At Milwaukee’s New Product Symposium in June of 2017, the company then showed their commitment to the 12-volt platform with the announcement of the Generation 2 M12 Hammer Drill and Impact Driver. The hammer drill and impact driver were since released in January 2018 and we’ve had the opportunity to test the tools for ourselves. The drill/driver is yet to be released as of the publish date of this article.
Read moreFlight Carrying 84 Plumbers Forced to Land Due to Plumbing Issues
Sometimes irony just makes a story too hard not to share.
Read more5 Accessories That Can Turn Your Smartphone into a Powerful Tool for Construction
Smartphones have replaced a lot of different objects and materials on today’s construction site. They’re used for pictures, video and audio recording, and note taking, among many other uses. Beyond the typical functions most phones already have incorporated within them, there is now a significant market of accessories designed to make your phone even more useful on the construction jobsite.
We’ve compiled a list of 5 different accessories that you can buy to further enhance the power of your smartphone for construction.
Read moreAverage Hourly Wage of Painters, By State
Painters are typically one of the last subcontractors on any construction site, who do their best to beautify the drywall with the colors of the architect's or interior designer's choosing. Some painters are also responsible for mudding drywall, patching holes, sanding, and caulking.
Let's take a look at how an average painter's hourly wage compares in each state...
Read moreAverage Hourly Wage of Plumbers, By State
In doing the research for this analysis, I learned something interesting about the plumbing profession. The term "plumber" comes from the Latin word "plumbum," which means lead. Seems fitting in a profession, fairly or unfairly, stereotyped for exposed butt cracks.
In Roman times, plumbers often worked with lead for conduits, drain pipes, and making baths. Plumbers now work with a variety of different materials, including copper, PVC, ductile iron, among others.
Read more[UPDATE] Cause of Death of 3 Construction Workers Who Died in Florida Manhole Determined
In January of this year, tragedy struck a Florida construction company when 3 construction workers died while working underground below a newly paved road. After the first worker entered the hole and collapsed after entering the confined space through a manhole, the second went in to rescue him and also collapsed, followed by the third. After a post-incident investigation, OSHA has released their findings, as well as several fines.
Read moreThe Weirdest Things I've Ever Found Inside HVAC Ductwork
This is a guest post by Bob Wells, a retired HVAC tech who now dedicates himself to sharing knowledge on his website hvactraining101.com.
No matter what our specialty, once we’ve been on a construction-related job a few years, we’ve got a few stories to tell. A lot of them start with “How the he**” did that get there, or “YUCK!”
Read moreThe 9 Biggest Takeaways from Milwaukee’s New Product Symposium 2017
The 2017 Milwaukee Tool New Product Symposium (NPS) was held last week at Milwaukee’s headquarters and it proved to be a whirlwind of new products and information from the red brand. Over 80 new tools and accessories, which will be released throughout the remainder of 2017, were presented to dozens of media representatives, including construction magazines, YouTubers, Instagrammers, and your favorite construction blog (Construction Junkie, obviously).
After flooding our social media pages with Milwaukee information and gathering our thoughts from the event, we’ve come up with our 9 biggest takeaways from the event, in no particular order.
Read moreFLIR Updates Thermal Imaging Smartphone Accessory for Pros
FLIR
Announced at the start of the new year, FLIR has released specs on its new and updated line of thermal imaging devices and accessories. We have talked about the many reasons that contractors should use a thermal imaging camera and the FLIR ONE mobile accessory in the past and it has returned in 2017 with a new Gen 3 Pro Model. They have also announced their FLIR C3, which is the size of a standard digital camera, offering great accuracy and detail in a compact form. Lastly, FLIR is also offering the FLIR Duo, which will remind you of an action camera. Intended to be used on that fancy new drone quad-copter you got your kids for Christmas.
Read moreNew Drill Attachment Can Cut Square Holes
Once again technology has made our old proverbs obsolete, take the old “square peg/round hole” saying, for instance… I’m sure there’s a joke in there somewhere, but I can't find it. Currently your choices for hole saws and drill bits are round and more round, so those pesky square holes that need cut for electrical boxes require a jab saw or a router. It’s not terribly difficult to cut square holes using those methods, but, one company has taken it upon themselves to make the process much quicker.
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