ABCs Of Hand Tools, Part 2 (1945)

[music] [music] [music] [music] Well, if it isn't our old friend primitive Pete, you can always depend on him to misuse Use tools. What do you have up to now, Pete? Uh-oh. Just as we thought. A cold chisel is a sturdy tool, but don't try to cut hardened steel with it. Here's a tip. If steel resists filing, it is much too hard for your cold chisel. But used properly, a cold chisel has no equal for many jobs. For instance, cutting off this rivet head or for splitting rusty nuts which can't otherwise be removed. It's handy too for making a rough cut on sheet metal. Of course, there are many other kinds of chisels used for working metal. For example, the cape chisel, the roundnosed, and the diamond pointed. All three are shaped for certain jobs. To get the best results from any chisel, be sure the chisel is big enough for the job. And always use a hammer big enough for the chisel. Above all, be careful of flying chips. And never use a dull edge chisel for cutting. Keep the tool sharp by dressing the cutting edge on an emery wheel and try to maintain the original bevel. But don't let the tool get hot. To prevent drawing the temper, dip the cutting end in cold water at frequent intervals. The cutting edge, as shown in this magnified view, should be ground to a slight radius. When the head of the chisel starts to look like this, it's time to dress it up on an emery wheel. To do a neat job, grind off the metal until the sides are evenly tapered, leaving the top comparatively flat. Searching for a tool when you need it takes all the joy out of any job. A handy rack saves your time and temper. For dozens of repair jobs around the home, a wood chisel is indispensable. For certain jobs, hey, wait a minute. Using a chisel to open a can. Who let Primitive Pete in? Uh-oh. Our mistake. It's Mrs. Primitive Pete. She would be the one to stir paint with a chisel or to remove tanks or even as a substitute for a screwdriver. Here's how to use a wood chisel correctly. To make a horizontal cut, always try to work with the grain of the wood. Ordinarily, to make a roughing cut, the bevel is held down and the chisel is forced into a deep cut with a mallet or hammer. For most work, a thin pairing cut is easier to get when the bevel side is up. For fine work, the chisel should be held at a low angle to the wood, slightly turned to one side, and then pushed with firm, even strokes from the worker. Your chisels deserve the best of care. Keep them sharp, polished, and ready for use. Wood planes were developed from chisels. Every workshop needs at least two types. The block plane for small light work or for planing end grain and the jack plane for work on larger surfaces. For smooth operation, the plane must be carefully adjusted. If the cutting edge is uneven, sight along the bottom of the plane. Then move the lateral adjusting lever either right or left to even up the cutting edge. It'll look like this when seen from the front end. To adjust the plane for a thin shaving, turn the adjusting nut until the cutting edge projects about the thickness of a hair. Before you start to plane, be sure the wood is clean and that all nail heads are set well below the surface. Always plane with the grain. Press down on the knob at the beginning of the stroke, then on the handle at the end of the stroke. When storing for future use, a narrow cleat on the shelf will prevent damage to the blade. Every tool kit should have at least three punches. A starting punch, a pin punch, and a center punch. The starting punch comes in handy for loosening rivets, pins, or bolts. Then use the pin punch to finish the job. The center punch is a mighty handy tool for punching the location of a hole in metal before drilling. If we don't make a punch mark, the drill will wander about. But if we first punch a small hole in the metal, the drill takes hold immediately. Every workshop needs a good brace and a set of bits for boring holes in wood. Hey, Pete. Wait a minute. You're forcing it. Well, you almost made a hole in one. And what a hole. Now, let's do it over and try to make a clean, straight hole. First, we use a tri square to line up the bit with the plank. Then, hold the brace firmly and use only enough pressure to allow the screw point to draw the bit into the wood. Now stop boring when the screw point starts to come through. Then turn the plank over and finish the hole from that side. Now there's a hole you can be proud of. It's very important to protect the screw point, the sharp spurs and the lip from damage during use or when stored away for further use. One of the most useful tools is the ordinary file. Precision cut and made of very hard steel. Each part has a name. This is the face. This is the tang. The length of a file is the distance from the heel to the tip. A file with a single row of parallel teeth is called a single cut file. Files with crisscross rows of teeth are called double cut files. Files come in many different shapes, too, such as flat, half round, triangular, and rat tail. Before attempting to use any file, be sure to set it in a tight fitting handle. First, insert the tang. Then, give the handle several hard wraps. Remember file teeth are made to cut only on the forward stroke. Lifting the file from the work on the back stroke will prevent undue wear on the file. For draw filing to produce an even flat surface. The file is held in this position and drawn back and forth lengthwise with a work. A slight wrap on the handle will usually remove metal particles. But if your file becomes loaded with metal, it should be cleaned with a file card like this or a stiff wire brush. [snorts] Guess what's wrong in this picture? Well, in the first place, Pete is using a rip saw instead of a crosscut saw. The rip saw is used for cutting with the grain. It has coarse teeth, usually five or six to the inch. On the other hand, the crosscut saw has smaller teeth, usually 8 or 10 to the inch. Now, Pete, do you think you've learned which saw to use to do the job right? [music] Ah, that's better. [music] You see how nice and clean that cut off is? When using the crosscut saw, hold the saw at a 45 degree angle to the board and always start the cut with a backstroke. Holding the index finger along the handle helps to saw straight along the line. For sawing with the grain, use the rip saw. Hold it at an angle of 60° to the wood. Use long, steady strokes and don't force the saw into the wood. After every use, rub a little oil on the blade to guard against rust. But don't ever do this to your saw. Most of us are familiar with these other special purpose saws. the back saw, the compass saw, coping saw, and this adjustable frame hacksaw, which is used principally for sawing metal. Always place the blade on the pins with the teeth pointing forward. In starting a cut, make use of as many teeth as possible. For example, uh to cut this angle iron, this starting position would be right. This position of the blade would be wrong. Not enough teeth on the work. The cutting action is similar to a file. So remember to relieve the pressure on the backstroke to avoid dulling the teeth. Certain jobs require a certain number of teeth per inch. 32 teeth per inch would be too fine for this job. 18 teeth per inch would get the job done with less work. But for condid or any thin metal section, 18 teeth per inch is too coarse. The teeth would straddle the work, stripping the teeth and ruining the blade. In this case, 32 teeth would be correct since it allows two or more teeth on the work at all times. When not in use, the hacksaw should be hung up to protect the blade teeth. Common sense care [music] applies to all our tools. A place for everything, everything in its place. That's a mighty good slogan. Down through the ages, since the first stone age hammer, the proper use of tools has been the measure of man's progress. Today, all the miracles of modern production have their origin and their inspiration in the proper use of tools. So, let's have a new pride in our use and care of hand tools. Let's realize their tremendous importance to the onward march [music] of progress. >> [music]