Wordbiker

After reading and responding to another thread about the relative quality of tools, I realized something about myself: I have a deep emotional attachment to my tools. Does anyone else have this same disfunction?

I'm not talking about the standard tools "growing legs" pain that goes with the thought of what it will cost to buy a replacement, but a much deeper feeling, more akin to someone telling you they did your spouse back in high school...then giving you explicit details. With me it goes much deeper than the price, even with tools that are "irreplaceable" due to no longer being manufactured.

As a person that makes my living with tools, formerly as a carpenter and now as a shop mechanic, it's almost a mania with me, a pride of having every single tool I need for a given task, along with a growing list of future tools for future tasks as I can afford them.

It has always been shocking to me to work alongside co-workers that are plying the exact same trade, yet either never seem to have the correct tools requiring me to provide them, or even worse have no tools at all. I find it amazing that any one person can expect to have someone else provide them the most crucial element of them making a living...especially when it is apparent they have no appreciation that without them, everyone would have to go home. Putting myself into the reverse situation, I would be nothing but ashamed and appalled at myself for such a gross oversight and dependence, and as soon as humanly possible...I'd be on a mission to acquire the proper implements.

This is perhaps an unhealthy view, but when someone comes along obviously lacking in the same deep commitment and disrespects or even (horror of horrors) destroys/loses a tool, especially one belonging to another, I am driven to thoughts of heinous violence against said person, none of which seem adequate to drive the point home deep into their soul (or perhaps their skull).

Prudence (and the restraining order) prevents me from expressing my thoughts about those that would actually deign to steal a tool...

DMF 

Good! I think we've made progress today. Same time next week?


Fwiw, I'm the same way with tools. I used to yell at my (now ex-) wife about leaving a saw out in the dew. (To be fair to me, I didn't yell the first time she did it.) Nor do I find it easy to watch someone use a tool incorrectly.

IMO it's the natural result of trying to produce superior work. You need good tools to do it. Ever tried to cut a precise mortise with a dull chisel? or write a program with a buggy compiler? or wrench on a metric bike with a SAE set?

I wouldn't hire someone that cared so little about his work product that he would work without good tools. The fact that you ran into these guys on jobs tells me that the problem isn't solely with them.

operator

No attachment to any of my tools. Maybe to my apron. Next person to steal the pen off my apron ****ing dies!

rideon7

Well said, Workbiker! And I think this attitude extends, or should extend, to other occupations. A big part of what you said relates to ethics, self-reliance, pride in the tools necessary to do a job well, which extends to actually doing the job well. Each person who has these feelings knows how old it gets taking up the slack for those who don't get it. Some learn and then get it; others never will.

kramnnim

I sort of know how you feel...mainly about my contruction related tools... I've been using the same Estwing hammer for close to 10 years...I freak out every time it seems to be lost. I actually went through the bother of sanding and polishing it...some people thought it was chrome plated. My coworkers will leave their stuff out in the rain, etc...

Wordbiker

That reminded me of the scene from Grosse Pointe Blank, "Hey, thanks for the pen!"

To further my therapy session...and to clarify, this passion does not extend to tools accidentally broken. Accidents happen to all of us, and a tool is an inanimate object...unless said tool is broken and consequently no responsibility is taken, bringing it once again to a personal level. The transgressor has no clue how bad an idea it is to leave a broken tool for me to find that can also be fashioned into an impromptu bludgeon.

-=(8)=-

I work in a toolish environment and certain people have no
compunctions having a 'hands off' attitude about their tools.
If you work in this environment it is no big deal.....tool
mooches automatically just go somewhere else.
I dont really care what name is on a tool, I even use some Harbor
Fright crap, but I have modified some of them for particular tasks
and when they walk I get a little upset. Also, asking your employer
to provide something that is prone to excessive moochery is not
being unreasonable.

Severian

What about shop environments where the tools are provided? In my case, at the bike shop I work for we prefer to have standardization across our work benches and we provide the tools that each bench needs. Some tools are used in common (like frame prep tools). But, for the most part we have tools in triplicate.

I'm very well aware that the common trend in shops (and on racing teams) is to require that all mechanics have their own basic tools (all wrenches; box end, pedal, hub, headset, allen etc). But, it seems that this is the biggest hurdle for any new mechanic in joining a bike shop. Unless you've previously 'prenticed at a shop where you were the garbage and floor sweeper, learned what tools are needed and had a chance to purchase them at a discount it seems that you probably won't have or even KNOW what tools are needed to be a good bicycle mechanic.

But, on the other hand, it may not be cost effective to have a shop fully stocked with every nut and every wrench needed.

Thoughts?

Wordbiker

This reminds me of an expression in the carpentry field that goes, "Never trust a guy with new nailbags".

What that expression means to me is that if someone is presenting themselves as a knowledgeable and experienced tradesperson, they'd already own tools, not show up on the first day with pricetags still attached. IMO you can tell a lot about someone's attitude about the craft by how they value and show respect for tools, and that attitude is actually more important than the tools themselves or who provides them.

Our shop has a similar approach to basic tools. We have two sets of duplicates that remain there all the time, though about half of them I purchased myself and brought to the shop. In addition to these I have a rollaround box for tools that are not "public domain" and that only I have access to (in theory). While I can't blame an employee for not wishing to haul a personal toolbox to work with them every day, if a mechanic showed up to apply for a job, you can bet I'd have a leery eye for one that owned not one single tool of their own, even if they don't bring them. It shows a lack of commitment to their future in the trade, and I can't trust that they will care for the shop tools like they would their own.

When I attended the USA Cycling race mechanic's school, this issue came up and probably would with any group of professional mechanics. Since your job is to provide for the racers' needs at all costs, and part of that is supplying use of tools for their personal adjustments, the instructors recommended throwing some cheap 3-way hexes and other basic tools into your box instead of letting them use tools you'd really miss if they walked away...because they always will. In that scenario the tools are intentionally disposable and replaced by the sponsor, but were I in that situation, I'd still be stressing to the racers the need to return them (albeit in the politest way possible, not my usual style). "How would you feel if I forgot to put a spare tube back in your race bag, or one that was punctured?"

reckon

I have an emotional attachment to my ridiculously expensive set of mitutoyo measuring tools, if I ever "lost" any of that **** I would probably have to have a wake and call in a voodoo high priestess to sacrifice a chicken.

Wordbiker

Welcome to the ToolJunkies Anonymous meeting brother!

San Rensho 

I love my tools so much I dress them up in little peek-a-boo bras. Not really, just kidding.

There are certain bike specific tools that I certainly have an attachment to, just because I've had them for so long.

But in general,I look at tools as just that, something to get the job done. I am also cheap, so I just get what works for me, which is occasional use tools, I don't obsess over Snap-On for example, which are very good tools, but the Thorsten/Allied cheapies I use have held up to years of use.

My one pet tool peave is organization. I wrenched at a bike shop for a couple of seasons and learned to put the tool back in its place immediately after using it, even if I was going to use it in the next couple of minutes. I tried it the other way and had a pile of tools on the bench that I would have to stir through for half an hour to find the right tool. If you want me to go ballistic, use my tools and don't put them back in their place so that the next time I want to use it, its not in its place.

Wordbiker

Hmmm...I wonder if this outfit would fit my derailleur hanger tool?

J T CUNNINGHAM

"Hmmm...I wonder if this outfit would fit my derailleur hanger tool?" QUOTE.

Remember, it's not what you see, it's what you don't see.

We are talking about "Quality Tools", arn't we?


"Regourds",
J T

rmfnla

I don't know; I'm a white-collar kinda guy who used to wrench and is still pretty handy. Got several tool boxes and I LOVE my tools but I sure don't feel that way about my laptop.

operator

Huh? There are shops where you have to provide your own tools? What's this "you must be a ****ty mechanic" if you don't own all of your own tools attitude? Some sort of occupation elitistry?

DieselDan

Come down here, everyone has to supply their own basic hand tools for any kind of mechanic or carpentry work. Employers down here are cheap. They expect you to work for US$7.00 an hour, but you must provide US$200+ worth of tools. The car guys get it worse, as they start at YS$14.00 an hour, but need about US$15,000 worth of tools. Same with carpenters.

Then hope your paycheck is good come payday.

Or were you just being your normal, lovable, sarcastic self?

Wordbiker

Yes, there are shops just like that. If you're a race mechanic, it is most certainly expected...unless you happen to be working for Park Tool.

If you hired a carpenter, what level of work would you expect from one that asked to borrow all your tools?

J T CUNNINGHAM

I don't know about now, but for years up here in CANAda, the tools that

the mechanics bought (all mechanics, auto, steam fitters, bike mechanics etc)

were NOT TAX DEDUCTABLE!


Regards,
J T

Rev.Chuck

A bike shop is the only repair place I have worked in that the tools were supplied. I hate it, you can't get medieval on some one when they take stuff that is not yours. This happens constantly at our shop. Because the the tools are the shops everyone thinks they can walk off with the tools on my bench(and then leave them in some random location). I keep at least four of the Park threeways on my bench for just this reason usually at least on will make it thru the day. Same thing with tire levers, if I don't have a dozen on the bench there will not even be one by the end of the day.
I keep threatening to remove one of the bench cabinets and install a side cab stocked with MY tools and locked with a key only I possess. I may do that this year, then all the bench tools can disapear and it will not matter.
Tools are very important to me. Got my first tool box when I was sixteen, a small silver Craftsman with no drawers. I still have it. Since that time I have lost a 7/16 six point, it rolled into a deep drain and was gone forever. Then I had a two drawer Craftsman race box slide out of the back of my truck and explode all over the road. I found everything but one fo the small sae allen wrenches(Which probably ended up in the tire of one of the cars whizzing past me as I scrambled to pick everything up. Once I was taking my car out for a test run heard a bang against the floor, I looked in the rear view and saw a socket pop high and head intot he ditch. Damn it, I had left a socket on the inner fender and that was it. I slammed on the brakes, dropped the car into the ditch and ran back and found the socket, Snapon 10mm.

MudPie

Tools are very personal to me. I'm an engineer, spend 95% of the time at a desk, and 5% wrenching. When I wrench I bring my own personal tools (mainly Craftsman) from home. We have plenty of tools at work (industrial brands like Snap On, Wright, Proto...) but for some odd reason, I am more comfortable with my trusty tools. People ask me why, and if they have to ask, they'll never understand.

OneTinSloth

my shop provides most of my tools. there are a few that i've brought from home, but not many. the main reason for this is that i don't want my stuff to disappear or get damaged. when people take tools off of my bench, i don't take it lightly, and most of the other guys in the shop know not to touch my bench, or at least to return the tool to it's place when they're done. i have no qualms about yelling at someone for touching the tools on my bench, even though i didn't purchase them. those tools are vital to my job.

ang1sgt

Someone somewhere in these forums had a Great Quote
"I wish I were rich so I could by tools more than once"

I also have some very Nice Mitutoyo Digital Micrometers and Calipers that are NEVER out of my sight.
I used them when I used to be a Mechanical QA Inspector on Government Programs. I keep those double locked in my desk and lately I only check to make sure the batteries still function.

My Fluke Multimeters are also something that is kept locked away. Not much use for them in a Bicycle Shop anyway.

I also have some hand made punches that my Grand Father made when he was a millwright in Germany. Those are kept at home and they are the only thing I have of that man, and he passed away back in 1959.

Some of my stuff is not made anymore, or I have no use for. I won't give them up for anything. Some day my Son or Grand Sons will get my tool boxes and wonder, "What the heck is THIS tool for?"

DMF 

Speaking of which, I have a few of the tools and the tool chest made by my great-grandfather who was the master carpenter at one of the big New England textile mills. They are some of my most prized possessions.


Just don't call me a tool lover. (Unless you mean "onanist".)