« July 2008 | Main | September 2008 »
August 25, 2008
Getting the Most Out of Your Tools -- Part 2
My last "twool-fer" post was about communication and "officing" (I can't believe that's a word). But I like life on site, so here's a few trick uses for tools and stuff. Does it help?
Saw It. I've owned a Shark Japanese style pull-saw for years www.SharkCorp.com though Marples www.MarplesTools.com (a sub-brand of Irwin Industrial Tools www.Irwin.com) looks like it has some nice ones.
I use pull saws—you guessed it, they cut on the pull stroke; American saws cut on the push--to "lift" door casing jamb legs when installing a new floor. The thin, flexible blades work perfectly and cut straight. Then there's zero clearance cuts—say I have to delete some base molding to add or enlarge a door. I can get a clean-square cut even if the saw hits the floor—without removing the entire piece of molding. What a time saver. Try that with an American tooth configuration.
Cuppa Joe. My cheap-o stainless steel coffee mug provides me what feels like limitless salvation—not just java--but I'm looking for a better one. Anybody got a primo vessel they can point me toward?
Line Up. Sailors call rope "line." Whatever you call it, I use 1/8 nylon braided line www.lehighgroup.com for everything I can. I guess tying things down with rope isn't really a twool-fer but I can lash a tarp tight, cinch a lumber load, or secure a trailer of dump-bound trash with the same rope, using basic knots. There's no eye-ball-puncturing bungee cord to snap or fly off on the highway nor nylon straps that I have to store somewhere.
A top line use is as an extension-cord/hose manager. I only need about 18 inches. I coil the cord then lash it with the line, using the first half of a granny knot (like how you tie your shoes) to hold it tight. I add the second cord, and another 1/2 granny knot. Once I have a few cords (and gun hoses) on there, I cinch it all with a basic square not. It's perfect access for hanging the cords/hoses in the shop, truck or site.
All that with a piece of skinny rope…I think it deserves twool-fer status.
Posted by Mark Clement at 11:00 AM
August 22, 2008
Getting the Most Out of Your Tools
Work At Home. While are much of our lives happen on site, contractors are the classic work-at-home breed. And, where do so many of us start? You already know: the classic 3'0" solid slab birch door bridging 2 file cabinets.
Cut the Cord. Is the slab-and-cab in your home? Do your kids scurry around your feet as you do estimates? Do you rent a shop?
When I did the slab-and-cab deal we were just eclipsing the wired world. I haven't gone desk free but what with tablet computing – www.Field2Base.com, ruggedized computing www.Dell.com www.ToughBook.com and smart phones www.Apple.com www.BlackBerry.com you might be able to. Are you totally wired..er…wireless?
Communication. I wrote the early versions of my novel www.TheCarpentersNotebook.com slab-and-cab style, hacking out the early drafts by hand. Now I can barely scribble a materials list on a 2x8—which is where the title comes from, by the way—without a Qwerty keyboard and emails da-dinging.
But construction's hardly a wired industry. While we run conduit and chases for customers' low-voltage lines (I call it InfoWire) and umpteen plugs in home offices, most of my subs and I talk.
My customers, on the other hand, are wired. We both like sending links—a Kohler tub and water closet are the hottest back and forth. www.Kohler.com is great—we both use it, almost as if we were talking. Searching makes sense and the WaterSense stuff www.WaterSense.com is forward thinking—more on that later.
What works for you?
Posted by Mark Clement at 4:27 PM
