Power Tools
81 episodes
#5897: Why You Can't Buy an IEC 60309 Power Strip
Daniel wired his first blue 16A commando plug. The cable math is easy — the missing product category is the interesting part.
#5810: Standoffs, Anchors, and the Outlet Behind the Whiteboard
A missing whiteboard, a metal-stud surprise, and the thread mismatch that turns one fastener into two.
#5783: Can a Dremel Be Gym Equipment?
A Dremel afternoon left Daniel drenched in sweat. Turns out the research on power tool physical load barely covers his tool at all.
#5781: Measuring Keyhole Spacing: Why the Tool You Want Doesn't Exist
A digital slider that reads millimeters? It's actually two tools — and for keyhole spacing, the right answer might be no measurement at all.
#5780: Why Keyhole Slots Never Line Up
Keyhole slots are on everything and standardized on nothing. Here's why the spacing never matches and which screw actually works.
#5756: The Blue Plug That Out-Engineers Your House
The blue 230V IEC 60309 connector is tougher than anything on your wall — but the fuse problem and a BS 7671 quirk complicate the swap.
#5745: Why Europlugs Fit Israeli Sockets So Badly
A 2.5-amp plug, a 16-amp socket, and half a millimeter of interference. The physics of a connection that was never meant to hold.
#5744: Blue Tools, Green Tools: Inside Bosch's Channel Strategy
Why Bosch sells two tool lines under one name — and why the green one wasn't sold in America for decades.
#5645: Who Teaches You to Fix Your Own Home?
Wiring a plug but never welding metal — why hands-on skills have holes, and what a real DIY curriculum would cover.
#5634: Battery Platform Lock-In: Innovation vs Stability
Cells change every three years. The battery interface barely moves. Buyers research the wrong one.
#5610: Magnetizing Screwdrivers: Do the Cycles Wear Out?
Can a screwdriver be magnetized forever, or does the magnetism wear out? A deep dive into magnetizer blocks, coils, and demagnetization.
#5579: Cutting Things With a Dremel: What Actually Works
Cut-off wheels vs cutting bits, RPM by material, and why lateral cutting is fine with the right attachment and fatal with the wrong one.
#5529: 15 Forgotten Hardware Parts Your DIY Kit Needs
A 64-drawer parts bin reveals why you keep buying the same screws twice — and the 15 fasteners worth actually stocking.
#5514: Drilling Concrete: Jigs, Anchors, and Fidelity
Why your hammer drill wanders off mark, which wall-capable jigs actually grip, and how to match drill bits to anchors.
#5372: 10 Power Tools, Ranked by What to Buy First
A purchasing sequence, not a wish list: the 10 power tools a homeowner should own, in the order you should actually buy them.
#5371: Corded vs Cordless Jigsaws: What Actually Matters
Amps and SPM are the least predictive specs on the box. Here's what actually determines whether a jigsaw cuts square.
#5365: Padded Tool Belts: Do They Actually Carry More?
Padded belts don't raise your weight ceiling — they move the load onto your hip bones. Here's what the brands actually rate.
#5362: Building a Workbench Superstructure From T-Slot
T-slot, welded steel, or strut channel? How to build a vertical frame that carries monitors, shelves, and lights off your desktop.
#5318: Rebuilding the Dremel 4250 Manual for One Task
A 48-page Dremel manual, filtered down to only what you need to engrave four-digit inventory codes.
#5287: Does an Engraver's Practice Material Kit Exist?
Hand engravers have practice plates. Designers have plastic sample sets. Nobody's combined them — here's how to build your own reference library.
#5283: PH vs PZ: The Screw Bit Difference Nobody Notices
Two cross-head bits sit in every driver set. One was an accident that became a standard; the other was engineered on purpose and almost nobody can ...
#5270: Teardowns as Documentation: Inside the Hardware Repair Playbook
A dead Dremel sparks a deep dive into teardowns as a documentation discipline — and why board-level knowledge matters more than ever.
#5257: Dremel 4300 vs Foredom: Which Engraver Lasts?
Daniel's Dremel Lite is dying. We compare the 4300, DeWalt, Bosch, and Foredom on power, durability, and repairability.
#5211: Brass vs Stainless: Marking HDPE Boxes That Last
Engraving HDPE storage boxes means fighting heat, not cutting. Here's how stencil material, carbide bits, and groove depth all connect.