Bob Beacham
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Name: Bob Beacham
Title: Contributing Writer
Bob Beacham is an engineer by trade and has spent 35 years working on everything from auto parts to oil rigs. He is also an avid DIY enthusiast. Bob started writing for the Bob Vila team in 2020 and covers tools, outdoor equipment, and home improvement projects.
Expertise and Experience
Bob spent many years working as an engineer. This gave him the opportunity to travel around Europe and the U.S., working with component suppliers to Aston Martin, Audi, Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen. He also spent some time working on control systems for the aviation and petrochemical industries.
In his late 40s, Bob changed career paths. Since woodworking was one of his favorite hobbies, he decided to start his own woodshop. During this period, he remodeled an old rural farmhouse from the ground up with his wife—the first of two similar projects. As a result, he gained extensive experience with techniques and tools. The woodshop was hugely enjoyable, but not particularly lucrative. He supported his passion with consultancy work and began writing freelance articles about his experiences for several online publications. After 10 very enjoyable years, Bob closed the woodshop after relocating to his current home. The consultancy work and writing continues.
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Plastic welders can fix broken garden furniture, toys, kayaks, car bumpers, and a whole host of other items. In many cases, these welders will soon pay for themselves. Unlike glue repairs...
Even skilled carpenters usually turn to a door hinge jig to ensure the fast, accurate positioning of door hardware. This tool helps obtain the precise measurements required for the task o...
Woodturning is a fascinating hobby and not quite like any other kind of woodworking. Even though it involves a machine and tools, it is a very hands-on process. The wood responds to how y...
Although tool boxes and rolling tool bags offer plenty of storage, tool belts allow greater mobility and provide quick and easy access to the tools that you use most often. They are espec...
A standard sheet of drywall (or Sheetrock) is 8 feet long by 4 feet wide and weighs about 50 pounds. Trying to hold that upright against a wall while driving drywall screws with an ordina...
Using a nail gun for fencing is faster and safer than using a hammer. Nails themselves needn’t be held with these tools, so there is far less chance of hitting a thumb or fingers. It's im...
A construction worker’s lunch box must not only keep food tasting fresh, but it often must protect the contents from a harsh environment. Fortunately, there is a huge choice of durable, r...
Carports can do a great job of protecting your car, truck, boat, motorcycle, garden machinery, and more from winter weather and summer sun. For those who don’t have a garage, a carport is...
Even if a basement is only used for storage, leaving it unheated can promote mold growth on books, clothes, and other materials. And, should the pipes freeze in winter, there could be flo...
Cabinet table saws, often just called cabinet saws, are the largest of the table saws, with huge power and tremendous cutting capacities. As the name suggests, this makes it the best tabl...