Shop Inventory

[Richard Gillespie]

Decided to do an inventory of my tools and create a database to record them in. I will do the same for my LOML on her collection (not tools) when I finish. I've wondered for a while how well our homeowners insurance would cover us on a loss. When the inventories are finished I'll set up an appointment with my insurance agent.

I knew I'd slid down the slope some but failed to realize that I've been in free fall. I knew I had 36 metal planes but lost track of the 8 metal block planes. Then there are the 19 wood bodied planes. What am I doing with 3 # 78"s? How about 6 braces, or 34 hand saws? What was I thinking? The worst part, there are more to inventory.

This is not a gloat. There are maintenance issues involved. As I took some of the lesser used planes off the shelf I found that rust had reappeared. I swear, I think some plane irons go dull from lack of use.

Decided it's time to take a honest look at my tools and decide what ones I like and use and sell the others. Considering I've cleaned, tuned and sharpened them, I'll bet that I'll take a beating on them.

[Brent Smith]

Richard,


You're not alone with the toolaholic problem.Over the years I've bought tools that I had no immediate use for,just because MAYBE there might be a need for it in the future.You know it's getting out of hand when you come home with another maybe tool,look for a place to store it,and find one just like it in the back of a drawer or under a bench.It's happened more than once.OR of course there is the "gotta have the new tool" syndrum.I have lots of space taken up with that one too.

Brent

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Richard,

It is a great idea to inventory your tools! I know that my insurance agent would belive what I have, but it is so hard to remember everything! Now with digital cameras, I try to keep a digital record of mine.

[Jim Young]

A while back I did the same thing. I created a spread sheet that had the tool name, number price paid and retail value. Since my list really grew big I had to create several pages, power tools, hand tools, lathe tools and router bits. In the end the value of my tools was about 3 times as much as I thought. Then I was able to add the appropriate header value to my insurance. It's really depressing to think of how much I have spent on tools and still can't make that "craftsman" quality piece.