Ten Cool Tools and Materials from IBS 2009
January 26th, 2009 in Blogs
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The 2009 Dodge ram Crew 1500 pickup toolbox
Ten Cool Tools and Materials from IBS 2009
The International Builders’ Show, held in Las Vegas last week, is so big that it’s hard
to come away with only a few best-in-show picks.
So after spending a much-needed weekend recuperating from the show (and
Typar’s StormWrap demo), my head is finally clear enough to jot down some
cool items I saw on the show floor.
Here are 10 products that I think were showstoppers, with the caveat that I wouldn’t necessarily buy them myself.
1) Coolest truck toolbox ever
The new 2009 Dodge Ram Crew 1500 has an integrated toolbox in the sides of the pickup bed. Sure, it won’t hold as many tools as a rack-mounted box, but this design is sleek and makes use of space wasted for decades. When I came across this truck, I thought, “Why doesn’t every truck come with this option?”
Maybe because an $1800 option on a truck that goes for around $45,000 is a bit steep. If you do some quick division over the payment cycle of the truck, that’s $30 a month (without interest) to store tools in something the size of a beer cooler.
2) Smaller, lighter, and taller than before
I’ve never been a big fan of lightweight ladders, but this product changed my mind. The Telesteps automatic telescoping ladder is made from high-strength aluminum, in a self-collapsing design. The round tubes adjust easily, and adjustable feet keep the ladder mounted firmly.
I tested the 14-ft model, which when closed is 28 in. tall and weighs 18.5 lb. The product looked like it would fit in the trunk of a sedan, and I can easily imagine scores of building inspectors owning these.
Pricing for the above model comes in around $250, and is available online or at Lowe’s.
3) Build stairs with false stringers
We do a lot of articles about stairs. There’s the Rick Arnold way. There’s the Captain Kirk way. Heck, there’s even My Way. But this Canadian product now available in the USA is pretty neat.
The GoPro Universal Stair Bracket is actually several sets of three brackets: a left, a right, and a bottom base bracket. To build stairs, you start with an uncut stringer and adjust the brackets until the premarked measurements match your desired rise and run. One trick benefit is that you can screw the treads and risers from behind to avoid nail holes.
A word of caution: The promotional literature states that the brackets are not to exceed 500 lb.
4) You say corbel, I say rafter tail
If I ever were building a Craftsman-style home, I’d sure love to have fancy rafter tails that perhaps integrate a half-round gutter system. Of course, that will never happen, but if I did, I’d sure use this product.
QuattroCorbels look like a thick beam, but really are an engineered faux cap that slips onto standard 2x rafter tails. The company can cut patterns to your CNC designs, or you can choose from several standard profiles. At about $15 per corbel, they don’t break the bank compared with the cost of functional rafter tails, which extend deep under the roofline.
5) The new American bomb shelter
Imagine the biggest gun vault you can think of, disguise it as a closet, and stick your family inside when the big one hits. That pretty much sums up this family bunker designed to withstand a FEMA Category 5 hurricane or F5 tornado.
Ok, I’m sure DuPont didn’t have that image in mind when they designed the DuPont StormRoom with Kevlar, but that’s what it looked like to me. For starters, the walls are reinforced with Kevlar, and the 400 lbs. entry door is secured with a six-pin dead-bolt locking system. I’d also like to point out that the roof can withstand 70,000 lb. of crushing force. To put that in perspective, you can park a semi on top.
It’s available as a kit, but DuPont advises it may be assembled only by authorized installers.
6) Prewire for power contingencies
I’ve never been in a situation where the power has failed and the generator kicked in. Mostly, it’s because I have never owned a generator, don’t feel the need to own one, and undoubtedly, will never own one.
So that’s why the Generac GenReady Load Center is perfect for me. This hybrid panel incorporates an automated switch that activates a generator in case of power failure. It makes great sense for new construction, but wouldn’t be hard to retrofit, either. And I think the idea of having a prewired generator panel would be great for resale.
The GenReady works like this: Unprotected circuits go above the switch, and protected circuits go below. When the power cuts off, a cam spins on the generator circuit, and after power is restored, the cam spins again and turns it off.
Generac gets bonus points for demonstrating with a natural-gas powered generator in the booth, but minus points for lingering carbon monoxide.
7) A better log cabin
I have to tell you, I really find structural insulated panel (SIP) construction appealing. So that’s why I found Timber Block’s hybrid SIP/Log Home walls fascinating. After talking with company representatives, I’m an even bigger fan.
Instead of the 1/2-in. OSB sheathing common on most SIPs, Timber Block sandwiches closed-cell polyurethane between two round- or flat-profile logs. This gives the walls an R-30 rating, and the foam contains no ozone depleting materials.
Taking the ecological factor a step farther, by using the outsides of a tree for sheathing, the insides of the tree can then be cut up for other lumber. Compared with traditional log homes, which use the whole log (hence the moniker), these walls are 400% more energy efficient.
8) Now batting, Johnny Housewrap
If you’ve been reading our blog coverage from the show, you know by now how much Typar’s batting-cage demo annoyed many an attendee (and editor). Once I was able to get over this marketing gimmick, I actually liked the product.
Let me explain: Someone thought it would be a good idea to shoot hundreds of baseballs at a sheet of Typar StormWrap every day to demonstrate how the fiber reinforcement on the backside of the building paper prohibits the material from ripping. That is a great idea. However, very few of us live next to ballparks, and the majority of those who do cover our housewrap with some sort of siding.
A better pitch (no pun intended) would be to simply point out that the stuff just doesn’t rip during installation, or tear while it’s waiting for the exterior finishing crew. The mesh on the back side also provides a drainage plane.
9) Doors done right
I have a 3-year-old. She loves to draw, mostly on the walls, but occasionally, she dabbles on a door. So when I saw Simpson’s magnetic chalkboard door, I thought that it could soon become a parent’s best friend.
Simpson also had some other cool doors on display, including a bamboo door with matching transom, and a beautiful 9-footer in distressed alder wood. Oh, they also had a glass door with fern pattern that would go well with the camouflaged vinyl siding editor Kevin Ireton found.
10) What did he just call me?
I was trolling the Simpson Strong-Tie booth thinking if anyone had exciting joist-hanger news, it would be them, when I discovered Spanish in a Pinch, a series of flash cards for job site communication.
Simpson let out a section of their booth to the company, who’s representative explained that the reason these cards are different is because they use phonics (in English and Spanish) and slang terms. There are sets for framing, roofing, general labor, and my personal favorite, job site appropriate phrases.
The company is expanding beyond Spanish, and is testing Russian, Portuguese, and Chinese in different markets, with an anticipated release date of June 2009.
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