Photo by the US Department of Agriculture, CC BY 2.0
[Guest Post] Earlier this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika a public health emergency – an extraordinary development as this was only the 4th time in WHO’s entire history that it issued such a declaration. Anticipated to exceed 4 million cases this year, the virus has spread rapidly, infecting people in more than 20 countries.
Read moreThe Panama Canal has been undergoing a 5.5 billion dollar expansion project since March of 2011 and has finally officially opened, as of Sunday, June 26, 2016. The mega project included a new, third set of locks, which lift passing ships up and down the differing elevations of the Canal; a new Pacific access channel, which required the excavation of roughly 65 million cubic yards (50 million cubic meters); a navigation channel improvement; and improvements to the water supply.
Read moreConstruction Junkie’s 2nd Annual Best Construction Podcast voting booth has officially closed, the votes have been tallied, and we’re ready to formally announce this year’s winner. It’s been an exciting couple years for construction professionals who wanted a podcast made specifically for them, as many new construction podcasts have launched recently. In fact, 2 of the 4 finalists in our contest weren’t even around when we ran our contest last year! If you’d like to check out the rankings from last year, click here to see the final results!
Thank you to all that voted this year. Our main goal was to gain some exposure to podcasts who are doing a great job and, hopefully, they have a few extra fans because of it.
Let’s get to it…
Read moreRoad construction work is dangerous. It changes driving patterns, which is especially hazardous if drivers are impaired or distracted. There have been several teams of researchers and manufacturers that are attempting to make road construction safer for contractors, like this autonomous TMA truck from Royal Truck & Equipment and this smart safety vest designed by engineers at Virginia Tech, which gives workers a few seconds of warning is an object is approaching too quickly.
Read moreIf you have purchased a hard hat from 3M that claimed to protect you against an electrical shock, you may be due a free replacement hard hat, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced recently. The company has recalled a specific hard hat that was marketed as providing electrical shock protection, but they later found out that it does not. About 7,500 units of the specific hard hat have been sold online between January 2008 and April 2016. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported due to use of the hard hat.
Read moreLast week, we highlighted a construction summer camp for 7th and 8th graders in Indiana which allowed several young children gain knowledge of different construction trades, as they converted an old shed into a concession stand for their school. We recently learned about another summer camp, aimed at middle and high school females in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Read moreThinkGeek
Why should Luke Skywalker and the gang get to have all the fun with lightsabers? The time has finally come for grown men and women to show how much of a true fan of the Star Wars Empire they with a set of 3 lightsaber screwdrivers. Sure, they might not be as comfortable and rugged as our favorite traditional tool manufacturer’s versions are, but, I ask you this: can you current screwdrivers strike fear into the dark side?
Read moreSpeculation has been ongoing for weeks about DeWalt’s impending “World’s First” announcement that they’ve been teasing and today was the day the announcement was made. In an effort to give cordless tools the same power of corded, the tool giant announced the release of 20V/60V flexible voltage batteries and a new line of cordless 60V and 120V tools. The best part? The new ultra-powerful batteries are compatible with your favorite 20V tools that you already own.
FLEXVOLT, touted by DeWalt as the “World’s first battery that automatically changes voltage when you change tools,” will bring unprecedented power to cordless tools, especially workhorse tools like miter saws and circular saws. Perhaps most importantly, two 60-volt batteries ($149 to $199 on Amazon) can be used in tandem to extend the life and the power of the batteries. This system will be used in 120V tools, the first of which to be released is the 120V cordless/corded miter saw. The exciting new line of tools includes:
All tools will incorporate the brushless motor technology that has made many tools so much more efficient in recent years. With the brushless motor technology combined with the new batteries and FLEXVOLT accessories that were also announced today, you can expect up to twice the run time vs. standard DeWalt tools. The accessories that DeWalt will release so far include circular saw blades engineered for low vibration, reciprocating saw blades with a finish that helps to reduce heat, and a self-feed pilot bit for faster cuts.
DeWalt had Twitter abuzz today due to the major announcement, which was in conjunction with the DeWalt media day. Several other tools and accessories were announced as well, like this new DeWalt Toughbox for safe jobsite storage.
Coming soon, a new place to store your #dewalt tools on the job #worldsfirst pic.twitter.com/KpA9YUQiaR
— Electrical Business (@EBMag) June 21, 2016
And this 60V chainsaw…
@BIM2theBone @JamesMBenham Check out this 60V cordless chainsaw from @DEWALTtough #flexvolt #worldsfirst pic.twitter.com/OCiPYkTmLX
— Rob McKinney (@conappguru) June 21, 2016
And this cordless dust extractor vacuum:
So THIS is how you make a #cordless dust extractor vac @DEWALTtough #worldsfirst #flexvolt #vacuums pic.twitter.com/QJCufS9rS3
— Pro Tool Reviews (@ProToolReviews) June 21, 2016
It was certainly an exciting day for DeWalt tool lovers. It’s even more exciting that you won’t have to replace your existing 20V tools to upgrade to the new batteries, unlike the last time DeWalt upgraded their batteries from 18V to 20V MAX.
FLEXVOLT will be made available to the public in the fall of 2016. To find out more about FLEXVOLT, visit flexvolt.dewalt.com.
The best part of any construction job is making a mess. The worst part is cleaning up. With all the talk of robots entering the job site and doing all the fun stuff for us, why in the world have we not been pouring money into robots that will clean for us?! Makita may have answered our prayers, as Makita Japan has released an automated robotic vacuum that can handle the odd materials in your workshop or job site.
Read moreRendering via the Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center
Naming rights for professional sports venues are a big deal, so much so many of the businesses that own naming rights become synonymous with the team. As far as we can determine, though, no construction job site has ever been sponsored by a company in exchange for naming rights…until now.
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Those that follow tool news may have heard about a new Makita tool platform that launched in several other countries a few months ago and have been waiting for the news of it finally being released in the United States. Well, the wait is over, as the teal tool brand has finally announced the release of their 40V and 80V XGT system in the US.