Other stories by David%20Frane

  • 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.