The Ultimate Construction Holiday Gift Guide 2018

Another year is about ready to wrap up as the holiday season is upon us. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it can be stressful for those in your life that are hard to buy for, especially those in the construction ideas. Our goal is to make that process easier for you or your loved one with our top picks for gifts every year!

For more gift ideas, be sure to check out our Ultimate Construction Holiday Gift Guides from 2015, 2016, and 2017 or our past Father's Day Gift Guides from 2016 and 2017.

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[Review] Milwaukee’s M18 8-1/4” Cordless Table Saw with ONE-KEY

At Milwaukee Tool’s yearly New Product Symposium (NPS) media event in May of 2018, the tool manufacturer was excited to announce what they call “The Next Breakthrough.” Harnessing the latest battery technology, Milwaukee launched the supercharged – and supersized – 18-volt 12.0ah battery, which they have promised will provide 50% more power, run 50% cooler, and provide 33% more runtime versus their previous most powerful battery, the HD9.0.

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Craftsman Relaunches under Stanley Black & Decker with Release of 1,200 Tools

Craftsman tools have been an American tradition since the 1920s.  Like many families, I grew up watching my father and grandfather work with Craftsman tools and my very first set of tools was from the same brand. In the midst of Sears’ colossal and current downfall, the iconic tool brand was sold to Stanley Black & Decker (SBD), who also owns DeWALT, Lenox, Porter Cable, and Stanley, among others, in early 2017. A couple months later, that sale was finalized.

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Bosch is Giving Away 2,000 of it’s Half Impact Driver, Half Impact Wrench Kits

I’ve seen a lot of giveaway contests for tools over the past few years, including several that we’ve done one Construction Junkie, but the contest that Bosch announced this morning is one of the biggest ever.  2,000 people are going to be given the chance to win The Freak, which is Bosch’s two-in-one impactor that combines a ¼” hex impact driver and a ½” square driver impact wrench.

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7 Short Videos To Help Train Your Construction Crews on Silica Dust Hazards

It’s been almost a full year since OSHA’s more stringent regulations regarded respirable crystalline silica dust officially became enforceable.  Even though the topic has been a staple in news outlets since before and after September 23, 2017 (the official enforcement date), there is still plenty of confusion across the industry.

To help contractors comply with the new regulations, OSHA has recently announced a few new resources to be used for training.  Among them are a customizable PowerPoint Presentation (pdf download link), an FAQ page, and several short videos. Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) reported that the FAQ page, which contains 53 frequently asked questions and their answers, was directly linked to a lawsuit filed by several construction industry groups, including ABC.

The videos are a combination of one OSHA produced overview video and several others that were produced by ERG and are specific to a task or piece of equipment. You will find each of those videos embedded below. More information can be found on OSHA’s Silica for Construction home page.

Protecting Workers from Silica Hazards in the Workplace Video

Handheld Power Saws (any blade diameter)

Masonry Table Saw

Handheld and Stand-Mounted Drills

Jackhammers

Handheld Grinders for Mortar Removal (e.g., tuckpointing)

Handheld grinders for uses other than mortar removal

Featured
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Hilti Officially Releases EXO-01 Exoskeleton, Names Price

Last summer, Hilti announced that they had developed their first exoskeleton designed for construction tradespeople in a partnership with Ottobuck, a prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeleton provider. Earlier this month, Hilti officially released the exoskeleton, announced more details, and published its retail price on their website.

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How to Minimize Risk on Your Construction Site

[guest post] It’s a morbid statistic, but the construction industry experiences more workplace deaths than any other. With so many potential hazards, heavy-duty machinery, and power tools, it’s perhaps not surprising that serious accidents are relatively commonplace.

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[VIDEO] How Balfour Beatty is Handling COVID-19 Safety on the Jobsite

Even though we’re over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus is still threatening the health of construction’s workers and taking a toll on project timelines. It’s likely that your company has already determined the best course of action to help mitigate the risk of spreading the virus on your jobsites, but it’s never too late to learn from another contractor.

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1 Year Later: The Effects of Coronavirus on Construction

It’s been a little over a year since the coronavirus pandemic sent the entire world into a period of uncertainty, heartache, and panic. The construction industry itself has undertaken many different challenges, above and beyond keeping their people safe on the jobsite, many of which no one could have expected.

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Doosan Announces Industry First “Transparent Bucket” to Wheel Loader to Eliminate Blind Spots

“You make a better door than a window!” is what I imagine loader operators constantly yell at the bucket in front of them (or maybe I’m just projecting based on my experience of having the habit of sitting right in front of the TV as a kid). Either way, operators may not be yelling that in the future, as equipment manufacturer, Doosan, has introduced what they claim is an industry first “transparent” bucket.

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Cool Tools: World’s First Dry Cut 7-1/2” Portable Tile Saw

Reducing dust when cutting tile is important for many reasons (including safety and cleanliness), but wet tile saws can be a pain to use, with the slurry created spraying all around the work station and cold weather making the saw much more difficult to use outside. iQ Power Tools has a solution for that: the world’s first 7” portable dry table saw with integrated dust control.

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National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction Starts May 3

In the construction industry, falls from height are continuously the leading cause of jobsite injuries, fatalities, and, as a result, OSHA citations. From May 3-May 7, OSHA invites construction employers and stakeholders to take part in their 8th annual National Safety Stand Down to Prevent Falls in Construction.

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Crane Collapses on Jobsite in Syracuse, NY, No Injuries Reported

On Tuesday morning, February 23, the Syracuse Fire Department responded to a call about a collapsed crane on a construction site near the university. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

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Finally, an Air-Conditioned Hard Hat is on the Horizon

It seems a little odd to be talking about air-conditioning when much of the United States hit some incredibly low temperatures in recent days, but a product that I learned about recently is just too exciting to ignore. Announced at CES 2021, a research company has unveiled an air-conditioned hard hat (ACHH) that can reduce the ambient temperature up to 22 degrees Fahrenheit!

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The 7 Biggest Construction Safety Stories of 2020

2020 was a challenging year in many respects, but none greater than from a safety standpoint. The coronavirus pandemic placed the notion of “people over profits” under the microscope, while also balancing the needs of their employees to continue to make an income under difficult circumstances. While the pandemic was a large part of the construction safety conversation last year, there were several other developments to take note of for your projects in the future.

[Review] Milwaukee’s M18 Cordless Random Orbit Sander

After heavily focusing on the mechanical trades for years, Milwaukee Tool has made a concerted effort to attract carpenters and remodelers to their constantly growing M18 battery platform.  The tool manufacturer has introduced cordless miter saws and nail guns in recent years.  They also announced several more carpentry tools are on their way at their yearly New Product Symposium event in May, including a new D-handle jig saw, a table saw, and an updated 7-¼” circular saw.  

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Should You Choose Tracks or Wheels for Your Jobsite’s Compact Loader?

One of the most highly versatile and useful pieces of equipment on any construction site is a compact loader, also known as a skid steer, or “Bobcat.” They're also the piece of equipment most often stolen from jobsites, due to their size and availability.  There’s an inherent choice you have to make when choosing a compact loader, however, and it can make all the difference: tracks or wheels?

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Frequently Asked Questions About Silica Dust Exposure, Answered

OSHA's new crystalline silica dust exposure regulations officially went into effect on September 23, 2017.  Over the past 10 months, there has been plenty of confusion about the lung disease causing material. In the first 6 months after the effective date, OSHA's inspectors yielded 116 violations across the country.

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Review: Milwaukee M18 Radius Compact Site Light with Flood Mode

Proper lighting is one of the most overlooked things on a construction site.  Sure, most sites have some overhead lighting, but with a minimum of only 5 loot candles required by OSHA in general construction areas, there’s a lot left to be desired.  Milwaukee Tool is, by far, the leader in the construction lighting category based on shear volume and quality of their lighting solutions.

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