Introductions

[Branson]

I hope to bring this thread up to date some.
I have slowed down on buying wrenches. I think I may have enough for right now, at least until I get them organized again. I still collect H D Smith and Bergman tools in addition to alligator wrenches.
How about some further responses from members, both new and old?

Not a lot has changed here.  The past two years have been one ($*&%^(& "growth experience" after another.  I'm mostly focused on recreating a portable forge and carriage maker's tool set for the mid-19th Century US mountain howitzer with a friend.  And accumulating more tools along the way.   Once in a while, I find something on eBay cheap enough to buy -- most recently a brass bodied spoke shave pattern hand router -- that didn't attract or was missed by other collectors. 

I've acquired a lot of tools in the past that are still in storage.  There's a carpenter's tool chest in storage I haven't been able to dig down to that holds a lot of wrenches of various sorts, and after a couple of years on Tool Talk, I'm anxious to see what goodies might be among them (I didn't know much at all when I got these -- a bunch were in the chest when I got it).  A couple of trips to the storage unit have yielded up good things I had forgotten.  I found that somewhere I had picked up a Planet Jr. wrench, and there was a box that had about a dozen lathe tools, including a D.R. Barton that looks like it has never been used or sharpened, along with four others.   

No workshop yet, which slows down things.  It limits access to tools, and it limits jobs I can take.  If I had the money, I could build the shop; if I had the shop I could make the money...

[Branson]

Here are two pictures of my older son and me goofing off Easter Sunday.

Are you sure he's related?  LOL!  Great pictures!

[john k]

John in Nebraska, seem to be the only tool hoarder here.   Do have a neighbor, but thats another story.   Live in the country on the farm place.   Have mechanics and farm tools that my father and I used.   Have collected sufficient hand tools to keep me busy through retirement.    Do woodworking by hand tools, and blacksmithing.   Full time auto mechanic yet for awhile anyway.  Own a couple of old JohnDeere tractors that need old tools, and a red one.  Enjoyed talking to the folks here, and swapped tools with some.   Have made great progress in filling out wrench sets, that I had thought I'd never complete.  Still haven't met another member from here face to face, but it might happen.  The amount of accumulated knowledge, and old tool resources revealed in the posts is amazing. 

[autobon7]

Hey there.....Morgan (autobon7) in Alton, IL. Just across the river from St Louis, MO. I'm 47 and have worked at the same factory for 24 years. I do the purchasing for repair and maintenance so I deal with alot of vendors both good and bad. I'm a shade tree mech wanna be...ha ha but love tools. Mainly use them around the house and maintaining my daily driver 1995 Toyota Landcruiser and my weekend fun car 1975 BMW 2002. Have a mix of Craftsman, Gearwrench, Facom, & Toptul. When my Grandmother passed away several years ago I was able to get a few wrenches my Grandfather had from long ago. Don't use them very much but will break them out when finishing a big project, in his honor. Have to say that I am partial to my Facom wrenches but usually catch them on sale or clearance as new they are bit much for a divorced Dad who does not use them for a living. I absolutely love the feel and quality and have yet to experience a failure in the 25 years of use. My stuff may not see everyday use but I do not baby anything I have. My 2 fav places to buy tools online is www.ultimategarage.com & http://store.harryepstein.com/   Have been active on garagejournal for awhile but glad to be here as well.

[Papaw]

Welcome to Tool Talk, Morgan!