Inventions Enhance Job Efficiency for Tompkins Houses Carpenter  

Inside the carpenter shop at Tompkins Houses, Stephen Jackman opened a small door on what he calls his “keep everything compartment.” 

Indeed, this universal storage cart built by Mr. Jackman is an invention that would make many a hardware store clerk proud. 

Constructed of plywood and standing roughly four feet tall on wheels, the customized cart is complete with compartments, shelves, and dividers to hold various tools and equipment that a carpenter might need to have at the ready. Mr. Jackman, the lone carpenter based at the Brooklyn development, has crafted several such innovations to help improve his organization and efficiency on the job.  

Also dubbed his “RRP wagon” for the storage of some lead renovation, repair, and painting supplies, the rolling cart has unique features such as a plastic roller compartment with a narrow slot to feed the plastic tarp sheets; a horizontal block of wood to hold rolls of tape, pliers, and spray bottles; an open board to post warning signs for lead work; and foldable shelves to create a workspace table.  

“It’s nice because everything is in one place,” said Mr. Jackman, a 15-year NYCHA employee who has worked at Tompkins Houses for about a year and a half. “It just makes life easier.” 

The wagon is efficient for transporting a load that could include tub enclosures, door panels, a small vacuum, and cleaning chemicals. Fashioned with two handles at one end for pushing the heavy materials, the wheeled cart can easily fit inside elevators, building corridors, and apartment doorways. 

Carpenter Stephen Jackman exhibits some of the unique features of his “RRP wagon.”

During one recent visit to Tompkins Houses, Office of Mold Assessment and Remediation Senior Director Elena Tenchikova said Mr. Jackman’s creation made quite the impression on her. 

“Every side is well crafted to strategically enable storage and easy access to materials, from personal protective equipment, to tools, to miscellaneous items,” she described. “I was completely amazed by the plastic roller compartment and how parts of the cart fold out to be a workstation table that he can work on.” 

Another of Mr. Jackman’s inventions also regularly makes appearances throughout the development’s grounds: the motorized cart that the jovial carpenter rides to transport supplies. He attributes the impetus for developing such unique handiworks to the need for efficient, resourceful solutions in the workplace.  

“Necessity is the mother of invention,” he stated. “I was born needy.”     

The longtime carpenter’s affinity for creating innovations began as a youth, when he would break apart his toys to see how they worked. With an early interest in electronics, he would look for ways to motorize his toys. A music lover, his first foray into carpentry was building speaker boxes.  

“I’m fascinated by the way things work and I’m into learning anything,” said Mr. Jackman, a native of Trinidad and Tobago who lives at Rockaway Beach.  

That inspiration has served him well in the professional world as he continues to turn his imagination into methods for getting things done. Pointing to his motorized work cart in the Tompkins shop, Mr. Jackman details its features as a mode of transportation. The specialized contraption is operated by joystick – the controls are from a motorized wheelchair – and it can spin its wheels on a dime for tight turns. Moreover, it has a built-in stereo, can handle up to 400 pounds of supplies, and has a ledge for Mr. Jackman to stand on as he maneuvers the motor cart to job sites across the Tompkins property.   

“It looks like I’m having fun,” he said of passersby remarks on his invention.  

The cart is customized with various tool compartments similar to his RRP wagon, and its surface can be electronically extended to make room for additional supply loads. 

Mr. Jackman’s motorized cart innovation can easily fit inside elevators, handle hundreds of pounds of supplies, and be hooked up to his RRP wagon for effective transportation of work materials across the development.

While Mr. Jackman’s creations have been intended to enhance efficiency for his work, he noted that they in turn help improve services for residents who may need new tubs installed, kitchen cabinets repaired, or other apartment fixes.  

“That’s why I took the job in the first place,” he said about the opportunity to serve residents. “You wake up with a sense of purpose.”  

As for why he chooses to use his own hands for inventing ways to make his work life a little easier, he answered simply, “We’re carpenters, that’s what we do – we build stuff.”