I have been working with Louise on various airplane projects now for almost two year - from rebuilding "Mikey's" instrument panel to building him all new gear fairings, and some bits and pieces of metal-work in between. One of the things that she has found frustrating at times is the size and weight of some of the tools we have in the shop. While I am one of those builders who will only give up my pneumatic squeezer if you pry it from my cold, dead hands, she finds it to be a handful with the 4" yoke installed if she needs to support it in mid-air, while at the same time lining it up to get square on a rivet. Full-sized air drills can also be a bit heavy after drilling many, many holes. It is sometimes a question of strength, but also an issue of wrist fatigue, many of us (including myself) having had brushes with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome over the years. Frankly, it is no fun building when constant pain is involved!(those suden, swift pains from when you drill into your finger are a different matter - they just add spice to the experience....)
As we prepare to build the -3, one of the things that we have been trying to do is find tools which fit a small hand better. I discovered that while I give little thought to keeping my 4" yoke on the squeezer most of the time, it is easier for Louise if the default is a 2" no-hole. We took advantage of a sale on palm drills from Brown tools a few months ago to get Louise a nice, light drill motor that fits her hand much better. And a little Black and Decker "Mouse" sander makes it easier for her to do more fiberglass work than if she has to handle a large oscillating sander for very long.
I'm curious if anyone else has found other light and easier to use tools that make the job of building more enjoyable for those with smaller hands or less strength. I am lucky to have a spouse who is interested enough to be building on her own if I weren't around, but a list of such friendly tools might help those who would like to have the company of their significant other in the shop more often as well!
Paul
As we prepare to build the -3, one of the things that we have been trying to do is find tools which fit a small hand better. I discovered that while I give little thought to keeping my 4" yoke on the squeezer most of the time, it is easier for Louise if the default is a 2" no-hole. We took advantage of a sale on palm drills from Brown tools a few months ago to get Louise a nice, light drill motor that fits her hand much better. And a little Black and Decker "Mouse" sander makes it easier for her to do more fiberglass work than if she has to handle a large oscillating sander for very long.
I'm curious if anyone else has found other light and easier to use tools that make the job of building more enjoyable for those with smaller hands or less strength. I am lucky to have a spouse who is interested enough to be building on her own if I weren't around, but a list of such friendly tools might help those who would like to have the company of their significant other in the shop more often as well!
Paul
It is nice and light, it just seems to require a very strong "grip strength".
