More stories about David Frane's Blog

  • $6 Million Lawsuit for Trench Collapse Death

    Two things stand out about the trench collapse that killed Kenneth Stafford: neither OSHA nor the workers comp system got involved.

  • Tool Companies by the Numbers: Makita

    My wife told me I'm a dork because I read annual reports (well, that's not the only reason). But really, annual reports contain information that tool manufacturers do not go out of their way to share.

  • Can't Get it Here: Cordless Wheelbarrow

    I kid you not. While we've been busting a gut pushing old-fashioned wheelbarrows, the folks in Europe have been strolling across the jobsite behind these. What gives? Where were these things when I was a carpenter?

  • Tool Companies: Who Owns What? (Part 2)

    What does a Baldwin lockset have in common with a Rayovac battery and a George Foreman Grill?

  • Can't Get it Yet: Circular Circ Saw

    We’ve all seen concept cars – bizarre designs that are displayed at auto shows but never go into production. Well here’s the world’s first concept cordless circular saw and it’s radical.

  • A Cheap and Simple Way to Organize Parts

    I used to keep small parts and accessories in screw-cap jars and leftover tins from Band-Aids and Altoids. The problem was, they were all different sizes and there were too many of them to keep track of, even when labeled.

  • Can't Get It Yet: KwickGripper Nail-Puller

    Every now and then inventors will call and ask if I’d like to review proto–types of tools that they hope to produce and sell.

  • Tool Companies: Who Owns What?

    What does a Crescent wrench have in common with a Lufkin tape and the original Allen wrench?

  • Review: Cordless Random Orbit Sander

    Makita has been on a roll, having recently introduced 18-volt cordless versions of tools that were formerly only available with cords: a sliding compound miter saw, a power planer, and now, the LXOB01 random orbit sander.

  • World's First Surface Laser

    Last spring I ran across the GSL 2 Surface Laser on Bosch’s German website. It grabbed my attention because it promised to do something that no other laser can do - allow a person working alone to quickly measure the high and low spots on a slab or floor, and without the use of a grade rod or tape.