On 12 Sep 2004 01:51:14 GMT, (MilkyWhy) wrote:

I have a house and several buildings with one formal "shop" in one bldg. But I
keep sets of tools in all buildings and house. I also have a vise in each bldg
and I keep 2 or 3 drills at each location. I buy them at sales for a buck or
two, then I chuck up the drill bit size that I most often use, and screw-driver
bit in one [of the old drills] and a large bit in another of them.

This, having 2 or 3 drills at site, with different bits in them and a
screwdriver bit, keeps me from usually having to swap bits. And, just having
them ready at hand gets me in motion --off my lard ass-- and actually tackling
jobs that I was trying to dodge in the first place.

Ready at hand. Music to my ears.

Partly due to a snafu, I now have 2 cordless drills. To be brief, my 6
year old 12 Volt drill's batteries died. I couldn't find the batteries
for a decent price, so I bought an 18V drill whose batteries would
also be useful as spares for a couple of other tools. Shortly
thereafter (natch) I stumbled across a good deal on the 12V
batteries.

But even though it was unplanned, I could swear I heard angels singing
softly the other day when I was using one for drilling and the other
for driving screws.

I've got a couple of older drills that I don't like so much. I use one
for ugly chores, like removing paint from my garage door. The other
lives in my electrical tool box. The proper-size masonry bit for
attaching conduit to my walls is more or less permanently attached. (I
lost the chuck key).

I've also got a Makita 1/2" hammer drill, which despite it's modest
size, is likely to injure my wrist someday. I could be smart and
attach the second grip, but I'm likely to be wrapped in an Ace bandage
while I'm doing it.

I agree with the original poster. Tools are frequently advertised as
having a host of different uses. That's great when you need
portability, or don't repeat a certain task too often. But nothing
beats having separate tools for each task when you're doing a longer
job.

Greg Guarino