After watching the still unfolding diaster along the Gulf coast, I
can't help but think of all the workshops that were destroyed.

All the tools and the effort that was expended to get them in the first
place...such a waste. It has taken me decades to find and buy the
quality and quantity of tools that I have. To replace them in a
reasonable timeframe and cost is impossible...and I am sure this
applies to many readers here.

Now if you were in the situation to HAVE to start over to rebuild your
shop...what would you buy, where and why?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions that those who have been affected
by a loss will appreciate.

TMT

"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
ups.com...
After watching the still unfolding diaster along the Gulf coast, I
can't help but think of all the workshops that were destroyed.

All the tools and the effort that was expended to get them in the first
place...such a waste. It has taken me decades to find and buy the
quality and quantity of tools that I have. To replace them in a
reasonable timeframe and cost is impossible...and I am sure this
applies to many readers here.

Now if you were in the situation to HAVE to start over to rebuild your
shop...what would you buy, where and why?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions that those who have been affected
by a loss will appreciate.

Personally while watching the unfolding disaster along the Gulf coast, I
can't help but think about my fellow American and the months and years of
anguish and personal loss of family that he will suffer from.
I think it is way way way too early to even consider worrying about
replacing equipment lost in a flood like the one in NO. Those affected
really have more important considerations to consider like where am I going
to live, where am I going to go to work, and when will I be reunited with my
family, just to name a few.
Whether it has taken decades or months to obtain something so trivial as a
garage full of tools, those swamped tools mean little when compared to the
real travesty that will continue to unfold. I can assure you that if you
were in their shoes a collection of tools would be far far in the back of
your mind.

"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
ups.com...
After watching the still unfolding diaster along the Gulf coast, I
can't help but think of all the workshops that were destroyed.

All the tools and the effort that was expended to get them in the first
place...such a waste. It has taken me decades to find and buy the
quality and quantity of tools that I have. To replace them in a
reasonable timeframe and cost is impossible...and I am sure this
applies to many readers here.

Now if you were in the situation to HAVE to start over to rebuild your
shop...what would you buy, where and why?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions that those who have been affected
by a loss will appreciate.

TMT

I would deffinitely start with a Bridgeport mill with CNC capability and a
fourth axis. Well tooled, of course. With this one machine I could do 90% of
whatever work I need done in my business of developing tools, machines and
products for clients and my own crazy ideas. The remaining 10% would be a
good convertible horizontal/vertical 1/8" bandsaw as close to a wire edm as
possible, and enough hand tools to drive my wife crazy.

Wayne

"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in
ups.com:

snip

Now if you were in the situation to HAVE to start over to rebuild your
shop...what would you buy, where and why?

I agree with Leon's comments, as usual.

I also believe that, were I to restock my shop, there would be maybe
two-thirds fewer tools than now reside there.

Why? I'd make fewer buying mistakes. (There would be, for example, no
Shopsmith.)

I have a better understanding of what I enjoy doing.

The economics of 'make vs. buy' are more meaningful now, and I now know
many more craftspersons, whose work I would trust.

I'd take my friends up on their offer of loaning a tool, or having them
come over to help more.

As we get older, some of us seek to lighten the load, live a simpler
life, and not try to solve every problem with a new tool.

I realize that life will still be pretty much the same, even if I never
am the proud owner of a vintage Stanley Model 45.

But most of all, a shop is just filled with stuff that enables
creativity and productivity. It was empty when I bought the place 7 or
8 years ago. If I died tomorrow, there would be one heck of a garage
sale, but that's about all that would matter, regards the stuff.

It's only a small part of life.

Patriarch

I agree with you 110% .

The subject of rebuilding the shop to rebuild one's home/business/hobby
is a subject that will need to be addressed in the future and that is
why I posted it asking for any suggestions that anyone might have.

My apology if you thought I believed that material processions take
priority over the human cost...it definitely does not.

TMT

"Leon" wrote in message
...

Snipped


. I can assure you that if you were in their shoes a collection of tools
would be far far in the back of your mind.


Not if said collection of tools IS the owners means of income......Then they
would be much more than a
"trivial garage full of tools" !!

NET

"Never_Enough_Tools" wrote in message
...


Not if said collection of tools IS the owners means of income......Then
they would be much more than a
"trivial garage full of tools" !!



If it was a means of income I can assure you I nor do I think the person
doing this for a living would have to discuss with anyone what would have
to replaced.

I tend to buy the small version of a machine, then later on realize I need
something larger, then buy the medium size version, then realize I still
need larger, and so on. If I had to do it again, I would buy big and be
done with it.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy imported machinery. I wouldn't buy a single
Craftsman product (manual, electric or pneumatic). I would have far fewer
cordless tools.

I'd buy another TA-185 tig welder, but would skip the stick and mig.

I'd buy a good 1/2" 6 point socket set. I'd skip the 12 point crap, as well
as the 1/4" and 3/8" stuff.

I'd skip the radial arm saw.

I'd skip the Maglites, lanterns, halogen lights and trouble lights. I'd get
another Luxeon headlight.

I would still buy a zillion router bits.

I wouldn't join and plane fine wood, then laminate them into a workbench.
I'd screw some plywood together and be done with it.

I would buy TWO of the best jack stands I could find, but no more than two.

I'd skip that spring loaded air hose spool like the one at the service
center.

I wouldn't even think about buying a creeper.

I'd buy a gigantic 3 phase air compressor, probably an Eaton.


"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
ups.com...
After watching the still unfolding diaster along the Gulf coast, I
can't help but think of all the workshops that were destroyed.

All the tools and the effort that was expended to get them in the first
place...such a waste. It has taken me decades to find and buy the
quality and quantity of tools that I have. To replace them in a
reasonable timeframe and cost is impossible...and I am sure this
applies to many readers here.

Now if you were in the situation to HAVE to start over to rebuild your
shop...what would you buy, where and why?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions that those who have been affected
by a loss will appreciate.

TMT

I know the feeling. I need a lawn tractor. Looking at a D9.

"AL" wrote in message
...
I tend to buy the small version of a machine, then later on realize I need
something larger, then buy the medium size version, then realize I still
need larger, and so on. If I had to do it again, I would buy big and be
done with it.

In article . net,
"CW" wrote:

I know the feeling. I need a lawn tractor. Looking at a D9.

Nice tractor. Accessories are expensive though.

CW wrote:
I know the feeling. I need a lawn tractor. Looking at a D9.

That's my kind of lawn tractor! It's good advice too. Big stuff is often
cheaper, better built and more capable. If you've got space, go for it.

Chris

I would normally agree but in the past I have seen several cases where
because of flooding or a fire the owner affected has just decided to
throw in the towel and go work for someone else since they did not
believe that they could rebuild. Sometimes it is because of the time
involved in rebuilding or the expense. At some time in our lives, we
all reach the point where there is no point to rebuild. Shortening the
time or reducing the cost can make the difference between a business
rebuilding after a disaster or not.

TMT

Sun, Sep 11, 2005, 9:20am (EDT-3) From:
(Too_Many_Tools) for some reason wonders:
snip Now if you were in the situation to HAVE to start over to rebuild
your shop...what would you buy, where and why? snip

I just posted an inspiration, and came across this.

In the instance of living in an area hit by a hurricaint, a ticket.
At the closest bus, or train, station. To get far away from the coast,
so it wouldn't happen to me again. Once the subject of surviving was
out of the way that is, anything else would be of lesser importance.
Sheesh.



JOAT
I don't believe in reincarnation. I used to, but that was in another
life.

"J T" wrote in message

In the instance of living in an area hit by a hurricaint, a ticket.
At the closest bus, or train, station. To get far away from the coast,
so it wouldn't happen to me again. Once the subject of surviving was
out of the way that is, anything else would be of lesser importance.

Hurricanes on east cost, tornados south midwest, earthquakes west cost.
Farther north, freeze your butt off in sub-zero weather a number of months
of the year, ice storms, flooding in the mid western provinces or states,
forest fires in the mountain regions, mud slides, avalanches. There's only
one place to go to be safe from it all and that means you're dead.

Here in the midwest, I don't know anyone that has lost property due to a
natural disaster, but I know two people who lost their shops due to fires.
**** happens. That's why I have insurance and am not emotionally attached
to my stuff.

"Upscale" wrote in message
...
"J T" wrote in message

In the instance of living in an area hit by a hurricaint, a ticket.
At the closest bus, or train, station. To get far away from the coast,
so it wouldn't happen to me again. Once the subject of surviving was
out of the way that is, anything else would be of lesser importance.

Hurricanes on east cost, tornados south midwest, earthquakes west cost.
Farther north, freeze your butt off in sub-zero weather a number of months
of the year, ice storms, flooding in the mid western provinces or states,
forest fires in the mountain regions, mud slides, avalanches. There's only
one place to go to be safe from it all and that means you're dead.

I live in Syracuse, NY, and I'll take any amount of snow and cold over
hurricanes - I really don't think there's any comparison. Snow is can
be an inconvenience, but unless you choose to drive in it with poor
tires, or sit out in it with poor clothing, it is not nearly the
life-threatening disaster of a hurricane. When was the last time you
heard of thousands (or even tens) of people dying in a snowstorm? A
big ice storm might make a little dent in the economy if it takes down
lots of trees and power lines, but that's still nothing compared to the
hundreds of billions of dollars that's on the line for the gulf coast.
Anyway, this is somewhat off the topic of this thread.
What I'd replace - bandsaw, router, drill press (even though I don't
have one quite yet), chisels, a quality combination square, and of
course a Knight smoother. Maybe a Bosch 1590 jigsaw. I think I could
do a heck of a lot with just these few tools.

In article , Upscale
wrote:

There's only
one place to go to be safe from it all and that means you're dead.

Only if it's all happening at the same time. Otherwise, there are lots
of safe places to go if you have enough warning and the means to move.

--
"Wherever there is a jackboot stomping on a human face there will be a
well-heeled Western liberal to explain that the face does, after all, enjoy
free health care and 100 percent literacy." -- John Derbyshire

"Dave Balderstone" wrote in message

Only if it's all happening at the same time. Otherwise, there are lots
of safe places to go if you have enough warning and the means to move.

Not so sure of that. Even with a few days notice, thousands couldn't make it
out of the path of Katrina. Of course, you're right by using the word "all".
The winds and then the water and electricity being cut off, pretty much in a
one, two, three punch. I'd say they endured a good portion of "all" at the
same time.

"Leon" wrote in message
...

"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
ups.com...
After watching the still unfolding diaster along the Gulf coast, I
can't help but think of all the workshops that were destroyed.

All the tools and the effort that was expended to get them in the first
place...such a waste. It has taken me decades to find and buy the
quality and quantity of tools that I have. To replace them in a
reasonable timeframe and cost is impossible...and I am sure this
applies to many readers here.

Now if you were in the situation to HAVE to start over to rebuild your
shop...what would you buy, where and why?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions that those who have been affected
by a loss will appreciate.

Personally while watching the unfolding disaster along the Gulf coast, I
can't help but think about my fellow American and the months and years of
anguish and personal loss of family that he will suffer from.
I think it is way way way too early to even consider worrying about
replacing equipment lost in a flood like the one in NO. Those affected
really have more important considerations to consider like where am I
going
to live, where am I going to go to work, and when will I be reunited with
my
family, just to name a few.
Whether it has taken decades or months to obtain something so trivial as
a
garage full of tools, those swamped tools mean little when compared to the
real travesty that will continue to unfold. I can assure you that if you
were in their shoes a collection of tools would be far far in the back of
your mind.



This makes no sense. If TooManyTools has lost items in the floods should he
refrain from trying to replace them until all other victims have their lives
together? If so, why?
He is also a victim of the floods and is in the process of rebuilding,
regardless of the extent of his loss.
Leon seems to have taken offense that he is doing so.

Too_Many_Tools wrote:
After watching the still unfolding diaster along the Gulf coast, I
can't help but think of all the workshops that were destroyed.

All the tools and the effort that was expended to get them in the first
place...such a waste. It has taken me decades to find and buy the
quality and quantity of tools that I have. To replace them in a
reasonable timeframe and cost is impossible...and I am sure this
applies to many readers here.

Now if you were in the situation to HAVE to start over to rebuild your
shop...what would you buy, where and why?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions that those who have been affected
by a loss will appreciate.

TMT


Torch, welder and grinder.

John

"Battleax" wrote in message
...



This makes no sense. If TooManyTools has lost items in the floods should
he
refrain from trying to replace them until all other victims have their
lives
together? If so, why?

Uh, no he should not refrain from replacing his tools. He should consider
doing so after looking at what is really important and after getting his
home and family back in order. Getting you home and kife and family back to
a normal state should be the utmost of your priorities and starting to think
about such minor problems as a flooded shop 2 weeks after the storm is an
indicator that someone may not have a grasp of the problems that lay before
him. I live in Houston and with living in Houston, flooding is not an
unusual occourance. Houstton went through a very similar experience as NO
back in 2001 and I personally have been in floods 2 or 3 times as far back
as 1967. It takes months to even consider moving back into you home if you
had only a foot standing in it for any period of time.
First there is a shortage of contractors and materials and if you are lucky,
claims adjusters to do the work when thousands of homes have been affected.
Because there has been this filthy water in you home for possibly weeks and
or months a serious case of mold starts to grow in your home. Everything
in the house must be thrown out and replaced. Then at a minimum the sheet
rock has to be replaced and the insulation must be torn out and replaced.
If you are lucky, that is all you have to do. Then consider that all of the
neighborhoods near you are doing the same thing in every house.
On top of this you still have to go to work every day if the business was
not wipped out and hope progress is being made on your home while you are
staying at a hotel or an appartment that has no furniture. And how do you
get to work, you vehicles flooded long before your house went under. You
literally are lucky to have the clothes that are on your back.


Leon seems to have taken offense that he is doing so.

Perhaps, to start a thread off with "After watching the still unfolding
disaster along the Gulf coast, I
can't help but think of all the workshops that were destroyed",
All the tools and the effort that was expended to get them in the first
place...such a waste. It has taken me decades to find and buy the
quality and quantity of tools that I have.

I can assure you that for most flood victims it has also taken decades to
obtain the much more important things in life such as his family, home,
furniture, etc. For thousands it will again take decades to get back to the
same state of well being and accomplishment as they were in 3 weeks ago.
How can a person that has "actually" been through this or witnessed this on
TV, not see the irony of the statements of the beginning of this thread?
At the very least I see the statement as being a bit short sighted and seems
to indicate a lack of compassion or understanding of what ANY flood victim
will go through when his home has been flooded. "Maybe" 6 months from now a
lucky victim can start to think about replacing his shop tools but keeping
his family together and feeding them for the next several months should be
his immediate concern.

With all that said, I can see the value of this thread but perhaps with a
bit more compassion for those that are really in a hard ship right now, save
the thread for another 12 months or so.

"J T" wrote in message
...
Sun, Sep 11, 2005, 9:20am (EDT-3) From:
(Too_Many_Tools) for some reason wonders:
snip Now if you were in the situation to HAVE to start over to rebuild
your shop...what would you buy, where and why? snip

I just posted an inspiration, and came across this.

Snip

Once the subject of surviving was
out of the way that is, anything else would be of lesser importance.
Sheesh.

Exactly!

"AL" wrote in message
...

Here in the midwest, I don't know anyone that has lost property due to a
natural disaster, but I know two people who lost their shops due to fires.
**** happens. That's why I have insurance and am not emotionally attached
to my stuff.

Was it not in the Midwest several years ago when the massive flooding took
place and whole towns were swallowed up by the rivers that were miles out of
their banks.

Insurance for single incidents is great. Insurance in a situation such as
NO is of little comfort,

"Battleax" wrote in message
...

snip

How do you know so much about his particular situation?


I have been through 4 Major hurricanes plus Houston where I live went
through a very similar experience as NO
back in 2001 and I personally have been in floods 2 or 3 times as far back
as 1967.

"Leon" wrote in message
.. .

"Battleax" wrote in message
...



This makes no sense. If TooManyTools has lost items in the floods should
he
refrain from trying to replace them until all other victims have their
lives
together? If so, why?

Uh, no he should not refrain from replacing his tools. He should consider
doing so after looking at what is really important and after getting his
home and family back in order.

snip

How do you know so much about his particular situation?

"Upscale" wrote in message
...
"J T" wrote in message

In the instance of living in an area hit by a hurricaint, a ticket.
At the closest bus, or train, station. To get far away from the coast,
so it wouldn't happen to me again. Once the subject of surviving was
out of the way that is, anything else would be of lesser importance.

Hurricanes on east cost, tornados south midwest, earthquakes west cost.
Farther north, freeze your butt off in sub-zero weather a number of months
of the year, ice storms, flooding in the mid western provinces or states,
forest fires in the mountain regions, mud slides, avalanches. There's only
one place to go to be safe from it all and that means you're dead.



Hmmm...So now winter is considered a natural disaster...

"Leon" wrote in message
. ..

"Battleax" wrote in message
...

snip

How do you know so much about his particular situation?


I have been through 4 Major hurricanes plus Houston where I live went
through a very similar experience as NO
back in 2001 and I personally have been in floods 2 or 3 times as far back
as 1967.



Lightweight...and irrelevant. I was refering to the original poster's
particular situation, not your past experience. Everyone is giving
TooMuchTools crap for trying to get his situation in order. Typical
newsgroup bashing to make the bashers feel better. Good luck with that.

"Battleax" wrote in message
...



Lightweight...and irrelevant. I was refering to the original poster's
particular situation, not your past experience. Everyone is giving
TooMuchTools crap for trying to get his situation in order. Typical
newsgroup bashing to make the bashers feel better. Good luck with that.



I do not often respond like this but here goes, YOU are full of crap and
apparently have a hard comprehending what you read.

Lightweight MY ASS. ToMuchTools is not having to get any thing in order.
He has not mentioned anything about him having a been involved in a flood.
He has merely mentioned a possible scenario.

His particular situation does not involve having to do anything.

"Battleax" wrote in message news:4- I was under
the impression his tools suffered flood damage, this does not
appear to be the case. I had him mixed up with a previous poster wondering
about his tablesaw and garage full of tools under water.


Regardless, Huston was a blip compared to NO.

Right. Explain that to the neighborhoods of families that took more than
12-18 months to get back into their homes. While not all of Houston was
totally flooded, I would say that out of a population of 2.5 million and the
metro area now being closer to 5 million probably 7-10% of the homes were
flooded. Now compare that to the population of NO and I think you will have
to agree that was no blip. Houston had water that was easily 16-20 feet
deep on a freeway going into down town just from my side of town. Add in
the other 6 freeways going into down town.

so back on topic...

I'd get the dust collector before I got the shop vac.

On Mon, 12 Sep 2005 14:14:07 -0700, s wrote:
so back on topic...

I'd get the dust collector before I got the shop vac.

Make sure you ground it...

"Leon" wrote in message
. ..

"Battleax" wrote in message
...



Lightweight...and irrelevant. I was refering to the original poster's
particular situation, not your past experience. Everyone is giving
TooMuchTools crap for trying to get his situation in order. Typical
newsgroup bashing to make the bashers feel better. Good luck with that.



I do not often respond like this but here goes, YOU are full of crap and
apparently have a hard comprehending what you read.

Lightweight MY ASS. ToMuchTools is not having to get any thing in order.
He has not mentioned anything about him having a been involved in a flood.
He has merely mentioned a possible scenario.

His particular situation does not involve having to do anything.



I was under the impression his tools suffered flood damage, this does not
appear to be the case. I had him mixed up with a previous poster wondering
about his tablesaw and garage full of tools under water.
Regardless, Huston was a blip compared to NO.

On Mon, 12 Sep 2005 16:49:34 -0500, "Battleax"
wrote:






I was under the impression his tools suffered flood damage, this does not
appear to be the case. I had him mixed up with a previous poster wondering
about his tablesaw and garage full of tools under water.
Regardless, Huston was a blip compared to NO.


Gentlemen, please settle down and stay civil

I'm that previous poster and I just got back from Biloxi an hour ago.
My very special Unisaw is probably toast, however, I still plan to try
to recover it. In addition to that I lost about another $2500 in
tools that were in the same mini warehouse that I had stored the
Unisaw. No insurance.

After spending the weekend dragging my Mother in Law's entire material
existence out of her house and to the street, I consider myself lucky.
She got seven feet of water and a tree crushed about a third of her
house.

Lucky that I did not lose more. Lucky that I came into contact with a
number of these little out of town Church groups that are roaming the
area helping out. There must be hundreds of them. Eight of them from
the first Baptist Church of Gainesville, Fla.spent a full day helping
me drag all that slimey stuff to the street in the most intolerable
conditions and they never stopped smiling. Lucky to have met the
woman from the Parkway Presbyterian Church from Canton Mississippi who
stayed up all night cooking so she could feed all comers and she fed
me the best meal I may have ever had. Lucky when a group from a
church in Macon Missiissippi walked up to me in the middle of the
afternoon in the broiling sun and handed me a cold bottle of water.
Lucky to have seen some of all the out of state policemen, firemen,
nurses, doctors, guardsman, utility workers etc. etc.. making life
better by the hour.

Lucky to witness the humor people can retain despite desperate
conditions in their lives.

I probably met or saw more minor heroes in 72 hours than most people
get to see in a lifetime.

What the media reported was looters and finger pointing about who is
to blame for the poor planning and response.

What I saw was people helping out.

Lucky, indeed.

Frank

Another example of something I skimped on. I would skip the Jet 1.5HP dust
collector and get a giant cyclone. But I wouldn't think twice about
spending extra for another Fein Turbo II.

wrote in message
...
so back on topic...

I'd get the dust collector before I got the shop vac.

"Leon" wrote in message

ToMuchTools is not having to get any thing in order. He has not
mentioned anything about him having a been involved in a flood. He has
merely mentioned a possible scenario.

His particular situation does not involve having to do anything.

Exactly. And I see nothing wrong with going over a scenario that involves
starting over for whatever the reason. Flood, divorce, job loss, fore.
burglary, etc. While it is important to get family things in order, at some
point tools will be a consideration. The rest of us can help by donating
time, money, materials, whatever, to the Katrina victims but we still have
to move ahead with our lives. IMO, this is not much more than asking "what
do you want for dinner tomorrow?"

On Mon, 12 Sep 2005 18:41:43 -0500, "AL" wrote:

Another example of something I skimped on. I would skip the Jet 1.5HP dust
collector and get a giant cyclone. But I wouldn't think twice about
spending extra for another Fein Turbo II.

wrote in message
.. .
so back on topic...

I'd get the dust collector before I got the shop vac.



after a little thought, I'm gonna qualify my post.

if all I was doing is replacing my shop, the DC would be purchased
before the vac. but if the process involved cleaning up after a
hurricane, the vac would be one of the very first purchases.

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
. ..

"Leon" wrote in message

ToMuchTools is not having to get any thing in order. He has not
mentioned anything about him having a been involved in a flood. He has
merely mentioned a possible scenario.

His particular situation does not involve having to do anything.

Exactly. And I see nothing wrong with going over a scenario that involves
starting over for whatever the reason. Flood, divorce, job loss, fore.
burglary, etc. While it is important to get family things in order, at
some
point tools will be a consideration. The rest of us can help by donating
time, money, materials, whatever, to the Katrina victims but we still have
to move ahead with our lives. IMO, this is not much more than asking
"what
do you want for dinner tomorrow?"



I do agree. On a forum I browse a poster created a thread offering his
condolences to the 911 victims yesterday. When no one replied within 4 hours
he freaked out calling everyone assholes.
There's little worse than being brow-beaten into having sympathy for one
particular cause over another.

Frank Boettcher writes:

I probably met or saw more minor heroes in 72 hours than most people
get to see in a lifetime.

And most people never know about them. Bless them all.
My best wishes for you too.

It seems so easy to gloss over what happens. But when it happens to
you, your whole world turns up side down. My in-laws house was struck
by lightening 2 months ago, our whole summer was really disrupted.

My heart goes out to all of those who went through a real disaster.
Words cannot begin to describe the hell they go through.

Keep focusing on the good, and forget the jerks.


--
Sending unsolicited commercial e-mail to this account incurs a fee of
$500 per message, and acknowledges the legality of this contract.

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
. ..

Exactly. And I see nothing wrong with going over a scenario that involves
starting over for whatever the reason. Flood, divorce, job loss, fore.
burglary, etc. While it is important to get family things in order, at
some point tools will be a consideration. The rest of us can help by
donating time, money, materials, whatever, to the Katrina victims but we
still have to move ahead with our lives. IMO, this is not much more than
asking "what do you want for dinner tomorrow?"


I think what struck me wrong is that most of the people that have lost
everything, those that probably have no insurance most likely did not have
the luxury of owning expensive tools. With that in mind, they would
probably wish that they had the luxury of worrying about their water soaked
tools instead of where their family is and where their next meal may come
from.
I don't condemn the nature of the thread as much as the timing. I seriously
doubt that many NO survivors would have much sympathy for some one that only
had to worry about damaged tools at this point. In you only have water
soaked tools be thankful.

In article , JohnM
wrote:

Too_Many_Tools wrote:
After watching the still unfolding diaster along the Gulf coast, I
can't help but think of all the workshops that were destroyed.

All the tools and the effort that was expended to get them in the first
place...such a waste. It has taken me decades to find and buy the
quality and quantity of tools that I have. To replace them in a
reasonable timeframe and cost is impossible...and I am sure this
applies to many readers here.

Now if you were in the situation to HAVE to start over to rebuild your
shop...what would you buy, where and why?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions that those who have been affected
by a loss will appreciate.

TMT


Torch, welder and grinder.

I did an interstate move and had to build a new house when I arrived,
starting off in a tent with hand tools and a borrowed gen set. So....

Hand tools & hand power tools, minimum of a good 1/2" drill and a cheap
71/2" circ saw. A hand power planer is very useful, I got a Makita
which could do rebates over 12mm. I could then make all my own door
jambs etc from solid rough sawn stock.

Move up to a sliding compound mitre saw; I have a 12" DeWalt and love
it. A table saw is nice too but more for detail work unless you're
going to be ripping long lengths of timber. An air compressor and nail
gun. Saves time and you can hold something and nail it without needing
a 3rd hand.

You've now built the shop/house/whatever. All this stuff can run off a
moderately sized gen set.

To get into metal, a good 5" angle grinder and a cheap 4 1/2" angle
grinder. Yeah, you can get by with one grinder but it's a PITA to swap
from cutting disks to grinding disks 20 times/day to save $20. A stick
welder capable of running 1/8" 6011 rods, you can now weld anything you
need to weld in steel.

After that it depends on what you're into. Personally, I shipped my
Colchester lathe, 30 x 8 H/V mill and big vertical bandsaw first.

Building the house, I used the table saw and a 12" thickness planer
quite a lot, but they're second order important for construction
carpentry. They came into their own, along with the bandsaw and a
router, for fitting the place out.

PDW