CHAPTER 1
COMMON MAINTENANCE TOOLS AND THEIR USES
Tools are designed to make a job easier and enable
you to work more efficiently. If they are not properly
used and cared for, their advantages are lost to you.
Regardless of the type of work to be done, you must
have, choose, and use the correct tools in order to do
your work quickly, accurately, and safely. Without the
proper tools and the knowledge of how to use them, you
waste time, reduce your efficiency, and may even injure
yourself.
This chapter explains the specific purposes, correct
use, and proper care of the more common tools you will
encounter as an ABE. Also discussed briefly are other
aids to maintenance, such as blueprints and schematics.
TOOL WORK HABITS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Describe the
Tool Control Program. List several good tool
work habits.
"A place for everything and everything in its place"
is just good common sense. You can't do an efficient
repair job if you have to stop and look around for each
tool you need. The following rules will make your job
easier and safer.
KEEP EACH TOOL IN ITS PROPER STOWAGE
PLACE. All V-2 divisions have incorporated a Tool
Control Program as directed by the Aircraft Launch
and
Recovery
Equipment
Maintenance
Program
(ALREMP).
The Tool Control Program is based on the concept
of a family of specialized toolboxes and pouches
configured for instant inventory before and after each
maintenance action. The content and configuration of
each container is tailored to the task, work center, and
equipment maintained. Work center containers are
assigned to and maintained within a work center. Other
boxes and specialized tools are checked out from the
tool control center (tool room).
KEEP YOUR TOOLS IN GOOD CONDITION.
Protect them from rust, nicks, burrs, and breakage.
KEEP
YOUR
TOOL
ALLOWANCE
COM-
PLETE. When you are issued a toolbox, each tool
should be placed in it when not in use. When the
toolbox is not actually at the work site, it should be
locked and stored in a designated area.
NOTE
An inventory list is kept in every toolbox to
be checked before and after each job or
maintenance action, to ensure that all tools are
available to do your work, and to ensure that
they
are
accounted
for
after
you
have
completed your work.
USE EACH TOOL ONLY FOR THE JOB IT WAS
DESIGNED TO DO. Each particular type of tool has a
specific purpose. If you use the wrong tool when
performing maintenance or repairs, you may cause
damage to the equipment you're working on or damage
the tool itself. Remember, improper use of tools results
in improper maintenance. Improper maintenance
results in damage to equipment and possible injury or
death to you or others.
SAFE MAINTENANCE PRACTICES. Always
avoid placing tools on or above machinery or an
electrical apparatus. Never leave tools unattended
where machinery or aircraft engines are running.
NEVER USE DAMAGED TOOLS. A battered
screwdriver may slip and spoil the screw slot, damage
other parts, or cause painful injury. A gauge strained
out of shape will result in inaccurate measurements.
Remember, the efficiency of craftsmen and the
tools they use are determined to a great extent by the
way they keep their tools. Likewise, they are frequently
judged by the manner in which they handle and care for
them. Anyone watching skilled craftsmen at work
notices the care and precision with which they use the
tools of their trade.
The care of hand tools should follow the same
pattern as for personal articles; that is, always keep
hand tools clean and free from dirt, grease, and foreign
matter. After use, return tools promptly to their proper
place in the toolbox. Improve your own efficiency by
organizing your tools so that those used most
frequently can be reached easily without digging
through the entire contents of the box. Avoid
accumulating unnecessary junk.
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