the_john•10d ago

Went to a custom cabinet shop in Nashville and watched a guy use a speed square as a hammer for 20 minutes

4 comments

4 Comments

zarat3713h ago

Switched to leaving a dedicated hammer right by my workbench and it saved me so much frustration.

river_thompson10d ago

People DO this all the time. They find ONE tool that sorta works for everything and just force it into every job no matter how wrong it is. I have a buddy who uses pliers to unscrew literal wire nuts because he can't find his actual driver. It makes me wonder why people don't just take two seconds to grab the right tool from the drawer. Then again watching someone use a speed square as a hammer is a solid reminder that some folks just HATE walking across the room.

corap6110d ago

Actually, using pliers on wire nuts is a common trick electricians use when they need extra grip on a tough connection. As long as you don't twist too hard, it won't damage the wires like a misused speed square will ruin a nail. Just goes to show that some tool abuses are more practical than others, even if they look wrong at first glance.

shane17010d ago

Man the part about "forcing it into every job no matter how wrong it is" really hit home with me @river_thompson. I watched a guy at my local hardware store use a framing square to pry open a paint can lid. Like you said, it's just laziness or some kind of weird stubbornness. People will spend 20 minutes fighting a tool that clearly isn't meant for the job instead of spending 30 seconds walking to the drawer. I've even seen someone use a tape measure as a makeshift crowbar to open a stuck window. It's like they think using the wrong tool makes them clever or something, but really it just makes me worry about their safety and the longevity of their tools. Drives me nuts.