I finally caved and tried those fancy automatic taper tools

For like 15 years I was strictly a hand taper guy. I thought the battery powered ones were just for new guys who didn't know how to work a knife. But last month on a job in a new apartment building with 14 foot ceilings, my shoulder was killing me by lunch. My partner let me borrow his automatic taper for the afternoon. I hate to admit it but I got through way more board feet than usual and my arms weren't screaming at me the next day. The learning curve was maybe 20 minutes before I got the mud flow right. Now I'm saving up for my own, but I still feel like I'm cheating on my old hawk and trowel. Anyone else make the switch and feel weird about it at first?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota_king8024d ago

Isnt it wild how we get stuck in our ways about stuff like this? Feels like the same thing with guys who swear by hand saws and wont touch a circular saw, or people who think a manual transmission makes them a better driver.

andrew_nguyen6424d ago

The manual transmission thing is interesting because people act like it's some sacred skill, but really it's just a different way to do the same job. What nobody talks about is how the people who get stuck in their ways are usually the ones who learned on something that was broken or outdated to begin with. Like if your first saw was a cheap dull hand saw that kept binding up, of course you'd never want to touch one again. But a good sharp hand saw is a totally different experience. Same with manual transmissions - most people learned on clapped out beaters with sticky clutches and false neutrals, so they think that's the authentic experience. The people who actually use quality tools or drive well maintained manuals don't usually get as weird about it because they know both tools have their place.