A DUB-Lite swivel may cost a little more up front, but look at the numbers – twice as heavy, 25% bigger, etc… You’re just getting more swivel for your money.

The challenge most times is finding a means of racking the part into my partner in crime, the 10,000lb Dillon-Weigh Tronix UTM tensile tester. Some days I wish I had a bigger machine in-house, but I can break stuff at the local material labs (up to 100,000lb and beyond) on special occasions.

In this case, we’re working in the lower registers, below 500lb. I had to find some small connections to test the strength of the threaded rod end on our new 3/16″ detectable rodder. I’ve got plenty of big shackles and eyes, but really had to scavenge to find the little stuff!

The 3/16″ threaded end is permanently bonded to the fiberglass rod with a typical cyanoacrylate adhesive (read “Crazy Glue”). It’s a close tolerance fit normally, but the detectable rod has an additional strand of conductor that has to maintain continuity with the rod end.

It took a few tries to measure the bond strength. First the rod jacket slipped out of the clamps. Then the #12 thread sheared and split off the end. Finally I clamped the collar of the rod end and cranked the screws deep into the fiberglass core. I still couldn’t break the glue bond!

A good day: valid test results, some photos for documentation and a swath of wreckage. Time for another cup of coffee.

Congratulations Ryan!

We’re now able to offer Ground shipping with delivery in 1-2 days to most of the Midwest for many of our most popular tools, including line stringing swivels, underground duct pullers, threaded innerduct “carrots” and DUB-Lite swivels for horizontal directional drilling / boring.

Give our 800# a call today to check stock and place your order! 1-888-794-8357.

We put this one together on the workbench and outside on our ‘test line’ to show off the lightweight Eagle. Like the larger Lineman lasher, it uses tension from the lashing wire to drive the drum, not traction on the strand. As long as you’re moving forward, you’re spinning!

In other news, we’ve just finished an intensive four-day basic training for Solidworks 3D software. It’s astonishing what this software can do: if you can sketch it on a napkin at lunch, we can create a 3D model by the end of the day! DCD Design have always been progressive when it comes to listening to our customer’s requirements; now we can assess and turn around a new design faster than ever before.

AND! Direct Horizontal Drilling of Edmonton have been setting up for a river crossing in the neighbourhood: a new gas pipeline is going to be pulled under the Fraser River tonight! Good luck and smooth pulling to them.

We’ll be just an overnight shipment away for many of our most popular tools, including line stringing swivels, underground duct pullers, threaded innerduct “carrots” and DUB-Lite swivels for horizontal directional drilling / boring.

Look for more details in the coming weeks, and be ready to take advantage of our quick turn-around, moving even faster!

This has become a tradition for DCD Design: to bring together office and shop staff, our vendors, and our associated Group companies to enjoy a team-scramble to the top of the heap! Trophies were awarded, great prizes from our generous vendors were drawn, and we enjoyed dinner and a beverage with the Group in the late-afternoon sun.

For my once-or-twice a year outing, I’m glad to say I only lost one ball – unfairly – up a particularly thick evergreen! Otherwise, we all had an excellent round.

DCD Design takes advantage of the efficiency of sand casting to put metal where it’s needed, in the chemistry desired, to gain the properties necessary for the Maxi-DUB swivels to excel in the difficult conditions encountered in directional bore holes.

Castings are poured, chilled, broken out and individually inspected to ensure a quality product, but each casting is unique. The mold is broken every time!

Castings of this size (over 800lb, in some cases) will typically show the pattern of the sand, and perhaps the impression of the chilling blocks and part line. Overall though, the massive castings are homogeneous after heat treatment and benefit from the grain structure imparted by the process.

Dendritic growth and phase transformation are technical terms for it, but imagine ice crystals forming in a complex geometry.

Then imagine a massive, solid piece of alloy steel crystallizing like a snowflake. With some perspective, the old ways are damned impressive!

Check out the DCD Design channel on Youtube for all the videos, and look for embedded links on the DCD product pages shortly.

Have you seen the Line Swivels recently? The batch number and our maker’s mark is now permanently engraved on each Line Swivel. We’re even capable of adding graphics!

Also new and notable is the 3/16″ Detectable Duct Rod! DCD Design pioneered detectable rod in 2003 with 5/16″ and 7/16″ diameter rods. Now we’ve brought in 3/16″ rod mounted onto the lightweight Reel Rod frame, for quick set-up on shorter runs.

To celebrate, we’re putting ALL the Duct Rodders on sale for the month of June! See our monthly newsletter for all the details, or check the DCD website.

The Mad Duckter is working on a few other things back in the lab, ready to be unleashed in the coming months. Keep an eye open – but remember, The Duckter is no quack!