Stay Familiar With NEC On The Job- Ugly’s Electrical Reference Books

Ok, I want everyone to raise your hand if you have ever drilled a hole in a metal cabinet. Come on, raise them high enough, where I can see them. Now, if you are sitting there, with your hand in the air, please report to the principal’s office for immediate reassignment!

Admit it, you almost started to raise your hand just as a knee jerk reaction. Amazing how that works.

I was recently teaching a class at the local tech school. It is not a regular gig, but a friend, who was supposed to be teaching the class, was ill. So, he asked me to fill in for a few weeks. The first evening I walked into the room, and without any introduction, said, “Everybody raise your hand.”

People started looking around at each other. Then they slowly, one by one, stuck their hands in the air. When I asked the class why they had their hands in the air, we had a Forest Gump moment. The universal answer was “because you told us to”.

Sorry about that. I guess you had to be there. It was a good ice breaker, though, and it gave me the opportunity to teach a valuable lesson. “Knowing why you do something is just as important as knowing how to do it.”

That is one of the main reasons I like Ugly’s Reference Books.

Ugly’s Reference Books

To me, the Ugly line of pocket books is some of the best tools ever developed, for people in the trades. They are small, concise, handy to carry around, and contain a wealth of information. Best of all, in my opinion, is that they are written in plain language, making it easy to understand the information that they contain, and they contain a lot of information.

Here is just a sampling of their content

• Mathematical formulas
• National electrical code
• Wiring configurations
• Conduit bending
• Voltage drops
• Life saving first aid procedures

You could think of them as an omnipotent Master Electrician, that has a perfect memory, is always up to date on code changes, and you carry in your pocket.

I think of them as a safety net for my company. Every one of my crew carries at least one complete set and I make sure they have the latest editions. If there is ever a question about how something should be done or they need to be sure that what they think they are seeing is correct. They don’t have to waste time conferencing or calling me. They can just check the book.

They save a lot of headaches, keeps my guys working with less interruption and I have found that the safety sections are almost fool proof. Working safely should always be a top priority.

If you don’t have a set, of Ugly’s Reference Books, you need to order a set. They are some of handiest assistance you can have and they also make great gifts. As each of my sons came up through their respective trades, one is a plumber, I gave them a set, as a gift, and they still use them today.

Until next time, keep the coffee hot, the beer cold and don’t forget to like us on Facebook.