No matter what trade you work in, you will need to use a concrete anchor at one time or another. Here are some mistakes I have seen (and made) that you will want to avoid: Not knowing your concrete Is it a concrete block hollow cell? Poured cell? Concrete slab? What is the PSI? Not […]

I've always liked old books. Think about an old printing press somewhere in Chicago or Boston or Scranton, Pennsylvania. Imagine workers with their hands covered in ink up to their elbows, setting type while giant machines of iron, steel, and brass stamp out a book page by page. Then those pages go on to be […]

Before we convert temperature scales, let's take a step back and think about what temperature is in the first place. Temperature is proportional to the average kinetic energy of the random microscopic motions of the constituent microscopic particles, such as electrons, atoms, and molecules. Translation: Temperature is the average “movement energy” of the molecules in […]

Andrew Greaves joins us again from AHR 2020. This time, he discusses what mentors and role models do in our trade and why they're important. Mentors are not just the grouchy senior techs who throw hammers at apprentices. Mentors have an active role in others' professional development; they spend a lot of time with their […]

Andrew Greaves comes on the podcast to give us a sneak peek into the life of a tool manufacturer. Andrew has worked in the field for a long time and has recently begun working for NAVAC. He currently works as a regional manager who oversees operations in 24 states; his main task is to establish […]

In this simultaneously heavy and lighthearted discussion, Bryan Orr and Andrew Greaves discuss ego, Dunning-Kruger, insecurity, and apprenticeship in the trades. In the early days, apprenticeships were quite different from the way they are today. One-on-one mentorship used to be a much more significant component of early apprenticeships, but that style of training is uncommon […]