Above: Store your safety goggles in such a way that you are forced to notice them. Forgetting them only once could be a traumatic experience. We cannot emphasize eye protection enough.
in multiples. I have a lot of pin vises, many of which have various drills or taps more or less permanently affixed therein. Similarly, I have several knife handles, each of which hold a different style blade. Time spent changing the tools in these devices is, thus, kept to a minimum. Other implements come to mind such as clamps of various sizes,
pliers, brushes, and files. I replaced the collet chuck on my Dremel motor tool with a universal chuck, making bit changes much quicker. Please note I am not suggesting speed over care and accuracy, just some ways to not waste time. It seems silly to save a minute or two here and there; what difference does it make? Well, I look back at the
Below: I keep various “specialty” trays around the bench for specific tasks. Shown here is the locomotive maintenance/repair tray. I also have trays for decaling, and figure painting.
past 30 years or so, and that 25 to 50 hours built another model or two. Over the years, I have collected a set of modeling tools that are actually rare- ly used to build models. These knives, tweezers, pliers, rulers, and the like stay with my layout maintenance tool “box.” They rarely see the workbench. Here again, some duplication saves hours running back and forth to the bench, chasing after tools. The “box” is a crude cabinet with three drawers built up on casters, so it can be rolled around to where it is needed. The top acts as a rudimentary work surface, and a siz- able area at the base serves as a place for various power tools. I have a more professional tool cart for electrical mat- ters, which has all the tools and supplies I need to really screw things up. I have taped my friend Roy Kell’s cell number to the side of the box. He is my first call, and he always answers: “What did you do this time, Bob?” To his everlasting credit, he always comes over and saves the day. I don’t remember who said it, but one of my friends commented, “If you can’t find it, you might as well not own it.” Some things our parents drummed into our heads when we were young were ac- tually good advice. “Always wear clean...” (Oops, wrong quote.) “A place for ev-
84 RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100