Homo Sapiens, the toolmaker

Nothing makes me happier than the creative process of building things.  Every now and then a problem comes up that requires a creative solution.  Usually the Internet or local tool supplier will have the answer, but every now and then a little ingenuity is required.   Now that I’m under less time pressure I can savor those challenges and sometimes come up with an innovative solution.

Any DIYer who has installed hardwood floors knows how difficult it is to tighten up the last several courses as you approach the wall. Specialty stores sell a little pry bar about ten incheslong but courses that have been tightened by face nailing often need a little more muscle.

By re purposing a shingle removal tool I may have found a solution. 

The picture shows a homemade flooring tool. The blue portion is a shingle removal tool with a small modification. The slightly curved blade and cast iron offset handle would be perfect for smacking with a hammer, if there was some way to lock the far end behind the wood. That need is met by a six inch piece of one inch steel angle iron fastened to the bar with a quarter inch bolt.   All it took to assemble this tool was to drill a single hole in the end of the shingle tool and fasten the angle iron. 

Gloria is demonstrating how to use the tool to tighten the last row of bamboo flooring. A piece of cardboard under the tool protects the flooring and a small block to protects the grooved edge where the tool rests. Gloria has placed her left foot on the flat end of the bar and struck the handle with the rubber end of the mallet used with the flooring nailer visible behind her hand.

This tool works a charm.  When I needed the shingle removal tool for its intended purpose I removed the six inch angle iron and was good to go.