And change my mind. For half a century I believed that the single most important tool in my armoury was the power drill. Especially since I was able to remember starvation days in London when I made do with a hand drill. Given I tended to bodge, it was a revelation when I discovered I could also use the power drill sideways and open up holes that were too small.
Of course "most important" is arbitrary. One wouldn't get too far without a saw or a screw-driver but the thing about power drills, as well as speed and adaptability, is their power. Try putting a hole in a brick with a hand drill.
But then I bethought myself. My most productive DIY days were in Kingston-upon-Thames where I had a large garage (Described as "a 1½ garage" by the estate agent). Room enough for a substantial bench and... a vice. As I say I was a lousy craftsman but I'd have been lousier still without that vice. And a vice complements other tools (drills, saws, planes, etc) by adding stability and thus precision. My garage here in Hereford is much smaller and I have improvised with a Workmate foldable bench which incorporates a joky vice-like feature. But it's not the same.
To take the above photo I retrieved my retired vice from spider's webs and marvelled at its battle-scars, reminding me that a vice can also act as an anvil. Poor thing. I can't ever remember it letting me down which gainsays the other, more piquant meaning of its name.
Mole grips rank pretty high on my list.
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree that a vice is central to any engineering/DIY attempts. It is usually required before any other tool can be effectively used. That power drill is a good second. I have both a hand version and a pedestal item that is useful for "exact" jobs and repetitive work.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the good old "Birmingham screwdriver" (hammer) is an essential. When I trained as a blacksmith I learnt that each type of hammer had its precise purpose but that the "ball-pene" was the king of 'em all.
Let me know if you want to borrow my bottle cap crimper ... I'm certain it can handle any DIY project. ♥
ReplyDeleteSir Hugh: Not that I've worked to any sort of DIY standards but you leave me wondering how I've got along without ever owning a mole wrench. Perhaps that's the clue to why my DIY has been so lousy.
ReplyDeleteAvus: I think we've been through this one many years ago. Northern man on roof shouts down to guy holding his ladder, "Hand me up the Methody (ie, Methodist) screwdriver". Ladder-holder asks: "Which is that?" MoR: "That two-faced bastard."
Yours is a fancier wayl of spelling "peen". Mind you, my tutors were RAF and I'm well aware of how the Brown Jobs regarded the Brylcreem Boys.
RW (zS): A kind offer but I tend to get my bottled beer ready-packed. Often direct from the Czech Republic.