It's a tool forum.
- Thread starter sberry
- Start date
Lassen Forge
Well-known member
Now I know where my hole shooter disappeared to... 
driftpin
Well-known member
"What is Garage Journal?"
Read the sub-title.
I still have one of these.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/inno...-reinvented-environmental-movement-180969682/
Read the sub-title.
I still have one of these.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/inno...-reinvented-environmental-movement-180969682/
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measuredtwice
Well-known member
I don't understand what's happening.
Is that a bottle of Scope mouthwash in the cardboard box?
Is that a bottle of Scope mouthwash in the cardboard box?
MikeinNorthWales
Well-known member
The heads of half the forum just exploded...
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
DFB
Well-known member
SeisMec
Well-known member
Is this a narrow purpose or general purpose assemblage?
redwrench60
Well-known member
Sberry you doing commercial sparky work these days? Looks like a highly organized mobile work van to me. Not everyone works out of a big stationary toolbox in a well lit garage bay. Some tradesmen have to chase the job down wherever it may be.
Two Door
Well-known member
Add some shadow foam and that would be perfect.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I can't imagine the **** show that would ensue if you got in an accident.
^^^^^
Honestly this guy has the right idea. Safety alarms are going full tilt looking at that picture.
Have you ever seen any of the European traffic safety videos? I remember one where some guy has a bunch of stuff in his car and when he gets into a wreck it all goes airborne in slow motion. Extra credit for anyone who can find that clip.
Yes, I straighten it up to keep so much from flying forward in the event of accident. The rear seat is up and some heavier tools are behind it. I can straighten it up in a few minutes, I rifled thru it for a week here.
I was going to replace it but this virus stuff stalled that. My jobs go in spurts, the trucks can sit a lot, if I was out every day, working for people I didn't know I would have nicer and better. If I was full time every day with helper would be inclined to buy new and bigger to tote some more stock but stores are close, small time loss is irrelevent, not doing so much service call as rewire and can bring stock tomorrow type planning.
My trade is really welder but I kind of slid away and should have went back about 10 years ago and small walk in type stuff is hard to market and corporate is so full of it I lose patience.
I was going to replace it but this virus stuff stalled that. My jobs go in spurts, the trucks can sit a lot, if I was out every day, working for people I didn't know I would have nicer and better. If I was full time every day with helper would be inclined to buy new and bigger to tote some more stock but stores are close, small time loss is irrelevent, not doing so much service call as rewire and can bring stock tomorrow type planning.
My trade is really welder but I kind of slid away and should have went back about 10 years ago and small walk in type stuff is hard to market and corporate is so full of it I lose patience.
dutchgray
Well-known member
My van doesn't look much better in the back, I chuck in buckets of things if I need them and there is always some loose stuff floating around. Getting the work done is all that matters.
I semi retired too early, couple things bit me and it's so much harder to do start up than it was. Mostly a focus ambition thing, in my 20s could get in to something in a hurry. I am not a good manager which is a bit different than a good executor. 2 months ago could have got a top job which I had considered, ,, hence the hardhat.
I had looked a little and was cultivating a gravy spot with a plant and electric contractor that could have spun in to some steel vs using truck load of unistrut. They were interested in someone with extensive design experience,,,, didn't need to be real engineering but making it look like it was sposed to and somewhat effecient and there were some shut downs which involved extensive rigging they would have been inclined to keep in house with some help.
My resume was spotty from doing my own jack leg but I had some stellar recommendations and some contacts,, I was waiting some other stuff out till I had to absolutely do and now we got this. I thought I had a couple houses but they fell thru, that's what I would just as soon do. Own comfort and schedules etc.
I had looked a little and was cultivating a gravy spot with a plant and electric contractor that could have spun in to some steel vs using truck load of unistrut. They were interested in someone with extensive design experience,,,, didn't need to be real engineering but making it look like it was sposed to and somewhat effecient and there were some shut downs which involved extensive rigging they would have been inclined to keep in house with some help.
My resume was spotty from doing my own jack leg but I had some stellar recommendations and some contacts,, I was waiting some other stuff out till I had to absolutely do and now we got this. I thought I had a couple houses but they fell thru, that's what I would just as soon do. Own comfort and schedules etc.
Yes, sometimes I think it's easier to shuffle thru once in a while, let some of it float to the top vs trying to fuss over it all. Be a little different in a full size truck with some built in and had considered some improvements, I clean out aND box up a little and it doesn't seem so bad so the idea of extreme refinement passes and it becomes good enough.
bwringer
Well-known member
My Dad was a retired instrument engineer who started doing handyman stuff out of boredom.
His clients loved him because his work was sturdy, reliable, and neat as a pin. If you're used to untangling complex industrial control systems, house stuff is like doing the kiddie crosswords.
Plus, about half the time he forgot to invoice them.
His van? Not "neat as a pin"...
And that's about how the house, garage, and entire property looked. When he died, we found at least 20 Black & Decker Firestorm drills and a huge number of batteries and other tools in this line. Basically, when he lost a cordless drill or tool in all the rubble, he'd just drop by Walmart and buy another.
He had about the same philosophy for work vans. He bought retired work vans from the phone company. The racks and such in the back were handy, but the vans were of course very worn out by the time they went up for sale. When some mechanical issue popped up that wasn't quickly fixable, he'd park the van in the yard, buy another and move all his **** into the replacement. After he died, we scrapped seven vans and got three vans and an RV running and sold or given away.
His clients loved him because his work was sturdy, reliable, and neat as a pin. If you're used to untangling complex industrial control systems, house stuff is like doing the kiddie crosswords.
Plus, about half the time he forgot to invoice them.
His van? Not "neat as a pin"...
And that's about how the house, garage, and entire property looked. When he died, we found at least 20 Black & Decker Firestorm drills and a huge number of batteries and other tools in this line. Basically, when he lost a cordless drill or tool in all the rubble, he'd just drop by Walmart and buy another.
He had about the same philosophy for work vans. He bought retired work vans from the phone company. The racks and such in the back were handy, but the vans were of course very worn out by the time they went up for sale. When some mechanical issue popped up that wasn't quickly fixable, he'd park the van in the yard, buy another and move all his **** into the replacement. After he died, we scrapped seven vans and got three vans and an RV running and sold or given away.
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For several years I was a small residential contractor. I worked out of a 1/2 ton Chevy pickup with an aluminum topper. When I stopped contracting to join the Carpenters Union, I bought a nice pickup as my main transportation and retired the old heap. Eventually a buddy convinced me to sell it to him. It took hours to clean out that old truck bed. There were literally thousands of nails, screws and other hardware with bags and boxes broke open and all mixed up. That was almost 20 years ago and I still have two five gallon buckets of hardware yet to sort.
That was a lifetime ago. I'm way better organized (and 18 years sober) now.
That was a lifetime ago. I'm way better organized (and 18 years sober) now.
BrandoJames
Well-known member
That red-handled screwdriver under your Klein cutters--I'd like to steal that. Is it a Snappy?
4 FN 27
ALLIANCE MEMBER
sberry I have a sincere appreciation for your view on things...
I like it...in your van but not in my Truck. I need structure for some reason. That is how things make sense to me.
One of my best buds, his truck is like a rolling dumpster. I mean every time I get in I have to clear a spot for my **** to sit and there is the never ending crunch of empty Diet Coke Cans ever present at my feet...when he rides with me for any great distance I have pull up next to the Trash Can at the shop and empty out the items he left behind...more Diet Coke Cans and wrappers.
Now your van looks way more "rideable" than my buddies Truck with minimal effort and I am sure if any roadside emergency appeared in our travel route we would be able to fix it!!!
I referred to my Crew Chief for the racing operation as my "Little Hurricane". He was like Pig Pen in the Charlie Brown Series...he left tools everywhere in the trailer. His Computer area looked like a wiring nightmare...but he could make sense out of it. His success on a project back at the shop was defined by how many hoses and extension cords ran to it and how many tools he could unload out the tool box and have in the way of the work. I think the clutter allowed him a level of focus.
Not me...every thing must have a place...within reason.
Other I know live by this (not my cup of tea either):
https://www.wikihow.com/Feng-Shui-Your-Car
I like it...in your van but not in my Truck. I need structure for some reason. That is how things make sense to me.
One of my best buds, his truck is like a rolling dumpster. I mean every time I get in I have to clear a spot for my **** to sit and there is the never ending crunch of empty Diet Coke Cans ever present at my feet...when he rides with me for any great distance I have pull up next to the Trash Can at the shop and empty out the items he left behind...more Diet Coke Cans and wrappers.
Now your van looks way more "rideable" than my buddies Truck with minimal effort and I am sure if any roadside emergency appeared in our travel route we would be able to fix it!!!
I referred to my Crew Chief for the racing operation as my "Little Hurricane". He was like Pig Pen in the Charlie Brown Series...he left tools everywhere in the trailer. His Computer area looked like a wiring nightmare...but he could make sense out of it. His success on a project back at the shop was defined by how many hoses and extension cords ran to it and how many tools he could unload out the tool box and have in the way of the work. I think the clutter allowed him a level of focus.
Not me...every thing must have a place...within reason.
Other I know live by this (not my cup of tea either):
https://www.wikihow.com/Feng-Shui-Your-Car
Jayman17
Well-known member
Everything in it's place and a place for everything! 
Jay
Jay
Yes, mine is rideable. As I mention this was a week job where it involved lots of pieces and I was doing everything to avoid leaving the job and going to the store. I certainly don't like rooting thru garbage, I strip most of that daily. This is about speed and ease, this kind of thing takes so many minor parts and fussy different tools it just gets scattered so easy and I am willing to put up with some stuff if it makes it back on the truck and I got it. A couple minutes of looking a day is irrelevant. Having it is everything.
I do drink black coffee, don't smoke, don't eat drive thru fast food in the cars. No chips, and all that pop garbage. I normally pack a sandwich type thing and tend to limit my time to about 6 1/2 hrs if I can help it and rarely sit down for a snack, take a 10 minute break in that day.
Had a guy would have hired me in an ideal job but he was about ripping out at 7am and dint like the idea I wanted to roll in at 10 on most days. I said,,, when I start late I am ready to hit it running, have had all the coffee, had a relaxed ****, got lunch snack, chores done at home andam well rested and really hitting a stride when others are getting tired at the end of the day and don't mind working over. I can go early when I got to but I just as soon let everyone fumble around for a while and get a bead where they need help and I get a good idea where and what I want to do by the end of the day where I am not watching a clock and outright forget what time it is.
I understand a lot cant work like that, I do like your schedule, 9 is good. I had a guy working for me,, asked after a week if I minded starting an hour later and said,, not at all. really worked well.
Had a guy would have hired me in an ideal job but he was about ripping out at 7am and dint like the idea I wanted to roll in at 10 on most days. I said,,, when I start late I am ready to hit it running, have had all the coffee, had a relaxed ****, got lunch snack, chores done at home andam well rested and really hitting a stride when others are getting tired at the end of the day and don't mind working over. I can go early when I got to but I just as soon let everyone fumble around for a while and get a bead where they need help and I get a good idea where and what I want to do by the end of the day where I am not watching a clock and outright forget what time it is.
I understand a lot cant work like that, I do like your schedule, 9 is good. I had a guy working for me,, asked after a week if I minded starting an hour later and said,, not at all. really worked well.
Sounds crazy, but it happened to someone I know. Health emergency driving down the road in a packed van. Ran off the road, hit a pole, contents in the back of the van flew forward. Luckily nothing sharp, but lots of cargo/mass. Air lifted to trauma center, 1 month in critical care, months of recovery afterwards. The new van was equipped with an appropriate partition after that experience.
DFB
Well-known member
I had an idiot caught the telephone pole in front of my house with the utility box of his truck back when I lived in Maine he was eating piece of pizza or something and driving veered to far to the right.
Snapped the pole and dragged it along with the ute box. All the doors on that side blew open **** scattered for 50 feet or more. Even found tools in the grass on my lawn later.
Got a nice pair of Channelock linesman pliers that way
Snapped the pole and dragged it along with the ute box. All the doors on that side blew open **** scattered for 50 feet or more. Even found tools in the grass on my lawn later.
Got a nice pair of Channelock linesman pliers that way
engineer2
Well-known member
RTM
Well-known member
Or my garage on a typical day.
richfinn
Well-known member
Real work space, nice for a change!!!
woody 73
Well-known member
Dang sberry you are giving me panic attacks just looking at your pictures (plus bwringer), holy **** my OCD is killing me...
My bench is clean now, so is the shop, this is a different type of truck and its not a pit of tools.
Its really got a lot to do with the nature of that particular job. Done this a lot of ways. I got a Bud doing general remod and he has went to the mini van route too. Said its just so convenient.
I am not a neat freak. I am a form follow function type and have backed up in later years to some places I actually started from. Removed and minimized a few things during my air pipe mod. Ergonomics is really more my thing than fussy organization. I found that a box or tray or 2 I can sort thru is easier than trying to keep 60 kinds of specialty screws organized. I sub sort the stuff I use routinely, deck screws etc. Try to carry limited and refresh when I use.
But this is way too many things to try to find the perfect place for every one. I don't need every tool in a set.
Its really got a lot to do with the nature of that particular job. Done this a lot of ways. I got a Bud doing general remod and he has went to the mini van route too. Said its just so convenient.
I am not a neat freak. I am a form follow function type and have backed up in later years to some places I actually started from. Removed and minimized a few things during my air pipe mod. Ergonomics is really more my thing than fussy organization. I found that a box or tray or 2 I can sort thru is easier than trying to keep 60 kinds of specialty screws organized. I sub sort the stuff I use routinely, deck screws etc. Try to carry limited and refresh when I use.
But this is way too many things to try to find the perfect place for every one. I don't need every tool in a set.
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I follow this more in the shop due to the fact that other people use it and if there isn't some dedicated place it would be a problem. I got a brother wants to put **** everywhere it makes sense to him, my Dad used to come in and take stuff, hard to splain,,, everyone can find it, you move they cant. Don't move the garbage cans. Don't dump the bits out of the tuna fish can cause you want a little can for some oil, the bits been in that can for 5 years, 10 years and someone comes along and fools with it then its a problem. They were not hyper sub sorted,,, but they were in the can.
Some not as tidy as when I put it together, a little less ultimate organization, moved some stuff around I was going to drawers for. There are so many types of metal screws, I semi sort, I can do a little hen pecking for the couple off I normally need.
I don't work on that bench,,, that's what it does. Gets stripped and tidy a little on occasion, remove obsolete stuff. Have moved the drill doctor a couple times and it is now under a switched task light on a cart put together to catch some bolt overflow was causing me a little grief.
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Ton ton
Well-known member
Love the pictures, Sberry.
Good, this is just nonsense, it was a little slow. A bunch of this is used so frequently that I don't feel like going to drawers for it. I was going to get a new HF box but I did some strip and rearrangement and it worked well enough that feeling passed. I should get some current pics. I moved a few things and lightened some drawers and it made a difference.
