New Toolbox

[llcoolvad]

My Dad was always a firm believer in self-sufficiency. From the time I was a tiny girl he taught me how to be handy: how to wire a lamp, how to paint furniture and walls, how to correctly use a hammer, what various tools were used for, and how to connect up my own stereo.

He gave me my very first toolbox for Christmas when I was 20 and getting my first apartment. The toolbox was steel, had a bright red tray inside, weighed (empty) around 5 pounds, and was fairly small. He also gave me a large starter kit of tools: screwdrivers of various sizes and types, a level, a hammer, lots of fasteners, pliers, wrenches, a tape measure, and a hand drill with a few different bits.

He lectured me sternly about loaning out my tools ("people forget where they got them, and you'll never see them again, trust me") and then offered to always help me with any project.

Over the next two decades, I ignored his advice about loaning stuff out, learned he was completely right, replaced a bunch of stuff, added to my collection of tools, bought cool gizmos, and generally used the heck out of the damned thing.

Last week I bought a brand new, plastic, shiny toolbox. It's black, with a black tray inside, and has little yellow details. It's a lot bigger than my old one, weighs almost nothing when empty, and holds almost all of my tools with ease. It's nice. Generic, but nice. I'm sure Dad would have approved.

But it's not the same.

Comments

[rolandgsl.livejournal.com]

No, it's not the same, but I'm sure he'd get a kick out of it just the same. I still have my first toolbox, too, but its original contents have long since worn out and broken due to many years of youngster abuse.

I hate buying new tools, when there are so many old ones out there that are better made and still have lots of life left in them that can be picked up for a song at fleamarkets, tagsales, and the like. There's a great used tool place with a store in Worcester and one in Waltham, lemme know if you want the 411.

[llcoolvad.livejournal.com]

That would be cool to know, thanks!

After Dad died, Mom moved to a new apartment (the one in which I now live, too) and the movers dumped all of his tools haphazardly all over the basement. I have ferreted out several of his giant toolboxes and started to organize all of his tools, but there's just so much! [They're all organized by task, of course, and the boxes I've found were for the wrong tasks: metalwork, painting, supplies for a specific sander. No basic tools!] It's in such a state that whenever I need a tool to do something around here I just use my own. Good thing I didn't put them in storage along with the rest of my stuff!

His family used to own a chain of hardware stores in New England, so he was a huge tool snob and only had the best tools money could buy. And now it's all in a sad mess down in the basement. My summer project (barring an evaporation of motivation) is to start cleaning out the basement, so I'm hoping that by the end of the summer I will have made a dent and at least found them all. I probably never need to buy a tool again in my LIFE, but I won't know until I get it all sorted...

[rolandgsl.livejournal.com]

Store is "The Tool Shed." Waltham store is at 471 Main St (Rte 20) sort of near Lyman St. Worcester store is on W. Boyleston St (Rte 12), just past the Halloween Outlet, and also has a website at www.used-tools.com.

As far as sorting, if you manage to catch me in a weak moment, you could probably talk me into helping you sort for a day or two (just give me a towel to catch the drool from rusting the tools). You could also email pictures of anything you don't recognize and I'd be more than happy to help you identify them and which trade toolbox they belong to. Depending on her schedule, my wife might jump at the chance to get the house to herself for a spell.

Sounds like someone should have slapped the movers upside the head, but you can't supervise everything tradespeople do for you, and at some point you just have to let go and trust them to try to keep the damage to a minimum.

It also sounds like your dad was a really cool person who not only loved quality tools, but helped everyone around him love them too. Would have loved to have met him. Perhaps that is something you can get at the tool stores I mentioned, as the 2 guys who run them both love to talk about their trade, and would probably be delighted to help you with just knowledge if nothing else...

[rolandgsl.livejournal.com]

Make that www.used-tools.com, doh!

[livingdeb.livejournal.com]

I could have learned these things from my dad, but I didn't learn many. I learned to use a screwdriver and hammer when my brother had to for Cub Scouts, but I'm not very good with a hammer.

I have a small metal toolbox (all red) which I still like even though my boyfriend has a million tools. This is because there are certain tools I can always find in a jiffy: a hammer, screwdrivers, an adjustable wrench, plyers, levels, measuring tape, and things that suprise others: a nail set and plumber's tape.

I rarely do anything cool with my tools; and when I try, I find that I have a success rate of 50% or less. So when I do accomplish something, I feel really good about it. Cool things I have done are build narrow shelves on one side of my pantry to hold canned goods, install curtain rods and blinds, put together furniture that requires assembly, and paint.

I am also a helpful brainstorming partner for some kinds of jobs that require puzzling things out. And I have a solid knowledge of geometry that comes in handy at times.

I once dated a carpenter who said I would also make a good carpenter because I am good at planning things out. But I need to be stronger than I am for certain things, like carrying large boards around and unscrewing things that have been tightly screwed together, and I need to be more patient for things like sanding for three days. He also taught me that men doing carpentry are very sexy. Especially with no shirt on.

Congratulations on graduating to a bigger toolbox!

[llcoolvad.livejournal.com]

RE: Success rate. Hey, not everyone needs to know how to build an addition onto their house single-handedly, but in my (not at all humble) opinion EVERYONE needs to know how to assemble things and put up shelves and connect up one's cable box to a television.

One of my goals is to make a small efficient toolbox for my Mom before I move out, very much like the one you describe. She shouldn't have to paw through nail sinks, awls, planers, and drill bits to get to a Phillips head screwdriver, you know?

And then I will steal all the other tools for me!

[p-j-cleary.livejournal.com]

I'm counting on you, your toolbox, your Dad's advice, and your incredible ability to figure out how to assemble "some assembly required" furniture for my move to the new house. I don't think I'd get by without you helping me out on these sorts of projects.

The fact that my dad was a capenter during the summers didn't rub off on me in any way. I can tell when something's built wrong, I just have a lot of trouble figuring out how to make it right!

[llcoolvad.livejournal.com]

You know a lot more than you pretend! But you know I am more than happy to assemble whatever, whenever!

[grace-of-gemini.livejournal.com]

I could paint it red for you....

PJ, if you need any help, let me know.

[llcoolvad.livejournal.com]

Naw, I picked the black because I like black. But thanks! I'm mostly happy because now it doesn't weigh 8 million pounds. Just 7 million, 500 thousand. Big savings.