Home Improvement safety tips- power tools

10 rules for power tools

1. Inspect your tools before use. Inspect especially for frayed power cords and cracked or broken casings. If the tool is damaged, have it repaired by a qualified technician or toss it.

2. Follow instructions, not intuition. Maintain and use power tools in accordance with the manufacturer's warnings, precautions and instructions.

3. Check the switch on power tools and garden appliances to make sure it's in the off position before you plug it in.

4. Keep your tools in shape. Don't carry tools by the cord and never yank the cord when removing it from an outlet. When disconnecting the cord, always grasp the plug, not the wire. Keep the cord away from heat, oil and sharp edges.

5. When necessary, use clamps or a vise to hold work in place. This frees both hands to operate the tool.

6. Buy a saw with a blade guard and don't disable it. Before operating saws with guards, make sure they are in place and in proper working order. Kevin's father-in-law was a master brick mason. To increase productivity, he wired the blade guard on his circular saw in the open position. Production increased until the day he set the still-running saw in his lap.

7. Prevent against kickback. If a saw blade begins to bind, immediately stop the cut and hold the saw and work piece completely still. Wait for the saw blade to stop before pulling away from a cut.

8. Discard saw blades that are chipped, bent or in any way damaged.

9. Never leave an active power tool unattended. Unplug power tools before leaving the room and store them out of childrens reach.

10. Remove all jewelry before using power tools.

Invest In Surrey

"Surrey has repeatedly been named the best place in B.C. to invest and was recently recognized as the best place to find a job in the Lower Mainland,” says Mayor Watts. “We are re-defining Surrey and creating B.C.’s next metropolitan core by fostering a strong investment climate and implementing innovative social, economic and community initiatives for our residents and businesses.”

The following article goes into detail what is going to be happening to Surrey in the future:

http://www.cbvantage.com/news-events/creating-jobs-shaping-growth-and-building-connected-communities/

Rosenburg: Canadian Housing is Okay

An update on the Canadian Housing Market from Globe and Mail on March 29, 2011

"David Rosenberg, chief economist and strategist at Gluskin Sheff, remains a contrarian voice on the U.S. economic recovery, and he is also sticking to his argument that Canada is in pretty good shape – and that includes the country’s housing market.

That market has taken a few knocks recently, even attracting derision from the foreign press. The Wall Street Journal ran an article on Tuesday arguing that Canadian home prices are on a fresh tear, even as income growth lags record-high debt levels.

“All that has raised worry at the country's central bank, which repeatedly has warned about rising debt levels, and among some economists, who say the market is ripe for a correction – maybe a steep one,” the Wall Street Journal noted.

However, Mr. Rosenberg counters these observations. Yes, debt levels are a concern but he notes that homebuilders have shown some discipline in cutting back production, to an extent that didn’t exist in the United States at the peak of its housing market. In Canada, single-family housing starts have fallen 20 per cent from year-ago levels.

“As such there is no evidence of any meaningful supply-demand imbalance that should undercut real estate valuation,” Mr. Rosenberg said in a note to clients.

“We see no reason why the Bank of Canada should be aggressive in raising rates, and at the same time, the demographics in favour of real estate are actually quite constructive, notably the influence from Canada’s business immigration platform. Note that in 2009, net international immigration to Canada surged 13 per cent. So not only is the country acting as a magnet for international capital inflow, but Canada is also being increasingly viewed as a stable place to do business and a desirable area to live.”

Full Story Here

SOURCE: GLOBE AND MAIL