The Most Practical Tools to Prepare Your Soil for a Garden

Posted by cjs727 on Aug 29th, 2011 | 15 comments

With the right tools even hard, back-breaking preparation garden work can be simple and easy-to-do. To prepare the soil for a new garden, you will need digging or excavation tools; a spading fork, a hoe and a rake.

A spading Fork should be your first tool. Before you plant anything, you need to improve the soil. A spading fork is like a pitchfork but has a shorter handle and wider tines. It is used to loosen and turn the soil.

Next buy a good bow rake, which is used for leveling the soil after it has been loosened and prior to planting. It has short tines on one side that are attached to a metal frame. Good for removing large clods of earth or rocks from the soil, you can also turn the bow rake over and use the flat side to smooth the soil to prepare it for planting.

Finally, choose a hoe, which is used to cultivate the surface of the soil. This allows for penetration of the nutrients and water all plants require in order to thrive.

The tools I’ve listed above are the most basic and practical garden tools needed to prepare the soil prior to planting. Later I will list some you should introduce for additional uses and special needs.

Don’t purchase the most expensive tools if you are just starting out. You might discover that you really don’t like gardening -

A Simple yet Essential Tool

Posted by cjs727 on Aug 26th, 2011 | 4 comments

The Staple Gun is a versatile tool. It can help to perform the most basic home repair jobs and is also a huge assistant during those less frequently approached home decorating projects.

If you’re like me, you will find that having a staple gun is essential. Many home repairs and maintenance projects will be much easier to accomplish and end up with a more professional look over all.  If you are planning to repair a torn screen, replace the material on your lawn chairs or fasten wires and cords along the edge of your baseboards, you will be amazed at how simple and quick your project is to complete with the aid of a staple gun. 

Manual Staple Guns

Basic staple guns are manually operated by squeezing the handle at the back of the stapler. They’re fast, efficient and portable. There is now a design that reversed the handle to a forward action stapler, so when you squeeze down it is right over the firing mechanism. It offers a more accurate staple position and is much easier to use than the basic model.

Electric Staple Guns

Some larger projects will call for an electric staple gun. They take hardly any effort to fire, so anyone with less strength in their hands or one who has had a recent hand injury will appreciate the electric version. They use the same staples as manual models but do require electricity. Be sure to have an extension cord available because the power cord on the electric staple gun is usually just a few inches long. There are cordless models available which give greater mobility.

How to Use

A basic manual stapler will need some force at the back of the handle, be sure to apply pressure over the nose as you squeeze the handle. This will prevent it from jumping or lifting. When using power staplers the same situation can occur, remember to hold the nose firmly to the project piece.

Staple Gun Tips

Used improperly, staple guns can cause injuries, so please always handle accordingly.

Never point the staple gun towards someone.

Keep your hands away from the nose of the gun.

Keep out of reach of children and never let them use it.

 

This article contains information gathered from Google, Wikipedia, Answers.com,  About.com and other sites during my research.

History of Utility Knives

Posted by cjs727 on Aug 23rd, 2011 | 6 comments

The fixed-blade utility knife was developed some 500,000 years ago. At first they were made of stone.  These knives were designed to be used as general-purpose tools. For example, they could be used for cutting and shaping wood, for preparing food and for scraping hides.

By the 19th century the fixed-blade utility knife had evolved into a steel-bladed outdoor field knife capable of butchering or cleaning wild game, opening tins or cans, shaving or notching wood, cutting up branches for campfires and preparing meals.

With the invention of the backspring, pocket-sized utility knives could be produced with folding blades, designed to increase their portability and safety. These folding pocket utility knives were widely purchased and the military increasingly issued them to their servicemen. The U.S. folding utility knife, Swiss Army knife, and other multi tools with knife blades have become common choices. With the development of a stronger locking mechanism their utility, when being used for heavy-duty tasks such as preparing game or cutting through thick or hard materials, has been greatly increased.

Today’s Utility Knives

Both the fixed and the folding blade utility knife are popular knife styles today, both for outdoor use (camping, hunting, fishing, gardening, etc.) and indoor use (primarily in the workplace or for construction projects). One of the most popular types of workplace utility knife is the retractable or folding utility knife. Some of the more commonly known utility knives are Stanley knives, box cutters and X-Acto knives. These and similar types are designed as multi-purpose cutting tools for use in numerous trades and crafts. Designed to be lightweight and easy to carry, utility knives are commonly used where and when a tool is needed to trim plastic, wood materials, sheetrock, carpet and linoleum, to cut tape, cord, strapping or cardboard.

Design

Utility knives are available in a variety of styles. There are fixed, retractable or folding blade styled knives, designed in many sizes and lengths for the many different types of tasks they are to perform. Each style will hold either a fixed or replaceable blade, which also come in a variety of styles suitable for different projects. Therefore, an outdoor utility knife suited for camping or hunting will often use a broad three to five-inch fixed blade, while those designed for a construction or warehouse worker might feature a replaceable razor blade for cutting shingles, marking cut lines, cutting open boxes or scraping paint.

*This information includes some material gathered from Google, Wikipedia and other sites I found during my research.

The History of Saws

Posted by cjs727 on Aug 21st, 2011 | 14 comments

Stone Age man used stone saws to skin animals and cut meat in preparation for cooking. These first saws were made from one piece of stone pounded until a sharp edge was formed. The stone saw was heavy, difficult to use and would chip and brake often. Once man learned to forge blades of bronze or hardened copper, handsaws were made to have sharper, more dependable edges. One such saw, which dates from 1450 B.C., was excavated from an Egyptian tomb in 1853 and is now housed in the British Museum.

Roman Improvements

Early saws had a tendency to bind and jam in the wood as they were being used. The early Romans discovered that if the slot cut by the saw (known as a kerf) was wider than the blade there would be less likelihood of it binding in the cut. The Romans achieved widening the cut by angling the top half of the teeth outward from the blade to the right and left. This process was called “set.”

Saws of the Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, saw blades were very thin and crumpled easily. The saw blade was set into a rectangular frame to avoid this and keep it stiff, hence the name “frame saw.” Double-bladed frame saws were used to cut boards using a pit-sawing technique. This process had one man positioned above the log to be cut and one in a pit below. The saws were “raked”, meaning the teeth of the saws were angled to one side, so that the saw cut when pulled downward by the pitman.

Handsaw Handles

Sawyers of the 19th century tended to prefer a thicker-bladed handsaw over the thinner frame saw and its successor, the bow saw. The handsaws of this era were improved by using harder tempered steel and had elaborately adorned, hand carved handles. The handsaw had a stiffer blade, with a turned-open handle or a closed handle which completely surrounded the holding hand. In the 1920s and ‘30s plastic handles were introduced and became popular. However, in the ‘50s most manufacturers went back to wooden handles.

Today power saws have largely replaced handsaws, but many still prefer the grip and feel of sawing by hand. There are many types of hand and power saws available to handle a myriad of tasks. I will discuss them in more detail at a later time.

*This information includes some material gathered from Google, Wikipedia and other sites I found during my research.

Types of Screws and Screwdrivers

Posted by cjs727 on Aug 17th, 2011 | 15 comments

A variety of screws and driving tools exist to fasten together different materials.

Slot headed screws are driven by flat-bladed screwdrivers.

Cross-headed or Phillips screws have an X-shaped slot and are driven by a cross-headed screwdriver. These were designed so the driver will ride out under high pressure, which prevents the screw from over-tightening.

Pozidriv are patented screws that are similar to cross-headed but with better resistance to slipping.

Hex screws have a hexagonal hole and are driven by a hexagonal wrench, sometimes called an Allen key.

Robertson drive heads have a square hole and are driven by a special square power-tool bit or screwdriver, which is a low-cost version of the hex head.

More Screw Types

Cap screws have a convex head, usually hexagonal, designed to be driven by a spanner or wrench.

Set screws have no head and are designed to be inserted flush within or below the surface.

Drywall screws are a specialized, self-tapping screw with a cylindrical shaft.  Self-tapping is the ability of a screw to advance when turned, while creating its own thread.

Wood screws have a tapered shaft which allows them to penetrate into undrilled wood.

Machine screws have a straight cylindrical shaft that fits into a threaded nut.

 

*This information includes some material gathered from Google, Wikipedia and other sites I found during my research.

 

The History of Screws and Screwdrivers

Posted by cjs727 on Aug 14th, 2011 | 12 comments

Early Screws

Screws are used to hold two objects together. A screw is a shafted fastener with a head to tighten it into place, although there are some that have no head. The shaft has a threaded, corkscrew-shaped groove on its surface to hold the objects firmly together.

Sometime around the first century, screw shaped tools became common; however, we do not know who the inventors were. The first screws were made from wood and used in wine presses and olive oil presses. Metal screws and nuts used to fasten two objects together were introduced in the fifteenth century.

Mass Production

In 1770, Jesse Ramsden, an English instrument maker, invented the first successful screw-cutting lathe. He inspired other inventors to further his achievements and expand on his design. One notable is another Englishmen, Henry Maudslay, who designed an even larger and more accurate screw-cutting lathe that made it possible to mass-produce various sized screws.

Robertson Screw

In 1908, square-drive screws were invented by Canadian P. L. Robertson. The Robertson screw is considered the first recess-drive type fastener. Its design became a North American standard, as published in the sixth edition of Industrial Fasteners Institute Metric and Inch Standards. The Model T car made by the Ford Motor Company (one of Robertson’s first customers) used over seven hundred Robertson screws.

Phillips Head Screw

In the early 1930s, twenty eight years after P. L. Robertson’s prototype was released, Henry Phillips patented his Phillips head screws, which are also square-drive screws. Automobile manufacturers needed screws that could withstand greater torque and could provide a stronger hold. The Phillips head screw was compatible with the automated screwdrivers used in their assembly lines.

Screwdriver

A screwdriver is a tool used for driving (turning) screws and are designed with a tip that fits into the head of a screw.

In 1744, a flat-bladed bit for the carpenter’s brace was invented; this was the precursor to the first simple screwdriver. The first handheld screwdrivers appeared after 1800.

*This information includes some material gathered from Google, Wikipedia and other sites I found during my research.

Man’s First Tool – A Practical Solution to an Age Old Problem

Posted by cjs727 on Aug 7th, 2011 | 47 comments

When we research back in time, we see that man’s first tool was a simple stone held in his hand. It took centuries and many smashed fingers before a caveman thought to put a handle on the stone. Finally, the first hammer was invented. Hence, a practical solution was found to the age old problem of pain caused by smashed fingers.

This was about the 4th century BC. The handle was wood, which was the handle of choice through the ages and continues to be so to the present day. At first handles were simply tied to the hammer head with vines or strips of hide. Later a hole or “eye” was bored into the head for a stronger and secure fit. Since its beginning the hammer head has evolved. Through the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age and the Industrial Age improvements and the introduction of different materials have been added, like steel and metal alloys.

When our forefathers shopped for a hammer they would go to the village blacksmith. He would beat the hammer heads from red hot iron on an anvil to create the right shape and size. The blacksmith was one of the first metallurgists. To provide the right combination of temper, hardness and durability required a lot of experimentation at first.

When steel was introduced blacksmiths would use a process to add carbon. This give the steel the proper hardness needed. The hammer head was placed in a charcoal fire until it reached the desired heat. Then while red hot it was doused in water to set.

Today’s manufacturing methods computerize the process to carefully control the carbon and alloy content. Top quality manufacturers use a hot forging process with exact tempering of the steel to produce a durable, high-performance product. Less expensively produced hammers are made of cast steel. These are not as durable and are more likely to chip or mushroom during their use over time.

In the beginning hammer handles were made of wood, but today they also come in steel and fiberglass. Many wood working professionals still prefer the wooden handle over other handle types as they are more shock absorbent, lighter in weight and provide better balance. Steel hammers, a favorite with construction workers, can vibrate during use which can cause handle “sting.” However, modern manufacturers have improved on this, with a wood and/or rubber implant in the hammer head reducing the vibration and making the feel of these steel hammers to be almost like wood.

Due to our forefathers “do-it-yourself” practice, meaning doing everything, they had to have a hammer for every trade or task – coopers hammers for making barrels, veneer hammers for trimming lumber, wooden mallets for carpentry, furrier hammers for horse-shoes, bricklaying hammers, ice hammers and shoemaker’s hammers, to name just a few. Again, most of these were designed by the village blacksmith.

Today we have an even larger variety available. As an example, one major U.S. manufacturer produces more than 250 different types and sizes for every conceivable use.

*This information includes some material gathered from Google, Wikipedia and other sites I found during my research.