Thread: How do you keep your "friends" out of your tools?

JST:

As the newish young guy working swing, i dont have many tools yet, mostly just a mic, calipers and some other small odds and ends. There unfortunatly is a lot of times where to do a job i need to use one of the day shift guy's tools. At first i just didnt do those jobs, but after i showed true interest in learning whats goin on and that i could properly use the tools and return them neither one of them has any issue with me using their tools. I still ask when they are around, because just digging into someone else's box is kinda weird to me but they almost always just tell me where it is and let me find it. So really i just thinks its a respect thing, they understand that i respect them and their tools.

If you have a problem being an ass just keep hanging around the forum and you're bound to pick it up eventually.

Lock "em up. Establish a reputation for being a
SOB with the care and feeding of your tools. If you're a PITA they will leave you alone or ask you
sparingly and be careful with them. Old Bill

I just ordered keyed alike lock cylinders for all my boxes. I think I'm going to have to keep them locked when I"m not around. at least until trunk monkey releases their tool box edition.

When I was a diesel mechanic there was an unwritten law. Don't ever get in someones toolbox or use their tools without asking first, each time. It could and did start fights which I watched. I have invited some to go outside for a discussion a time or two myself. When I went back to machine work I took that attitude with me. It works and while I have not had to fight or throw a hammer like Sami, of which I fully approve his action, I still have all my tools in good shape.

I also put all my tools away and locked them up every night unlike others.

You could always loan him a MSC catalog....

I will loan tools solely on the understanding that they come back when agreed and in the same or better condition as they go out, otherwise it's yours & you have to buy me a new one. Surprising how many people decide not to bother,
Regards,
Nick

My dad has a white board at the door with a sign above it that says:

"YOU CAN BORROW NOTHING UNLESS YOU SIGN FOR IT"

That has reduced the number of "lost" items.

Steve

Why don't you sit down and have a talk with him and lay it on the line?, Hey Buddy, I lke having you as my friend so we better have a understanding so we can remain friends, BLAH, BLAH.........

I've noticed people don't like to use weird tools, so I've sort of been shopping for weird tools instead of standard ones.

One of the big items in my shop that are lost/broken/borrowed/etc are indicators. My solution has been to shop for old analog electronic indicators - I've found they're pretty inexpensive, and you get three indicators for the price of one - three resolutions, .001, .0001, and .00001. Some go even further. The big point though, is we have some in the shop already, and nobody wants to use them. Score!

No straining your neck to use them at odd angles, as the meter sits somewhere convenient and has a huge gauge on the front of it. And lastly, you can do more tricks with them, since they have continual output for graphing or logging.

And best of all, nobody will ever ask to borrow them.

Can't say that for the wrenches, though. I guess I'll just have to keep my box locked.

Toasty, still not a fix. One of the ladies at my work buys and/or colors all her tools with girly-girl pink and neatly hangs them on a peg board with pink frilly ribbons. She doesn't have a problem with the guys burrowing her tools but the ladies just love 'em.

Well, I'm relying more than just being "weird," and going non-intuitive.

Some of the analog probe head amps are intimidating, with all the knobs and adjustments and tricks they can do. If you leave it zeroed out at one end of the probe travel, in differential mode, and measuring in .00001, people give up pretty quick when they can't figure out how the darn thing works.

I guess my philosophy is simple: If you can figure out how my tools work, you probably have some sort of qualification to be using them.

That still leaves me with the problem; I can't figure out a way to make regular wrenches as non-intuitive as analog probes and autocollimators.

The no approach works, but it has to be modified:

"Can I borrow your watzit?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"No."

"I'll bring it right back."

"No."

"What's up with you, yer bring a prick, let
me borrow it."

"No."

"Blah bla blaahhh bla bla bla..."

"No."

etc.

Jim

It was too large for just my wallet so I sublet about half of it to an old friend who is also an engineer and machinist.

If a space half that size is acceptable, how is a simple dividing wall out of the question?

Explain how it's walled off out of consideration for his health. No further explanation should be given.

You might, (or this is what I would do), put up a small 10' x 10' dog pen around your toolboxes and stuff. Sort of a tool crib. Lock the gate so that he would have to crawl over.

Then put a sign on the gate "Don't ask to borrow my tools and I wont ask to borrow your wife."

If you and him are the only 2 around there he "Should" get the message. If he does crawl the fence have a card in every drawer where he can see it "So, when will your wife be over?"

I have had to do similar things to people that can't take a hint. Some people need to be hit in the head with a shovel......... I can help you with that ,too. [img]smile.gif[/img]

It would be nice to just be firm, but it is hard for me to do it. If I do it in a fun way, but with very serious overtones they usually get the hint.

JAckal [img]smile.gif[/img]

P.S. One place where I worked they would wait for you to go to the toilet and then borrow your stuff.

I put a sign on my box " If I catch you looking in here I will kick the drawer shut with your hand inside, no matter who you are."

I will loan almost anyone my tools if they ask. It just make me mad to see the sneaky ones trying to get by for free.

At that same place Dave M. told Bob A. "Instead of borrowing mine everyday, buy your own. That is if you are thinking about doing this for a living". Bob was a 50 year old mooch . He had been machining for 30 years. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I once foolishly lent some 8" C Clamps to a neighbor. It took me 8 months of begging to get them back and when I did, they were rusted.

That's not the only example I could cite but in any case, I never lend tools to anyone anymore. If they take them without your permission, that's even worse. It's no better than theft as far as I'm concerned.

I like jackal's idea about the wife. That has some merit. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Make a list of everything he borrows for a week. End of week, write "fred's shopping list" at the top and give it to him. If he doesn't buy what's on the list, next time he wants to borrow, tell him the store is still open and he needs to get up there and buy what he needs. In reality, though, this is not gonna work out. You may as well figure out how you are going to end it, 'cause end it you will, one way or another...Joe

Better take a look at the wife first, or you might not care for the results...

Baddog could be right, what if it is part of a bigger plan? " I'll return your tools and throw in some news if you take my wife".

I have 5 rollaways... 6 if ya include my 9yo daughters one that she is populating with some of my old tools & the ones her mother left behind.. I have a LOT of tools.
The bike club I used to hang with would sometimes have "maintenance days" at my place owing to the tools & the 1000sqft garage.
One day a Jaguar mechanic that I didn't know was caught using one of MY Martin body hammers to knock the axle out of a Suzuki GSXR750. He was a friend of a friend who worked at the same dealership who was also there. All I had to do was look at my friend & point at the hammer for the problem to be resolved rather swiftly [img]smile.gif[/img]

As for your problem:


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