# NEVER the right tool!



## Finster (Apr 24, 2017)

I'm pushing 50. I've been a tinkerer, a mechanic, a machinist, wood worker and handyman all of my life. As an educated guess, I probably have between 50 and 60 thousand dollars worth of equipment and tooling for just about everything you could think of. Why is it that every time I try and do a project I never have what I need?  Is it me? Who else suffers from this affliction?


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## JimDawson (Apr 24, 2017)

I'm 68 and have buying tools & equipment for over 50 years, and I still have to buy more.  It never ends.


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## brino (Apr 24, 2017)

Maybe if you guys lived next door to each other you could borrow/loan tools then you each only need to own half of all the tools that exist!

But I know the feeling all too well. And if I have the tools, I don't have the stock.

Or worse, I'll have the need, the stock and the tools, but not the time!
This going to work every day is a real PITA.
If it wasn't for the paycheque I'd be outta there so fast!!!

-brino


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## eugene13 (Apr 24, 2017)

A real man will never have too many Tools, Weapons, or Vehicles


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## scwhite (Apr 24, 2017)

I never have enough .
   I was looking on ebay for a nice set of
8" or 12"  Starret  Vanier calipers 123 master bar
    My wife asked me how often will you use those .
    My answer was everytime I need them .
        She didn't say anything else after that  answer .


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## Finster (Apr 24, 2017)

scwhite said:


> I never have enough .
> I was looking on ebay for a nice set of
> 8" or 12"  Starret  Vanier calipers 123 master bar
> * My wife asked me how often will you use those .
> ...


My wife doesn't really bother me about buying tools much. However, that reply has been filed for later reference just in case! Love it!


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## Finster (Apr 24, 2017)

brino said:


> Maybe if you guys lived next door to each other you could borrow/loan tools then you each only need to own half of all the tools that exist!
> 
> But I know the feeling all too well. And if I have the tools, I don't have the stock.
> 
> ...


 I hear you, this work thing is getting in the way of my hobbies. Heck, the only time my boat got wet last year is when it rained. NOT ACCEPTABLE!


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## Rustrp (Apr 24, 2017)

Seven posts and all are either promoting or enabling addiction. In essence, Finster is saying he chooses jobs he doesn't have the tools for, so he can get his fix.


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## Silverbullet (Apr 24, 2017)

eugene13 said:


> A real man will never have too many Tools, Weapons, or Vehicles


And ammo , gas , electric plus a truck big enough to haul it all.


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## Finster (Apr 24, 2017)

Rustrp said:


> Seven posts and all are either promoting or enabling addiction. In essence, Finster is saying he chooses jobs he doesn't have the tools for, so he can get his fix.


*YEP!*


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## woodchucker (Apr 24, 2017)

Rustrp said:


> Seven posts and all are either promoting or enabling addiction. In essence, Finster is saying he chooses jobs he doesn't have the tools for, so he can get his fix.


I think a lot of us resemble that remark... Anyone for a chain fall


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## Rustrp (Apr 24, 2017)

I think metal working places first in the number of tools needed to get a project done, followed by woodworking. In all the different metal working trades, machining has the most **I gotta have it** categories of tools and gadgets, with what it holds and what it is held by coming in first.


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## dlane (Apr 24, 2017)

Yup,


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## MikeWi (Apr 24, 2017)

I'm about to turn 56, and I inherited all of my Dad's tools, and he was a mechanic as a kid and continued to do all of his own auto work and carpentry until he died.  On top of all my own tools, I still have to buy more. My wife slowly learned the value of having the right tool for the job, and she doesn't even question it anymore. 

edit: Mini rant here.  And all his old Craftsman tools are high quality and still going strong while most of the craftsman tools I bought are barely worth using.


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## ACHiPo (Apr 24, 2017)

Finster said:


> I'm pushing 50. I've been a tinkerer, a mechanic, a machinist, wood worker and handyman all of my life. As an educated guess, I probably have between 50 and 60 thousand dollars worth of equipment and tooling for just about everything you could think of. Why is it that every time I try and do a project I never have what I need?  Is it me? Who else suffers from this affliction?


Hmmm could it be projects are an excuse to buy tools?

Edit:  I obviously posted this before I read the rest of the thread!


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## Glenn Brooks (Apr 24, 2017)

Last year, my neighbor needed to borrow a jig saw to make an unanticipated cut on some plywood sub-flooring to finish his bathroom remodel.  He calls me up and I tell him where to look in you shop.  Said, "Iam not home today, just go on in and look around on the lower left shelf under my work bench. 

He called back an hour latter to tell me he made the cut and returned the tool.  He then says: "Holly Smokes, you have tools in there most men have never seen in their life."

Thats when I realized why machining was so fun.

Glenn


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## Rustrp (Apr 24, 2017)

ACHiPo said:


> Hmmm could it be projects are an excuse to buy tools?
> 
> Edit:  I obviously posted this before I read the rest of the thread!



I think validating the validation is a symptom of the addiction and you saw the cause and cure instantaneously on reading the comment. You walk by the metal rack and see a piece of 12" X 12" X .750" HSS and think,,,,,"I need a bigger band saw  or a bigger welder." Do they have meetings for this addiction?


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## Ulma Doctor (Apr 24, 2017)

Hi, I'm Mike...
i suffer badly from being a toolaholic.
i don't sleep well at night, i dream about taking .025" cuts per side , conventional milling and the whine of the RPC
when i get home, i wanna hide in the garage
i think of playing hookie from my payin' work, just so i can scrape the table of a project- for free
i name my equipment with female names
i'd rather hear parting chatter than sit behind a desk
i like the smell of aluminum being machined
i'd rather spend $150 bucks and a week of sweat- than buy something inferior for $15
i judge parallelism and square of everyday objects, i find i want to scrape things that are not flat
i got a whole bunch of woodworking tools, thinkin' i'll grow into them 
yeah, i got issues too Finster


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## jbolt (Apr 25, 2017)

Same goes for fasteners. I must have 500 lbs. of fasteners, all sorted and in bins by type and size yet for some reason I never have the one I need.  I hate buying small quantities so if I can I will buy a box even though I may never have a use for that size again.


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## 682bear (Apr 25, 2017)

Certified toolaholic here... and I also buy hardware by the box...

If I need an odd tool for 'just one job', I'll borrow it if I can... the second time I need it, I'll buy it... even if its 10 years later.

Tools are an investment... and I have discovered that the tool that you said for years that you had no use for ends up being used a lot once you acquire one... if you have it, you will find uses for it.


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## JimDawson (Apr 25, 2017)

Rustrp said:


> I think validating the validation is a symptom of the addiction and you saw the cause and cure instantaneously on reading the comment. You walk by the metal rack and see a piece of 12" X 12" X .750" HSS and think,,,,,"I need a bigger band saw  or a bigger welder." *Do they have meetings for this addiction?*




Yes, it's called The Hobby Machinist


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## Finster (Apr 25, 2017)

MikeWi said:


> I'm about to turn 56, and I inherited all of my Dad's tools, and he was a mechanic as a kid and continued to do all of his own auto work and carpentry until he died.  On top of all my own tools, I still have to buy more. My wife slowly learned the value of having the right tool for the job, and she doesn't even question it anymore.
> 
> edit: Mini rant here.  *And all his old Craftsman tools are high quality and still going strong while most of the craftsman tools I bought are barely worth using.*


 You're not kidding! I just bought three craftsmen  1/2" teardrop ratchets off of ebay, for $15. My plan was to return them for new ones. When they came, they were the super old ones that are beefy and the the little oiler on the top. Now I'm switching to "plan B" I want to try and fix them since you can't buy them anymore with this quality.


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## Finster (Apr 25, 2017)

Rustrp said:


> I think validating the validation is a symptom of the addiction and you saw the cause and cure instantaneously on reading the comment. You walk by the metal rack and see a piece of 12" X 12" X .750" HSS and think,,,,,"I need a bigger band saw  or a bigger welder." *Do they have meetings for this addiction*?


 Probably but meetings are for quitters, I'm no quitter!


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## scwhite (Apr 25, 2017)

682bear said:


> Certified toolaholic here... and I also buy hardware by the box...
> 
> If I need an odd tool for 'just one job', I'll borrow it if I can... the second time I need it, I'll buy it... even if its 10 years later.
> 
> Tools are an investment... and I have discovered that the tool that you said for years that you had no use for ends up being used a lot once you acquire one... if you have it, you will find uses for it.


I hate to borrow tools . I have borrowed 
Many tools in my early years . It seams like every time I borrowed a tool from someone it would brake 
I would go and buy a new one for the prison I borrowed the tool from . I would give that new tool to them and I would keep the broken one . 
     After about five or six times I stopped borrowing tools .


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## Charles Spencer (Apr 25, 2017)

I would like to point out three pictures.




Amateur gun smith, USA





Professional gun smith, USA





Professional gun smith, Pakistan

I've seen the Pakistani weapons in action.  I'm sorry to say they appear to work just fine.


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## Rustrp (Apr 25, 2017)

Finster said:


> Probably but meetings are for quitters, I'm no quitter!


For a fleeting moment I thought you were complaining about your addiction. It's more than obvious you're happy, and who would want to stifle HAPPY.


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## chips&more (Apr 25, 2017)

Charles Spencer said:


> I would like to point out three pictures.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is so very true! A “Master” can make with bare necessities! A person with piles of toys in their garage could just be all for show and not a master of anything!


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## bravo (Apr 25, 2017)

Finster said:


> I'm pushing 50. I've been a tinkerer, a mechanic, a machinist, wood worker and handyman all of my life. As an educated guess, I probably have between 50 and 60 thousand dollars worth of equipment and tooling for just about everything you could think of. Why is it that every time I try and do a project I never have what I need?  Is it me? Who else suffers from this affliction?


I have the opposite problem. I have the tools and the materials but I can never decide on a project. 

Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk


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## Finster (Apr 25, 2017)

bravo said:


> I have the opposite problem. I have the tools and the materials but I can never decide on a project.
> 
> Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk


OH! I can send you a few if you don't mind materials and labor for free!  I have enough projects going for 3 mortal men!


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## Rockytime (Apr 25, 2017)

I borrowed sawhorses from a friend. Eleven years later he wanted them back. What kind of friend is that? I thought possession was 90% of, well you know. This resulted in my having to purchase some. We still do have lunch weekly if it is his turn to pay.


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## rock_breaker (Apr 25, 2017)

I realize now that I will have to live one more lifetime and buy more tools to get what I have planned done.
Have a good day!
Ray


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## owl (Apr 26, 2017)

The right tool?  Half the time I don't even seem to have the optimum drill bit for the hole I'm cutting.


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## rgray (Apr 26, 2017)

What gets me is finding the right tool that I forgot I already had. Usually find it after buying a new one.


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## bravo (Apr 26, 2017)

rgray said:


> What gets me is finding the right tool that I forgot I already had. Usually find it after buying a new one.


Know the feeling. The only reason I usually find the old one is because I put the new one in the same spot that I lost the old one. 

Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk


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## Finster (Apr 26, 2017)

rgray said:


> What gets me is finding the right tool that I forgot I already had. Usually find it after buying a new one.


Been there, done that.


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## killswitch505 (Apr 26, 2017)

I live with this the addiction!!!! It's a real struggle I sometimes think a drug habit would be cheaper. I've been a single father of 2 for the last 3 years just recently started dating an a amazing woman but man does she get into my shop time!!!!! Just what I've spent on dates the last few months I could have bought the dro I've been to cheap to buy or the indexer I've been putting off.


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## Finster (Apr 27, 2017)

killswitch505 said:


> I live with this the addiction!!!! It's a real struggle I sometimes think a drug habit would be cheaper. I've been a single father of 2 for the last 3 years just recently started dating an a amazing woman but man does she get into my shop time!!!!! Just what I've spent on dates the last few months I could have bought the dro I've been to cheap to buy or the indexer I've been putting off.


You're doing it wrong!   You have to find a woman that's also a machinist. Think about it. You can be on a date AND still have shop time. Not only that but if things get serious, you can also inherit her tools!  What could be better than getting your girlfriend the grinder she always wanted for Christmas. Maybe and engagement shaper? Don't worry though, plenty of us on here have made the same mistake.  Check into it. Maybe they have a dating site for machinist? "you don't have to be lonely at machinist only dot com".


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## C-Bag (Apr 27, 2017)

My problem for years has been that nobody makes the tool I need. And now that I have enough machine tools I can make the right tool. This doesn't work if I'm in a hurry of course, but if I have time to plan ahead it really pays off. Especially when it's a job that my wife is in on. She's been around for enough of those that she never questions my TAS(tool acquisition syndrome) anymore. Now fasteners and plumbing.....don't get me started.


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## killswitch505 (Apr 27, 2017)

Finster said:


> You're doing it wrong!   You have to find a woman that's also a machinist. Think about it. You can be on a date AND still have shop time. Not only that but if things get serious, you can also inherit her tools!  What could be better than getting your girlfriend the grinder she always wanted for Christmas. Maybe and engagement shaper? Don't worry though, plenty of us on here have made the same mistake.  Check into it. Maybe they have a dating site for machinist? "you don't have to be lonely at machinist only dot com".


Bwhahaha I live in a small pond!!!!! And she's definitely the good looking one in the relationship lol


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## Mutt (Apr 29, 2017)

MikeWi said:


> I'm about to turn 56, and I inherited all of my Dad's tools, and he was a mechanic as a kid and continued to do all of his own auto work and carpentry until he died.  On top of all my own tools, I still have to buy more. My wife slowly learned the value of having the right tool for the job, and she doesn't even question it anymore.
> 
> edit: Mini rant here.  And all his old Craftsman tools are high quality and still going strong while most of the craftsman tools I bought are barely worth using.




CRaftsman tools suck. Especially their screwdrivers. Worthless. That hate me when I walk in the door, usually to bring back a bag full of screwdrivers. I replaced about 10 one day. Got home and broken one of the new ones on the first use............. To make matters worse, they tried to tell me that I could only bring in 5 per day. I told them I lived  100 miles round trip and that an "unlimited lifetime warranty"  was UNLIMITED. The young guy that was working behind the counter just couldn't seem to understand that


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## Finster (Apr 29, 2017)

Mutt said:


> CRaftsman tools suck. Especially their screwdrivers. Worthless. That hate me when I walk in the door, usually to bring back a bag full of screwdrivers. I replaced about 10 one day. Got home and broken one of the new ones on the first use............. *To make matters worse, they tried to tell me that I could only bring in 5 per day. I told them I lived  100 miles round trip and that an "unlimited lifetime warranty"  was UNLIMITED*. The young guy that was working behind the counter just couldn't seem to understand that


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## benmychree (Apr 29, 2017)

The person who dies with the most tools wins, it is as simple as that; case closed!


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## Rockytime (Apr 29, 2017)

Mutt said:


> CRaftsman tools suck. Especially their screwdrivers. Worthless. That hate me when I walk in the door, usually to bring back a bag full of screwdrivers. I replaced about 10 one day. Got home and broken one of the new ones on the first use............. To make matters worse, they tried to tell me that I could only bring in 5 per day. I told them I lived  100 miles round trip and that an "unlimited lifetime warranty"  was UNLIMITED. The young guy that was working behind the counter just couldn't seem to understand that



I'm curious. What do you use your screwdrivers for?


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## kvt (Apr 29, 2017)

I here you on that I have a bunch of the old Craftsman Screw drivers that I can use for things they were not made for, and they work but the new ones,   Forget it they tear up just taking screws in and out.   
After over 35 years the wife knows where to find me in a store that sells any tools or equipment.   She goes and looks and I go and look at what I want, need,   gota have     well  you know.


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## coolidge (Apr 29, 2017)

No matter how many nuts, bolts, and washers I have a trip to the hardware store for something I don't have is part of every project.  Or I buy a new machine and the factory screws something up I don't have the right tool to fix...like again last night, barely made it to the store for a 10 1.5 tap before they closed.


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## bobl (Apr 29, 2017)

Finster said:


> My wife doesn't really bother me about buying tools much. However, that reply has been filed for later reference just in case! Love it!



It's like handbags how many dose she need lol


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk


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## Finster (Apr 29, 2017)

By the way, how many people take the screws, nuts and bolts out of something before they scrap it? If I'm scrapping and appliance or anything else for that matter, I strip it first........ always. I just took the metric bolts out of a futon bed we tossed out. I kept the square stock also. I'll use that for something someday...


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## CNC Dude (Apr 30, 2017)

Finster said:


> I'm pushing 50. I've been a tinkerer, a mechanic, a machinist, wood worker and handyman all of my life. As an educated guess, I probably have between 50 and 60 thousand dollars worth of equipment and tooling for just about everything you could think of. Why is it that every time I try and do a project I never have what I need?  Is it me? Who else suffers from this affliction?



HAH! We will never have all the tools we can possibly need. Is an impossibility! But don't feel bad. The human race started making tools about 2.5 million years ago and we still don't have all the tools we can possibly need. What makes us feel we can complete this feat in a paltry 80-100 years of age???

BTW, it is not an addiction, it is just our nature ;-)


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## toolroom (Apr 30, 2017)

When I die, I'm going to have my ashes scattered around in ACE Hardware. That's heaven to me!


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## bravo (Apr 30, 2017)

toolroom said:


> When I die, I'm going to have my ashes scattered around in ACE Hardware. That's heaven to me!


I miss the mom and pop hardware stores that used to be everywhere when I was younger. 

Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk


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## coolidge (Apr 30, 2017)

We still have them, Wilco Farm store and Park Rose Hardware that's how you spend 2 hours on a weekend right there! Once a year Wilco has a 30% off grade 8 nuts and bolts, they sell them by the pound!


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## bravo (Apr 30, 2017)

coolidge said:


> We still have them, Wilco Farm store and Park Rose Hardware that's how you spend 2 hours on a weekend right there! Once a year Wilco has a 30% off grade 8 nuts and bolts, they sell them by the pound!


That's my kind of place. We have a semi-mom and pop in town called Dickinsons. But in the end it's still a TrueValue. 

Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk


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## tcarrington (May 1, 2017)

This thread, which I agree with wholeheartedly, suggests there is equal amount of work for psychologists and psychiatrists in our hobby. But wait, we are OK with what we are doing. We don't need no stinkin' therapy, just more shop time.


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## C-Bag (May 1, 2017)

Realistically the only time this is something to worry about is when it goes into hoarding. You would think I'd be double wammied by a wife who's a psychologist but when she sees first hand how much easier a job goes with the right equipment the only remark is look how many tools it takes to do this!

I get this thread is somewhat tongue in cheek, but in a world where jobs, whole trades along with the knowledge disappear daily due to automation and outsourcing I feel like I'm giving the finger in my small way to that trend. There's some kind of weird Karma to buying Chinese machine tools to learn how to make and repair better equipment and tools.


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## Nogoingback (May 1, 2017)

coolidge said:


> We still have them, Wilco Farm store and Park Rose Hardware that's how you spend 2 hours on a weekend right there! Once a year Wilco has a 30% off grade 8 nuts and bolts, they sell them by the pound!




+1 on Parkrose Hardware: best hardware store around for fasteners.


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## FOMOGO (May 1, 2017)

Yup, when, and if something leaves here, it looks like robotic vultures have picked it clean. Usually after being striped it goes up the hill to my personal junk yard for further use for metal stock or sculpture material. Mike



Finster said:


> By the way, how many people take the screws, nuts and bolts out of something before they scrap it? If I'm scrapping and appliance or anything else for that matter, I strip it first........ always. I just took the metric bolts out of a futon bed we tossed out. I kept the square stock also. I'll use that for something someday...


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## 4GSR (May 1, 2017)

tcarrington said:


> ............. We don't need no stinkin' therapy, just more shop time.



Working in the shop at any time is therapy to me!


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## coolidge (May 1, 2017)

4gsr said:


> Working in the shop at any time is therapy to me!



Until you can't find a misplaced tool, you run to town to buy another one, then weeks later find all 4 of them.


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## Finster (May 1, 2017)

C-Bag said:


> Realistically the only time this is something to worry about is when it goes into hoarding. You would think I'd be double wammied by a wife who's a psychologist but when she sees first hand how much easier a job goes with the right equipment the only remark is look how many tools it takes to do this!
> 
> I get this thread is somewhat tongue in cheek, but in a world where jobs, whole trades along with the knowledge disappear daily due to automation and outsourcing I feel like I'm giving the finger in my small way to that trend. *There's some kind of weird Karma to buying Chinese machine tools to learn how to make and repair better equipment and tools*.


That's just frick'in priceless!


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## kvt (May 1, 2017)

No I normally find the tool when I go to put the new one where I will be able to find it when I want it.   Wait a minute is that not what I did with the last one I could not fine until I tried to put the new one away.   Oh well maybe I did need more of them.


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## coolidge (May 2, 2017)

Never enough pairs of leather gloves, I think I'm up to 6 pair now.

EDIT: Make that 7, yes I went to the welding store today.


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