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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JULY 29, 2022 | FRIDAY
The Best Lunch Boxes for Construction Workers

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JULY 29, 2022 | FRIDAY
The Best Carports

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...

JULY 29, 2022 | FRIDAY
The Best Space Heaters for Basements

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...

JULY 1, 2022 | FRIDAY
The Best Cabinet Table Saws of 2023

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...

JUNE 30, 2022 | THURSDAY
The Best Jointer Planer Combos

Buying rough lumber can save a lot of money and offers the opportunity to find and use interesting varieties. However, proper preparation is vital, or the finished result may be poor. Bef...

JUNE 23, 2022 | THURSDAY
The Best DeWalt Table Saws of 2023

Table saws are a versatile staple of DIY enthusiasts, home woodworkers, and jobsite contractors, capable of accurately sawing sheet materials, commonly used 2x4 lumber, and many other sto...

JUNE 20, 2022 | MONDAY
The Best Sauna Heaters for the Most Comfortable Home Spa Experience

A key component to an efficient, comfortable home sauna is the choice of heater. There are a number of different options available, but it can be difficult to judge which model will give ...

JUNE 1, 2022 | WEDNESDAY
The Best Hand Trucks to Make Moving Heavy or Awkward Loads Easier

Whether you are moving to a new house, moving work gear from the truck to the garage, or moving boxes of paper from the ground floor to an upstairs office, a hand truck can be an invaluab...

MAY 31, 2022 | TUESDAY
The Best Chainsaw Sharpeners of 2023

Sharpening a chainsaw once meant working on the chain’s individual teeth by hand. Today’s best chainsaw sharpeners are changing all that. Electric chainsaw sharpeners (also called a “grin...

MAY 25, 2022 | WEDNESDAY
The Best 50-Gallon Gas Water Heaters

A 50-gallon water heater is usually the recommended size for houses with one to three bathrooms and families of three to six people. Millions of homes fall into this category, so the 50-g...