Dad Said, "Keep Soap In Your Toolbox ..."

Last weekend, I headed to the garage to work on the long overdue restoration of an old wooden rocking chair.  This first stage involved gluing separated wood pieces and screwing supports to the bottom of the seat.  Before heading out to the garage, I grabbed a bar of soap knowing the job would be easier.... 'cuz "that's what Joe taught me."  Let's face it ... the initial plunge into an on-going task sets the tone for the entire project.  It can even determine if the project ever reaches completion.

Work Smarter, Not Harder, was ringing in my ears along with other words (mostly expletives) that had filled the air as I played gopher to Dad in my youth. Now back to the bar of soap .....

Dad showed me that rubbing screws on a bar of soap before screwing them into wood made the task a bit easier.  A lot easier.  And being that the tool of choice was a 'manual' screwdriver (versus a drill), "ease" was the word of the day. 

(Another great use for "Soap for Goodness Sake")

For gluing the split wood - I opted for Liquid Nails because I had previous experience with the product and knew it would hold well.  Dad taught me that rubbing the threads of the tube with a bar of soap kept the cap from sticking in the future, which would render the remainder of the glue un-usable.

And yes, liquid soap will work for both of these tasks, but all my lessons were with a bar of soap.

You may be gone Dad ... but I have not forgotten.  I'll share a photo of YOUR rocking chair when it is completed.