Tools of the Trade

Plain and simple, "the right tool is worth it's weight in gold."

That statement rings true with any construction project you try to trump. If you use the right tool you find the job to be fluid, effortless and almost fun, (if projects like demolishing a concrete deck can be fun.)

As for us and our Wyoming deck adventure, we found that we had some of the right tools and also some that did not work so well. These three tools you see are awesome for the demolition of a stapled or nailed lath deck. I thought we would be spending a day and a half on the demolition but instead with the right tools it only took us 5 hours.

On the other hand when we sheeted the deck with half inch plywood, we used cordless drills to screw it down. Big mistake!!!! We had a lot of down time when batteries needed recharging, and just the constant bending over while screwing in each screw was nauseating. It took two guys two days to screw off the entire 1200 square foot deck. I felt like an idiot because I left our self-feeding screw gun at home. That would have cut the work down to one guy and about 4 hours.

So let me enlighten those that need to find the right tools. Here is what you need to know.

1. Any job that you are going to do, whether it be setting tile or running wiring for your theater room, there are tools that have been invented to help make your job easier. Honestly, whatever it is, they have the tool for you. My goodness, in Dubai they have machines called Trailing Suction Hopper Dredgers which build islands out in the middle of the ocean. So if you are in the middle of a project and saying to yourself, "this is taking forever," or your breaking your back trying to get the job done, you are probably using the wrong tool.
2. Talk to the professionals. Contractors for the most part know the tools for their trade. They know what works and what doesn't. Most contractors would be happy to help a Saturday Warrior. Talk to several contractors who do that particular task on a regular basis, odds are they have figured out the fastest way to get the job done.
3. Don't be afraid to use the right tool. We tend to get nervous to use pneumatic tools, or power tools because they seem like too much to handle, or we are nervous we might break the tool or maybe we think the tool is too involved and we won't know how to use it. We resort to cavemen tactics to complete the scope of work which cause us to hate life when you are tying to build a shed and you are using a hammer and nails instead of a pneumatic nail gun. Well let me enlighten you......most of the tools that you would even consider using for any household project are really very simple to use. Once you rent or buy the tool and read up on the instructions, you find out that taking proper care of the tool is more involved then actually using the tool.

In the end you will either look back and say, " man that was worth doing," or you will have tried to kill yourself with the very tools you are using to do the job.