Owners Manuals

[Chromdome35]

Over the years I've accumulated a lot of owners manuals for various tools and things. I am thinking of throwing them all away as just about any manual can be found on the internet these days.

Do you keep your manuals and if so, how do you organize them so you can find them if you need them?

 

[apollo11]

I have a drawer for home-related manual and a file in my file cabinet for tool manuals
I have PDFs too.
I staple the receipts on the manual too. Just in case

 

[WhiffySpark]

Trash. I don’t even take them out of the box

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

trash. even if i keep them, i won't be able to dig out the one i need as quick as i can just find it online.

 

[jonesg]

trash. even if i keep them, i won't be able to dig out the one i need as quick as i can just find it online.

Same here instant trash, along with blow molded plastic cases that just clutter the shop.
I buy em to use. Not store away.

 

[bob15]

I keep them. Most times I find it easier to look at the hardcopy as opposed to search the net only to find my exact version isn't there anymore.

Organizing them? Notebook or milk crate on its side works for me.

 

[jakemac]

Mine all go into a file cabinet so I have a hard copy to use when searching for parts.
All my digital manuals are stored on a memory stick and get printed out and stored in the cabinet with the rest.

 

[bczygan]

Save the ones I get, but can't find them.

So go search them up on the net.

Bill

 

[M_George]

Depends on the tool. Something simple like a heater or shop vac... trash. The manual for my welder has a lot of useful info so it's a keeper.

 

[jimreed2160]

I have a big box filled with the things. It is not organized so I find reference material on the web. I will pitch them someday.

Manuals have changed over the years and are very disappointing. I guess the short product life cycles make good documentation impossible (too expensive). The latest ones are multi language and full of lawyerese disclaimers. I still read them for the nugget or two of information that they may have.

 

[unslow1]

I recently gave away several boxes of them. I tried selling them on Ebay but was clearing hardly anything. The only ones I saved were for the cars I currently own.

 

[Wyoming09]

Hole punch 'em and put them in a big three ring binder.

 

[dutchgray]

I keep them, especially for old tools if your lucky enough to get a manual, there are a lot of things which you can find almost nothing about on the internet.

 

[jd_1138]

I keep them, especially for old tools if your lucky enough to get a manual, there are a lot of things which you can find almost nothing about on the internet.

Yep, a lot of manuals aren't on the internet. There are manual websites that will gladly take your old manuals, scan them, and make them available for everyone.

Or someone could do it themselves, scan 'em and send the files to the keeper of a manual website.

I keep all my manuals in the file cabinet in a few manilla folders. Periodically I will go through and throw them away if I no longer have that tool. If I sell a tool to someone I will give them the manual, if I remember.

 

[dogdog]

Only keep the hard copy of the manual for tools, appliance, cars that I still own. Everything is PDF in a backup harddrive.

 

[anndel]

I have them in a drawer but don't even take 'em out to look at since I can find all of them online.

 

[2oolhound]

I keep mine in bookshelves. I used to keep the heavy tools/equip manuals in the shop but it's not heated so I moved them inside. I often pull one out and browse through it over a week or 2 period. Manuals can also be taken to the bench to consult exploded views etc during repair work although I suppose tablets would work for that too.

 

[brianmc02]

Binder fan here. I find physical manuals easier to reference for diagrams and part numbers.

Also "edit" multi-lingual manuals to make them a bit thinner. Saves shelf space!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[MikeF2316]

I keep them. While almost all new stuff is available online, there's lots of old stuff that isn't. I try to have them all in one place, but that doesn't always work out. Sometimes newer stuff isn't online either. I was unable to find the manual for my Craftsman Snowblower from 2005 online, but I have the one that came with the blower.

I have manuals for stuff that I've gotten rid of...

PS My snowblower model number is 944.524390. If anybody needs a copy of the manual, I'll scan it. If your Google-foo is better than mine, you can point me to an online version.

 

[Jim C.]

I keep them all in “by subject” accordion folders, and I write one or two word descriptions of each manual in the folder. I keep all the folders in a small banker’s box out in my shop. For example, one of my folders is labeled “Lawn and Garden.” It contains the lawnmower manual, the weed wacker manual, in-ground sprinkler control manual, etc, etc. When I get rid of something, I get rid of the associated manual so I’m not inundated with manuals for things I no longer have. I personally like a paper manual that I can hold and look at, and there’s never a question whether or not the manual is the correct version. It came with the appliance, machine, etc., so I know it’s the right one. I know I should join the 21st century, but searching the Internet and printing a manual is a hassle in my opinion.

Jim C.

 

[zmotorsports]

I keep the paperwork on everything in the shop and shop related in a file cabinet. We do the same thing in the house but in a house filing cabinet and have them divided into categories.

When we sold our last house we left all of the paperwork for things like furnace, shop heater, dishwasher, light fixtures, faucets with part #'s for replacement valve stems, garage door opener (which was 26 years old), etc. We were shocked that our realtor said he had never seen that. I thought everyone kept manuals and paperwork. I figured most on garagejournal would however.

I also sold my Craftsman pressure washer a few months back when I purchased my new Stihl pressure washer. The guy that came to pick it up was pleasantly surprised when I handed him the paperwork that came with it when I bought it along with the date and point of sale written on the manual, 17 years prior.

 

[Jon_E]

I keep all my manuals, especially since some of mine are originals for 1930's and 1940's vintage woodworking machinery and tools. They all get tossed in a drawer in my home office. Even for kid's toys and appliances, etc. it all gets saved. I am going to convert to a "less-paper" system soon (as opposed to "paperless") to cut down on some of the sheer quantities I've accumulated. The manuals for larger equipment and items that might not be considered 'disposable' (or hold their value) will probably be kept in a file.

For anyone looking for a scanner, I highly recommend the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500. I use one at work and it is worth every cent.

 

[Boilerhouse]

I keep all my manuals, receipts and documents for all tools, appliances and generally stuff of value. It is all filed alphabetically by manufacture. The internet has let me down too often for me to rely on it.

 

[Davefr]

Keep in mind there are two types of manuals:

1. Old manuals with schematics, diagrams, parts lists, technical content, repair/service info, etc, etc. These can be unobtainium online since many of the manufacturers purged the documents, went out of business or they predated the internet. These are "keepers" and can be worth their weight in gold depending on the item.

2. Newer product manuals with 10 pages of safety info and almost no meaningful technical content and then they repeat it in every language on the planet. These are good candidates to toss.

 

[engineer2]

I recently found manuals for a couple of tools I no longer own. A Craftsman compressor and a floor jack. I might toss them unless someone here wants them.

 

[Michael_in_DE]

Mine all go into a file cabinet so I have a hard copy to use when searching for parts.
All my digital manuals are stored on a memory stick and get printed out and stored in the cabinet with the rest.

This. I also email them to myself for quick lookup on the phone.

 

[ffemtdisp]

If you have the time and inclination, scan them and post for posterity. I've been the beneficiary of a generous soul who posted a manual for an old sander I found. I am quite appreciative of that