Misplaced Shop "Things"

[LanceR]

If there is a corollary to loosing tools in the shop it's the mystery of how they breed and multiply on a job outside the shop. How I can get to a job site and get to work with just my tool belt and a tote but at the end of the job or workday it takes at least five trips to get everything back into the truck. How does that work???

Best regards to all,


Lance

 

[sweeper]

I can't lose tape measures - they follow me around and congregate. I try to keep one in the kitchen, basement, garage, shop, truck... In less than a week they are all in the same place - by the door where I take off my shoes. For the life of me, I can't seem to put them away and have them stay there.

Congregate, That's what happens with my Reading Glasses, but in multiple places. I'll find 4 pair in the car, the kitchen, or the shop.

 

[scoutergriz]

people are amazed when I can just reach out and grab the proper tool at a glance, what they don't see is the half dozen others strategically placed in various locations so I can "misplace" 2 or 3 and still lay my hands on a replacement. Tape measures are a prime example- cleaning up the shop I found about 8-9 tapes scattered all over, then the wife brought in 3 more from the house, then I found 1 in her car and another 2 in mine. 17 tape measures isn't hoarding, it's a necessity when I can lose 3 or 4 during a single afternoon.

 

[frozentripper]

The worst misplaced, thought-was-lost tool was a small block plane that disappeared mysteriously. A pleasure to use, sharpened up to shave off paper-thin curls of wood very easily, with comfort. For months I knew it was probably somewhere in several possible places but since I didn't need to use it right away, didn't search much and had a larger more clunky plane, I could use that. Worse, I began to imagine that someone had stolen it. Where was my beloved little block plane that had performed so well, for so many years? Would |I ever see it again?

Joy, when it showed up in a corner of a cardboard box after several months. Still sharp, and still taking off nice shavings, on a piece of scrap held in a vise, glad to use it again and more valuable now.

 

[DaveO]

I am glad that I am not the only one who misplaces tools constantly.

Funny idea, leave a plastic skull under the new deck, for some far in the future shock and laughs. Kind of like planting a tree. You might not be around to fully enjoy it, but it's nice knowing someone else will.

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

Over the last 50 years, I have purchased lots of tools (some multiple times) because "somebody else" borrowed it and never returned it, I have more tape measures, hammers, power drills (both corded and cordless), squares, drill bits (all sorts), and wood chisels than I will ever use again. The worst experience was with a cordless oscillating multi tool. I had wanted one for a looong time but was too cheap to spend the money for the one I wanted so my sweet wife gave it to me for Fathers' Day. Still new, I packed it for a volunteer work trip. A week latter I remember packing it in the truck for the trip home. Unloading the tools the next day, it wasn't there! Hmmm?
A year latter I broke down and got a replacement (not as good as the original). 2 years after that, we downsized our home and after 6 months in the new house, we sold the old one. Time to move the tools... and as I was sorting thru storage totes... can you guess what I found?
My sons thoroughly enjoy my not being able to remember where I put something when I need it 'cuz I usually go buy a new one. They rarely have need to buy tools. No big deal, Dad has lots of extras!!!

 

[stripperguy]

Grandpa Paddler...please go back upthread and read (or reread) my post about time warps.
Your vibrating multi tool surely slipped into a small time warp...once again proving my theory!!!
You're just lucky it didn't slip into the past.

 

[sweeper]

I'm waiting for my CRAFTSMAN NEXTEC 12V LITHIUM CORDLESS RIGHT ANGLE IMPACT DRIVER to show up now that I just rebought one @ 4x the price of the original (Craftsman discontinued them).
Same basic story as Grandpa Paddler's, I was called to help my son with a project, and it was never seen again. It's a great tool and I missed it. I bit the bullet and paid the price on eBay for another one.
I'm working on a shop makeover now and expect it to show up in the next month.

 

[PeteStaehling]

[Way back in the ‘70’s I repaired the plaster wall in the attic bedroom of a decrepit mansion house where I rented a room. Did a nice job of it if I say so myself. I left a treat inside the wall cavity, a neatly rolled joint inside a test tube, with a dated message about repairing the wall.

I remember when I was a teenager, the next door neighbors were redoing the roof on their house. They found a still sealed bottle of whisky in among the insulation. I don't recall exactly how long it had been there but apparently it was original with the house so maybe 50 years. They figured it was probably worth some money since it was still sealed. They said as much and told everyone not to mess with it. Of course the one kid, you know the one (every crowd has one like him) opened it. He figured it was fine since he only smelled it. I don't know if it would have actually been worth much or not bet he was definitely on the s___ list for a while.