A woodworker’s delight

I’m going to do something here that I rarely do: disagree with David DeCristoforo. I love batteries!

Based on several years of blogs, when it comes to woodworking David and I are kindred spirits. We’re individual people with differences between us, of course (I’m far more handsome, for example, and I doubt David’s a serious Trekkie), but when it comes to matters of the shop and the craft we generally think as one. But I take issue with his latest blog and simply must aver that batteries are the greatest boon to woodworking since dead trees.

Sure, I have manual screwdrivers, dozens of them. They’re stashed within a few feet of me no matter where I am in the house. I have a couple in the car. I even hide one somewhere within my otherwise 100-percent authentic 19th-century Civil War reenacting gear. But man-oh-man, when it comes to working in the shop, give me power for driving screws, and give it to me without an annoying cord.

When I want to run my ceiling dust filter, I stay right where I am and trigger it with a battery-powered remote. Likewise, if I need to get my aforementioned handsome self into a photo for an article or book, a similar remote snaps the shot while I happily pose.

In my shop, battery-powered items include a wall clock, radio (and its accompanying remote), thermometer, cordless and cell phones, emergency light that kicks on during power outages, laser level, and a handful of other cordless tools such as a cutoff saw, recip saw, jigsaw and a finish nailer, all of which are mighty handy when there’s no outlet or compressor nearby. In fact, I prefer my cordless jigsaw over my far more expensive corded one. Outside the shop, my battery-powered trimmer and battery-powered blower get the job done.

And the most fantastic battery-powered device to come along in recent years – my digital angle gauge – is something I’ll give up only when they pry my cold dead fingers from around it. I like and use it so much that I bought a second one just to keep as backup.

I figured an issue would eventually come up where we’d be on opposite sides. And since the issue is batteries, in this case I guess that makes me the positive and David the negative.

A.J.