Making the Most of Power Hand Tools

Use power hand tools the right way to make your money go farther
By Denise Brown Power hand tools manufacturers make an electric hand tool for every imaginable task. As you purchase hand held power tools for your business, you'll soon invest quite a bit of money. It’s important for you and your employees to get the most value from this investment.

Because electric hand tools often come with battery packs, they are more portable than ever. It’s important that your employees always return the tools and their battery packs to the designated power source at the end of every day. An electrical hand tool that’s not ready to go first thing in the morning is a waste of time.

There are other steps you can take to get more from your electric hand tools. They include:

1. Using the right portable electric power tool for the job.

2. Practicing regular maintenance on the electric hand tools.

3. Checking regularly for any problems with the power cord, battery connectors and housing of the electrical hand tools.

Know the safe operating procedures for power hand tools

Make training mandatory for your employees and make any violation of safety rule carry a reprimand of some sort. If your employees operate electric hand tools safely, you can expect many years of service from the equipment.
Try:  Read the information about power hand tools and safety guidelines established for power hand tools from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Check out the PowerPoint presentation by Scott W. Tritt . It discusses many electrical hand tools safety issues. The presentation also offers tips for making the most of power hand tools.

Buy electric hand tools that have a wide selection of accessories

Not only can you do more specific jobs with the right accessories, some tools can perform more than one task with the right accessories. For example, an electric drill can stir paint as well as drill holes.
Try:  You can find a large assortment of accessories for your hand held power tools at Aubuchon Hardware. Tools-Plus also offers power hand tool accessories for just about every type hand held power tool imaginable.

Store your electric hand tools properly

Make sure each electrical hand tool has a place in your shop. Whether you hang it on the wall or in one of the many storage chests available from suppliers of power hand tools, you can expect each tool to have a longer life expectancy if it has the proper storage.
Try:  Choose one of the storage systems for electric hand tools and other equipment at Stanley Vidmar. The well-known distributors of power hand tools, Snap-on, also offers storage systems for all sorts of portable electric power tools.

• As you upgrade to new electrical hand tools, make sure the accessories from the older power hand tools work on the new equipment. You can save quite a bit of money by reusing accessories as much as possible.