On Carpentry, Building and Tools Old and New.

It was not so long ago that the idea of a competent cordless saw was more wish than reality. Many was the time I heard the […]

I received a pair of KEEN Footwear’s Davenport boots for review and have been wearing them for nearly 6 weeks; working on hard packed dirt, concrete, gravel, […]

Music on a jobsite was once a luxury not allowed by many old school builders, but now nearly a necessity for many of us. It seems […]

We first heard of Milwaukee’s new hydraulic (“oil pulse”) driver, the Surge™, through an inadvertent leak from the Home Depot web site that had a page […]

It was June of 2015 when we were first allowed a peek at the prototype of the M18 Fuel miter saw at the 2015 New Product […]

Milwaukee gave us an early look at their new M18 Fuel™ 7″ Variable Speed Polisher at the New Product Symposium for 2016. Due in July of […]

If Milwaukee’s New Product Symposium for 2016 was a movie and I was voting for the Academy Awards, I would give Best Actor to the M18 […]

From Milwaukee Tool:

“MILWAUKEE, WI- Milwaukee Tool continues to expand its Hand Tool offering with a new line of adjustable wrenches, including 5 standard wrenches and 1 […]

04/08/2016

“MILWAUKEE, WI – Following the release of their widely popular 46” Steel Storage Chest and Cabinet, Milwaukee Tool continues to expand their Storage Solutions with the […]

Milwaukee Tool has been supplying tools for the plumbing and electrical trades since 1924, but continues to expend considerable energy in improving existing stalwarts like pipe wrenches, […]

When I first tried on my new Milwaukee Heated Gear back in August, the weather was pretty warm, as you may imagine. It was not my first […]

Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel™ 1½” Magnetic Drill is fitted with a quick-release Weldon chuck to fit and rapidly change annular cutters, and even to mount a Weldon to ½” adapter […]

There’s no denying the importance of saw horses on a construction site. They are used for more than the obvious, being handy for things such as storing materials […]

I’ve been waiting for the launch of Milwaukee’s new M18™ 3¼” Planer since giving it a try at their New Product Symposium back in June, and […]

When Milwaukee announced their new cordless mag drills in April of this year, it was the first time I had even heard of such a tool. […]

Milwaukee has introduced its M18 Fuel™ Cordless Braking Grinder (2783-22) , offering three improvements over the previous model. The new tool stops spinning in under 2 […]

The Anchor Ace Hardware Store in Sandwich, Cape Cod, Massachusetts is now stocking the Farrow & Ball line of paint and wallpaper, and needed a display […]

7/30/2015

MILWAUKEE, WI – Milwaukee Tool will pioneer the next industry-changing technology with the introduction of ONE-KEY™, the first digital platform for tools and equipment.  By integrating […]

Milwaukee Tool is launching a new generation of M18™ Fuel™ Drill Drivers, Hammer Drills and Compact Impact tools in mid to late August, just weeks away. […]

The last couple of weeks have involved a lot more of using tools than writing about them, this being the crazy season on the island. There […]

Milwaukee announced well over 80 new products during their New Product Symposium last week, including things such as new drill and driver bit sets, so the actual number […]

This June 16th and 17th saw Milwaukee’s 2015 New Product Symposium, a two day media-only event for showcasing the tools that the company is launching throughout […]

When I began this blog, it was not my intention to make it all Milwaukee, all the time, but my enthusiasm for their tools has had considerable […]

I have never liked a dirty job site, and I really don’t like building dirt into my work. I don’t care if it can be covered with […]

My first and several subsequent tests of Milwaukee’s M12™ & M18™ Rapid Charge Station were, at best, only partially successful and it turns out that the problem was […]

Milwaukee has a new version of its M18™ Sawzall reciprocating saw. It’s a replacement for the first M18™ Sawzall (2620) and it features overload protection for the motor […]

Back in early March of this year I reviewed Milwaukee’s M18™ and M12™ Rapid Charge Station, finding that it offered faster charging for my batteries of […]

It took me quite a while to find out what Milwaukee’s slogan “NBHD” stood for. On-line searches turned up a band by that name and an […]

“We need a bench” was the extent of the direction given for this project. I doubt that anyone would have objected if I had made it […]

I was commissioned to make a writing desk for a, well…, a writer. I asked if it needed room for a printer and various computer peripherals, but the […]

Milwaukee’s eagerly-awaited dual voltage multi-charger is now available and making its way to workshops and job sites. Part of the appeal of the charger is its ability to […]

My first exposure to battery-powered saws was the sound of one of unknown lineage struggling to get through some 1×6 pine in the lumber barn at […]

In the early 1970s, my parents bought an old Nantucket house with a kitchen in need of considerable renovation. My father paneled the walls above the […]

The first time I made a door jamb I used no power tools. This was not before electricity was available on Nantucket, it was in a […]

Somewhere around 1977 or ’78 I was working with my father John Van Lieu on an extensive renovation of a pair of old cranberry shacks that […]

When I first posted about Milwaukee’s M12 Cordless Heated Jacket, it wasn’t cold enough to give it a try. Now it’s December and it’s seen some […]

Nantucket is the land of fir gutters. Historically correct perhaps, attractive in their own way and approved by the Historic District Commission, they are also heavy, […]

Combo kits are a good way to go when outfitting with cordless tools. They are more economical than a series of separate purchases and it’s handier […]

Russell Martin Van Lieu (1895-1985) was my grandfather. He was born to a family that worked a farm in Hunterdon County, New Jersey since pre-revolutionary times. […]