How did you acquire your tools

[928'er]

In the early 70's I was in the Air Force stationed at Ramstein AB in Germany.

Due to a slight (ahem) indiscretion I received an "Article 15" (of the UCMJ - administrative punishment) and was given 30 days in the brig. It was a pretty low key affair, kinda like being in detention hall - we were sent out on unsupervised work details during the day - but had to spend our nights in lock-up.

One evening a group of about five or six of my friends showed up to visit me and one of the girls had baked me a cake.

There were, maybe, six of us in the brig at the time and whenever anyone received a food gift it was divided up and consumed because there was no way (or place) to store it. After my visitors left, the guard on duty brought out a butter knife and divided up the cake. As the guard was cutting across the cake, the knife went "cha-chunk."

As you may have guessed, there was a file baked into the cake.

We had a good laugh and the guard told me he'd hold the file for me until I finished doing my time.

The next morning I was hauled before the brig CO who demanded to know who brought me the cake. I attempted to explain that it was just a friend and that it was a joke, but the CO - doing his best petty tyrant thing - got in my face and told me, in no uncertain terms - that I was in deep trouble for this "attempted escape." He demanded that I reveal the name of my accomplice.

After hemming and hawing for awhile it became increasing clear that he didn't appreciate the joke and was not going to take no for an answer.

So, eventually, I told him that ***** Baker had brought me the cake.

I watched the blood drain from his face as he asked "that wouldn't be Major General Baker's daughter (Commander Seventeenth Air Force and NATO's Allied Sector Three) - would it?"

"Ahh, that would be her."

He swallowed hard and told me that he would hold the file for me until I got out.

End of interrogation.

Still have the file.

 

[gonefirefighting]

very small town, all four tool trucks stop by the house

 

[PavelK313]

Paid for 99% of them. lol

 

[Lexus]

Tools for work I paid for, though when I was a young'n my father gave me some of his old tools as a starter.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

I work in a prison and that joke wouldn't go over well at all. Prisons (I don't care what level or type) need security to properly function. I'm sure as an attorney (not saying you are, but even ambulance chasers have to come into prisons for depositions on a regular), you've visited one and realized "joking around" like the tale you told could get you and your license in big trouble.

I am aware that it was the military, and that you may have personally known the officers in charge, but the minute **** like that is tolerated in a secure setting could possibly be when that file finds its way in an officer's neck (or worse yours). I could elaborate citing first hand experiences if you like.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

The earliest few basic hand tools where given to me by my Dad for shop class when I was 15. Then, I bartered for tools as a teenager. I made who ever was having me work on their car pay for anything I needed to get for the job. I kept the tools when the job was done. Ever since I got married and did some time for Uncle Sam, I have been buying all my own stuff for work and home. I have some relatives who still occasionally give me gimmicky **** tools for gifts just because they don't know any better.

 

[nuklbstr83]

home tools i got from my grandfather. work tools i buy.

 

[Steevo]

I have been buying and taking care of my tools since about 1967.

 

[spacedoutbob]

I probably purchased 95% of them myself from either Snap-On, Mac Tools, Cornwell and another Independent Dealer who sells Stahwille, Hazet and Koken. The other 5% I got from my Dad from our Service Station Business.

Bob

 

[930dreamer]

I started buying them in high school and it never stopped.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Every birthday from the time I was probably 4, I got tools.
My dad once saw a Snap-on truck stopped and asked if he would do a birthday party for me. He declined, but gave him a catalog. This was 1990 or 1991 and I still remember that catalog.

I spent hours poring over the Sears tool catalogs every year.

Some things never change!!

 

[Hawk]

My first purchases would have been in '63/64 when I first started piddling with lawn mower engines.

 

[jbbies]

I have just bought tools for specific projects that came up on vehicles and around the house. I always felt I would rather pay for tools than pay someone else to do it. After 3 homes and years of working on them, i have collected a nice set of tools

 

[gsingh]

Paid for most of them. My dad and my uncle got me the other stuff.

 

[2oolhound]

1st set was a used SK-Wayne 1/2 drive set in small box with assorted wrenches etc. Then added pieces as I need them. Generally I'd add sets of sockets, sets of wrenches spending an average of $100 at a time for used north american made tools.

 

[woody 73]

when I was a small boy, my parents gave me one of those metal boxes that held small tools, like a small claw hammer, small saw, level, ruler, along with other wood working tools; and that was like giving a drunk a bottle of hooch...hooked line and sinker for the rest of my life!

 

[ol'Red]

Paid for the majority but have found some while working on units that previous techs lost.

 

[shoggoth80]

Bought the majority of them. Some I got as gifts. Use almost all of them.

 

[ambenz]

After my father passed, I got my craftsman table saw, our pride and joy.

I also got the bench drill press and some nice old school hammers.

Been updating most of the hand tools I got from Pa because there just beat.
I use most of my tool to maintain the homestead as I don't fabricate or mech a lot.
Best hand tool my father passed down to me?
A friggin huge monkey wrench...aluminum forged, which is light as a feather for its size.
Ya think I would have a picture of that!!!!!!
It has come in handy more than once....

 

[GreenNV]

Except for a few gifts and one pair of pliers that I took from my father's junk drawer, I purchased all of my tools with my own money. I have been collecting tools since the mid sixties when I began working on cars with my friends.

Tools have been one of the best investments I have ever made. I too was in the service being stationed at HQ SAC near Omaha, NE. My only regret is I never knew Warren Buffet and invested in Berkshire Hathaway which would have beat my tool investment, albeit not as much fun.

 

[Hyster Gareth]

Purchased most of my tools from the Snap On and Mac dealers and CAT parts system through work.

My dad gave me all his Snap On and I still have the box he purchased brand new in 1979 a KRA58B.

My wife also purchased some Snap On for me as gifts. She passed away in 2009. I have never been able to use them.

 

[Thumper68]

I've loved tools and equipment as long as I can remember, I was that kid who would spend hours watching the guys repave the street or taking down a tree. In my early teens I got into snow mobiles, buying early to mid 70's stuff and beating the hell out of them, which led to having to fix them which of course led to needing tools. I bought used stuff at sales, bought some stuff new when I had to.

When I was 18 I was looking through the sears catalog and noticed that they had a 1000 piece set with boxes that I had enough cash in the bank for so I ordered it, the day it showed up at the store (at that time we only had a catalog store) was like the best x-mas ever. Been adding to them both mech tools and woodworking/ construction ever since.

 

[BearCuda]

I used my Dad's tools for awhile for BMX bike building and fixin. Decided I needed my own wrenches and started buying a few here and there at Sears. Got into auto shop classes in high school and started acquiring more tools for automotive repair. Continued with auto classes my first year of college and then ended up going into the auto industry after 3 years of college. Introduced to tool trucks at that point and it snowballed from there to this day 20 years later.

 

[Outlawmws]

Started buying my own tools in about the 5th or 6th grade. (Weller soldering iron, Crescent dykes and needle nose for building slot cars) later paper route money bought me Craftsman on sale for working on bikes and law mowers, and later cars. (I watched for the Friday sale ads in the sports section every week) When my parents divorced my dad left the small carry box of Proto/Plvmb, Williams and other tools (Not a lot) and a larger carry box with some big wrenches, and pipe wrenches, and took a blow mold box of tools that he liked for keeping in the trunk of his car.

I started on the Flea market and yard sale tool buying probably in my senior year of HS or so. I've been buying new or used (mostly used) ever since.

 

[Bill Ramsey]

Bought my first set of mechanic's hand tools (Craftsman) when I was 16 (1980), because I knew I'd have to maintain my cars. I've been adding to "the collection" ever since.

 

[57JoeFoMoPar]

I've bought probably half of my hand tools, and bought virtually all of my power tools.

My Dad likely five-finger-discounted many of the Proto Professional hand tools I have back in the late 70s or early 80s. These account for most of my sockets, rachets and wrenches.

The rest of the stuff was handed down by my great uncles. My grandmother was one of nine, and one by one, as the bothers died, my mom took their tools and kept them for me. Now, only 1 is left. Nobody in my family is particularly handy, so the tools are in good hands with me and will hopefully be passed on from me to a new generation one day.

 

[priceman1414]

I good portion of my tools were initially gifts. Got my tool box and my wrenches and ratchets when my dad bought me a Craftsman toolbox and the stuff in it from a friend of his. A good portion of it was barely-used US Craftsman, but there were also a few misc. SK sockets mixed in.

I've been 'filling in the gaps' in what I have ever since.

 

[scott917]

I have bought most of my tools. Mechanic tools from the Snap-On truck, but I really like/love Cornwell ratchets....

I got my first tool in the late 1980's, it was a Green Handle Ratcheting Screwdriver, it came with a tall mug, in a combo box. I still have the mug and the screwdriver. I have "retired" the screw driver as it was the first SnapOn that i ever bought. My collection has grown since then as money has allowed. I have a good job now and try to see the SnapOn guy once a month. And I am not a mechanic.

One of my jobs in my 20's was at an electronics store, we installed custom home theaters and stuff like that.... As a result I have a ton of low current tools. Stuff for installing phone, home theater electronics, and also know how to run and terminate computer networking stuff as well.

All of my tool for the electronics are just a tool from here and there. I am not really loyal to one brand. My friend who sells the bulk wire, can get some good discounts so i buy from him when he can help out.

S

 

[t4runner]

I have paid for 99% of my tools its taken me about 45 years to get to where I am now. Like many here its really not about the money value of my tools, its more of an emotional attachment.

 

[Stokes_]

My Dad's passed a lot of stuff on to me. The rest I've bought from Amazon/Ebay. Looking to get some stuff from some of the guys on here, good tools at fair prices. It will also feel good knowing to help you junkies get your fix (new tools).

 

[toytech40]

First started buying tools when I bought my first car, been using dads tools for years on bikes and lawn mowers and working on his vehicles. At 15 when i bought my first car and thought I needed my own tools and bought one of those traveling tool auction 3/8-1/4 drive socket sets for like $9.99 and some farm auction $1.00 boxes of wrenches, got a 26 inch no name carry box for a birthday(still have), and away I went. First name brand tool was a Blackhawk 18 inch 3/8 drive extension I needed for an engine swap i did while still in highscool. Bought a set of tools for votech when I got out highschool from the local parts store, handed him the list of tools from the school and had him order it all in, it was all Blackhawk. Mother thought I should use the few odd tools I had already collected for school, but I already knew I wanted a set at home and didn't want to cart them back and forth. So started my building of 2 sets of tools. Of course it has grown from there mechanicing for 25 years 8 of which had my own shop and bought a house so woodworking and home improvement/maintainence tools were now in the mix. Received some as gifts from family, inherited my fathers tools, not much but some go back to my grandfather, some from my father-in-law. Bought a toolbox and a few tools from the estate of a guy I worked with for years and learned a lot from, and recently started collecting vintage/antique tools. Oh even though I do not mechanic for a living anymore I still work on cars on my days off and buy tools as needed. I look at it as it is cheaper to buy a tool to do a job, get the job done and still have the tool, then to pay someone to do the job and just have the repairs when done. I still go to auctions and see those boxes of wrenches sell and think to myself what kind of set could I build from that, and buy some occasionally just to look for antique wrences now. Tools are a part of me like it or not. Wife thought I should sell my mechanic tools when stopped mechanicing for a living, sell them where the sat not even bring them home, wrong, they are in my garage and I still use them and add to them.

 

[ozyborn]

Dad gave me some to start. Then farm auctions all the time getting deals. Then I inherited his when he passed away. I still do the farm auctions. Never know what you will find.

 

[billybudge]

Well, as I am a total tool freak, I think I will never stop buying them, I would say 90% I payed cash for and the rest were hand me downs or presents. Family of mechanics. But I could never say how much I payed for them over the years, and how the funds were raised to pay for such shiney delights,

 

[Outlander]

Started with gifts. There were screwdrivers in my Mecano set. I think I still have one at home in my basement workshop. Of course the gifts got bigger and more relevant as I got older.

When I started work I bought tools (and stereos, beer, guns etc) that I needed. Have all those tools too.

My uncle passed away and Dad acquired a collection of his tools. Dad passed away, and I acquired all his tools except a hammer he used to build our house. I gave that to my nephew in memory of his Grandfather.

Since then, I have been acquiring by buying and I still recieve tool-oriented gifts from my family. When stuck, I am easy to buy for - tools, garage, ATV, cottage related stuff. Most recent gifted tool - an electric pole saw for branch trimming! Most recent purchase - HF tire changer.

 

[NorthCountry]

My start was at 4 yrs old I spotted a ratchet laying In the road it turned out to be a flexhead screwdriver handle Snap on with a 1984 date code so it was brand new still have it 29 years later!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

 

[raiderhillbilly]

I have older tools from both my Grandfathers. One was a machine fixer in Cannon Mills and had Cornwell and S-K tools. My other Grandfather was a Preacher and worked part time at Sears. He left me alot of Craftsman tools. I have bought alot of tools from pawn shops, flea markets, yard sales, and some new. I love old USA tools but can not afford to buy them off of trucks.

 

[richfinn]

My dad (a carpenter) bought me a cantilever toolbox and helped me fill it with the basics (mechanics tools) when I left school and got an apprenticeship.

That was nearly 30 years ago, and I'm still buying stuff to add to it.

The cantilever box had to be retired due to lack of space about 6 months into my career and my dad still has it somewhere I think.

 

[Revere Cycles]

I really started to build my tool collection when I was in college, studying jewelry and metalsmithing. As my program went on and my interests became wider, I began to dip into other disciplines, including woodworking and machining, picking up basic tools along the way. At the time, all of my tools fit in a tiny Vidmar cabinet provided to me by the school. Before I left, I had an opportunity to buy a professional woodworkers bench from facilities management for $75. They just replaced the ones in the wood shop and the old benches were being held in the basement. I realized I would need a workbench of my own, so I cut them a check and brought it with me to NYC...

Shortly after moving to NYC, I found an amazing solid maple workbench with eight drawers that NYU was throwing out. My best guess is that it was from 1940 or so. I was on my lunch break when I found it, so I ran back to work, got a hand truck, and pushed it several city blocks back to the shop by myself. I didn't own a car at the time, so I had to pay movers to bring it to my apartment. In my tiny bedroom, I had a woodworker's bench and this new maple workbench, which I immediately started filling up with tools.

A year later, I became heavily interested in bicycle maintenance and framebuilding; I bought all the Park and Campagnolo tools I could get my hands on. (Yes, including the big Campgnolo box) I studied framebuilding at the Yamaguchi school and bought a jig and a Smith torch setup just a few months after. After that, I wanted a drillpress, then a buffer... the list goes on. My best friend from school lived in a brownstone around the corner, so we combined our resources and started a little shop together.

When I moved back to my hometown, I got my first real studio space... and that's where I went crazy. I had a car (Volvo wagon) and easy access to all sorts of estate sales and surplus resellers. I started picking up surface plates, Kennedy chests, bigger and more robust versions of the tools I purchased in NYC. I also went to my grandmother's house to collect several of the tools that belonged to my grandfather who had passed when I was very young. Most of the tools sat unused, but were excellent quality; SK, Williams, Utica, Snap On, etc. I started to clean them up and research vintage and antique tools and machinery.

My shop is constantly evolving, but it's been a real fun experience. Space is getting a little tight in my shop these days, so I have to decide whether to find a bigger shell, or build another level...

 

[richfinn]

I really started to build my tool collection when I was in college, studying jewelry and metalsmithing. As my program went on and my interests became wider, I began to dip into other disciplines, including woodworking and machining, picking up basic tools along the way. At the time, all of my tools fit in a tiny Vidmar cabinet provided to me by the school. Before I left, I had an opportunity to buy a professional woodworkers bench from facilities management for $75. They just replaced the ones in the wood shop and the old benches were being held in the basement. I realized I would need a workbench of my own, so I cut them a check and brought it with me to NYC...

Shortly after moving to NYC, I found an amazing solid maple workbench with eight drawers that NYU was throwing out. My best guess is that it was from 1940 or so. I was on my lunch break when I found it, so I ran back to work, got a hand truck, and pushed it several city blocks back to the shop by myself. I didn't own a car at the time, so I had to pay movers to bring it to my apartment. In my tiny bedroom, I had a woodworker's bench and this new maple workbench, which I immediately started filling up with tools.

A year later, I became heavily interested in bicycle maintenance and framebuilding; I bought all the Park and Campagnolo tools I could get my hands on. (Yes, including the big Campgnolo box) I studied framebuilding at the Yamaguchi school and bought a jig and a Smith torch setup just a few months after. After that, I wanted a drillpress, then a buffer... the list goes on. My best friend from school lived in a brownstone around the corner, so we combined our resources and started a little shop together.

When I moved back to my hometown, I got my first real studio space... and that's where I went crazy. I had a car (Volvo wagon) and easy access to all sorts of estate sales and surplus resellers. I started picking up surface plates, Kennedy chests, bigger and more robust versions of the tools I purchased in NYC. I also went to my grandmother's house to collect several of the tools that belonged to my grandfather who had passed when I was very young. Most of the tools sat unused, but were excellent quality; SK, Williams, Utica, Snap On, etc. I started to clean them up and research vintage and antique tools and machinery.

My shop is constantly evolving, but it's been a real fun experience. Space is getting a little tight in my shop these days, so I have to decide whether to find a bigger shell, or build another level...

That campagnolo kit looks cool, is it all for servicing bicycle gears??

 

[atwageman]

I've been buying tools since around 1990, before I graduated high school. My wife over the years has gotten me some tools for special occasions, birthdays, and sometimes just because.

I learned very early on the importance of investing in top shelf brands. I've been a road warrior field tech my entire career. I just can't have tools failing me.

My wife is a grocery store manager, by profession. But her hobby is wood carving and wood burning. She gets it, and understands quality. Best thing I can do for her is give her the occasional shopping spree at the local woodworkers supply store. For her Michaels, Hobby Lobby and the such are her version of a HF. She try's to avoid them except for a few odds and ends.