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Tim Kenney: 'Gazinta Man'
The look in Tim Kenney's eyes when he's showing you his shop says it all: 'I was born for this job.' And it didn't take him long as a kid to know this self-truth. 'When the other kids were playing sports, I was in my basement scavenging model airplane engines and making rockets,' he says. Read more
Feast and Famine
There's an interesting dynamic at play within the tool industry that I'm trying to figure out. On one hand, there are clear effects on the industry of the historic decline in new-home construction. It has affected everyone from jobsite subcontractors to tool store suppliers. We've never seen anything like these conditions, which some are calling The Perfect Storm: months and months worth of unsold housing inventory, subprime mortgage failures, and newly emerging credit problems all adding up to an unpredictable market and recovery time frame. As a result, some tool industry executives have told me, U.S. tool sales are down at least 5%. Read more
Dewalt and Ford Launch Tool Tracker
DeWalt announced it will add to its line of tool security products a new truck-based radio-frequency identification (RFID) system called Tool Link that will help contractors inventory and track their tools. The system has been developed in conjunction with truck manufacturer Ford and technology specialist ThingMagic. Read more
Truckin' Around: Greener Trucks
Truck manufacturers will roll out more fuel-saving, full-sized trucks beginning next year. General Motors and Dodge have both announced that they will offer 'full hybrid' gas-electric vehicles in Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, and Dodge Ram pickups. Meanwhile, Ford's F-150 trucks will get new EcoBoost technology that promises to improve fuel economy by 20% and CO2 emissions by 15%. And Toyota Tundra will 'soon' have a clean diesel V8 engine. Read more
Hot Finds: Universal Fastener Outsourcing Nailer-Driven Screws
Get the speed of a nailer and the holding power of screws with NailScrews new fasteners. Read more
Nail prices jumped about 30% within days of the Jan. 16 preliminary ruling by the Commerce Department on nail dumping in U.S. markets. (First reported in Tools of the Trade, Sept./Oct. 2007.) Responding to a complaint filed by five U.S. nail manufacturers and one labor union, the Commerce Department issued its ruling against the People's Republic of China and United Arab Emirates for selling nails here 'at less than fair value'–as much as 118% less in China's case. Read more
Electric Concrete Breakers
Electric-powered breaker hammers have found a niche in the construction trades. In a wide variety of circumstances, these convenient tools fit the bill for small-scale demolition work. Read more
Feature: Lost and Found
Thanks to the Defense Department, we civilians have free access to the Global Positioning System (GPS), also known as Navstar. GPS is a network of 24 satellites, 11,000 miles up and orbiting the Earth about twice daily. By latching on to any three of them at the same time, a GPS receiver can calculate its location anywhere. Add a fourth connection, and it can calculate its position in 3D space. Read more
First Test: Big Foot Tools Headcutter
Big Foot Tools' Headcutter is a one-of-a-kind saw base that turns any chain saw into a precision cutting tool. Read more
Hot Finds: Trimble Wireless Layout Manager
Trimble's new wireless LM80 Layout Manager delivers real-time, two-way data transfer between jobsite and office. Read more
Hot Finds: Universal Fastener Outsourcing Nailer-Driven Screws
Get the speed of a nailer and the holding power of screws with NailScrews new fasteners. Read more