Just realized I'd been using my pipe wrench wrong for 20 years

I was helping my nephew fix a leak under his kitchen sink last Saturday and he asked why I was turning the wrench the way I was. He showed me a quick YouTube video that explained the self-tightening feature on a pipe wrench. All these years I'd been cranking it tighter by hand before every turn. Made me wonder what other basic tools I've been using incorrectly all along. Has anyone else had that moment where you found out you were doing something simple wrong for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_phoenix1mo ago

Same thing happened to me with a handsaw. I had been pushing the teeth into the cut on the push stroke for years, making everything way harder and leaving ragged edges. Then a buddy at a job site mentioned you're supposed to cut on the pull stroke instead. Total game changer. Felt like an idiot but the cuts are so much cleaner now, and I don't get worn out halfway through a board anymore. What other tool secrets are people keeping from us?

logan_dixon181mo ago

Pull saws actually cut better than push saws because wood fibers shear cleaner that direction.