More from JLC
Useful roof stripping tools
Speaking about roof tear-offs, roofer Pat Green of Columbia, Mo., says, “There's no replacement for plain old hard work.” Power spudders and wheeled tear-off bars are designed for flat, commercial roofs, he explains. “In residential work, there is no secret weapon.” Still, he concedes, good tools help.
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Radius Layout
The architects I work with love to design arches–sometimes even serpentine soffits that roll like ceiling-mounted ocean waves–but they don't spend much time on layout, leaving us to figure them out on site. Fortunately, not every arch we build requires the math department at Columbia University to plot.
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First Test: Porter-Cable's High-Tech Sander
Porter-Cable's new 390K 5-inch random orbit sander looks different because it is different. It is built around a new type of DC motor that Porter-Cable calls the EnduraTech. Besides not having brushes to replace, the motor has 71% fewer wear components, which should result in much longer tool life, according to the company. This DC motor also gives the sander more torque and a much shorter profile, much like the look and low-slung balance of pneumatic, random orbit sanders commonly used in manufacturing industries.
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