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Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Hand tools for everyone



Growing up we used to spend summers at my folk’s small cottage at the lake. My dad would let his friend and his family stay on a trailer on my dad’s property. His friend had eight kids, so I had plenty of kids to play with in the summer.

Dad figured he had plenty of free labor. Everyone was expected to do some work around the place. Dad had a pretty good collection of hand tools: hammers, saws, screwdrivers, shovels, rakes, axes, sledge hammers -you name it. All us kids made quite the labor force. Many hands really did make for light work.

A little work didn’t do us kids any harm. In fact, two of the boys went on to careers in the building trades. One now manages a lumber yard, the other owns a thriving construction business.

Most of the hand tools have come down to me. Like my dad, I’ve been able to keep friends and family busy. If volunteer labor shows up, I’ll always have something for them to work with. My three daughters were no strangers to tools. When they were fairly young, we had a bad ice storm. The kids were stuck at home as school was closed. I gave them all hand saws and instructed them to cut up branches the ice storm took down. Those branches heated the house for days.

Some preppers expect friends and family to find their way to their place in a disaster. With that in mind, many of us have put up a bit of extra food. Easier to feed them than send them away. Have you given any thought to what you are going to do to keep all those people occupied? Most people want to be productive, especially if they are taking advantage of a person’s hospitality.

My guests will have plenty of tools at their disposal to keep them busy.

-Sixbears

16 comments:

  1. Keeping them headed the right direction might be the challenge!

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  2. That's a cool idea! I have been buying extra rakes, saws, shovels, and hoes when they came on sale as spares, but now I know a better use for them. And yes Gorges, in the beginning, getting them in the right direction is a challenge, but it pays off in the end. "Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6 ASV)

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  3. In fact that is another good reason for you to stop by this year if ya'll come down this way for the winter.
    There most likely is a place for you and your lovely wife, just in case SHTF while you're in our neighborhood. Yes we gots plenty of extra tools lol.

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    1. Thats a very generous offer. Our plans are up in the air right now, but we'll definitely consider it.

      We've family issues that might keep us north this year.

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  4. A herd of kids working together is one thing, but if the group is small, my experience is less gets done, at least with supervision. One kids does one kids work. Two kids gets 1/2 a kids work. Three kids gets 1/3 kids work. Sort of an inverse - three kids get into shennanigans and distractions. If spread out, work progress works fine.

    Well made hand tools are great, no gasoline to go buy, no electric cords to dig out, just pick it up and go to it. The current inexpensive foreign tools - well, they work, but not for a long time, the steel is thin and bends, the handles break - really frustrating to work with.

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    1. My dad is a wizard at getting the best from people, kids or adults. People loved to work for him.

      Well made tools are definetly worth seeking out. Poorly made tools are dangerous.

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  5. Ha ha, I always get that "Since you are here..." There are certain folks I won't visit in nice clothes, because I know they won't stay nice for long. I got plenty to keep folks busy myself! Bring your grubbies : )

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    1. I have got to learn to always bring a change of clothes with me. My complains that all my clothes soon become work clothes.

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    2. Hmm... Maybe we should be stocking up on cheap overalls for our guests, too :-)

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    3. . . . and straw hats, don't forget the straw hats.

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  6. I had or have a lot of tools but I don't know where most of them are. Some times if I need a tool, it is easier to go buy a new one than to try to find the ones I have. I am really organized (grin).

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    1. I'm organized, but then my wife will clean up and I can't find anything.

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  7. I'm buying tools and backup, I find I can't do all I want physically because I'm disabled but if you got tools my neighbors will do a little work for me to "pay me back" for the use of the tool. Works out super for me!

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    1. Sounds like a clever solution. Better to use your head than your back!

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