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Lawn and Garden Construction

AuthorHouse

Chapter One

Good-quality tools are essential to anyone intent on constructing a landscape item. Before any tool is purchased, it should be checked carefully for durability, efficiency, sound construction, and ease of maintenance. Good-quality tools may be more ex pensive than some on the market, but the additional price usually ensures that the tool will perform admirably for many trouble-free years.

MAINTENANCE, STORAGE, AND RECORD KEEPING

Proper maintenance of your tools is necessary to keep them functioning efficiently. When periodic maintenance is ignored, your finished project and your tools may suffer. Cleaning each tool immediately after it is used prevents having to do it the next time the tool is needed. This practice also prolongs the life of your tools.

Wooden handles of tools should be treated with linseed oil two to three times each year to preserve them and extend their length of service. Every attempt should be made to store tools with wooden handles in a dry location indoors when they are not being used to eliminate the excessive and rapid deterioration that occurs when they are left outdoors.

It is essential that you keep all cutting tools well sharpened. Using a dull saw blade or drill bit requires much more physical exertion and may affect the final appearance of your project. Dull tools are also dangerous.

Establishing a definite storage location for each of your tools should enable you to note at a glance which tool is missing from your storage inventory and possibly determine its whereabouts. One simple yet effective method of accomplishing this is to trace the outline of each tool on a pegboard. Items not suited to being housed on a pegboard and those with a specific function are best placed in a cabinet clearly labeled with the contents of each drawer and their quantities.

A checklist of tools to be used for each project is absolutely essential, since it not only helps you decide which tools will be needed but also enables you to make certain that you return with all the tools with which you started (Figure 1-1). Expanding this checklist into a complete inventory of all your tools could prove worthwhile for insurance purposes in the event that a loss is incurred.

To help alleviate the problem of leaving a precious tool behind, many contractors use some means of identifying their tools so that the finder of a lost tool feels obligated to notify the owner of the tool's whereabouts. Usually, the contractor's name and phone number are sufficient. Tools can be marked with a stencil, a punch, or an inexpensive electric scribing implement.

POWER TOOLS

Because of their speed and accuracy, electric power tools are frequently used to perform a variety of operations formerly accomplished with hand tools. Their proper usage must be thoroughly understood by every craftsperson so that injury does not occur to either the user or the tool.

For simplicity, the following guide to proper power tool usage has been divided into two categories: tips on ensuring personal safety and tips on proper handling and manipulation of the tool itself to achieve peak performance.

Power Tool Safety

It is imperative that the work area be safe.

1. It should not be cluttered with debris.

2. It should be well lighted.

3. Bystanders must be kept a safe distance away.

4. Materials should be well supported and clamped down when necessary.

You must be ever conscious of your source of electricity.

1. No electric tool should be used in damp locations or exposed to the rain.

2. An electric cord should never come in contact with sharp objects or heat and should never be yanked from a receptacle.

3. Before any electric tool is serviced, it should be disconnected from its power source.

4. An extension cord should be of adequate size and labeled "for outdoor use" if so used. It is essential that the cord be inserted into a ground fault circuit receptacle.

5. Never allow yourself or any material to become entangled with an electric cord.

6. Never operate any tool if the line voltage is questionable or known to fluctuate.

Wearing the proper attire is an absolute necessity.

1. Loose-fitting clothing or jewelry should not be worn because of the possibility of it getting caught.

2. Safety glasses should be worn whenever a danger of flying debris exists.

Safe treatment of each tool must always be kept in mind.

1. When idle, a tool should be stored in a dry location out of the reach of small children.

2. Monthly maintenance should always be performed while the tool is not in use. This includes checking for sharpness of attachments and proper functioning of all moveable external parts, plus following the required lubrication schedule.

3. When in use, a tool must never be forced beyond its capabilities.

4. Never use the wrong sized attachment on any power tool, or injury to yourself and the tool may result.

5. Make certain that you are never off balance and that you do not overextend your reach when using a power tool.

6. Avoid operating any electric tool in an explosive environment where fumes might be ignited by sparks generated by the tool. Make sure that no gasoline, oil, paint thinner, or other volatile liquid is near the working area.

7. When an electric tool appears to be working at less than peak efficiency, disconnect the cord before attempting any examination of the tool or its components.

8. Never place your hands beneath the working area for any reason.

9. Never remove any of the manufacturer's safety-designed components from any power tool.

Using Power Tools With Optimum Success

Circular Saw. Start by checking the saw blade for tautness and the electrical cord for wear. Test cuts and precision depth cuts with a piece of scrap wood before making the actual cut.

When trimming an edge, make sure that the saw's housing passes over the material to be kept. The material to be cut off should always be to the right of the saw blade (Figure 1-2).

To avoid kickback, be sure to provide adequate support near the cut, and make every attempt to cut on the drawn line. (Kick back may also be caused by a dull blade.) Place the "good side" down, especially when cutting wood panels, so that any splintering will occur on the top surface.

When the saw is used to make angle cuts, its blade must be adjusted to the desired setting and then used to cut the material. For a successful cut, the saw's shoe must lie flat on the material (Figure 1-3).

A pocket cut requires close adherence to the following series of steps: Adjust the blade to the desired depth. Tilt the saw forward so that the front of its shoe rests on the material. Lift the blade guard so that the saw blade nearly touches the drawn line, then release the guard to rest on the material to prevent the saw blade from missing its cut. As you begin to cut, gradually lower the saw blade until the shoe lies flat on the material; then complete the desired cut. Allow the blade to come to a complete halt before withdrawing the blade.

A hand saw is usually needed to complete notched cuts that require two perpendicular cuts and an acceptable final appearance, as for formation of stair stringers and for deck boards that require notching to fit around a rail post (Figure 1-5).

Sabre Saw. Before using a sabre saw, it is advisable to clamp down thin material such as sheet metal, Formica, plastics, and Power Tools composition tile to guarantee straight cuts and to minimize vibration, since excessive vibration can result in damage to the material. Unlike circular saws, most sabre saws are able to cut intricate designs in a variety of materials. The procedure for making pocket cuts and bevel angle cuts with a sabre saw is similar to that explained in the circular saw discussion.

Electric Drill. Because of its adaptability to a variety of attachments, the electric drill is an absolute necessity for every crafts- person. It enables one to perform a variety of operations with just one tool. Drilling holes, sanding, grinding, buffing, and inserting and removing screws (provided the drill is equipped with a reversible chuck rotation) can each be accomplished with the appropriate electric drill attachment (Figure 1-6).

Power Tool Terminology

It is helpful to be familiar with terminology associated with electric power tools.

Guarantee or warranty. For how long is the tool covered? Will it be replaced free of charge or repaired free of charge during the specified period? How accessible are replacement parts?

Double insulated. Tools having this notation need no grounding and protect the user from electric shock, no matter what the circumstances. Such tools have a two-prong plug.

Grounded. Tools equipped with three wires to prevent electric shock to the user if the internal wiring malfunctions. They require an adapter, which must be properly installed to achieve the desired grounding.

Switches. Several types are available. Variable speed switches provide the user with the ability to change the rpms of the motor from zero to the maximum by simply changing the finger pressure. A trigger switch has a locking mechanism quickly released by a squeeze of the trigger. Some power saws are equipped with a safety switch to prevent a small child from turning them on. The safety switch must be depressed to activate the trigger switch. The reversing switches featured on some electrical drills enable the user to remove embedded drill bits.

Horsepower. Horsepower is not an absolute means of comparing different manufacturers' tools because of their various methods of evaluating it. Using horsepower to compare the same manufacturer's family of tools, however, is fairly reliable. A ¼-inch drill may have a motor of (1/5) horsepower, while a ¾-inch drill usually has a 11/2-horsepower motor. Brushes. Are brushes easily accessible and spring loaded?

Motor and gear housings. Most manufacturers use either die-cast aluminum or thermoset polyester in their motor and gear housings. Polyester is preferred by most craftspersons during either very hot or cold weather.

Depth of cut. Especially important with respect to circular saws, depth of cut is related to blade size. With each 1/2-inch of blade diameter, only (1/8)-inch of cutting depth is gained. Find out what thickness the saw will be able to cut, both at a 90-degree angle and a 45-degree angle. A depth adjustment feature is an asset on circular saws and power planers.

Motor bearings. Are they permanently lubricated? For extensive work, select a heavy-duty, professional-type electric tool, since tools designed primarily for the homeowner are permanently lubricated for approximately 100 hours of performance-a life time for most weekend homeowners.

Length of electric cord. Tools with long cords are more convenient to use than those with very short cords.

Motor gears. Helical and spur gears are designed for a smooth, quiet operation. Worm-drive gears have the ability to handle severe shock and provide extra power, especially for power saws. Low-friction gears ensure a long tool life.

Auxiliary removable handle. Tools equipped with such a handle are more versatile and easier to control than similar tools that are not. Some large electric drills are designed so that the handle can be inserted on either side of the drill.

GRINDING TOOLS

Grinding a tool is done whenever excess metal must be removed, e.g., to return a plane iron to a square edge, to remove the nicks and grooves from a cutting edge, or to restore the original bevel of a cutting edge. Grinding must be accomplished with care. Be sure to dip the tool in water frequently to keep it from becoming overheated which causes it to become soft, lose its temper, and turn a blue-black color. Most tools need grinding much less frequently than sharpening.

Observe the following rules when grinding a chisel, plane iron, or gouge:

1. The grinding wheel must turn towards the tool.

2. The holding attachment on the grinder must be set so that its angle to the wheel's surface is about 25 degrees.

3. The bevel of the tool must be held lightly against the wheel and moved evenly from side to side across its surface.

4. The tool must be dipped in water frequently to prevent over heating.

SHARPENING TOOLS

To renew the cutting edges of tools, e.g., to sharpen planes, chisels, knives, gouges, and scrapers, an oilstone is used. For the stone to be effective and long lasting, a thin oil such as Three-in-One, should be used during sharpening to prevent the small steel particles of the tool from becoming embedded in the stone's surface. When not in use, the stone should be kept wrapped in a cloth moistened with oil.

The important things to remember when sharpening any tool are to maintain the correct angle during its movement along the stone and to use smooth, even back-and-forth strokes on the coarse side of the stone. Remove the burr or wire edge produced after a few strokes by whetting it on the fine side of the stone. To obtain the very finest edge, use a leather strop dressed with a fine grinding paste.

Hand saw or circular saw blades may be sharpened by the craftsperson at home or by a neighborhood shop that specializes in saw sharpening. If you decide to do it yourself, you should be aware that there are four distinct steps in the reconditioning of a saw.

When a saw's teeth become uneven due to striking nails or improper filing, the saw must first go through the joining step, in which a file is used to return all its teeth to the same height. After joining has been completed, the next step is to shape the teeth with a file so that they are all the same size and desired shape. The third step is the setting of the teeth. Setting a saw is accomplished by bending alternate teeth in opposite directions using a pistol grip and hand saw set. The sequence finally terminates with the last step, the actual sharpening.

The saw teeth are sharpened with a slightly tapered file with fine, single-cut teeth while the saw is held firmly in place in a saw vise. This step can usually be performed three or four times before the next step, setting the teeth, must be performed.

Specialized sharpening kits are now readily available for the home craftsperson. One such kit can be used to restore the sharp edge on router bits, another is designed for sharpening electric drill bits. A combination sander-sharpener that attaches to an electric drill can also be used to sharpen knives and similar tools.

Project

A Wheelbarrow Handle

Materials

One l¾ x 2" x 5' piece of oak (ash, hickory, beech, and maple can also be used). Note: A pressure-treated 2 x 4 can be trimmed to size whenever an emergency arises.

Electric drill with 3 drill bit. Six carriage bolts: two 3-inch, three 4-inch, and one 6-inch bolt.

Procedure

1. Even though most wheelbarrow handles are a standard size, it is advisable to use an old, broken one as a pattern to locate the bolt holes and to determine the length of the hand grip.

2. Six holes must be drilled in the handle. The front two are drilled through the width at right angles to the 2-inch height of the handle. They will receive the two 3-inch bolts, whose purpose is to hold one end of the front-assembly bracket.

3. The other four holes are drilled through the height of the handle. The front two 4-inch bolts will attach the handle to the axle bracket. The 6-inch bolt connects the metal tray, the triangular-shaped wooden riser, and handle to the front leg bracket. The remaining 4-inch bolt connects all the components to the rear-leg bracket.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Lawn and Garden Construction by Robert F. Baudendistel Copyright © 2011 by Robert F. Baudendistel. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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