Tool Quantity Theory

[edro]

If I ever go back to school for a PhD, my thesis will be related to the quantity of tools versus duration to find them.

Over the years, doing house renovations, auto repairs, etc, I have amassed a metric shit tonne of tools.

I am starting to think that the quantity owned of a particular tool is perfectly correlated with how long it takes to find it.

If I have 10 measuring tapes, it takes 10 times as long to find one.
If I have 1 torque wrench, it takes no time to find it.

My theory is when you have 1 of a particular tool, you know exactly where it is at all times. You generally put it back where it came from.

When you have multiples of a tool (tape measure, screw drivers, hammers, etc.), you tend to leave them randomly located, thus, making them hard to find.

Moral of the story: Have a dedicated location for your tools and put them back!

 

[twinrider1]

Tonight, on a very special Hoarders.

 

[Gibsons]

I think I can't listen to the first three albums enough, but I never got interested in 10,000 days.

 

[highland145]

I can usually put my hands on my tool, 1st try.

On my hand tools too.

Father in law has 2 out buildings and a shop attached to his house full of tools. He can never find anything.

 

[edro]

I think I can't listen to the first three albums enough, but I never got interested in 10,000 days.

10,000 Days is my favorite one.

Father in law has 2 out buildings and a shop attached to his house full of tools. He can never find anything.

Yep, same problem. Multiple outbuildings means I can't find anything.

 

[Fritzo]

There is a saying about "The more you have, the less you have." The more junk you accumulate, the less you're able to keep track of it and actually utilize it.

 

[Anubis]

I think I can't listen to the first three albums enough, but I never got interested in 10,000 days.

odd, its one of my faves

 

[Vdubchaos]

Biggest secret of them all

Less is more



Applies to MOST things, not just tools.

 

[DnetMHZ]

I spent about an hour looking for a measuring tape the other night. I have 4 or 5 I think.

 

[highland145]

I spent about an hour looking for a measuring tape the other night. I have 4 or 5 I think.

Kids don't help either. I keep my shop locked.

 

[Sluggo]

Also do a thesis on "how the simplest of jobs wind up using every single tool you own."

 

[Jeraden]

No matter how many tools you have, next project you'll need a tool that you don't have yet.

 

[PenguinPower]

A place for everything and everything in its place.

 

[mmntech]

My dad is a notoriously messy worker. None of his tools are stored in any logical order. Mostly scatted across the basement and on random shelves in the garage. Also has a bad habit of putting things into unlabelled totes. My parents house is literally full of these big, plastic boxed stuffed with miscellaneous junk.

As such, he can never find the tools he needs. I usually get accused of taking them. Which is ironic since he'll often go into my tool boxes when I'm not looking and "borrow" stuff. Which then gets promptly shoved into some tote never to be seen again. I lost my entire ratchet set to this, two pairs of pliers, some drill bits, a socket screw driver set, countless hex wrenches, a measuring tape, hacksaw, and a few other things.

 

[blackdogdeek]

To save time searching for tools, I instead just buy a new one each time.

 

[Jeff7]

Please also research String Theory: Why inanimate objects tangle themselves so very effectively.

 

[DrPizza]

Hell, I've had 3 different tape measures in the same room with me while doing work, and have spent countless minutes/maybe even hours, searching for the damn things.

 

[leper84]

Hell, I've had 3 different tape measures in the same room with me while doing work, and have spent countless minutes/maybe even hours, searching for the damn things.

I think that goes into another tool theory. I'd call it the tool timeout theory. After you set a tool down the length of time it takes you to find it again is directly related to how bad you need to use it again. So if its that one tool you have to use before moving forward with the job you're doomed to spend 20 minutes walking around in circles looking for the piece of crap before you find it right exactly where you looked 10 times already, right next to where you were just working. I'd also theorize every f-bomb dropped adds 30 additional seconds to the search time.

 

[Scarpozzi]

You need to factor in borrowers and subcontractors mistakening your tools for theirs. I lost 1 or 2 prybars this weekend to my roofing crew...

But I gained 2 sets of adjustable roofing brackets and a nice, heavy 4 prong pitchfork (used for removing shingles).

 

[edro]

You need to factor in borrowers and subcontractors mistakening your tools for theirs. I lost 1 or 2 prybars this weekend to my roofing crew...

But I gained 2 sets of adjustable roofing brackets and a nice, heavy 4 prong pitchfork (used for removing shingles).

Ha! Good point.

My favorite Klein diagonal cutting pliers were found sticking out of the attic insulation.
I found them up there right after I bought my house.
Contractor or previous owner left them up there.

 

[Thump553]

You forgot to consider the wife/child factor, which basically says the more you own of a particular tool the chances of them properly putting it back go exponentially lower. This is especially true for flat head screwdrivers (but surprisingly so, not phillips head, torx, etc). I have a standing Xmas order with one of my sons to give me a "wife" set of screwdrivers-by the time the next Xmas rolls around the flat heads are all long gone.

 

[Red Squirrel]

That is an interesting theory, and I'd have to say it's probably true.

I have MANY screw driver sets. It's one of those things that it's cheap, they sometimes go on sale, and you just happen to pickup a set if you see it on sale.

Yet, I only have like one green, one red, square that I know of. The others I have no idea where they are and I have not seen them in YEARS. When I do electrical I spend half the time chasing after those two particular ones. God help me if I find a wiring box that needs a flat screw driver.

Same with plyers, I have quite a few and only a few I can account for.

I do want to setup a dedicate place to keep tools, my issue is my garage is not finished, so I don't like keeping stuff in there during the winter, and I'm in the middle of basement renovations, so stuff keeps having to get moved around... and I need the stuff I'm moving around to do said renovations! It's an evil situation to be in.

Eventually I want to finish/insulate/seal my garage so I can condition it, then I will keep ALL tools in there. May even put a door so I can get to it from inside.

 

[Staples]

Well for certain is that you will take better care of them if you only have one.

I find that plastic boxes to hold them in are nice too because if it were not for that, I'd lose all the sockets, drill bits, etc.

 

[infoiltrator]

Depends on the number of projects going on at once, the number of helpers, and the organization of work space.

 

[DrPizza]

You forgot to consider the wife/child factor, which basically says the more you own of a particular tool the chances of them properly putting it back go exponentially lower. This is especially true for flat head screwdrivers (but surprisingly so, not phillips head, torx, etc). I have a standing Xmas order with one of my sons to give me a "wife" set of screwdrivers-by the time the next Xmas rolls around the flat heads are all long gone.

I have two nice, but incomplete sets of sockets. Why are they incomplete? Kids. But! The kids are grown and moved out of the house now! Son #2 borrowed my boat for a week. I asked him to tighten one of the belts on the motor if he had a chance. 3 days into fishing, I needed something from the engine compartment. Woohoooooo! A brand new shiny socket... of a common size. HA! HAHHH! He takes pride in having a perfectly complete set of sockets, and harassed me last time I was looking for a 1/2 in socket and couldn't find one in my tool boxes. Well guess what sucker...