Sawdust on the Floor

Normally you see people writing about their spouse not listening to them, but this is different.  I want to thank my wife for not listening to me.  Well maybe I should rephrase that, I want to thank her for listening to my waffling about getting a cordless impact driver.  I couldn’t decide which made more sense, to add to my existing collection of cordless tools or to go with a totally different manufacturer.  My wife took the decision out of my hands, because she gave me a Makita 18V Impact Driver set for Christmas.  And I want to say thank you again and again. 

Today I went back into the shop, and wanted to put all of my new “TOYS”, to work.  The Makita Impact Driver got a good work out, and it performed above all of my expectations.  I used it to secure parts of the end panel of my new Bathroom vanity together.  Instead of mortise and tenon joinery that was used on the doors, the end panel was constructed with Kreg pocket screws.  I used the Makita drill that came with the set to drill the Kreg pocket holes, and the impact driver to set the screws.  

To use a phrase I learned from my Granddaughter, OMG. For those of you who don’t have a teenager to teach them the new language that’s ” Oh My God”.  I was initially blown away by how comfortable the impact driver felt in my hand, then I used it to insert the pocket screw.  And I am now  convinced that this is one of the greatest tools I have ever used.  Pocket screws are designed to pull your pieces of stock together, but the reality is that unless you have the pieces secured tightly, there is a tendency for the screw to push the adjoining piece away. Using the impact driver instead of a cordless screw driver, the screw performed as it was intended, it pulled the pieces together. 

The other benefit is that after a couple of hours of working with the impact driver, my arm, hand and wrist aren’t sore. They often were when I used my conventional cordless drills and screw guns.  I understand the technology of the newer Lithium Ion battery.  How it can produce more torque and  longer charged periods, while reducing the weight of the tool.  But understanding and actually being able to experience the difference was a real eye opener. 

So for those of you who were on the fence as to weather to make the switch to the lithium Ion tools, stop waiting.  And for those of you who told me that I would really like these tools, thank you.  You were 100% correct.  And to my wife, thanks for not listening too me too closely.