Power Tools. --Modern Marvels and The Tools that Built America

[Ed Pawlowski]

Have you seen them on the History Channel?

Both series have been on Sunday nights on History Channel. Right now I'm watching what was recorded yesterday but they will repeat next Sunday.

[Leon]

No! But thanks for the heads up!

[russellseaton1]

A week or two or three ago my brother and I watched one about Black & Decker. And Milwaukee got in there too. It talked about the new young kid (son) who was going to run, inherit, Black & Decker. He had to start at the most menial job in the factory and earn his way up. So he swept floors for awhile. Then WW2 came along and Black & Decker was supplying electric drills to all the government run factories. And some execs saw new monthly orders for 1000 new drills every month. And the execs were shocked that their drills were that poor and pitiful and breaking so much that they had to be replaced so often. Remember this is back when Black & Decker was still new and young and still considered a good power tool company. Not like today. So the worried execs got on the phone and called up the government factories and asked why were their drills breaking so much? But the government factories said the women employees were simply stealing the drills and taking them home to their husbands who might return from the war. All the new drills were just to replace the stolen drills, not broken drills. So someone at Black & Decker figured out they could make and sell electric power tools for home owners. Surprise surprise. I think they also mentioned Black & Decker made the first battery drill for NASA to take to the moon.

[Leon]

IIRC AEG built drills for NASA, Maybe later on.