Construction and Tools for Dummies - The Freelance Files MMCCXXVIII

tools for builders

An old adage would have it that if you ask a stupid question, you'll get a stupid answer. That may not necessarily be the case, though, because there are always people who are willing to generously share their knowledge even with garden-variety fools. On the other hand, there's eHow.com, where people who knew nothing often attempted to answer stupid questions, and their work was quite likely to support the old saw. Take, for instance, someone who wanted to know a "List of Tools Used in Construction": eHowian Timothy Sexton took it upon himself to create such a list... except he clearly had no idea what he was talking about in his post, which now lives at HomeSteady.com.

For what it's worth, there are lots of lists out there. We kinda like this one... but anyway, can you really trust a schmuck who wants you to "Make like Thor and become the hammer of the gods with your own construction tools"? That doesn't even make sense! Then again. a lot of what Timmy had to say didn't make a lot of sense. For instance, he never even considered what a broad category "construction" is, heading straight for building a house. Who knows: maybe this was a fifth-grade social studies assignment question?

Whatever the case, Sexton went wrong a lot of times in his "advice," starting in the introduction when he told his reader that,

"...you will want to begin by collecting those tools necessary for measuring, cutting, mixing and laying out foundation material and digging."

We notice that Tim forgot to mention layout – squares, levels, plumb bobs, etc. – which suggests he skipped over s line in his source's list. Then again, based on his later reference to "Measuring Squares," it seems he's not all that familiar with layout tools. But let's see what bogosity Sexton visited upon the various tools he did mention:

• "Hammers – A claw hammer is used in construction for driving in nails and pulling them out." – They're used for a lot more than just driving in nails... but pulling nails out? In construction? not so much. And maybe Tim should have mentioned the different weights instead of thinking they're all Thor-like.
• "Screwdrivers – A collection of various sizes of both flathead and Phillips screwdrivers is a necessity throughout a construction project."  – Not really, Tim. Screwdrivers aren't used much until the finishing stages. Tim's also dumb enough to think that "A selection of screwdrivers is much easier to carry around than a power drill and these tools can be used for driving fasteners into wood, metal or stone." Yeah, sure: try sinking a screw in stone with a hand  tool...
• "Measuring Squares [sic] – Construction work relies on accurate measurements that can be accomplished with a tool called a square." – We hesitate to point out to Tim that you don't usually "measure" with a square; instead you use it to confirm right angles and mark lumber for cuts, etc.. He also didn't mention the speed square, which is indispensable for roofers.
• "Saws – Saws are used for the cutting of lumber to be used in the framing process. Handsaws include the crosscut saw for making cuts across the wood grain and a drywall saw for cutting through plaster, gypsum or wallboard." – Weird that Sexton mentions the crosscut saw but not the rip saw... and we wonder if Tim knew that gypsum is a mineral used to make wallboard, not the building product itself. 

• "Sanders – An orbital sander allows it to be used in a circular motion." – Sorry, Tim, you were confused: an orbital sander isn't "used in a circular motion"; it's used like a palm sander. Then again, you probably meant random orbital sander, a different animal. Got confused by that "orbital" word, dincha.

So, folks, next time you want information about tools... but not very good information and decidedly incomplete... just stop by the eHow family of niche sies and see if you can find another self-appointed expert with a BA in English, someone like our Dumbass of the Day, to fill you in on the deets. Just don't expect anything accurate.

SE - CONSTRUCTION