Tools

Erector

Gilbert’s Girders

The Museum of Interesting Things is crammed into every inch of the ninth-floor New York City apartment of Denny Daniel, the sprite-like curator of an eclectic collection of inventions, toys, and gadgets. Daniel had a magician-like patter for each item he showed me: the cylindrical Edison phonograph, the mutoscope, and the hidden camera inside a […]

Build Your Dream Car

Build Your Dream Car

I built my first car model when I was 8. It was a Duesenberg 1934 Coupe Chauffeur. Magnificent. Body pieces that snapped together, metal panels, chrome interior details, glass windows that folded down, real fasteners, burgundy interior fabric, rubber tires with white-wall siding, metal spokes, cables, and a miniature motor. My older brothers bet I […]

Tool Review: Schröder 9″ Hand Drill

Tool Review: Schröder 9″ Hand Drill

I picked up a pair of these German-made drills from Garrett Wade: the 9″ Mini Hand Drill ($25.50) and the 12″ Larger Hand Drill ($46.50), which has an additional wood knob opposite the crank handle. Since the Mini reminds me more of the old eggbeater, I’m using that. It looks shiny and new, but the solid construction and tight engineering hark back to the days when tools weren’t considered disposable.

Liberty Tool Company of Liberty, Maine

Liberty Tool Company of Liberty, Maine

Liberty Tool Company in Liberty, Maine sells salvaged hand tools. This lovely three minute video featuring Liberty owner and tool buyer H.G. “Skip” Brack pays homage to beautiful old tools, notes the importance of tool use in sustainable economies of the future, and provides a glimpse into a solid small-town business providing a useful service to its patrons.