Bench Racing with T-Bone
I enjoy working on a variety of projects. I enjoy working with my hands and being active. So why am I so lazy when it comes to getting the right tool for the job?
You know what I’m talking about. Laying underneath the new project and trying to dislocate a stuck part only to realize that the wrench I’m wrenching with is not quite the wrench for the wrenching. I’ve got a new long handled wrench just a couple feet away in the third drawer on the right with a bunch of other shiny wrenches. I keep thinking about it – as if – the more I picture it in my mind it will magically appear in my hand. That beautiful long chrome handle will give me just the right leverage to bust this nut. She is a beauty. Long and sleek with smooth edges and not a scratch on her.
I remember the day I picked her up. She was in the tool aisle at the local hardware store. Sitting there, waiting for me to take her home. Certainly I already have a 7/8ths inch box wrench in my toolbox, but this one with the long handle looked just right. And I knew, that she would help me in a bind. That she had my back when all the other wrenches failed. Her long sleek body would do the job. One swift move and “crack” that nut would come loose.
My boy Billy, looked at me. “Pop’s! You alright?” Immediately he snapped me into consciousness, and I replied, “Uh, yeah, just looking at the specs on this here wrench.” He’s my hardware store wingman. I slipped her in the basket and headed for the counter.
It was a great day. A warm autumn afternoon, with Nugent blaring something about cat scratch fever.
Not like today. I’m still laying on the ground. It’s cold, and the radio is trying to muster some “classics” through crackled static in a blown out speaker. And, I’ve got a stuck nut. As she lays there, quietly, waiting for me to pick her up.
Here’s a little fun HOW-TO video we shot at SEMA of a young lady showing us how to keep our wrenches clean.
[Watch for more “Bench Racing with T-Bone” articles as our new Monthly Feature]