Tim the tool man Taylor to aisle 12 please
This weekend I embarked on a woodworking project I have been planning for a while. I know very little about woodworking. Therefore, I spent a great amount of time on Youtube and on DYI websites to learn and figure things out.
Beyond a few basic tools, I lack the right tools for the job. I do know that the right tool makes a world of difference. I figured out my project would be well served if I got myself a Kreg pocket-hole jig. Since I needed to make a bunch of cuts, do I need to use a circular saw, or borrow a table or mitre saw? Shall I use 2x3 or 2x4 lumber? I have so many questions. (There is a business opportunity here somewhere: DYISlack.)
I made more than a few trips to the nearby Lowe’s home improvement store. Sometimes, it was because I just got the wrong item: I didn’t know my circular saw takes 7 1/4 inch blades and not the 10 inch blade I purchased. In other cases, I bought only a few items, to experiment with, before buying more of the same.
The quality and options in home improvement stores has nose dived steeply in recent years. Now that OSH is out of business, within a 10 mile radius, I am limited to Home Depot or Lowe’s. Both are just large warehouses full of material of dwindling quality. For example, few of the 2x4s were anywhere near straight at Lowe’s.
Worse is the customer service, or the training of the staff. Few employees knew where anything was in the store. Forget about any expert advise. I appreciated that at OSH you may run into a retired craftsman providing expert advise on the type of screw or pipe connector.
Home improvement companies have competed hard on price. Now it is time to bring back expertise. If they want to compete on price, offer a contractor discount. For the common folks, hire plenty of retired or laid-off craftsmen: a woodworker, an electrician, a plumber, an expert in concrete, or just Tim the tool man Taylor. I will gladly pay higher prices for guidance on which tool I should get, or which widget is right for the job.