To get the job done efficiently, carpenters need their tools within close reach on their tool belts?trips back and forth to the truck waste time. Take a peak at that tool belt and you?ll find, among the loose screws, utility knife, and beat up cell phone, mainstays like their favorite hammer, tape measure and a good chalk-line. Take note of their gear, because it?s the stuff you should have on your tool belt or in your tool box too.
Just because overall design of the familiar claw hammer hasn?t changed much, that doesn?t mean it can?t be improved. Stanley?s new FatMax Graphite Hammer has a strike face that?s 70-percent larger than traditional hammers. The result is a big chunk of forged, tempered steel, on the business end that improves accuracy. The ergonomically shaped handle is wrapped in rubber grip to minimize fatigue, which is important when you?re swinging a 20 ounce hammer or cranking back to dig out a nail.
Possibly the most important tool on the belt is the tape measure, every trade from the framer to the finish carpenter needs one. Here, Stanley added a 138 percent larger hook that grips from the top, bottom, and both sides?so the tape stays on the work and doesn?t slip off. You can?t talk tape measurers without talking standout, the distance a tape can be extended before it buckles under its own weight. The FatMax Xtreme tape rule has you covered there too, with an industry leading 13-foot standout to measure off long boards or tall walls.
Since measuring and marking are always paired, pros use a chalk-line to join two points on everything from subfloors to long boards. Chalk-lines get abused, so Stanley?s FatMax is wrapped in high impact ABS plastic housing. And because no one wants to wait to reel in 100 feet of line, they included a 3:1 gear ratio to make rewinding three times faster, with a line that has twice the tensile strength of traditional chalk-line. The case comes to a gentle point, which is perfect for an instant plumb bob?just suspend the case down from a length of line, wait for it to stop moving, and now you?ve got a plumb line.
The next time a carpenters working on your house, talk to them about their gear. Odds are they?ll be happy to explain why they prefer their favorite hammer, and how important driving one home accurately is, or how long they?ve had their trusty tape measure, and what the different colors of chalk that coat chalk-lines mean.
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