Folks Of Interest Are you missing any tools?

While not exactly mechanic tools I would sometimes have to search for my carpet laying tools as I was installing carpet. Like all carpet layers I would leave my tools laying around on the floor so I could get to them easily. One day I was searching for my little pry bar lifter. The lady that owned the house noticed that work had stopped and I was searching for something. When I told her what I was looking for she said she had put it up on the fireplace mantle as she walked through the living room so it would not get lost.

 

When I have someone “ helping “ me , I tell them get “out” any tool you need, but don’t put any of them up! I’ll do that! If you want to loose a tool..... have someone put it in the wrong drawer ! That’s one place you never look! Had that happen to me once, lost a tool for months, because a helper put it in a drawer I rarely open.






Bones

 

Growing up, I can remember my dad getting furious over a missing this, or that from his home toolbox. Now that I have kids around the house, I can see why.
Working around aircraft I picked up a term from the maintainers, "all tools accounted for or simply", or simply "ATAF". My box at home now has foam inserts for every draw, that are cut to fit every tool I have in the box. Before calling it a day in the garage, I ATAF before I'm done.
RS
Mike

 

I have triples of most every socket and wrench. When I get into a project, I know me too well and tools disappear, I tend to keep things in my hand and put them down in some strange places, guess I get distracted easily ! Been single for 60 years and can't blame anyone but me for things doing the disappearing act. When doing a clean-up at the end of the day usually everything shows up again, but every now and then one will show up days after in a strange place. Heck back in the nineties, I had a buddy that would show up at the shop and act as a spotter for where I would leave tools, worked out great and only cost a couple beers to boot.

 

Many of my tools have grown 'legs',,, some walk to the middle of the vehicle I am working on, some roll out into the tool eating dirt in my back yard, but now that my Step-son has moved out I seem to have less tools with legs

 

All my tool boxes have locks and I keep them locked unless I'm using them. Tools are NOT loaned out to anyone, but my friends are welcome to come & use them at my shop.
The only tools missing are my fault and work ceases until I find the missing one. My tools are, for the most part, ones I've had for 40+ years and I treasure them.

 

Like many people on here, I find the best way to lose the least number of tools is to not let anyone else go near them.
The ones I use the most are in the garage, hanging on the wall. The kids are at the age right now (10/11) that if they come to me asking for a tool such as a screwdriver I still tell them to bring to me what they intend on taking to pieces so I can do it- that way the tool doesn't go missing, the toy doesn't end up broken and everybody is happier at the end of the day.

Once they get a bit older I'm sure I'll find things go missing.

My father used to (still does) keeps the House Tools up on top of a high cabinet just inside the kitchen door, where they were well out of reach (unless I used ingenuity and climbed up on something to get at them). He still has the old Stanley red plastic handled screwdriver that broke in the middle, he welded back together with a stick welder- I think the welding rod was probably thicker than the screwdriver- and the end that keeps being renewed on a file.


The thing was quite a bit shorter than I recall it being years ago when I saw it last. That was maybe a $2 screwdriver and that was his attitude. I inherited that a little bit, I think... I try to look after and keep track of my tools.

--Phil

 

I live on this farm now, with with my friend, Judy. I care for her and all the pets and animals. And I maintain the whole place. It's a big beautiful house, with an indoor pool and a steam room and weight room and stuff. It's awesome. But when I got here, almost everything was in disrepair, and the entire place was a mess. You should have seen the garage... wall to wall disaster. Chin high. Judy told me, and I could see that she had lots of tools and equipment. But try to find the tools I need to fix stuff?... LOL

Poor Judy. The thing is, she lost her husband quite a few years ago, she's older and she can't do it all. And some people who've worked for her in the past haven't always done such a great job. That's an understatement LOL.

Well, I've been here three years now... and I'm not done yet... but I've got almost everything in order here. Everything working the way it should. And nearly everything is organized... including the garage.

Now when I need a tool, I know right where it's at. And it's clean. And it works. Yay! LOL

Once in a great while, Judy still has other people come here to do small jobs for her. I asked her why, when I can do the work. She says it's to help them out financially. I understand. But they might not be top notch people, I'm sure you understand.

But it used to be, if anybody who came here needed a tool, they would just go into the garage and rummage around to find it.

Not anymore.

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The only thing most people accuse me of missing is my marbles.


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I am not missing any tools but my friends are!

 

The front of toolbox at work has a medium size sign on it that reads: No Tools Loaned”.


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When I bought my large adjustable wrench, it said "Blue point". Now I look in the toolbox and it says "Master craft". Oh well...

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All I have to do to loose a tool is; Use it !
I've spent half my life looking for the tools I just had in my hands

 

My oldest son was a carpet layer in Seattle. My youngest daughter went on large job with him for boredom relief. She fell asleep while he looked n looked for missing tool he needed to finish. Turned out she was sleeping on top of the tool!

1 more car I promise, Rex Winter
Dry n windy Lubbock TX

 

Missing tools? Where to start? I just picked up a reconditioned Makita Impact driver tonight because mine "disappeared" over the summer.

 

Not that i know of, every tool has a spot and they go right back to it when I'm finished. I tend to not loan out tools either, with very few exceptions.

 

When ever I can't find a tool I say to myself "Right in front of your fuckin face!" and they magically appear every time.

 

When I loose something at work,I no longer get anxious about it. I've been around long enough to know that it will materialize ....eventually.I used to but replacements immediately. Now, I wait a week.Now, loosing something at home is a different story. I'm just glad the 7 year old grand daughter no longer lives here. She was notorious for "borrowing " just about everything.I gave her a small box of garage sale finds and some cast offs of mine. I've had to repossess some of my tools.S he even gets defensive about it.

 

I have known some real tools over the years, don't miss them though.

 

As my girls were growing up I'd always find some of my smaller hand tools missing (taught them early on trying to fix things themselves), but usually we're to be found in their bedroom or spare room. When they left for school and got their first apartment, I made up a toolbox with the basics so they had some tools if needed. When visiting they would usually have a chore or two for me so out would come the toolbox. Job would be finished and I'd leave the screwdriver on the table. "Dad, put the tools back where they belong!!!" would be the first thing out of their mouth. Guess I did teach them right after all .


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Everything has a place, I do the same thing and keep certain tools in certain places so I can find them fast. My son had his girl friend staying with us for a while, she would put things away in the kitchen... I'd go weeks looking for something she put in the wrong spot.

 

My great young wife, Joey, is everything I thought I'd NEVER see!
She treasures my Snap-Ons, understands (and uses, and understands my German Stahlwilles, Belzers, and Hazets)...we work together, my '27s to my '54 Ford Coupe...'63-1/2 Galaxie, my '55 F100, and our O.T. BMWs.
(sorry for the plug, but I was master in the trade)
She picked it up rapidly, and is more proficient at 'tool identification and usage' than any male I've ever had the displeasure working with.
Ever watch a surgeon's hands? Every movement graceful, like a waltz.
I've seen nurses with less respect for scalpels, needle holders, reverse tweezers, and the like...
Bet 'Doctor' never looks in HIS toolbox...
My wife placed a Hazet combination wrench where a Stahlwille belonged...I said it was 'missing', went on with another wrench.
She was frantic until she realized she had put it in the wrong slot...meanwhile, the missing Stahl was still on the double stainless food platter I use on a 5 wheel exec chair 'chassis'...so as NOT to lay tools and components on inner fenders, etc.
She's more anal about MY tools than I am!
...and that's the way...I like it, uh huh...

 

Nice job! Start her out with a Roadranger transmission. When she learns how to fix them, she will never starve!


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The ag teacher at Naches (pronounced Na-Cheeze) high school in Naches Wa painted all the tools in the shop bright pink in he 60's, 70's and 80's that I know of and maybe longer. When I was working in a shop in Tieton a few miles away guys would about finding pink tools and taking them back to the school. Most of them had gone to school there.
For several years I used one of my buddies shop to work on my rig or other rigs in and he always had a mess going on and tools everywhere. I'd pick up the tools and put them back in the box where they went and pick up what ever else was on the floor and put it away and sweep the floor before running a car in and then put everything away and sweep the floor when I was done.

 

Had the very same thing in our shop classes. Auto and wood shop.

 

Had that happen to me, except it was a 7/8" wrench. Mower blade didn't exactly like it. Son still claims he didn
't use it.

 

Truckdoctor Andy, this kid has been dropping by the shop to visit all of her life.The first thing she does is put on a pair of rubber gloves. Then she starts to rummage through the tool box ....looking for tools that move and make noise.Forget about screw drivers.
One day I was putting together another Fuller and they stop in for a visit.I had the counter shafts in the main case and had started assembling the main shaft. The kid goes over to the bench ,grabs the overdrive gear and puts it onto the main shaft.Then gets the next gear and puts it onto the shaft. obviously ,she left out the thrust washers.However, to this day I am in awe as she was 4 at the time.

 

I started my son out with me when he was out of diapers. He was by my side as much as he could. Loved going to the farm and my shop , working on stuff. We also spent time at flea markets, garage sales and pawn shops buying tools. He’s a better than average mechanic, but I guess I over did the tool thing. He has an amazing set of tools and boxes! Including my first tool boxes, his mother gave me for our first Christmas, before he was born! Plus he built a four car shop, that he keeps spotless complete with a pool table!
Oddly in my old age..., I guess I fell off the wagon..... my shop is a mess! Lol








Bones

 

Giving my wife a toolbox is like giving me a makeup mirror!