Tools

I was working at the Toybox Tuesday night and I started thinking about how Andrew (my son) and I had learned to use tools.  In particular, I thought about nail guns. I own four, all from Stanley Bostich, and I can’t imagine building anything without them.  They are always one of the first tools pulled out for any project.

Anyway, when my father died, my mom sold the table saw because she was told that was the only piece of equipment I could really hurt myself with.  There might have been a question as to the wood lathe, but what the heck.  So, I had a relatively complete shop that was mine to play in and since then, that is really what I have done.  That is the way I learned much of what I know today, trial and error.

Fortunately for me, and it actually was the same for Andrew, we both had good High School Industrial Arts teachers.  Mine was Russ Bennett and he taught me how to use saws - table and radial arm, and more importantly to respect the power of each.

So, as I think about air nailers, and how people learn to use them, I circle back to some of this basic training.  Hundreds of people a year get hurt with nailers. As I learned to use them, and as I’ve taught Andrew: first and foremost, respect their power and what they are built to do - drive pieces of steel through hard objects.  If you always remember that, you are good to go.

The last weekend Andrew was here, he watched me for about 3/4 of the weekend use my framing nailer.  A couple of different times I asked him to nail something and he declined.  We talked about safety with equipment like this and before we were done, not only had he learned to use them safely, but had added a little bit from his generation.

Gangsta style.....

Be safe out there.