Made in the USA… by me!

If you’ve ever wondered what the process of making power tools is like, I can tell you – I made one.

One of the real treats for those of us in the woodworking magazine business is that we get to see, test and use a lot of new tools. All the major tool manufacturers are eager for us to see what their new wares are like and take them for a spin, and we’re happy to oblige.

As an example, a couple years back DeWalt held a media event at its regional facility in Charlotte, N.C., where it churns out hammer drills, impact drivers, recip saws and a couple other handheld power tools by the hundreds each day. We got to see the whole process, from the initial unboxing parts and components for assembly, to boxing up finished tools for shipping. Every bit of it was fascinating.

Touring the spotless facility was awesome, the workers were friendly and knew what they were doing, and everyone enthusiastically answered all our questions at each assembly station we went to for the various tools. But the real treat was when we got to the assembly station for 20-volt hammer drills: We were told that we were each going to make our own drill.

They described the process and then walked us through, with each assembly person in the chain explaining what we were to do at that phase of the assembly, and then stepping back and letting us do it. Then on to the next stop, and the next, and so on until the bare parts we started with were transformed into a new, working tool. The final step was applying the various stickers and labels, including a personalized one for each of us.

We don’t think much about the process of tool manufacturing, at least I don’t, but getting an inside look – a literal hands-on look – was enlightening. I’ve had a lot of great tool experiences over the years in this job, so many that they tend to run together. But I remember this one most clearly every time I use this drill.