Getting My Hands Dirty

I was down in the shop yesterday. I can sweep. I started cleaning up and putting thing a way. I lasted about an hour and a half and I now have a cordless drill shelf. I think I have eight or so. The fairly new little Milwaukee with the chuck is around $160 but well worth it. If your not a pro you can get away with something cheaper, but that’s what you’ll be doing, getting away with it. Pretty much, in power tools, you get what you pay for and if you’re a pro, buying top of the line is cheaper in the long run.

One of the problems with my shop is it’s too small. Usually I have a fair amount of tools “on the job.” I put this in quotes because that might mean it’s some one I work for regularly and my tools are there for an extended period of time. I had a potable table saw, among other things, for over a year. Transporting tools are the bane of a carpenter’s existence. Well, okay, maybe it’s busted up and cut knuckles and fingers. But hauling tools is up there along with bumping your head and skinning you shins and can be a real bitch. So I’ve got duplicates and triplicates. Now, with the stroke, there is no “on the job.” And I’ve been at this for quite a long time.

Over the years I’ve acquired specialty tools, you’d be surprised with the number of tool I’ve acquired over the years. I’ve already mention clamps else ware. You can never have enough. In construction, you can never have enough of a lot of things. Besides those cordless drills I have, I have six or eight corded drills, and there’s more I can still use. Like I said, I’ve been at this for a long time so I know how to get away with out them, but having them, when I go back to work that is, will make my life a lot easier and more efficient.

All this to say, I have a lot of tools, almost none of them are light, and they’re all in my shop. Don’t get me wrong. I have a decent size shop. I can push a full sheet of plywood through my table saw, but it is in my basement. I built a library down there. I started cleaning and organizing. I barely made a dent. Still, it was good getting down there again and getting my hand dirty. They’re the best they’ve looked in years.