How many tool junkies are out there?

[John Fabre]

I'm not alone, who else buys tools and just looks at them? Don't get me wrong, I do use some of them. Give examples of the tools you don't use that's just sitting around.

[Bill Whig]

I was just going through stuff this evening trying to make more room. The rusty auger bits I collected 30 years ago had to go. Tools I buy in boxes at auction often come with other tools that I can't see throwing away (but I'm trying). How many wrenches does one need? I've got one set I got this way that has fractions with 32 and 64 on the bottom that I've never heard of. : ) I can't seem to throw away old screwdrivers that still work--maybe it's the patina in the wooden handles... Especially, I couldn't throw away 3 old beer bottle openers--I decided that they belonged with the (guys) tools, at least for the time being. Besides being the current owner, who am I to break up the set. And I haven't touched on tools which were my dad's.

Bill

[Michael Simpson Virgina]

Oh my. I would never throw out a rusty auger bit. They go into my "Rusty Auger Bit" box.

Oh no. "The Rusty Auger Bit" box is full. It gets migrated to the "Rusty Auger Bit" shelf and a new "Rusty Auger Bit" box is started.

As you would think if the "Rusty Auger Bit" Self is full we move its contents to the "Rusty Auger Bit" section in the barn and the process starts all over again.

This is the Tool Junkies Circle of Life.

I was up in the loft of my barn the other day and and found my missing Milwaukee electrician drill. It had been missing for over a year. You will never guess where it was.

Next to all the boxes of "Rusty Auger Bits". Personaly I think it made its way there on its own, cause I dont remember placing it there.

[Dave MacArthur]

LOL... I bought a DW biscuit joiner that I thought I'd use, mostly it sat... now I've misplaced or lost it.

I bought a 20" planer and 5HP Oneida pro2000 DC last month that I haven't used yet, but will soon--I need to re-do my shop layout to install the DC and the planer. My wife tells thinks I'm just looking at them though...

[Cliff Holmes]

I have over 75 screwdrivers. Just can't bear to throw out a screwdriver.

Over 50 hammers. Same thing.

Then there's the $250 digital manometer I bought to measure & optimize airflow in my DC ductwork attached to my Grizzly cyclone. I think I used it twice, DC pulls so much air it doesn't matter.

[Peter Quinn]

Lie Nielson scrub plane. It's not my only tool junkie purchase to be sure, but it is perhaps the most concrete example of buying something just to look at. It sits on a shelf amongst other hand tools in a revered spot in a QSWO box I made for it. Once in a while I. Open the box, I"ve even picked it up once or twice and held it as if to use it, but at this point I"ve pretty much resigned my self to the fact that I"m not a guy that flattens wood by hand and probably never will be. But I am a guy that loves the look and feel of that LN plane. I may even have envisioned using it at some point, possibly a mental justification for is purchase, but I have moved past that crazy notion now and live comfortably with the fact that I just like having it. It will make an interesting item on a table at my estate sale some day!

[Carpenter Mark]

You're kidding, right?




ALL OF US!!

[Larry Browning]

You're kidding, right?




ALL OF US!!

This is exactly what I thought when I saw this thread!

[Harold Burrell]

Oh my. I would never throw out a rusty auger bit. They go into my "Rusty Auger Bit" box.

Oh no. "The Rusty Auger Bit" box is full. It gets migrated to the "Rusty Auger Bit" shelf and a new "Rusty Auger Bit" box is started.

As you would think if the "Rusty Auger Bit" Self is full we move its contents to the "Rusty Auger Bit" section in the barn and the process starts all over again.



Funny you should say this. I am in the middle of building a "Rusty Auger Bit" shed.

Actually...it is the second one. Our first one is full.

[Jim O'Dell]

Well, if there has to be a reason for building a bigger shop, this would certainly qualify for that!! :D
I have a Delta lunchbox planer that after 4 years, I finally got the box out of the storage room in the house and to the shop. 6 months after that, I built a mobile cart for it to reside on, and work in my multifunction wall. It will be 6 years next month, and it's never been turned on. :eek::eek::eek: That will finally change, maybe this weekend, as I have a piece of QS White Oak that needs to be planed down. My luck, it won't work. ;) Jim.

[Archie England]

OKay, me, too!

How many 1/2 chisels does one really need? Or marking gauges, or hand saws, back saws, hand planes, etc.?

Collectors-no, I am not; rather, I'm a conservationist, preserving these fine old tools so that later generations can ponder these "whatzizits" in the future.

Sounds like we're doing a mighty fine job of conserving and preserving!!!!

Now where did I put that 8th 1/4 handdrill.....

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I've heard it said that admission is the first step to rehabilitation. No way!:rolleyes:

[Bill White]

Hello. My name is Bill W. and I'm an addict (tool that is).
Now hammers-that's a little wierd, 75 screw drivers-Hmmmmm I'm seein' a pattern, 9 different band saw blades when ya only use 3, piles of wood? :p
Bill

[Mike Heidrick]

I have a clamp obsession - all four walls and a JLT 8' rack - with flatner. I will head up the midwest chapter. LOL.

[Kevin Gregoire]

im very guilty of buying stuff and then just looking at it.
im the procrastinator from hell and i will buy something, even if i need it bad and i will
just leave it sit for awhile, search around for a better deal and take it back if i find one.
or i buy something 'in case' i might need it, such as my Dewalt DW331 jigsaw that has
been sitting in its case for the past 6 months or so and never touched. also have a
Milwaukee 1/4 sheet palm sander thats new, i use my Milwaukee orbital for everything.
also have a new Jet DC thats never been used, mostly cause i was going to duct the
shop but since its so small i might just get a twenty foot hose and move it to each
machine.

and now for the really bad part, a lot of time i usually buy two of something just in case
something happens i will have a spare on hand, but thats mostly with small stuff and
not tools or it would get very spendy and also run out of room fast!

[Cary Falk]

I enjoy buying and setting up tools more than I like using them. Does that make me a bad person? I am planning a trip up to the Grizzly tool palace next month. I'm taking a trailer. It ain't going to end well for my wallet.

[Ben Franz]

Let's see - SMC stats say 56,989 members so at least that many :D. Add in other forums and get a big number. If a real gloatworthy deal comes up on the local CL, the number seems to increase by a factor of at least 3.

What? I don't see any problem - I have everything under control ... yeah, under control :o.

[John Fabre]

My problem is, I buy a must have tool, think about it for awhile, put it on a shelf and forget it. Sometimes I will remember I have it, open it just to read the manual, back in the box it goes. My wife won't say nothing, her mom runs a QVC warehouse from her condo.

[Thomas Pender]

Maybe we do not start out that way, but it is the destination. For instance I once swore I would only buy tools I needed, but I have some handplanes of questionable utility (one being a scrub plane :)) and no less than three useless dovetail jigs before I bought my Akeda. On the other hand, I figure I might just wear out my jointer, planer, bandsaw, dust collector, compressor, sharpening stones, my goose neck chisels, mortise chisels, bench chisels, my routers, my Festool stuff, etc. It takes lots of experimentation and use to find out what works best for each person. As for too many clamps - no, I do not think that could ever happen. I use all of mine and I have 60 or more and wish I had many more. Also wish I had more screwdrivers - they seem to travel. Finally, don't get me going on router bits, saw blades, drill bits, etc. You need thousands of these.:D

[Chip Lindley]

I'm NO TOOL JUNKIE! I can always STOP! ( maybe tomorrow.....)

[John Fabre]

I have a clamp obsession - all four walls and a JLT 8' rack - with flatner. I will head up the midwest chapter. LOL.

Clamps (Besseys), do you all remember when HD was clearing them out years ago. I went to ten HD and bought all they had by the cases, I even bought the displays.

[Gene Thayer]

I'm NO TOOL JUNKIE! I can always STOP! ( maybe tomorrow.....)
Yeah, me too. Wait a minute...how much for that refurbed Bosch...man, I can't pass that up:rolleyes:

[Rick Markham]

Man.... Y'all are sick!!! I'll never admit to buying anything I didn't "need" for a project, or lusted after some tool, that was 4x more expensive, or 4x more tool than I needed, I have no tools that have been unpacked, inspected, and then set on a shelf and forgotten about, nothing is crammed in my mechanics tool chest where years later I looked and thought... "oh there that is!" I certainly have never squeezed every red cent out of my budget for the month to buy a hand plane or power tool, I absolutely haven't considered living on Ramen Noodles and Mac N Cheese, so I could save some extra money for another woodworking project/item, definitely I have NOT considered eating only one meal a day to afford any such habit. I absolutely positively have never thought or done any of this!!!!

I know denial isn't just a river in Africa... It's the Creek I am wading in boys!!!:D

[Thomas love]

Rick summed it all up, Well said.

From a Dual head wide belt with platen to router planes I use all my tools. Not fond here of cleaning machines or tools though maintenance is a must, rather be a tool addict then one of another sorts.

[paul cottingham]

I'm NO TOOL JUNKIE! I can always STOP! ( maybe tomorrow.....)

I can quit anytime, I just choose not to.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I probably have the ultimate stand for my Craftsman RAS. It's a Unisaw. Been on top of that baby for seven years now. Most tools, I own duplicates of (same brand and model). My FIL said I was the only guy that he knew who had a saw for each end of the board. When I explained how many steps I saved per day by not having to go to other end of board to get a saw, and then walk back the length of the board, he saw my point of view. But my FIL also has problems. He never owned quality tools, just "get bys." About thirty years ago, I bought him a nice set of screw drivers" They are still wrapped up in the plastic in his storage room. But there is hope for me. Yesterday, when over at one of my customers whose husband died recently, she asked me if if I still wanted his bandsaw. Prior to his death, I expressed an interest in it. (I did a total rebuild on it several years ago.) She said her daughter wanted to buy it from her to give to her husband as a gift. Seeing as how I already own three other 14" Delta band saws, I said that was okay by me. Let me tell you it was hard to say. But I didn't cry in front of her, only later. About six years ago we did a "base and crown " job in a dentist office. Due to space restrictions, I bought a second CMS for the other end of the bench. Since that job, which lasted a little over a week, the saw has been boxed up in storage. When it's a "too good to pass up deal", I have no won't power, only "want" power.

[Dan Karachio]

John, thank you for allowing me this opportunity for a cathartic moment. A sort of cleansing of ones soul. A confessional.

I actually do use all my tools, I swear I do, BUT there are so many times, okay every morning before work. where I go down to the shop and just sort of sit there, drink my coffee and just, well, you know, look at them and enjoy it. It might be a Festool or it might be a Lie Nielsen saw or plane. Oh yea, how about this. I got some nice figured maple and I go down and look at it too.

[John Fabre]

John, thank you for allowing me this opportunity for a cathartic moment. A sort of cleansing of ones soul. A confessional.

I actually do use all my tools, I swear I do, BUT there are so many times, okay every morning before work. where I go down to the shop and just sort of sit there, drink my coffee and just, well, you know, look at them and enjoy it. It might be a Festool or it might be a Lie Nielsen saw or plane. Oh yea, how about this. I got some nice figured maple and I go down and look at it too.

Me too, sometimes my better half wonders where I am, I'm not hiding, just taking inventory. Now, I ware the pants in the family as long as the better half says it's ok.

[Larry Fox]

Lie Nielson scrub plane. It's not my only tool junkie purchase to be sure, but it is perhaps the most concrete example of buying something just to look at. It sits on a shelf amongst other hand tools in a revered spot in a QSWO box I made for it. Once in a while I. Open the box, I"ve even picked it up once or twice and held it as if to use it, but at this point I"ve pretty much resigned my self to the fact that I"m not a guy that flattens wood by hand and probably never will be. But I am a guy that loves the look and feel of that LN plane. I may even have envisioned using it at some point, possibly a mental justification for is purchase, but I have moved past that crazy notion now and live comfortably with the fact that I just like having it. It will make an interesting item on a table at my estate sale some day!

Aw man Peter - definitely get that plane out, set it for a fairly light (relatively speaking) "shaving" and go to town on some board with it. A scrub plane is SO much fun to use. It is not only used when rough prepping a board. I used mine yesterday when framing a wall, I needed to "shape" a 2x4 to fit into a spot - scrub plane did it in about 45 seconds and using it put a huge smile on my face. Don't let this one sit as you are missing out on fun.

BTW: I guess we are all tool collectors but I my case, I always have my eye on something else so if a tool doesn't get used much (at all) it finds it's way to CL.

[Bill Huber]

I only buy the tools I need, when I need them 156123



Connection lost, please try again

[Peter Quinn]

Aw man Peter - definitely get that plane out, set it for a fairly light (relatively speaking) "shaving" and go to town on some board with it. A scrub plane is SO much fun to use. It is not only used when rough prepping a board. I used mine yesterday when framing a wall, I needed to "shape" a 2x4 to fit into a spot - scrub plane did it in about 45 seconds and using it put a huge smile on my face. Don't let this one sit as you are missing out on fun.

BTW: I guess we are all tool collectors but I my case, I always have my eye on something else so if a tool doesn't get used much (at all) it finds it's way to CL.

It's tempting Larry, but then it won't be NEW any more! I have an old user Jack plane set up for a heavy cut that I have used to take the bow out of stud hare and ther doing remodels. Somehow I can spend hours tunig up a tag sale special and use that without hesitation even when nails may be present in old studs. But that LN is just to pretty to put to hard labor. I"ve even avoided using it for things like flattening the last two inches of a 10" bottom rail after my 8" jointer did what it could. I think I need to join a support group!

[Mike Hollingsworth]

I feel normal now.

[Tom Walz]

Bridge City "T" square. Had it 20 years and just look at it.

Woodpeckers. Saw the bright red tools in Las Vegas and felt it calling to me. Looked at the design, quality of manufacture, the "fit and finish" and just had to have one. It sits in its case in the office. I have bought others from woodpeckers and they are great tools but the first one is just to admire.

Tom

[Gene Waara]

[QUOTE=John Fabre;1469485]I'm not alone, who else buys tools and just looks at them?

I thought that was a requirement for access to this site?

[Larry Fox]

It's tempting Larry, but then it won't be NEW any more! I have an old user Jack plane set up for a heavy cut that I have used to take the bow out of stud hare and ther doing remodels. Somehow I can spend hours tunig up a tag sale special and use that without hesitation even when nails may be present in old studs. But that LN is just to pretty to put to hard labor. I"ve even avoided using it for things like flattening the last two inches of a 10" bottom rail after my 8" jointer did what it could. I think I need to join a support group!

Use em. I recently took the week-long "Training the Hand" workshop with Rob Cosman (drive-by gloat I suppose). In addition to all the great info I got, one thing I took away was that these LNs (etc) - while they are VERY nice - are just tools and designed to be used. I remember that I used to treat these things almost like they were children. I don't abuse my tools by any stretch of the imagination for sure but I do use them.

A jack set to take a heavy cut aint nothing like the scrub (I have the same jack setup). The sound a scrub makes and that giant shaving that comes off with just about 0 effort is really something amazing.

[Dan Karachio]

This thread is cracking me up. Still, it is in any hobby from guns to photography and don't forget about those audiophiles. They may "use" their must have latest $3000 headphone amp, but only to asses the "liquid mid range" using various reference CDs and, God forbid, vinyl on their $5 digit turn table. It would be analogous to us buying the best infill planes and other tools and measuring the accuracy/thickness of cuts/shavings, day after day after day and never, ever actually building anything.

I speak as one who narrowly escaped such a fate. :D Not the big bucks stuff, but the whole audio addiction thing. Trust me, wood working is more productive! So stare away and enjoy. As long as you build some things, a few feel good purchases is okay.

[Ryan Hellmer]

I am always trolling for "deals" on the internet and when I find one, I snap it up. I've got a pile of routers, 3 radial arm saws, 2 table saws, 2 shapers, 2 lathes and a bone pile of motors and parts for the "wouldn't it be cool if...." rainy day. When we moved, we went from a single car garage and small shed to a 2 car garage with 2 car outbuilding and 2 small sheds. When my wife walks into my cluttered shop she wonders how I had it all packed in. Well, it was all packed nicely until the move messed it all up. The other problem with the tool collection is that all of them need a stand or cabinet or outfeed table or something built for them (and that doesn't even include the ones that need total restorations) so I'll be getting my shop set up for the next 40 years, then I'll be ready for some projects.

Ryan

[Mark Woodmark]

I had a Leigh dovetail jig that just sat around. For me set up was too time consuming and hard. I also have a PC right angle sander that gets no use. But the most frustrating tool I have owned was a Performax 16-32 sander. I couldnt sand even the smallest amount off the surface of a panel without it quitting. Pure junk. Couldnt keep the drum parallel to the table either

[Eric L. Severseike]

I had a Leigh dovetail jig that just sat around. For me set up was too time consuming and hard. I also have a PC right angle sander that gets no use. But the most frustrating tool I have owned was a Performax 16-32 sander. I couldnt sand even the smallest amount off the surface of a panel without it quitting. Pure junk. Couldnt keep the drum parallel to the table either

Well, there's your problem! You're not actually supposed to use the tools - you're supposed to sit in the garage like the rest of us and imagine using them!

[Joe A Faulkner]

I can stop any time I want to. It's not hurting anyone. It doesn't hurt to look.

[Joe Shinall]

I have the following, unopened in my shop right this second:

HF Dust Collector
Milwaukee Paint Sprayer
Bosch 1617 Router kit
Porter Cable 4212 Dovetail Jig
Rockler HVLP Sprayer

All because I got great deals on them and have had no use for them so far. I have use for the Dust Collector but I have nowhere to put it :rolleyes:

As well as I have put together my Hitachi Scroll Saw and never used it. But I got it for %70 off at Lowes. And 4 hand planes I bought months ago at the flea market and have yet to use.

[Jim O'Dell]

As a note to my earlier post. I used the Delta lunchbox planer this weekend, and while I didn't hear any difference in the 2 speeds when changed, it made a beautiful cut. Not even sure it would need to be sanded to finish it!! No snipe at all, not a hint. Wasn't as loud as I thought it might be either. It will be 6 years old next month and this is the first time it's been turned on.:o Jim.

[Joe Von Kaenel]

John,

There was a similar post a while back: Tool collecting vs actual woodworking (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=107557)

I am guilty of buying tools I don't need. I also have a lot of jigs. I told a friend who does woodwroking for a living " I think I'm a tool collector" he agreed, an laughed.

Joe

[Max Coller]

This very topic is one of the primary reasons I joined SMC. I guess I should just come right out and admit it, my name is Max, and I love tools. I love the potential in my tools. I look forward to my weekend visitation rights with my tools.

Almost every morning when I haul my bike out of The Shop (or "our garage" as my beautiful, talented, radiant and sweet-smelling wife also occasionally refers to it dismissively when I have a project gluing, clamps radiating threateningly like the spines on a harbor mine lodged in her parking space) before another soul-sucking day of work mired in my cube with no chance of even seeing an outside window, I gaze longingly at my Unisaw and shaper and bandsaw and drill press and brand spanking new (to me) Powermatic 60 jointer I probably paid too much for but love almost as much as one of my kids and I think about the potential therein.

And when I get back home again and put my bike away, there they are, waiting patiently for me to come out to play and give them some fresh electricity and new wood to chew on. I guess I can't decide if I love the tools or the woodworking process more. There's a perfect potential in really good tools, but the process of using them is its own reward. And, finding that next really good tool ideally suited for that next really great project - man, that's what keeps me going some days.

Like my dream Oliver 194D or 91D mortiser that I haven't found yet but someday hope to, perhaps languishing unused in the dimly-lit corner of a temperature-controlled cabinet shop, to be sold by the price-unaware and greedy offspring of the former owner looking to posthumously disassemble a lifetime's worth of collecting of obvious quality for some quick cash.

Or, as I am right now, trying to decide if I just want the Powermatic 2A Single-End Tenoner I found on CL because it's cool, or if I can actually justify the near-bargain price and critical floor space it will necessitate when I have a perfectly adequate tenoning jig for my table saw. Phase converter too then I suppose. Shop rewiring project. New lighting while I'm at it. It doesn't end.

[Carroll Courtney]

I have 2-141 BS,1-143,Delta/Milwaukee 20" and a Delta/Crescent 36" and I just don't know why:mad:---Carroll

[Mark Woodmark]

Well, there's your problem! You're not actually supposed to use the tools - you're supposed to sit in the garage like the rest of us and imagine using them!

That explains why I cant keep them pretty

[Will Blick]

If any "normal" person read this thread, they would want to admit everyone to a psych ward :-)

At least many posters have a great sense of humor about their habit. I find the biggest cause of the tool obsession is two fold...

first, some tools are simply ultra desirable to posses, the obvious one is nice hand planes, annodized Woodpecker / Jessem products, any brass tool with cocobolo handle, etc. I equate this to gun collecting... but with ww, we justify the purchase as something we can actually use on a regular basis....

Secondly, many of us have jobs, Max's post eloquently described the drag of work sucking the life out of our ww'ing dreams. i.e, desire to do ww'ing, vs. actually doing ww'ing...the rigors of life are more demanding than most of us care to admit. Then toss in the aches n pains, family issues, and the amount of time actually doing ww'ing is often a tiny fraction of what many hobbiest initially thought when entering the hobby...

I too have fallen into some of these traps... my biggest problem is, when performing a ww task, and I don't have the perfect tool, I become frustrated and seek to fill that void... which is insane.

My other problem is, I spend so much time contantly re working the shop, sharpening tools, organizing, looking for stuff buried under other stuff, it seems it takes forever to actually start a project....and whats worse, to see it through to completion...nothing worse than having projects 70% done for many months or even a year till its complete.....arggggggg.....

ww is a lot like owning a boat as a hobby...the ratio of boat maint. vs. "boat in the water" is like 10:1. When I consider the amount of time I spend maintaining the shop, maintaining tools, procurement decisions, forum time, practicing, driving to the Borgs..... yeah, I would say 10:1 is about right... bottom line, ww is not for those of us with OCD. We should just accept tool collecting as the hobby and forget the projects... hee hee hee..

[Brian Penning]

I too have fallen into some of these traps... my biggest problem is, when performing a ww task, and I don't have the perfect tool, I become frustrated and seek to fill that void... which is insane.



Ummmm...what's insane about that? ;):confused:
That's how I often buy new tools....if I know there's a tool that will do the job safer, easier and faster then I get it.

I can think of many examples...8" jointer replaced a 6", right angle drill for access to small areas, Sawstop replaced a General, etc etc.

[Will Blick]

Brian, IMO, it can be a sickness... a never ending pursuit for the perfect tool for every task... before long, you have more tools than projects....

I guess this is when you considering opening a tool museum and stop ww'ing :-) You recoup your cost of tools by charing admission to your shop :-)

BTW, I am curious... many ww's love to work with great tools, but very few hobbiest ww's have the space or funds to own them. Has there ever been "woodshops for rent" .... A well equipped shop, that charges an hourly rate to use the shop. In the long run, I would think many ww's would be way ahead of the game..... access to the best of all tools, and only pay for the time you are actually ww'ing. Was this ww venture ever attempted ?

Heck, a shop with maybe 8 work benches, high end power tools and hand tools, premium dust collection, conditioned work space, etc. ...I could see an easy 150K - 250k for such a shop.

[Mark Elmer]

Hi all,

My name is Mark and I am a tool addict. (This is where you all say "Hi Mark")

I really love tools. I especially like to buy accessories for tools that I have. Sometimes I will find a good deal on a tool and buy it even though I have one already. For example I have three bandsaws, two scroll saws, two shop vacs, two drill presses.....

I am sick, sick, sick

[Van Huskey]

It is simple, if you don't have 4 or more tools to do any one job you don't have enough tools yet... :eek:

[Karl Card]

I reckon I fit in here too... My 8 inch jointer/planer that i had to have, wanted so bad sat for 6 months before I set it up and wired it.
My 60 gl air compresssor sat in the kitchen for 3 months then in the shop for 2 months and now gets used more than anything in my shop.
But my REAL problem comes with wood. I have wood stored, stacked, hiddden etc. I have a use for all of it, i just dont know what it is...
I had to finally do something painful this past weekend.... some of it went for a ride.... I had buckets upon buckets of 1/2 inch cut offs from pen blanks.... I looked at all these buckets of little itty bitty pieces of wood and thought to myself, what the **** is wrong with me.... 1 inch long is one thing but 1/2 inch is not staying around....

Recently i did get a performax 16/32 sander and I will say as soon as i got home with it, the following morning it went striaght to the shop and fired it up... oh how happy I was... but then now I have to setup my DC in the corner because that performax will need it badly... Now I know why women say "but it was on sale"... I am however thinking of building a shop outside and storing all my new wood in there. Logs, huge lots, pallets of it.... when I die I have to come back as a termite...lol

[Will Blick]

Oh yeah, while on the subject...

At least through the years, I have learned a valuable lesson to economize on tool purchases...

If I decide I want a tool, I now buy the best one I can afford, at the largest size possible, with quality I find acceptable... as the one thing that really pissed me off about my early tool buying habit was........

I buy a tool too small, or not enough power, or too low quality (HF hand power tools often fall in this category).... then, I always upgrade to the right tool... I now just buy the right tool the first time...if I can't justify the tool, I simply don't buy it... I know it sounds strange, but this has saved lots of money over the past few years....

I am not dillusional though, I still realize this is a sickness. :-)
(albeit a fun one)

As we all know, misery loves company, and Karls 60 gal air compressor sitting in the kitchen for 3 months sure made me feel better :-)

[John Fabre]

I did it, i'm selling my last dovetail jig. I had the Leigh D4, PRO, the new porter cable 77240 and now my Akeda, some of them not even used.

[Rick Fisher]

I have found that I have too many routers.. I really like two of them.. the others just sit, waiting..

I am also guilty of upgrading tools and having the older unit sit in a drawer.. lately I have been giving them away..

Example.. 12 years ago I bought a Makita 5" ROS.. Liked it, so I bought a Bosch twin handed ROS.. The Makita sat.. Then I got a Festool ETS.. and never used the Bosch again.. I gave the Makita away to a single mom who wanted to refinish some chairs.. (friend of wife).. Its been a year and I have not missed it.

[Dar Lounsbury]

I feel normal now.

I don't know about normal but I am glad to know I have a lot of company with this obsession. First name basis with the UPS driver and the mailman. With enough time, I use everything. Some things only once in a long time.

I prefer to not think of being overdone but as to being prepared for most everything. Like most people, I can quit anytime. At least as well as they will admit to.


Dar

[Ray Newman]

Know what you all mean. I have some Bridge City tools that I should sell. Some “commemorative tools“, some run-of-the-mill, and some are factory seconds/blemished. Just had to have them and couldn’t pass up a savings.

[Jerome Hanby]

Clamps (Besseys), do you all remember when HD was clearing them out years ago. I went to ten HD and bought all they had by the cases, I even bought the displays.

That sounds familiar. When they were clearing out the "pre-Revo" K bodies. Lowe's had a web page that would print you a $10 off a $25+ purchase. The drawback is you needed to supply a different street address and email for each coupon... So I now have 20+ gmail addresses and as far as Lowe's is concerned occupy every possible street address on my old street.

The 24" K bodies were just short of $25, the $50" K Bodies were a touch more than $30. I cleaned out two locations :eek:.

[Jerome Hanby]

I too have fallen into some of these traps... my biggest problem is, when performing a ww task, and I don't have the perfect tool, I become frustrated and seek to fill that void... which is insane.

Wow does that hit home. My wife is about ready to kill me because I got the stand for her new lathe (well it was new two years ago this Christmas) about 80% finished and became convinced that I needed to use lock miter joints for building the drawers. After countless hours tinkering and making sawdust in vein, I've finally got the right bit (a Freud Quadra), the right router, the right table, right fence, the right setup technique, and the right jigs to make a decent lock miter joint. Then we moved...

[Jerome Hanby]

BTW, I am curious... many ww's love to work with great tools, but very few hobbiest ww's have the space or funds to own them. Has there ever been "woodshops for rent" .... A well equipped shop, that charges an hourly rate to use the shop. In the long run, I would think many ww's would be way ahead of the game..... access to the best of all tools, and only pay for the time you are actually ww'ing. Was this ww venture ever attempted ?

Heck, a shop with maybe 8 work benches, high end power tools and hand tools, premium dust collection, conditioned work space, etc. ...I could see an easy 150K - 250k for such a shop.

I think insurance and liability issues kill off almost every plan for this type of business.

[Kevin Womer]

Yep, I'm in. I have a 5 year old mortiser I think I've used maybe twice.

[Gary Herrmann]

I am not a tool junkie.

I prefer the term toolpig.

[Will Overton]

I found that giving away tools I don't use is easier than storing them. When I started buying parallel clamps I gave away pipe clamps.
Got a Festool track saw, gave away a Porter Cable circular saw.
Got a Domino, gave away a biscuit joiner.
Got a Porter Cable router, gave away 2 others.

There is usually somebody that can put things to use that would gather dust in my shop. When I don't know anyone who can use an item that I don't need, it goes to the Habitat ReStore.

I'm not saying that I don't have more than I "need", but I do use everything I have. Also, I didn't buy everything in my shop ... much of it was given to me.

[Will Blick]

> Then we moved...

Jerome, this is toooooo funny....sad, but funnny....

I have a buddy who is worse than me, which is probably how I got so bad... but recently, while he was showing off his only finished project, a side table with dovetailed drawers..... someone asked him, how much it cost him to make it...... a fair question, right? $200? $300?

Now consider this, he spent over $100k setting up shop, CNC stuff, all high end stationairy tools, which took 3 years and countless hours obesssing over every tool decision. He produced one project so far..... it might be the only one, it took 6 months to build. So he contemplated the answer.....and responded, it cost me about $100k. :-)

I nearly busted a gut laughing, cause deep inside, I felt his answer was accurate. In retrospect, I think if he knew then, what he knows now, he would pay pros to build him anything he wanted, and pay top dollar, and be way ahead of the game....and he did not seem to get much joy from it, cause he found out age is cruel. For those that get total enjoyment, the cost at least bring value, assuming you really are not eating top ramen every night :-)

this is why renting shop time, like another thread discussed is such a great idea to get into ww, or get back into ww after many years, etc. test the waters, see where you think you might fall, b4 goin tool crazy.

I must admit, I envy people who pump out projects with minimal tools...I know a cabinet builder, who works out of his garage, at best he has BORG power tools...he buys mostly finished panels, some hardwood, often he will sub out the dovetailed drawers and raised panels, (he claims they can make em for at a tad more than he can buy the wood for)....and the guy churns out some impressive kitchens for very reasonable prices too. His obsession is getting projects done, not collecting tools, he made me sick... he is not reading this thread, he is busy finishing a job :-)

Another poster mentioned photography.... trust me, all the LV, LN tools you can buy does not hold a candle to high end photography....its an obsession that can land you in the poor house the first few months... less choices, no set up, no shop required, etc. Just pure cash, and lots of it. My obsessed friends in that area think 30k a year budget for new gear is acceptable.... and its a hobby. Today, in the digital world, everything is obsolete in a year or two... and talk about depreciation? Canons flagship DSLR has been selling for $8k new, about every 2 years its replaced.... when you dump your 3 yr old one, you are lucky to get 10 cents on the dollar paid... a table saw doesn't go obsolete in a few years.

[Gary Herrmann]

Hmm. Maybe having a basement shop with no walk-out helps keep you in check.

I have a nice shop with quality tools. General, Minimax, Powermatic, Jet. Some LV and some vintage hand tools.

Getting down those stairs limits me to (well, so far) about 600 lbs.

I've made 4 pieces of furniture for the house, shelves, mouldings, jewelry boxes etc. A bunch of turned items. Having a job, kids and an old house on an acre just limits my shop time, so I do what I can.

If I had a ground level shop, I'd probably think about expanding or getting bigger and better tools.

There is a 12" HD Northfield jointer for sale in STL. I may even go look at it just to see it in person, but I can't see how I'd get it downstairs. I could probably figure it out, but I think it would just reinforce the obsession with bigger and better, so why bother?

Maybe not a complete toolpig? Nah...

[Marty Paulus]

I've heard it said that admission is the first step to rehabilitation. No way!:rolleyes:

Rehab is for quitters!

[Myk Rian]

Hello. My name is Bill W. and I'm an addict (tool that is).
Any affiliation to the other Bill W.? :)

I usually buy the old stuff so I can clean it up and either use it, or sell it for a small hobby profit. My Wife is getting real good at rolling her eyes into the back of her head.

[David Hostetler]

Hmmm. While they don't get used as often as I would like, everything in my shop has some use on it.

I have a 20+ year old Snap On 36" pry bar that I used to use to help convince ball joints that they needed to come out of their sockets that just sits there and looks pretty most of the time. I have however, at least once in the last year used it to get the leverage I needed to make things line up the way I wanted them to in a remodeling project...

I do have a bag of "loaner" screwdrivers that I rarely use, and could do without. They were the black Friday specials 2 years ago at Home Depot. I got tired of neighbors always wanting to borrow my screwdrivers...

[Van Huskey]

I realized how much of a junkie I was this weekend when I was in Harbor Freight getting some supplies to move a couple of machines. I saw tons of tools I would love to have either for that once in a lifetime need OR to use instead of my good tools for those "off-label" uses.

[David Prince]

I like the quote "He who dies with the most tools wins!"

Buying new tools is almost as fun as using them.

I like trying to accomplish a task and having the "right" tools. I have been on the other side and did end up accomplishing the task, but it is more fun if you have the right tools.

Not that all the tools in the world will make you a good woodworker, I am just saying that a bandsaw vs. a jig saw, a table saw vs. a circular saw, a drill press vs. a hand drill, etc. work in a similar manner, but depending on the task, one may work better than the other.

Add to the definition of Tool Junkie if you have cheap duplicates of your tools so that you can loan out the cheapies to neighbors and friends and keep them away from your good stuff!

[Paul Johnstone]

My main weakness is collecting wood. I have roughly 7000-8000 board feet of hardwood right now.. I'm sure more than I will use in my lifetime.
I was finally able to put a stop to it, although I am going to "need" more oak soon.. can't let it run below 500 board feet "in stock" :D

I have a lot of assorted gadgets and gizmos that I don't use anymore as I have found a different way.
Before I got the domino, I bought the Leigh FMT, Table saw tennoning jig, and a mortiser.. All are fine, but for my Woodworking, the domino is easier. But I can bring myself to part with the others, as I might need them down the road. Maybe next year :)

[Paul Johnstone]

BTW, I am curious... many ww's love to work with great tools, but very few hobbiest ww's have the space or funds to own them. Has there ever been "woodshops for rent" .... A well equipped shop, that charges an hourly rate to use the shop. In the long run, I would think many ww's would be way ahead of the game..... access to the best of all tools, and only pay for the time you are actually ww'ing. Was this ww venture ever attempted ?

Heck, a shop with maybe 8 work benches, high end power tools and hand tools, premium dust collection, conditioned work space, etc. ...I could see an easy 150K - 250k for such a shop.

There is a place called "buildmore workshop" in our area that does that. If you google the text in quotes you will find their page. I don't want to post the link and violate TOS.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I wonder what the liability insurance costs would be on said rental shop?

I would believer any liability waiver a renter might sign would be as worthless as the one printed on the lift ticket you buy at a ski lift.

[Carroll Courtney]

I hate saying this and it did not start out this way and I just don't know why,but I have 1-PM66,1-Rockwell Uni,1-Delta Uni,1-24"giz drum,1-16" Preformax,1-17 Giz DP,1-15"Rockwell DP,2-PM141 BS,1-PM143 BS,36"Crescent BS,Red Baron Hinge and a Blum Hinge,2-10"MS,1-12"MS
I will be doing some shop cleaning around Christmas----Carroll

[Gene Thayer]

I retired one month ago, after 30 years of tool collecting and intermittent woodworking. I'm proud to say that I've spent every day for the last 3 weeks in my shop, and I've turned out a pretty impressive amount of projects, two of which I started a year ago. My wife is pretty happy about the results (she's finally getting her new kitchen). I hope I don't get sick of doing this ...the old saying "be careful what you wish for" is starting to rear its ugly head.:cool:

[David Helm]

I was cured for a long time. After 30 + years as a builder I had every tool I could possibly need or want. I stopped going to hardware stores and scoffed at people who haunted them. Then one day (back in November) a vehicle slammed into my shop at a high rate of speed, destroying much of the building and its contents. I happened to be in the office (opposite end of the shop) when it happened. My trusty cabinet saw diverted the vehicle just enough to save my life. With insurance check in hand, after the rebuild of the shop, I once again ventured into the hallowed space of hardware stores (no BORGs for me). I won't go into details about all the NEW tools I bought but nowadays never a week goes by that I don't stop into Grizzly or Hardware Sales. Wow! That was hard to get off my chest!

[Dan Karachio]

Gees Dave, that's crazy. Maybe SawStop makes a model with air bags! Seriously, glad you were okay and the insurance took care of things. If you ever have time, you should make a post about re-buying a shop. What did you get the second time around and why? What did you NOT get... So many of us struggle to buy the right tools and I would have to guess your 30 years experience + your recent experience are a gold mind of wisdom.

[Don Orr]

OK, OK, all you flat boarders have nothing on us turners. :rolleyes: I am down to 3 wood lathes and a metal lathe. Turning tools ? Don’t get me started. I have several new in the package. They are consumable don’t you know. I’ve had to expand my tool rack at least twice so far. Go to a turning demo and see the pro using their special tool and just gotta have it because it will make you as good as them. Chucks-6, maybe 7-still not enough. Wood? Please. It grows on trees and people cut them down all the time-can’t get enough free wood. Did I mention I’m a turner ? Then why do I have more hand planes than I can ever use? Including a new LV Med shoulder plane in the box only used for a test cut once. :confused: I HAVE used my LN block/rabbet plane and LN dovetail saw a few times. Oh, and the Delta mortiser that I got from a friend’s widow that sits in the attic. I usually get tools in anticipation of that day when I will need just the right thing for a specific purpose-and on sale. There are a LOT of special purpose tools ! Books ? Don't ask. Did I mention I am a turner ? Then why do I have 4 routers ? I just mounted 1 in my table saw in a Jessem lift that I got on an awesome sale. The Bosch 1617evs router I mounted in it I got as a kit used with extra base and edge guide. I also have a new Shop Vac in the box for when my current ones (I have 3) die-got it for a great price and just couldn’t pass it up. Did I mention I’m a turner? Chainsaws-not even going there. I spent most of my inheritance from my father having a workshop built. So all you flat boarders-try and keep up will ya ?:D

I’m not an addict. I can quit any time I want-really-I can. I, I just don’t want to right now. Really. It’s not a problem. Really.

By the way, my wife is a potter and quilter and is WAY worse than me. She is actually my enabler. She offers to buy me tools all the time. I think we both need help.;)

[Larry Edgerton]

I just aquired a great Lion Trimmer from a nice fellow out in Utah!

Larry

[Bud Millis]

I might be a tool junkie. I just keep getting larger and larger, tools. Now I'uilding bigger and bigger items.

[John Fabre]

I think the real name for a tool junkie is a tool hoarder. Hoarder doesn't sound as good though as a junkie, wait, i'm a tool collector. That's it.

[Scott Velie]

You know your a tool junkie when:

You don't remember when you saw a tool whatsthis quiz you did not know the answer to.

Others ???