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TOOLS EXPLAINED

John Turney

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DRILL PRESS : A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL : Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, 'Oh sh*t'.

DROP SAW : A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS : Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER : An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW : One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle... It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS : Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH : Used almost entirely for lighting on fire various flammable objects in your shop. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race.

TABLE SAW : A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK : Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

BAND SAW : A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST : A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER : Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER : A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms.

PRY BAR : A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER
: A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER : Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

UTILITY KNIFE : Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

ADJUSTABLE WRENCH: aka "Another hammer", aka "the Swedish Nut Lathe", aka "Crescent Wrench". Commonly used as a one size fits all wrench, usually results in rounding off nut heads before the use of pliers. Will randomly adjust size between bolts, resulting in busted buckles, curse words, and multiple threats to any inanimate objects within the immediate vicinity.

SON OF A B*TCH TOOL : Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling 'Son of a b*tch' at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.
 
Yep, lots of SOB tools. Why you have spares, too far under places to retrieve.
 
Also, remember that any one of those tools can become a HAMMER, if used with sufficient force or anger.
 
IFITWASJUST WRENCH: A special wrench that everyone has, which is characterized by being exactly the correct dimensions for the bolt or nut you're trying to remove, but the handle is a tad too long to fit in the required space. If it was just 1/2 inch shorter it would work.
 
Got a lot of cut craftsman wrenches to the perfect size. Keep them in one drawer labelled minis.
 
Craftsman had a "second line" of stuff they called "Companion" without the "lifetime warranty." I've had a 1/2"-to-3/8" Companion adapter since around 1968, always expected it to break at some point. Last weekend I loaned it to a neighbor to use on some suspension work, it finally broke after being used on a 36-inch 1/2"-drive breaker-bar with a 17mm socket, on a reluctant nut. 🤷

Shoulda buried it with honors in th' back yard.

On Wednesday it got replaced with a Snap-On adapter, rated for up to 280 ft/lb. torque.
 
I have a lot of Snap-On, MatCo, Mac, the Craftsman were beginner. Don't expect the Snap-On to last as long as the Companion. Back in the day MatCo was to me what Harbor Freight is today, but came to you.
 
Up until my dad passed away, most of my tools were an embarrasment from Asia.
 
But you had tools.
 
I have a lot of Snap-On, MatCo, Mac, the Craftsman were beginner. Don't expect the Snap-On to last as long as the Companion. Back in the day MatCo was to me what Harbor Freight is today, but came to you.
Same here. But I've a set of six-point MATCO 1/4" drive swivels though that I consider brilliant. Decades old but made to last.

And now Snap-On 1/4 drive universal joints are $40!! They gave away keychains made of the same things as promo pieces a few decades ago.
 
Yep, got those 1/4" 6 points, but raise you with 3/8 and 1/2s too. Worked some shops and LBCs at home, took advantage of a sale. Bought a lot of MATCO, cheaper than Snap On, but I bought the full torque wrench set from Snap On that I still use some 35 yrs later. Thought I would never get them paid off.
 
I have a mix of Craftsmen, Mac, Snap-On, and Thorsen. Out of the lot some of the best tools I have are the old Thorsen.
 
Yep, got those 1/4" 6 points, but raise you with 3/8 and 1/2s too. Worked some shops and LBCs at home, took advantage of a sale. Bought a lot of MATCO, cheaper than Snap On, but I bought the full torque wrench set from Snap On that I still use some 35 yrs later. Thought I would never get them paid off.
Don't worry you'll get those Snap-On paid off in another 35 years or so.
 
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