You must make a great friend...
/sarcasm
Not for anyone granted, but as long as there is give and take, helping others out does make life better.
tool loan to friend
- Thread starter brownbagg
- Start date
You must make a great friend...
/sarcasm
Not for anyone granted, but as long as there is give and take, helping others out does make life better.
I get asked to do electrical work almost daily. I do not do side work. I just don’t. There is a massive shortage of electricians, and people know that I am an electrician. I say no every single time, other than family. I do not say no to family.
Honestly, I do not even refer the work that I am asked to do to anyone. If, even a friend, asks if I know anyone who does small electrical jobs, I just say no. And… I do not even know if I do.
I do not mention what tools that I have. I certainly would not lend out a $900 tool.
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What's funny is I'm far less likely to ask than be asked.
I have a friend who is a master BMW tech - was the head tech of a very large dealership shop for years. Occasionally I'll get really stuck and I'll call him (but I've worn out the internet and any other resource I can find) about something, and he always says "why didn't you call me when you started??" and I always say something like "I didn't want to bug you about it."
I think folks knowing that I'm loathe to ask them for any kind of favor makes them far more likely to help when I ask. I really enjoy helping other people, but the very few people on the very rare occasions I ask for help know I've done a lot to avoid asking them for anything, and I'm always asking for the bare minimum I can. And so it generally works out.
I definitely get not loaning tools that help pay your bills. I'm pretty sure I'd never ask for that - I can't think of any time I've even considered it.
But if it's friends you're talking about when you say "no good deed goes unpunished", you need better friends.
If you do not want to do 5 minutes of side work… and you end up doing the work for days… that is a nightmare I don’t need.
“It’s just a small little project”… never is. Plus, I am not a contractor… I have no legal right to do side work… which is what I usually say… push me and I will say worse. I do not do side work.
I love my friends… I just do not do their electrical work.
If I need more money than 8 hours a day provides. I will do overtime. I did 12 1/2 hours on Monday and 12 hours on Tuesday. I do not even consider side work as a possible stream of revenue. I do not do side work.
People will push the **** out of you to do work for them. I only say no.
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Okay, makes a difference when it's your day job and people are asking you for favors to avoid paying a professional, that I get.
Almost daily… almost every day someone who knows what I do… usually not friends… and I do not even do my friends electrical work… asks me to do something… it is literally the worst part of being an electrician.
They are not always doing it to “avoid paying a professional”… they are often doing it because they are having a terrible time getting someone to come out and do their jobs… not my problem. When my days are over… I am tired. I do not want to go back out and do more…
I get that...I do software stuff for a living, which means I basically know computers inside out and backwards. I have long since given up lending out that skill and even give my family grief about it (they know I don't like fixing their problems, even if it only takes me 5 minutes).
Though that said, I will lend a keyboard or a monitor or whatever hardware if I have something spare kicking around, so to the ops point where it's lending a physical thing and not my time, I suppose I would still do that. Just like I'm sure you'd loan someone a spare screwdriver that wasn't your main tools for the day job.
If someone needed a screwdriver, I would probably give them a few screwdrivers. I have enough screwdrivers that I may never use them all. There are a few in my give away drawer. I have given away, possibly tonnage, of tools at this point. After I bought my Matco double bay… I know that I gave away hundreds of pounds of tools to an acquaintance that does body work.
But… the OP was not talking about a screwdriver or main line tools. He was talking about a brake that he had $900 into. The kind of tool that you only want to loan out if you are there to make sure it is okay… the kind of situation that would ruin an evening or day off… I would say no… and he should tell his boss… who supposedly told the guy asking to borrow the brake… not to mention what tools he has ever again.
gatewaysysop
Well-known member
What a surprise, someone that knew told someone else and now you have to deal with the consequences of their big mouth.
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goldtang
Well-known member
I don’t lend tools like wise I don’t ask to borrow , but I am happy to have a mate or family over to help them out or go to there place
dkmc
Well-known member
Had a guy ask to borrow a shop accessory and I've borrowed things from him in the past, so what the heck....
The couple tools I've borrowed of his, I've returned promptly and cleaner than when I got them. So he comes and gets the tool.
I ask how long he'll need it and he says a 'few days'......OK no big deal. Next time I look for it to use it on a job, I remember he borrowed it......about 6 weeks ago. I go to his shop and get it. I actually let this happen 2 more times, then the 4th time he calls and asks to borrow it, I say "nope". He is suprised and a little bit taken aback and asks "why". So I explain each time he borrowed it, he was only needing it for 'a few days' but I had to retrieve it each time after several weeks. So now, buy your own because you've disqualified yourself by not doing what you said you'd do. Bottom line, it's probably best to not loan any tools you might need returned at some point.
The couple tools I've borrowed of his, I've returned promptly and cleaner than when I got them. So he comes and gets the tool.
I ask how long he'll need it and he says a 'few days'......OK no big deal. Next time I look for it to use it on a job, I remember he borrowed it......about 6 weeks ago. I go to his shop and get it. I actually let this happen 2 more times, then the 4th time he calls and asks to borrow it, I say "nope". He is suprised and a little bit taken aback and asks "why". So I explain each time he borrowed it, he was only needing it for 'a few days' but I had to retrieve it each time after several weeks. So now, buy your own because you've disqualified yourself by not doing what you said you'd do. Bottom line, it's probably best to not loan any tools you might need returned at some point.
Not just no but HELL NO.
dnschmidt
Well-known member
Why is this so hard? JUST SAY NO! If that was good enough for Nancy Regan it's good enough for me.
LoL - I guess I'm not talented enough to get pushed much
But I do have a lot of good tools.100% disagree.
A good friend, my tools are definitely their tools. As is the food and beer in the fridge, truck, trailer, etc... and that works both ways of course.
Seems entirely justified in the case of that guy, but not necessarily a reason to disqualify the rest of the world.
I fret about making sure anything I've borrowed goes back in as-good-or-better condition than I borrowed it. I'm not sure where that comes from, since it isn't something my dad ever said or showed me by example that I can recall at all. But I worked for and with a lot of older guys who I know were like that (and as far as I can remember never had a discussion as fluffy as 'how to borrow and return tools'), so I guess it was just osmosis.
I have had that conversation with my sons. I'm not sure it stuck
People are just desperate to find someone that will actually show up. Contractors are booked months out. They are charging twice as much as they did two years ago, and still have more work than they can handle. Contractors are bidding crazy high and still getting the work. There are people who are paying as much for a kitchen remodel as they paid for the house (people who bought their house in 2010… not people who bought in 2002 or recently).LoL - I guess I'm not talented enough to get pushed much
genog
Well-known member
No dice.
I have great friends and close to many
My tools are not their tools
That's how we stay Great Friends
I'll bring ALL of the tools to work on their stuff
BUT when the job or project is done, they all go home with me
They can have all of the food and beer in the 'fridge
Drop by when ever
Watch the game
Work on stuff
the neighbor lends me his dump trailer and skid steer now and then
The first second any tool I loaned went to hands other than mine, the person I loaned it to and I are in a car heading to whoever has their hands on it. If it wasn't there, the ride home would be occupied by a discussion on replacement.
With a couple exceptions (who are guys I 100% trust, mainly because I know they're exactly like I am and have earned that trust over and over), I don't leave any tool with anyone else long-term.
dkmc
Well-known member
Yea that... Many years ago let a 'friend' take a 9" angle grinder, needed it for 'a week'. After 3 weeks I start asking for it back, and he says he'll bring it back. Repeat about 6 times in 3 more weeks, and he says 'my son's using it at his house, when he's done, I'll bring it to you'. UM.....what's his address??? Went there and got it back. Guess what? Guy was miffed at me because his son wasn't done using it yet. We were no longer friends right after I got the grinder back, which incidentally was clogged full of bondo dust cause the son was using it to patch up his rusty pickup. Wow, some people huh?
I have trouble with blanket statements (wait- that statement IS a blanket statement... but I digress). I have certain friends and family that I would loan anything to. And I have friends and family that have never been past my driveway, lol. Just "being my friend" doesn't unlock some magical all-access pass. You have to be a person that I trust. And I have trust issues, so that's a very short list of people.
And when I was 19 and a bachelor, sure buddy, come eat my food and drink my drinks. I'm coming over later to return the favor. But I'm old now. The only fridge I have is the one in the kitchen, and stay out of it, lol. I'll offer you a drink, I'm not that big of an *******, lol. But I have a pet-peeve about people just going into my fridge and grabbing stuff.
And when I was 19 and a bachelor, sure buddy, come eat my food and drink my drinks. I'm coming over later to return the favor. But I'm old now. The only fridge I have is the one in the kitchen, and stay out of it, lol. I'll offer you a drink, I'm not that big of an *******, lol. But I have a pet-peeve about people just going into my fridge and grabbing stuff.
jblnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I'm borrowing a John Deere 750 dozer and an 11yd Ashland scraper at the moment from a neighbor. I helped him chop corn silage the last few weeks in and off and he said I could use them to move some dirt as long as I needed. Scraper needs cutting edges ($600) and the dozer is leaking fuel out of the return lines on the injectors so I plan to replace them all. He's used our combine and 4wd tractor when his went down a few years back and no $$$ was exchanged. He did change oil in both and washed the tractor up as I needed it badly.
Y'all need new friends lol
Y'all need new friends lol
infinite97
Well-known member
I don’t loan out my snap-on techangle torque wrenches, but any of the guys in the shop are welcome to use my tekton clickers 
thunderalley3
Well-known member
I was a mechanic for many years in a niche market that requires a large investment in specialty tools. I retired 9 years ago but still do repairs, almost exclusively on my own collection but I also have a couple of past suppliers that became friends and we occasionally will bail out each other on jobs that go south.
I had a friend that owns a few of these specialty vehicles and he showed up at my house one day needing a tool "desperately". I figured he had a machine down. He returns it the next day in the box as he received it, I asked if it all went well and he assured me it did. He said thanks and off he went and I put the box back in it's place. About two months later one of my past suppliers called needing a bearing pressed out and in and did not have the tool. I told him no problem. He brings it by with the new bearing and was headed into town. I told him to give me an hour and he could pick it up. Well I get the tool that I had loaned off the shelf, open the box and pull it out and find a broken collet. I had to rob a collet, that was not correct, make a piece on the lathe quickly to do the job. I got it done but was not happy.
I ordered the replacement collet to the tune of $118 and put the receipt on the cork board. Guess who shows up about three weeks later wanting to borrow another tool,,,,I pulled down the receipt and told him he owed me $118 for the collet he broke. He did not deny he broke it and the straw that broke the camels back was when he said he did not make that much doing the job he broke it on. So not only did he break it but he was doing paying work with my tools. I told him out of my shop, no more tools loaned to anyone!!
I had a friend that owns a few of these specialty vehicles and he showed up at my house one day needing a tool "desperately". I figured he had a machine down. He returns it the next day in the box as he received it, I asked if it all went well and he assured me it did. He said thanks and off he went and I put the box back in it's place. About two months later one of my past suppliers called needing a bearing pressed out and in and did not have the tool. I told him no problem. He brings it by with the new bearing and was headed into town. I told him to give me an hour and he could pick it up. Well I get the tool that I had loaned off the shelf, open the box and pull it out and find a broken collet. I had to rob a collet, that was not correct, make a piece on the lathe quickly to do the job. I got it done but was not happy.
I ordered the replacement collet to the tune of $118 and put the receipt on the cork board. Guess who shows up about three weeks later wanting to borrow another tool,,,,I pulled down the receipt and told him he owed me $118 for the collet he broke. He did not deny he broke it and the straw that broke the camels back was when he said he did not make that much doing the job he broke it on. So not only did he break it but he was doing paying work with my tools. I told him out of my shop, no more tools loaned to anyone!!
i had this craftman belt sander, think 3x21. it was nice, one of the old ones. I had it twenty years and it was a hand me down from dad so it must be a 1976 model. loan it to a friend and he smoke the motor within 3 minutes on oil base paint
i just remember, I think all my tools fell overboard from the boat coming back from the camp, yea that the ticket
i just remember, I think all my tools fell overboard from the boat coming back from the camp, yea that the ticket
dkmc
Well-known member
OK one more....Guy asks if he can borrow my machine skates to move a machine in his shop. I ask how long do you need them, I'll need them back soon. 'For a week'. I let him take the 4pc set in metal storage box. 3 weeks later I call and tell him I need the skates back. He very nonchalantly says 'oh they are under the machine and I don't have the toe jacks I borrowed from work to get them out'. 2 months goes by and he has a heart attack and passes away. I wait 2 weeks out of respect, then call his son........'oh Mom called the scrap yard and they came and cleaned out the barn, everything's gone. You should have called me sooner!'
On a related note....
About 3 years ago I bought 2 really nice Hilman 5 ton toe jacks (used for rigging machinery) for $150 each. They cost $1200 ea new. I've mentioned the deal to all my buddies and so far no one has asked to borrow them, but when they do.....the answer is NO And if they ask 'why' I will tell them the machine skate story.
On a related note....
About 3 years ago I bought 2 really nice Hilman 5 ton toe jacks (used for rigging machinery) for $150 each. They cost $1200 ea new. I've mentioned the deal to all my buddies and so far no one has asked to borrow them, but when they do.....the answer is NO And if they ask 'why' I will tell them the machine skate story.
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It’s like lending money. Don’t lend it out if you want it back.
I borrowed my neighbors pressure washer. The hose broke. I bought a new hose. I returned the pressure washer and my neighbor wanted to pay me for the hose. He said it was old and on its last leg. I said it broke in my hands. It was only $25 but still, it’s the responsibility you take when you borrow something. I also changed the oil. We lend tools back and forth and help each other out but I never want to be -that guy. If you are going to borrow a tool, it should come back better than when it went out and the lender should never have to ask for it back. Simple, guy code stuff.
I borrowed my neighbors pressure washer. The hose broke. I bought a new hose. I returned the pressure washer and my neighbor wanted to pay me for the hose. He said it was old and on its last leg. I said it broke in my hands. It was only $25 but still, it’s the responsibility you take when you borrow something. I also changed the oil. We lend tools back and forth and help each other out but I never want to be -that guy. If you are going to borrow a tool, it should come back better than when it went out and the lender should never have to ask for it back. Simple, guy code stuff.
wyo george
Well-known member
I only have three actual friends and I’d loan them anything I own in a heartbeat. I’ve loaned my expensive motorcycles, new truck, 5th wheel toy hauler, tools, guns, house, etc to them in the past and would again. It’s just “stuff” and in no way would I hold it against them if something happened.
Acquaintances, however, are not the same thing and I have no issue telling them “no”.
Acquaintances, however, are not the same thing and I have no issue telling them “no”.
BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
After countless calls; a piece of My equipment was finally returned after 30 years. I felt "so sorry" to inconvenience the dude when He had other plans for that day of the return. ---NOT--
BarrelRoll
Well-known member
That guy is an acquaintance not a friend. A good middle ground is to help with your tools and bring them home when you are done but it doesn't sound like you want to do that. You have no obligation to do that with him and you guys aren't friends who hang out outside of work. If I have something I think can help someone and I trust them I'll offer to loan it out most times before they ask to borrow it.
A while back I needed to borrow a drill jig for an outboard motor. It took a little convincing to get a shop to loan it to me even though I had dropped north of $10k on a motor with him. I brought it back first thing Monday morning before they were even open with a box of doughnuts. The shop owner totally didn't expect that and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to borrow stuff again if I need it. Any of my close friends I borrow stuff like that from it's returned cleaner than when I picked it up with a case of beer or picking up the bill next time we are out to eat.
I have enough money in tools in my work tool box to buy a nice pickup. I'm a firm believer in the if you have to borrow it twice you need to buy it policy when it comes to professional tools. I'm a little more lenient with our 3 younger mechanics though there reaches a point where it's time to buy your own stuff. Most people I have no problem loaning things to though there's 1 guy who took 6 months to return the EZ out he lost and still didn't return the right size, he's on the no tools loaned list. If you have been here longer than I and are on the same or higher pay level than I you should have the same junk I have. I've bought a lot of specialty stuff to do my job better, easier, and quicker, they can as well.
A while back I needed to borrow a drill jig for an outboard motor. It took a little convincing to get a shop to loan it to me even though I had dropped north of $10k on a motor with him. I brought it back first thing Monday morning before they were even open with a box of doughnuts. The shop owner totally didn't expect that and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to borrow stuff again if I need it. Any of my close friends I borrow stuff like that from it's returned cleaner than when I picked it up with a case of beer or picking up the bill next time we are out to eat.
I have enough money in tools in my work tool box to buy a nice pickup. I'm a firm believer in the if you have to borrow it twice you need to buy it policy when it comes to professional tools. I'm a little more lenient with our 3 younger mechanics though there reaches a point where it's time to buy your own stuff. Most people I have no problem loaning things to though there's 1 guy who took 6 months to return the EZ out he lost and still didn't return the right size, he's on the no tools loaned list. If you have been here longer than I and are on the same or higher pay level than I you should have the same junk I have. I've bought a lot of specialty stuff to do my job better, easier, and quicker, they can as well.
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I don't hesitate to loan tools to close friends. Had a few minor issues over the years but nothing that ever derailed a friendship. It's easier to replace an occaisional power cord or a sawblade than a long-term friend. Besides, If I loan a tool they're the one doing the work, not standing around watching me do it for them.
anndel
Well-known member
I don't loan tools out to relatives or friends unless I don't want to see it.
crewchief888
Well-known member
last time i loaned anything out, (wet tile saw) was to a former friend. it took multiple calls and texts over several months to get it back. i ended up going to his house, (about 8 miles away) to pick it up.
he literally drives past my house twice a day getting back and forth to work, he couldnt be bothered, was always "too busy".
that was the last time i loaned anything to anybody. not long after that i booted that group of "friends" to the curb, and never lost a minute of sleep.
he literally drives past my house twice a day getting back and forth to work, he couldnt be bothered, was always "too busy".
that was the last time i loaned anything to anybody. not long after that i booted that group of "friends" to the curb, and never lost a minute of sleep.