Okay, let me tell you about this “all 4 holes” business. It sounds simple, right? Just drill four holes. Well, let me tell you, it’s never just that easy, especially when you’re me, in my garage, with a wall that seems to have a personal vendetta against drill bits.
The Grand Plan
So, the mission was to get this new, heavy-duty shelf up. You know, the kind that can hold actual stuff, not just dust bunnies. And each bracket, a sturdy piece of metal, needed four good anchor points. Four of ’em. Not one, not two, but all four, perfectly lined up, perfectly secure. That was the promise I made to myself. No wobbly shelves in my domain.
Getting Down to It
I started off all optimistic. Measured twice, even three times for good luck. Marked the spots. Got out the big drill. The first hole? Not too bad. A bit of a struggle, the drill whined a bit, but it went in. I’m thinking, “Okay, this might actually go smooth.” Famous last words, of course.
The second hole for that first bracket, that’s where the fun began. My marks were perfect, I swear. But the drill bit, it just wanted to dance. Skittered off to the side. Had to re-center, push harder. Sweat started dripping. Finally, got it through. Two down, two to go for just one bracket.
The Real Fight
Now, lining up for the third and fourth holes, after the first two were already there, that’s a special kind of hell. You’d think it’d be easier, having references. Nope. The slightest misalignment and the bolt just won’t go in straight. Or worse, it goes in crooked and you’ve just compromised the whole thing. I was there, wrestling with the drill, trying to keep it perfectly perpendicular, my arms burning. My kid even came out to see what all the grunting was about.
And it wasn’t just one bracket. Oh no. There were multiple brackets for this shelf. Each demanding its tribute of all 4 holes. Some went smoother than others. One section of the wall felt like drilling through solid rock, the next like crumbling cheese. Consistency? Not in my garage.
- Spent way too long on one stubborn hole.
- Almost stripped a screw head out of frustration.
- Had to stop and just breathe for a minute, more than once.
There was this one particular moment, on the last hole of the last bracket. I was tired. I was grumpy. The drill bit was dulling. And the hole just. Wouldn’t. Cooperate. I was so close to just saying “three’s good enough!” But no, the whole point was all 4 holes for maximum strength. That’s what the instructions implied, and that’s what my stubborn brain latched onto.
Victory, Such As It Is
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the last bolt slid into the last of the 4 holes. Tightened it up. Stood back. The shelf was up. It was level. It was solid. Didn’t even wobble when I gave it a good shake. That feeling, when you’ve wrestled with something and finally beaten it into submission, it’s pretty good, not gonna lie.
So yeah, “all 4 holes.” Sounds trivial. But sometimes, it’s those little battles, getting every single one of those damn holes drilled right and true, that make you feel like you actually accomplished something. Even if it’s just a shelf. Now, what to put on it… that’s a whole other saga.
