Inside an Amish Tech Trade Show

You’d be unlikely to see many Amish folks at CES or MWC or any other technology expo—because, for a start, many of them don’t use electricity. But don’t feel sorry for them, because they have a trade show all of their own. More »

High-Octane Gifts for the Grease Monkey

You can take great pride in your vehicle even if you don’t have a clue how to fix it. And if you do know what you’re doing under the hood, that intimate bond borders on spiritual. More »

What Is Friction-Stir Welding?

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The New ZipDisc: Zero Storage at 15,000 RPM [Power Tools]

Zip Disks were at one time a tiny miracle. In 1996, 100 MB of storage sounded endless. Well, the name is back, but the spelling is different and the purpose is nearly unrecognizable. More »

Black & Decker Gyro Screwdriver Review: Sounds Like a Gimmick, Screws Like a Champ [Lightning Review]

No kitchen drawer should go without a little power screwdriver. any of the four in our recent test will do. But even those tiny drills were pretty serious workhorses, and for around-the-house tasks like tightening a loose cabinet pull, they’re more than you need. More »

How To Buy Power Tools Online Without Getting Screwed [Home Mod]

There’s a lot to like about shopping for power tools online—good deals, 24/7 convenience, copious reviews, and the ability to quickly compare prices. But there are downsides, too. You can’t handle a tool before you buy it, and any used tools you buy might have lived in a truck bed for the past few years. Here are nine tips to help you successfully navigate the online hardware aisle. More »

Take Out a Brick Wall With the Handheld Jackhammer the Size of a Baby [Video]

It usually takes a pretty hefty tool to knock out a brick wall, demolish a concrete staircase, or pulverize a tile shower stall during a bathroom renovation. It’s a job for the pounding chisel tip of a demolition hammer or a jackhammer—a tool big enough to require its operator, as The Far Side once suggested, to “let the belly do the work.” More »

Behold: A Cordless 5-inch Random Orbital Sander, the Unicorn of Power Tools [Power Tools]

When cordless power tools started getting good, back around 2006, manufacturers always said a cordless random-orbital sander was out of the question. Too much continuous power draw, they said. The batteries couldn’t handle it. The closest you could come to a 5-inch tool—the type pro woodworkers and jobsite carpenters use every day—were these puny little detail sanders that’d be dead before you could scuff up a door stile. Well, Makita finally figured it out. More »

The MakerBot Replicator 2 Prints A Bigger, More Detailed Chunk of Your Creative Genius [3D Printing]

When the first MakerBot appeared in 2009, the idea of 3D printing was a bit foreign to all but the most advanced fabricators. Company founder and CEO Bre Pettis says he used to get asked: “So what, do you have to wear special glasses to see it?” More »

The Next Industrial Revolution Starts in this 20-foot Shipping Container [Video]

The guys at Re-Char, a small startup that makes carbon-negative products, were faced with a problem. They wanted to ship products to Kenya, but the options available were wasteful, costly, and not nearly as efficient as simply manufacturing near to the customers. To do it, in a place with little industry or infrastructure, Re-Char designed something new—a fully functioning, off-the-grid factory inside a shipping container. More »