These are our top gifting picks of the 2015 holiday season in nine different categories - something for everyone in your family of makers - from the best solder sucker to a speedy FPV microdrone.
Jim Burke is a graphic designer and illustrator for Make: But he is also the founder of the awesomely popular Power Racing Series where competitors from community makerspaces modify toy Power Wheels into racing machines.
You’ll rue the day you need one and don’t have it, so just be prepared now. Nobody likes losing that one nut in some hard to reach spot or — gasp — dropping a screw down a carburetor. This cheap tool could very well save you.
If you’re a fan of not being crushed, grab a jack stand. While you can find plenty of cheaper ratchet stands there’s more security with a solid bolt. Also, this model from Torin has a flat base for even weight distribution so you won’t scrape away that sealer you just put on the shop floor.
It’s hard to find a nice art kit — most are just cheap paints and pencils shoved in a “nice” box. Kafka is the exception, because it’s made for pinstriping. It’s an art form that is hardly Kafkaesque, and one that with dutiful practice can be mastered.
I never bike without one. Durable, compact, and from a brand that’s an industry standard, you can do just about all the roadside fixes you’ll need with a pump, a spare tube, and one of these. They are also super tough.
There’s a good reason why most bicycle shops have a can of T-9. If used sparingly, it’s great for metal-on-metal contact, chain lubrication, cleaning off components, and even protecting from corrosion in a pinch. But it’s not for bikes only; just about anything you need to lube on your car is a candidate for the T-9 treatment.
You don’t have to overload your workshop, but it’s worth it to learn to love cheap, specialized tools. It’s very common for people to damage their car trim trying to work on something, so why not spend the $10 to make sure you don’t make a mistake everyone is going to see?
While older cars tend to have engine bays large enough to hide Connecticut, newer machines are a David Bowie Labyrinth of impossibly tight corners and baffling space oddities. Don’t let that discourage you though, this mirror paired with that fancy magnet-on-a-stick means you’ll never lose a bolt or screw in a tight space ever again.
If you work on a lot of small motors, you likely already have a bottle. For those that don’t, it’s a high temperature leak fixing “liquid gasket” that can buy you the time you need to get a replacement gasket, or just keep that old lawn mower running a few more summers.
Percussive maintenance — it’s pretty much the best kind. Instead of grabbing the biggest hammer you can find and bashing away, get precise with your pounding. A 3-pound drilling hammer has a short handle and a stout stance, so you can fit your swing in those tight spots.
You’ll rue the day you need one and don’t have it, so just be prepared now. Nobody likes losing that one nut in some hard to reach spot or — gasp — dropping a screw down a carburetor. This cheap tool could very well save you.
If you’re a fan of not being crushed, grab a jack stand. While you can find plenty of cheaper ratchet stands there’s more security with a solid bolt. Also, this model from Torin has a flat base for even weight distribution so you won’t scrape away that sealer you just put on the shop floor.
It’s hard to find a nice art kit — most are just cheap paints and pencils shoved in a “nice” box. Kafka is the exception, because it’s made for pinstriping. It’s an art form that is hardly Kafkaesque, and one that with dutiful practice can be mastered.
I never bike without one. Durable, compact, and from a brand that’s an industry standard, you can do just about all the roadside fixes you’ll need with a pump, a spare tube, and one of these. They are also super tough.
There’s a good reason why most bicycle shops have a can of T-9. If used sparingly, it’s great for metal-on-metal contact, chain lubrication, cleaning off components, and even protecting from corrosion in a pinch. But it’s not for bikes only; just about anything you need to lube on your car is a candidate for the T-9 treatment.
You don’t have to overload your workshop, but it’s worth it to learn to love cheap, specialized tools. It’s very common for people to damage their car trim trying to work on something, so why not spend the $10 to make sure you don’t make a mistake everyone is going to see?
While older cars tend to have engine bays large enough to hide Connecticut, newer machines are a David Bowie Labyrinth of impossibly tight corners and baffling space oddities. Don’t let that discourage you though, this mirror paired with that fancy magnet-on-a-stick means you’ll never lose a bolt or screw in a tight space ever again.
If you work on a lot of small motors, you likely already have a bottle. For those that don’t, it’s a high temperature leak fixing “liquid gasket” that can buy you the time you need to get a replacement gasket, or just keep that old lawn mower running a few more summers.
Percussive maintenance — it’s pretty much the best kind. Instead of grabbing the biggest hammer you can find and bashing away, get precise with your pounding. A 3-pound drilling hammer has a short handle and a stout stance, so you can fit your swing in those tight spots.
