Growing up with tools.

[zakmartin]

My dad was there but he wasn't there, if you catch my drift. He was busy with his own life and the only serious conversation we ever had was the one where he explained that every time you **********, Jesus cries. To be honest, I'm glad he didn't teach me anything about auto repair or home improvement, because if he had, I'd be dead by now. The last time he ever worked on a car was back in 1981, when he did a valve adjustment on his Chevy Vega. Two weeks later and the engine exploded.

He did give me one tool, however. It was an older (c.1976) 1/2-inch Craftsman -V- series ratchet wrench. Then one day a couple of years ago, I was working on my car and the old man came by to watch what I was doing. He said that the ratchet I was using looked familiar and I told him that was probably because he gave it to me 25 years ago when he and my old lady took off for Okinawa. Right then and there he told me he liked it and wanted it back. I reminded him that every tool he currently owned was one of my cast-offs and if he wanted the wrench back, then he could give me back the $5,000 in tools and boxes I'd been giving to him over the past 15 years. Disappointed, he went upstairs and had a beer and then he went home. To be honest, I'm envious of you guys who had good relationships with your fathers, because mine turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.

 

[texasfiremedic]

This will not be one of those feel good situations with everyone. Don't feel that you should not tell your story next to the complete opposite story that someone else posted. This will be a mixed topic. So keep it going an remember this is what make us all different from each other.

 

[bushmechanic]

My stepfather hated me for being mechanically minded. He never was, and actively discouraged any "man-type" practices.

So, I began to build a hidden shop. It was in the woods, quite a ways off, where I generally went to get away from things. I was trespassing, but I didn't care.

The end result was a terrible assortment of tools acquired by various means, in a dugout hut built with the best of intention and aspiration. LMAO It was pretty bad, and I can't say all my acquisitions were entirely legal.

An old, forgotten Sears tractor I scavenged was my first project. I got it running, and used it to move around on my own. When I was 12, I conned my way into a job with a Mexican construction crew, showing up after the day was done to clean up messes.

That wimp never knew what I was up to at the time, and when he finally found out, I'd grown big enough that he couldn't say a thing about it.

It all sounds crazy, but that's the way it was.

As for kids that aren't mechanically inclined, well, everyone has their place. My younger brother called his own mother in a panic when he had to change his first tire... At 20 years of age. He's got other skills, though.

People like him need people like us, and people like us need people like him.

 

[Filson]

Interesting thread idea...

My grandpa was an electrician for most of his life, but also owned a gunsmithing shop for a number of years, did a lot of welding, remodeled 40-50 houses in his "retirement" and there really wasn't anything out there he couldn't do. Hell, he built me a go-cart from seemingly nothing when I was a kid that was probably faster than it should of been but hey lol.

My dad on the other hand, while always happy to tinker with stuff, never bothered to learn how to do things the right way, with anything really. Plumbing, wiring, etc that he did on his house was mostly slap-together jobs.

Both my grandfather and my dad mostly had the same style of tools though. I remember a lot of Craftsman in the family as I grew up. My grandfather was fond of finding random old tools at yard sales and had quite a mixture of brands and such.

For me, my first job that required I had my own tools turned into a trip to HF to get me started. While using a lot of the stuff, it always managed to "get the job done" in my eyes, but really wasn't a pleasure to use and felt like some of the jobs were harder than they needed to be.

Over time, I've followed a bit of my grandfathers footsteps in picking up random old tools at yard sales and such. The bulk of my tools are S-K, Plomb, Proto, Snap On, etc.

 

[James_B]

My father turns 88 this year. He grew up in an era of make do ... born a few years before the depression and he turned 13 a few weeks after Australia joined the British in declaring war on Germany.

He learned a lot about mechanical repairs working in the family's paint factory. The factory dated from the turn of the century, and had a look that matched its age ... great long shaft drives that ran through the factory that were turned by a pair of ancient 3 phase motors, with fat leather belts to connect the drive shafts to the equipment.

When the canvas top of his ancient Willys-Overland Whippet tourer rotted out, and resources weren't available due to the war, he had no option other than to make a new top out of wood.

All sorts of interesting tools were acquired during and shortly after the war (across the creek from the house and factory was a workshop set up by GM to rebuild Allison V-1710 engines, and I suspect a few of his odd US made mechanics tools, made their way across the creek from that workshop).

He started building his first house in 1950. I remember that the front door couldn't be used for an entrance until the late 50s as the cement front steps were still under construction. There were all sorts of rationing restrictions on building materials and house construction in Australia after the war and well into the 50s (new houses were limited to a maximum of 1000 sq feet, and some building materials were hard to get).

Because we also had a family run hardware store, we had all sorts of less than common tools. While most people were still using the old eggbeater style hand drills, he had a British made Wolf Sapphire 1/4" electric drill and a big 1/2" electric drill (I think it was an old Black and Decker) that normally lived in a aftermarket drill press adapter. There was a professional sized wood band saw, and a home made belt-drive bench saw.

His mechanics tools were a mixture of ancient hand-me-downs plus Sidchrome 1/2" drive SAE and Whitworth sockets, Sidchrome open end and box end wrenches, plus the traditional Stanley Australia screwdrivers that you'd find in any mechanic's tool box. At least 3 Holden Grey Sixes have been rebuilt with those tools.

That being said, he tends to keep tools long after they need to be replaced. He still has his ancient Wolf drill but it's too dangerous to use, with a lot of the cord insulation rotted and hanging off. The Black and Decker 3/8" drill he bought to replace the Wolf, still works, but the bearings are shot. Many of his hand me down screwdrivers and pliers are worn past all usefullness. I keep buying him quality tools to replace his worn out ones, and he puts them away (they're too good to use) and uses either his old worn out tools or useless tools he gets from a dollar store.

His influence on me was great. As soon as I could afford them, I bought 1/2" drive Sidchrome sockets (individually, as I couldn't afford a full set), and Sidchrome wrenches (also individually), and Stanley Australia screwdrivers. I still have a preference for screwdrivers with the early Stanley Australia clear handles as that's what I grew up using, and I didn't like the feel of the later style Stanley handles. I just discovered a USA made VACO BD 284 "Bull Driver" screwdriver (was left in the house by the previous owners or their handyman) with an almost identical handle style to the older Stanleys, so I'll be looking for more tools from Klein's Vaco "Bull Driver" series.

 

[DieselSaves]

One other thing I've learned over the years is the difference between ability to do a job and interest and enjoyment in doing the same job. Dad is a pretty good mechanic, he can do about anything he needs to but he would much rather tend to the livestock. He cares more about his animals than some people care about their family. Since I've taken up the mechanical end of things, he has stopped doing almost anything in the shop. On the flip side, I am good enough at wood working and managing cattle to run an operation but I'd rather have my eye teeth removed with my pliers than do either. Doesn't get me out of the jobs unfortunately.

Lack of interest doesn't necessarily mean you can't do the job well. I do hope that with my own kids I can give them the skills to do all the things they'll have to do in life and still leave room for them to choose the best suited careers for themselves. Getting forced into a job or asked to enjoy something you don't like is a sure way to create friction and eventually despair.

 

[rharman]

My dad always bought cheap stuff and had a hodge-podge of stuff.

I've spent thousands on good tools over the years.

Every day, I wish I was as good a mechanic or handyman as my dad. Almost 30 years after his passing, I'm still in awe when I think of everything he built/fixed. How he did it with the collection of tools he had is completely beyond me.

 

[kenburkholz]

My dad was a life long mechanic,and could do anything. He built houses, fabricated almost everything he needed, and never would shy away from helping neighbors,or loading up the car and driving 300 or so miles to our relatives farms to help rebuild a combine or tractor. Yes, he had his trusty S.O. roll cab at work and his older S.O. setup at home, so I was very fortunate to grow up with tools and someone who new how to use them. My dad has been gone 18 years now, but not a day goes by that I don't miss him. Ken.

 

[DieselSaves]

Just seeing if there are any more tales to be told. I enjoy reading about some of the experiences that shape peoples preferences. No matter how far we get from our formative years, some of those first impressions in life come up before anything from our years of later experiences.

 

[TexasT]

My dad had a small flip top box with a mix of mostly open end wrenches and screw drivers. He also had a 1/4" drive craftsman socket set and a 1/2 drive powr craft socket set. I know he worked on a lot of stuff with those tools and accomplished a lot with them.

I hated the smallness of the 1/4 drive and the clunkiness of the 1/2" drive. So I mostly have 3/8" drive stuff. I have 1/2 and 1/4 drive but go to the 3/8 drive stuff first. I bought mostly craftsman until I discovered the matco and snapon trucks. Then I started buying stuff off of ebay. Then got married and have our own children so that cut the tool buying budget but I have enough to wrench on what we have. I bought my son a craftsman set before the offshore stuff started but he still goes to mine and uses the 'good' stuff. At least he appreciates good tools.

 

[Hantke]

Well I went way off topic in my original post.
I grew up believing that a Leatherman was the staple tool, no ifs ands or buts! now i know that there is a proper tool for most jobs, but i still carry one just like my old man taught me, I'm not nearly as handy as him when it comes to improvising with one, but it's gotten me out of a few tight spots.

 

[Garagebound1]

My Dad could maintain most anything but paid for all car repairs and didn't do any out of the box fabrication. I had an Uncle who thought a boy should know about car and truck repairs. When I was 3or 4 he gave me a toy truck that came with wrenches and screwdrivers. I must have taken that truck apart and reassembled it a million times. My first car was a $75.00 mess. After taking it in for the first inspection and having to pay $250. For a brakejob. I was determined to not let that happen again. I met my best friends Uncle who was a bus mechanic and for $2.00 to cover the heat, I was allowed to use his shop and he was always there to guide/help me. At the time I had a small S-k ratchet/socket set (1/4-3/8'') and a box of visegrips and craftsman screwdrivers. I thought I could do anything until I bought a Cobra kit car. I now have (2) 41'' toolboxes, a welder,drill press, torches, brake, shear and on and on. A lot of my tools came from yard sales, estate sales etc. I think my Uncle would be pleased if he could see the stuff I've been able to fix, build and maintain. I know my Dad is appreciative. He is always asking me to check and repair his cars. My son hasn't got any desire to pick up any tools, that means work! I' ve been looking for a young person that loves to wrench on stuff and learn how things work like I do. I'd rather give my tools and knowledge to someone like I was in my younger days than have my wife or kid sell or dispose of the things that have given me so much pleasure.

 

[dodgemike]

I have read all of these stories that
are like windows into all of our childhoods. My dad started out as a welder at Goodyear Aircraft. He
worked part time in a small machine shop. He became one of
the first installers for the Alside
Aluminum Co. We had a 10' sheet
metal brake and a 5' shear. Dad
became a general contractor and
the woodworking tools were more
than I could list. We had a Lincoln welder. Like others
Craftsman was top of the line along with Billings,
SK, Wright. Dad was not real organized but he knew
where it all was. There was nothing he could not
make out wood or metal. He made me a go kart out
of left overs. His famous saying was " It is not how
many fancy tools you have, it is what you do with
what you have. And do it well." The coolest thing my
dad did was buy me my first "real" tool set. I was 19
and got a job at a big co. That built tire machinery.
He took me to Sears and picked the biggest bottom
box. Like 12 drawers. And proceeded to fill it.
Socket sets hammers wrenches. In 1973 it was
hundreds of dollars. I told Dad I would have to get
some paychecks before I could pay him back. He
said it was a gift, he did not want me showing up
with a little dinky box! I traded it years later for an
SO but that is another story.

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

 

[DieselSaves]

Just thought I'd bump this thread.

 

[Supe]

/ramble mode on.

Dad is a Rigger/Boilermaker. He's still on construction sites welding up a storm. He has this beat up Miller Digital elite welding hood with cracked lens. He'd never replace it unless it actually died. Last Christmas, I spoke to my sister and discussed a present for Dad along the lines of a replacement welding helmet. She gave it the AOK and I ordered him a Miller 9400 (non flip). He was super stoked to receive it. He choked up for a moment... then got his game face back on. haha.

He ended up taking it unused back to the shop I bought it from and had them special order an Optrel (paid extra) as it was more suited to overhead welding (I'd sent him some youtube clips on the Optrel). He didn't use it for a couple of months, still using that beat Miller. He's finally cracked and now enjoys daily use of the Optrel with the Miller being relegated to back up.

My Dad fabricates and melts metal for a living. Unfortunately, very little of this translated into tools at home back when I was a kid apart from a couple of shifters, a mix of Stanley and junk screwdrivers, crappy waterpump pliers and a hammer. He did buy a Bosch drill for around the home use that he was stoked on. Most of his work tools, stayed in his truck (mostly podgy bars, rope, slings, chains, hammers, welding consumables).

These days he's much more geared up at home but keeps his home hand tools in a busted up plastic container. Whatever the lack of tools Dad had at home I always had respect for his abilities. He's a confident dude that takes huge pride in the quality of his work. When going out on site with him (He used to run his own Rigging company) I'd be in awe. One day, you'll look at an empty site, then the slab and bit by bit, you see the steel go up - and Dad up there walking the steel.

I was that kid that some of the folks here complain about. A son with zero interest in making/fixing things but looking back, I think that was more due to lack of exposure to workshop/shed environment. Dad mostly kept work and home life separate. It's tough gig working fifo/rigs/or hot and humid workshops/worksites - after doing that all week, busting out grinders, welders was probably the farthest thing from his mind unless he had to. As an unwind from work, he'd cook the family dinner. haha. I'm trying to rectify my knowledge/skills gap many years later.

TLDR? Dad cool. Builds things. Son had very little interest in developing know how. Years later, here on GJ. Late bloomer interest. There's hope for your kids. The end.

 

[BikerDad]

My story is quite a bit different from most of yours. Dad was someone who visited occasionally, or sometimes I would go to visit. I knew he "worked on stuff" some, but it wasn't his job, and the shortness of most visits meant there was no time for working on stuff with him. None of the succession of step-dads was toolishly inclined, nor did any of them work in the trades. As a result, the only "tool" experiences I remember from growing up involved garden tools (aaand I have a life long detestation of gardening as a result), sprinkler systems, painting, and simple home fixits. I taught myself how to change a tire on a bicycle, how to put the chain back on, remove a chain, fix the brakes, etc, etc.

I knew of people who were good with tools. When I was in elementary school, there was a retired guy who lived across the street from the school. His hobby was building models, and he was GOOD. Museum quality good. My uncle was another one. An honest to goodness rocket engineer, he was a car guy also. Since he lived hundreds of miles away, I rarely spent any time with him, never any in the shop. Yet he still had a little impact on me, because through him I knew that people could be good with their tools outside of work.

I did experience crappy tools though as a kid, mostly crappy screwdrivers, you know, the ones with the chrome flaking off the twisted tip, undoubtedly the foundation for my loathing of slotted screws. My "building" sense and desires were expressed as a kid primarily with models, and while the tools are smaller, I was using tools constantly. My mechanical (which is a paltry shadow compared to most here at GJ) was mostly developed with bicycles as a teen, again, pretty much entirely on my own, just as my woodworking has been as an adult.

The good news is that like BushMechanic's story illustrates, there have been, and always will be ways for those who simply must "do" with their hands, ways to do so. Even when the environment is either utterly indifferent, or even actively hostile to the urge.

 

[gordyy]

I remember my dad had a 1/4 inch black and decker drill he bought new in 1956 cost him over a weeks pay had a jig saw clamp on attachment. He remodeled 2 house with that and hand saw's. Most of his friends were envious and were constantly borrowing it.
A total piece of **** by today's standards but for the times what a piece of power for a home owner. My great uncle was a contractor He always talked about his first circular saw I remember as a kid using it a couple times with him around, up until then building a house they would use hatchets handsaw's and such He claimed it replaced two good framing carpenters when he bought it. He actually said it was the downfall of the ages made it too easy.
I even remember working for him at 13 one summer I was cutting framing lumber, had to do it by hand until I could prove to him I could read a tape make a mark and cut a straight line by hand. his saying was if you learned with the power tools you could never do any work without them. learn the old way then save time with power that way you can always get by in case of no power

 

[ecotec]

I never saw my father do anything with tools. He had a decent compliment of tools, but never used them. He even had the service station guy change headlights and windshield wipers in his car. His take on it was to make enough money that you never had to do such things. I left home at 17.

At 18, a neighbor in the apartment complex that I was living in taught me how to change my brakes. That was the first mechanical thing that I had ever done. After that, I always did my own brakes and other auto repairs that I felt comfortable doing.

At 20, a patient of my mother's asked if I needed a job. I was doing retail in Detroit and going to college. I started as an apprentice electrician that week. I did not even know how to swing a hammer. I was holding it right near the head. I remember the journeyman that I was working with yelling "hit it with your purse". I have been an electrician for 20 years. I am still thankful for that first electrical job.

 

[Notorious BRT]

Dad and Pa farmed part time and were police officers as their day jobs (Dad went to work as a heavy equipment operator for the state after his division of the state police was downsized). We farmed tobacco and cattle and used some pretty old equipment and trucks so they had several tools, mostly fair quality Japanese built parts house brands with the random SK, Proto, and even a little Plomb thrown in the mix. Pa died when I was not quite three and Dad died when I was six of a heart attack. As kids will do, I played with the tools and a lot of them were lost and misplaced in the ensuing years, but I still have several left. My favorite old tool is Dad's pair of Channellock 85 fencing pliers. I can remember fixing fences with him and he always carried those pliers. Good memories.

Mom remarried some years later, and my step dad doesn't work on equipment or vehicles like I do, he's a funeral director by trade, but he's a lot more handy around the house than I am as far as plumbing, wiring, landscape, woodworking, etc. He has a pretty good assortment of tools that are geared more toward that type of work.

Some of these stories about crappy tools remind me of a guy I help part time. He's a big farmer and I do a lot of his mechanic work. He doesn't have enough tools to fix a ten speed bicycle properly. What he does have is strewed to hell and gone and impossible to find. I finally took my tool cart and a bunch of my tools out there just so I would have something to work with. I have to keep it locked up or he'll have it lost or destroyed as well. I've caught him several times about to start wailing on something with one of my Snap On ratchets. He was raised to be like that though. His dad has three or four farms and not enough equipment to raise a decent garden, and I doubt he could change a set of spark plugs if his life depended on it. I just never understood that mindset.

 

[Supe]

I've caught him several times about to start wailing on something with one of my Snap On ratchets.

What was this **** doing that would require him to wail away on expensive tools? Did you grab him by the ear and put his nose in it? I've interpreted wailing away as hammering.

 

[Notorious BRT]

What was this **** doing that would require him to wail away on expensive tools? Did you grab him by the ear and put his nose in it? I've interpreted wailing away as hammering.

Yes, hammering on something. It's just all he has ever known. There is no difference to him in my FL80 and some junky *** ratchet he bought at the Dollar Store. It just doesn't compute for him. I thought if he ever bought some expensive tools his attitude would change, but it didn't. He bought a nice set of Snap On punches and chisels last year and he took care of them for about a month. Now half are gone and the rest are rusty and awful looking. He lives in a world where if it's broken or not easily found, he'll just go buy another one. Hell, if he screwed up my ratchet hammering on something he'd go get me a brand new one off the truck and think nothing of it, but I'd still rather him not hammer with it.

 

[Cmjl67]

I'd hate to see this thread die, so here's my story

Father was one of the very first ICT professionals (systems and audits manager) so very little hands on tools interest - I think the family toolkit consisted of claw hammer, pair of pliers, screwdriver or two and that was it

Even I came to the wrenching late in life, but the desire to 'fix' things was always there - apparently as a very young child I took the hammer to the toilet bowl 'just to see what would happen' (it broke) and dismantled and (somehow) reassembled the family dial telephone - that might have been the impetus for parents to buy me an electronics kit aimed at kids years above my then age one Christmas - what a learning experience! Still using lessons and principles learnt, and fearless around electricity because I know how it works (most of the time)

Had to get handier once I moved out of parental abode, especially when I bought my second house (next door to first one - house had been repossessed by building society, burgled and really badly vandalised so I got it for whole two thousand pounds) - it was basically four walls and part of a roof, but I did the lot myself bar the replumbing required - once again, lessons learnt - I will never again attempt to replaster a ceiling and I'm really uncomfortable at heights attempting to reslate a roof - but it all worked, was livable in and I was able to live there and rent out the first house next door

Still no real wrenching experience - didn't need to drive as job provided transport 'pool' - armoured vehicles of all shapes and descriptions, from landrovers through to VIP ****** Jags (which explains current vehicle, 1995 XJ6 - love them cars). Then did the stupidest thing in my life - departed the God-given shores of Northern Ireland for the US from 99 to 06, had to drive there, so started with Dodge Aries before writing off then wife's 95 Chrysler New Yorker (hydroplaned in torrential rain on Route 1), then 'no more small cars' so bought 85 Lincoln Towncar. The wrenching started with the Aries and continued with the Lincoln (and still have the scars and tendon damage to prove it - trying to change coolant hose which finally gave, fell backwards and car bit me all the way down to the bone on left hand)

Returned to NI in 06, and landed job following year as government press officer so had to drive - started with better half's father's Vauxhall Astra and got 'interested' in maintaining same so took basic maintenance course, and the rest is as they say history - since moved onto the 95 XJ6 (mid life crisis present to myself following two mini-strokes - automatic transmission made sense given weakness down left side at the time, and it looks the part - the last in my opinion of the true classic Jaguars) and is a pleasure (most of the time) to work on - big car, easy access to engine bits, workable on without a degree in electronic engineering etc.

Still press officering away, putting big miles in, just embarked on auto restoration course, and she who must be obeyed threatening to consign me to shed if i don't stop buying more tools

Wish the old man was still alive to see where I've got - decent job, nice house, wonderful partner, driving a Jag and at last happy - he may not have taught me wrenching or provided tools, but he certainly taught me how to think, plan, document whatever I'm doing, etc. - I miss him

c

 

[ATC]

My dad was born and raised on a dairy farm back in the '50's and early '60's. I'm not sure what my grandfather used for tools, as we were not close while I was growing up. My grandfather was a man who could fix anything, and fix it for good. All the farmers in the surrounding area would bring their tractors and equipment to him to fix.
In fact, as recently as 8 years ago (3 years before his death), the local farmers were still bringing him tractors to fix. He was around 80 years old. He had an old Oliver in his garage that he was rebuilding for a neighbor while he was going through treatment for his Leukemia. And yes, the floor in his garage was mostly dirt, with some concrete near his toolbox and workbench.

My dad owned his own garage/tire shop business in the '70's in upstate NY, where he was the only mechanic on duty most of the time. The vast majority of his small toolbox was filled with SK. Some of his larger wrenches just say "Drop Forged" and "Taiwan" on them...but you can tell they are made with quality steel.
He later got a job at a forklift factory assembling forklifts. In the mid-'80's, he took a service job with the same company...which put him out on the road repairing and PM-ing forklifts. He still does it to this day. His tools are a mix between Craftsman, Pittsburg Pro (HF), Stanley, and old SK from his automotive days.

I don't know where I get my love for tools from. My father never expressed love for tools...and we just never talked about them much. They were there when we needed them, used them, and put them away. Out of sight out of mind in a way. I used his tools growing up to tear apart my bicycle and power-wheels Jeep. When I started driving, I bought a 128-pc Craftsman mechanics set and did all my wrenching with that.
I started buying a little bit more here and there and eventually needed somewhere to store my tools. I found a helluva deal in PA for a 52" MAC Tech Series box full of tools (MAC, Cman Pro, Klein, Proto Blackhawk, Husky USA, EZRED, etc) for $1500. That began my tool addiction that I have today.


Dad's Matco box:

 

[Boiler]

I don't remember my dad having anything more than a hand carry box, but he did finish his own basement. I lived with mom and my stepdad though. That man drove me nuts. "Get your boots on" he'd say. I'd say "why?" And he'd reply "get your boots on." I was a teenager and found it infuriating. Was always dragging me out to stack hay or clean our horse corral, mow, weed, fix part of the barn or house. In my annoyance I didn't retain much.

Once I was grown I came to realize that he loved me as much as his own sons, man actually spent far more time with me than them due to logistics. Anyway, he's my favorite parent now that I've known him for 35 years.

He had a craftsman roll around with a small top box. I always thought it was huge and he was so happy when he got it one Christmas. Now I see it and it's so tiny. 1 drawer and a big cabinet for power tools. Top box is three drawer, about 10" deep and 24" wide. Everything mismatched. I smoke in their garage, and alway end up looking through his SK, craftsman, Williams, and blue grass wrenches. All his pliers are mainly bluegrass, and screwdrivers are junky. I bought him a snap on ratcheting screwdriver & bit set a few years ago but it's still in the box. He uses the junky ones.

He always got whatever job he had to do done with what he had. I don't ever remember thinking I wished we had the right tool for the job. I think I just didn't know any better. I think the old timers were just so used to making do, they never knew what it meant to have the right tool for any job. They most certainly not have bought something they might need one day like many of us tool heads.

 

[Herod]

When I was a kid, my dad bought me one of those cheapo Allied tool sets (the set that came with the paper thin toolbox with three tiny drawers). Yeah...I learned early on, at the age of 12, that there IS a difference in tools. My grandad was a service hand for Arco. Tool central. We'd play in his garage when we visited. His Victor torches, Wilton vises, Lincoln Ideal arc welding machine, Proto and Snap on hand tools. ALL OF THEM......THINGS OF BEAUTY.

So to this day, I just do not understand how it is that adult males....who KNOW BETTER....will argue about how craftsman or china tools are comparible, or better, than the top tool makers.

 

[Conductor562]

So to this day, I just do not understand how it is that adult males....who KNOW BETTER....will argue about how craftsman or china tools are comparible, or better, than the top tool makers.

I think a lot of it comes from the fact that the quality of the Asian tools has improved so much over the last 20 years. They still aren't on par with the higher end American brands, but the quality gap is much narrower than what it used to be. Most Asian tools used to be throwaway junk, but now days there are many decent quality, usable tools to be had amongst them. For some people it isn't as much about being "as good" as much as it about being "good enough".

 

[Tossin]

My (late) father was a jet engine/turboprop/recip mechanic for the Navy (NADEP/NARF Norfolk) and painted cars/did bodywork out of the garage on the weekends. 90% of the tools in my toolbox belonged to him - mainly Proto and Craftsman with a few Snap On thrown in. I have one of the roll arounds he put together and will probably get one of the other boxes at some point. He taught me how to properly care for tools and keep them relatively organized.

It's funny, I look at the organization of his sockets and I would like to reorganize them a little more intelligently, but have a hard time changing anything that he did originally. I hope that I will be able to pass along these tools to one or both of my kids as they get older.

To me, just the act of using them keeps me in contact with him and teaching my children how to use them will mean they have a connection with the grandfather they never met.

 

[DieselSaves]

Any other stories out there along these lines?

 

[shoggoth80]

I sort of grew up tools in hand. I started getting an interest in mechanical stuff around 14 or so. I rode mopeds and dirt bikes, so I wanted to know about how they worked. It was also around the time I actually started operating automobiles without being over supervised about it.

I TRIED to put my dad's tools back where I got them from. I didn't always succeed. Now, many years later, I appreciate some measure of knowing where to look for something, even if my follow through on that sucked as a teenager. I didn't get my own tools until about 17 or so. They were not fancy. Companion, which was something I think sold at Sears. I still have some of those. I have even taken some with me to work (my tools are largely issued). Occasionally stuff slipped, rounded, hit my hand. I have the cheapo wrenches and sockets, along with not so cheapo stuff these days.

Floor jacks, blocks of wood, come-a-longs bolted to the garage frame, cheater bars, beating on **** with a hammer, locked wrenches... these were all things that were commonplace. These are things that still allow me to get the job done out in the field. I wanted to be a mechanic as a teen. I talked myself out of it. My dad was a mechanic in the Navy, and still is a mechanic for one of the shipyards. I went to college for management. I didn't mean to end up a wrench bender. Yet here I am, and none the worse for it. Lol. Ended up a little more like my father than I intended. Can't complain I guess.

It was all about doing what you could, with what you had. I guess nothing has really changed. I just have more these days.

 

[rodsnratfinks]

My dad had just about zero mechanical aptitude most of his life, or maybe he had some, but just believed what they told him in school. In my household growing up, you were lucky if there was a hammer or a screwdriver anywhere. Funny thing is, he later went on to be a welder, a wind turbine mechanic, and a roustabout (oil drilling). However, he somehow never owned any tools nor tried his hand at fixing anything at home. My mom's dad, however, was my idol. He was a seasoned mechanic, auto body/painter, and jack of all trades. He taught me how to use tools, and we used to work together on lawnmowers and old cars. He had fairly nice tools (Snap On, Matco, Mac, and Craftsman), and my mom used to tell me when I started buying my own tools that Papa taught her that you shouldn't buy cheap tools. A man should buy quality tools. She told me that even though they were always poor, the tools of his trade were Snap On because they made the best tools and represented dedication to his craft.

My mom always saw tools as an investment. She was also very thrifty and taught me how to haggle at yard sales. Sometimes, early on, (when I was 7 or 8), I would want to spend my money on some ephemeral kid related item at a yard sale, but she'd let me know that there were tools for sale there and that I should ask ask about them because tools were a better and lasting value. I quickly realized that old men were particularly impressed with my interest in tools and would give me really good deals because they saw themselves in me. I got to where I would buy any tool I could afford because I would eventually find a use for it. Sometimes the guy who was selling his tools would advise me on what tools he thought were most worth my time and money. When I was eleven, I started working as an assistant to an electrician and plumber who taught me the trade and I worked with him and a variety of contractors into my early twenties. My first boss gave me tools occasionally since I was using them to work (like Channellocks and Klein screwdrivers and write strippers). Other times, I would see that we were using often or made the work faster/easier and buy it with the money I earned (like DeWalt drills and Milwaukee sawzall). In my mid twenties, shortly after I became an auto tech, I was building up my box as funds allowed, and a lady customer asked if anyone wanted to buy some of her late husband's tools. He was a master tech who specialized in German cars. I traded her some work for most of his tools and bought some things outright. Some things she had disproportionately valued, but I got what I could afford and that is beginning of how I transitioned to using truck brands. Well, actually it started earlier as was often dissatisfied with the Craftsman tools I bought new in high school. It seemed that each time I bought something, it was cheaper quality than before. Eventually, my preference became Snap On and the life because I was noticing that many of my old and off-brand stuff was slipping, skipping, stretching, bending, and breaking.
Eventually, I phased out all the cheap stuff, and now, I tend to only buy the best tools for a given job. I've even been slowly phasing out second tier brands for items that use often, or where design and quality make a significant difference.

 

[JUNK-MAN]

I agree, Good tools are always worth it. My dad had mostly Snap-On and Craftsman, he was a mechanic in the 70s and painted cars for a living in the early 80s then he became a contractor and did only home auto work, He collected a good amount of tools mostly USA stuff witch has mostly been passed on to me and I still it use daily, as for tool boxes he had a Snap-On KRA-53 but sold it in '79 to get married, he sold it to my uncle when he sold it and about 5 years ago my uncle(who bought the box) passed I knew nothing about the box at that time but my dad remembered and called up my aunt who said he could have the box if he wanted it. It was December at the time so my Dad went over got the box, wrapped it up and stuck under the Christmas tree. So long story short he gave my the box as a present and to this day I still cherish and use that old box I even tracked down most of his old Snap-On's and put them in it most of all its still the family and if I have anything to say about it, it always will be.

 

[Cato]

In my household growing up, you were lucky if there was a hammer or a screwdriver anywhere.

Sounds like my house as a kid. We had a drawer in the kitchen with some old wood handled screw drivers, a hammer, and a set of pliers. We had a hand saw in our screened back porch. That's it! I guess part of it was that we lived in the city. That meant if something broke, you called a repair man or lived with it.

Even in the military and college I never bought tools. After college when I lived in apartments, I didn't want to spend money on tools because I didn't have a lot of space. I remember using butter knives as screw drivers and a rock as a hammer! Later I got a swiss army knife that had a Philips and flat screwdriver. That was enough to get my old desk top PCs open to put in cards or tighten the handle on a pot.

Then I bought my home and watched all those DYI programs on TV. I started with whatever they sold at Home Depot, then moved up to Sears when I decided to learn how to maintain my own vehicles. After reading and learning a lot here on GJ, I've bought some premium tools like Snap On and am still wondering if they are worth the price.

 

[jkwilson]

My dad wasn't the most mechanical guy in the world, but my grandpa's were a different story.

Dad's dad was a railroad mechanic. I got to work with him on some things and also got to go with him to see people do things like welding and machine work that he wasn't equipped to do. Seeing that kind of stuff as a child corrupted me forever. His tools were the basic mechanic's tools. He was allowed to bring tools home from work when needed. As long as they were checked out to him and turned in later, nobody worried about it. His personal set was Craftsman and Bluegrass. Don't recall what he had at work.

At work, he used a lot of special tools. Spacers, gauges etc. designed to make the work more efficient. His work toolbox was a treasure chest to me. It seemed like it had a million drawers. He lined most of the drawers with pine that he carved to hold the tools he needed. He'd lay the tool on the wood and trace it with his knife (which I have), and then carve it out to hold the tool. He hated having tools slide around in drawers. The pine was soaked in oil. I honestly don't know if he did that to keep it from being moist, or if it was from his practice of wiping tools down with a rag soaked in oil and kerosene after use.

I have many of his tools. Some are just decorations because I'm afraid of losing or breaking them.

Mom's dad was a carpenter. Dropped out of school in 6th grade to go to work. He was much more than a carpenter in his prime, doing fairly major construction projects as a foreman, but he was retired by the time I came along and he just did a little carpentry work and bricklaying by then. He taught me to drive a nail and use a handsaw. I can hear him saying "Let the tool do the work."

His tools were simple. Hammer, pry bar, hand saw, nail pullers, Skil saw (no such thing as a circular saw back then), hand drill, a couple of planes, a brace and bits, a folding rule and a pencil. I've never seen anybody do more with a pencil than he did. He could trace a crooked wall or floor on a cabinet with his fingers and a pencil, then plane and sand the thing to fit like they were made together. I wish I'd been able to appreciate his skill at the time. He was probably among the smartest people I ever knew, but he had been dead for years before I realized it.

I have his masonry tools, a plane and his last folding rule.

Both of them were adults during the depression, so both taught me to take care of my tools. Both taught me to take my time and do it right.

 

[mopar_johnny]

My dad grew up working on cars and equipment around the farm. He had a decent variety of tools, mostly Craftsman and S-K, and some Japanese stuff. He used to get so pissed when I would take his tools and leave them scattered throughout the yard. I always say I never learned sports from my dad, I learned cars and tools. He had a condition called Farmer's Lung, which meant he got out of breath fairly easy so he wasn't always able to be very active.

He worked for a company supplying chemicals and supplies for dairy farms and servicing milking equipment. I would tag along on his route during the summers and help out mostly running to the work truck to get tools or parts. He got me my first tool set when I was 16, a gearwrench mechanic's set, which has served me well. My family has always been into old cars, so I grew up working in the garage with him tinkering on the old cars or the daily drivers.

He passed away after complications from a lung transplant. I'm just grateful for the time I was able to spend with him.

 

[RRmech]

My late Father had an ME degree (RPI, 1949) and did a lot of work on gas turbines for Westinghouse and GE.
He certainly knew his way around a tool box, and even restored a 1963 Opel convertible from the ground up.
We did quite a number of 'home projects' together growing up.
I am grateful for the time he spent with me, showing me the ropes, so to speak.

Steve

 

[zmotorsports]

Great thread to revive, sad I missed this last year on its first go-around.

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.

Same Craftsman bottom box that my dad had in our workshop on the farm. My dad's was not nearly as organized as that one though.

I had a very similar story, grew up on a dairy farm and used tools to keep the farm equipment running and producing at ALL times. There was no time to waste and when something went down it was costing us money, dad made sure to let us all know that over and over again.

My dad had a hodge podge of tools although mostly Craftsman, there were still a lot of junk mixed in. Wrenches and sockets that I knew when I grabbed them I had to be more careful of slipping or a jaw opening up than one of the Craftsman. I learned early on the fact that there was quality tools and junk. The tools my dad had on the farm were thrown into a Craftsman box, some of the time. Other times they were right where either my dad or one of my brothers dropped them when they were done. I absolutely HATED working like that even from a very young age.

This is probably the reason I am so **** or OCD about my tools and shop now.

Mike.

 

[Tenex]

My Dad is more of an engineering type than a mechanic. He can design stuff well, but don't ask him to work on it. Not to mention he probably couldn't find his tools, which is just as good as not having any. Just today I was going through the basement and consolidating his tools. I wish he took better care of them because he doesn't even realize what he has. It's a 50/50 mix of Chinese/Taiwanese and American tools. I found a 3/4" drive set of chrome sockets. Some were Proto, USA Craftsman, SK, and some were nameless. But to him they're all the same.

I learned better from my grandfather. He always said, "Take care of your tools and they'll take care of you." He has a vast collection of stuff, but unfortunately he is all too willing to buy HF tools when he needs something he doesn't have. His old stock is quality Proto, Wright, USA Craftsman, and a few select Snap On things.

 

[Bdgjr215]

My dad was a machinist for a company that made stampings for the big auto companies
Most of his machinists tools would stay at work unless he was laid of then he bring them home and i remember looking in all his drawers at everything and being curious to how
Everything worked.He had a good mix of mechanics tools mostly craftsman in the metal trays(sockets).he had a 1/2 drive sk set in the green metal case that i thought was pretty cool.he was pretty easy going with letting me use them to work on stuff like bikes,minibikes
Go-karts and then cars.i started turning wrenches for a living and my parents bought me
A big craftsman set for finishing tech school which i still have and use today.I am pretty
Attatched to my own tools but i hope when he decides to pass them to me i will probably
Pass them to my son when he is ready for them.Uh , maybe ill keep some things for myself
Lol

 

[Sine Swept]

I grew up on a farm so it was only natural to be around lots of tools. Grandpa was into small engines and tinkering all the time. In 1930 he lost an arm to a gunshot wound and would spend the rest of his life using his wrong and only hand to do anything he wanted to do. I was a young kid hanging out with grandpa in his shed (40'x60') he used lots of vicegrips (as I'm sure any one armed bandit would choose) and I remember his air compressor with exposed belt and motor. He would fix stuff and I'm sure I was partly in his way as he would tell me to "****** Off!". I didn't know it at the time but that grumpy faced old man would shape me into a future version of himself. My shop isn't quite the size his was and there is no farm equipment to be seen, but if he could be here to see it he would be impressed with my collection of tools, but mainly he would be impressed that I was doing the things that clearly made him happy in his own mind.
I have had other relatives see my shop and mention that he would have liked it too. Whenever I am up too late working on something that should already be fixed by now, I think of that old ****** and know that if he could fix something with one hand I must surely be able to do it with two.

 

[Askme42]

I didn't do a ton of work with my dad but me and my grandpa did a ton of projects together. He grew up the youngest of 9 kids in the Great Depression. He made due with what he had. And that was not much he was also as unorganized as can be.


I refuse to not have the right tool for the job now. Sometimes buying the right tools meant it cost more than having someone do it but oh well. Not I have a pretty good assortment of stuff and it's well organized.