If Dad needs tools more than ties...

Father’s Day is fast upon us, and this week’s Hot Home Products column looks at some nifty gift options. Keep watching this space for more suggestions between now and next Sunday. Here are a couple of ideas for tool-head Dads.

Ridgid has a new five-inch, twin-blade circular saw (shown above) just hitting Home Depot stores, where the brand is sold exclusively. Its counter-rotating blades saw through aluminum, wood, copper, plastic, steel and stainless steel to a depth of 1 1/16 inches, and offers what the company describes as “effortless plunge” on most materials. Other features include a spindle lock for easy blade changes, a side handle that helps when holding the tool in different directions, and a dial that feeds wax to blades when cutting aluminum and brass. It’s got a 10 amp, 120V AC motor, and at about seven pounds, it’s highly portable. About $179 at Home Depot. Ridgid, by the way, has a Lifetime Service Agreement that offers free parts, service and batteries for the life of the tool. There’s also a good tool guide on the Home Depot site, which might help you to pick the right tool for Dad.

I shudder to think of it, but my husband and I have to go up into the attic this weekend and prep it — we’re installing Owens Corning’s blow-in insulation with an AttiCat machine and adding several raft-R-mate attic rafter vents next week (more on that later). Because it’s cramped and dark up there, I’ll need light. For tasks like that in the future, the Man of the House might like a Ryobi Tek4 LED light (pics above). Powered by a four-volt lithium-ion battery, it has a variety of mounting options, six ultra-bright white LED’s, and 90 degree adjustable lamp assembly. It’s also impact, dust and water resistant. About $14 at Home Depot.

Even better might be Ryobi’s Tek4 LED Hi-Beam flashlight, which delivers 220 lumens with a lifetime five-watt LED bulb. Also dust, water and shock proof. It comes with a stand and battery charger. About $60 at Home Depot. These two items are part of a line of cool gadgets that share the same battery, meaning that one battery works across the line. I recommend having an extra battery, though, so that you can have one charging while the other is in use.

If Dad’s happiest in the garden, take a look at Ryobi’s Lithium One+ 18V battery-powered tools while you’re under the big orange roof. I really like the hedge trimmer I got last year. It’s light, easy to manoeuvre and, as I recently learned, if you do manage to break the string (I swear I didn’t see the piece of broken shingle that had fallen off a neighbour’s roof into my garden!) even a tool-challenged person like me can fix it in a jiff. I’ll be looking at more new garden power equipment in an upcoming column, so stay tuned.

Give some love to local artists

If you love hand-made and artisanal goods, block out some time this Saturday afternoon (June 4) between 1 and 6 p.m. to get down to the west elm store at 109 Atlantic Avenue in Liberty Village. (Unless you're off to a log-rolling contest  - see below). That’s when the Brooklyn-based retailer, a fave haunt of lovers of modern and nature-inspired home decor, will share its space with Etsy vendors selling handmade or vintage items.

The afternoon is one of a series of  We Heart Handmade Art events that west elm (part of the Williams Sonoma family) is hosting in their stores across North America. In doing so, the company is hoping to introduce customers to new categories of handmade goods that go beyond the home furnishings they traditionally have focused on — and to show some love to local artisans. Expect a fun flea market vibe on Saturday, with a local DJ and food from the nearby Mildred’s Temple Kitchen 

The west elm/Etsy connection is not new; west elm has been propping with Etsy products for years, and is featuring Etsy artists in their catalogue and on their website. Check out their favourite Etsy artists here. 

I love pretty, witty stationery, so I was drawn to the stuff from Toronto-based Deadweight, shown above.

See you down there.

P.S. Overheard someone onTwitter say today that a good handbag (leather allbeit) would cost at least $350. Crikey, that's a lot of money to a poor schmo like me, I said to myself. So I was glad to see the literary, affordable bags shown below (pic - Hannah Heyes)  from  Fieldguided  will be up for grabs this weekend.  Thunder in my heart indeed. After a long and stormy spring, how appropriate.

P.P.S. Either of these would make great gifts. When's your stepdaughter's birthday? Mine has hers this weekend.

 

Just be careful around the axe-throwing contest...

Back in the day, I wrote for a trade magazine aimed at home improvement retailers. I loved writing profiles about independent lumber and hardware stores, many of which were family businesses that went back at least a few generations. These were hard-working, business-savvy folks with fascinating stories to tell, who had to be continually on their toes to survive when big box retailers entered and began to dominate the market. So when I got a press release about a fun summer event being put on by one such operation, I knew I had to run it — even if it is out of geographic range of the GTA. So if you do just happen to be in Succasunna, New Jersey this Saturday (June 4th) be sure to drop by the Lumberjack Show, sponsored by Kuiken Brothers, who have been supplying lumber, building materials, and millwork services to the area since 1912.

This event will include professional lumberjacks (who knew it was a career option?) demonstrating centuries-old logging skills, such as pole climbing, axe throwing (careful!), log rolling, and chainsaw carving competitions. There will also be a free barbeque and treats for the kids.

These fellas, folks, are the real deal. Participants of the Timberworks Lumberjack Show have been featured on ESPN Jeep Trails, ABC’s Wide World of Sports, TNN, Discovery Channel’s “The Travelers,” MTV’s “The Real World” and “Road Rules,” the Family Channel, and the Outdoor Life Network.