Tool Chart

Rebar is used to make a concrete structure flexibly stiff enough that it can carry weight and cross spans because concrete can take a lot … Read more

A guy walks into a supply house and asks for some diamond plate. They give him a gauge number that sounds right. Then he installs … Read more

The gauge numbers on steel plates are backwards. The higher number represent thinner material. That seems backwards because the system began based off musket ball … Read more

Now take your freshly quenched piece of high-carbon steel. It’s red hot, then starts cooling until it becomes brittle. Now it’s really hard, but what … Read more

When rushing orders on a foundry floor, you’d better know your metals: their physical characteristics. It’s not just skill but physics, that separates success from … Read more

In the basement, you’ve installed a new high-efficiency furnace. It’s ready to run, says the installer, and he hands you the bill. Back in the … Read more

When starting to plan out a new gas line, it’s common to stand in front of a wall of fittings and not be sure which … Read more

In a plumbing aisle, you stare at pipes that look identical while you read the labels. Half-inch pipe? Okay, so you look down and your … Read more

With lumber and a design in hand you are standing in your back yard preparing to create a place of safety this summer. The excitement … Read more

What you see are pieces of steel. To most people they look just alike. Yet one will flex when gently pushed; another will retain a … Read more

Hardness testers should look like big industrial presses right? Not so fast. The Vickers method uses basic geometry, the simplicity of which make it applicable … Read more

The Brinell scale is one of the original ways hardness was measured. It’s still used today if you’re dealing with any kind of structural metal … Read more

There’s a rack of bars made out of different types of steel, and you have to pick one so you don’t break it when you … Read more

You’re standing inside of a bare-walled, unfurnished room. The subfloor is hidden under carpet and insulation. The floor itself will also be covered by whatever … Read more