The right tool

By Cletus Bianchi

My father did not have an extensive litany of ‘sayings,’ but one of his favorites was "there’s no substitute for the right tool."

As the designated step-‘n-fetch-it, I was convinced this referred to keeping the boy busy by having him walk back and forth to the truck or garage to retrieve the critical tool. Often, I was sent in search of a "whachamacallit" or "como se llama."

I never did figure out if those phrases were meant to keep my teenaged brain focused on the requirements of the task at hand or if he was too engrossed to recall the tool’s proper name or if, in fact, he didn’t know what the tool was called, but wanted me to bring it anyway.

As has been the case in our relationship, he only had to die and I only had to grow up a little bit to realize that my father was fairly sage in many ways and he was certainly correct about the ‘right tool.’

In the past decade, I have remodeled two houses, built and moved a floating cabin, and built a new home. Add to that various mechanical issues with cars, trucks, boats, and tractors and I manage to get my fingernails pretty grimy, and in some instances smashed, on a regular basis.

Now, I’m no contractor or mechanic, but I am fundamentally curious about how things are put together and how they work. So even though a professional might be able to fix something more quickly, and probably for less money, I find myself tinkering with things I oughtn’t and learning from my successes and mistakes.

Part of the satisfaction derived from this activity is the knowledge that I resolved a problem and learned a little something in the process.

Frankly, there’s more satisfaction in buying the cool new tools that are necessary to accomplish the task, because like he said, there’s no substitute for the right tool.

The most recent example is a John Deere starter wrench, the JDE80, which as you can see in the photo is the most convoluted piece of twisted steel I’ve ever put on a bolt. But, I can guarantee the starter would never have come off without that wrench.

New home construction meant purchasing a number of essential tools, like three pneumatic nail guns, one for framing, one for trim out, and one brad nailer. A twelve-inch, compound miter chop saw with the ‘right’ blades was the proverbial hot-knife-through-butter for everything from 2x12s to crown molding.

Laser levels, hammer drills, drill drivers, right-angle drills, forklifts, boom lifts, die grinders – each proved critical to completing some aspect of the construction. In most cases, each ‘right tool’ was the difference between success or failure, or at least very difficult success.

There were other less glamorous, but equally critical, tools in the construction process. Gloves, safety glasses, and earplugs helped to reduce personal downtime (although not completely eliminate it). My Red Wing steel-toed boots saved my piggies many times. Without the fancy kneepads, we might still be installing flooring.

If you consider the activities that you really enjoy, it’s likely those activities are made more enjoyable by some ‘right tool.’ If you like walking, you like it a whole lot more with a good pair of walking shoes. Do you fish? They come out with a newer and better reel every month and the lure aisle is stuffed with newer, better ways to fool fish. Even if you stick with an old favorite, it’s because you have confidence it has been ‘right’ in the past.

The examples go on ad infinitum. Reading glasses, paintbrushes, computers, cell phones…nearly every activity, whether for work or play, is easier with the ‘right tool.’

Making the ‘right tool’ can also be fun and challenging. There were several situations during construction that required a lot of pondering and experimenting and manufacturing before the task was completed.

It can also be fun to discover that a tool that is right for one situation, say a trailer jack, can also be right for another, i.e. making a floating cabin float again. Tool substitutions are generally not advisable however. You must exercise great care in determining whether a tool is right for a different situation. Plus, it could eliminate the opportunity to go buy a new tool and who wants to do that?

Of course, the most important aspect of tool usage is the person holding the tool. Comparing a real welder’s bead to my own is humbling. It is a professional’s experience, talent and training that makes the difficult seem so effortless and easy.

As we march down the road of modernization, engineers, robots and manufacturers create increasingly complex machines. Repairs all seem to require computer science degrees and specialized tools. I can vividly recall attempting to replace the water pump and alternator on my 1992 Ford Pickup about ten years ago. After an hour of head scratching and cursing, I admitted that I simply could not remove and replace those items without several hundred dollars of new tools.

Humbled, I returned the parts and spent that money on a trained mechanic.

I worry sometimes that I might not be able to teach my kids about making and repairing things. These days, it’s almost as easy and cost-effective to replace an item, as it might be to repair it. But, I still think it’s crucial for them to understand how things are put together and work.

As long as there are hammers, nails and boards, I suppose we’ll get by.

"No, no that hammer. The other one with the whachamacallit over there in the thing."

Just no substitute…

(click here to read archived columns by Cletus Bianchi)