Ok, Clever Girls- let's finish out our series on hand tools. What we cover here and in the last post will be sufficient to manage your run-of-the-mill home emergency. If not, it would be nice if Angie's List had a star rating system for the repair men who looked best in jeans and a white T-shirt or made note of their IQ and marital status. Just a thought for the Clever Girl whose astrological sign steers her toward a man who is handy and not afraid to get his hands dirty.
I will warn you- it's difficult to make this stuff funny. I will try- you know I will- but the entertainment value here might be lower than average. However, you will be so Clever when you whip out a Phillips head screwdriver when he asks you for one. Or, better yet, after examining the screw- you fetch the correct screw driver on your own. So Very Clever and impressive.
The home is overrun with uses for wrenches and there are several different types necessary. Simply put, a wrench is a tool used to turn nuts, bolts or pipes. A basic household tool kit will include several- the one that probably leaps to mind is the open ended “C” shape wrench. It will either have one open end, double open ends (double open wrench- far right above), one open end and one box end (combination wrench- far left above), or double box ends (double box wrench- middle above). Both the open and box end of a combination wrench will be the same size- both ends of a double box or open wrench will be different sizes. It's important to use the correct size wrench for the nut or bolt so as not to strip the threading (think of the striations of a screw and what it threads into) or the face of the bolt.
Fixed wrenches are more stable than an adjustable wrench- imagine a dial that increases or decreases the size of the “C” to accommodate a larger or smaller nut or bolt. This wrench is often called a crescent wrench (above left- notice the dial below the open portion). If someone asks you for a crescent wrench, they mean adjustable. One advantage of the adjustable wrench is it eliminates the need for many combination wrenches in different sizes. These wrenches come in locking and non-locking styles. Whether the wrench locks or not is related to the level of stability. If it locks, you can count on more stability.
Most stable of all is a socket-style wrench, also called at ratchet (above right). This tool allows for many different removable and interchangeable sockets to be utilized for all sized nuts and bolts. As you turn, the wrench employs a ratcheting motion, allowing you to tighten or loosen in one direction without having to remove the wrench from the bolt to refit after each rotation. A lever on the back of the wrench allows you to switch from tightening to loosening motion. The primary benefit of a socket wrench is speed in loosening and tightening- especially if the bolt is to come off and then on again.
Screwdrivers come in a wide variety of styles and sizes (add a generous splash of brut Champagne to your traditional cocktail for a little levity) to accommodate the vast assortment of screws. The name says it all- this is the tool that drives screws. Because we all know what one looks like in it's entirety, I'd like to concentrate on the ends only. So, the bit (end) of the screwdriver needs to match the screw in need of tightening or loosening. In the home, you will generally encounter three different style screws- slotted (think one slot spanning the head of the screw), Phillips (think of a criss-cross shape on the head of the screw) or hex (think of a hexagonal shape). Some electrical appliances employ more unusual screws, but generally you should not be messing with electronics- at least not the innards.
If you are asked for a screwdriver, that generally refers to one used with a slotted screw (left above). A Phillips head screwdriver will be needed to manage a Phillips head screw (right above). These are not interchangeable. Many screwdrivers now offer a handle with interchangeable bits, which you can change out to accommodate different screws.
An electric screwdriver is invaluable for those invested in home maintenance. This tool does the turning for you and has a button to reverse the motion to loosen as well. In order to avoid damaging the head of the screw, it's generally recommended to manually tighten down a screw when you begin to feel resistance. This is an ideal gift for any handyman without one.
I firmly believe every home needs an Allen wrench or hex key. This tool is shaped like an L and either end of it can be used to manage reach, space and torque required. This tool falls squarely under Murphy’s Law- if you have one, you will likely never have cause to use it- if you do not, you will be confronted with a hex screw immediately. Where might you find the neeed for a hex key? The garbage disposal. You might be wondering what the difference is above? The set featured above is comprehensive and you are not likely to lose it. The set of Lshaped Allen wrenches are comprehensive as well, but I've never actually seen a complete set, as invariably they are lost and misplaced. It's a personal preference.
Screws and nails are generally not interchangeable, nor are the tools used to drive them. A screw, as discussed above, has a variety of heads and a body or shaft (above right), which is striated in a spiral, designed to take hold of the internal threading of an object. Typically, screws are tightened with a clockwise motion and are used to hold objects together.
A nail typically has a flat head and a shaft with no threads or striations (above left)- useful in woodworking, upholstery and when hanging photos. As stated earlier and illustrated above- a hammer is the tool necessary to drive a nail.
Flashlights are essential for the home. Rechargeable varieties give you a better chance of them actually working when the need arises. Knowing where the flashlight is at all times will lessen potential fear and frustration in the case of a blackout or maintenance disaster. One near the fuse box, one in the pantry and one in the master bedroom would be a good start.
Tape measures are surprisingly useful in the home. It is advisable to have both a fabric tape measure and a large, retractable tape measure. The fabric one is ideal for small jobs such as measuring the rise on a mattress, so you select the proper length bed skirt, or the precise amount of material required to raise the hemline on that fabulous new dress. The retractable tape measure, however, is metal and concave so as to give it stability during the measuring of long distances- such as the exact center of the room, where your new big-screen TV will go, or the various locations of the art pieces you’d like to hang over your bed (note- here comes a great use for the claw hammer and nails). The blade of the measuring tape retracts into a casing using a release (here is a tip- do NOT retract 35 feet of blade into the casing at one time- someone WILL get hurt). You will also find a locking mechanism on the casing so you can keep the blade in place if you need to set it down or walk away.
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