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Better than Plumb

Another day at the show

Kevin Ireton, editor-at-large

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The only thing I'm inspired to do this morning is to pack my suitcase (I fly home tonight), so I'm going to skip the amusing intro today. And I'm especially not going to tell you about the irate reader who harangued my boss for 20 minutes about the magazine becoming way too liberal, only caring about green building and small houses. I was standing right behind publisher Tim Schreiner at the time, my hand over my name tag, pretending to listen to Michael Chandler. But I swear that if the argument had come to blows, I would have jumped in.

The folks at Ridgid have introduced a couple of new tools that look interesting to me. One is a small circular saw designed to cut fiber-cement siding that has a built-in dust collection system. They added a second fan at the back of the motor, geared up to a high speed, that pulls in 90% of the dust. You don't need a separate vacuum, just a drywall bucket. It costs $199.

Ridgid also has a new cordless 15-ga. finish nailer that everyone in the booth was excited about. Of course, that may be because the tool showed up on the third day of the show (that's cutting it pretty close). It uses a flywheel to generate force and runs on a lithium-ion battery. I asked why it was better than the competition's, and got the response "It's 2 lb. lighter than DeWalt's." I didn't get a chance to try it, but I will. We'll have one sent to the office and report on it in the magazine.

Swanson Tool, the folks who brought us the Speed Square, just introduced the Wood Magnet, which is a funny name since the thing is really a level and doesn't have a magnet in it. But it's kinda cool, and I can imagine it coming in handy. It's similar to their post level, but is designed to clip over 2x framing lumber, leaving your hands free. Cost: $10.99.

In the afternoon, I gave my camera to associate editor Chris Ermides and told him to go find good stuff. He was gone so long that I'm sure he was in a casino gambling, but he did come back eventually, excited, or at least intrigued, by a couple of products. One was a flexible flashing for curved windows and doors called Astro Flashing. The other was insulated forms for concrete slabs. They provide insulation and forms in a single step and then, of course, stay in place. 

Even though I'm headed home later, I'll still be at the show today, and I've definitely seen some more things you should hear about. I'll try to post a few things over the weekend.  

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A final roundup from IBS 2009

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Just call me Ken

Comments (3)

jonbell78 writes: Liberal is not the same as democrat, let me first make that distinction. In order to run a business at a profit you must conserve resources, so that is what I mean when I said liberal, I did not say democrat because I know many democrat business owners.
If you apply a liberal coat of stain you pour it on, but if you apply a conservative amount you might wipe it on with a damp rag. If you apply liberal techniques and attitudes towards your business finances your business will fail. This is what I am talking about. NOT about a democrat or republican, although what the guys at the trade show are complaining about is the fact that the magazine is beginning to take “sides” and they don’t like it. This magazine is about building houses and nothing else, politics will get in the way. I stated in my first comment that I am separating green from liberal.

Posted: 2:43 pm on February 20th

gatno writes: jonbell, as a canadian, i really have a hard time understanding what gets americans so uppity about bein accused of being a liberal...?
Posted: 10:45 pm on January 29th

jonbell78 writes: Don't worry about the green naysayers, although there is a different between “green” and liberal, green just means a renewable energy saving slant on building practices, I AM NOT a liberal (I own my own business, it is hard to conceive of being a liberal and owning a business) but I do believe that “green” materials are the answer to many of our building issues. Just play up the money saving benefits of “green” materials instead of the usual environmental benefits, this plays into the hand of every consumer looking to purchase a house or remodel. Keep up the good work, and I’ve got your back.
Posted: 9:48 am on January 27th

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