  Credit Points 4 TOOLS FOR ELECTRICIANSWho goeth a borrowing Tusser 1524-1580 Whenever a job comes up, it saves time and trouble when you have the right tools and they are all where you can find them. Electrical work takes some special tools and some everyday tools. If you have ever watched a good electrician at work, you've seen how neatly he stores his tools in a box so every one of them is handy. When a lineman climbs a pole, he has his regular tools in a holster on his belt. Special tools are kept in a box in racks in the repair truck, all ready for instant use. Wouldn't you like to have electrician's tools all handy, ready for use, and know how to use them properly? Basic Tools for Electrical WorkKnife A good knife with a sharp blade is one of the most useful tools. A camper's or electrician's type knife is probably best because it has other useful parts besides the cutting blades—a screwdriver or punch, for instance. Of course, you'll never use the cutting blades as a screwdriver. This knife should be kept clean, dry, sharp, and free from rust. Put a little oil on the joints from time to time. Remember, "Never whittle toward you and you'll never cut yourself." Pliers A pair of electrician's pliers should be part of your kit. Wrap the handles with plastic insulating tape. Even though you're not going to work on "hot" electric lines, it pays to play safe. Later on, as you learn more about electricity, you'll want a pair of needle-nose pliers for the fine work. Screwdrivers You'll want a screwdriver which has true corners. A 4 to 6 inch plastic handled screwdriver with a narrow blade is best. You'll probably need more than one size to fit the various size screws you'll be turning. Screwdrivers are easily damaged if you try to use them as chisels and pry bars, or use them in screw slots which are too large for the blade. You can be hurt by the screwdriver if you try to screw or unscrew things you are holding in your hand. Keep your free hand away from the end of the screwdriver. Place the work on a bench or where it can be handled easily. Soldering Iron A good 100 to 250-watt electric soldering iron will be useful. Later on you may want to buy a soldering gun, but unless you are doing a lot of soldering it won't be necessary. A supply of resin-core electrician's solder will be needed. Acid-core solder reacts with copper and in time causes a bad splice. Tape Once it was necessary to use two types of tape on splices—rubber tape with friction tape over it. Now there is a plastic tape on the market which takes the place of both and has good insulating quality. It is called electrical tape, or plastic tape, and resists water, oils (which would damage rubber tape), and acids. You'll need a lot of tape in your electrical work, so keep a roll on hand. Other Tools and Equipment As you go along in electrical work, you'll be adding tools and other equipment, such as a trouble light and maybe an ammeter or voltmeter. Other tools you'll want to add will be a Phillips screwdriver, open end wrenches, a crescent wrench, small hack saw, hand drill and bits. You'll also be using some regular carpenter's tools such as hammers, saws, and so on. Unless you use them frequently, you don't need to keep them in your electrical kit. It's a good idea to start acquiring a supply of electrical parts—lengths of wire, fuses, switches, sockets, plugs, and other items that will come in handy. There are parts you can salvage from old lamps, motors, and other equipment. Such a collection can be a real treasure chest when you need a part in a hurry. But be sure to throw away all faulty parts. Figure 1. Completed tool chest. WHAT TO DO: Build a Tool ChestTo keep your tools always ready for use, a tool chest will be very handy. It's the 4-H way to work. You'll be surprised how much easier it makes a job when you have your tools, various parts and repair equipment all in one place. You can make the chest (Figure 1) with a saw, plane, screwdriver, pencil, ruler or carpenter's square, and hammer. Materials You'll Need: A piece of lumber 1" by 10" by 8 feet long. (1" lumber is actually only 3/4" thick—this is the thickness you'll be working with.) Making The Chest: 1. Cut your lumber into the following pieces: 1 piece 10" x 18" for top 1 piece 8-1/2" x 16-1/2" for bottom 2 pieces 6" x 8-1/2" for two ends 2 pieces 6" x 18" for front and back 2. Lay out pieces as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Then, set up the two end pieces and nail to bottom section. Refer back to Figure 1 as you go along to see that box is shaping up as shown. Nail the front and back sections to the ends along the bottom. Wood screws can be used instead of nails. 3. Lay the top in place and attach hinges to the back side, about two inches in from each end. 4. Attach one part of hasp to the top, and the other part to front board in center. Fasten the handles to each end. 5. Attach chain to the top and front so the top will stay open when chain is fully extended. Now you can invent your own improvements for your chest. You can paint it, put your name on it, and your club emblem and name if you wish. You can put a rack on the inside of the cover to hold your work sheets and other booklets and materials. You can install special slots or straps to hold each tool in its place along the sides of the box. Maybe you will want to put some partitions in the box to separate various electrical equipment such as wires, fuses, switches, and plugs. A Working Kit An accessory which you may want to add to your tool chest is an apron or holster to wear when you are moving around on the job. An apron can be made of a size of cloth about 18 by 20 inches. It should be folded up from the bottom, and sewn to fit the number and size of tools you have. Figure 3 shows such an apron. Figure 3. Apron You can make a lineman's holster in the same way, using plastic or soft leather. Merely make belt loops by cutting on the dotted lines. A snap fastener will hold the flap over the tools so they won't fall out. Figure 4. Lineman's Holster. Demonstrations You Can GiveShow and tell others the proper handling, care and use of tools. Show and tell how to build an electrician's tool kit. For Further InformationAsk your power supplier or an electrician to tell the club about the various tools of the electrician's trade and demonstrate them. Ask your leader how to get exhibit material or information about electrical tools and their use and then tell the club about them. |
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