PopularMechanics082017

EASY WAYS TO DO HARD THINGS

SHOP NOTES

20 http://www.popularmechanics.co.za _ AUGUST 2017

I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT what was wrong with the overhead-door

gizmo in my garage, but leaning far enough back to see the motor through the

bottom part of my bifocals, I nearly tumbled off my stepladder. So I turned my

bifocals upside down: close-vision segment on top.

This manoeuvre comes in handy with any task above my head. Recently, I sort-

ed out the tangle of computer cables under my desk. Part of the time it, too, was

easier with glasses upside down, though I was on my stomach on the floor. After

that, I turned an old pair of wire-rim bifocals into permanent overhead work

glasses by bending the ear pieces in the opposite direction. I keep them in my

toolbox now. – David Owen

Rubber-band

cup holder

If you’re worried you may accidentally

topple a small, open-topped contain-

er of, say, paint, fasteners or beer, try

this: hammer two nails into a heavy

piece of scrap wood, spaced a few

centimetres further apart than the

diameter of the container. String a

rubber band between them. Then slip

the container between the parallel

lengths of rubber band; the tension

will keep it upright.

LOW-TECH SOLUTION

TO HIGH-TECH

COMPUTER PROBLEM

If your laptop’s touchpad is giving you

trouble, try dragging the corner of a

note card around its edges. That

should knock loose the crumbs and

dust that are the likely culprits.

The family tree of drills and drivers

DRILL DRIVER Your basic,

all-purpose cordless tool for

surfaces, like wood, that don’t

require heavy-duty power, but

do require precision.

NOTES: A drill driver may

come with a hammer setting

for use in masonry. If it does,

you’ll still need to use special-

ised masonry bits.

IMPACT DRIVER A tool

that both rotates and rapidly

hammers down on fasteners,

making driving screws quick

and easy (think: decking)

without pilot holes.

NOTES: Impact drivers accept

hex-shanked bits and do not

have clutch rings to limit torque,

as do most drill drivers.

IMPACT WRENCH The motor

spins up to high speed, then sud-

denly engages with the socket on

the wrench’s anvil so it hammers

a fastener. Huge torque. Famously

used by mechanics on lug nuts.

NOTES: Impact wrenches are

loud. Wear ear protection. And

make sure your sockets are

impact rated.

ROTARY HAMMER A bur-

lier drill driver with hammering

action designed to drill large

and deep holes into masonry

(as for securing a handrail to

concrete stairs).

NOTES: Uses a special chuck

and slide-in bits that won’t be

knocked loose by hammering

action. May have a hammer-only

setting for chiselling. PM

Inverted

bifocals for

upside-down

reading

FROM

—THE—

ARCHIVE

S

(1967!)