How many time have we read a post, article or been to a dealer open house and had a service tech offer the best way to take care of the our tools. I have done a few over the years, and, truth be told, my sanders run like a top because I have no reason for them not to. Many of our tools are 15 years old some even 30 or more years old. Just a few weeks ago we did repairs on a 1954 drum sander. It was 71 years old and within hours was back on the job making dust and money.
Now let’s look at the best tools on the job and have a paradigm shift (yes, those are great big words for me and, in fact, I needed to look up “paradigm shift” to make sure I was using it correctly). A paradigm shift is defined as a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions or being transformative in basic concepts. Folks, that is a mouthful of a definition right there. So, by the definition, I think it’s time to rethink the best tools on the job and the care for those tools—and, most important, put this shift in to practice.
Ready for the best tools on the job? Per my mentor, the best tools on the job are our ears, eyes and hands. Think about it—stop and think about it. We hear the sounds on a job and know when something is off. Everyone will stress the importance of proper protection. Our eyes lead us down the path we travel to get the flat tabletop surface. Our hands do the hard part: work. For this article I want to focus on the hands.
By about the age of 19 or 20 I knew my path was not college or a desk job; I knew my road was going to be touching or using tools. I started a job as a small tool repair guy for Makita power tools in Elk Grove Village, Ill. I liked the repair side but hated the bench work. Sitting in the same place day-in day-out was not my idea of a fun job. There’s nothing wrong with that, but having zero interaction with the end-user just was not fun.
Well, enter Clarke Floor Machine Company and it’s a winner-winner chicken dinner. My trainer was Mickey, a veteran with Clarke and an amazing service tech. His line was “one on his feet is worth two on his seat”—we could not have a stool at the bench, we had to stand. That was an Army thing with him, he served in Korea and was the man in charge of the motor pool. He did not want his guys sitting on the job if the base commander came in.
What did I get from that mindset? Be ready for someone to drop in and evaluate you, your shop, your skills and your readiness to perform the task at hand. We had a system that the mechanic pulls the parts needed for the repair and the mechanic did all the paperwork. That seems odd when we look at the auto industry, where the parts manager pulls the parts from a job ticket and the service manager does the paperwork. Our branch manager in the Chicago area, Don Wood, wanted all of us to be able to do the task start to finish. If someone was out on vacation or sick, the service center did not miss a beat.
Even in the shop our “best tools” were our eyes, ears and hands. The sanders we repaired were not machines we ourselves were running day-in and day-out, but we had a standard for the units: The sounds they made, the feel they had and, yes, how they looked coming in for repair. We had guidelines for amp draw, vibration, balance and how the sander ran on a test floor.
Young hands and agile fingers could just about do anything. Little screws and small components were not a problem. Now, with age and lack of proper maintenance, my hands are in need of repair. I will share with you my three areas of needed repairs:
1) Trigger finger
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Info from the Mayo Clinic:
The exact cause of trigger finger is unknown, but it is thought to be related to inflammation of the tendons and the sheath that surrounds them. This inflammation can be caused by:
- Repetitive motions
- Trauma
- Certain medical conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes
Symptoms:
Pain, especially in the morning or after periods of inactivity
Stiffness and difficulty bending the affected finger
A clicking or popping sensation when bending or straightening the finger
The finger may lock in a bent position and suddenly snap straight
Diagnosis:
Your doctor will likely ask about your symptoms and medical history. They may also perform a physical exam and order tests, such as X-rays, to rule out other conditions.
Treatment:
Treatment for trigger finger typically involves conservative measures, such as:
- Rest and avoiding activities that aggravate the symptoms
- Splinting the affected finger to keep it straight
- Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen
- Corticosteroid injections into the affected tendon
- If conservative measures do not improve the symptoms, surgery may be an option to release the narrowed sheath and allow the tendon to glide freely.
Prevention:
- Avoid repetitive motions that put stress on your hands
- Use proper hand techniques when performing tasks
- Take breaks frequently to stretch and massage your hands
- If you have certain medical conditions that increase your risk of trigger finger, talk to your doctor about preventive measures.
Additional Information:
- Trigger finger is more common in women than men.
- It can affect any finger, but the thumb and ring finger are most commonly involved.
- Trigger finger is usually a temporary condition, but it can become chronic in some cases.
For me, it has been four surgeries to get them in a fair-good working order. My fingers do not lock up but still are hard to close 100%. What would I have done different? Impact gloves. Yep, wear glove to aid with the pressure and impact on the hands. Keep in mind that I do not recommend gloves while working on a table saw, because if they were to catch on the blade, they pull the hand in. Let me do a SawStop advertisement here and remind you to always keep safety first with the table saw (and any saw).
I now use impact gloves when working with install tools, sanding tools and any tool that add stress and pressure to the hands. Next, I now do hand massages around the palm and knuckles. When you get swelling or inflammation, ice packs help a ton.
The downtime for each of my four trigger finger surgeries was a few weeks. Please do as I say, not as I did. My big mistake was going back at it hard too fast. I taped a hammer to my hand to get an install done. Oh, it worked, but the pain was not fun the day after. Give yourself time to heal and do the occupational therapy that the doctor recommends.
Now, my second hand issue:
2) Dupuytren's hand disease/contracture (palmar fibromatosis)
Info from the Mayo Clinic:
Dupuytren's hand disease, also known as palmar fibromatosis, is a condition that causes thickening and shortening of the connective tissue (fascia) in the palm of the hand. This thickening can lead to permanent bending of the fingers, typically the ring and little fingers.
Causes:
The exact cause of Dupuytren's hand disease is unknown, but it is believed to be a genetic disorder. It is more common in people of European descent, men and those with a family history of the condition.
Symptoms:
Early symptoms may include:
- Small, hard lumps (nodules) in the palm of the hand
- Thickening of the fascia, which can feel like cords
- Difficulty straightening the fingers, especially the ring and little fingers
- Inability to flatten the hand on a table
Progression:
Dupuytren's hand disease is a progressive condition. As the fascia thickens and shortens, the bending of the fingers can worsen over time.
Diagnosis:
Dupuytren's hand disease is typically diagnosed based on a physical examination. The doctor will examine the hand for lumps, cords and limited range of motion.
Treatment:
There is no cure for Dupuytren's hand disease, but there are treatments that can improve symptoms and function. Treatment options include:
- Observation: If the symptoms are mild, the doctor may recommend simply monitoring the condition.
- Needle aponeurotomy: A needle is used to break up the thickened fascia, allowing the fingers to straighten.
- Surgery: In severe cases, surgery may be necessary to remove the affected fascia.
As stated, the treatments are never the 100 percent fix. This hand disorder was the worst for me. I could not lay my hand flat, nor could I grip anything with great force. Surgery was my only corrective action. Went to a hand specialist in Nashville, Tenn., for the review and his comment was, “Your hands are wore out.” He asked what my work is and, yes, the simple answer—but with pride—I said,
“I am a hardwood floor man.”
The recovery was not painful nor harsh—just slow healing with zero movement for weeks. Once the stitches were removed, a mold was made of my hand so that it would not close. Sleeping was rough with a paddle for a hand.
What would I do different? Well, the same thing as far as using impact gloves and doing flexibility exercises to keep the range of motion in my hands. We are always griping some handle, board or tools with round grips. That keeps our hands in a cup fold, and when we sleep our fingers curl down and under. So adding in the flexibility exercise keeps our tendons long and unrestricted.
Now for my third hand issue:
3) Carpal tunnel
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Info from the Mayo Clinic:
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a condition in which the median nerve, which runs through the carpal tunnel in the wrist, becomes compressed. This compression can lead to pain, numbness, and tingling in the hand and fingers.
Causes:
- Repetitive motions of the hand and wrist
- Pregnancy
- Diabetes
- Arthritis
- Fractures or dislocations of the wrist
- Certain medications (e.g., corticosteroids)
Symptoms:
- Pain, numbness, or tingling in the thumb, index, middle, and part of the ring finger
- Symptoms that worsen at night or after prolonged hand use
- Weakness in the hand
- Difficulty gripping objects
- Dropping objects
Diagnosis:
- Physical exam, including a Tinel's sign (tapping on the median nerve to elicit tingling)
- Nerve conduction study (to measure the speed of nerve impulses)
- Electromyography (to evaluate muscle function)
Treatment:
Conservative measures:
- Wrist splinting
- Hand exercises
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Corticosteroid injections
Surgery:
· Carpal tunnel release surgery to cut the transverse carpal ligament and relieve pressure on the nerve
Prognosis:
With conservative treatment, most people with CTS improve within a few months. Surgery is usually reserved for severe cases that do not respond to other treatments.
Additional Information:
- CTS is more common in women than in men.
- The risk of developing CTS increases with age.
- There is no cure for CTS, but treatments can help manage the symptoms.
Carpal tunnel had the biggest impact on my everyday work. When the hands go numb and you can’t feel what is in your hand, that’s strange. The only correction for me was … you guessed it … surgery. Now to be honest, this one was no big deal. It was the easiest of all so far and the least discomfort after the fact. It’s a small cut right at the wrist and a quick snap up inside your wrist that does not hurt. Ask me how I know, well the doctor was late to the OR room and the anesthesia wore off. I woke up just as she walked in. She said, “Give him a ‘bump down’ so we can get it done” … I said no, just do. She did, and folks, it did not hurt with the nerve block they had in. I felt a snap and that’s how I know.
Recovery was simple, with no pain meds needed. She said no lifting or working the hand for a few weeks, then come back for evaluation. All went well and zero troubles. If you are battling this, in the words of Larry the Cable Guy, “Git-R-Done.”
What would I do different?
The simple things go a long way for our hands. Nerve gliding exercises help a bunch and keep your hands flexible over time. Yes, use the impact gloves, but the nerve gliding exercises help a ton. Try to keep your hands from curling up at night as you sleep. You can get a wrist brace at the local convenience store, and that is huge for sleeping without discomfort.
Final thoughts
This isn’t much of a “wow-factor” article, but it’s a definite WOW (not the good kind) when the best tools on the job are not performing. I understand what my mentors earlier in life were saying: Our best tools are our ears, eyes and hands, and how we use them matters. Take care of yourself, be sure the tools you have will last a lifetime—we only get one set!
