So much of home building has become about the land, the design and the business that we seem to have lost contact with the element of craftsmanship that defines custom. Without the craft, there is no custom.
Essential to our ability to execute craftsmanship is having the right tools. Consider the famous Abraham Lincoln quote, "If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I would spend the first four sharpening the axe."
For that reason, Custom Builder has created The Ultimate Toolbox. Beginning in January, our back page will feature tools Custom Builder readers find essential. We'll add a new tool to the box every issue, compiling the ultimate toolbox. At the end of the year, we will give the entire contents of the toolbox to one of our readers.
Certainly the editors of Custom Builder could go out and select all the tools we felt should absolutely be included in The Ultimate Toolbox. But we would rather hear from you.
We want to know your favorite tool and why it must be part of the The Ultimate Toolbox. We want to understand why the projects you design or build must use this particular tool to make the project successful.
Send an email to cbtoolbox@reedbusiness.com. In your e-mail, provide the make and model of the tool and, in 25 words or less, describe why we should choose your tool for inclusion in the box. You must include your name; company name and location; and phone number. You must be a subscriber to Custom Builder to qualify. We would welcome photos of the tool — or your using the tool.
The editors will decide which tools to include based on the following criteria:
- Essential. Can the toolbox work without it? Certainly, we'll have a hammer in there, but which one? Or ones?
- Versatile. Can the tool be used for more than one task? And how creative is that use? In a pinch, a tri-square can be used as a pry bar or shim.
- Passionate. We want to hear why our readers think the success of their project depends on the use of that particular tool.
We'll keep a running tally of all of the tools included on our Web site at www.CustomBuilderOnline.com so you can follow along.
Submit as many tools as you like, although we will only select one tool from each reader for the toolbox. The winner of The Ultimate Toolbox will be selected randomly from those entries that were chosen for publication.
You can also submit a tool by sending your entry to Custom Builder, The Ultimate Toolbox, 2000 Clearwater Dr., Oak Brook, IL 60523 cb
630/288-8190, paul.deffenbaugh@, reedbusiness.com