Tools Make the Man

You may be familiar with the old saying that a workman is only as good as his tools. I have primitive tools so I am a primitive workman. Which makes even the simplest task harder for me than, say, a person armed with the latest toolery (I think I just made up that word).

Today's tasks should have been easy. We're taking delivery on a new washer and dryer in the morning. In order to get them down to the basement I had to remove a shelf and two bannisters that might have been in the way.The shelf was easy. It just pulled out.

The bannisters were a different story. There were six screws on the upper bannister and six more plus four bolts on the lower bannister. The bannisters were installed for us by a friend who is a meticulous do-it-yourselfer. Meaning once they were installed you uninstalled them at your peril.

Hence dismantling the bannisters this evening became perilous for this primitive workman. The screws were in so tight I'm convinced my friend used power tools to install them. I had a variety of screwdrivers, one wrench and my own two hands. Plus my wife's assistance and encouragement.

This simple task, which we had saved for the last minute, turned out to be a lot tougher than we thought. But we got it done and I bumped my head only once, slightly, during the process.

We're expecting a contractor later in the week to begin work on the basement. He's younger and more skilled than me.

It should be easy for him to put up the down bannisters.