Tool Chart

It’s happened to you: You pull a giant sheet pan out from the oven after it has beeped its last timer alert and then raise … Read more

This is a metal supply house. You walk down the aisle and see sheet after sheet of aluminum stacked on shelves. If you don’t know … Read more

“The steel’s all alike, looks like a stack of metal in your steel yard,” you think as you stand there. “Who cares? I’m sure they’re … Read more

Go into any machine shop and you’ll get the same story. The wrong steel was used. I guess they wanted to try welding a spring … Read more

Pick up a piece of high-carbon tool steel. Pick up a piece of mild steel. They both looks alike to your eyes. Both are grey, … Read more

Don’t worry if your major was in something other than materials science, all you need to know here is that hardness isn’t one number. Hardness … Read more

Find the right metal for task at hand by comparing material characteristics: cost, workability, hardness and tensile strength. A visual guide divides 24 common types … Read more

You reach for a box of electrodes, put on your welding helmet, and then hold one of the steel pipes you’re going to weld up … Read more

Imagine going to a welding supply store. They has several different sized steel cylinder lined up in rows. Some are very expensive. Others weigh hundreds … Read more

Here you are, armed with a sheet of tile and a bucket of tile adhesive; the smell is unmistakable; it’s work and dust. You smear … Read more

When DIYers install tile they imagine it’s all about making the tile flat and level. You spend days fussing with the mortar bed and lippage; … Read more

Imagine you’re inside a half-built office building. The steel beams is up. Concrete’s been poured. Looks solid. But beneath that placid exterior, an invisible tug … Read more

When you start a weekend building project, you usually starts with the pretty stuff. You might choose nice composite boards or decking with minimal upkeep. … Read more

Now imagine adding a second floor on top of your garage. You stand there looking at that steel beam and ask yourself: Will it hold? … Read more