Hand Tools

   Every once and awhile I make an attempt to clean up the area around my work bench. This has been one of my indoor winter activities the past several weeks. (It's safer in the basement than out on the ice in the driveway,) There are tools, tape measures, rags and dried spots of glue that missed their mark. Let's not forget paint spills either.

   Now I have an assortment of power tools: drills; sanders, saws, electric screw drivers and more. But scattered among the power tools are the hand tools, those that require no electricity or rechargeable batteries.

   I can not remember the last time I purchased a 'new' hand tool. Most of my tools were either picked up at auctions or passed down from my father and grandfather. If tools could talk, I am sure they would have some interesting stories to tell. Maybe they helped repair the priceless dining room table at grandma’s house or were part of a mad Christmas Eve frenzy to finish putting the toys together.

   Some of the hand tools are true pieces of art. The crafted wooden handles and the delicate etchings on some the saw blade represent fine craftsmanship. . The handle on the crosscut saw is well worn and fits comfortably in my hand. Who knows the number of boards its teeth have cut?

   There is a well used screw driver, bent near the tip. Its handle is smooth to the touch from many turns I am sure. And although well used and a bit battered, the wooden handle remains rich in color from sweat and toil.

   My father must have really liked pliers. In his old tool box were at least a dozen pair ranging in size from very small to a pair that almost requires two hands to hold.. Pliers can be a very handy tool, not only for gripping things but also for scaring little children when a tooth is about to fall out.

   The true measure of a craftsman might rest with the quality of the chisels. From flat and narrow to curved and beveled, each has its own sleeve in the leather case. The ties to hold the case secure are long gone, but the faded initials of my grandfather are still visible.

   Anyone who has a tool bench knows you can’t have just one hammer. Now I know there are new hammers that are used by carpenters that can be quite expensive. But no metal handles here; just claw hammers of different sizes and shapes. There is a very small hammer that I remember as part of the “junk drawer” in my grandmother’s kitchen. I wonder if she ever used it on my grandfather.

   Part of my hammer collection includes a ball peen hammer. To this day, I still am not sure of its purpose, but it is fun to say. All I know is that it works nicely when removing glass from old window frames.

   With my current collection of power tools are my hand tools. But I hope that in fifty years from now my grandchildren will be looking at the old hand tools, wondering what they were used for or who used them. There truly is something fascinating about them.