HAMMERS:
Short handled and stubby looking, a stone hammer looks like a mini-sledgehammer. It is real good for demolition work and generally weighs 2 to 5 lbs. Add a stone chisel to the mix and it does a great job of cutting stone. YES, you COULD drive nails with it but I advise against it. Heavy hammers against unprotected fingers and thumbs is just a bad idea.
The next up is a ball pein hammer, well suited for metal work with the round ball on the back which is good for forming metal and hammering rivets. These hammers CAN drive nails but that isn't what they were designed for. A similar hammer is the cross pein which instead of the ball on the back it has more like a wedge. The cross pein is also a metal working hammer, CAN be used to drive nails but why not use the right tool for the job?
Claw hammer has a noticeable curve on the backside and depending on weight is used for heavy duty work like framing, usually in the 16 oz and up range.
Ripping Claw hammer has a straighter claw than the above and is for tearing open crates and ripping type demolition, the straighter claw makes it easier to pull nails and such. Again, the weight determines what it is best suited to and the operator determines how much weight they can stand to swing all day. Claw hammers are ideal for manually driving nails.
SCREWDRIVERS
Screwdrivers are no longer a simple choice of flat or crosshead, you now need to know what screws you are actually driving. A lot of screws (crosshead variety) now come with the bit you need to use to drive them. Any more, a good set of screwdrivers will pretty well cover the various screw head types but you need to check fit anyway. #2 Phillips is almost a universal for crosshead screws but there are others that you will run into. Flat screwdrivers need to be fitted to the screw head as well as the Phillips. Using to big a head will tear up the surface as the portion of the blade that extends beyond the screw slot digs in. If the blade of the driver doesn't fit the width of the slot it will constantly slip out and again, gouge the surrounding surface. Fit the driver to the task.
Battery powered drills make great screwdrivers and I will only run a screw by hand when I absolutely have to. There are many choices to pick from and it is best to go heft a few and see if the weight of the tool is something you can live with. Make sure the drill has a clutch so you can dial in how much torque you want to put on a screw, this is a really handy feature.
LUMBER LIES
Nominal says 1 inch, reality says 25/32 or there abouts since there is an allowable tolerance to work with, the dimensions DO vary.
Nominal says 2 inch, reality says 1 5/8 or close to it. Again, there is allowable variance and it does get used.
OK, now that you know the softwood you are buying isn't EXACTLY what is says it is, you need to make sure you buy what you NEED, not what it says. All this really means is if you NEED a 10 inch wide board, you will need to buy a bigger board than the 1 x 10 off the shelf, or as follows:
1 x 2 = 25/32 x 1 5/8
1 x 3 = 25/32 x 2 5/8
1 x 4 = 25/32 x 3 5/8
1 x 6 = 25/32 x 5 5/8
1 x 8 = 25/32 x 7 5/8
1 x 10 = 25/32 x 9 5/8
1 x 12 = 25/32 x 11 5/8
OK, so you don't really get what is advertised, you can take comfort in knowing that at some point the wood really was what it said but it was rough sawn and not near as nice to handle or work with. Rough sawn lumber is a much cheaper way to get lumber IF you are up to the task of jointing and planing to get it down to usable condition.
HARDWOOD LUMBER
Hardwood lumber is usually pretty much what it says since it use a quarter system which actually makes sense.
4/4 = 1 inch
5/4 = 1 ¼ inch
6/4 = 1 ½ inch
and so on.
What the heck is a board foot?
Glad you asked! One board foot is 144 cubic inches. OK, so that didn't help much, try this: A board 1 inch thick, 12 inches long, and 12 inches wide will equal a board foot or 1*12*12=144
1*6*48=288/144=2 board feet
OK, the above example is a board 1 inch thick, 6 inches wide, and 48 inches long or 2 board feet. Simple math that you will need when looking at hardwood unless it is being sold by the lineal foot.
HUH?
Lumber sold by the LINEAL foot is priced at so much per LINEAL foot (or inch. Depending on the lumber) so the dealer has already set a price for the width. Example:
6” oak a $5.00 per lineal foot will cost you $5.00 per 12 inches of that width.
We hope maybe a few of these examples will help you out. Get out there and make some chips!!!
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