What does a dentist use to pull a tooth? Not a hacksaw, and not a hammer, but a pair of piers. Pliers are among humanity’s oldest hand tools. Historians trace their development to around 3.000 BCE in the Near East. The earliest pliers were made to handle hot...
Your driveway takes a beating. Sun, rain, oil spills, and vehicle traffic wear down the asphalt surface, leading to cracks, fading, and deterioration. In Southern California, an asphalt driveway with basic installation and minimal upkeep lasts about 15 years. A...
If you drill, saw, or glue, chances are you’ll need a clamp to hold things steady. The simple iron clamping devices of medieval forges have morphed into more than 50 specialized types, each engineered for different purposes. The humble C-clamp traces its roots...
Southern California’s water quality is constantly under threat from urban runoff and the downstream effects of climate change. Contaminants flow into water systems after heavy rains, sometimes making beaches unsafe and potentially affecting your home’s...
Saturday at last! It has been a rough week, so you get up late, trudge to the kitchen, switch on the coffee maker, and savor the thought of a day doing nada. Yeah, good luck with that because at the top of your honey-do list is the nettlesome garage door, which has a...
First, it was a screwdriver. Then, a hammer, crosscut saw, and drill. Now, in your third year of DIY, tools are taking over the garage. Hand tools have given way to power tools with all their attachments and accessories. When all that equipment disappears in a pile,...
