Anyone else have an addiction to tools?

Some of you may remember the machinist chest I build and posted the build on here last year. Well, it just about overflowing. I guess I should have made it 8' tall with a ladder? This is just machinist tooling and does not count my wood shop which is so crammed with wood working tools and machinery that if I buy another machine, it will become storage instead of a shop. Not to mention all of the wood working hand tools. Then there are the daily regular hand tools and automotive tools. Wrenches, grinders, screw drivers, channel locks, drills, clamps and the like. That list goes on forever. Specialty automotive tooling? Yup, got some of it. I used to be a plumbers helper, have plenty of plumbing tools. Carpentry tooling? Loads of it. Very little is cheap, junk tooling. I believe in buying the very best I can afford. My wife looks on, shakes her head and at least at this point, has given up asking what things cost since she has never gotten a direct answer anyway. I figured out pretty quick that when asked what something costs, the correct answer is to tell her how much I saved because I got it at a bargain. I think I have a problem? The major problem I see with it all is that very often, I don't have the right tool for the job! Anyone else coping with this affliction?

Not me.... lost more tools it seems than I now own. But I am a welder, like to tinker in the shop. Think I could build almost anything with just my welders, chop saw, side grinders and torch. Maybe a square and level.... use them once in a while. LOL!

i have everything my dad and grampa and there descendants have brought here since the 1880's.i'm still trying to figure out what's all here and what some things are even for.

I have so many, when I get mad I throw some in the river and then I feel better.
(inside joke)

PCR I might be able to ID some of the oldies.

I have same problem and it appears I passed the gene on to my son.

At age 17 he already has a commercial grade air compressor, Lincoln mig welder, Lincoln tig welder,
Grinder with stand, roll cabinet full of tools including specialty tools.

His plan next is for a plasma cutter.

The kid is smart with money not wasting it partying or on junk. Buying quality tools that will last him years.

I had to move my woodworking stuff to the garage so as he says he needs more room in the shop. Lol

nope,tim the toolman taylor turned me off.

I got a bunch.

I surprise myself with what I can find when I need it but I have a bunch.

Yep, every once in awhile I find a tool I forgot I even owned.

Can't work without them! I got loads of specialized tools, some big and small, and lots of stuff I had to build! Some I haven't used in quite awhile, like english wheel, shrinker/streatcher, planisher,roll former, and some others that I used back when I was building hot rods. Now days, it's just stuff to build my products. Just can't have too many tools!

Typical Beemer rider, got it backwards again. You don't have to many tools, your shop is to small! Geez, do I have to do all the thinking around here?

4 pound sledge , cresent wrench and (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) file. Buying a chisel someday.

I like the way you think Harley. second only to the "its a lazy man that can't take the time to find the wife a second job."

"Tell her what you saved" that was Great!

She has a second job! I'm trying to find her a third. After all, she just lays around sleeping 8 hours a day!

Riding Harleys I'm sure you have a big shop and need the room to park all of those broken down bikes. Riding a Beemer, all I need is a parking spot.

I love tools. I worked as a maintenance mechanic/repair technician for almost 40 years. I still have my first set of tools I bought as a teenager. In the last few years, I've been collecting old wood working tools. I have some old spoke shaves, planes, hand crank drills and scrapers that I use.

I can't look at tool catalogs anymore and I have to pace myself in a store, it is too hard to decide what to spend my limited budget on, tools, traps, guns, fishing stuff, boat stuff, woodworking tools/machinery and I still want to get a Bridgeport someday! Now I buy what I need for the job as it comes up and the wife never says anything about it that way.

Well then, you need a job that would require a Bridgeport! See, I'm a problem solver, it's what I do.

I definitely have a tool addiction. Tools cost a lot of money. But the money I have saved by having the right tool to do my own repairs has more than paid for the tools over time.

Me and the Snap-On truck have being doing business since 1976...........

The man that has the tools gets the job!

There's a harbor freight store close by here, I'm like a cocaine addict with a dumptruck load of blow in the backyard.

I tend to buy what ever I need to make money with in building construction, from power sreed to finish nailer, to texture/tape/plaster tools.

And at home I can take apart any mechanical project if I have to.

I lean towards big tools like skidsteers/tractors/and stuff with hydraulic levers.

and the older i get the more i lean that way les,almost like one leg is shorter than the other already.

I must have.
If i can buy something for 100 dollars, but buy tools to make it myself for 150 dollars, i'm buying tools, lol. Hey, who knows, i may have to make another one someday and then i'll be ahead of the game.

I have a drawer of oddball taps and dies because of this, lol

And when your wife asks why you need so many tools? I just point at the bikes!

Yep. I recently became addicted to Hilti cordless tools. Next is one of the jobsite radios for the shop.

Just bought a fein ocsilating tool today. It was a good price! How could I not???

I've got a tool for that.....he who dies with the most tools wins.

Heck, i've even made tools to make something else, lol.

have tools to make tools

While I've been home I have gone through and sorted stuff, hauled junk to the dump and sorted through all my tools...

I got rid of duplicates and managed to whittle the pile down enough that it all (mostly) fits in one rolling tool chest... except for table saw, bench grinder, lathe, etc... All the big shop tools fit on one shelf. So now everything is in the breezeway shed.

I did a good job of whittling down the pile. But I still have one drawer in the chest that is dedicated to Allen wrenches. Lol

But I got rid of enough that I emptied a Craftsman tool chest and I passed it to my son in law.

All of my precision measuring tools... Calipers, OD mics, depth mics, indicator, etc... are in a plastic tote in a closet in the hall. I didn't want to leave them in the tool chest exposed to temp extremes and humidity.

It was easier than I thought to let go of some stuff... Who needs a half dozen hammers, staple guns, and socket sets?

I have wrenches up to 1.5" and I'm not sure I'll ever need them again. I doubt I'll ever set up Acme-Gridleys again. But I couldn't turn loose of them. Maybe they'll come in handy for working on the tractor I plan on buying. Lol

Mike

Just moved to a condo for retirement reasons. Gave all my tools to my son. Lots of withdrawal pains, except for lawn equipment. Won't miss it a bit.

Hilti makes some good stuff. You pay for it though.

A woman can have 50 pairs of shoes in the closet, but can't grasp the concept of "The right tool for the job"! LOL

Traps guns and fishin rods are tools too

man,i really have a problem when you throw them in.

good luck with that one

Don't forget reloading tools...

I am a junkie when it comes to tools. I have had to stop myself many times from undertaking new hobbies (which require new tools) because things just get out of hand if I don't set limits LOL.

I do wish I could have a re-do at some of my tool buying though, as I wasted a lot of money and effort buying junk in my early years.

One thing about good tools is that they are like traps and firearms... you can pass them down to your kids and/or they'll be worth something if you need to liquidate assets or if the SHTF.

Yep, I learned early on to buy the best tools you can afford. I have some cheap stuff but mostly good names. Some of it was painful to buy but not as pricey as buying junk a few times to replace broken stuff.

I have the next best thing to a tool addiction....I have a neighbor with a tool addiction that also likes to use them!!!

i need to get me one of them.

You already have one.

I don't think I do....but my S.O. says I need help in a bad way.

I do have two sheds, a 24x40 and a 40x60, to keep them all in though......is that bad?

No addiction, tho I've had lots of tools in my time and recently moved so I decided to dump the majority.
Let go 2 lathes, a prototrak mill, 2 welders, oxy-act. tank set, hydraulic press, drop band saw, 80 gal. air comp., large assot. of drills, taps, reamers, end mills and specialty machinist/toolmaker stuff. Basically my own mini Tool shop.

Also had lots of auto related stuff, 2 post lift and lots of specialty tools.

I had a nice sized 30 x 50 garage heated with hydroponic in floor heat, lift etc.

Its was nice having the stuff but in the end I did not really NEED any of it.
Now I've got a much smaller workshop (24 x 36) with stuff I use alot and really don't miss all the other stuff.

I see all my tools/toys/cars/guns/fishing stuff as a "tool" and if I don't us them regularly I really don't have to have them so I've been getting rid of them. Its a very satisfying feeling have less stuff to care for/store. Life is simpler, I like it that way.

I'm going thru should I spend the big bucks or not on a Miter box right now.
I sold my old delta that only could cut a 2 x 6 and am looking for something better/nicer.
Am looking at a Festool miter box but for $1400 I don't know if I should pull the trigger.
Its really a nice tool and if you ever used or have any Festool stuff you'll agree its really nice stuff.
My wife never cares, I'm more conservative on spending than she is.

I have a DeWalt 12" Dual Compound Sliding Miter Saw for the last twenty years. At the time I bought it it tested as the most accurate against seven or eight different brands.

It's a job site tool and has taken a beating but can still cut crown moulding flawlessly. I can't speak to the quality of the new ones without doing the research but they sell for about $600.00.

Festool makes some really sweet tools but, in my opinion, part of the high price is paying for the name.

Another thing on tools. I find at times depending upon project/job, sometimes its cheaper to buy the tool, do the job yourself rather than hiring out.

I bought a rototiller for 3 pt hitch on my tractor last fall to put in the new yard around new house.
I could hire out for approx 3K. to have yard cleared of rocks, tilled, seed bed prepped, planted and covered with straw.
I was looking to rent tiller but nobody locally had a tiller that would fit my tractor. Lots of 3-4ft tillers.
I could of rented a tiller and a skid steer for about $750/day plus $100 for pickup and delv.
Interesting it cost more to rent a tiller than a skid steer.
Reasoning was lots of maintenance on tillers.
So I bought a 6 ft tiller for my tractor, used it for about 3 days and will need it for a couple of days this spring then later this summer I'll sell it.
If I even get 1/2 of what I paid for it I'll be way ahead of the game.

Have addiction to estate auctions, tools I buy there, oh my. I do love hammers, hatchets, and axes! Real sucker for Coleman lanterns and stoves!

Yea, my Delta was about 25 years old. Cast Iron base, aluminum fence. Very basic miter saw. It was a good accurate saw but its limitation on size of 2 x 6 sucks.

I used contractors and other helpers miter saws on the job when we built our house. All 3 of them sucked when it came to square cutting. Seems to me that you had to have a feel for particular miter box as there was small amounts of slop in them so if you "pushed it one way you'd get a decent cut, you push it another way and it would be off. If that makes any sense to you.

I bought a electric Festool sander and the vac. that works with it to polish the stone hearths in my new house. I was using old air sander first and job site compressors could not keep up. And the dust that it made was terrible. The Festool electric and vac system was the bomb, hepa vac, no dust didn't have to spend time cleaning up. Have used it for lots of wood working stuff since then and I'm tickled pink with it, very nice tools. Very well thought out. My wife loves the vac, she wants to keep it in the house so she can use it. I may have to buy one for her now.

I have a couple of useful tools.

Like Scuba, I have a couple of useful tools.

I prefer to not rely on others. So i build and repair things myself. So, I have a few tools around. Most everything gets used heavily. I put a lot of wear and tear on my stuff but I do take good care of things. My tools last a long time.

I have found that rechargeable batteries for cordless tools last much longer if stored fully charged in a comfortable temperature. Not in a hot garage in the summer or in a freezing garage in the winter. I keep all of my rechargeable batteries in a tool bag and put them in a heated / air conditioned storage room when not in use.

I recently went through the barn and garage and sorted out items that I no longer use and will not use in the foreseeable future. Today, I took a trailer load to a consignment auction. Hopefully the stuff will bring fair prices. Time to let others get some good stuff. I have nobody to leave my stuff to when I am gone.

Ya, my friends have a friend like that.

[quote=lee steinmeyer], like english wheel, shrinker/streatcher, planisher,roll former! [/quote
I don't know how to use any of those but I lust, oh how I lust.

I have about any tool that can be used to work wood.
My favorites are the very old traditional woodworking tools. Broad axes, froes, draw knives, a shaving horse, a pedal powered sharpening wheel, beam drill, and many others. I love using those old tools.

I am always in the market for old spoke shaves and such things.

Don't forget meat processing: slicer, band saw, knives, paper and plastic wrap holder/cutter, grinder, sausage stuffer..........

Hello, my name is Kris and I'm a tool addict.

Ditto on the batteries. I have a 4 port charger in the house... Charges the batteries, shuts off, then turns on after a period of time and does a maintenance charge.

I also keep a small basic tool kit in the house for light household projects.

Mike

I guess I am not addicted, after 44 years as a moldmaker I sold a lot of tools since August, yesterday shipped an 84 piece gauge block set, the end of selling. I still have two tool boxes and a roller cabinet from work to change into home tool storage, and the money I made from selling precision tools will pay for parts for the 1946 bulldozer I am restoring. My brother filled up a two car garage with stuff from my Dad, he had been a contractor, if I need that stuff I will use his, and he was also a toolmaker, never has sold anything.

I love building stuff , so yes I have a collection of tools as well lol

I have just a minor problem.... I could put six guys to work with all the tools I have.

Last summer my wife was working on something in the garage and needed a tool. Without thinking I pointed her to a drawer where I have several extra wrench sets (just in case). This lead to me counting wrench sets out of curiosity. I realized I had at least 42 sets of wrenches. I may have a problem.


I find stuff all the time that I forgot I had. My most useless tool box drawer is full of specialty tools for foreign cars that I've never used and will never use.

Not saying theyre the best brand out there,or that theyre not.But i collect Dewalt tools.Still using the Dewalt miter saw my dad bought alittle over 20 years ago.Every year for my anniversary,i get dewalt stuff too.Just recently bought the Dewalt plunge router set.Still in the box, never used but i have it when i need it.I do side carpentry jobs occasionally so all the tools gave already paid for themselves.

I too have a drawer of specialty tools. Any time I do a repair that requires a tool I buy it. I still save money over hiring a mechanic. I also have more wood working tools than I can remember. I use a lot of them daily for work but again I have a lot of specialty tools that I may only use once every couple years but they pay for themselves on the first job... I live my tools. I also have so many trapping tools that storage is a small problem. Lol

How does the quality of their new stuff compare to their older tools?

I have a lot of Dewalt stuff. It's not bad for the price. The thing to remember is that no one makes things the way they used to. For a home shop, in general their stuff it's pretty good but I wouldn't use it for any type of production or other abuse. I pick and choose depending on the tool. I like Dewalt saws. For routers, I prefer Porter Cable. I also own a few Bosch tools, they make nice circular saws. It all depends.

my problem is a 2 car garage,3 car garage/workshop,big pole barn,small,pole barn,and 3 other outbuildings and i still keep running outta room.

Iv been happy with the quality.My cordless drill batteries are even going strong after 2 or 3 years.I have a porter cable table saw thats been good but when it quits ill probably replace with a dewalt one.I used to do Construction for a living and used some dewalt then too.I think theyd hold up well for every day use.But like i said there may be better brands i just havent tried them.I really like dewalt and stick with what works for me.

Yeah, same here. I have their job-site table saw, miter saw and bench top planer. All are older models. I have two of their circular saws that have absolutely taken a daily beating over the last 15-20 years. One of them quit two years ago when I was using it to cut grooves in a concrete sluiceway I had just rebuilt (I forgot to form grooves for the bolts on the back of the flood gate) and water ran over the top of the coffer dam we had built and drowned my saw.

I don't fault DeWalt for that.

All the good tools are at the work place, a 2nd set is required for around the house and vehicles, and a 3rd set for down on the farm! LOL

I was just out playing with my newest tool, the DeWalt 60v String Timmer. So much better than gas powered.

Hadnt even heard of a dewalt string trimmer.Thats pretty cool.