David's Latest Articles

  • T-Shirts of WOC

    I was at the World of Concrete (WOC), looking at machinery, talking to tool manufacturers, and what do you know, I find myself photographing T-shirts.

     
  • Better Than the Grateful Dead

    It’s the long-lost original World of Concrete in 60 Seconds.

     
  • Incredible Self-Propelled Dumpster

    The Equipter is a self-propelled dumpster that can be towed to the jobsite and then driven under its own power (it has a gasoline engine) to wherever it needs to be.

     
  • New Festool Track Saw

    When Festool developed the TS 55 REQ, there was no need to go back to the drawing board. They already had the best track so the redesign was a matter of the New Festool Track Saw.

     
  • The Final Four Floor

    This year's NCAA final four will be playing on a portable wooden floor that was manufactured in Michigan, sanded and finished in Tennessee, and then temporarily installed in the Georgia Dome.

     
  • 50-year Stanley Tape Measure

    This tape probably won't last half a century on the jobsite but in a sense, it already has.

     
  • So You’ve Got a Dust Extracting Vacuum — Now What?

    Well you’d better have dust shrouds on your tools; otherwise, you won’t have anything to connect to. Here are a couple of shroud-equipped tools from DeWalt.

     
  • Blast From the Past: Cordless Nailers

    Here’s a blast from the past, a 1998 JLC review of two cordless finish nailers. One of these products is still going strong; the other died an early death.

     
  • Home-Made Portable Mortising Machine

    I can’t decide whether this guy is a genius or a wacko with too much time on his hands. I’m leaning towards genius…

     
  • A See-Thru Power Tool

    Just when I think I’ve seen every strange thing there is to see on the web, something like this pops up on YouTube. All I know about this video is that it involves a cordless impact driver, a fluoroscope, and I’m willing to bet — some guys in their early 20s...

     
  • An Old Solution to a New Problem

    I remember when men were men and we didn’t mind breathing the clouds of dust that shot out the back of the vacuum while we suctioned up gnarly construction debris. Fortunately — or not, if you’re into old-fashioned manliness — vacuums have improved to the point where that cloud of dust is s thing...

     
  • A Fun Look at Funny Looking Work Pants

    What does a stand-up comic have in common with an unlucky test subject and a tradesman with “helpful” co-workers? In this case, they are all...

     
  • Tuckpointing Shroud

    Here’s a quick video of an accessory from Metabo that allows masons to remove mortar without creating choking clouds of dust.

     
  • Tools for Amish Woodworkers

    A couple of weeks back there was an interesting radio program about a tool expo in Dalton, Ohio that caters to Amish woodworkers. Although most of the attendees live off the grid and arrive in horse-drawn buggies, they are not there to look at retro tools — far from it.

     
  • Hilti Hollow Drill Bit

    I used to think that if you’ve seen one rotary hammer bit you’ve seen them all. But this bit is different – way different.

     
  • A Mind-Blowing Home-Built Dump Truck

    Andy says boredom is a terrible thing, so to keep from getting bored he built himself a home-made dump truck. Not a truck with a home-made dump bed, an entire home-made truck.

     
  • Can’t Get It Here: DeWalt RAS

    During a recent visit to DeWalt’s UK website I stumbled across a type of tool that the company hasn’t sold here for 25 years.

     
  • Dual-Battery Cordless Tool

    It’s one thing to see photos of a new tool, but there’s nothing like seeing it in action. That’s certainly true of Makita’s new HRH01ZX2, the only 36-volt tool that can be run off of two 18-volt batteries.

     
  • Can’t Get it Yet: Robotic Mechanic’s Creeper

    This mechanic’s creeper is so awesome you’ll WANT your truck to break down so you’ll have an excuse to work on it...

     
  • Dewalt DWV012 Dust Extractor

    One of the major trends in recent years has been for more and better dust collection – especially for tools that generate fine dust and silica. Dust of this type is hard on vacuums because it tends to clog the filters.