• The unremarkable drill, hammer and level.construction tools image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
  
  Some tools, like the hammer and saw, which have been in use since before the invention of electricity, are classic pieces of equipment on any construction site. But what have we come up lately? While some new tools are elegantly designed and their usefulness will help them stand the test of time despite their strangeness, other newcomers are just plain weird.
  
  

Knee Blades

• Installing flooring or doing any kind of work on floor level can not only be hard on the knees as a result of kneeling for long periods of time, but can also tire these joints from repeatedly getting up and down to move to a new location. Knee Blades solve this problem with the installation of wheels on the bottom of sturdy knee pads to allow the wearer to slide around on his knees.
  
  

Ride-On Power Trowel

• A trowel is used to smooth the surface of concrete or other materials that are poured wet and then dry hard. In order to finish very large surfaces quickly, the Bartell Morrison company sells ride-on power trowels that can finish a path 65 to 97 inches wide, depending upon the model. The driver sits atop the power trowel and steers with a twin-stick, multi-directional steering system.
  
  

Nail Kicker

• While most nail guns drive nails into boards, this one does the opposite. The user lines up the target of the Nail Kicker with a nail already imbedded into the wood, pulls the trigger and the Nail Kicker pulls the nail back out of the wood, leaving the surface with little damage.
  
  

The Crawler

• Many trades require scaffolding to allow workers to access areas that cannot be reached from ground level. However, climbing up the scaffolding, working on an area, climbing down and moving the scaffolding to a new area and starting again is time consuming and tiring. The Crawler solves this problem by adding a motor to the scaffolding which is turned by a standard power drill. The Crawler can adjust from 72 inches in height, which is low enough to fit through most doorways, up to 118 inches.
  
  

Giant Knife

• With 87 instruments and 141 functions including 14 blades, a saw and several screwdrivers, this 8.75 inch long Swiss army knife will surely have the right tool for any small job on the construction site. Though with a $1,400 price tag, it might be cheaper to hire someone else to do the job for you.