Bosch IWMH182 Impact Wrench Review

Posted on by Tim Carter

Impact Wrench Review

Some power tools have the strangest names.

This is one. The actual name for this tool is:

18V EC Brushless 1/2-Inch Square Drive Impact Wrench with Detent Ball

I kid you not.

But don't let the stodgy name fool you. This is ten tons of dynamite with a one-inch fuse.

I'm not a reviewer that bores you with all the technical specs. If you want those, click here.

Know Your Reviewer

I talk about how tools really work in your hand and unlike many other tool reviewers out there, I've got over thirty-five years of field experience to render an opinion.

I hope you do realize that many of the current tool reviewers out there, and I'm talking late 2016, are individuals who have never been on a real job site, never have worked in construction as a full-time job, and most definitely do not have decades of real field experience.

Always be sure to visit the About Us page on a tool review website and look at the qualifications of the person writing the review before you put much faith in their review. But I digress!

My Field Test

In the summer of 2016, I had to completely rebuild an existing deck that was 10 feet by 64-feet long. It was 13 feet up in the air. The idiot carpenters who constructed it, just toenailed in all the connections between posts and beams.

The deck had 4x4 angled knee braces between the posts and beams, but those were also just nailed by the idiots. The rookie know-nothing carpenters also used 3/8-inch by 6-inch long lag bolts to attach the notched post rails to the deck. Look at this video:

I decided to test this Bosch impact wrench to remove all of the long lag bolts and then re-use those same bolts at the knee braces to strengthen and help stabilize the deck.

OH MY!

This is one powerful tool. I mean wrist-wrenching power that puts a grin on your face.

CLICK HERE TO BUY this amazing tool.

I felt it increased my productivity by a factor of 10X, possibly more.

The 18-volt batteries delivered boundless energy driving countless bolts deep into the wood with just a minimal pilot hole.

I got the kit with the soft bag, the charger and an extra battery. You WANT TO HAVE an extra battery. This allows you to work all day long never having to wait on a battery to charge.

Here are some photos that tell you all about this tool.

 

 

This is the tool. It's solid and fit my hand well. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

This is the tool. It's solid and fit my hand well. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

This is the business end of the impact wrench. Let me tell you, the variable speed control with the torque combine to make you job easier and your profits to go UP. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

This is the business end of the impact wrench. Let me tell you, the variable speed control with the torque combine to make the job easier and your profits to go UP. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

Nice detailing and a brand you can trust. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

Nice detailing and a brand you can trust. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

The handy led lights let you know how much power you have left. Since the lithium-ion batteries deliver nearly full power until exhausted, you don't see a drop off in performance until seconds before the battery stops. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

The handy led lights let you know how much power you have left. Since the lithium-ion batteries deliver nearly full power until exhausted, you don't see a drop off in performance until seconds before the battery stops. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

No brushes to clean! This means you can spend time doing what you're good at. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

No brushes to clean! This means you can spend time doing what you're good at. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

The LED spotlight really comes in handy in those poorly-lit situations. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

The LED spotlight really comes in handy in those poorly-lit situations. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

CLICK HERE TO BUY this amazing tool.

 

STIHL PS 10 Folding Saw Review

Posted on by Tim Carter

I'm quite lucky in that I get to test new tools on a regular basis.

Not too long ago, I received a STIHL PS 10 folding saw. Having used similar hand saws in the past, I felt I'd be able to provide you with a great assessment as to if it's worthy to hang on your garden shed pegboard.

The folding hand saw I already had in my garage before this one arrived, and had used for years, had a longer blade. Although the saw cut pretty well, I was never impressed by the blade as it  had flexed and bent on me more than a few times while using it.

I was very interested to see how strong the steel was in this STIHL saw. It didn't take long to discover that STIHL makes hand saws like they make their unbeatable chain saws. The Germans strive for excellence, and it seems they achieved it with this very simple, but elegant, folding hand saw.

 

BASIC SPECS:

BLADE STYLE        Folding
BLADE LENGTH        5.75"
BLADE FINISH        Hard chrome-plated
TOOTH PITCH        .15"
BLADE SHAPE        Straight
OVERALL LENGTH        13.7"
CUTTING CAPACITY          2"
Here's the bad boy. It's a dandy saw. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

Here's the bad boy. It's a dandy saw. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

MY TEST:

The reason STIHL tells you it can only cut 2-inch material is because the length of the blade is only 5.75 inches. I decided to try to cut a 3.25-inch diameter maple tree that was growing like a weed here at my house.

It did a superb job even though I had to use shorter saw strokes because I was cutting a larger tree. I cut at a 15-degree downward angle so the tree would fall away and not pinch the saw blade. It only took about 45 seconds to get the tree to succumb to gravity.

Here's the saw with teeth that remind me of a fierce dragon. You can see the stump of the tree just under the blade. Maple is hard, but no match for the STIHL PS 10. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

Here's the saw with teeth that remind me of a fierce dragon. You can see the stump of the tree just under the blade. Maple is hard, but no match for the STIHL PS 10. I have the locking clasp disengaged in this photo getting ready to take the photo you see below. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

IMPRESSIONS:

This folding hand saw fit my hand perfectly with decent leather gloves on. To me, that's the test. You should always wear heavy gloves when using a saw like this because the sharp teeth will show no mercy on your soft, tender skin when they can easily cut through hard maple or oak!

The teeth are designed to provide maximum cutting power on the pull stroke.

There's a nice locking clasp once the blade is open. Be sure to always lock the blade when open.

My finger is underneath the locking clasp just to show it to you. When the blade is open, you need to ENGAGE the clasp in the groove on the top of the blade. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

My finger is underneath the locking clasp just to show it to you. When the blade is open, you need to ENGAGE the clasp in the groove on the top of the blade. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

If you care for this saw, meaning clean and keep it oiled after each use, it can last generations assuming you don't use it to cut steel rebar, metal tubing, or drag it across rocks.

Use common sense and just cut WOOD with it, and the blade should remain sharp for many many years.

CLICK HERE to get more information and to BUY this saw.

 

Brick Patio Pavers

Posted on by Tim Carter
patio brick pavers

Would you believe it if I told you the brick you see is well over 100 years old, it was salvaged and then installed as a patio 45 years ago? And it still looks to be in great shape! © 2016 Tim Carter Builder

DEAR TIM: My wife is begging me to install a patio. The issue is she hates the interlocking cast concrete brick and they seem to lose their luster and color in a few years. Plus, they look too perfect she says.

She want’s me to create a brick patio that looks like it’s been down for fifty, or more, years. How can you do that? What’s the magic? I’m not very skilled and the method needs to be pretty simple for me to pull this off and be in her good graces.

Help me Obi Wan Tim, you’re my only hope. Zach S. Raleigh, NC

DEAR ZACH: I sensed a slight disturbance in the home improvement force when I read your email. It was a pleasant one that brought back a buried memory of mine. You may enjoy this small tale and take some inspiration from it.

When I was dating my wife back in college during the early 1970’s, I was deeply interested in home improvement, yet I had raw undeveloped skills. Energy and desire were in abundance, but both needed to be tamed so as to not waste them.

One early summer night when I went to pick up Kathy for a date, I saw two pallets of brick in their driveway and asked about them. Kathy told me her mom wanted a small brick patio around the back of her house where she could sit in nice weather and have a cup of coffee. That included 95-degree days as she consumed hot coffee on blistering hot days. I sweated thinking about that.

I can’t remember how it happened, but I volunteered to help put in the patio. Kathy’s dad was a medical doctor and very busy so I knew he’d have limited time. My future mother-in-law saw I was serious and welcomed the offer.

The brick they had bought was solid brick that had been used in some building. Fortunately, it was a harder brick that was strong enough to be exposed to the cold punishing weather that one can have in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the winter. Realize that not all brick has been fired long enough at a high enough temperature in a kiln to have this durability. It’s required for paving brick to be used in a patio or roadway. Brick in contact with the ground needs to be much tougher than brick used in a wall.

The first thing I had to do was chip off all the old mortar. Fortunately the mortar that had been used was primarily made with hydrated lime instead of Portland cement and it came off with little trouble. It took days to get off all the old mortar, but they passed like minutes to me because I was enjoying the work.

The brick had very square edges but every now and then a corner was chipped. I thought this would be an issue, but Kathy’s mom loved the missing corners as she was going for the same look your wife wants. I couldn’t picture it, but I trusted her and after all, it was her patio!

Kathy’s mom had read some article about installing the brick in a bed of coarse sand that had some Portland cement blended with it. This cement would eventually set up once the sand got wet and create a fairly stiff base under the brick.

I dug out enough soil so there would be a 3-inch bed of sand. I blended four measures of sand per measure of Portland cement and mixed it up in a wheelbarrow until the sand was a uniform color.

This sand was then put on the soil. I had created wood forms around the patio so we’d have the sand in the same plane. Kathy’s dad taught me one night after he got home from work the importance of using a string to get the edge of the forms straight so the patio didn’t look like it was being installed by a novice. I thank him to this day for that tip as I was trying to eyeball the wood forms.

I dumped the sand into the wood forms and used another straight 2x6 that ran across the top of the forms to smooth out the sand cement mixture. I did not compact the sand but immediately began to dry fit the brick on top of the sand. I kept the brick about 3 inches away from the edge of the sand. That’s what the instructions in the article said to do. I didn’t understand why at the time, but I do now! That sand edge provided a nice barrier so the brick on the edges would not tip outward if stepped on.

Because the brick were very uniform in size, they went together well in a double basket-weave or stacked bond pattern. Once all the brick were installed and I put dirt around the edges, I used a metal tamper that had a towel wrapped around it to set the brick in the sand. I started at the edges and tamped lightly working my way in to the center of the patio. The final step was to put a lawn sprinkler on to try to activate the Portland cement in the sand so the base stiffened up.

Last week, I was on that patio, possibly for the last time, because we had to send my father-in-law back to Heaven. Seven years ago, we sent back my mother-in-law. I sat in a chair on the patio and marveled at how well it looked after nearly 50 years of wear and tear. The brick weren’t perfectly level, some were up and down, the spacing wasn’t perfect but the patio looked amazing. I think your wife would like one like this.

The only thing I think I’d change if I could do it over would be to blend three measures of sand to one measure of Portland cement. I’d also make the base 4 inches thick instead of 3. Let me know how your patio comes out!

Related Column: Patio Pavers

Column 1171

STIHL 2 N 1 Filing Guide How To Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Tim Carter demonstrates how to use the Stihl 2 N 1 Easy File Chainsaw Chain Sharpener to sharpen a chain in the field. With the STIHL filing guide and the STIHL Stump Vise, you can quickly and easily sharpen you chainsaw chain. Be sure to follow manufacturer's instructions.

 

The above is an affiliate link. I get a tiny commission if you purchase this item from Amazon.

WalabotDIY Imaging Tool Review

Posted on by Tim Carter
WalabotDIY

Here it is. The WalabotDIY. It attaches to your smartphone temporarily while you put it to work! CLICK HERE for more information. Photo credit: WalabotDIY

If you've read comic books in the past, watched the Heroes TV series or have seen any of the newer Marvel movies about superheroes, then you're undoubtedly aware of magical super powers.

One that I wish I had over the years was X-ray vision that would allow me to see through plaster, concrete, tile, wood floors, etc. so I didn't cut into a pipe, cable or who-knows-what!

You don't have to wish any longer.

You can now have that super power in your hands if you attach the new WalabotDIY to your smart phone!

This column was SO GOOD that I shared with the 31,000 subscribers who read my November 30, 2016 AsktheBuilder Newsletter.

Capabilities

The WalabotDIY can see through up to 4 inches of concrete! You can identify the location of reinforcing steel, conduits or any other hidden material in a slab or poured wall.

It's child's play for the WalabotDIY to see through drywall or plaster. Can you imagine how this handy tool can let you know what you're up against before you demolish a wall to create a larger opening?

It's equipped with multiple sensitivity settings so you get accurate readings.

Since it's working in conjunction with your smartphone, you can snap still photos of what WalabotDIY is *seeing*. If you make pencil marks on the wall at the location of where you snap the screenshot, you can look at your stored photos later to remind you what's where behind the drywall, plaster or concrete.

Do you have pests like mice or flying squirrels living in your walls? WalabotDIY can see them and tell you exactly where the nests are!

Platforms

At this time the WalabotDIY works only with Android smartphones.

Visit the WalabotDIY website to see if your phone, and it's operating system, will support this mystical tool that will save you from calling in a plumber or electrician to fix what you damaged with that reciprocating saw blade, chipping hammer, or sledgehammer blow!

My Own Test

I had the opportunity to use the WalabotDIY at my own home. Three years ago, I created a man cave / amateur radio shack above my garage. The new wall I built was loaded with electric cables and some ran at odd angles within the wall.

To keep my cave warm, I stuffed the wall full of rock wool insulation. I felt that would be an excellent test as finding things in hollow wall cavities is the easiest of tasks for an imaging tool.

WalabotDIY

This is a very similar situation with the same insulation in my wall. You can see how the WalabotDIY can produce an image on the smartphone screen. CLICK HERE to get more information about WalabotDIY. Image credit: WalabotDIY

It took no time at all for the WalabotDIY to calibrate itself and go on the hunt for the 120-volt cables.

As I slid the sensor across the wall, the screen changed and lo and behold it showed me exactly where the electric cables were nailed to the studs and angling across one of the spaces between the studs. I was impressed.

I had decent results with the tool. It takes a little bit to get used to working it. You need to make sure you read all the instructions that come with it and on their website. It takes some practice to get a feel for what the you see on the screen translates to inside the wall. BE PATIENT when working with it and you should get respectable results.

Here are more photos of what the WalabotDIY can do. This sure would have come in handy last winter when I had to cut into my basement floor slab. I have PEX heating pipes in the concrete and could not afford to hit one with the chipping hammer drill bit!

 

WalabotDIY

You can see how easy it is to use the WalabotDIY. The orange blob on the screen is screaming at you, "Hey, I've FOUND SOMETHING!" Photo credit: WalabotDIY

 

WalabotDIY

This young woman is showing how to use the WalabotDIY to locate steel reinforcing rods in a cast concrete wall. Photo credit: WalabotDIY

walabotdiy imaging tool

 

Watch this video to see how easy it is to use the WalabotDIY:

November 16, 2016 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

Kathy and I wish to thank you for your comforting responses last week with respect to the passing of her father. He's up in Heaven now with Kathy's mom.

My guess is he's playing solitaire, or he's busy in his garden. He could also be changing the brakes on St. Peter's Cloud Surfer Mobile or whatever he drives around after getting off work at the Pearly Gates.

Remember as you continue the journey each day to look for treasure in the right place.

"Only life is priceless, and making each day count."

Roofing Ripoff Book Update

A year ago, I decided to write an expose' book about why my asphalt shingle roof fell apart LONG BEFORE it should have.

When I bought my house in 2008, the roof was just eight years old and was in perfect shape - or so I thought.

Within a few years, granules were falling off faster than people abandoning a sinking ship.

Soon the shingles started to curl and delaminate. Look at this photo I took of my shingles eighteen months ago just before removing them:

Roof curling shingles

 

You may be like Greg Grigsby who lives about forty miles from me. I visited his roof last fall to survey his deteriorating shingles.

Greg emailed me last night wondering about the status of the book. You may have emailed me over the past few months too.

The good news is the book should be ready for you sometime in February, 2017.

Here's the primary reason the book has been delayed.

While writing it I made a discovery about how to arrest and SLOW DOWN the deterioration of asphalt shingles!

This is HUGE because the evidence I collected points to the fact that many of the shingle manufacturers appear to be making a product that's designed to fail much faster than it should.

Why are they doing that?

I'm going to let the book help you come to your own conclusion. It's deeply disturbing to me is all I'll tell you.

When I present the facts of how manufacturers know how to make excellent roofing products that last decades and decades, I'm afraid you'll be none too happy.

Here's a teaser photo below that you'll see in the book.

What would you say if I told you that this material was made just like shingles that are FALLING APART on your roof?

But what you see below is in perfect condition and it's been exposed to the weather since the 1930's.

That's not a typo.

This material has been exposed to New Hampshire weather since before WW II and looks BRAND NEW.

Does that have your attention? It should.

What does this have to do with why I'm delaying the publication of the book?

I have to have the product you need up on your roof ready to sell and ship BEFORE the book is published. I hope to have that in place in the next ninety days.

I Need Your Opinion

In the meantime, I'd like you to help take some ownership of my book project.

I'd like you to help me decide what's the best subtitle and back-cover content for the book.

Would you do that for me?

Many books have subtitles. It's text that helps further explain what's inside the book.

The back-cover content expands upon the subtitle. It tells you in a paragraph, or two, what the book's about and what might have been the motivation of the author to write the book.

Great subtitles and back-cover content captivate your attention. They draw you into the book like the tractor beam of the fabled Death Star in the Star Wars movie series.

CLICK HERE and follow the instructions to help me decide what's going to be on the front and back cover of the book!

THANKS for doing this.

Christmas Shopping and AsktheBuilder.com

I try to help you all year long with tips and advice about how you can save money and time.

You can return the favor by using my affiliate link at Amazon.com when you do all your shopping. With Christmas coming, you can really help me by using my link each time you go to Amazon.

CLICK HERE to get started.

Each issue of this newsletter contains my Amazon affiliate link. It's in the right column just under the photo of my daughter Meghan. See it above?

THANKS for using the link. The revenue I get from this helps me continue to produce this newsletter.

Tyrone Roberson and Bob Sumerel Tire

CLICK HERE and read about Super Hero Tyrone Roberson! He saved Kathy and me on Saturday!

Amazing YardMax Log Splitter!!!!

I had the opportunity to test and review a powerful 35-ton full-beam log splitter. It's made by Yardmax.

This splitter did an amazing job.

CLICK HERE to see all of the Yardmax log splitters.

I wrote a review and taped a video about the splitter.

CLICK HERE to watch the video and read the review.

Yardmax makes a bunch of very unique products.

One of them I'm DROOLING OVER. CLICK HERE and guess which one it is.

I'll give you a clue. It's something that you've probably NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

CLICK HERE and then click the link that shows you all their products.

That's enough for today.

PLEASE go back up and click the link to help me decide the subtitle and back-cover content for my Roofing Ripoff book.

Thanks!

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

Yardmax Chipper Shredder Video Review

Posted on by Tim Carter

I tested the Yardmax YW7565 Chipper Shredder in November of 2016. Over the years I've owned several different chipper shredders so I felt as if I could evaluate this machine quite well.

The bottom line is it's a great machine.

Here's the top reasons why I feel this way:

  • It's well built. I didn't observe any shortcuts.
  • It's designed well. Everything is where you think it should be.
  • It's easy to operate. The lever to engage the spinning chipping disc is intuitive.
  • It chips FAST. The machine gobbles mid-size branches quicker than you can eat a chewy brownie.
  • It's self-feeding. Once the spinning disc starts to chip the wood, it pulls the branch into the machine keeping your hands SAFE.
  • It's easy to move around. I was able to pull the machine up a moderate hill into my shed with no help at all.

This chipper shredder can handle up to branches 3 inches in diameter! The unit has a 6.5 Horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine. The shredder has easy access to the spinning disc for maintenance.

CLICK THIS LINK to buy one now:

The above is an affiliate link. I get a tiny commission if you purchase this item from Amazon.

November 11, 2016 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

This is going to be a fast newsletter.

I'm sitting in the giant atrium of the Embassy Suites Hotel in Blue Ash, Ohio. In two hours, I'll be at the church where the services will be held for my father-in-law.

We had to send him back to Heaven last week and now it's time for family and friends to gather to honor and remember him.

What a life he had! He was a child during the Great Depression and lived on a very rural farm in Kings Mills, Ohio.

If you live near Cincinnati, OH, then you might make the connection and understand why the giant amusement park along I-71 is called "Kings" Island. I'll bet you never thought of that!

He was a medical doctor and was an avid DIYr not only working on his cars, but he also fixed lots of things around his own home.

He told me very funny stories of how he and his brothers used electricity to amuse themselves.

He told me about going to sleep at night in the farmhouse with frost on his blankets.

He taught me important business negotiation principals, among them that there needs to be romance in the deal for both parties. His exact words.....

Doc also taught me many other things and he's DIRECTLY responsible for you being able to read this newsletter and absorb all the free content at my AsktheBuilder.com website.

When no bank would lend Kathy and I the money to purchase our first run-down home at age 23, he stepped forward and wrote the check. I have a very interesting story about this, but that's for another day.

We paid him back and the rest of the story is simply that the quaint 3-bedroom house at 2865 Minto Avenue in east Hyde Park in Cincinnati became the launching pad for my building career.

Thanks Doc!!! Talk to St. Peter today about putting new brakes on his St. Peter mobile!

Thanks to All Veterans!

At the same time, you and I need to THANK and HONOR each and every living Veteran who's service and SACRIFICE allows me to type these words and for you to be able to express yourself using your First Amendment rights.

The great opportunity and liberties you and I have here in the USA are only possible because Freedom is NOT FREE.

All veterans, who we honor this day, gave some of themselves so you can be free. Millions of veterans gave the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, but we honor those late in May on Memorial Day.

If you're a veteran, I thank you, as does my family, from the depths of our hearts for what you did so I can live in this magical land.

I only wish there was a way I could repay that debt of gratitude.

If you know a veteran, STOP what you're doing right now and call them, stop them in the store today, email them, etc. and THANK THEM for their service.

New Video - AMAZING GLUE

I taped a new video last week before leaving New Hampshire to come to Ohio.

It's about a new one-part glue that probably will remind you of the simple white glue you used as a child in kindergarten.

While this glue LOOKS LIKE simple white glue, it's STRONG like epoxy. This is a glue you need to buy now to have around the house for HUNDREDS of repairs.

It's easy clean up with water and it dries CLEAR! It's also WATERPROOF so it's great for outdoor repairs too! I think it should have been named MAGICAL WONDER GLUE!

CLICK HERE to view the video. I have a handy BUY NOW link on the same page for you.

New Columns For You

Here are a few links for new columns I've added to the AsktheBuilder.com website:

Electric Floor Heating

Ceramic Tile in a Shower

Poured Foundation or Block???????

Okay, that's enough for today. Next issue I'll have TWO new videos for you. If you're a tool nut, you're going to LOVE THESE TWO NEW VIDEOS.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

Do It Right, Not Over!