Before we delve into specifics I would first like to give you an idea of what we are trying to accomplish. There are a lot of things that must work together for a rifle to shoot straight. Basically, in order to get a bullet to fly straight we must first get it out of the barrel straight. That is what this section deals with. For all examples we will assume we are talking about a bolt action rifle. Specifically, a Remington, Model 700, bolt gun.
The rifle has 5 basic parts. They are:
The bullet must come out of the barrel straight. An important concept is the "centerline" of the barrel. This is an imaginary line running right down the center of the barrel bore. We want the centerline of our bullet to match the centerline of the bore. The chamber is reamed into the breech of the barrel. The chamber also has a centerline and it must be the same as the centerline of the bore. Stock rifle barrels are usually pretty good. But for our purposes lets assume price is no object. We want to start with a high quality barrel. Schneider, Krieger, Douglas and others all make match quality barrels.
When a bullet passes down a barrel the barrel goes through a whipping action. The longer and/or thinner the barrel the more it will whip. Benchrest shooters have long held for a shorter and very thick barrel. Lately the trend is toward a little longer barrel with fluting. I can't pretend to be an expert on all aspects of barrel making. Call the people who make accurate rifles (list enclosed) and see what they think. Let's assume though that we want a very thick barrel in the 20 -22 inch range. Fluting a barrel means cutting grooves in the outside of the barrel. They must be equidistant around the barrel and must be cut very precisely. Fluting a barrel changes the internal dimension and can put stress in the metal. If I were to buy a fluted barrel it would be one made by an expert who will take the time to do it right, and stress relieve the barrel properly. Fluting does three things, increases stiffness, reduces weight, and improves cooling (because there is more surface area exposed to the air). Zareh Ohanian - two time winner of the Canadian Sniper Competition, taught me a pretty slick trick that would be a lot cheaper than fluting. Most of you are should be familiar with a process called "bead blasting". It is used extensively in repair shops to clean metal parts. It is not as destructive as sand blasting. Bead blasting is usually done in an enclosed cabinet. The cabinet's hopper is filled with glass beads and high-pressure air and beads are forced through a nozzle -- just like sand blasting. Zareh reports that initial testing showed that a bead blasted barrel cooled faster than a fluted barrel.
I do have some experience with bead blasting, though not on rifle barrels. Glass beads actually remove very little metal. To verify this, bead blast a piece of stainless steel. Before you do it, measure the surface profile of the metal using a profilometer. Imagine dragging a needle across the surface of a record. The record is rough enough that you can feel the needle's vibration as it runs across the grooves. Profilometers measure the roughness in a similar manner, and record the surface finish on a chart. An old measure of roughness, "rms", is an average of the recorded difference between high spots and low spots. (A scratch is a "ditch" in the metal, with high edges and a low bottom.)
Bead blasting knocks tiny dings and scratches in the metal. Just as big grooves (flutes) on a barrel increase surface are, 10 billion tiny microscopic grooves do the same thing. I believe that the roughness increases the surface area of the barrel slightly more than the big grooves!
WARNING: Knowledgeable engine builders never bead blast internal engine components. This is why: those beads are so small that you will never get all of them out. Many are actually embedded in the micro scratches of the metal's surface. They will work loose, get into the engine, score cylinder walls and worse, bearing surfaces. This can cause early engine wear, or at high rpms (like a racing engine), catastrophic engine failure. What do you think will happen to the inside of your barrel when beads are trapped between a bullet and the bore? If you choose to do this to your stainless rifle barrel, do a VERY good job of sealing the barrel at both ends before you do it. After blasting, carefully scrub clean the barrel before you remove the seals. Keep your rifles stored in a different building than the cabinet.
Now while we are on the subject of slick tricks, I'll tell you one I have been thinking of but have never tried. You will need to locate a shop that does "electropolishing". Electropolishing does the opposite of bead blasting, it removes high spots. The metal is submerged in a weak acid mixture. An anode is placed next to the surface of the area to be polished. The ground is attached to the metal itself, and the positive is attached to the anode. Electrolysis causes the tiny ridges to dissolve into the solution. Now here is the idea, for an anode could you not use a tightly strung thick wire/rod running down the centerline of the bore? It would be shielded from the barrel using plugs similar to the buttons used to align cleaning rods. They already make electric bore cleaning systems, could not one of these be adapted to perform electropolishing? This process should make the bore EXTREMELY slick if done properly. Electropolishing removes only traces of metal, and would not change the bore diameter any at all.
The transition area between the chamber and the rifling is called the throat. The bullet will move out of the case neck and move down the throat until it hits the rifling. We will want to make this dimension long enough for our bullet to fit without touching the rifling. If we jam the bullet into the rifling it may stay there if the round is ejected. Also, there is a potential for dangerously high pressures if the bullet is in contact with the lands. The lands are the raised surface of the rifling. If our throat is too long, our bullet will have to float farther before it comes back under control by the lands. Keep in mind that if the bullet floats it will probably start down the barrel a little off-center. We want our bullets to be as close to the lands as is safe. This is usually .003 - .005 of an inch. You may have heard someone say they can't make their rounds long enough to get close to the lands and still fit in the magazine. In that situation, the throat is too long. I have heard many say that the cartridges like the .220 Swift and 7mm Remington Magnum are hard on the throats. This is because there is a large amount of powder burning (heat) at the throat area. In the 7mm RM the problem is more often found in Auto-Loaders (like the BAR) where the owners have engaged in rapid-fire practice. The 220 Swift is just a bad ass cartridge! I think the heat and velocities are enough to burn out the barrel and throat even if the owner is careful and cleans the barrel properly. Beware used .220 Swifts! I have never owned one and I'm only repeating the advice I've heard often from others. They are rumored to have a very short barrel life. (If there are any experienced Swift -O-Philes out there who would care to elaborate on or contradict this assertion I'd love to hear from you.) But I digress.
Zareh also adds that new barrel steels have largely solved the .220 Swift problems, letting the barrel cool between shots, and proper cleaning. Now before we go on lets consider something else. The barrel is threaded into the action. In the factory the machines that thread barrels and cut the threads in actions are different. Each machine cuts the same size threads a little different. Each barrel threaded on the same machine will be a little different because the tooling is being dulled. If we want our action and barrel to fit perfectly we need to have the threads on the barrel cut to match the threads on the action. Machinists call this "chasing" the threads. If I were to spend $1,000 dollars or so on a barrel, I'm not sure I would want someone else cutting threads on it! The preferred method would be to have the barrel guy do the entire fitting. This is not something most people can do in their garage. Good barrels can be had already chambered for $250 - $500 dollars. Add to this the cost of fluting, bead blasting, cryogenic treatment and fitting, and you are getting close to $1000 worth of barrel.
A good action has a number of important qualities. The action must be rigid. Because, its face fits against the barrel, the face of the action needs to be perfectly square, if the barrel is to fit perfectly against it. The spacer between the barrel and action needs to be milled perfectly flat also. On the 700, this is the only change I know of that really needs to be made. Be careful when using actions other than the Remington. The Savage is pretty good, but the Winchester is rumored to be overly flexible.
Now that we have a perfect barrel fitted perfectly to a square action we need a square bolt. On the 700 the bolt has two locking lugs. These lugs lock-up at the 12:00 and 6:00 positions. If the locking lugs do not contact the grooves evenly, when a round is fired the case will move up or down in the back. This of course is a very slight movement, but it is enough to start our bullet out on a crooked path. "Lapping" the lugs, means polishing the one or both lugs so that each will lock up with the same "0" clearance in their grooves. The base of our cartridge rests against the face of the bolt. If the face of the bolt is not perpendicular to the centerline of the chamber, the case can move in whatever direction the face is canted. We must then have the face of our bolt ground perfectly square. The tolerances we are dealing with are on the order .001 - .005 of an inch. This is best left up to people who have the precision equipment to cut and measure things this close.
When the gun fires we do not want it moving around in the stock. If the barrel touches the stock anywhere past the first 1 -1/2" from the action we will have a problem. The stock must be relieved until the barrel floats freely over it. Bedding is the term used to describe filling all voids in the stock next to the action. This provides a strong smooth surface for the action to bind tightly to. Accuracy International has designed a sniper rifle for the British Army that needs no bedding. The action is attached to a steel skeleton that the stock clamps to with bolts. This rifle is also being built under license at the Gunsite Training Center in Arizona. Word has it that all of the current production run is already spoken for.
Bedding an action using Acra-Glass and aluminum powder is pretty easy to do yourself. You may want to try it first on an older/extra stock first. This is how I do it. Take some fine powder like carpenter's chalk and very lightly oil the all of the outside of the action -- anywhere contact with the stock is likely. Now dust the action with the chalk. You want a very light coat of dust all over the parts that may come in contact with the stock. Now fit the stock carefully and tighten down. Carefully remove and observe where the action touched. Anywhere the chalk is light or non-existent is a void that needs to be filled. Now instead of just smearing in the acra-glass as is, it is a good idea to hog out the stock everywhere you have enough material to work with so you can put a lot of filler in. You will not have to worry about the filler being so thin that it doesn't stay put. A Dremel tool is good for this job. You need to pencil the outline of the action on the stock so you know where to cut. I have always bedded out to the first 1-1/2 " of barrel.
Follow the instructions on mixing the glass and aluminum powder. Don't get cheap and do it without the aluminum. Acra-Glass comes in a kit that includes this blue stuff that you apply to the action to keep it from sticking to the glass. Do a very good job on this part! After you lay in the filler press the rifle back together and tighten. Be careful not to get filler where it can get into the trigger group! Let the stuff set and after it's almost hard, remove the action. Trim off the excess and let it dry completely. Now you clean the action and you have a bedded rifle. Follow all kit instructions completely and you should not have any problems.
McMillan Fiberglass Stocks, Inc. is the world's premier synthetic stock manufacturer. Consider that McMillan has supplied over 1,000 stocks to the military and federal agencies for use in sniper systems. All spec-ops unit's use the McMillan stock, as does the USMC.I had the pleasure of meeting the McMillan family at the SHOT Show '96 and was most impressed by the quality and variety of their product line. If you have ever wondered what the difference is between a McMillan and "all the rest", you really need to take a look at both. The difference is obvious, even to a novice.
I don't think I'm going to go to deeply into this for a couple of reason. First of all I have always had someone else do my trigger work. There is a reason that most sane people recommend pulls of AT LEAST 3 pounds. Any less and the chance of an accidental discharge becomes a very likely possibility. "Set" trigger systems are triggers that require two stages to pull. The first stage sets the trigger. Then the trigger can be set to a very low pull. Target shooters have been known to set theirs in ounces, not pounds. Of course, you would not set the trigger until you are certain that you are ready to fire. Many factory rifles now come with pulls set around 7 pounds. It is almost impossible to shoot accurately with the pull set that high. The pressure you must exert on the trigger to fire the rifle is so great that it moves the muzzle too much. (See section on basic marksmanship). I do recommend that you have your trigger set by an expert. I do not mean the guy down the street whose main work includes recoil pads, cold bluing, and cleaning. Find someone who does a lot of this so your trigger and safety will be safe for you to handle.


The 22 Greatest Tools in the History of the World
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Hand tools have been revolutionizing the way we live for 2.6 million years.
Tools make us human, but we are not the only ones who use tools. Some birds drop rocks to crack shells open, and certain apes use sticks to get food or groom themselves. What makes us different is the thought we put into toolmaking, says Ian Tattersall, PhD, curator emeritus at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Around 2.6 million years ago, our ancestors realized there was a superior type of rock for sharp-cutting edges (likely used to butcher animals). They chose these rocks, shaped them, and carried them for later use.
“If our predecessors had never started making stone tools, we would not be the reasoning creatures that we are today. The invention of the cutting tool opened a whole world of possibilities,” says Tattersall. The lever, however, might be the most important tool to advance civilization beyond meeting our basic needs of clothing and food, says Voula Saridakis, PhD, curator for the collections and archives at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. “So many tools depend on the principals of the lever.” Wrenches, pliers, hammers, shovels, and jacks all helped build our world by harnessing the mechanical advantage of leverage.
Those descendants of the first levers are among our list of greatest tools, and they’re not the only ones with a mechanical lineage that dates back millennia. But all the tools here, new and old, and in no particular order, celebrate humankind’s capacity to shape the world.
Carpenters have this amazing ability to see the unrealized potential in a tool, a piece of scrap wood, even a drywall screw. And if there’s any construction-site artifact that seems to have inspired their imagination, it’s the humble carpenter’s pencil. Really, it’s more than a all-purpose marking instrument that won’t roll away. It’s also a scribing tool, a spacer (the thin side is ¼ inch and the wider face is 9⁄16 inch), and the perfect accompaniment to a tape measure or square.
Typically, carpenters drop these wide, flat pencils—about $3 for a 10-pack, any brand will do—into their nail bag tip first so they can pluck them out and strike a quick line. To do this, put your index finger along the side of the pencil like it’s an extension of your digit, instead of pinching it like you would to write with it. To scribe an uneven shape onto wood, like for lining up a cabinet on a brick wall, lay the pencil on its flat side to translate the shape of the surface (the wall) you want to match the wood to. For curves with a smaller radius or bumpy surfaces, hold the pencil down on its edge.
Although there are dedicated carpenter-pencil sharpeners, it’s another gadget to own, lose, or break. Most carpenters use a utility knife to sharpen their pencils. This allows you more control over the shape of the tip and how much lead you want exposed.
To sharpen the pencil, start on the broad surface with the knife blade ⅝ inch to ¾ inch away from the end. With the blade square to the body of the pencil, use your thumb to push the blade forward, gradually leaning it back so that by the end of the stroke, the utility knife’s blade is just about parallel with the pencil’s lead. Rotate the pencil 90 degrees, and repeat the process on the adjacent edge. Repeat on the broad edge and the remaining narrow edge.
Of all the tools you use to shape wood, the handplane has come to symbolize craftsmanship of the highest order. It’s a cutting tool that’s designed to create truth: dead straight and flat surfaces ready for finishing and joinery. The Lie-Nielsen Handplane is a longtime PM favorite. Sure, it’s stunning to look at, but the beauty is in its flawless flat surfaces, wickedly sharp (and easy to resharpen) cutting edge, and precise adjustment capable of producing tissue-thin shavings.
The Speed Square is arguably one of the most useful building tools. Its markings help speed up repetitive procedures when framing walls or cutting rafters. The original Swanson Speed Square Pro comes with Swanson’s Blue Book, which contains instructions and explanations of the geometry, calculation, and layout of virtually any rafter configuration. If you’re only framing occasionally, it’s a fantastic resource. Aside from framing, the Speed Square can be used for just about every woodworking project, including sheds, shelves, firewood racks, picnic tables, Adirondack chairs, workbenches, and sawhorses.
In addition to marking angles and parallel lines, and laying out rafter cuts, the tool’s flat base makes it easy to check that studs or joints are square (as shown above). One more use: a saw guide. Hold the lip of the square against the bottom edge of the piece you’re cutting and press down on the top to guide the saw for perfectly straight cuts. You can also flip it around to cut at a 45-degree angle or rotate it on the pivot point to cut at any angle.
With locking pliers, suddenly you’re Superman. Use them to clamp metal for welding, grab onto stripped bolts, pull nails. The original Irwin Vise-Grip 10WR locking plier is simple, well-built, and still great in all respects. The new model has built-in wire cutters and a recess in its adjusting knob to accept a 3/16-inch Allen wrench that lets you more easily and precisely adjust and release the tightening force.
The Skil worm-gear circular saw (Skilsaw) will turn 100 in a couple years. A century is a blip in the timeline of tools, though among powered, handheld implements, it approaches an eternity. The Skilsaw makes use of a spiral steel “worm” on the end of its motor shaft, which spins a worm gear below it. The output from that gear drives the blade, reducing motor speed and increasing torque. Today’s descendant, the 7¼-inch Lightweight Skilsaw, is an impressive refinement of the early models, now about half the weight (a reasonable 11 pounds 8 ounces), faster, and undoubtedly safer. And its revelatory capability—a portable saw ready to frame your next house, and the one after that—remains.
There are few landscaping tools as useful as a round-point shovel. It digs and moves dirt, gravel, sand, snow and ice, debris, asphalt, and concrete. It scrapes, pries, and chisels its way through roots, and is even helpful in fighting brush fires.
A shovel also makes an amazingly effective fulcrum to move the practically immovable from your lawn: Lay an open-back shovel facedown on the ground, place the tip of the digging bar under what you want to lift (such as a fence), and place the length of the digging bar into the blade crevice. You can use your foot on the digging bar to provide force. The round nose gives you the ability to rock the shovel slightly left or right as needed to aid in the lift.
A quick note: Square-nose shovels are quite agile in demolition work, where they can pry off drywall, scoop out insulation, and lift appliances for removal. But for its versatility, our desert-island shovel is this Bully Tools 14-Gauge Round Point.
The tools that literally built civilization predate records. But we can place the first level, the plumb bob, in Egypt as far back as 2700 B.C., Saridakis says. There, it guided the builders of the pyramids and other perfectly squared structures that still survive.
The Egyptians’ tool looked and functioned almost exactly as it does today: a pointed weight, hanging from a string. When you suspend it, for example, from the top of a doorway, you can compare the distance from the side of the doorway at the top of the string to the distance from the side to the bottom of the weight to determine whether it is square. It can also be suspended from an A-frame to act as a horizontal level.
Its name comes from the Latin word for lead (plumbum), and it was a vital tool in the construction of the Roman Empire, says Saridakis. The tool even earned itself a Biblical metaphor in Isaiah 28:16–17, which reads that God “will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet” in Zion.
A modern laser level from Bosch or Milwaukee is a fine addition to any tool kit today, but we still carry a plumb, like the Empire 8 oz. Steel Plumb Bob, as well. It’s indestructible and immune to ambient light, and the battery never dies.
The screwdriver is so fundamental today that it’s tough to think of any professional trade job or DIY project that doesn’t require at least one. More likely, you’ll need two or three, maybe more, which is why, since its introduction in 1988, we’ve been huge fans of the Picquic multi-bit screwdriver. The Canadian toolmaker now offers 10 versions, with the Picquic Sixpac Plus as its flagship. In its body, the screwdriver stores six ¼-inch bits—tough enough to use with an impact driver—while the aluminum shank with a magnetic base holds the working bit (a seventh one) firmly in place.
If there’s anything a Leatherman tool is, it’s an achievement of engineering. The Leatherman Wave+ is typical in that respect. It would be one thing if the tool packed in knife blades, pliers, and screwdrivers, and only some of them functioned. But everything works on a Leatherman. Tetris 18 tools into an 8.5-oz. package that is 4 inches long and about ¾ inch thick; if that isn’t a marvel, we’d like to know what is.
When a generation of new American families wanted to settle down after WWII, the early Paslode pneumatic nailer ensured they got roofs over their heads. From the 1940s to 1950s, new-home construction doubled. This feat was pulled off with new time-saving technology like the nailer and circular saw. Instead of taking seconds to pound in a single nail, multiple nails could be fired in a second. Builders and framers gained a new level of mastery over the worksite.
Today’s favored pneumatic nailer from Paslode, the 3½-inch 30-Degree PowerMaster, is a heavy-duty nailer that doesn’t sacrifice convenience. It features manual or sequential firing trigger options and is capable of sinking up to 12 nails per second. It’s also designed for simple depth adjustment, so you can easily calibrate the depth of your nails. This model is also perfect for toe-nailing, thanks to a spiked nosepiece that allows you to securely bite into wood as you fire.
Every trade has its hammers. Metalworking has the ball peen, masonry has stone and brick hammers, carpentry has framing hammers. Each hammer is optimized to its tasks, perfect in its own way. But there is one universal hammer everyone old enough to carry a toolbox should own: the trim hammer. Our shop has had this simple, all-steel 16 oz. Estwing Rip trim hammer for about a decade. The thing is indispensable and unbreakable, and will handle everything but framing—and frankly, it will handle even that for small DIY projects.
It can cut up a box, but don’t call it a box cutter. On a jobsite, it cuts shingles, roofing paper, drywall, and building paper. It can trim mason’s string and scribe lines on wood—and if needed, scribe on steel and aluminum. The nearly indestructible Stanley 99 maintains its 1960s industrial look, but now it also has a reinforced nose to better hold the blade in place.
The floor jack opens up a world of possibilities to the home mechanic. Beyond the oil change, it lets you quickly swap out wheels, repair brakes, or install a catalytic converter cage. It can also lift or lower components such as the suspension, exhaust, and even a differential or transmission.
The first known use of hydraulic power dates back 8,000 years to irrigation channels in Mesopotamia, though water wasn’t pressurized and used as a tool until the mid-18th century, and the first hydraulic press was patented in 1795. Hydraulic jacks (lifting instead of pressing) appeared in the following decades.
Today’s floor jack is a horizontal hydraulic bottle jack with a short lever on one side to lift and a long lever (handle) on the other to apply pressure. That detachable handle might be the second-most useful tool in a garage; slip it over the end of a breaker bar to dislodge especially stubborn bolts.
A good floor jack is made to be serviced, says Craig Hoffman, spokesman for Harbor Freight Tools, makers of floor jacks like the Daytona 3 Ton Professional used by many of our staff and writers. The chrome ram can be cleaned and relubricated, and the rollers underneath it can be greased for easier movement. And changing the oil every three years maintains the jack’s power.
A reciprocating saw can cut through lumber even if it’s embedded with nails. Heck, it can cut through just about everything short of a rock. It’s the go-to tool for remodeling and demolition. You may also know it as a Sawzall, due to the dominance of that Milwaukee Tool recip saw. And while the category has become crowded, we still recommend, use, and try not to abuse too badly the Milwaukee 15 Amp Super Sawzall. It can cut all common forms of metal: steel, aluminum, copper, and cast iron. Of course, the blade you pick makes all the difference (see below).
For cutting through construction lumber, which typically has nails embedded in it, use a blade like Lenox Gold. You can also use a demolition blade, which is wider and thicker, making it better able to resist bending. If you expect to cut metal and want a single blade to handle everything, choose one with 10 teeth per inch (tpi). Although this blade will cut less aggressively, it will be easier to control. As a rule of thumb for metal cutting, use a relatively coarse blade (fewer teeth, like 18 tpi) for thick metal, such as when cutting bar stock. Use a blade with more teeth (24 tpi) for cutting thin metal and tubing.
Choose a longer blade if you want to cut wood or metal flush to a surface. The extra blade length allows you to flex the blade into a curved shape, letting you saw away the wood or metal as you run the blade against the surface from which you are removing it.
If there is one power tool that can get you out of a tough spot during a home repair or remodel, it’s the oscillating multitool. It saws, grinds, sands, scrapes, and polishes. It does nearly anything you need to do, with the exception of drilling holes, and works in places other power tools can’t reach, such as undercutting wood door trim to clear thin-plank flooring. And it works on a variety of materials: steel, aluminum, carpet, hard tile, soft tile, hardwood, softwood, and various plastics. The Fein Multimaster has gained a following over the last 25 years as tradespeople and accomplished amateurs have recognized its outsize ability and durability. It’s practically our right hand in most home projects.
A digital multimeter is an indispensable tool for testing, diagnosing, and troubleshooting electrical circuits, components, and devices. The first digital multimeter was introduced in the late 1970s, and has proven much more reliable than the old needle-based analog meters. It’s used primarily to measure voltage (volts), current (amps), and resistance (ohms). We regularly turn to the highly accurate Fluke 115 Digital Multimeter, which also measures continuity, frequency, and capacitance, and can display the minimum, maximum, and average readings on its large screen.
If a cordless power tool is dying faster than usual, you can check it by measuring the voltage with a multimeter: First, run the tool until the battery is nearly but not quite drained. Then recharge it and check it with the multimeter set to VDC (voltage direct current). Use the next-highest setting above the battery’s voltage, such as 20 volts for a 12v or 18v battery. Press the test leads against the battery terminals. A low voltage indicates that the battery is ready to be recycled (Lowe’s and Home Depot will take them) and replaced.
The familiar pistol-grip power-drill shape emerged from the labs of S. Duncan Black and Alonzo Decker around 1917. And WWII spurred the creation of lighter drills for the factory women that kept America running. These smaller drills became prized for home repair work and had a tendency to walk out of the factories, says Peter Liebhold, curator emeritus for the Division of Work and Industry at the Smithsonian.
Cordless models emerged in the 1960s, but they were expensive and the batteries were more useful as doorstops. By the 1980s, Makita’s 7.2v cordless drill began to catch on, first with repair technicians for small jobs. By the end of the decade, remodelers, electricians, and plumbers similarly embraced the handy tool.
Today’s lithium-ion-battery drills are a revolution in themselves for their power and reliability. And our favorite drill in the shop today is DeWalt’s DCD999 for the control provided by its three-speed transmission and an 11-position clutch ring.
The 2.6 million years since our first stone chopping tools is an intimidating history to stand up against. It’s unfair to expect that we—as multiple species over this timeline—would create the greatest tool known to any life-form. Instead, we seek a platonic ideal of the axe itself: What is today’s perfect chopping tool? Our best answer is the Council Tool Velvicut 2lb Hudson Bay. Its carbon-steel head is sharpened and honed by hand and sits atop an American hickory handle, all balanced to help you hit your target every time.
The wrench, one of the most obvious descendants of our prehistoric levers, largely operates on the premise that for every fastener there is a matching wrench or wrench socket waiting to rotate its flat, consistent surfaces.
Except that’s not how the world works. Try to remove a stuck hex bolt with a 12-point wrench, and those six sides can become one. When it looks like you’ve got nothing to wrench with, a pipe wrench will save the day. (They’re also unmatched on pipes, of course.)
Developed by inventor Daniel Stillson around 1869, the pipe wrench is set apart by its intentionally loose, adjustable upper jaw with hard serrated teeth. That play allows it to bind and clamp down on a pipe or stripped screw when you push the handle of the wrench down. It also spares you from having to reset the wrench when you pull up on the handle, as pulling up unbinds the jaw from your stripped nut or pipe. Just make sure you’ve left a space between the back of the wrench opening (the side without teeth) and the object being turned to give the jaws space to tighten down.
Since Stillson’s patented design, the greatest advancement has been the aluminum wrench body, which can reduce the tool’s heft by around 40 percent. That’s a crucial weight savings, whether you’ve got the tool in your hand all day or just need to reach a single awkwardly placed pipe. Ridgid’s 12-inch aluminum straight-body pipe wrench clocks in at a reasonable 2.5 pounds despite a heavy-duty build. It’s also made entirely of replaceable—and warranty-covered—parts. It’s a tool you can expect to never replace.
Greek mythology offers this origin for the saw: Talos, nephew of prolific inventor Daedalus, found inspiration in a fish spine and modeled a jagged strip of iron after it to invent the first saw. Historically accurate? Not a chance. The first known metal pull-saws date back almost 7,000 years. And by the end of Talos’s tale, he’d been turned into a partridge as protection from his now-jealous, murderous uncle.
The 19th century’s mass production of steel gave us today’s saws. For most of the last two millennia, saws were made of iron, says Ted Ingraham, director of the Zlotoff Tool Museum in South Hero, Vermont. Iron isn’t a particularly hard metal. And the ensuing kinking, or twisting, of the blade was such a problem it earned the old two-person saw the name “misery whip.”
Around the 1880s, a golden age of saws dawned with the wide availability of more durable and flexible steel. Two-person steel saws drove the booming American timber industry while smaller steel hand saws offered a vast improvement for woodworkers. The saws of this era were built to last—built for someone to make their living using it. Many of these steel saws remain today, but if you don’t have the time and patience to hunt one down, 181-year-old toolmaker Disston is reintroducing its D-8 hand saw.
The earliest tools of measurement were nothing more than notches marked in a length of wood or stone, but evidence of measurement systems shows up in writings on cuneiform tablets from ancient Sumer roughly 6,000 years ago, says Saridakis. Ancient Egypt had the first known standard measure, the royal cubit (about 21 inches), based on the length of an early pharaoh’s arm from elbow to middle fingertip. Inscribed wood rods—the first rulers—used to measure out the royal cubit and its fractions still survive after roughly 3,000 years.
The next great leap in handheld measuring tools didn’t arrive until the 1820s with the spring-back measuring tape, though it still required a large, donut-shaped carrying case. The first truly pocket-size tape measure arrived in 1963 with the Stanley PowerLock. That design is so rugged and reliable that Stanley still uses it—and we’re still using our PowerLocks.
Place the tape’s hook where you’ll be making the cut. Put the tip of the utility knife blade against the hook and pinch the blade there with your thumb. Your other hand goes at the end of the drywall, pinching the appropriate-length measurement on the tape. From there you move both hands at the same time, drawing the knife and tape down the drywall with consistent downward pressure. Crack off the piece of drywall and cut the paper on the other side to release it.
Few tools still used the world over were so perfect at inception that they remain largely unchanged. Yet some of the early needles from around 27,000 years ago could absolutely put a button back on your flannel today. The sewing needle was also a key technology that set humans apart from Neanderthals, who never discovered or adopted the tool. Back then, sewing allowed our ancestors to build weathertight shelters from animal hides and create warmer, less-drafty clothes for our long procession around the globe. A starter pack for this auspicious tool, like the Singer Assorted Hand Needles, may not fit in with the rest of the implements in your toolbox, but it deserves a spot next to it. And about that button you’ve been meaning to reattach…
Starting at the inside of the shirt, poke the needle through the fabric and thread it through the button. Bring the needle downward and thread it through the diagonal opposite hole and the shirt. Repeat three times, then do the same on the other two holes. Once the button is secure, poke the needle up through the fabric at its base. Loop the thread around the stitching underneath the button six times. Then poke the needle through that stem sideways three times and cut to secure it.
A.C. Shilton is a Tennessee-based journalist who splits her time between investigative work and writing features._ _Her investigative work was featured in the Netflix docuseries “The Innocent Man.”
Stef Schrader routinely breaks and attempts to take project cars on race tracks. She enjoys fancy cheeses, good coffee, fast Porsches, traveling to new places and rare, weird cars. She lives with a large collection of Fisher-Price Puffalumps and an overloaded parts shed.
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Addifab receives funding
AddiFab ApS – manufacturer of automated high-end 3D-printing systems – has closed an undisclosed round of debt financing. Proceeds from this round will be used to complete development and installation of the first Add-Line demonstrator at the company’s facilities with the involvement of beta customers, suppliers and collaboration partners.
“Tofte & Company has provided diligent and valuable guidance in the process leading up to the financing. Introducing a new production paradigm requires very significant resources, and we are happy to tap into the knowledge and network of Tofte & Company as we continue to develop our business,” says Lasse Staal, CEO of AddiFab.


The iron works are just outside the old abbey gate house, across the main road. They were established by two Quaker families, the Foxes of Falmouth and the Prices, who had worked with James Watt at Falkirk. They brought Cornish technical expertise in casting and engineering to this part of south Wales. As you walk from the abbey to the main road, straight ahead of you is Ty Mawr, the ironmasters’ house, built by Peter Price in 1801. A plaque commemorates Joseph Tregelles Price, founder of the Peace Society.
There is now no entrance to the ironworks from the main road, though you can peer through the gates of the builders’ yard and see the engine manufactory and the great masonry furnaces. Turn right up Longford Road. To your right is the charging platform for one of the iron furnaces. Just after the railway viaduct, a path goes down to your right towards the old tramroad bridge across the Clydach.The parapet of the bridge is made from carved blocks of copper slag which probably came from the works in the abbey. Under the bridge is a weir which would have held water back to power the iron works. You can turn right again before the bridge for a closer look at the iron works.
The most impressive part of the ruins are the late eighteenth-century furnaces, two of the highest masonry blast furnaces ever constructed. The casting houses which would have stood in front of them have gone, but you can still the line of the railway which would have taken materials to the charging houses at the top of the furnaces.
A little further on, the roofless building to the right of the entrance, behind the ironmasters’ house, is the shell of the engine manufactory. A projecting wing of this building extended towards the Clydach river and a water wheel powered by a leat from higher up the stream drove a series of machines. Much of the machinery for the works was made on site. There were two cylinder-boring workshops on the ground floor of this building, a fitting shop and smithy. Upstairs was the pattern-makers’ workshop.
Opposite the furnaces and almost completely overgrown (you can just see them in winter) are the ruins of the forge with its water-wheel housing. Here there was a wrought iron bar and tinplating mill.


Many of us have seen the large funnel shaped mass of metal sitting outside of a manufacturing facility, school or processing plant. These are cyclone dust collectors and they come in many shapes and sizes. If you are curious how they work or are wondering which one will be the right one for your process, read on.
HOW THEY WORK
Cyclone dust collectors filter dust by utilizing centrifugal, buoyant and drag force. When dust laden air enters the cyclone at a controlled speed, the heaver dust particles are forced to the outside of the cyclone wall. This friction allows the dust particles to drop to the bottom of the cyclone into a collection device. The spinning air creates a secondary vortex in the middle of the cyclone that that exhausts the clean air out the top. Cyclones operate at various efficiencies depending on factors such as height to width ratio, water pressure drop, cfm and inlet type.
Most cyclone collectors never operate at peak efficiency. In order to reach maximum efficiency, all the factors mentioned above need to measured precisely and the cyclone manufactured to the specifications based on those measurements. If designing a new system, these measurements can be estimated closely with a knowledgeable engineer and precise measurements of duct length runs and sizes. However, the expense of manufacturing a custom cyclone collector to match these measurements is cost prohibitive. Instead, purchasers should look for a cyclone that shows efficiency based on CFM to water pressure drop and choose the appropriate cyclone for their application.
Efficient cyclones are capable of filtering 90% of particulate down to 15 microns. Options for collecting more particulate may consist of adding an additional cyclone in a series increasing the efficiency an additional 90%, making the total efficiency 99% down to 15 microns. If smaller particulate size is the issue for additional filtration, a bag house filtration system can added to a single cyclone or after the secondary cyclone.
THE INVOLUTE INLET
The involute inlet is an important part of any cyclone dust collection system. The involute initiates the cyclonic action of the dust laden air when entering the dust collector. This allows the clean air vortex to exhaust without the disruption of particulate entering the cyclone. Without this feature, dust laden air would enter the cyclone directly into the exhaust vortex removing much of the efficiency.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
If you are in the market for a cyclone dust collector, there are some steps you can take to insure you obtain the efficiency that you require for your application. Know your CFM requirement. This is calculated by knowing how much airflow you require at each pickup point within your system. This can be a single pickup point or several. Know your water pressure drop. This is calculated by understanding how much force it will take to move the air at the CFM you require. If these calculations are beyond your knowledge, make sure to hire an engineer who is knowledgeable in dust collection or a dust collector manufacturer that has the engineering experience and willingness to assist you in making these important calculations.
One of the latest trends in down draft benches is the addition of return air flow, also called air-makup. The idea is that re-directing the exhaust air back toward the bench will force more particulate down toward the filers, thus increasing the amount of dust that can be collected. There are several reasons why this is a bad idea.
Standard filters used in these systems are capable of filtering up to 99% of dust down to 1/2 micron, which is excellent. However, the 1% of dust that makes it through the filter is typically dispersed throughout the ambient environment to expose workers to safe levels of the dust. By redirecting the exhaust air back at the worker, the contaminated air is concentrated around the worker at the table. Additionally, this is air with the most dangerous dust. At 1/2 micron or less, the dust is easily ingested by the worker and is easily absorbed by the body.
The best scenario for airflow at the work deck is to pull ambient air into the system. The less disruption to this airflow the more efficient the equipment will be in capturing dust. The disruption caused by the return air flow blowing can create “eddys” (just like in a river) around the worker and/or the material being processed on the bench. This again can lead to the worker being exposed to higher dust levels.
It turns out that return air flow is an add on expense that just doesn’t make sense. It sounds like a nice option and it allows manufactures to under power the equipment to achieve a higher FPM (feet per minute) at the deck. Visit www.proventilation.com to see our full line of quality down draft benches.
High Efficiency Cyclone Dust Collectors
Using a special high-efficiency design, the Tornado TXE is capable of approximately 90% collection efficiency down to 15-20 micron particles.
TXEs arranged in-series on a single platform are capable of approximately 99% collection efficiency down to 15-20 micron particles. Tornado TXE high efficiency cyclones are some of the most maintenance free dust collectors available. With no moving parts other than the motor and no filters to replace, they will provide years of low-maintenance, reliable service.
For applications involving particulate below 15 microns, optional after-filter assemblies are also available. Polyester Felt Bags provide standard efficiencies of 96% down to 5 micron. Alternate filtration media can also be used to further increase particle collection efficiency—including HEPA for 99.97% to .3 micron.
Our Involute Inlet
Centrifugal force causes heavier dust particles to move outward toward the cyclone wall. Friction and gravity then force the dust to fall into a receiver. Cleaned air spirals up the center vortex of the cyclone and exits at the top.
It is extremely important that the vortex that forms in the center of the cyclone and exits the exhaust is not contaminated by particulate entering the cyclone. The ProVent TORNADO TXE prevents this by initiating centrifugal force in the inlet forcing particulate to the outside of the cyclone prior to entering the cyclone. This is known in the industry as an involute inlet and makes ProVent dust collectors the most efficient in the industry.
Tornado TXE and TXEF are the best designed, built and efficient cyclone dust collectors on the market.
Cyclones can be utilized on a number of different applications. Volume (CFM), pressure (wg), and velocity (FPM) all impact performance. ProVent can help you make the proper selection based on your specific application.
Contact your ProVent agent today!
ProVent will be happy to assist in the precise sizing of your fan assembly. There are many factors other than CFM that will deter-mine the equipment size and fan package that will be needed to meet your performance requirements. Instead of offering standard units that may be “close” to meeting your system requirements, we size our equipment taking into account particle size, static pressure loss throughout the system and efficiency needs.
The ProVent TXE is designed for your application to meet your needs. We do not provide standard designs which may require oversizing equipment to meet your CFM requirements.
Many manufacturing and processing facilities have operations that expose their employees to dangerous levels of airborne contaminants. The installation of proper process ventilation systems can save companies from the hassle of dealing with OSHA citations.
Industrial ventilation is necessary to ensure clean air standards are met for the health and safety of industrial and manufacturing employees. This is of particular importance for industries involving toxic chemicals, flammable vapors and debris, welding fumes, solvent vapors, oil mists, and unwanted affluent of all kinds. Industrial ventilation typically involves installing systems to supply and exhaust ventilation to control emissions, exposure, and chemical dangers in the workplace environment. Installing ventilation systems, such as downdraft benches, oil mist collectors, and dust collection booths are much easier and cost effective for industrial companies than some of the alternatives such as process changes and chemical or material substitutions or eliminations. When employees are exposed to dangerous levels of chemicals, dust, flammable vapors, and other air contaminants, OSHA requires that the employers take steps to reduce exposure to safer levels.
The design and troubleshooting of industrial ventilation systems should be handled by a qualified ventilation engineer or companies specializing in the field through an onsite inspection of a company’s process ventilation needs. An inspection such as this can save a company thousands of dollars by preventing improper equipment selection and system design by staff in a hurry to bring their facility up to OSHA standards.
Some industries require very specialized ventilation systems. Oil mist collectors are required for industries that have airborne process oil and coolant from industrial machining operations such as vehicle and vehicle parts manufacturing. Oil mist collectors are particularly easy to fit into existing operations. Another more specialized type of ventilation system are a down draft bench systems which are self-contained ventilated workstations. These are particularly useful for hand grinding, sanding, and deburring operations. Down draft bench systems are also excellent choices for mixing and weighing operations, as well as, sparking operations or combustible metal processing and fiberglass finishing operations. When the process requires a larger area, dust collection booths are more appropriate. These are also useful for grinding, deburring, sanding, and polishing operations.
Many industrial ventilation manufacturers and installers offer jobsite consultations to determine the best ventilation equipment and systems are best for a particular facility. These engineers can help decide if a company should choose equipment such as oil mist collectors, down draft benches, or dust collection booths are best for their type of facility.
See www.proventilation.com for more information on industrial ventilation systems and oil mist collectors, down draft benches, and dust collection booths.
The Wet-Type dust collection market has been steadily growing over the past ten years for several reasons. Companies’ awareness of NFPA Guidelines has increased over this time period and they now realize that wet-type dust collection is a worthy and often necessary investment for their operation. The risk of a fire and the consequences which include significant production down time, employee injury or even death makes wet-type dust collection necessary in certain applications.
NFPA 484 is the Standard for Combustible Metals. This standard applies to the production, processing, finishing, handling, recycling, storage, and use of all metals and alloys that are in a form that is capable of combustion or explosion, as well as to operations where metal or metal alloys are subjected to processing or finishing operations that produce combustible powder or dust. (www.nfpa.org/484). If your process involves aluminum, titanium, magnesium, zirconium, tantalum, and/or niobium, NFPA 484 pertains to you. In most instances a wet type dust collection system is preferred for rendering these combustible materials inert. There are no expensive filters to replace, no chemical isolation systems to re-charge. While dry filtration systems become less effective as their filters load with dust, orifice impingement wet systems do not.
The cost of outfitting dry filtration systems with appropriate passive and active controls to comply with NFPA requirements has become prohibitively expensive. Passive controls involve special explosion vents and ducting to control pressure and to direct and extinguish flames. Active controls involve pressure/flame detection, and chemical isolation and extinguishing systems. These systems need to be regularly checked and re-charged, adding further to the cost of a dry filtration system. Wet collectors simply do not require these systems because the combustion hazard is removed immediately when the process material enters the water scrub.
There are two main types of wet-type dust collectors. The orifice / impingement design and the internal / venturi design. The O/I design utilizes a large cone-shaped orifice and an impingement plate that resides inside and on top of the cone. This creates an extremely efficient “scrub”. The scrub is where the dust entering the collector is mixed with water and sinks to the bottom of the collector and is the most important part of removing particulate. The process works best when the water surface to air ratio is highest within the scrub, thus making the most water to particulate contact. The O/I design does this most efficiently by removing 95% particulate down to 3 micron with just 3” wg of pressure drop. Additionally, by utilizing a wide opening in the cone, the O/I design will never clog.
A contributing factor increasing demand for wet-type dust collection is the increased use of materials suited for wet-type dust collection in products being manufactured. Aluminum and Titanium are the two most common metals where processes that create dust need to be rendered inert in a wet-type collection system. From aerospace to golf clubs, these metals are turning up in our products more often.
Other emerging markets for wet collection include food processing and pharmaceutical industries. Wet dust collection systems are used very effectively when process dust is water soluble and biodegradable. The wet system effectively captures dust where it is thoroughly scrubbed out of the air, dissolves, then simply drains away. There is no combustion hazard. There no exposure to workers by contaminated filters and little down time wasted by filter changes. Processing this way is less expensive and reduces a company’s environmental impact by avoiding costly trips to the land-fill with dirty filters. We have seen a move in this direction just in the past year. More and more companies are beginning to see that these simple advantages add up to significant savings and public relations advantages over time.
Currently, about half of the wet-type dust collectors we manufacture are stainless steel. Companies in the food processing industry are finding uses for wet-type dust collection and require the sanitary benefits of stainless steel for their applications. Stainless steel also increases the life of the dust collector approximately 70% making it an attractive option for companies willing to spend a little more money now and reap the benefits later.
Looking forward, companies are increasingly utilizing wet-type dust collection for unique applications that, we as a manufacturer, never considered. Recently a company had a process that created dust with a sticky residue. They were constantly replacing cartridge filters in their very large dry collection system. The ductwork required frequent cleaning and production needed to be halted during these maintenance operations. The process dust tested to be soluble and biodegradable and they are in the process of replacing a large dry cartridge dust collection system with a wet-type dust collection system. This solution will save the company hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintenance and production down-time in the coming years.
Wet-type dust collectors have been around since the late 1930’s. However, with today’s highly technical processes and materials, the benefits of wet-type dust collection is just beginning to be realized. Configurations such as piped systems, booth systems and down draft bench systems has allowed wet-type dust collection to be available for a wide range of processes. This, together with the small footprint requirements, elimination of expensive ductwork, and low maintenance requirements will continue to make wet-type dust collection more popular than ever in the coming years.
James K. Will,
Senior Sales Engineer
Harbor Springs, Michigan, USA
If there is too much dust in the workplace, it can cause many problems and the most serious is the short and long term health problems. Not only does dust make the place all messy and dusty, but also means you and your employees are breathing in harmful particles. The problems usually start off by allergic reactions and can turn into major respiratory problems. Also, a large amount of dust at work interrupts machinery and causes several malfunctions, which can result in a costly experience for you. However, the solution to your problems are dust collection booths.
What They Are
Dust collection booths are ideal pieces of equipment for workplaces that produce both a small and large amount of dust. They are perfect systems for those who wish to have a healthier and safer work environment. A dust collection booth is directly setup inside the workplace and controls the dust.
What They Offer
Dust collection booths offer a high level of control for dust, pollutants and dangerous particles that can be harmful to both the equipment and employees. With one of these systems in place, all pollutants are removed from the workplace, which results in cleaner air both inside and out.
A dust booth works perfectly well with dangerous materials, especially if a wet filter dust collection system is included. A dust booth is designed to work with dusts that are potentially explosive and provides a safe collection of the materials, as well as clean air that is OSHA and NFPA approved.
There is a huge variety of dust booths and these include the wet-type dust collection model, flood curtain booths, and the environmental work cell. The environmental booth is specifically for projects that involve sanding, finishing operations, chemical mixing, welding, and grinding of tools. A flood curtain booth suits projects like deburring, hand sanding, media blasting, and metal spraying. Lastly, the wet-type booths are designed for dangerous materials.
When selecting the dust booth for your workplace, it is important you consider the materials you work with. Speaking to an expert prior to choosing the final system is recommended, and ensures you make the right choice.
Working with metal and wood results in the release of harmful dust particles into the atmosphere, which is dangerous to the workers’ health. Continuous exposure to these particles means your employees will be breathing in the dust, which can lead to both short and long term health problems. In order to maintain the health and safety of your employees in the workplace, downdraft tables must be in place. They are made to solve the problem and controldust by cleaning the air, and give you a healthier and safer work environment.
What They Do
Downdraft tables give workstations a built-in ventilation system that is intended to catch and filter fumes, smoke, and dust. The air that gets filtered is driven back into the environment, which eliminates energy loss and any need for costly in-house exhaust systems.
Downdraft tables are highly efficient in controlling dust from buffing and sanding, which is caused in woodworking places. Metal workers can also benefit from a downdraft table, as their work can result in the production of large amounts of highly toxic dust. These systems are also a must for workstations dealing with composites, welding and plastics.
A downdraft table is made from high quality materials, which helps it to resist a multitude of tasks. You will find they come in numerous types, which includes portable cartridge, cartridge, wet, stationary tables, and walk-around ventilated. The one you choose highly depends on the materials that you work with.
Because of the huge variety in types and sizes, you will always find the ideal ventilation that is suitable for your workplace. This ventilation system can increase both yours and employees’ health, as it will limit the exposure to the harmful dust particles and offer you cleaner and purer air to breathe in.
A downdraft table is a multipurpose way to protect employees and easily meets the safety standards set forth by industries. You will be provided with a reliable and safe workstation, which you employees can safely work in.
Speaking to someone who specializes in industrial air collection will always help with selecting the setup that will work best for your industry.
Factories that produce heavy dust particles require a dust collector system in place, so employees can breathe in clean and pure air at all times. Also, with one of these systems in place, machinery functions well and lasts longer. Dust collection booths also help limit dust into a closed area and safely trap it inside a closed space for easy removal. When it comes to dust collection booths, there are many available, and the most common ones are listed below.
Flood curtain booth
These are used mainly when working with metal spraying, media blasting and hand sanding. They require the use of water, which is stored in a tank in order to flood a stainless steel vertical wall, where the procedure affluent is absorbed. Flood curtain booths can use roof and wall panels to trap extra dust and they can also contain illumination for the booth.
Environmental Work Cells
These are used in numerous working conditions, which include welding, sanding, chemical mixing, powder coating and grinding. They are made from 12-gauge all linked construction that is high quality. Environmental work cells incorporate pleated cellulose cartridge filters with high efficiency fan assemblages, and feature dust drawers; these are easy to access from inside the booth.
Wet-Type Dust Collection
The last of the dust collection booths is the wet-type dust collection. This requires a formation of blowers to power dust particles and pollutants against a series of water walls. The water walls wet the airborne pollutants and trap them away from workers and machinery. These are mostly used for sanding operations, deburring, and grinding. They are made from solid-fused heavy sheet steel and come in the availability of numerous sizes.
A dust collection booth is used to capture particles and other pollutants that can affect workers’ health in the workplace. Another thing that can be affected by the continuous dust is the machinery in the workplace, as the constant exposure of dust means it eventually builds-up and causes malfunctions in the equipment, which means more repairs. This device saves companies and industries a lot of money, as they don’t have to repair machinery often and because the worker’s health is better, they will also perform efficiently. Save the health of your employees and your expensive equipment with this ventilation system.
Downdraft benches allow a more comfortable practice with collection of dust in your factory or office. They have many other advantages apart from just taking care of all the dust and these are listed below.
Downdraft benches feature special filters that let you clean up dust from almost any type of work setting. They are well-known for this feature and the whole process is a breeze, one you know how.
How It Works
A downdraft bench system filters out the air within your work or office space and returns the cleaned air into the floor. This means you will always be free from hazardous particles and dust, which are both dangerous for health. Downdraft benches also save a lot of power, which is a brilliant factor to help you cut down on energy costs.
How Downdraft Systems Benefit Employees
Once this system enters an office, it increases employees’ work performance, which is due to the much healthier environment they will be working in. Employees become more efficient workers, as they can breathe in air that is both pure and clean, which has a healthy effect and lessens absent rates.
However, there’s more! As well as benefiting employees, this system also benefits machinery as it is less likely to rust, dust and stop functioning. Machinery also needs taking care of and if you have well-functioning machinery, this results in little wear and tear and fewer repair costs.
Overall, a downdraft bench system decreases working costs and increases profit by helping your workers perform better. You are also saved on power costs and the whole procedure is hands free. This means it requires less manual effort.
The durable system is made of stainless steel, which is the kind that doesn’t rust. Before creating these tools, the material used was both tried and tested. With the help of this system, you can easily clean fumes and dust from your work setting and reduce the risk these particles can have on the health. These systems are a must for all industries and are really helpful tools, which should not be overlooked.
Pollution is a common factor in today’s environment and it is vital to find a system that will help to maintain cleanliness and hygiene. Not only will a system like this help us in personal activities, but will also do the society a huge favor. The only way to achieve this goal of maintaining a pollution-free and environmentally friendly environment is with downdraft benches.
Downdraft benches are specifically designed workstations or tables with ventilation that enables them to filter out the contaminants and return clean air to the environment, including your workspace. Downdraft benches come in various sizes, which allows you to browse through a variety of options and choices before you select the final one. These systems can be used on various applications, and can even clean up building or fused materials that have been wasted or used.
One of the first things that will change is the quality of air that is breathed in by you and your employees. This workstation also increases efficiency of both your industry employees and machinery. If the air is cleaner, your employees will be breathing in pure air, which results in better performance, less illnesses; therefore, less absence rates. Also, the machinery in your business will stay well-maintained as the excess dust will be sucked up by the downdraft bench, which results in less wear and tear of theequipment.
The filtration system in a downdraft bench saves energy, which means you will never face a heavy electricity bill because of this system. Also, if the contaminants are filtered away from any machinery in your industry, they will not be clogged and will function well and last longer.
The downdraft tables will not only clean your work environment, but also raise the effectiveness of your machinery. The majority of these tables work on filters that are easily maintained, and these also don’t need replacing so soon. Again, this will save you money.
To sum it all up, these downdraft tables have many advantages, which will always improve the health and safety of you, your employees and your equipment.


"China's steel industry, with its strong strength, has become a key force driving the world's steel technology progress." Although we are in a special period of development and face many difficulties and challenges, with our own capabilities and a huge consumer market, we are fully capable of overcoming difficulties and jointly embracing a new era of steel development." On November 25, the 19th China Steel Industry Chain Market Summit was held in Beijing, and He Wenbo, Party secretary and executive chairman of China Iron and Steel Industry Association, delivered a keynote speech entitled "Considering the situation and System Planning to effectively Promote the transformation and upgrading of the steel industry and high-quality development", sharing his thoughts on the future transformation of the steel industry.
The picture shows He Wenbo
China's steel industry should make positive efforts to take the road of carbon neutrality
In his speech, He Wenbo first introduced the five work that China's steel industry is accelerating in terms of green and low-carbon:
First, ultra-low emissions. "Our environmental standards are already among the best in the world, and environmental technical and economic assessments are ongoing." "We won the blue sky battle, and then we have to win the market battle," Mr. He said. The second is extreme energy efficiency. He Wenbo said that low-carbon development should start from the foundation and start from the data. Since its official launch in December last year, the extreme energy efficiency work has been progressing smoothly, and more and more enterprises have entered the ranks of energy efficiency standards. The third is to launch the work plan for the revision and upgrading of China's steel carbon neutral vision and technology roadmap, including the deployment and implementation of breakthrough cutting-edge low-carbon technologies, to keep pace with the green development of steel in the world. The fourth is to improve the environmental product declaration (EPD) platform of the steel industry, achieve the effective accumulation and openness of environmental data of the industry, and actively promote international mutual recognition. Fifth, accelerate the research process of low-carbon emission steel standards, and play China's role in the process of green development of steel in the world.
He Wenbo believes that the three forces from "government requirements, standard constraints and user orientation" have prompted the steel industry to accelerate the development of green steel (low carbon emission steel or near-zero carbon steel) in the green transformation. To be specific, the first is the request of governments, including China and other governments and international organizations; The second is the standard constraint, including all kinds of newly created and emerging new standards; The third is user-oriented, from some leading industries and leading enterprises at home and abroad. "The steel industry is the main force for China's economy and society to achieve comprehensive green transformation, and China's steel industry should actively pursue the road of carbon neutrality." He Wenbo said.
China's steel development environment faces three challenges
He Wenbo introduced that the current development environment of China's steel industry faces at least three challenges:
First, the market pressure, the market environment has changed. He Wenbo said that the steel industry in developed countries has gone through such a stage decades ago, has basically adapted, and our way of thinking has not really jumped out of the environment of continuous expansion of the market, coupled with the concentration of China's steel industry is still significantly low, this "soft and hard" two significant defects on the efficient operation and high-quality development of China's steel industry has formed constraints.
Second, environmental pressure, environmental requirements have changed. "The global steel industry, including China, is vigorously promoting low-carbon transformation, but China's steel industry is implementing the dual tasks of reducing pollution and carbon simultaneously." He Wenbo said.
The third is cost pressure, the basis of competition has changed. He Wenbo believes: "Although China's steel through continuous reform and transformation continue to improve efficiency and improve costs, but the gradual increase in labor costs and environmental costs is an inevitable trend, the era of relying on costs to win the world has passed."
Faced with challenges, innovation is the only way to go. "So we say, innovation is not easy, but there is no alternative. And it requires not only technological innovation and management innovation, but also institutional innovation and governance innovation, which is a challenge for business management and industrial governance of the government." He Wenbo stressed.
"Although facing the above challenges, China's huge market base and the upgrading of demand in new downstream areas and the comprehensive improvement of the environment have provided a new development foundation for the development of steel, as well as the talent group accumulated in the long-term rapid development of the steel industry, which is a solid foundation and reliable guarantee for us to overcome difficulties and cope with challenges." He Wenbo said.
The transformation of the steel industry is essentially a green transformation
"The 'three processes' of urbanization, marketization and internationalization have achieved the world status of China's steel industry, and the two constraints of resources and environment have forced the rapid transformation of China's steel industry." He Wenbo shared his three insights on the overall transformation of China's steel industry.
First, the transformation of the steel industry is essentially a green transformation. "This is determined by the fundamental role of the steel industry in the national economic system and the high-load energy characteristics of the industry itself." He Wenbo said, "The green low-carbon steel through and cover the whole process, the whole industry, everywhere in the use of steel, if the steel is not transformed, the entire industrial system is difficult to achieve green low-carbon."
Second, the fundamental question of green low-carbon transformation is at what cost to achieve the transformation goal. "The degree to which steel is carbon neutral is also determined by the cost tolerance. Various low-carbon technologies are constantly being developed, whether they have vitality and whether they are accepted by the industry depends on the balance between technical possibility and economic feasibility. How to achieve the green transformation of the steel industry under the premise of effectively fulfilling the industrial mission and continuously maintaining and enhancing the industrial competitiveness is a major issue we must face." He Wenbo said.
Third, the green transformation of the steel industry is a systematic project, a social project, not only the steel industry itself. He Wenbo proposed that on the basis of the existing policy framework, a package of overall transformation plans that can fully support industrial transformation and effectively support the realization of national climate goals should be planned.
It is necessary to correctly understand and handle the eight relationships of steel layout
In order to cope with the future complex situation, He Wenbo proposed that it is necessary to correctly understand and deal with the eight relationships of steel layout. These eight relationships can be briefly summarized as "more and less, big and small; In and out, inside and out; Sea and land, long and short; The relationship between country and people, iron and carbon.
"More and less" refers to the more and less production capacity relative to demand, and studies the most basic supply and demand relationship in the market economy, discussing production and consumption, supply and demand. The frequently mentioned problem is how to deal with "overcapacity" and the goal of pursuing "supply and demand balance". In the long cycle of rapid growth and continuous expansion of steel demand, China's steel has strongly supported the rapid development of China's economy with its strong and rich production capacity. With the increasing maturity of the national economic system and the changes in the industrial structure and consumption structure, the trend of continuous growth of the total social steel consumption has changed periodically. The main contradiction in the industry has shifted to how to meet the limited steel demand with sufficient steel production capacity. There are many ways to solve the imbalance between supply and demand, and both governments and enterprises can make a difference, but the experience of the steel industry in developed countries over the decades shows that this will be a difficult process and a historical stage that must be passed, and we must have a clear understanding of this. He Wenbo said that our current task is to do our best to create a "new mechanism for production capacity management", give play to the institutional advantages of China's socialist market economy, and adapt to this historic change in supply and demand in as short a time as possible.
He Wenbo further explained that the new mechanism of production capacity governance we are talking about is: the gradual formation of both environmental, energy efficiency, carbon emission policy constraints, industry self-discipline, government supervision, in line with the law of the market, conducive to the transformation and upgrading of oriented industries and the survival of the fittest, guaranteed, flexible supply and demand balance adjustment of the new mechanism.
"Big and small" refers to the size of the enterprise relative to the size of the market, the study is the degree and way of industrial concentration on the market order and fair competition, fair trade. He Wenbo said that it is clear that China's steel is still in a state of excessive dispersion and industrial concentration is obviously low, and further measures need to be taken to vigorously promote the joint reorganization of enterprises, which is the key to all problems. Therefore, "Creating a new mechanism for capacity governance" and "optimizing new policies for joint restructuring" are listed by the association as the two basic initiatives for the steel industry to span the market cycle.
"In and out." "In and out." "These two relations are closely related issues, two sides of the same problem of internationalization and globalization, which mainly study the investment and trade policies of countries and the international business behavior of enterprises." He Wenbo specifically mentioned that due to the previously mentioned resource constraints and environmental constraints, China's steel does not have the conditions to maintain a high proportion of exports, but must encourage and support the export of high value-added products, steel enterprises must be encouraged to develop long-term cooperative relations with downstream leading enterprises on a global scale, which is an important source of power for enterprises to continue to maintain technological innovation.
He Wenbo believes that there are three driving forces for product exports, one is market-driven, the second is supply chain driven, and the third is industrial investment driven. The market drive is mainly price driven, while the investment drive depends on the investment intensity of the steel and downstream industries in the countries where they are invested. The export of high value-added products highlighted above currently mainly refers to the export of products driven by the supply chain. In recent years, the product structure of China's steel exports has been continuously optimized, reflecting the results of the overall technological progress of the steel industry, but the international market competition is fierce, various tariff and non-tariff barriers and trade discrimination are increasingly common, and it is crucial to strive for and create a fair competitive environment for Chinese enterprises.
In his speech, He Wenbo also talked about how to implement the key work idea of "continuously promoting the internationalization process of China's steel" proposed by the industry and the work arrangement for next year, and combined with various problems and suggestions put forward in the recent exchanges and communication between the association's leaders and various international organizations, and put forward relevant suggestions on the principles of overseas green steel investment.
"Sea and land," "long and short." He Wenbo said: "These two topics study the spatial layout and process layout of the steel industry, discussing the layout of steel in the coast and inland, and the layout of long and short processes."
He Wenbo revealed that as of now, the steel production capacity within 100 kilometers near the coastline has reached 380 million tons, and with the production of some projects under construction, the coastal steel production capacity will reach 400 million tons. According to the requirements of the coastal steel layout issued by the national ministries and commissions, we believe that the purpose of adjusting the layout of the coastal steel production base has been achieved and the task has been completed. He Wenbo believes that with the development and utilization of inland resources and renewable energy more and more attention, according to the perspective of "economic, ecological, and safety three-dimensional dynamic assessment", the value of some inland steel should also be re-recognized.
At present, the short process production capacity of electric furnaces accounts for 16.7%, and the actual crude steel output in 2022 accounts for 9.5%, indicating that the actual input rate of electric furnaces production capacity is low, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Steel Association have further promoted the application of short process as a key work topic. He also mentioned in particular that the current concept of long process and short process can not fully cover the layout of the process of steel, including hydrogen reduction, including some new low-carbon processes have been developed, iron and steel processes have brought different combinations of new changes in the process, it is necessary to pay attention to the new development of such third processes.
"Nation and people," "Iron and carbon." "State and people" refers to the proportion and combination form of state-owned capital and private capital in the steel industry, that is, the capital layout problem in the steel field. "This is not a problem unique to the steel industry, is beyond steel issues, here will not be discussed in detail, but the capital layout and spatial layout, process layout, is an important part of the layout of the steel industry." He Wenbo went on to say that "iron and carbon" is not an independent issue, but is almost related to the above issues, and can be divided into broad "iron and carbon" and narrow "iron and carbon".
He further explained that the broad definition of "iron and carbon" refers to how to deal with the relationship between steel production and carbon reduction. "This is also an important issue that has attracted more and more attention and weight in the development and planning of steel in recent years, and has more and more substantial impact on the long-term development and overall layout of the steel industry." 'he said.
He Wenbo introduced that the narrow "iron and carbon" study is the specific "iron cycle" and "carbon cycle". In particular, he spoke of rethinking the "carbon cycle". Everyone is relatively familiar with the iron cycle, but the understanding of the carbon footprint accompanying the iron cycle is far from enough, as the new low-carbon process is gradually clear, the acquisition and supply of iron resources and its product form, including steel and mining industry boundaries will change. The "Cornerstone Plan Upgrade" proposed by the Association is mainly to propose an updated version of iron resource solutions in response to this new change. In this sense, the "Cornerstone Plan" is not only a resource guarantee plan, but also an industrial chain cooperation plan, and a future-oriented green resource development plan.
"In the face of complex economic situation and volatile international situation, we must adhere to systematic thinking, overall planning, complete and accurate comprehensive implementation of the new development concept, look at the direction, maintain strategic focus, and jointly promote the transformation and upgrading of the steel industry and high-quality development." He Wenbo said.


A quick and simple CNC cutting service for the creative industries
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1. Send us your files
Be it CAD ready files or paper sketches, you can send these to us in our "submit a job" part of our website.
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Tercero Technologies is a Pittsburgh-based artificial intelligence company focused on research, development, and integration of autonomous vehicle and robotics software and hardware, as well as other novel applications of autonomy and machine learning technologies. We are excited to be a part of Pittsburgh’s growing AI and robotics community.
A roboticist, engineer, technology entrepreneur, and intellectual property attorney, Carl brings a unique combination of technical, business, and legal expertise to Tercero. He has over 20 years of software, hardware, embedded systems, robotics, autonomous/self-driving vehicle, perception, and machine learning experience as both an engineer and an engineering manager. This includes his participation as a perception engineer during the first DARPA Grand Challenge autonomous vehicle competition, his early work on QinetiQ North America’s TALON robotic system, and his previous work developing and managing autonomous vehicle R&D projects for defense and commercial customers.
As a technology and intellectual property lawyer previously with Sidley Austin in Chicago and Palo Alto, he also has experience structuring complex IP licensing and corporate legal transactions for companies ranging from Silicon Valley startups to some of the world’s top technology companies. He is also a registered patent attorney.
Carl holds a joint JD-MBA from Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law and Kellogg School of Management, an M.S. with a focus on autonomous vehicles from the University of Florida, and a B.S. in Electromechanical Engineering from Wentworth Institute of Technology. He currently serves on the advisory board of the Bluhm Legal Clinic at Northwestern Law.


Get a quiet and warm space for working reading sleeping with this 1500W oil-filled heater!
Without wind light and operating noise this high-quality space heater is suitable for your office bedroom living room and more. With 3 heat settings and a built-in thermostat you can choose a suitable temperature as you want. Besides the drying rack and humidification box offer comfortable warmth without drying. With ETL certification tip-over and double overheat protection you can use this oil-filled space heater with confidence. Plus the universal wheels and portable handles for easy transportation. No assembly required for effort-saving.
Note: do not place this heater near flammable materials.
If you are looking for a oil-filled radiator heater like this do not hesitate to place an order!
- 3 heat settings (750W/900W/1500W) to meet your customized need
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MIZUNO Women´s Shoes Running , Mizuno Wave Connect 3 Running Red / White Women´s shoes,100% High Quality,reliable reputation
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Team Will Power
Renault wanted to activate their partnership with En Svensk Klassiker and asked us to help the race participants to elevate their performance to the next level.
Today, Swedish amateur athletes want to train, eat and dress like professionals.
However, there is one thing that amateur athletes still have left to learn from the elite; mental training.
In a new experiment called Team WillPower, Renault challenged three athletes to drive a Renault KADJAR – using only willpower.
After extensive mental focus training, came the ultimate test – to control and steer a car together.
More than 150 million people all over the world were reached.
But most important, we encouraged thousands of En Svensk Klassiker participants to train like professionals – focusing on mental strength, as much as the physical.
We re-built a Renault KADJAR, making it possible to drive it using only brainpower. The three athletes mental journey was documented in a film, from start to finish – from the series of mental focus exercises with the coach and triathlete Jonas Colting, to the actual experiment where the participants were equipped with emotiv-headsets and the mission to each control their important part; turning right, turning left and accelerating.
When launching, we invited journalists to test drive the re-engineered Renault KADJAR to experience the experiment – at own risk.
We also made four short films with Jonas Colting, where he gave his best mental tips for each of the four races that ESK consists of; skiing, biking, swimming and running – giving ESK participants a chance to take their performance to the next level.
To control the car with brainpower, we first needed to build a ‘driver’ that the brainwaves could control.
This mechanical chauffeur needed to be portable and fairly lightweight, so we chose to have it replicate a human by giving it two legs and a hand. The “legs” consisted of two linear servos, one for the accelerator and the other for the brakes. For the “hands”, we used the chain and sprockets from a gokart, connected to a DC servo motor. Each servo is controlled by a Raspberry Pi3 whom are given commands from a server running on a regular laptop.
The EEG headsets which the athletes wear are connected to the server-laptop via bluetooth and are given a specific objective: steer left, steer right or set speed. Each driver then view LED’s mounted on top of the dashboard to see how well they are performing – hence determining if their designated command will be executed.
The entire system is powered by a regular 12V car battery.