by Thomas J. Glover
We carry two pocket-sized reference books, the popular Pocket Ref and the Handyman In-Your-Pocket.
A. The Pocket Ref, first published in 1989 and now in its third edition, has 768 pages, including wood beam strength for 76 species, weights of materials, element tables, floor joist spans, concrete mixtures, solvent properties, perpetual calendar – and that is just a tiny fraction of it. It even tells you how to calculate the gallons per minute coming out of a pipe or hose by measuring the arc of the discharge. It has several sections not included in the Handyman book – Automotive, Physical Constants, Electronics, General Science, Mine, Mill and Aggregate, and Surveying and Mapping, and new sections on First Aid and Weather.
B. The Handyman In-Your-Pocket, at 768 pages, covers much of the same ground but at least 60% of it takes a somewhat different direction. There are extensive tables relating to fasteners (a lengthy section on Screws and one on Nails, Spikes and Staples), Anchors (for drywall and concrete, fully illustrated), Drafting Symbols, Sheet Metal, Plate and Wire, and comprehensive rafter tables. Published in 2001.
Depending on your needs, you could choose one or the other, or perhaps both. If your information requirements tend to a scientific direction, choose Pocket Ref; for more of a construction flavor, you might prefer Handyman In-Your-Pocket. With their 3" x 5-1/2" softcover format, they are handy to carry or store and they make excellent gifts.