Justifying the Donino.

[Leon]

It would not be interesting for long. :~)

[Leon]

I have actually taped the switch to be on all the time, I don't want to wait on it to power up between boards.

[Lee Michaels]

Nahm?? Are we talking about Nahm?? What was funny about NYW was that PBS insisted that all logos be covered or removed from the tools. Apparently it would have been too commercial. And you could go to any tool store or forum on the net and all the tool brands and models would be instantly communicated. He did a hell of a job selling tools for a "non commercial" network/program.

I wonder how many routers were sold as a result of Norm opening that drawer on his shop cabinet to reveal that he had more routers than fingers or toes.

Hey! I resemble that remark. I did some cleaning in my shop recently and found stuff I bought over 30 years ago. Still in the original package. I haven't opened them or used them since I bought them. Including a router attachment to cut biscuit slots. Some odd fasteners that looked like a good idea at the time, but never found a use in the real world.

On the other hand, I bought a bunch of tools that were put to use five minutes after I got them home. And I have bought tools that lasted over twenty years. Heck, my old wrenches and general tools are over 40 years old. Most of what I bought was put to use. Although, sometimes I buy some kinda exotic wrench because I had a couple situations where I really needed it. And the situation hasn't arisen yet to use them. But If I need it, I know where to find them!

Reminds me of that old depressing joke. How can you tell that you really, really need a tool? When you buy it twice. That refers to brain farts where you have a tool and forget about it. You go out and buy a new one and discover that you already bought one years ago and forgot about it. I have done that a couple of times.

Like the bumper sticker says, "I am spending my kid's inheritance".

[John Grossbohlin]

I'm not much into magic tools but I will drop money on good ones... even if I don't have an immediate need for the tool. All the crazy gizmos sold for things like handcut dovetails just baffles me... I think my father nailed it years ago when he said "people try to buy their skill with their next tool purchase." He had served an apprenticeship as a tool and die maker early in his career and definitely had an eye for mechanical things and for how people worked. "You know they are good if they make it look easy and they turn out good work." Self confidence in how they approach the job goes a long ways. Gizmo junkies don't necessarily perform better and may not be able to perform at all because they don't understand the task or the gizmo... I've witnessed quite a number of instances where this was true.

I recall my son describing woodworking as magic as rough cut wood was transformed into beautiful objects. Using L-N saws and planes helped him succeed as that stuff works well, but it was his developing skill that got the job done. He and his brother understand the processes better with each new project... that's what really matters.

John

[Larry Jaques]

I saw a little, old, blue-haired couple arguing with the Walmart employee who couldn't fit the 50" TV into their 1970s compact car. Well, it fit into the back seat, but neither front seat would fold back upright and neither door would close. I think the 24" long trunk was too narrow to stick the box in sideways, too, even if they had some way to support the other 3' which were sticking out.

My grin lasted over half an hour for that one. Two guys walked past me while I put on the windshield wiper blades and wondered just what I was grinning about. That shot the grin up another notch.

Peoplewatching is fun.

-- Energy and persistence alter all things. --Benjamin Franklin

[Larry Jaques]

Nah, he was talking about Roy Underhill. People would watch him work up a sweat, huff and puff, and stick himself with sharp tools, then they'd run out of the house and drive down to Woodcraft to buy something very -electric-! =:0

Keeping up with the Nahmses probably accounted for thousands of bankruptcies every year, too.

I regret very few tool purchases. I'm a collector, but not in the normal way. I don't put them in fancy display cases. I use 'em.

I have a drawer of those, too.

I'm glad I've never done that.

Oh, no. That green clashes with simply everything!

Neener: I don't have a wife to slow me down nor kids to rip off.

-- Energy and persistence alter all things. --Benjamin Franklin

[Puckdropper]

Larry Jaques wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I bought a piece of plywood that did that... So I took it back in to the store and asked them to cut it. It fit in the car just fine then. I bet that would have worked for the TV!

Puckdropper

[Ed Pawlowski]

I wonder if there is money to be made there. If you have a pickup, just hang around the parking lot and offer to take the big packages home for them for a few $$$.

[Leon]

If you lived in Houston you would be called the "Mexican Illegals". ;~)

Not a bad idea though, like a wrecker driver.

[Larry Jaques]

You betcha! Then again, it probably would have fit in the mini cah if they'd taken it out of the box. There's a lot of foam in those boxes.

-- Energy and persistence alter all things. --Benjamin Franklin

[Pat Barber]

Oh God....there's mexicans in Houston ??

I thought they were all here >

[Greg Guarino]

I don't have too many "virgin" tools, but I've got a bunch that were used once. I imagine that happens a lot to homeowner handymen like me.

My basin wrench, for instance, is in absolutely perfect shape. I bought it when I was putting in our kitchen. It did an admirable job of installing the faucet, which was to be expected as it was the most expensive model they had. Knowing it was going to be a seldom-used item, I tried to buy either of the two cheaper ones in the showcase, but neither was in stock. Looks nice in the toolbox, though.

Some of my other plumbing tools have similarly thin resumes. The deep-socket faucet wrench set was used maybe twice. The PVC tubing cutter had a brief encore when my daughter was in junior high. (science project - how does the length of a tube affect it's resonant frequency?).

I've got a masonry hammer and a pair of those hand-shield cold chisels that I used once to put in a dryer vent. The hammer also came in handy to break up some hardened ice-melt crystals. (don't do that, by the way; the crystals reacted with the hammer and caused some nasty corrosion).

I got one of those "laser" (actually ultrasound, I think) distance measuring gizmos as a gift a number of years back. I imagine it would be a handy item for measuring room dimensions, say for a contractor estimating a job. I haven't come up with a use for it yet myself, though. Molding just looks better when it's *exactly* the right length.

My grout float sat after it's rookie job for quite a few years, but eventually came out again. The torx screwdrivers are still waiting though. I've probably used the Greenlee Naileater 3/4" drill bit and its extension maybe three times.

I'm sure there are any number of others.

[Dave]

On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:44:05 -0500, Greg Guarino

Sounds like typical home owner affliction. Cheaper to do the job yourself rather than hiring someone, but you need a specific tool to get it done. That's it for the next twenty years until you have a similar task to do again and then you don't remember where you put that tool. If, you remember buying it at all. Then, should you finally find the tool, you realize that what you need to install has changed specs and the tool you bought twenty years earlier is useless.

[Greg Guarino]

I ask a lot of "for dummies" questions here, but I'm quite good about organizing my tools. I have three toolboxes: electrical, plumbing and general, plus a well organized wall of hand tools and shelf units for power tools and supplies.

Should an unexpected need arise for that basin wrench, I can lay my hands on it in a minute.

[russellseaton1]

It sounds to me like you don't have enough tools. You have enough tools when you cannot organize them or remember you even have them.

[John Grossbohlin]

OR... there are no kids, or fathers, or wives, in the house that use tools...

John

[tiredofspam]

Yep, same feeling here. Given time he'll start collecting all sorts of do dads. Many will be necessary... for what??? who knows. Many will be looked at.

And some will actually get used.

8>))))))

[P.H.T.]

As long as it is not in a area that would transfer to the wood, you might try a little bee's wax on the parts. There are many types of plastic and WD-40 may not do any harm to the plastic you have.

Paul T.

[Han]

[e-mail] (Edward A. Falk) wrote in news:k8739p$4l1$ [e-mail]:

FWIW, I have a Dewalt DW682K that I have used a few times, but want to get rid of. Complete with case and a supply of several kinds of biscuits. I paid $190 for it 9 years ago. What should I ask for this?

[Han]

"Mike Marlow" wrote in news:k87t22$slj$ [e-mail]:

Wow indeed, really cool!