Using Tools Correctly - Tips and Advice

I just posted a reply to Jay in this post https://permies.com/t/214711/personal-care/Older-Permies-Yoga about a comment he made on using tools correctly.. This post is about using tools correctly!

How about using a hoe to weed? I have tried over the years and then always gave up, so I suspect I am doing something wrong.  Can someone post some tips on HOW to use a hoe to weed efficiently? Are there different sizes that work for different sized people?
How about different shaped heads - what are they each best for?
So many questions.....

Sandy
Edited to fix my typos!

There are many different sizes and shapes of hoes and weeding tools (such as wire weeders, and wire rakes). The collinear hoe is one that comes to mind, Eliot Coleman is a big proponent of this hoe and the method of its use.
Correctly... is right tool for the job, but also posture/ergonomics -- how you stand, facing the work, how you move with the tool, etc., and also  the right time for the job too, weeds at "thread stage" just germinated, are effortless to weed with a hoe but wait a week and you now have a mess to deal with, wait another week, and you won't be hoeing, you'll be chopping and pulling. Cultivate on a rainy day, and some weeds will just re-grow after hoeing, do it on a hot sunny day and they'll wither and die in an hour.

Not sure if this counts, but I know the key to chainsaw safety is understanding that nothing will cut you faster than fatigue.

To reduce fatigue, really learn to sharpen your chainsaw. It is not quick or easy, but having a sharp saw means it does the work for you. And like a jackknife, a sharp saw is a safe saw.

At the same time, a sharp saw reduces heat in the bar area. And that bolts to your saws chassis. That is really close to where your crankshaft bearings are, so a dull saw is not just dangerous to use, it can shorten the life of your saw by a LOT!!

Aside: Psst, OP, our Jay is a lady Jay.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Aside: Psst, OP, our Jay is a lady Jay.

Yes, a very old lady Jay whose memory glitched a little. With a little time, I think I remember that it was the use of a manure fork to handle a build up of cow manure in the book, Holy Shit: Managing Manure to Save Mankind by Gene Logsdon. I wrote a book report on it somewhere here on permies... it's well worth a read!

https://permies.com/wiki/87192/Holy-Shit-Managing-Manure

I will have a look as time allows for other information on the ergonomics of farm tools. In the meantime, I will also offer this link aimed at smaller folks:
https://permies.com/t/205024/Secateurs-small-weak-hands
That said, some of the ideas in this specific post I wrote: https://permies.com/t/205024/Secateurs-small-weak-hands#1706882
are applicable to larger people who simply need to do a lot of cutting, and need to not put all that strain on their hands. Too often people push through to finish a job. Sometimes, changing the tool, so that you use different muscles for a while, will let you complete the task without over-straining the same muscles you've been stressing for long enough already.

As a man who is roughly 6'6", I'm automatically aware of a lot of ergonomic issues from the opposite end of the spectrum. I have to bend over to use things, squeeze into spaces, things don't fit my hands properly because my fingers extend too far around them lol, if there is something to hit your head on I'll find it real quick... you get the idea...

Over the past several years I've been developing some pretty bad inflammatory arthritis (even though I'm in my mid 30s - it's an autoimmune thing...). So I'm becoming more aware of the importance of ergonomics AND technique from yet another direction.

I'm not sure if I have specific examples to point to, but just wanted to chime in and say that even as a larger person I have done each of the different techniques mentioned in the post Jay linked as a way of saving strain on my body.

Jay Angler wrote:Too often people push through to finish a job. Sometimes, changing the tool, so that you use different muscles for a while, will let you complete the task without over-straining the same muscles you've been stressing for long enough already.

Certainly, change tools. But more importantly, switch sides!

Switch your grip and do the exact same work with your non-dominant side. This gives overworked muscles a rest, and develops the ones that are neglected. It seems awkward at first, and inefficient, and it takes more focus, but you are training your brain to do a completely new thing! Resilience, baby!

This was a trick my father taught me, shoveling grain while the auger poured out an endless flood and we couldn't stop. Later, I learned to use a mouse with my left hand quite efficiently, because I had to in response to repetitive strain injuries. The switch works, and it's worth doing. And once you learn it, the brain never forgets!

My woodworking interest has really evolved. When I first started everything was by machine, but over the years I found that I actually do better work if I switch to hand tools. The perfect cut in crown molding with a radial arm saw? That is a lot of set up work, but I found it easier and faster to do it with a handsaw. It also comes out better. The secret is mastering the saw.

For sure, it must be sharp, but keeping your feet in a wider stance, but making sure your shoulder is in line with the cut, and the wood is the right height, and you can really send a saw zipping through the wood. In fact, a lot of times without so much set up work, its faster to use the handsaw. Using your weight and shoulders and not your arm means the saw does the work and not you. You will be amazed at how accurate, and fast you can make cuts with a handsaw.

A cross cut bucksaw, sharpened well, will amaze you too on how fast it can cut. A ten inch stick of hardwood will take about 20 seconds to cut