Growing up with tools.

[DieselSaves]

I was talking to a friend today about the tools we remember from growing up and how they shaped our tool buying today. Until I started my first job off the farm I didn't know drill presses didn't need pipe wrenches to open and close like our Taiwanese one did. I knew chuck keys existed but assumed they all quit working like ours(stripped out). I didn't know vises shouldn't have 3/4 inch plus of play like our well used Allied. I figured shop presses all leaked like our HF one. Wrenches (Pittsburgh)broke with about a twenty-five percent failure rate, cherry pickers wouldn't reliably hold an engine up without continual pumping just to get it out of a car, ratchets would slam your knuckles into solid pieces of equipment with no warning, and drills and grinders from Chicago Electric may or may not work and always vibrated and made a racket. Oh, and small metric sockets with only the size stamped poorly on them rounded out regularly on my ATCs.

I'm honestly not trying to be facetious. I grew up with these tools and assumed that was life for everyone. Tools were just a part of the drudgery like mud, flat tires, and dust, not making life easier just making repairs possible. When I looked back, the only tools that didn't break were dads Craftsman wrenches that I wasn't allowed to take out of the shop and some old adjustable wrenches that I think were Diamond Calk ones. The tool box was a tank too, an old, old Craftsman 26" one, grey and red.

We weren't hobbyists then, either. With hundreds of cattle, hundreds of hogs, and aging equipment, something was being repaired, fabricated, built, or re-built daily. We rebuilt engines, hydraulic cylinders and pumps, rear ends, you name it. I'm not complaining about the tools or the life. It was a learning experience. Farm prices were poor then it just made sense to not spend any money on tools when payments needed to be made.

I did start using tools at shops I worked at and realized that there was a difference, a big one in fact, in tool quality from maker to maker. When I started buying tools after college, I didn't jump right in to big money stuff but since then I've never bought a Chinese tool except when in need when nothing else was available and then only after voicing my opinion on the matter to the retailer, in a respectable manner. In fact I spent a fair portion of my disposable income on good tools so I had what I needed in a way I wanted it.

All this to say I can't understand the good tools are not worth having argument that comes up here from time to time. I know for truth this argument has never been accepted in my shop. I'm not given to jealousy, especially when I have the chance to buy new or used, what some of the good mechanics in the world have.

This is the old shop box in the new shop.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I grew up using my fathers pieced together hodgepodge of tools mostly Craftsman, Getting the lecture of your had better clean and put the tools back in my box when I am done. After I got my tools then I had to chase after my father using my tools. It was sweet to give him his own words back...lol

 

[cotjocky]

I grew up with a small 1 tray hand tote tool box with a hodge podge of random SK tools in it. It was given to my dad by his place of work and brought home when he left that job. It was all SAE tools, mostly 1/2 drive and I loved/worked on VW's. lol…

I think there was 1 worn out pair of regular pliers and one pair of broken needle nose. I think their was a broken tipped #2 phillips and a couple bent flats. And the old classic 16oz claw hammer. A hodge podge of random SAE wrenches. Mostly double open end wrenches.

My grandmother had mercy on me and bought me a 50 piece craftsman set of sockets with a RP ratchet and one 3" extension in it. It was a split kit of SAE and Metric. It was all 12 point. Non Flank Drive/Surface Drive 12 point sockets used on some of the rustiest, rounded off bolts known to man.

To say the least, my early days of wrench turning was not very pleasant.

Guess that's why I am the way I am now. I'll never go back to not having what I need or "getting by" with junk.

 

[WildwoodChuck]

I grew up with out a complete set of anything we just found stuff mostly Craftsman but sockets were crazy 1/2 was on 1/4" drive, 9/16" was 1/2" drive 5/8" was on 3/8" drive. Wrenches were box end wrenches with 2 off sets, open end wrenches and a few combination wrenches. At one point the only 7/16" open end wrench was a crow foot on a ratchet. Grandfather nor dad took care of their tools other than a select few that they used really often.

I started out my tools with mismatched Craftsman 6 & 12 points on 1/4" drive as I bought tools I was more interested in getting all the sizes over matching anything. I still don't mind that they don't match or that the chrome is gone if it is a quality tool and works it stays if not it goes. So threads like how do you clean your tools make me laugh I just do the best with the hand I was dealt and take care of what I can afford. I spent 175 dollars getting 4 chain saws repaired verses buying 1 new one that wasn't as good as any of the 4 I had repaired plus there is an Indy shop that an old man runs that got the money verses Walmart, Lowe's or Menards.

 

[beatcad]

when I was a kid my dad let me use his stuff, but not take 'em out of the garage or driveway.
my dad is a lifelong car guy gearhead and had everything from craftsman to mac and snap-on.
about the time I got my first car he put together a tool kit for me. it was an old plano tackle box and a mixed set of any tools I might need. his old doubles, triples, and extras.
I don't recall what happened to that kit(lost/stolen/broke up) but later I started buying my own stuff. I did buy some cheap(junk) stuff back than. after I broke or bent a couple and spread some wrenches I started buying better stuff. over the last 20 years or so I've been buying "good" tools.

all my life I've been the independent/outsider guy that says I don't give a **** what people think of me, and that's still true. I don't care who likes me or my stuff, but....
when my dad sees my tools and stuff and is happy or impressed I do care.

dammit! I need to call him, but its almost midnight. I better call or go hang out w/ him tomorrow

 

[Hpozzuoli]

I grew up in my families Arco/Sunoco gas station. I remember back in the mid 80's as a 10yr old the snap on guy coming and giving me big decals with a race car and wrench scene. My dad and grand dad had a lot of stuff. Back then it was mostly benches and peg board. They had a small stacked Mac box for the longest time. They never knew tools would be worth so much now. As things got old they were given away, modified, or put away. My dad has some stuff still and I have some stuff. A lot was sold when my grand dad died. Just thinking back at what they had is crazy. I wish we could have saved more and probably would have if we knew the value today.

 

[7th Kahuna]

My grandfather taught me to take care of my tools. My parents taught me to be frugal. What neither could have prepared me for was what would happen to quality in the age of Walmart. I recently picked up some 'really cheap' box wrenches from the late 50's or early 1960's that put today's cheap wrenches to shame. They are lower grade steel, not lower quality manufacturing. Why do we so readily accept anything less today?

When I first started buying my own tools, I remember picking up a Vermont American channel lock style wrench. The price was right (frugal) but the wrench would jump out of the channel any time I had it under pressure. Back then, you could actually find major brand (i.e. Stanley, Empire, Vaughan) tools at Harbor Freight. I bought those and other brands there too. Learned the hard way those other brands weren't necessarily the best buys.

Today I buy tools to last. Sometimes that's a old used tool, sometimes a new quality tool, any every so often a Harbor Freight tool because it makes the most sense. I think my grandfather would take great pleasure in the collection and what he inspired.

For my grandfather, his tools were his livelihood and his entertainment. They put food on the table. He no more would have been careless with them than he would have been with the cash the business generated. I have known too many guys who in that same position fail to maintain their tools, leave them out in the rain and toss them about like so much firewood. They are cheap and easily replaceable or so they say. I remember one guy who stated he liked Harbor Freight tools because he could throw them away when they got dirty. Never really understood that, but I guess that was the example that was set for them.

 

[bob from indiana]

Dad had a good set of SK 1/2" drive sockets and wrenches. I was not allowed to leave the farm with any of them. He didn't take very good care of his tools, they were just a utility item to him. I was proud of my 40 piece Taiwan 1/4 and 3/8" socket set that came from TG&Y. I got it when I was 16 along with a few junk screwdrivers.

The guy who fixed our cars had a lot of good tools and I always admired them when we were at his shop. He was an old iron worker/ welder and had a lot of Armstrong and Williams tools. He had a home made metal tote that held his most used tools that he always had where he was working.

As soon as I got out of High School in 1979 I bought a Craftsman 211 piece tool set and a six drawer Remline top box from a yard sale. I felt like I could conquer the world with a complete set of Craftsman. Little did I know that 35 years later I would still be getting new tools.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Dad had Craftsman. Not a lot, but enough.

I remember him "going up north" to work on the cottage. He took every hand tool, so when I need a screwdriver and/or pliers there was nothing in the house ! After complaining to him, I got a 1/4" and 3/8" socket set for Christmas. Still have them almost 50 years later.

 

[Rico.]

My late great Dad started his career as a Mechanic in the 60's and had a collection
of of mainly British made Britool and King **** tools, they were probably the worlds
best quality hand tools at the time, and when I came along in the 70's he had
progressed to a management position but still did side work at home and that's where
I learnt allot about cars and tools... From the age of 3 to 12 I used to "Help" him..

By the early 80's he stopped working on cars and at that time new cars were being
rolled off the production line with all metric fasteners and my Dad didn't have a single
metric tool, so by the time I got my first car I needed all new metric tools and I could
only afford cheap stuff.... and Oh my Goodness.... What a difference, but I struggled on
right up until about 7 years ago when I finally built my very own little workshop and
filled it with my own set of mainly Facom and Britool metric tools... Happy days.

My Mum was the one that always told me and my Dad to buy the best quality hand
tools you can afford (Other garage stuff, as has been "discussed" here ad nauseum,
you can go cheap with) But chrome sockets, spanners and ratchets get quality......
Your fasteners, well being and especially your knuckles will thank you.... and 50 years
on, my Dad's old Britool tools are still with me... I miss my Dad, he would love my workshop.

Thanks for listening.

 

[dodge610]

I grew up on craftsman dad had pretty much all craftsman. Mom bought me my first adjustable wrench Diamond calk I think as previously mentioned. Mom used to buy me and dad nothing but craftsman wrenches,screwdrivers,and socket sets and power tools. At christmas me and dad would make our lists mom would be off to sears. I used to tell my wife that mom carried a brick in her purse and if anybody went for the last item at sears that mom saw on our list mom would get that purse a swingin lol. My weekends were spent at sears on saturday night with dad at the sears store roaming the tool section. Lord above it hurts to see what the tool section at sears as become now. Last thing when I turned 16 I bought my first craftsman box 10 drawer top box kept it in my bedroom lord I wish I still had that box but traded it on my first snap on combo set. I still have a lot of dads stuff wen he passed me and my brother and bil split everything up evenly.

 

[Pumpman1968]

My Dad was a heavy equipment operator. I swear, that man could step onto any piece of equipment and run it like a third hand in 15 minutes. But, put a wrench in his hand and it was like trying to sign your name with your foot!

His "tools" were always all over the place.........just drop it when you're done. Of course, I got blamed because he couldn't find a particular wrench when he needed it. 30 years later, if I need to do something at his house, I have to bring my own tools because it takes 15 minutes to find a screwdriver that isn't bent, broken handle etc.

I'm sure that's why today, my tools are put in a particular place and returned, wiped off, to their specific place.

 

[Beenman]

I grew up on a farm where tools were used daily and had to work hard and last forever. My dad did not have the largest selection of tools, but what he had was good stuff (European, US or Japanese stuff) and they lasted well.

When the cheaper Taiwanese tools started making their appearance I remember they did not last nearly as well and Taiwan quickly got a reputation as producer of cheap scrap (fortunately that has changed today). Taiwan tools could always be identified by a bright shiny finish compared to European and Japanese tools. Problem is that today I still automatically walk straight by any shiny tool and look for those with dull/matt finishes. I even battle to get a liking to Snap-On for their bright shiny finish, even though I acknowledge them to be excellent tools.

 

[Coach James]

My dad grew up during the depression in south New Jersey. Lived and worked on another family's farm from age 14 in exchange for room and board. They fixed anything they could to save money. He said most mechanics around there used Bonney tools. He joined the army in 1947 and spent 21 years in armament maintenance fixing small arms and artillery. During his time in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, he fixed anything that needed fixing. He's 85 now and has certainly slowed down, but still tries to do as much fixing for himself as he can.

Growing up, he would always call me over to show me how to do things because "I won't be around forever so you need to learn to do for yourself." He could fix absolutely anything.

His tools are Craftsman, old USA made Kmart, Bonney and a mix of other brands from the 50's-70's.

Coach

 

[editedforsafety]

My dad used to hit up the flea markets quite a bit, and I remember him coming home with some sort of craftsman set a couple weekends a month. I didn't really pay attention to it until we moved when I was a teenager, and he got a new box and went through a made complete sets of all the sockets and wrenches and organized it. 99% craftsman. By this time, I had started working on my own cars. I was never left wanting when it came to sockets and wrenches. Screwdrivers were a hodgepodge and if you needed a hex key, good luck.

For the longest time, the only tools I ever bought were hex keys. I bought a brake line bender and probably a few other specialty tools, but that's it.

I moved out 5 years ago, about 4 miles away. I would still just go over to dad's garage when I needed something. I needed a drill a couple times over the past year, and I got fed up with having to go borrow one and take it right back, so I bought one. That started the tool buying frenzy. It's gotten to the point where my girlfriend said no more tool buying until I buy her a house (living in an 1 bedroom apartment passed off as a condo) but then we settled on setting up a joint saving account for a down payment.

Some of the interesting things I've noticed since I've started buying my own tools:
That 1/4" flex handle breaker bar I always used? The one Snap-on tool my dad owned, took me years to notice. It's probably the most beat up tool in there. Must have came in a flea market lot.
How awesome long breaker bars are. I don't know why he doesn't have one. We were always rigging up some sort of cheater bar to serve our needs.
That he has a box up on a top shelf of various wrenches that didn't make it into the main box. I always thought of them as the old off brand tools that weren't as good as the craftsman ones. I looked in that box a few weeks ago, and it is full of old S-K, Bonney, Proto with a few no names mixed in. I guess they are in that box because they are almost all big SAE wrenches, which neither of us commonly have a use for working on modern cars. There are a few flare wrenches in there that I wish I knew about when I was destroying brake line fittings, though. I need to go through there and see if I can piece together some sets.

I also feel like I should have treated his Athol 614 vise a little better....

 

[1953mercury]

My brother is kind of a "tool" and I grew up with him. Mike

 

[wvrailroader]

Dad had mostly Craftsman and Proto and took good care of them. We tried his patience by losing a few of them though. He was (and still is) the type of person who will not buy new unless the old one absolutely, positively cannot be fixed. I have seen him fix things that I am completely sure were never designed to be repairable. I try to keep this up too, but some of this stuff is just maddeningly designed to be thrown away.

He instilled in us a sense of pride in a job well done and being able to "stick it to the man" by fixing things the manufacturer wanted tossed. He is still the neighborhood handyman, the person everyone brings their broken things to for repair. Since he is now retired, he never charges for anything but the parts. I guess since my mom passed away in 2011, this gives him something to do to pass the time.

Some of my fondest memories are "helping" him work on the family car at five years old. I encourage my kids to do the same, even though sometimes they can try my patience, the same way I am sure I tried my dad's. Dad's philosophy was the same as mine - when you live in the middle of nowhere, you sure as hell better be able to fix what you have, because you can't easily replace it. I fixed about five different generators for people during the derecho we had here a few years ago. Same deal - every store was sold out of generators, so you had to fix the one you had.

I guess part of my love for tools is just the self reliance they bring when the chips are down.

 

[Coach James]

Dad had mostly Craftsman and Proto and took good care of them. We tried his patience by losing a few of them though. He was (and still is) the type of person who will not buy new unless the old one absolutely, positively cannot be fixed. I have seen him fix things that I am completely sure were never designed to be repairable. I try to keep this up too, but some of this stuff is just maddeningly designed to be thrown away.

He instilled in us a sense of pride in a job well done and being able to "stick it to the man" by fixing things the manufacturer wanted tossed. He is still the neighborhood handyman, the person everyone brings their broken things to for repair. Since he is now retired, he never charges for anything but the parts. I guess since my mom passed away in 2011, this gives him something to do to pass the time.

Some of my fondest memories are "helping" him work on the family car at five years old. I encourage my kids to do the same, even though sometimes they can try my patience, the same way I am sure I tried my dad's. Dad's philosophy was the same as mine - when you live in the middle of nowhere, you sure as hell better be able to fix what you have, because you can't easily replace it. I fixed about five different generators for people during the derecho we had here a few years ago. Same deal - every store was sold out of generators, so you had to fix the one you had.

I guess part of my love for tools is just the self reliance they bring when the chips are down.

What is a "derecho"?

Coach

 

[zkling]

What is a "derecho"?

Coach

Strong straight line moving wind storm.

 

[wvrailroader]

As zkling said it is a strong straight line wind storm. It pretty much decimated the power grid here. We were without power for over a week and some areas were without power for almost three weeks. It was the worst storm I had ever seen and it was over in less than 20 minutes. It took us two days to clear the trees for a 17 mile stretch of road. I hope to never see another one.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

 

[Coach James]

Ahh ok. Thanks for the definition. I have never seen that word before.

Coach

 

[Conductor562]

I grew with Proto, Blackhawk, and the occasional Williams my dad and grandpa carried home from the plant. Dad was adamant about having good tools. Every Saturday growing up he had me working on something. Cars, Trucks, Lawn Equipment, whatever needed fixing.

Once he taught me how to do the **** he pretty much stopped. He kept his shop a mess and always made me clean and organize it. I hated it then, but it got me in the habit and as a result, I keep my shop very organized. I'm so particular about it I'll clean everything up from 1 project just to start another. I can't stand starting a project with **** strung everywhere.

 

[davethorik]

growing up dad always had his mac roller in the garage and i was allowed to use tools but only if put away in the correct spot in the drawer, clean. his box was set up his way and i had to respect that if i used his tools. i remember it annoying me then, but now my toolbox is extremely organized and i know where everything is, somewhat contrary to my generally messy nature.

i remember using dad's tools. he had a lot of higher end stuff, and a fair amount of craftsman. he has been a diesel mech for over 40 years. hid favorite tools were Wright but I remember he has a few Proto socket sets that i liked.

 

[Ft.ValloniaStreaker]

To be honest I don't know how we done it, but we farmed corn, cattle and hogs and fixed EVERYTHING out of a small Craftsman flip top box and a few John Deere wrenches. On the other end of the spectrum my Grandpa owned a garage/filling station, it was a drive but he done our welding. After high school I swore "If I ever need a tool, only if I need it once, I'll have it" Well that was years ago, and I now have all my Grandpa's tools along with everything I'd bought over the years. My Dad still has the little grey box and he can keep it! It's still hard sometimes to take the time to walk over to the bench and get a "proper" tool to do something, but wrenching is so much easier when you have the things you need. I have to admit, if I had to, I could still pull a motor with a pair of Channel locks a screwdriver and a hammer, "IF" I had to...........

 

[3baygarage]

M-y f-a-t-h-e-r o-w-n-s z-e-r-o t-o-o-l-s

 

[pilotman81]

I grew up using whatever mix and match stuff that my dad and grandpa had laying around. Discovered that it doesn't necessarily matter what is stamped on the tools that you are using, as long as you get the job done. However, you tend not to bust your knuckles or break stuff as often if you have quality tools and equipment. I use alot fewer 4 letter words when I have my tools to work on things.

 

[jwsia]

^^^^ this is growing up on the farm for me. We got by with whatever we had around. You had to search in sheds, tractors, combines, in the house and all over for that needed tool. I found out the right tool leaves you with much fewer 4 letter words and scraped knuckles. On my own I still have a mismatch of tools but all sizes are there and organized into a nice box for use on the farm.

 

[dankicksass]

Growing up, my father didn't work on cars. Didn't change his own oil, didn't have a cool car after I was six or seven, didn't mod his cars. This has no bearing on his abilities as a man or a father. He does like cars. He religiously washed his car on Sundays after church. Loves Volkswagens, always has. Has a cool car now, and likes working on it, or watching me work on it anyway. He taught me how to care for a car when it was the right time to do so, how to drive fast and not get caught, and all the other things a man needs to know.

When I was a kid though, if I saw my father with a tool, he was woodworking or landscaping. And I was helping. Didn't mater what was happening, I wanted to be with him doing whatever it was. Trees fell in the neighborhood? Mom's complaining that she can see a small bit of a 6 ton rock in the front yard? Pool pump needs a rebuild? New deck needs to be built? Dad and I were out there. Dad didn't have the biggest tool collection when I was young. His real collection was records. He did have what he needed though, and nowadays he has a ton of tools. Dad had a small Craftsman top load handbox full of sockets and wrenches for when those were needed, which wasn't often in Dad's world. Where Dad did have tools though, was his woodworking equipment. Dad had more tablesaws than he knew what to do with. He had a Makita miter saw, Makita drill, Makita sheet sander, a gold Skil circular saw, and a B&D belt sander. These were his staples. Of all these, I think all that's left is the drill and belt sander. Dad always had Stanley hand tools. I guess I still buy Stanley for the home and club because he introduced me to Stanley so young. It was the first brand I knew and trusted. His first too. The first tool he ever bought was a Stanley hammer, and he still has it.

 

[tjmonsen5]

My dad had just a Craftsman general service set in a little portable chest. He had Estwing hammers, which I always left out in the yard and let get rusty. Broke one of the teeth off the nail puller somehow as well. My dad did very little auto work, he just changed the oil. (his brother is a mechanic so he did all of his repairs). Also, I remember my dad had a set of metric craftsman wrenches that had to stay in their case otherwise he would whoop me! I think I lost a bunch of my dads tools, or left them in corners of the garage. I was so happy when I started receiving my own tools for each birthday and christmas after I turned 15. Tools were the best presents ever!

 

[Heavy tech]

I think I did it backwards to what most of you guys did.

I grew up using my grandpa's self proclaimed "junk" tools, which was really a mix of snap on, Mac, Armstrong, S-K , and gray.

After I started buying my own. Real junk tools it didn't take long to figure out gramp's stuff wasn't nearly as bad as he made them out to be


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[thinman]

I was the lucky kid in the neighborhood if you grew up loving high performance cars and bikes. Dad, retired now, was a construction equipment operator and mechanic. He likes good tools. Had some Snap-on but mostly industrial brands like Proto and Williams that he bought at bearing and other supply houses. We had an air compressor, oxy-acetylene torch and arc welder in the garage. Lot of fun building cool stuff with Dad.

 

[Dave455]

I grew up with, and was taught to use, my Dads tools. Mainly Britool, but a bit of Bedford, Gordon and other British makes from the 60's and 70's! I 'learned the trade' at an early age maintaining the family's cars and vans! Dad wasn't a pro, but he was well handy! Back then, everybody maintained their own vehicles!

Grandfather was a pro though. He'd maintained just about everything. First world war surplus, 'new' stuff from the 20's and 30's, American 'Lend - Lease' and post war too! He was used to hand fitting, modifying, or even making parts as so much just wasn't available! He did woodwork for a hobby too, making much of hisown furniture!

His taste in tools was strictly American - Blackhawk (and some Williams) Socket Wrenches and accessories, Bonney and Williams wrenches, and a host of other stuff from top class, but today little known, U.S. manufacturers! God knows where he sourced it all!

His tool boxes were holy places where everything was wiped with an oily rag before being returned, but also places of education where an inquisitive 7 year old's questions would be patiently answered, and techniques explained! Even into his 80's he didn't travel without the same old holdall with half a dozen ring wrenches wrapped up in the bottom!

When he passed away, he didn't leave much money, but he passed on his memories and his knowledge (and of course the tools) which are beyond value to me!

 

[jeffmoss26]

I grew up around tools. My dad and grandfather have always been handy, and my uncle was a plumber for 40 years. All my gifts growing up were tools, and now I buy them for myself!

 

[the gypsy]

Well I just want to say that my story is nothing like any I have read. My father was a labourer for an electrical contractor and his job along with his brothers was to dig and lay pipes in the ground for electrical wires. The only tools he needed was a hammer, maybe plier and maybe some screwdrivers. I might have been 15 yrs old when I bought my first Black and decker drill kit. It came in a box with backing pad and sandpaper. At about the same time my dad bought a black and decker circular saw.

A little later I discovered Canadian Tire from that day on I would look at their catalogue and plan my purchases, first a set of Gray combo wrenches then a set of Gray rachet set 1/2 in drive. I have been building my toolbox slowly since then.

 

[RLRRLRLL]

My dad was an over the road trucker, so growing up i never saw him much. His toolbox consisted of a 1/2" SAE impact set, a no name SAE wrench set. Cheap screw drivers, pliers, and so on. Today i still have the Impact set...its matco. I still have the wrenches. Most of his screwdrivers where broke/bent/cheap, so i tossed them. The box i no longer have, i sold it to a kid looking for his first box. It was an old waterloo box. Nothing super special, small by todays standards. My dad taught me some stuff while helping him work on his truck...mainly greasing the damn thing..haha. Also working on our old pickup which was my first vehicle. I learned most by something being broke and me not having money to get it fixed. My nephews where at my place today, 3 and 2 years old. Their dad does not own a single tool ( i had to go to walgreens on christmas eve night to get a crescent wrench to assemble my nephews new bike ). So they are not around tools/motorcycles/cars and so on. I was out working on my new bobber project, and they wanted to "help" so of course i let them. They played with the tools with joy pretending to fix my bike. It was an awesome moment.

 

[texasfiremedic]

My Dad was a pipefitter until his retirement. He never had a great amount of tools. Just a heavy metal tool box with some odd and ends. Some how he always had the tools to get something fixed. I think he had an extra stash hidden. I remember him busting my **** when he found tools that I left out in the yard. I guess that is what made me **** about tools today clean, oil wiped and placed in the exact place they were taken from. This being said Dad was not the most tidiest with his tools. I'm way more OCD than he ever was. It wasn't until later in life when I became a pipefitter (yes, Followed in foot steps) and had the pleasure and I so mean absolute pleasure to work with him. That realized that he just threw them back in the box (knack box, two Bay, four drawer) and everything would end up in the top drawer. I guess he knew that he could just throw it in the box and I would put it back. We worked together for about a year and we put in a lot of quality pipe. I still use my Dad's shop to do all mine and his repairs that need to be done. He still throws tools into my box. I sometimes complain but most of the time just smile and say I'm going to miss this someday.
I don't have any kids to are directly mine. I just hope my step children or at least one of them will appreciate the tool collection that I have accumulated. Not just sold for dime store prices in some estate sale. Letting the vultures pick over them like a dead carcass. I would rather give them to kid that is getting his first set of tools and has the want to keep them and treat them with respect.

 

[woody 73]

Mom and Dad have been gone a long time now, Dad never did own many tools that he could pass down to me. Funny because he was fantastic with his hands and he could build anything if he wanted to.

Back when I was a small boy Mom & Dad bought me a small toy tool box with an assortment of small tools; as they say I was hooked line and sinker from that day.

 

[texasfiremedic]

This is a thread that should not get lost in the countless sea of threads.
KEEP THIS ONE ALIVE!!!

 

[the gypsy]

I am going to deviate and take this to another level , hopefully it will extend the thread.

I have tried and still trying to teach my son some manual skills and how to use tools. But he does not have the same interst I have. He will do some work on his car but it is limited, which is OK. I hope to encourage him and keep hoping that his comfort level ( doing his own work) will increase to a point where he does not doubt his abilities. I think he lacks confidence. I encourage him to do stuff, I offer to lend my tools and offer to supervise if he feels uncomfortable. But it is not working out as well as I wish.
I guess I have to give it more time.

 

[GortonsFisherman]

Electrical contracting has been the family business since the mid 20's, so Greenlee, Klein and Milwaukee are all among the first words I learned. Unfortunately, my father didn't much believe in owning any tool not directly related to the business, and making money, nor did he care to work on his own vehicles in his little free time. All we had for mechanic tools when I was a kid was just a very basic Craftsman 3/8" set.

Thankfully, I did learn early on that quality matters, as well as the importance of taking care of your tools, so those that I've accumulated as an adult should mostly last me until I'm no longer able to use them, which is hopefully still a long ways off.