Sunday, September 25, 2011

The Power of Unpowered Tools

In our process of a greener life I've found that building projects around the house could use a more sustainable upgrade. While trying to use more eco-friendly or repurposed materials. I realized that not using power tools for the work was another step that needed to be done to build in a greener fashion. So lately I've been putting down the power tools for more hand tools. Setting aside the compound miter saw for a smaller miter box and hand saw, or using a hammer and nails instead of lugging around the compressor and nail gun.
Hand tools over power tools,  being a bit more work got me to realize the mistakes that I make can cost me in time and energy. Aside from that hand tools are easier to carry, with basically everything you need on one tool belt. The hand tools themselves can cost 10 times less in some instances. They can be reconditioned  with sharpening and filing. Storage is simpler because they take up less space, so you could have a large arsenal in a rather small tool box. Which is great for people with limited living space. Most hand tools will last longer if kept and maintained correctly.
All in All  I've realized the benefit to hand tools. Not only being a greener decision, but for a more detailed job. I've begun to collect many different hand tools now and realize their worth. In our times of making the jobs quicker and easier we've completely left out the advantage of not using power to do a simple job of installing a couple pieces of trim moulding or base shoe.


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