thanks guys ! mike, i was thinking along your thoughts of making a longer handle. i will be doing a practice run with some scrap because i have never used these tools before. couple of things i will be keeping an eye on is the jaw teeth, and the tool's pivot points at the handle and body connection. didn't think about inserting the material only 1/2 way into the jaws. thanks for that tip ! anything else i need to be aware of ?