heritage, from their early days when Henry Ford approached them for a better drill, to today’s ever-expanding Lithium Ion cordless lineup.  And, of course, the iconic Sawzall.  I walked away from the tour realizing this was a company that was seriously committed to its core users, and ambitious about recognizing unfilled needs and fulfilling them quickly, creatively and with high quality.  I also realized, they really like the color red.  Seriously, they really like red.  I jokingly deemed them the tool company employees least likely to be hit by a car, thanks to their high visibility red dress shirts.  I was corrected that DeWalt might take that prize, but I’m not sure DeWalt is quite as focused on consistent color branding. More on the red obsession to come.

After the tour, it was off to the Harley Davidson museum for a day of presentations and playing with new Milwaukee tools!  We also got a chance to check out the museum towards the end of the day. It’s definitely a Harley Davidson fan mecca. I managed to squeeze in about 10 tweets throughout the day, which you can find on our profile July 21st @HomeFixated.  I included a photo with each tweet so you could actually see a little of the action.  Naturally, all of you already monitor our Twitter feed minute-by-minute daily anyway, so I probably didn’t even need to mention it.  As with most media events of this nature, there may or may not have been some products we might have taken an oath of silence on for the time being.  Stay tuned to Home Fixated, and we’ll make those public to you once Milwaukee gives the thumbs up on anything that we can’t currently confirm or deny. Sorry for the tease, but saying I might have corporate secrets makes me feel all covert and important.

What follows is a brief summary of some of my impressions, as well as a few peeks at Milwaukee’s latest tool innovations.

The People:
Media events like this are really fun, in large part because of the people hosting and attending them. It’s also a great opportunity to get a sense of each company’s particular corporate culture. Milwaukee impressed me with the sense that everyone appears happy working there. I’m sure it’s not all champagne and roses, but everyone I talked to and observed seemed to have genuine enthusiasm for what they were doing. I also really felt a team vibe. There was a great camaraderie among the crew. They also seemed sincerely interested in improving their products, and very receptive to constructive feedback.

The other people, of course, were the media and pseudo-media. I am happy to classify Home Fixated in the pseudo-media category as it keeps the bar really, really low. It’s much harder to be disappointed in what you’re reading when you know it’s from pseudo-media. I was happy to bump into several colleagues including Jay of Ohio Power Tool (our super-awesome sponsor by the way), Mark & Dennis from the My Fix It Up Life team, Sean of Toolmonger fame, Hal from Extreme How-To, Justin from Fine Homebuilding, Clint & Tom from ProToolReviews, and many others. I also finally got a chance to meet Doug Mahoney from the always clever, entertaining and insightful ToolSnob site. Lots of fun people on both the Milwaukee and media side.

M12 Cordless Multi-Tool:
High on the list of products that would likely interest Home Fixated readers was Milwaukee’s new Cordless Multi-Tool. It’s scheduled to be released this Fall. With the multi-tool arena more and more crowded everyday, Milwaukee took their time to throw their hat in the ring. Although there are many multi-tools, not many have gone the cordless route. Bosch of course has their Multi-X, however it’s gotten a luke warm reception from some based in part on concerns over a limited run-time. It will be interesting to see how the new M12 Multi-Tool stacks up once it’s released.

M12 Heated Jacket:
During dinner I had the chance to discuss ice fishing with several of the Milwaukee crew. Frankly, it’s not a topic that I bring up often in San Diego. I’ve always been curious why it would have any appeal. I learned a couple things from the responses I heard: 1) Ice fishing always involves alcohol. 2) It’s one of relatively few excuses to get out of the house during a long Milwaukee winter. 3) When it’s sunny and a balmy 20 degrees out, you can take off your jacket and run around playing football on the ice. The whole ice fishing thing was starting to make sense with points one and two, but they definitely lost me on three. If it’s 20 degrees out, I’m definitely not taking off anything. In fact, being from San Diego, I’d expect to be salvaging jackets off other frost-bitten and fallen fishing comrades in the hope I might fend off hypothermia. All that talk about ice and freezing temps did help me realize why a company normally known for its tools might dream up a battery powered heated jacket. If you live anywhere that actually has winters, and especially anywhere that has ice fishing, you have to get one of these. During a Q & A session, Hal from Extreme How-To semi-jokingly asked the president of Milwaukee if the jacket might be available in black too. Remember that red obsession I mentioned? Let’s just say based on the response, I’d rate the likelihood of a black M12 jacket about as likely as anyone finding me ice fishing this coming winter.

M12 “Hose-Less” Palm Nailer:

Doug of ToolSnob racing Hal of Extreme How-To with the new M12 Palm Nailer

M12 Cordless No-Hub Driver:
If you regularly deal with installing no-hub couplings on pipe, you have to check this one out.  This M12 driver has two specific torque settings (60 and 80 in/lbs) to dramatically improve installation time.  I also wasn’t aware that pro users installing no-hub couplings have to rely on ridiculously expensive T-Wrenches (using hand-power!) to get no-hub nuts to the proper torque to satisfy code.  We played around with these cordless alternatives and they worked great!  They even have an LED to alert you when the tool has hit the right torque, and it also blinks to alert you when the tool needs to be re-calibrated after 25,000 clamps.  The No-Hub Driver also has a 0-750 rpm drill setting so its useful beyond just no-hub couplings too.

M12 Cordless Grease Gun:

Hal of Extreme How-To demystifying the Grease Gun for the rest of us

Speed Feed Wood Drill Bit:
One accessory that really jumped out at me was Milwaukee’s new Speed Feed wood bit. They’re squatty, making them usable in between stud bays, and you can even start them at an angle and then pivot the bit as it starts to drill through the wood. These bits are wicked fast, thanks to the screw tip that pulls in through the wood, and an innovative spur design. The Speed Feed bits are also tapered, making them easier to withdraw from the studs. Electricians will also be happy to know that they leave a nice clean hole, far less likely to damage your Romex than holes from your typical spade bit. Really a great bit.

Grout and Scraper Blades for the Hackzall and Sawzall:
If you’ve ever used a hand grout scraping tool, you know what a tedious soul-sucking job that can be. Milwaukee recognized this and thankfully devised a nifty Grout scraping blade you can stick on your Hackzall, or Sawzall if you are so inclined. Milwaukee suggested caution when using something as beefy as the Sawzall, and they recommended running a medium speed. Remember you’re trying to scrape out grout, not demolish your bathroom. We experienced the grout scraper in action and it worked great. They also have a couple flat scrapers blades coming, to make short work of more typical scraping applications. These slipped under tile thinset like butter, and looked very handy to have around.

Hand Tools:
“Hand Tools!” you’re probably thinking, “I thought Milwaukee is all about power tools.” Not anymore. Milwaukee took a unique approach to diving into the hand tool market. They thought, “what tools do our core users need, and how might we be able to make existing hand tools better. ”  That’s right, rather than just crank out a red version of all the other hand tools out there, they went and talked with tradespeople, looked at existing designs and then innovated. Take their screwdriver line for example. They added a hole to the shaft for bending your electrical wire, and a groove for wire stripping right in the handle. When talking with users they realized no one actually uses the giant slotted screw driver for screws. Instead they bang on it with a hammer and use it like a blunt chisel and pry bar. Taking that into account, they extended the metal shaft all the way through the handle and added a metal cap at the end so you don’t decimate your screwdriver banging on it with your hammer. Milwaukee also developed and patented new ECX bits that fit in those pesky screws you always encounter (and strip) when doing electrical work. Among other great hand tools, they have two great utility knives and a drywall saw that we’ll be doing a detailed review on shortly.

Of course there were many other tools and accessories we didn’t have space to mention here. You can stay up to speed on everything new from Milwaukee on their new products page (in addition to religiously reading HomeFixated daily). Thanks Milwaukee for inviting Home Fixated to be a part of your New Product Symposium!  I’m still not sold on ice fishing though.

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Hot New Products From The Milwaukee Tool New Products Symposium

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Try as we might to be adults and take this home ownership thing seriously, sometimes we fail so epically that we have to turn to tricks that make one feel like a sneaky child.

Let me step back for a moment: I recently had the education of looking after an eight-year old boy for a day.  It was a steep learning curve on how the adolescent brain works.

When told to clean his room, he skillfully shoveled everything under the bed and, not so skillfully, under the rug. Job Done! When told to eat this vegetables, he would put the fork of green beans to his mouth and then scrape them against his chin so that they’d fall down into his tucked shirt. Job Done! When told to brush his teeth, he’d go to the bathroom, run the water, wet this toothbrush, and secretly just stand there making faces in the mirror. Job Done! In short, eight-year olds are the biggest, sneakiest fakers ever.

For that reason, I couldn’t help but think of my dear little ward when I came across Easy Green Lawn Paint. Destroyed your yard through a summer of neglect? Just spray it green. Job Done!

Yah, yah – sometimes you put a lot of effort into the lawn and it still turns out looking like hay. Maybe your house was built on a Buffy the Vampire Slayer-style Hellmouth? Or perhaps there’s a water shortage or you’re pretending to be eco-savvy by not using the H2O to keep your lawn hydrated. In any case, the grass is dead, and people are coming over (like judgey parents or, gah, potential home buyers). You could go buy those big rolls of grass … or you could spray it green. Which one of those options makes you more giddy and delights the inner child? The fake-out, of course.

To start, mow your lawn with your lawn mower of choice, remove any debris and put away your lawn furniture. Make sure your lawn is dry and rain isn’t expected for the next few hours. If you have a deck or stone tiles, you may want to cover them or have a bucket and rag with soapy water available (this stuff will stain them if you don’t take care of it immediately). Take your Easy Green Lawn Paint, dilute it according to directions, load it in your pump sprayer and go to town on your lawn – covering it all. In an instant, you’ve gone from neglectful home owner to responsible green thumb. The effects last for roughly three months.

Now, I have to advise my fellow geeks on one thing: Do not put it on yourself. As much as you may be tempted to use Easy Green Lawn Paint to turn yourself into an Orion, the object of Captain Kirk’s desires for Halloween, don’t. The paint is permanent. In fact, should you get it on your shoes or clothes before the drying process is complete (roughly 4 – 6 hours), it won’t come off. That said, it’s biodegradable, doesn’t contain harmful chemicals and is safe for animals and humans to frolic in (once dry).

A gallon of Easy Green Lawn Paint concentrate (which covers 8,000 square feet of lawn) will set you back $60 (larger quantities are available). If you’d like their pump sprayer, it’s available in a two gallon carry-around version for $40 or a four gallon backpack version for $100.

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Easy Green Lawn Paint: Because Sometimes We Suck

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This is in response to the recent inundation on Home Fixated of lawn mowers that Martha Stewart would use.  I’m here to show you a lawn mower that Tony Stewart would use and the late, great Billy Mays would have sold.  I am not opposed to being green–I am however, opposed to those that would take away the pure awesomeness that is a riding lawn mower.  If you don’t like burning fossil fuels to contribute to the global crisis, eagles, high-powered sniper rifles in school lunch boxes–you can just get out!  (Any airbrushed eagle on your vehicle automatically counts as citizenship/patriotism for life).  Hell yeah!

I give to you–those of us that bleed red, white, and blue:  The Case/IH WD2303 windrower.  This puppy has 226 Turbo powered horsepower, a dual speed hydrostatic transmission, 18 foot cutting head, independent rear axle suspension, a 120 gallon fuel tank–and cab suspension for the ultimate in lawn mowing comfort.  It is a veritable eff you to your neighbors that insist on using some electric lawnmower to pussyfoot around their garden gnomes.  This Lawnzilla would decapitate their garden gnomes–and leave a nice little windrow of them for the little gnome funerals.

The WD2303 features electric mirrors, automatic temperature control, and a four-speaker sound system so you can really kick it out with some Monsters of Rock. About the only thing this mower can’t do is crush cars.  Fortunately–we have another great American: Bigfoot to do that for us.  Again, USA: A kajillion  The Rest: Celine Dion and the Eiffel Tower.  We win.

Having tried this all American ass-kicker on a few hay fields, I can attest to the sheer testosterone that you will be over-dosing on shortly.  The controls are intuitive and easy to use.  If I were Case/IH I would quit calling it a cab, and start calling it what they mean:  a cockpit.  The right-hand control is shaped like a joystick, and as all my F-16 fighter pilot friends can attest to–it is just like it.  All your controls are on the joystick, and boy oh boy is it a joy.  Header hydraulics, cutter, and windrow shaper control fins are all on this baby.  It even comes with a seat they call an “instructional seat” next to the captain’s chair.  Let’s just call it what it is:  A place for babes to hang out gawking at you as you mow down anything green in front of you.  Did I mention the 18 foot wide cutting header?

In case you missed getting Dad something awesome for Father’s Day–here is your chance to make it up to him.  What better way to celebrate the freedom of our country than mowing down the competition?  You can get yourself a sweet used Case/IH Windrower here for a little over $100,000.  Or, go straight to Case/IH directly for a shiny new model.  Good times.

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Real American Lawn Mowing, The Case IH Windrower

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We talked about organic ways to kill snails in our article about using beer as snail bait. The problem with that technique is not that it’s ineffective, it’s that you have to sacrifice beer in the name of snail killing. That’s just not a sacrifice I’m willing to make. Several weeks ago, a massive snail assault began on our property. When I went outside in the evening or early morning, it was like Night of The Living Dead …. snails disconcertingly converging on us from every direction. I briefly entertained leaving them be, especially since our 3 year old daughter loved pointing them out to me every morning. She’d grab one and say “Look daddy, a snail!” Now that I’m writing this, it’s making me realize I’ve been a horrible father. . . . I have massacred my daughter’s favorite morning entertainment. Luckily she can’t read, so let’s just keep this review of Garden Safe Organic Slug and Snail Bait between you and me, shall we?

When I say the snails mounted an assault, I’m not kidding. They were everywhere. Aside from devouring several of our plants, they decided they even liked our house itself. We were finding them on our windows, walls, and doors. Thankfully none of them made it inside, but they had managed to take over the entire property nonetheless. Something had to be done. Something that didn’t cost me any beer. Something that wasn’t loaded with toxins (other than the kind that kill the snails). And that’s where Garden Safe made their appearance.

Gathering The Fallen Friends

Sorrow Sets In (Actually, it's Faked)

Posing Next to the Massacre

If you’re serious about killing snails, but not interested in dispersing highly toxic poisons in your yard, I’d recommend you consider Garden Safe Slug And Snail Bait. Especially since it won’t cost you any beer! Available for about $10 per two pound bag.

Post from: HomeFixated.com Visit today!

Confessions of an Organic Serial Killer, Garden Safe Slug & Snail Bait Review

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I freakin’ love Discovery’s Mythbusters.  That show is pretty awesome.  They get to build stuff, blow up stuff, make robots, and have a super huge shop with pretty much every tool imaginable.  They have even gotten drunk on some episodes.  Pretty sweet setup.  If you could get past the fact that Jaime seems sometimes…er…gruff–I think it would be a pretty cool gig.  It kind of got me thinking…I need to start a bit of DIY busting.  You know–test all the myths of home building so you don’t have to.  (Plus, they lack a decent carpenter on the show.  Some of the buildings they construct–just to blow up could use a bit of pro.  HINT).

So–my “myth” started out of just a straight-up lack of ideas for anything decent to tell you–and secondly because I am one of those “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” kind of fellows.  Mostly–because even if it is sorta broke–I still don’t want to fix it.  This harkens back to my Big Three B’s of summer.  I’d much rather drink adult beverages and catch a ball game on the official transportation of HF:  The Lawnmoweravision.  I’m pretty well stuck in what I know works, and so I tend to ride it out despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.  It’s the Irish/Scandinavian heritage I tell you.  We’re never wrong.  About anything.

Also–I had to check out the power on the recently reviewed Jack Clamps and try and break them.  It’s my job.  Thus–I give you Fixated Myth #1:

Titebond II vs. Gorilla Glue.  Mystical Wood Ninja Wayne introduced me to Titebond–and I’ve used it exclusively.  MYN Wayne claims that the actual wood will break before the Titebond joint will–you don’t argue with The Wayne.  Some of you will recall my Harbor Freight Tools article/review and remember that I mentioned picking up some bottles of Gorilla Glue on the cheap.  So, in full disclosure I am biased toward the Titebond.  As I write–the experiment is not completed–so I do not know how it will turn out.  Here is the set up:

Using the same piece of lumber, I cut 7 3/4” lengths, and small “posts” for each end.  The reason I cut the post this way, is that is the smallest the Jack Clamp will get while set in the opposite directions.  I intend to use the Jack Clamp to spread the two different test joints–and see which one gives way first.  Or breaks the clamp.  Or explodes.

Unfortnately…I didn’t have Kari or even Grant to help with my build–so I just had to wing it.  My editor informed me the HomeFixated budget doesn’t currently have allocation for minions. Sigh. Anyway, I tried to remain true to the “science” of the experiment.  I first used the Titebond on one joint, and then the Gorilla on the next joint.  I alternated the glues so one wouldn’t have more time to set up.  I then clamped the pieces together, and stored them together for the curing process of 24 hours.  I even used two seperate glue brushes to avoid any cross contamination.  I tell you–there is no length I will not go to to give you: the Fixaters, a true test of one wood glue versus the other.  This could mean the different between a piece of trim that stays on for 70 versus 71 years.  Important things to know.

The Amazing & Dramatic Conclusion:

After sitting in my garage–clamped together per manufacturer’s instructions for the allotted 24 hour period…I conducted the strength tests on my pieces.  The exciting results?

Gorilla Glue broke at a distance of: 8 3/8 inches.  Interestingly enough–the glue broke at the joint, and made a clean break.

Titebond II broke at a distance of: 8 1/4 inches.  The Titebond definitely ripped pieces of the wood out–but broke at a not-so-astounding 1/8 of an inch different than the Gorilla Glue.

The Jack Clamp performed as advertised, and if it wasn’t an inanimate object–would have yawned at the “strain” I put it under with my highly scientific “test”.

The real conclusion that I draw from this entire experiment is that either glue will perform admirably if asked to do it’s job, and not be put under the type of load I put on it.  Also–I have entirely too much scrap wood, glue, clamps, and time on my hands…

I also doubt that Discovery is frothing at the mouth to get me in for a screen test. But just in case they are, send us an email. Your hollywood money goes a long way here in Montana. You can find both Titebond and Gorilla Glue at our sponsor Rockler.

Post from: HomeFixated.com Visit today!

TiteBond vs Gorilla Glue, HomeFixated Style Mythbusting

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