Guest Blogger Barbara Howell on The Gift of Grip
Editor's note: Our guest blogger today is Barbara Howell: woodworker, business owner, and author of the 2009 book ''Splinters: The Pain, The Passion, The Point''.
Hands come in all sizes and shapes!
But if you are a woodworker there have probably been times you wished your hands could do more. Good grip is a major requirement.
For me, as a woman, when I had to take over my husband's thriving woodworking business after an illness struck him, I was dumbfounded by my own physical handicap — small hands.
The type of woodworking I was doing required me to use a Radial Arm Saw to cut through several strips of plywood at a single time, and hope they would all line up properly after the fact. Unfortunately, because of the size and lack of grip in my hands these pieces would continually slide somewhat out of my control and leave me with crooked and unusable pieces of shelving for the display cases I made.
Thankfully, after sharing my problem with a fellow woodworker, he suggested that I purchase a small quick grip clamp, to hold my pieces steady. So, I found the smallest one I could — an Irwin Quick Grip. It worked!
As you can see, once the quick grip clamp is attached to the pieces, I can now easily hold the wood in place while the clamp does all the "hard work" for me. Thus, saving my hands from the constant strain of attempting to manhandle the pieces into submission.
I found this small, simple tool gave me the gift of grip! Regardless of your gender or your abilities, never underestimate the power of using a tool to solve a difficult problem.
About Barbara Howell:
Barbara Howell is the owner of Southern Ladies Showcases, a woodworking business specializing in custom, hand-crafted display cases with locations in Tennessee and Oklahoma. Most recently, Howell has began penning her tales of woodworking and her book, "Splinters: The Pain, The Passion, The Point" shares her stories of life as a woodworker. More information about Barbara and her book can be found at www.SplintersBook.com
