Steel

Long before I became a builder, I used gasoline-powered portable cut-off saws in the Air Force for crash and rescue recovery work to cut through automobile and airplane wreckage and buildings. I left the Air Force long ago, but not the saws. Now I build homes in Santa Fe, N.M., and work with as much adobe, concrete, stucco, and re-bar as I-joists and OSB. My Air Force experience gave me a real appreciation for these tools, so anytime I have to cut concrete, masonry, or steel I reach for one. It also showed me that nobody in their right mind would look forward to using them?they're loud, expensive, and incredibly messy, whether wet cutting or dry. But when it comes to cutting tough materials, they're also the best tools for the job. More

After checking out all the new tools that have come out this past year, we chose 20 new products for special recognition–selecting them for this year's Editors' Choice Awards More

I learned how to frame with 2-by sticks, and in those days the idea of framing with steel was about as foreign to me as speaking Russian. But after setting up shop in New York City, fire codes and commercial building practices left me with no alternative, so now I speak Russian. More