There’s a reason why Klein tools are manufactured to provide the durability and reliability needed to get the job done. That’s why it’s no surprise when we hear stories from professionals about how their Kleins have stood up to jobsite demands.

Recently, our Klein Crusaders have shown us how the 9” Journeyman™ Heavy-Duty Diagonal-Cutting Pliers provide the cutting power, leverage and durability they need for greater efficiency on the job.

Providing Cutting Power

When the U.S. experienced industrial labor shortages during World War II, women marched forward, joining the workforce and picking up the broken pieces left behind in the skilled trades. Rosie the Riveter revolutionized the perception of gender roles, inviting more women to take on jobs such as welding, machine operating and other hands-on, skilled positions. Most women fell – or were pushed – out of the trades when the wartime labor demand waned, however, and have yet to match that level of representation in the trade industries since.

Despite an 81.3 percent growth rate between 1985 and 2007, women are noticeably underrepresented in the U.S. construction industry. Today, just three percent of all U.S. construction workers are women. Because of this, the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) continues to grow and foster a supportive network. The NAWIC helps to provide women with the resources needed to be successful in the trades, including opportunities for professional development, advanced education, networking, leadership training and more.

“If these walls could talk …” is a common phrase to hear around any historical or otherwise significant property. But did you know that the walls – or other nooks and crannies around jobsites – sometimes do reveal their secrets to the people who are renovating or restoring them? From artifacts found at Seattle’s Space Needle and Buckingham Palace to local discoveries of past workers and pieces of history, here’s a peek at some of the interesting things tradespeople have found on jobsites around the world.

When construction workers were completing a renovation project in Seattle’s Space Needle, they stumbled across a time capsule. Current employees had heard about the capsule but didn’t know where it was hidden or if it even still existed. Thanks to the tradespeople on the job having keen eyes for out-of-place boxes strapped to steel support bars, Space Needle fans got to rediscover its history with mementos from 1982 – 15 years after the forgotten time capsule’s intended open date.