TOOLS, like fine weapons, are very wonderful things when you come to know them well. They have made history. Every time we pick up a saw or an automatic drill or our "mikes," we are taking advantage of tool-building discoveries and achievements that run all the way back to the Age of Bronze.

Little excuse exists for any home workshop enthusiast who does not have his tools always in good condition. There is not much more excuse, in these days when the choice of tools is so large and their cost relatively so small, in his not having sufficient high-grade equipment to accomplish any task he sets out to do. And yet how many times have you seen a handy man laboriously hacking a shelf or whatnot out of a board with a dull and rusty saw! No wonder he misses the satisfaction in his work always felt by those who have the true craftsman's attitude toward tools - pride in their good condition.

There are a few pointers which should recommend themselves to the home worker, whether he is inclined towards woodwork or metalwork, whether he has an elaborate shop or wishes to do merely a few odd useful jobs around the house.

Buy only the best tools; they may be a little more expensive at first but they are true economy in the end.1

Be sure to get the tools you really need. Only the expert mechanic can do good work with makeshifts, and he usually will not try, for often the time and material wasted on a single job are worth more than the cost of the proper tool. If, however, you have only a limited amount to spend on tools, choose a few good ones rather than a number of cheap and second-grade tools.

No matter how excellent the tools may be, their effective use depends largely upon the skill of the workman. Therefore learn to use them with the utmost precision so that your work will always be finely done. The best way invariably is the easiest, the simplest, and the quickest in the long run.

To maintain edge tools in proper condition, notice the cutting angles that have been given to them by the manufacturers and, as nearly as possible, preserve the same angles through the life of the tool. The angles may range all the way from those of a penknife to a heavy lathe tool. It is always a matter of selecting an edge that will be sharp and reduce friction and at the same time be strong and permanent enough to stand up under the work to be done. You may be sure the toolmaker has worked out the angles very carefully, so that all you have to do is to use your grindstone and oilstone constantly to keep those angles right. Having edge tools well sharpened and well lubricated is half the battle.

Tools in what may be termed, roughly speaking, the hammer, punch, trowel, and wrench class will not trouble you much, but the tools you use for making and testing measurements deserve your utmost consideration. Even a heavy steel square or a try-square can be spoiled in no time by a little carelessness; and rules, gages, calipers, surface plates, protractors, levels, and the like, require the best of treatment if they are to retain their accuracy. Protect these tools in every way from being strained, warped, nicked, or damaged.

1 A list of approved tools can be obtained free from the Popular Science Institute, 381 Fourth Avenue. New York. The Institute has been testing tools for years in special laboratories at New York University. The tools on this list therefore can be purchased with assurance that they are efficient, correctly designed products and will withstand usage and prove satisfactory for the purposes for which they are intended.