Tools you have absurd numbers of

[dscheidt]

Doing some cleaning and organizing, I discovered I have no fewer than seven 9" paint roller frames. Bog standard, you probably want a pole to go with them, frames. Plus one with a bit of telescoping pole built in. Plus hot dog roller, three narrow roller frames, a corner roller. I am not a painter. I hate painting. I don't do it except when absolutely necessary. My wife will paint things, but never with me. I have no idea how we have managed to get so many of the damn things.

I can't be the only person who has useless tools breeding in the closet, can I?

 

[M.Brane]

Sockets. I have trays of them in the overflow drawer. Never know when you might need to mod one for special application....

Same with screwdrivers, pliers, and wrenches. I should probably do a purge at some point, but you know how that goes.

 

[The Cobbler]

I have an excess of many things tool related . and half the time I still don't know where to find what I'm looking for.
I don't know what the problem is? is this not normal?

 

[humber2]

G clamps and socket sets.

YMMV

 

[M.Jay]

I can't be the only person who has useless tools breeding in the closet, can I?

I don't understand the question. Isn't having a gazillion tools mandatory to be a member of this forum?

 

[PugetDude]

Tools you have absurd numbers of​

Dscheidt. I think your wife has hacked into your GJ account.

 

[Beerhippie]

Tools--especially small, hand-operated ones. They really do breed when I'm not looking. I'd show you the video, but it doesn't work when they're breeding.

 

[MushCreek]

10 mm sockets. Where do they all come from?

Seriously, though, I also have a lot of paint rollers. And cheap caulking guns. And paint brushes. I also have about 20 of those tools to pry the paint can lids off, but I always use a screwdriver instead.

 

[willf650]

Screw drivers.

I have bought many sets and only 2 are complete because I just got them. I already had to buy an individual replacement screwdriver for one of them.

I have a whole drawer full of orphaned screwdrivers.

 

[Loud Lyle]

All of them

 

[lastill]

10 mm sockets. Where do they all come from?

Seriously, though, I also have a lot of paint rollers. And cheap caulking guns. And paint brushes. I also have about 20 of those tools to pry the paint can lids off, but I always use a screwdriver instead.

I think we've identified the space-temporal anomaly responsible for the systematic disappearance of 10mm sockets across all observable timelines guys!!! Next time you ask where is your 10mm socket, find MushCreek he might have it!

 

[geneg]

Doing some cleaning and organizing, I discovered I have no fewer than seven 9" paint roller frames. Bog standard, you probably want a pole to go with them, frames. Plus one with a bit of telescoping pole built in. Plus hot dog roller, three narrow roller frames, a corner roller. I am not a painter. I hate painting. I don't do it except when absolutely necessary. My wife will paint things, but never with me. I have no idea how we have managed to get so many of the damn things.

I can't be the only person who has useless tools breeding in the closet, can I?

From the auction buying days when I'd have to buy a box to get the item(s) I wanted- boxes always contained:
sissors
hacksaws
caulking guns
claw hammers
some type of imported gadget wrench

I keep the interesting items & have too many of them, the others go in 5 gallon buckets for my daughter in law's next yard sale.

 

[niget2002]

Allen Keys. And they're never the right one. I have multiple sets with one or two missing, then I have a ton of random sizes I don't know where they came from.

And then I have one set of good ones that I mostly use, but they're big T handles and don't fit everywhere.

 

[jblnut]

Screwdrivers and for some reason I have a drawer full of tin snips.

 

[Snaparxon]

tools bought at yard sales that I don't need

 

[GaryM909]

I have 6 electric soldering guns. I bought the first one back in 1983 and then bought a second one about 10 years ago incase the first one quit. Then I found another one at a garage sale. The other ones seemed to just show up. I use one once or twice per year.

 

[MushCreek]

I have dozens of random Allen wrenches. The thing is, I have two good, complete Wera sets, and never use the box of random ones. I still keep 'em, though. At last count, I have four hacksaws, which I rarely use. I even have one with a broken handle, but I just can't seem to part with it. I do that a lot; I buy a top quality set, but never let go of the old crappy ones. I bought a very nice set of Torx drivers. Still have the old, mismatched ones, though.

I have at least 100 clamps, but a couple years ago when I was building a boat, I used ALL of them!

 

[larry_g]

Some time back I counted near 20 powered spindles capable of drilling a hole.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[M635_Guy]

Define "absurd"...

 

[bassJAM]

Screwdrivers for me too. I have those original red/blue/clear handle set from Craftsman from 25 years ago. I finally got tired of their crappy tips and replaced them with Kobalt, which were just marginally better so I finally bought a set of Williams. Then my FIL gave me his tools, which of course had a couple sets of those old Craftsman screwdrivers! I have a couple extras I keep in my toolchest as throw-away prybars/picks/punches, and the rest are in an extra toolbox out in my shed. Oh, and then I have a full set of Grace screwdrivers I keep in my man cave for gun work.

 

[PelicanPines]

Some groups of early humans had started their numbering systems.

I follow the one that only has 4 values.

1
2
3
More than 3

I have more than 3 of everything.

 

[rsanter]

Well, three drill presses. Anyone want to buy one?

two plasma cutters. No i use both.

most of the time I have too many socket sets, but then when friends come over and are working here with me it’s not too many. So no

i also have a box that has extra/spare screwdriver, wrenches , ratchets, sockets….etc…..but then when I break out loose one I just go to the spare box and im good again. Then I don’t do warranty exchanges till have have a few things broken……. So no


i guess it’s just the drill presses, so how about a couple of you buy my spares and I’ll be all good again

 

[ecotec]

I have dozens of categories where I have way too many of a given tool.

It just happens with the most common tools that I find.

Like anyone else by starting with whatever will get the job done. Then I find the better one (better form factor, easier to use, made in USA, just better looking, better quality of materials… a lot of different things can signify “better”, then I just keep finding them simply because they are more common tools.

I would, definitely, say that I have too many punches and drifts… but, as I said, it is just one category of tools that I have too many of.

I gave away a carload of tools to a friend who is a bodyman. He could not believe the quantity of tools that I had… then… that was a long time ago.

My logic, is that it is not a problem as long as it is well organized. Ideally, I should not have to move a bunch of tools to get to another tool.

An example of a category of tools that I, definitely, cannot stay well organized, is extensions. Because I pretty consistently find the same few extensions… I have ended up with huge (not exaggerating) surpluses of the most common extensions… whilst there are still some extensions that I don’t have any of.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Lumping 3 similar tools into 1 pile, pliers/crimpers/cutter. They take up 2 drawers in my top box !

 

[drokihazan]

I have every kind of punch and chisel you can think of. Way way way too many punches and chisels. I also have too many screwdrivers, because it took me quite a while to decide which ones I like the most (Snap-On hard handles and the Klein yellow plastic ones with a black rubber grip). I bought an entire set of Tekton hard handles because they were cheap when discontinued, and I don't know why. I only use the Torx ones. I have an entire drawer in one of my side cabinets of unused screwdrivers, and I should probably sell them all or something.
Also have way too many vise-grips. I have every shape and size, but all I use are 3 of them - a needle nose, a big c-clamp, and a big pair of Malcos. If I could ever get my hands on the Snap-On LP5LN I'd use those a lot since the teeth on my needle nose are wearing out.

 

[Shiftless]

Is a hundred bench vises too many? (Only one mounted for regular use)

 

[M.Jay]

Is a hundred bench vises too many? (Only one mounted for regular use)

Holy Moly! Don't want to capture this thread for off-topic, but do you have pictures of your collection?

 

[Vinny]

As a woodworker, I have what most would consider an absurd amount of clamps. But I've had multiple glue ups going at once where I needed every single one of those clamps, so I don't consider it an absurd amount!

 

[PelicanPines]

Screwdrivers... Yea absurd...
No wait, pliers, yea pliers...
Saws it could be saws...
Or punches...
Its probably pliers...
Or screwdrivers.
No wait... Its flashlights...
Whoa that's a lot of paint brushes.
Oh ****... An entire drawer of specialty pliers.
That's a lot of tiny screwdrivers...
How many hemostats Is that???
Its screwdrivers or pliers.

 

[whateg01]

Somewhere along the way, you have to call it a "collection"! I have a collection of table saws. And a collection of floor jacks. And a collection of rolls of Teflon tape. And more collections.

 

[Machinehead]

Is a hundred bench vises too many? (Only one mounted for regular use)

Maybe but if you have space...then it's probably ok. And I second that you need to post pictures.

 

[Shiftless]

And I second that you need to post pictures.

OK
Here is one showing the majority of my collection. I built the shelves and did the lighting myself.

 

[richfinn]

OK
Here is one showing the majority of my collection. I built the shelves and did the lighting myself.

Do you have anything by Parkinsons of Shipley?

Nice collection BTW

 

[MidMoBob]

OK
Here is one showing the majority of my collection . . .

So, when somebody asks if you have any vices what is your response?

 

[SouthernIllinois]

Extensions 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" even though I rarely touch 1/2" anymore

 

[Machinehead]

OK
Here is one showing the majority of my collection. I built the shelves and did the lighting myself.

I bet your wife always say the place smells like metal!

 

[Shiftless]

Do you have anything by Parkinsons of Shipley?

Nice collection BTW

Thanks for the kind words.
No, I don’t have any of those. I have a Record though. I’m sure you know that they along with Paramo are just about the most common English brands, at least over here on this side of the pond.

 

[Shiftless]

I bet your wife always say the place smells like metal!

Sometimes it smells like boiled linseed oil and/or lanolin (sheep fat) which is in the product I used for rust retarding.

 

[Machinehead]

After being in the office more many times per month when I get home one of the women will say you smell like metal. I guess its better than BO.

 

[i84x]

Definitely spanners for me. I have drawers and drawers of them. I gave away loads at work, (just dumped them on the workbench and told people to take them) but still have hundreds of them. The thing is though, I need them for metric, imperial, bsw / bsf, BA, modified special ones for that one job all in different lengths too (if you need a 5/16" bsw offset ring for example, thats what you need... sure you could probably manage but I hate having to manage around not having the right tool).

I use to have the same problem with screwdrivers but they were easier to sort when I got annoyed at all the broken drivers in the drawer that I purged them one day, and just kept the stuff I actually wanted. Binned any with mangled insulation, were bent or ones with chipped tips etc and got it all down to one drawer including the 1/4" bit holder sets and the micordriver sets etc so was pretty happy with that.