8. Plumber’s bit (wide self-feeding bit)
52
Chapter 3
2
7
3
1
4
5
6
Drilling and screwing accessories: 1. Allen wrenches; 2. Magnetic bit holders; 3. Extension bit holder;
4. Flexible bit holder; 5. Stubby screwdriver; 6. 4-in-1 screwdriver; 7. Ratchet-handle bit driver
Clamps. Clockwise, from lower left:
spring clamp, bar clamp, quick-release
bar clamp, C-clamp, and hand screw.
Clamps
Quick-release bar clamps are a second set of
hands on the job site. Use them to hold work to a
bench, temporarily join two boards, align stair
balusters, or mock up rafter pairs. Their rubber
jaws won’t mar surfaces on fine work.
Standard bar clamps slide jaws to approximate
position and use a threaded handle to draw mate-
rials tightly together. They’re a little slower than
quick-release clamps, but they apply more force.
Spring clamps are the quickest to operate for
relatively thin materials that don’t require an
especially tight grip.
Hand screws apply even pressure to a relatively
broad area. Excellent for gluing, they hold work
well and won’t damage wood. Open and close
them by using two hands, almost like pedaling
a bicycle.
C-clamps apply a strong force and are especially
suitable when the workpiece absolutely mustn’t
move. Insert scrap wood between the jaws and
workpiece to protect it from damage.
pliErs anD CuttErs
Slip-joint pliers are old reliables. Our grandfa-
thers used pliers of the same design.
Channellock® slip-joint pliers have long, offset
handles and jaws that open wide for the slip-nut
under the kitchen sink . . . or wherever.
Pliers and cutters. Clockwise, from top: Channellock slip-joint pliers, Vise-Grip
locking pliers, slip-joint pliers, side cutters, lineman’s pliers.
tools
53
Vise-grip® pliers have an adjustable tension
mechanism that lets you lock the tool’s jaws
around the workpiece, such as a stripped screw.
They can double as a temporary clamp, but don’t
1
overtighten.
Side cutters are designed to cut wire or small
nail shanks. But they’re also great nail pullers if
2
you don’t squeeze too hard.
lineman’s pliers are an electrician’s mainstay,
3
great for twisting and cutting wire.
P R O T I P
6
Aviation snips, also known as tin snips, cut
5
4
sheet metal. Use them for flashing and ductwork.
When removing casing or
molding, use a nail punch to
hammErs
Wrecking and pry bars: 1. Crook-neck wrecking bars;
drive finish nails through the
2. L-bar; 3. Flat bar; 4. Cat’s paw; 5. 8-in. pry bar/nail
back of the trim piece. that’s far
Choose a hammer with a grip and weight that
puller; 6. Cat’s paw with punch point
less damaging than attempting
feel right for you. Bigger heads and longer han-
to grip and pull nails from the
dles can deliver greater impacts when nailing and
face side.
so require fewer swings to drive nails. But they
Sixteen-ounce finish hammers are fine for a
also require greater effort to use and may cause
small amount of trim.
tendonitis.
Hand sledges are handy for knocking shoring or
Twenty-six-ounce framing hammers are as big partitions a few inches over and for breaking
as anyone needs. Titanium framing hammers are loose stubborn foundation forms.
in vogue these days because they transfer less
shock to your arm, although more to your wallet.
Hammer tackers are a quick way to staple
building paper, insulation, and sheet plastic.
Twenty-ounce framing hammers are light
enough to double as trim hammers. But, truth is,
WrECKing anD pry Bars
pros prefer trim guns (pneumatic nailers) for fin-
ish work because they free up one hand to steady
Disconnect plumbing pipes and electrical
the work and don’t ding the trim as hammers do.
cables in areas about to be demolished—and
check with a voltage tester to be sure the power is
off. Be methodical and work slowly.
Wrecking bars have differing lengths and end
configurations. Most are crowbars with crooked
ends for better leverage. The longer the bar, the
better the leverage.
l-bars are wrecking bars with a flat, L-shaped
end instead of a crook. Drive the L into lumber
that’s nailed together and twist the tool to pry the
pieces apart.
A flat bar (also called Wonder Bar® or handy
bar) is the best tool to ease off delicate trim with-
out damaging it. Pry the trim up gradually along
its length.
A cat’s paw is the tool of choice if you’re pulling
a lot of nails out of framing. It bites into wood
pretty deeply, so don’t use this tool on trim.
A small cat’s paw with a punch point is small
enough to remove finish nails, and its pointed
end doubles as a nail punch.
An 8-in. pry bar/nail puller lifts trim gently and
pulls finish nails.
Hammers. Left: hand sledge; top to bottom: 26-oz. framing hammer, 20-oz. framing hammer,
16-oz. finish hammer, and small hand sledge.
54
Chapter 3
misCEllanEOus tOOls
Interior scaffolding has rollers that let you
move it around a room. Before you mount a plat-
Sawhorses support work at a comfortable height. form, always lock the roller locks, and dismount
The metal-leg variety, which nail to lengths of
before unlocking the locks for any reason. It’s
2x4, are sturdy and easy to collapse and store.
unwise to move an unlocked scaffold while some-
The Black & Decker® Workmate® has an integral one is atop it.
clamp in its benchtop; it also folds flat for com-
ladder jacks. Ladder jacks offer an inexpensive,
pact storage and transport.
quickly adjustable setup, which can be safe if
Electrical and plumbing tools are covered in
both ladders are well footed. Many jack brackets
other chapters. But don’t be without a voltage
pivot so that scaffolding planks can rest under or
tester to make sure the power is off, slot and
over the ladder. Consult the operating instruc-
Phillips-head screwdrivers with insulated han-
tions supplied with your ladder jacks. In general,
dles, and needle-nose and lineman’s pliers. And
avoid platform heights higher than 8 ft.
every toolbox should have a pipe cutter, large and Pump jacks. Pump jacks work fine when new,
small adjustable open-end wrenches (commonly
but after a few seasons of rain and rust, they often
called Crescent
® wrenches), slip-nut pliers, and a bind, which produces eye-popping free falls or
pair of pipe wrenches.
blind rage when you’re 15 ft. in the air and the
Earth tools include a round-point shovel, pickax, jacks refuse to go up or down. Consequently, most
hatchet or ax, and wheelbarrow.
rental pump jacks have been hammered silly for
their failings. Be wary of rental pump jacks.
Tools to Rent
lasEr tOOls
Most contractors own the tools listed in this sec-
Laser levels have become more common as their
tion, but occasional users should probably rent
prices have dropped so buy one if your budget
them. The decision depends on how often or how allows. You can set a self-leveling laser almost
long you may need the tools and how passionate
anywhere, and it will project a level reference
you are about collecting them.
line all around a room or to a distance of 50 ft. to
safEty, sCaffOlDing, anD jaCKs
100 ft. easily. Laser levels are invaluable for set-
ting electrical outlets or kitchen cabinets at the
Inside or out, scaffolding gives you secure footing same height, finding how much a floor is sloping,
and peace of mind. Instead of hanging precari-
or checking drainage slope by shooting from the
ously from a ladder, you can concentrate on what curb to a house foundation.
you’re doing. That said, anyone who’s not com-
fortable working at heights shouldn’t. As one
contractor put it, “If it feels unsafe on a roof, it
probably is.”
Pipe-frame scaffolding. Have the rental compa-
ny set up and tear down exterior scaffolding. It
takes experience to set scaffolding safely, espe-
cially on uneven ground, and units must be
attached to the building.
Pipe scaffolding typically consists of two rec-
tangular end frames and diagonal braces secured
with wing nuts or self-locking cleats. Once the
first stage is assembled, the installer adjusts the
self-leveling feet until the platform is level.
To raise successive stages, the installer stacks
end frames over coupling sleeves and locks the
pieces in place with uplift and cotter pins.
Additional lock arms may join the bracing.
Platforms should be planked their entire width
with 2x lumber or metal planks provided by the
rental company. Guardrails are a must on all
scaffolding. If your platform is 10 ft. or higher,
most safety codes require midrails and toe
boards as well.
Rotating laser on a job site. Note the laser lines on nearby studs.
tools
55
laser plumbs (see p. 288) enable electricians to
right-anglE Drill
lay out ceiling light-can locations on the floor
Renting a 1⁄2-in. right-angle drill will let you avoid
and then shoot the locations up to the ceiling. It’s burning out your own drill while roughing in
much easier than repeatedly climbing a step-
plumbing and electrical runs. The right-angle
ladder and plumbing down.
drill is a godsend in the tight spaces between
laser tape measures, also known as laser dis-
framing members, and the drill’s long handle
tance meters, bounce a sonic or laser beam
gives you more leverage to control the torque of
between surfaces to get a quick reading of dis-
this slow-drilling, powerful machine.
tance. They’re not accurate enough for cabinet
When drilling through framing, self-feeding,
work, but they’re great for drywall estimators,
double-spiral bits clear wood well, but use a hole-
siding installers, and (so I hear) golfers who want cutting bit when bigger holes are required.
to know exactly how far it is to the green.
Whatever bit you use, wear goggles and watch
for nails. The better right-angle drills will have a
sliDing COmpOunD-mitEr saW
clutch that disengages if the bit meets a certain
level of resistance.
A 10-in. sliding compound-miter saw is the ulti-
mate tool for a wide range of finish work. The
pnEumatiC nailErs
extended crosscut length, combined with adjust-
able angle and bevel settings, allows complicated It may take 20,000 to 30,000 nails just to sheath
cuts in large materials such as 6-in. by 6-in. deck
an average house. Add to that the nails needed
posts, 10-in.-wide siding boards, and large crown for framing, roofing, and shingling, and you can
molding.
begin to imagine the number of hammer strokes
required. Pneumatic nailers, commonly called
pOWEr planErs
nail guns, save a lot of effort.
Moderately priced and incredibly useful, a power
planer can plane down studs to create a flat plane
for drywall, trim a little off an exterior door, and
quickly cut a slot so the nailing flange of an elec-
trical box is flush to the edge of a stud (see the
photo on p. 199).
Pneumatic nailers. From left: finish nailer and
framing nailer.
nailer TRIggERS
Pneumatic nailers have several types of triggers.
The safest is a restrictive trigger, which you
must squeeze and release to shoot a nail. A sec-
ond type, a bounce-fire trigger, shoots a nail
each time you depress the gun’s nosepiece.
Bounce-fire triggers are usually favored for
sheathing, which requires a lot of 8d nails
(21⁄2 in. long) spaced relatively close to one
Sliding compound-miter saw.
another. Until you become accustomed to nail-
ers, restrictive triggers are far safer.
56
Chapter 3
Control of the workpiece is the other big
A powder-actuated tool with
advantage. When using a hammer and nail, you
drive pins and (at top of gun) a
need one hand for each. A pneumatic nailer
strip of cartridges.
delivers the nails, giving you a free hand to hold a
stud or top plate in place. The nail goes in quickly
without requiring hammer blows that can cause
the workpiece to drift out of position.
And pneumatic nailers won’t slip and ding
expensive trim. Consequently, among profession-
als, pneumatic finish nailers have all but replaced
hand nailing door and window casings.
There are framing nailers, finish nailers, brad
nailers, and pin tackers. They are powered by air
Rotary hammers. From left:
hoses connected to a compressor and calibrated by
1⁄2-in. hammer drill and
a pressure adjustment on the nailer. Staff at rental
11⁄2-in. hammer drill.
companies can explain the adjustments as well as
safety features and how to use the tools safely.
Hard hats, safety glasses, and hearing protec-
tion are musts.
pOWDEr-aCtuatED tOOls
Potentially very dangerous, powder-actuated
tools are useful for shooting nails into concrete,
as when framing an interior wall on a concrete
slab or securing pressure-treated lumber to a
Wear safety glasses, hearing protection, heavy
foundation wall. These connections aren’t consid- gloves, and a hard hat.
ered structural. Engineers specify bolts instead
for all structural connections to concrete.
COnCrEtE BrEaKEr
A reputable rental company will demonstrate
anD COmprEssOr
the tool’s safe use, describe (and rent) safety
Whenever you need to replace defective concrete,
equipment, answer your questions, and supply
change the configuration of foundations, or remove
appropriate cartridges and drive pins. Some local concrete so you can lay underground drainage
codes prohibit renting powder-actuated tools to
pipes, rent a concrete breaker (see the photo on
nonprofessionals.
p. 247) and special high-volume compressor.
When using this tool, wear safety glasses,
hearing protection, and a hard hat.
sOil tampEr
hammEr Drills
Use a gasoline-powered soil tamper tool before
you pour a concrete slab, lay a brick walk, or set
Hammer drills are a category of tools that com-
a stone patio.
bine hammer and rotary functions to drill holes
into concrete. The terms hammer drill, impact
DumpstErs
hammer, and rotary hammer are often used
interchangeably, but I’ll use hammer drill to
Although you can rent Dumpsters by the day or
denote smaller, less powerful tools and rotary
week, carefully plan (and stick to) demolition
hammers to denote larger, more powerful ones.
schedules so your Dumpsters leave the job site
promptly. Other people’s debris has a way of fill-
Hammer drills (1⁄2 in.) typically offer two settings: ing your Dumpster when it sits too long. Don’t
rotation only and hammering with rotation.
order one until you’re well into tearout and have
They’re adequate for drilling small holes in con-
accumulated a half-week’s worth of debris.
crete, for anchoring door thresholds to slabs, and
If you’re demolishing masonry, rent a “low boy,”
for predrilling pilot holes for masonry screws.
which is a small unit (10 cu. yd.) specially built for
A rotary hammer drill (11⁄2 in.) is the tool of
the great weight of concrete, brick, and the like.
choice if you need to drill dozens of 3⁄4-in. holes
For other jobs, rent the largest size available, usu-
Renovation 4th Edition Page 13