KK- I've enjoyed the blog for a few years now and sometimes I refer to your opinion of tools before puchasing. I'm not sure my suggestion for " Something better then gypsum sheet rock" is entirely consistent with what you're looking for. But for a tile backer board on a wall there is something that is superior to gypsum and/or cement board/hardibacker. It's a half inch thick piece of high quality foam with a cementitious coating and fiberglass mesh imbeded on both sides. It goes by a few proprietary names like "EZboard" and "Wedi board" . Wedi board is a spendy german version but very high quality. As a tile setter the first time I used it I was sold. I insist on using it despite the higher cost (sometimes three times as much) of other options like drywall. It's totally water proof, I've made water tight vessels to illustrate this to clients. It inhibits mold growth and the wicking effect, that can be visually devistating when installing clear glass tile in a shower or tub surround. But the best and main reason I love using it is weight. I can pick up 7 or 8 full sheets and take them up two flights of stairs no problem. Try that with drywall or wonderboard.
Thanks
Kevin McGillicuddy

I wouldn't believe it if I didn't own it. Michael Foley invented a new nail puller called NailJack that truly save time and materials. I think one of the national improvement magazines gave him an Editor's Choice Award. http://nailjack.com I don't hesitate to recommend these.

You want the air rifle specifically for a boy? Girls can shoot too!

@Anonymous I guess we should just remember the line was "You'll shoot your eye out, kid" no ref to boy or girl. lol

When it comes to generating a keen edge on any blade, the Accusharp Knife Sharpener is by far one of the best and cheapest tools that I've had the pleasure to own. It's cheap in price, forms an excellent edge, uber light and the list goes on and on. Just remember to remove the burr from the edge of the blade after using the Accusharp.

@anonymous: it's not really shooting if the seat is down.

Best air rifle:
Remington AirMaster 77
Shoots both bb's and pellets, has good airspeed (725 fps (755 with BBs)), can put on a scope, readily available.

I can easily recommend ANY Finale music product. If you purchase the full version, and have the correct input device, It will record exactly what you play and convert it into workable sheet music. I have been an owner and user of Finale (and it's many upgrades) since version 2.0, aka 1992.

Many good tips rom this site; thank you

For screws etc, you can't do better than McFeely's square drive assortments. They'll also send you bits and drivers. And once you've used square drive--more common in Canada than here--you'll never go back. Imagine: the screw fits on the driver and gets guided easily with one hand where it needs to go, and the driver never slips:

http://www.mcfeelys.com/

Speakers, depends on what you want out of 'em, o course, and how good your hearing is, and like that. But if you listen in modest spaces at modest volumes, as do I, the Logitech speakers are a steal:

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Z-2300-THX-Certified-200-Watt-Speaker/dp/B0002SQ2P2/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_1

My daughter has the Creature II and it sounds great, even in my room across the house :) On my system I use the Cambridge Soundworks system. I watch and buy them from the Clearance Center when they have them.

http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/store/category.cgi?category=mul_spk_csw&item=1100001246

The two systems kind of remind me of the old days and the West Coast sound vs. East Coast sound on our stereo systems. JBL L-100 West Coast and AR 2ax East Coast.

I've been using RescueTime.com for a while now. It's a perfect thing for finding out where your day goes. From fine grained reports on what you spend your time doing up to one big fat summary number, it has it.

Also lets you compare to other folks - see if you are working more efficiently than they are or if you need to kick it in gear for a bit more.

The best bit? It's completely transparent. The software just ticks away and works in the background, never getting in the way.

Best air rifle "for a boy"... wtf?

Best air rifle for a boy? Is it a special trigger, pulled only via a penis?

Youth air rifle? I enjoyed shooting a Crosman 2100 classic until I "moved up" to adult airguns.

Inflatable Kayaks: I purchased a SeaEagle 370 online for about $350, with seats, pump, carry bag and oars and am very happy. Setup is fast, it's been durable, and rows well--it's a little wider than a hardshell and rides a bit higher, but it can't be beat for convenience and portability. The 370 seats up to three, but there are smaller models available for less.

I bought and read backyard ballistics. It's a good intro book for science. Kid friendly, with plenty of warnings god number of projects to do for the summer. I know there are some others out there though, so I don't know how well it stacks up.

Regarding speakers - try Paradigm. Made in Canada used to be the 'alternative' for those who wanted high quality but didn't want to spend the big bucks. Have been using them for 10 years and still love them - see no reason to upgrade.

http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/news/

Aire Kayaks, definitely. Bullet-proof; great for scraping over rocks. Instant draining (you get wet, you don't sink), standard of the inflatable kayaking industry. Solo Tomcat starts at about $550 on the street. Lynx, their best, is half again that. www.aire.com

Daisy air rifles, hands down. Easy pick. Every child should have one. Daisy Red Ryder is still $24.95. We used to shoot dove and quail with ours, could manage consistent 10, 20, 30, 1/4" dia groups at the smoothbore regulation range of 5 yards. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Ryder_carbine-action,_two_hundred_shot_Range_Model_air_rifle

I agree regarding McFeely's square drive screw selections. Very high quality, plus great selection of sizes you really use.

Backyard Ballistics is a good read, but the Classic Foxfire 5 (ISBN 0385143087) is far better, and Theo Gray's Mad Science (ISBN 1579127916) is better than either.

For best stud finders, well, there's my daughter... Sorry honey, that was cruel--if true. Moving away from electronic stud finders (truly cool tools), knocking with a knuckle is hard to beat. If you listen carefully to the timor of the knock, you can accurately determine the "range" wherein lies the stud--which is almost always mid-way between your marks.

Drill bit sharpening--or at least touching up--doesn't need esoteric tools; a similar value in research into what and why drill points need and stay sharp will pay greater dividends. Here are a couple of primers: http://www.woodcraft.com/Articles/Articles.aspx?articleid=267
www.instructables.com/id/Sharpen-Your-Drill-Bits

There is nothing better than gypsum sheetrock, though there are some trick seaming/taping methods out there. None better than the NorthStar bazooka, though it's been around for a long time. Remember that sheetrock replaced lath and plaster, is 10 times faster and at least 10 times cheaper. Two skilled 'rockers can sheetrock a 1500 sq ft house in less than a day; 2 skilled tapers can finish the seams by the end of day 2. Watch the pros before you try trick patent gadgets.

Ciao,

Dave

For quick-and-dirty knife sharpening I've been happy with the Myerco Sharpen-It. It has a course and fine set of wheels, which you take 50 passes per side on. Like just about anything short of an actual whetstone, it won't make anything razor-sharp, but good enough for most needs. I've had one for a couple years and mean to get a bunch more, because anything this right is bound to go out of production.

I learned about it from this site, which has about as much information about practical knife sharpening as you could want: http://users.ameritech.net/knives/

"Best air rifle for a kid" is what I intended. Apologies for the inadvertent gender bias.
Thanks, all, for the recommendations. Keep 'em coming.-es

@Dave Culp: Thanks for the bunch of recommendations.

I recommend the Daisy Red Rider. They're inexpensive and don't break. For magnetic paint go to Kling Magnetics. http://www.kling.com/

A Red Ryder BB Gun is by far the best air rifle for a kid. There is nothing to break and it has a 650 BB capacity magazine. You can fill it once and wander around in the woods all afternoon. All of my nieces and nephews get one when I think they are old enough.

Knife sharpener - Get this one - real cheap and it does the job. Fiskars Axe and Knife Sharpener #7861. I was a professional chef for years, and every chef, student, and serious cook I knew had one in his bag. It's down and dirty, but foolproof as h*ll.

Screws, nuts, bolts, etc... Depends what a basic set is, and what you want to do with it.
I agree that one cannot go wrong with the woodscrew assortments from Mcfeeleys, and they also have some nice assortments of machine screws, in both zinc and stainless steel. Oh and right now, they'll give you a free assortment at either 100 or 250 dollar purchase - which reminds me, I need to put together an order.
Harbor Freight sells quite a few different assortments, very cheap, but buyer beware. Although I haven't had a problem, I certainly wouldn't trust something of dubious or untraceable applications to anything critical. I have picked up some of their assortments when they are on sale, just for emergencies, playin around, or junk work. Oh, and sale is usually about half off regular.
JC whitney sells a nice assortment of Grade 5 bolts, nuts, washers, and locks,with bins, that I intend to order for my shop stock, for about 70 bucks.
Grainger, MSC, and Fastenal, along with every other industrial supplier, all sell assortments that are pretty reasonable, in just about category you want, with nice fitted boxes and everything.
Most important is figuring out what you need, and want to stock. I buy basic assortments when I can, and when I need a specific size, I try to bracket and get a couple of other sizes, and a couple of extras, and when I have to go to the hardware store or place an order anyhow, I pick up one or two boxes of something i dont have, and i save unique fasteners from things I take apart, and I still never have what I need.
Also remember to use the right fastener, grade 8 for grade 8, stainless for stainless, long enough screws, etc. And please, be careful where you use the real cheap stuff.

Drill Dr - We have one at work that everyone can use, and I love it. Works quick and foolproof after you watch the video. I'd probably buy one if I couldn't use it, but i drill a lot of bad stuff in bad places, and I burn up a lot of bits. Depending on the model I guess they're between 75 and 200, and that will replace a lot of bits in occasional use.

@ CT Reader:
Thanks for the recommendations. If you'd like to e-mail me your name, I can give you a proper byline when I run your reviews.-es (elon {at} schoenholz dot com)

Speaker reviews? Listen to some speakers at a store. That's the way to go. Find the ones that sound best at volumes that you use. In the $30-100 range there are a lot of good inexpensive speakers, and a lot of bad cheap speakers.

My favorite cheap speakers of all time were the (long since discontinued, and company acquired by Creative) Cambridge Soundworks Pcworks speakers.

There are a lot of speaker reviews on the web, and I've never found any of them to be as useful as one minute with a speaker in a store.

I like the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker. It is easy to use and sharpens almost everything I own.

For a fastener assortment, I would recommend Barnes Distribution. I know they're an industrial supplier, but if you can get an account set up with them their prices are excellent and the scope of their product lines is amazing. They do custom kits and binning as well.

Economical home windmill? Since there are many, many varieties , it's probably best to read up on what you'll need to know to size a wind turbine for your domestic installation. In many cases, you might just not have the wind resource to make it worthwhile.

Best books on the subject are pretty much anything by Paul Gipe: http://wind-works.org/ - he's been working in the industry since the 1970s, and been testing turbines for years. His books are approachable, and only cover the theory you need.