Thoughts on power tools (and their instructions)

I bought an electric drill many years ago because I needed to drive some screws that I knew couldn’t be done easily (or at all?) with a manual screw driver and my hand. Then, when I was having my Bethesda house painted (getting ready to sell it), I finally broke down and bought a cordless screw driver to take down and replace the window treatments. In each instance, what a difference having the right tool made! So, when Mina and I decided to build a chicken coop, we knew that we needed the right tools … power tools.

We decided to invest in a miter saw and a circular saw. The miter saw has been getting a workout, but not before we learned a few things that you may want to know. (If not, stop reading here.)

Unlike most users (I am presuming, but not without anecdotal evidence to support my presumption), we decided to read the instructions. Start with assembly. First we learned that the machine needed to be bolted down to a surface. That meant three trips: one to Habitat (more on them another time) and another to Home Depot. At Habitat we procured a terrific little table -- particleboard top, metal base, splayed legs for stability, shelf for stuff, portable -- for only $15. (Online, miter saw tables run $200-$300.) At Home Depot, we procured bolts, nuts, lock washers, all the stuff necessary to bolt the machine down. Total $3.20 (not too shabby). Third trip was unexpected: we were amazed to find that neither of us had a drill bit big enough for the bolt holes, so back we went to Home Depot for the right drill bit.

Having finally gotten the machine secured so it cannot escape, and having been told by numerous individuals of the male persuasion that they simply didn’t bother with that step, we moved on to the other “assembly” instructions. The first was “make sure that the fence is square.” Now, I had to wonder why any company would manufacture a miter saw with a fence that wasn’t square. Isn’t that, after all, the point? We considered saying, “Oh, it must be square; let’s cut something.” But girls will be girls. We checked the fence. It was NOT square. Which meant we had to fix it. The instructions were less than helpful here, since they told us to use the blade wrench that came with the saw to loosen the fence bolts. Imagine our surprise when we found that that wrench didn’t fit those bolts. A search ensued for the right wrench . Mina has dozens of allen wrenches and, of the dozens, one (count ‘em, one) fit.

Next, we had to check the blade to see if it was square (with the rest of the machine). Again, it would have been nice to assume that it was, but given our experience with the fence, that was a non-starter. To check the blade, all we needed was a combination square. And did we have a combination square? Noooo. So, off we went again to Home Depot. But they didn’t have a combination square that would fit into that itty- bitty space beside the blade. Off, then, to Robnett’s Hardware, a Corvallis institution. Robnett’s is one of those old-time hardware stores that seems to always have just what you need. And they did. We got the cutest little combination square you have ever seen: 6 inches long and immensely useful as we continue construction.

If this sounds like a lot of running around, it is. However, no trip in Corvallis takes more than 15 minutes, and Mina and I have come to regard any day without a trip to Home Depot as odd. The other good news is that we love our Ryobi miter saw ($114), especially now that it has a square fence, its own personal table, and security.