Find buried treasure while keeping your hands clean

Few things are as frustrating as watching a small metal part, such as an arbor nut or washer, disappear into a deep pile of sawdust at the bottom of a cabinet. I don't get worked up anymore since I epoxied a rare-earth magnet to the end of a 36" dowel. I simply plunge the magnet end into the dark depths and quickly find that needle in the haystack (and sometimes, a few other things as well).
—Lawrence Byers, Lansing, Mich.