Small tool or technique to save time
I didn’t know if I should put this question in tools or techniques but . . . what little tool or technique do you use that saves time or aggravation?
I’m not talking so much about the one inch rotary hammer vs doing it by hand. Rather, some little tool or gimmick that you picked up, so that when you used it for the first time, you said, “Why didn’t I start using this years ago?”
I’ll just throw two out. It’s that I try not to use a tape measure when there’s multiple pieces to measure and mark. I’ll often make a quick jig that registers on the proper length of whatever it is I’m working on, and mark it from that, or not at all. An example is a simple jig I made to mark the height on the studs, above the floor for the placement of plastic electrical boxes. It took about a minute to make and all the receptacles are at a uniform height in the new addition.
Another one is using one of those $8 6 in 1 painters tools. When I first picked one up and used it I said ” Duh, why didn’t I latch onto this sooner?” (fortunately that was several years ago)
What do you guys use?
Replies
I copied and improved what we call a prep tool. It is a 20'' long x 1/2" thick x 2" wide pc. of aluminum that I sawed a 5/8ths deep by .125 wide groove in one edge, just ever so slightly off center.
When a copper standing seam pan meets a drip edge, this tool slips over the end of the pan, between the standing parts, and with a good strong wrist allows you to make a perfect bend to wrap around the drip edge over hang, then hand tong it tight.
I also made a shorter one, for chimney counter flashings, and then found that IPE works almost as well as the expensive alum.
Wherever a hunk of copper meets say a brick wall, it either gets kerfed in and caulked, or a slight "kick" bent to stiffen the edge tight to the Brick.
Parolee # 40835
Storyboards to scale for furniture & cabinet layout, both horizontal & vertical. It takes time initially but saves a boatload after.
That little drill alignment tool that centers the pilot hole when hanging a door hinge.
don't be a fool, get the cool tool
-Thoreau's Walden
10-in-1 screw driver.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
stair gages.
Whenever I see someone laying out a set of stairs without them, I usually pull them out and show how they're used. It generally results in the person buying his/her own set.
I lost one of mine a few years back. I now keep 2 sets in my truck.
funny, first thing I thought of were those stair gauges.Also like the reversible bits (driver bit, then pull out and flip to drill bit w/ countersink) for some things. Saves me having to pull around 2 drills.Also, I have a little P-C corner chisel I use when installing hardware on doors/jambs.
fingers,
Here is one I came up with. Almost posted it in tips and techniques but it fits here as well.
I guess you could call it a "dobie" replacement.
I have used these for years when I needed to hold up a large mat of re-bar in footings.
Used to have several buckets full of them in different depths for deep footings.
Made them out of either pencil bar or 3/8 bar, fabricated them on a hand operated bender/breaker. You hang the hook over the form board, lay your outside mat pieces on the hook and build the mat , or build the mat away from the form and just pick it up and lay it in. they will hold the mat up off the bottom of the footer at whatever depth you fabricate them to.
Pull them as you pour , don't want to leave the exposed steel to rust into the crete, a little consolidation after you pour and you are done.
I still think the Rocket anchor for the chalk line has saved me tons of time (and some sanity).
I keep one on all my chalk boxes
I have a deck job coming up where the railing is going to have Dekorator aluminum balusters. I might make a jig for placing those caps that the rods fit over. Similar to a jig for drilling holes for shelf pins. One board will have holes the same size as those caps, spaced 4" O.c" and a board secured to that to act as a fence and to center the holes on the 2x4.
Dave Otto -- Otto Construction -- PA
Got a small notch filed in my hammer handle 16" up from the bottom of the handle.Helps to locate studs when I'm hanging siding and sheetrock,etc.
Yea, when I have to hang sheetrock, I nail it with my ol worn out 22oz checker headed Estwing before I screw it. LOL
dug
Router with a flush cutting bit to cut out windows while the wall is still on the floor. Picked that up in Jim Anderson's article.
Have a good day
Cliffy
1) A Japanese nail set. ( http://www.leevalley.com )
2) A retractable ink line I picked up in Japan. It leaves a very fine water soluble line, great when chalk is to big and messy.
Megapro screwdrivers. This things are neat. Must have bought 5 this season - one in most every set of bags and trade bucket.
They have bits to fit most needs and they are fast to get into service.
They come set up for various trades.
You can accessorize and customize your load-out.
They are not sold in every store.
<http://seahawksupply.com/>
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
I have owned that driver for years, Absolutely the best IMO.
Gave one to my daughter when she went off to college 10 yrs ago. One of the few things she still has from then.
"Poor is not the person who has too little, but the person who craves more."...Seneca
I took one of those little clips with a retractable line and hooked my pencil up to it, then i clip it on my shirt pocket, Its always there and no more fumbling around in my bags for it, i wished i did this years ago, really works when your hands are cold or your bent over and need to mark fast
One of those belt hooks for cordless tools. I hang mine on an old seat belt worn like a bandoleer to keep the weight off the hips. The tool usually hangs on my belly so reaching isn't an issue.
Best to you and yours, Chris.
Building as thou art paranoid never harmed anyone.