Perhaps you went to a Halloween party over the weekend and saw a couple of good costumes and though how much time did that take to make. Every year we always check out the Instructables Halloween Contest which never fails to be full of really creative and original costumes. Even more exciting for us is that they go into detail on the construction of the costumes and have detailed conversations with other costume design enthusiasts.

Continue reading "Instructables Homemade Halloween Costume Contests" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It all started back in 2008 with a little spade bit that was just too aggressive to simply be called a spade bit, so the good folks a Bosch named it the Daredevil Spade Bit. Now with the launch of their new faster cutting framing saw blade (post coming soon) and renaming of their equally aggressive auger bits (previously known as the Nailkiller Augers) the Daredevil family of construction accessories is born. What better way to kick off the launch than to team up with a real life motorcross Daredevil, Mike Metzger and give lots of stuff away! Check out the new website, www.BoschDaredevil.com and enter to win one of 4 weekly prizes or the grand prize. For more info read the official Bosch press release below.     

Continue reading "Work Hard. Play Hard. Win Stuff. Bosch Daredevil Contest" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 05:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is just another fun way the guys at Bosch are showing off their new Power Box PB360S ($199, Ohio Power Tool) by playing Corn Hole with a working unit and giving away Free Radios to anyone who gets it in. Now to actually sink the radio on the first try is not easily done, it’s kind of like a carnival game really but we did see 2 first try winners of brand new Power Boxes that afternoon and we actually landed one ourselves at the end of the day… on try twenty something.

The real point is to show how durable this radio is and have a little fun doing it which this certainly did. This radio went all day on a single Bosch 18V battery without skipping a beat once. Really there should be no worries of a fall off a lift gate or couple knocks in the van, these radios are going to be able to handle the abuse and still charge your cordless batteries while doing it. Check out the short video from the event!

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You have until the end of this month (April 30, 2011) to enter to win the Milwaukee Heavy Duty Fight Trip Sweepstakes at MilwaukeeCain.com. The grand prize includes roundtrip airfare for two, hotel, $500 spending money, tickets to a UFC fight and a meeting with the champ himself Cain Velasquez. There are also 15 other chances to win Milwaukee Tool Cain Velasquez Prize Packs and 5 of those include a $250 gift card.  

For more information on Milwaukee Tools visit Ohio Power Tool or call the pros at 800-242-4424.      
    

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last weekend was the Irwin Ultimate Tradesman World Finals at Bristol in Tennessee. According to our fellow industry reporters in the media it was a fantastic event. If you are interested in getting the full play by play check out these two terrific reviews of the event below. If you feel like you missed out not to worry, Irwin is planning another exciting event “Thank A Tradesman” for the Bristol Night Race in August where one lucky Tradesman could win a cool million, as well as spend the weekend in a luxury RV at the track with VIP passes. It might be worth taking a few minutes to enter that one.

HomeFixated.com – Ultimate Tradesman Finals Review

ProToolReviews.com – Ultimate Tradesman Finals Review
    

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This weekend will be the most exciting battles of athleticism all year long, nope we are not talking about the start of the NCAA tournament, we are talking about the World Finals of the Ultimate Tradesman Challenge from Irwin Tools. They have flown in the worlds 6 top winners, from litterally thousands of contestants, to the Bristol Motor Speedway for the final showdown this Sunday, March 20, 2011. Irwin has really been innovative in the hand tool category and 2011 looks to be very promising for them, with new products in Utility Knives, Vise-Grips, Drill Bits and much more. Check out the video below.

Continue reading "Irwin Tools: Ultimate Tradesman Challenge World Finals" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 08:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The backyard Real Wood, Real Fun playset is designed by MyFixitUpLife radio hosts and licensed contractors Mark & Theresa. More than just a fun play structure for the kids, it’s also perfect for the entire family to use as an exercise station. The play structure includes a slide, two swings, a small storage room for toys, and a two-story play tower. The winner receives a pre-cut pressure treated Southern Pine lumber package, playset accessories, and the necessary hardware. Plus, plans and how-to video on how Mark & Theresa have constructed the playset for their family will be included.

Continue reading "Win a Real Wood Backyard Playset - MyFixitUpLife Radio Show" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check out all 90+ entries in the Winter 2011 LumberJocks contest for the "Art of Joinery". Always fun to see all the creativity that goes into each of these projects.

The Art of Joinery – dovetails, mitres, and even the good old butt joint can turn a practical project into a piece of art. For this Winter Awards, show us your artistic joinery creations, whether they are in a piece of furniture, a sculpture or – whatever your imagination can design. As always we want to hear about your creation and how it came to life. 
  

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 04:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Less than a month away is the 2011 World of Concrete in Las Vegas and one of the highlights of the show is the Bricklayer 500 competition. Last year we were there for the 2010 World of Concrete and were really surprised at the turnout and excitement around this event. With over $100,000 on the line the competition is pretty fierce and many of the contestants have entire cheering sections with 20 or more friends & family. See the official press release below.  

Continue reading "2011 Spec Mix Bricklayer 500 Competition Las Vegas 1-19-2011" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 03:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thank you everyone who entered the 12 Days of Bits & Blades contest. We had 20 winner including our Grand Prize winner (drum roll…) WILLIAM C. from Richland, MI. William we will be shipping out your Bosch 12V Max CLPK41-120 ($374, Ohio Power Tool) 4 tool combo kit this week, with plenty of time to wrap it and put in under the tree for someone deserving… or yourself! Either way is fine with us. For a quick recap of all the winners and each of the 12 Days check out our Bosch Tools page.

If you didn’t win anything, do not worry, Bosch will not let you go home empty handed. You can still get a FREE 3.5” OIS blade & adaptor ($30 value) just fill out this short form on BoschJoeThePro.com and give them the super secret code - OISC10. We have spoken with many who got in early and have already received their free goodies but many more that fill this out more recently and have been waiting several weeks. They are sending out thousands so be patient it’ll come but probably not until 2011.  
     

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 03:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Starting today and going all week long we will be celebrating the opening of the Bosch System Specialist (BSS) store at Ohio Power Tool. This means we will be giving away FREE Bosch Tools and Accessories through the Coptool.com news site, our Facebook page and our Twitter feed several times each day all week long!

To kick this off we will be giving away a PS41-2A ($145, Ohio Power Tool), simply comment on this post starting with a 3-5 digit price ($0.00 - $999.99) from one of any of the Bosch Tools on OhioPowerTool.com then a short sentence or two about your favorite Bosch Tools. Winner will be whoever is the first to pick the exact price of the randomly selected item or closest to the dollar amount. The winner for this contest will be announced Friday at 12:00 Noon! Comments can take a few hours to post live to the site, so don’t worry if it doesn’t show up right away. Must include valid email so we can contact you.

Make sure to follow us on twitter and facebook and keep an eye out all week as some contests will be first to respond!
   

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 09:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

This time of the year lots of people go crazy for Halloween, when we were kids that meant you get to go trick-or-treating and eat tons of candy. As an adult it gives us the one opportunity a year to dress up however we want without being thrown in the loony bin. Sure you could buy some cheap one size fits all costume in a bag or you can go all out and build something ridiculous that will makes its way around the web for years to come like this guy. Now that is commitment!

Aliens Power Loader - Full Detailed Instructions on Building

If you do go all out Instructables.com has a huge Halloween section of their site with contests for not only costumes but halloween food, decorations and a lot more. Dremel is one of the category sponsors and there are some nice prizes to be won all around. Happy Building and Happy Halloween!
        

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 07:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Awesome…

MILWAUKEE, WI – Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation announces the chance to win Tools for Life* through their recently launched Milwaukee Ink website. Dedicated to the loyal Milwaukee users that have made a lifetime commitment to the brand through body art, MilwaukeeInk.com is an interactive website that gives users the opportunity to upload their own Milwaukee® tattoo images, rate those of their peers and win prizes.

Continue reading "Milwaukee Ink - Win Milwaukee Tools for Life" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 08:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Each Month the Bosch Accessories website for “Joe the Pro” does a prize drawing. It’s a simple way for them to gather your contact information and receive emails, only if you so choose the checkbox. This time around however you will get a FREE DareDevil Spade Bit as well as getting registered for the prize giveaway. Hurry up though it’s only good for the first 100 registrants.

If you are interested in simply picking up additional DareDevil Spade Bits visit OhioPowerTool.com for a wide selection on complete bit sets and individual sizes in 4”, 6” & 16” spade bit lengths.

Register at BoschJoeThePro.com  

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 09:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The weather was not on our side Saturday for the event but that didn’t stop those that showed up from having a good time. We had a last minute sponsor jump on board, Pabst Blue Ribbon, which helped brighten the mood and a it turned out to be great crowd that wasn’t going to let a few rain drops spoil their fun!

Continue reading "Recap – Second Annual Ohio Tool Racing Championships" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yes just one day away is the 2nd annual Ohio Tool Racing Championship (www.toolraces.com) and things are getting pretty exciting around the Columbus Idea Foundry this week. Lots of people are piling in this week to get their projects finish. It will probably be a very late night at the shop tonight for some but we’d expect nothing less.

Our Coptool racer is 95% complete and a fairly menacing looking creation; after all there are some pretty big expectations on us. "The Reaver" is welded out of 1” steel tubes, powered by a 9” Bosch grinder pushing a 10” Milwaukee saw blade. See more pics in this Facebook Album. We are pretty confident she will smoke down the track and take any hits that come her way (although pretty inexperienced welder so watch out).

Continue reading "Power Tool Drag Racing Tomorrow in Columbus, Ohio" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This year on August 21st Irwin Tools is sponsoring possibly the greatest event in the 2010 racing season  Ohio Tool Racing Championship … on that same day they are also sponsoring another great event in racing the Bristol Night Race. One event will probably have 160,000 people more than the other but very impressive to see Irwin Tools involved in two world class events on the same day.

As if that wasn’t enough, Irwin will be holding their annual Ultimate Tradesman Competition the day before, August 20th, at the Bristol Speedway. This year the event will be televised so if you are not going to be there you can still watch Live on Speed Channel’s NASCAR trackside starting at 7:00pm EST.

You can also vote right now for your favorite Tradesman and automatically enter to win a $250 irwin prize pack. It looks like we got 2 of the top 4 times from the Buckeye State: Jonathan Smith (Delaware, Ohio) & Mark Martin (Ostrander, Ohio) so our state is well represented. Maybe Ohio just makes a better tradesman?

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The winners from the LumberJocks 2010 Summer woodworking contest are in! See all ten winning projects. The winners were selected from the 77 total submissions in an online voting held from August 1 to August 7. 172 votes were cast during this period. Remember the topic was Fluidity…

Can you build a cool gadget that you think you could sell?
Check out the MAKE/Design News Gadget Freak Design Contest, Sponsored by Alibre, Allied Electronics, and Texas Instruments. Create a gadget and document your build. Important:  Your gadget must incorporate electronic components and involve sensing, motion, timing and/or networking elements). The Contest winner gets $1000 and a chance to sell their gadget in kit form in the Makers Market (with setup and monthly fees waived for 6 months).

How to Enter
To enter in the Gadget Freak Design Contest, click on the "Enter Here" link below. You will be asked to include a project description/build instructions/bill of materials and visual documentation of your gadget. Please note that video is not required but strongly recommended. Be sure to add your project photos to the contest Flickr group so you can share your awesome ideas with the world.

Gadget Freak Design Contest - Enter Here!! Amazing Prizes!
Grand Prize (1 Winner) - $1,000 in the form of a pre-paid credit card + A storefront in the Makers Market*
Second Prize (1 Winner) - $500 in the form of a pre-paid credit card.
Third Prize (2 Winners) - $100 Maker Shed Gift Certificate
*For full details please see the Official Rules below

This July 1^st-31^st you can submit your most creative woodworking projects for a chance to win some very nice prizes, best we’ve seen so far. Even if you don’t enter it is still fun to come back and checkout all the interesting projects.

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 04:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Each year Ridgid has a Reputation Roadshow where a knowledgeable group of Ridgid Reps travels the country and visit a few locations to meet with end users, demo new products, answer questions and help support their professional supply retailers. The events typically offer free Ridgid gear, lunch and the always popular Ridgid Calendar Girls to autograph calendars and take pictures.

To help promote the different event and get the word out there this year there is also a weekly Flyer Scavenger Hunt contest where you can win prizes even if you never make it to the show. This week (5/3/2010) the prize is a Ridgid Seesnake Micro ($223, Ohio Power Tool) which is well worth a few mouse clicks in my mind.

Below is the video from last year’s show at Ohio Power Tool where Ridgid Model CJ Perry helped promote some of the new Ridgid products in Columbus, Ohio.  

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 03:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tool-Rank.com offers possibly the most ways to voice your opinion of your favorite power tools and accessories. You can start a new thread in their forum, comment on Chris’s blog posts or write your own power tool reviews and have others comment on them. The $250 Amazon gift card however is only on the tool reviews. Your 1^st-5^th reviews you write each count as chances to win and as the drawling will be at random it would make sense to increase your chances with more reviews. Content ends July 31, 2010 so you still have plenty of time to enter. Here is a quick video on how to write a review on Tool-Rank.

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's out in their shop and all boxed up, waiting to be sent out to one of you. To enter the contest, drop a comment on their post here - ToolSnob, telling what makes you so special and why you should be the one to win the tool. The winner will be decided by random drawing Friday, Feb 26th. Looks like a nice saw and at this point there are less than 50 comments. Since the reason why you should be selected has no outcome on if you are selected I would suggest being be creative; stories of dragons, wizards, aliens, Swedish bikini models, etc. would all be totally valid.

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 02:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another outstanding LumberJocks Woodworking Awards event is over. The results are in and it’s time to officially announce the winners. The winning projects were selected from the record breaking 151 total submissions in an online voting held from February 1 to February 7. 252 votes were cast during this period. And here are the winners…

1st: Owenusa - Earthquake Box 
2nd: Rj - Dislplay Table   
3rd: Andy - Eye Candy
4th - 10th: See Here 

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Category: Yin Yang – the dark and the light. Where would one be without the other? Create a project that uses color dark & light (wood, stains, etc.) to convey how contrasts work together to make the whole. When you post your project describe the Yin Yang effect that you created.

Submit your project between January 1st – 31^st

Vote on all the projects between February 1^st -7^th

Prizes include Bench Cookies for top 11 spots and for 1^st place an additional $400 gift card, all from Rockler

Continue reading "LumberJocks.com Winter Woodworking Awards – Yin Yang" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 09:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Want a Makita 15 tool combo kit, Free? Makita loves their sweepstakes and this one is a pretty good one because there are 10 chances to win the $1,600 grand prize. The sweepstakes runs until the end of the year and takes only a minute to enter, with an easy op-out of future promo emails. Enter the Makita Sweepstakes and you’ll know if you are a winner by mid January.      

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Starting now Lenox Tools has a new online contest to win free tools and gear. It goes until the end of the month and is pretty easy to enter if you have a Facebook account. Basically it’s a shameless way to get more Facebook and YouTube fans, how shameless… but while you are there also checkout the CopTool Facebook Page and Coptool YouTube Channel.  

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 02:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Milwaukee M12 2401-22 is one of the most popular Compact Screwdriver and with the Milwaukee M12 tool line expanding as fast as it is, a great addition to anyone's toolbox. Currently the 2401-22 is on sale for $99 and is also applicable for the free M12 battery 48-11-2401 Mail-In Rebate. That’s a total of (3) M12 batteries which currently sell for $59 each.

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 03:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This contest looks pretty cool, 10 prizes up for grabs (listed below) and a limited amount of time so if you are good, chances are you could be a winner. The Category is “Garden Bench” which you can get pretty creative with if you want. For full details, rules, deadline, etc check out the official Summer 2009 Woodworking Awards on the LumberJocks site. I also like that the judging will be done by fellow LumberJocks, with a top 5 rating system.     

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 04:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Makita is the official Power Tool of Major League Soccer and from July 1 – September 30^th, 2009 you can ENTER TO WIN a VIP trip for 2 to see your favorite MLS team play an away game. The prize includes hotel accommodations, VIP field experience and VIP seating. The runner up “first place” prize is a Makita LXT Lithium 4 tool combo kit and a framed MLS jersey of your choice. The contest doesn’t cost anything to enter and should only take a few seconds to fill out and pick your favorite MLS team.  

Personally I am becoming a bigger fan of MLS soccer and not just because the Columbus Crew won the 2008 MLS Cup. The games are really fun to go to and I think the sport in general is picking up fans across the board. If you aren’t a MLS fan, I am guessing you are at least a fan of power tools so it’s still worth the time to register. Good Luck.       

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 01:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check out the latest contest from Skil Power Tools. One thing I really like about this contest is that there are lots of prizes to win if by chance you don’t get to drive off with the grand prize Big Dog Chopper. If you have a pretty good story and picture about using your Skil saw you stand a pretty decent shot at walking away with at least a $50 visa card or New Worm Drive SKILSAW, 35 total 2nd and 3rd place prizes. If you don’t have a good story, you still have until August 1st to come up with something. Also the website looks great, defiantly worth checking out even if you don’t have a Skil saw.   

Selected from more than 170 applications nominating more than 80 schools, the four finalists are Ohio Technical College, Cleveland; Piedmont Technical College, Greenwood, S.C.; Shoreline Community College, Seattle; and Smoky Hill High School, Aurora, Colo.

 “We’re looking forward to announcing our winner next month, and we want to thank all of the schools that took the time to submit their nominations for School of the Year,” said Jay Lewis, business line and general manager for Chicago Pneumatic, North America. “The quality of the applications from high schools, colleges and career centers teaching automotive instruction were excellent, making it difficult to determine this year’s four finalists.”

Applications from instructors, principals, department chairs, and students touted a variety of specialized training programs and even a green initiative that was unique among entries. These distinctive programs and specialized training opportunities provide students with defining skills as they enter the workforce following graduation.

“It’s exciting that a company like Chicago Pneumatic has partnered with us to recognize these top automotive schools,” said Beth Skove, associate publisher of Tomorrow’s Technician. “Many of these schools incorporate innovative training programs to prepare their students to be the future leaders of the industry; these young men and women will be influencers in the shop and will help take the automotive aftermarket to the next level.”

The 2009 School of the Year will be chosen from the four finalists and will be featured in the May issue of Tomorrow’s Technician. The four finalists will receive a share of a total prize package of Chicago Pneumatic tools worth $25,000. The winning school will receive $10,000 worth of Chicago Pneumatic tools and a special award presentation event at their school, including an appearance by Rich Evans of Huntington Beach Bodyworks. The three other finalists will each receive $5,000 worth of Chicago Pneumatic tools.

Chicago Pneumatic (CP) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of high-performance tools, hydraulic attachments, industrial and portable compressors and associated accessories and workshop equipment. Since 1901, The CP brand has served the Vehicle Service, Construction and Industrial marketplace.

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Back for 2009 the Ridgid Video Contest is open and taking submissions until July 31^st. That gives you a few months to write the screen play for the greatest plumber adventure ever, hire A-list celebrity actors, build elaborate futuristic sets, tie it all together with amazing CGI effects and submit the video… or get a case of beer, a few buddies, a video camera and give it your best shot on a Sunday afternoon. Either way it should be fun to make.    

Grand prize is $2500 in new Ridgid gear which is perfect because it times up almost exactly with the release of the New microDRAIN & DVDPak both in that price range. Top 5 semi-finalists get an all expense paid trip to Cleveland, Ohio for the Ridgid Round-Up and maybe more importantly you get bragging rights on the Ridgid Forum. If you have no interest in entering the contest no worries but you can still enjoy the videos from 2008, which you can watch on the contest site and check back in a few months for the 2009 new ones.  

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The sweepstake does not require any purchase just fill out the very short form and you are in. If you are worried about get emails from them simply check the box “NO” about emails and they won’t send you anything. The grand prize is 2 motorcycles (RM-Z 450 & RM-Z 250) and 2 Quads (QuadSport Z400 & KingQuad 750AXi) total package is worth $27,000. Not sure why they didn’t spread the love around and do 4 separate prizes but the winner and 3 of his buddies are going to be very happy. Contest ends June 30^th and rules say 1 entry per person, per email. Take the next 40 seconds of your life and fill it out, when you win and want to thank me just send one of your new toys, quad or bike I'm not picky.

Check it out: Makita Feel Innovation Sweepstakes 

Over the weekend in Las Vegas the winner of the Irwin “Tell Us Your VISE-GRIP Story” was announced. The winner was Dr. Bryan Fax a US Navy Surgeon. Read the full story below or visit the IRWIN Contest Site:

Continue reading "And We Have A Winner… Irwin Vise-Grip Contest" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you had a chance to watch any TV over the busy holiday weekend, hopefully you caught some of the Cool Tools Holiday Blitz Marathon that ran all day long Thursday thru Sunday. If you missed it, not to worry there will be a full hour of Cool Tools on each night at 8:00 pm est all December long.

In addition to being a great show to pick up some gift ideas for the holidays, Cool Tools would also like to put a lot of cash in someone’s stocking. Register on DIYnetwork.com for free and you could win $15,000 cash. To increase your chances you can register once per day through December 29^th.

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)