Question: Forgo Instructions, or Follow to the Letter? Austin

In honor of February’s DIY month, we combed over old Home Improvement (yes, the television show) clips and quotes in hopes of coming across some funny and helpful home tips. Well, we didn't really stumble on anything helpful, but we did notice an interesting exchange between the show’s two main characters, Tim "the toolman" Taylor and Al Borland, after Tim had messed up yet another home project: Al: Didn't you study the manual at all? Tim: A real man doesn't need a manual. More after the jump!

Whether you are a man or a woman, where do you stand on the whole directions/instructions/manual situation? Do you thoroughly study all reading materials regarding a tool or a project before you even lift a finger or do you prefer to jump right in and figure it all out yourself? Have you ever worked on a project where the instructions guided you in the wrong direction, or saved you from making a grave mistake? Do you and your partner have different philosophies on the subject? Weigh in!

[Photo credit: Instructions photos from Electronics Weekly.]

Comments (10)

I kept reading the title as Fargo Instructions, and kept thinking to myself: What does Fargo have to do with Tool Time?

I have a tendeny to re read it several times, and keep refering to it during the whole stages of construction... I do the same for recipes in a very exagerrated way, but I'm always afraid of doing something wrong.

I'm a woman. I'm mechanically-inclined. I have absolutely nothing to prove. If there are more than five or six pieces, I read the instructions. After one particularly bad experience, I now count all the pieces, including screws, to make sure everything is there *before* I start putting it together.

It depends but it never hurts to read them before you proceed for many situations there is a particular order in which you need to proceed or the pieces won't fit together right.

Had an experience where I had to help a happless guy who Parently didn't read the instructions or read them right but in any rate, put together some bookcases and failed to put the back on and loaded them up with books after getting it into place and it crashed to the floor.

Needless to say, the repair was slapdash at best but at least this time the back went on and it was still standing when I left.

He kept putting the blame on the piece rather than his poor assembly attempts.

And I should say, I do read the instructions to be aware of anything not so obvious and do refer to it during the assembly process to ensure I'm doing it right.

As for recipes, I tend to follow them when doing them for the first time and one I've done it a few times, it's more to recall the ingredients than to actually follow the recipe to the letter and if I'm in the experimenting mode, it's no recipe at all. :-)

I look up all the instructions I can find and then do it my way anyway.

I rarely read manuals. I typically only reference them if I'm completely stuck or if I'm setting up some electronic device- like programming a HD set top box.

My husband is an avid instruction manual man. I never read the instructions - who are they to tell me what to do!!!

I always get started without reading the instructions, but if I get stuck or wonder what a piece is for, then I go back to the instructions. Just like with technology - when in doubt - RTFM!