{"id":40275,"date":"2022-09-15T13:51:48","date_gmt":"2022-09-15T20:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=40275"},"modified":"2022-09-15T13:51:50","modified_gmt":"2022-09-15T20:51:50","slug":"which-ratcheting-screwdriver-is-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/which-ratcheting-screwdriver-is-best\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Ratcheting Screwdriver is Best?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul><li>Talk to\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"mailto:garethbranwyn@mac.com?subject=tips&amp;utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter\" target=\"_blank\">me<\/a>. Tell me a story. Share me a tip. A tool.<\/li><li>Support my work by buying my tips books (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/KxlZH?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter\" target=\"_blank\">Vol. 1<\/a>,\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/53WtG%20?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter\" target=\"_blank\">Vol. 2<\/a>).<\/li><li>Take out an\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/frauenfelder.typeform.com\/to\/Zzu1eX6G?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter\" target=\"_blank\">Unclassified<\/a>\u00a0in this newsletter to reach fellow makers.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Which Ratcheting Screwdriver is Best?<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" height=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/revue\/items\/images\/017\/842\/689\/mail\/Screen_Shot_2022-09-05_at_2.30.39_PM.png?1662485794\" width=\"600\"><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>There are few hand tools that people seem to have more opinions about than ratcheting screwdrivers. And, now we have&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter&amp;v=845HUaWYSQA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">some decent testing<\/a>&nbsp;of this everyday tool by&nbsp;<strong>Todd<\/strong>&nbsp;at&nbsp;<em>Project Farm<\/em>. Todd tests 14 different brands for efficiency, precision, and durability. Tests included working arc swing, ratchet back drag, magnet strength, bit retention strength, build quality (shaft wobble), shaft rotation in the locked position, bit failure load, and screwdriver failure load. Bottom line? The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/admicyU?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PB Swiss screwdriver<\/a>, at a whopping $144 (at time of testing, now $178!), performed the best. This was followed by the $70&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lttstore.com\/products\/screwdriver?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Linus Tech Tips driver<\/a>. The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/hFFX4?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Megapro<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/oxon?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Williams<\/a>&nbsp;also performed well, at $34 and $36, respectively. I have the Williams driver and have no complaints.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Tips on Quickly Learning a New Skill<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" height=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/revue\/items\/images\/017\/909\/249\/mail\/Screen_Shot_2022-09-09_at_10.29.02_AM.png?1662744562\" width=\"600\"><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>In&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter&amp;v=DPbKux9cemU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this video<\/a>, engineer&nbsp;<strong>Jeremy Fielding<\/strong>&nbsp;drops a ton of wisdom via 26 strategies for learning a new skill, fast. Many of these might seem obvious (you must be motivated, mistakes will happen), but it\u2019s in the unpacking of these ideas and the case examples he uses that make this video most valuable. And, there are a number of tips that one might overlook or not consider, like asking family and friends if they have resources related to the skill you wish to learn, not being afraid to ask someone to teach you what they know, and the idea that you only need to learn the essentials first, then you can dive in and learn by doing.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Making Clay Out of Common Soil<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" height=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/revue\/items\/images\/017\/909\/349\/mail\/Screen-Shot-2022-09-08-at-3.16.06-PM-600x210.png?1662744915\" width=\"600\"><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>As my Southern mamma used to say: \u201cPut a new wrinkle on your brain every day.\u201d Here\u2019s today\u2019s wrinkle: I had no idea that you could&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter&amp;v=Vbnp2lOHR8E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">derive clay, suitable for making pottery, from common soil<\/a>. I thought you had to find a vein of red clay and harvest that. Sure, such clay is obviously preferred, but you can also render out clay using reddish soil (which has high clay content) or really any type of soil. All you need to do is suspend the soil in water and filter out the heavy materials. After straining through a cloth, you are left with clay.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Maker Slang<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><em>Jargon, slang, and tech terms from the diverse worlds of DIY.<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Hero prop<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 In movie-making, a detailed prop designed for close-up shots and closer scrutiny from the audience. In contrast,\u00a0<em>action props<\/em>\u00a0are used where the audience will not see the prop in close-up.<br><br><strong>Scumbling<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 In painting, to soften (the color or tone of a painted area) by overlaying opaque or semi-opaque color applied thinly and lightly with an almost dry brush. I learned this one from my artist wife,\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/angelawhiteart.com\/?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter\" target=\"_blank\">Angela White<\/a>.<br><br><strong>Weeding<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 In vinyl cutting, the act of removing all of the unwanted vinyl around your cut design.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>TOYS! Better Sink Strainer<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" height=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/revue\/items\/images\/017\/939\/193\/original\/sink.jpg?1662925597\"><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>I watched a video a few weeks ago on&nbsp;<em>Cool Tools<\/em>&nbsp;where&nbsp;<strong>Donald Bell<\/strong>&nbsp;extolled&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter&amp;v=z7y2aMJtvvY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the virtues of this OXO sink strainer<\/a>. Like him, I hate the design of most metal-basket strainers. I&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/2phm3sr?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ordered one<\/a>&nbsp;of these and was so impressed with it that I wrote a&nbsp;<em>Boing Boing<\/em>&nbsp;post about it. Hundreds of BB readers followed suit and many of them are as happy with theirs as I am with mine, so I thought I\u2019d&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/2phm3sr?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">share it<\/a>&nbsp;here, too.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Shop Talk<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" height=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/revue\/items\/images\/017\/909\/432\/mail\/kkRack_1.jpg?1662745280\" width=\"600\"><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><em>Cool Tools\u2019\u00a0<\/em><strong><em>Kevin Kelly<\/em><\/strong><em>\u00a0weighs in on the\u00a0<\/em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getrevue.co\/profile\/garethbranwyn\/issues\/gareth-s-tips-tools-and-shop-tales-issue-131-1310084?utm_campaign=Gareth%27s%20Tips%2C%20Tools%2C%20and%20Shop%20Tales&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Revue%20newsletter\" target=\"_blank\"><em>racks for storage cases<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0conversation:<\/em><br><br>I made two racks for my Stanley and Harbor Freight sorting boxes. One I welded and later decided it was way overbuilt. Too heavy especially once loaded with full trays of screws, etc. The second one I built a simple frame from 2 x 4s, then slid small shelves out of thin material like Masonite across both sides. It may not be as easy as baker racks, but I\u2019m pretty sure it\u2019s the cheapest way to build a rack in terms of materials. Plywood would be nicer all around, but 2x4s are cheap new, and almost free used.<br><br>***<br><br>Reader\u00a0<strong>Jim Landis<\/strong>\u00a0wrote:First, thanks for all the fascinating information you keep publishing.\u00a0I\u2019m a big fan. I\u2019m sure others have discovered this, but some readers might find it useful. When I\u2019m knocking together a quick model out of soda straws and paper clips, etc to get a feel for a project, 1 centimeter to 2 inches is a very convenient scale to use.<br><br>1.\u00a0It\u2019s easy to double or halve numbers without too much mental effort.<br><br>2. There\u2019s always a ruler nearby with both inches and centimeters marked in parallel.<br><br>3. It\u2019s very close to a 1:5 scale, so models are a nice size for desktops. For context, the original GI Joe dolls, -ahem- action figures, were 1:6 scale.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<div class='ctx-module-container ctx_default_placement ctx-clearfix'><\/div><span class=\"ctx-article-root\"><!-- --><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gareth&#8217;s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales &#8211; Issue #132<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[2371],"tags":[2372],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40275"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40275"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40277,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40275\/revisions\/40277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}