Saving Time: Beast Mode Style

 By contributing partner and guest blogger, Mark Clement - MyFixItUpLife

 

One of the things I love about my job as co-host of MyFixitUpLife is that I get to try new things—tools, toilets, molding, screws—in my projects. And I get to run them through my all-pro, beast mode ringer.

While this post is mostly for those of us who make our living building things, there is some DIY wisdom to be gleaned from my mania for full-tilt-boogie speed.

In other words, on the job site I’m nuts about saving time, saving steps, going fast and doing top shelf work. Things that help me do that are things I fall in love with. 

And, something I found out quite by accident while using different SPAX screws in different projects, is that adopting what I'm calling a 'screw system' is a beast mode time-saver I wish I thought of years ago.

What do I mean by screw system? Simply this: Using screws that all have the same driver bit. Seems simple, but envision your bit box.

You know what I’m talking about: Mine was (and is; I’m not throwing that stuff away) a heap of Phillips, #2 Robertsons (square-drive), star drives (they always get stuck in deck screws), and nut drivers—at least one of which is dedicated to concrete screws and is usually impossible to find.

Fastener organization means access to--and mobility of—fasteners to me. And being in a 'screw system’, as I’m calling it, means there is one less thing to do: Search for bits. Cabinets, framing, deck boards…all the same which means no time is spent re-tooling and working with inferior bits and multiple drives.

The time savings I’m talking about came when I switched over my screw boxes to as many SPAX screws as made sense for my work and streamlined by boxes by about 50%!

The result: No matter what I’m building (for the most part)—framing basement walls, installing a shelf bracket on a concrete wall, temping up a deck ledger on a masonry structure, repairs, and workshop woodworking—there is a SPAX Multi-Material screw that will work for it. And work better than most of the screws I had before (black drywall-style screws are just not for woodworking or case work or adding blocking in a bathroom remodel)…anyway…

Point is, all those SPAX Multi-Material screws above drive with the same T-30 bit. 

Spax T-30 drivers come in each box, which is awesome. Even if I do manage to wear out (yes, driver tips wear out) or lose one, I keep the extras I’ve accumulated on the magnets on my bit box along with an extra bit holder.

So from concrete to wood to installing a bathroom vent fan, I can pretty much keep the same driver bit in my impact drivers all the time. No switching. No sifting. No…’I swear I had one of these’. And not a big inventory either; I don’t need a 50-pack of #2 Phillips (although I never really used those; I like long, one piece drivers much better).

I hope I’ve shared some of my mania with you. Time saved is money earned.

Because we do a lot of projects, from remodeling to workbench woodworking, we use lots of different screw types. No different than regular remodeling or DIY. Not having to swap from a star-drive to a T-30 when I switch projects in money in the bank.

SPAX.us

MyFixitUpLife is a multimedia destination for home improvement enthusiasts. Hosted by married licensed contractors Mark and Theresa Clement, MyFixitUpLife shares design inspiration, DIY tips, and behind-the-scenes interviews with popular TV show hosts, experts, and bloggers. Find the interviews on their MyFixitUpLife talk radio show, MyFixitUpLife.com website, MyFixitUpLife YouTube Channel, on local and national TV shows, and through social media platforms. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter too!