Question for you tool lovers

If you had to start over, to replace your equipment and power/hand tools.
How much money would it take?
I need to come up with a budget.
Excluding the lathe and mill, I think at least $25,000 for hand and power tools and another $7,500 for lathe/milling accessories.
New lathe and mill, $18,000.
Welding and plasma, $6,500
What say you?

 

Just my 2 cents as they say. The tool does not make a good machinist in my mind. I believe that the majority of quality that goes into metal working is the skill of the machinist. While a good quality tool may make you feel good, it all boils down to paying attention to what you are trying to do along with plenty of practice, practice, practice and some good common sense.

 

I've always have heard that one , or "The tools don't make the craftsman." . And I consider it utter BS. A craftsman doesn't use garbage tools. I've been a tradesman since '71, the right tool for the job makes it much easier and you do a better job. But, yes, you will always be working against the limitations of machine tools.

 

"The tools don't make the craftsman." . And I consider it utter BS.

Well, I disagree. I have seen too many "mechanics" with a wall of Snap-On tools, that did not know how to use them. They attempted to buy the respect of the shop and supervisor, instead of proving they had the knowledge required for the job. Soon enough, the truth came out, and they took their gigantic investment to another shop. I would bet they ended up selling it all, pennies on the dollar, to make ends meet in the end.
And on the flipside, I have seen more than a few mechanics show up with the bare minimum required. Given time, they showed their natural talent and ability to get the job done with ingenuity, innate skill and give-a- ****. I am in this group, and after 17 years here, I am RUNNING the shop!

 

This is a little off topic; or maybe sideways from the topic. If your tools are destroyed in a fire, in general, is anything recoverable? I got to think items like end mills and drills would survive the heat and may be salvageable if you could find them in the rubble. I guess rust could be a major issue if not found quickly.
So sorry to hear you are in this position. I can't imagine how sad and frustrating this must have been. Best of luck!
Robert

 

On the flip side, have you seen the mess a carpenter can make with a dull chisel. Some brands of chisels will dull if you look at them wrong. Even the apprentice with a sharp chisel can do a good job. It's like the tool does the work for him.

Snap-on story. As an millwright apprentice I was buttoning up a grain elevator with a journeyman . I'm using a Maple Leaf brand wrench, an unpolished Gray, tough but cheap. He hands me his Snap-on to use . On the way home I stopped and picked up a fully polished 9/16" Gray, I couldn't afford Snap-on but if you are going to spend 8 hours with your tools, better a nice one.

If we had a fire, I would lose that special wrench.

 

between woodworking, plumbing, electrical, ladders/scaffolds, metalworking and more, the cost is too huge to contemplate... North of the cost of my house.

 

If you're going to start with basic hand tools, consider pawn shops. They're full of basic wrenches, sockets etc and often sell that stuff
for almost nothing just to get rid of them. With some patience you could put together a set of older, quality tools, (as long as you don't
mind mismatched sets ).

 

It is the same way with heavy equipment operation, the less skilled operators usually blame the "junky" machines for the poor performance.
Have a good day
Ray

 

As a mechanic at the paper plant , you bring an adjustable wrench into work , you would be fired . We did not like dealing with stripped nuts and bolts . Either did management . You make $33 an hour in a union shop , buy some decent tools or hit the road . That was the lay of the land .