...Blames his Tools

[Singlecut]

Growing up I had this beaten into me:
....."A poor mechanic blames his tools".


I've never fully agreed with that statement. I always had an itch to fight it.
What do you guys think?

 

[greybeard]

If you break a tool or damage a fastener, 100% of the time, you are using the wrong tool. In some cases you might be using the wrong BRAND of tool. LOL

 

[BJ42LX]

"A good mechanic makes it right."

 

[Outlawmws]

Growing up I had this beaten into me:
....."A poor mechanic blames his tools".


I've never fully agreed with that statement. I always had an itch to fight it.
What do you guys think?

Fight it how? are you saying you are a poor mechanic with great tools?

 

[Singlecut]

Fight it how?

The best instance I can think of is camout / rounding off Phillips heads.
From GJ I've learned that Phillips is designed to cam out - however, I can think of no better instance to blame your crappy screwdriver than that one.

OR how about this, if you already have a rounded phillips head (and can't get vise grips on it), I know my Craftsman Pro will NOT take it out but my Snap On Instinct WILL.
I don't say that to flame Craftsman, I love them, but I'm saying the tips of SO Instinct grab better than the blasted tips of CMAN Pro.


But believe me, I want to see it the other way. I'm asking how you guys see it and maybe I've just been seeing it wrong.

 

[Wakefield]

If you gave Paul Anderson (world's strongest man) a ratchet made of pot metal bought in a grocery store and a socket and asked him to change a flat/wheel,the ratchet would have folded up and he would have taken his bare hand and unscrewed the lugs?
Perhaps a good mechanic doesn't get caught with really bad tools?

 

[BrokewrenchLS1]

Good tools won't make a bad mechanic a good one, but they may get him through a situation that bad tools wouldn't.

Bad tools won't made a good mechanic a bad one, but they may not get him through a situation that good tools would.

 

[Singlecut]

If you gave Paul Anderson (world's strongest man) a ratchet made of pot metal bought in a grocery store and a socket and asked him to change a flat/wheel,the ratchet would have folded up and he would have taken his bare hand and unscrewed the lugs?
Perhaps a good mechanic doesn't get caught with really bad tools?

I like this.

In some cases you might be using the wrong BRAND of tool. LOL

Lol. I like this too.

Although I do think a good mechanic shouldn't own really bad tools. Right tool for the job right?

There was one time I was stuck with a flat about two miles from home. I had a spare but the car didn't come with the toolkit to change it. But I did have my trusty road box. I had a 3/8 drive Gearwrench ratchet, a no name 1/2 adapter, and a CMAN 1/2 x 21mm socket. And a 4 foot pipe bender to use as a cheater.
First off I know this is wrong. But, in that pinch, it got my new tire on and it got me home. The Gearwrench ratchet survived (and now feels wonderfully broken in). The no name adapter didn't. I put a CMAN adapter on there and it did work. I think it's safe to blame the ****** adapter in that case.

 

[Singlecut]

@BrokewrenchLS1, that's a great response. I didn't think about it that way. It sounds like the situation I had.

 

[DrkMtnDew]

A Poor Mechanic Blames His Tools...

what i get out of this is that no matter what tools , good or bad, a poor mechanic has he is still a poor mechanic. it is never his fault that the 3/8'' bolt stripped out with a 10mm socket or rounded off a fastener with a cresent wrench. it has to be the tools fault because in his eyes he a good mechanic.

i have actually seen this before. and it was a guy that had been 'doing this for 30 years' and he couldn't do any wrong. toolbox full of SO tools and i still wouldn't trust him to change my lawnmower blade.

 

[Racr350]

Good tools won't make a bad mechanic a good one, but they may get him through a situation that bad tools wouldn't.

Bad tools won't made a good mechanic a bad one, but they may not get him through a situation that good tools would.

BAM! Right there...

 

[TozziWelding]

It was "A shoddy Craftsman blames his tools" when I was in school. Good tools don't make you a better anything, but good tools help you do even better when your good.

 

[TWX]

A good mechanic can get by with bad tools better than a bad mechanic can get by with good tools.

 

[markw365]

If you break a tool or damage a fastener, 100% of the time, you are using the wrong tool. In some cases you might be using the wrong BRAND of tool. LOL

I had what I thought was a decent T55 torx bit trying to remove cylinder head bolts on an MZR mazda engine. Twisted the bit right off, it was a lisle or KD. I now have a T55 snap on, and will probably buy the rest of the set.

 

[Fedwrench]

True statement. See my signature. Better tools can make a mechanic more productive but, if the machanic can't fix a sandwich, all of the Snap on tools in the world won't help. It's not what you use but, how you use it.
Another way of looking at it is that excuses only satisfy those who make them.

 

[Wrenches of Death]

Growing up I had this beaten into me:
....."A poor mechanic blames his tools".


I've never fully agreed with that statement. I always had an itch to fight it.
What do you guys think?

If it takes a two legged chicken a day and a half to lay an egg and a half, how long does it take a one legged monkey to kick all of the seeds out of a dill pickle?

WoD

 

[NWphotog]

A good mechanic can get by with bad tools better than a bad mechanic can get by with good tools.

Exactly. Tools don't make the mechanic, the mechanic makes the tools.

 

[Singlecut]

It was "A shoddy Craftsman blames his tools" when I was in school. Good tools don't make you a better anything, but good tools help you do even better when your good.

I think I've had one of these 'oooh' moments.
So it's this: A poor mechanic is a poor mechanic, and he looks at his tools for fault. Not that "He broke his tool and blaming it because he is a poor mechanic".

I think this'll be one of those adages I stand by now.

Do you guys have any others?
I also use this phrase when taking apart something to investigate:
"You never know till you know, y'know?"

I use these things all the time to work on being a better craftsman.

 

[Ratchet.]

statement is true 95% of the time, bad tools can hamper even a good mechanic tho (cheap spanners that round off bolts etc) but then if your good you should know when a tool isnt up to the task.

a good set of tools rarely helps a bad mechanic tho

 

[matthew]

My dad always told me "a good mechanic never blames his tools" which I always quipped back with "and a good mechanic has good tools."

Not that everything has to be top shelf, and not that marginal tools can't be used in a jam, but if the tool is the limiting factor more than the mechanics skill, there may be an issue with the tool. I'm sure we can all relate to having been over at a friends place or helping someone and having poor tools inflicted on us...

 

[DocsMachine]

The statement "A poor craftsman blames his tools" has nothing at all to do with the tools.

Doc.

 

[earlthegoat2]

The guy I know who owns the most Snap On tools I know of any one man owning is a good mechanic when he wants to be but has a bad attitude most of the time and does piss poor work that barely passes.

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

I never took it as having anything to actually do with the tools, just the crappy mechanic blaming the tools for his own inabilities.

 

[ibedayank]

its not the TOOLS fault that an idiot picked it up that did not know how to use it properly

 

[ND400]

I used to work with a guy to claim he was all that, gods gift to the automotive industry. Laugh at people that bought snap on ect ect.

In my career I have never seen one person damage so many fasteners in a short time frame. And what do you think he blamed 99% of the time. His Tools, even though he borrowed everyone else snap on/stahlwille stuff alot of the time.

A poor mechanic blames his tools, and refuses to keep updated with tools and borrows tools often.

 

[Boiler]

If it takes a two legged chicken a day and a half to lay an egg and a half, how long does it take a one legged monkey to kick all of the seeds out of a dill pickle?

WoD

In '86 Harry Anderson (night court TV show judge) did a standup magic act called "Hello Sucker" on Showtime. In it he asked "If a chicken and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how long would it take a monkey with a wooden leg to kick all the seeds out of a dill pickle?

I remember this clearly as I was 11 and thought that it was hilarious...

I'm curious if this question was around before him or just morphed a bit over the years, because I saw a lot of different variations of it in a google search.

My favorite answer so far? 32 because ice cream has no bones...

As for the actual topic...obviously a bad mechanic is still bad even using the best tools. And obviously nobody who ever muttered those kind of words is a bad mechanic right? Good tools do make a good mechanic better though. Hell, even a bad mechanic would benefit from not rounding bolts, breaking tools, or using the wrong tool for the job. So it stands to reason that even though good tools might not make a bad mechanic a good one, they have to make him a little better than if he was using all junk.

 

[GTVi]

Too many people make excuses when they fail, and never take responsibilities...thereby the phrase "A good trades person never blames his tools"
I fully agree in this context, and use it every time I hear someone shift the blame onto someone else for their own failings.

 

[luvit]

..."A poor mechanic blames his tools". I've never fully agreed with that statement..

i interpret this as:
"A mechanic [who didn't follow-through with excellence] blames his tools".
-- if his tool held him back, he would have acquired another tool or means..
.

 

[Singlecut]

I fully agree in this context, and use it every time I hear someone shift the blame onto someone else for their own failings.

Yup, 'Dare To ****' as my buddy puts it. Dare to put yourself on the line for all you've got. Maybe it will fail, but the knowledge gained and maybe even the hilarity is well worth it.

To The original statement, I see it so much more clear now.

A poor mechanic blames his tools, and refuses to keep updated with tools and borrows tools often.

a good set of tools rarely helps a bad mechanic

Exactly. Tools don't make the mechanic, the mechanic makes the tools

Another way of looking at it is that excuses only satisfy those who make them.

a poor mechanic has he is still a poor mechanic

A good mechanic can get by with bad tools better than a bad mechanic can get by with good tools.

i interpret this as:
"A mechanic [who didn't follow-through with excellence] blames his tools".

You all nailed it, thank you!!

P.S. Luvit it's great to see another Kurt Cobain fan

 

[Danglerb]

I believe in cussing at your tools, but not taking it seriously.

 

[TozziWelding]

I was on a job doing X-Ray critical welds, I had to use the biggest POS welding machine on the job, because I was the only guy that could do an X-Ray quality weld with it. Tools don't make the Man, the Man makes the tools.

 

[4x4gearhead]

Tools dont make the mechanic, but god damnit, anything helps. One thing that Ive learned in my career is that wrenching is hard. Its way harder than I ever thought it would be. Not that I dont still love it, it was just a real eye opener for me in the beginning. I never thought it would be easy necessarily but I also didnt know itd be this hard. I have seen tools make the difference, but it can be rare.

 

[Outlawmws]

Old sayings are often incomplete and it was (is) expected that you complete it in your head.

"A poor mechanic blames his tools" (when he should be blaming himself)

Is the way I've always interpreted this statement.

 

[skiingman]

WRT my name here, I'd like to offer this corollary.

It's not the skis, you ****.

 

[Olafur]

Old icelandic proverb:
A bad rower blames the oar.

Frequently used today in all kinds of discussion, the meaning is general and has nothing to do with oars.

 

[GTVi]

I never blame 'ores, they have the oldest profession...oops you said oars not 'ores...my bad.

 

[Singlecut]

Old icelandic proverb:
A bad rower blames the oar.

Frequently used today in all kinds of discussion, the meaning is general and has nothing to do with oars.

This one instantly made sense to me. I like it, gonna toss it into the vernacular.


These sayings are tools, right? At least a good mechanic would think so

It's not the skis, you ****.

Hahaha

 

[smoky]

To an extent that is a true statement, however using poor quality tools to repair something can cost you more time then if you use better quality tools to begin with. I know from experience. a few years back I helped a buddy of my do a transmission R&R. I didn't bring any of my tools because my buddy is a diesel mechanic; I assumed that he had good tools at his house. he had some off brand tools which caused him to round off a stubborn bolt, so we spent extra time then needed to extract the bolt. This wouldn't have happened if we had tools that were in proper spec and had closer tolerances.

 

[littletoes]

Somebody tell this to my boss.....they supply my tools, and it can be like pulling teeth getting anything "specialized".

 

[TWX]

It's funny. I do computer service for a large organization with about 30,000 PCs across about 140 sites. There are currently six of us doing this work.

One guy carries into each site a laptop, a set of screwdrivers, a 400 CD holder packed with discs, a Fluke Nettool, an external hard disk drive, and a whole bunch of other ****.

I carry a Gerber 400 series multitool, a portable hard disk drive, and a tech single DVD with all of the software I need. I have some other tools and software but I almost never need them. Occasionally a network testing tool, but it's usually pretty obvious when a drop is inactive, and another group handles network infrastructure anyway.

Today I serviced about 25 computers, and I serviced about that many yesterday and again Friday. I've been doing it a long time and I know what I don't need to carry that'll slow me down.