# I weep for our future (not political) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 9, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889 "2025-09-09T14:54:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/21 "2025-09-09T17:28:11Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > So, finally got a new bed delivered. > > The 20 something guys from a well established company had no tools to put it together. > > I don’t mind loaning tools at all. As long as I get them back, but if this company want’s me to review this I’m going to come down hard on them sending anyone out without basic tools is wrong. > > “Need to borrow a drill? No problem” > “Need to borrow a wrench? Sure, why not choose a socket instead?” > > Tools I got. > > These rocket scientists where trying to loosen bolt on the side of a piece of square ‘tubular’ steel. Ok, that is just to sinch things up and then clamp it down. The bolt was run through a nut welded to the side of that tube steel. Makes sense. > > They where grunting and straining to try to remove it. They couldn’t do it. I told them to use my vice on my work bench to hold the piece and gave them a breaker bar. > > **Well, they did not know how to operate a common work bench vice** , or get a socket on/off a ratchet or breaker bar. > > They where trying to remove the bolt and the welded on nut (one right over the other). The socket fit over both. > > I asked to look at it and got it done in 10 seconds. No vice needed. > > These where 20 somethings, how will they possibly survive? > > Shit, how will we? These guys where driving a 30 foot box truck. I weep for a future where “where” and “were” are the same word! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/22 "2025-09-09T17:33:34Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > I wish I could’ve learned that! My dad was so not-handy he _literally_ could not figure out how to change a florescent light — even though he was a nuclear engineer working at a power plant… go figure. (12 year old me then learned about ballasts and breakers and wiring and replaced it myself) It is indeed possible to be _too_ specialized in a single field. My Wifes dad ordered up all of the wood and materials to build a house, but I very much doubt he could drive a nail. Very, very sweet guy though. In fact, I don’t think I ever saw a tool in his entire house. Since this is my thread, I’d like to change the subject a little… Talk about your tools. - Are they in a kitchen junk drawer? - A dedicated tool box? - A mechanics tool box with drawers and all that? - Spread around and nobody really knows where they are (been there) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/23 "2025-09-09T17:37:33Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I weep for a future where “where” and “were” are the same word! 😉 Sorry I missed that day in class. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/24 "2025-09-09T17:43:53Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Talk about your tools. > > - Are they in a kitchen junk drawer? > - A dedicated tool box? > - A mechanics tool box with drawers and all that? > - Spread around and nobody really knows where they are (been there) Yes. * * * I learned to work on cars from my father. He had a '73 Karmann-Ghia, and we would work on that. After I grew up, I owned a Cabriolet, which I was able to maintain. I had to trade it in for a Passat after my son was born - it was too small to hold a carseat. I let the professionals take care of it - as it was under warranty. A head lamp went out - I figured I could take care of that. I looked under the hood and realized that step one was going to be removing the intake manifold. I noped on out at that point. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/25 "2025-09-09T17:47:38Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Talk about your tools. > > - Are they in a kitchen junk drawer? > - A dedicated tool box? > - A mechanics tool box with drawers and all that? > - Spread around and nobody really knows where they are (been there) Mine are all in the basement, mostly in three different toolboxes, including a “utility” toolbox that contains all the most commonly used tools. There’s also a socket set and screwdriver set in their own cases. But nothing as elaborate as a big mechanic’s toolbox with many drawers. I used to do a fair amount of my own home maintenance but as I get older and less agile and ladders become a hazard, this has drastically fallen off. The socket set was from minor work I used to do on my beloved motorcycle, but I’ve never worked on cars. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/26 "2025-09-09T17:48:31Z")
40 years ago, I was sent out (without any mechanical knowledge) to repair a clothes washer with electrical tape and twisty ties from a bread wrapper. Its not just the future. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/27 "2025-09-09T17:53:40Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > 40 years ago, I was sent out (without any mechanical knowledge) to repair a clothes washer with electrical tape and twisty ties from a bread wrapper. It’s actually amazing what you can do with some duct tape and twisty-ties. How long it lasts is another question, but that’s often all you need to get non-working stuff working again, at least for a while. For a somewhat longer-lasting fix, like one I recently did to my barbecue, you can substitute corrosion-resistant bare copper wire for twisty-ties, and secure it with pliers. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/28 "2025-09-09T17:53:43Z")
I’m seeing a lot of fathers mentioned in this thread, but we didn’t have one in my house. If something had a loose screw, you tightened it with the blade of a butter knife. If something needed whacking, you used the handle of the butter knife. Now, my current husband can fix a myriad of things, and he owns all of the tools. The ones he didn’t buy for himself were handed down by his dad, a car mechanic. When he dies, I’m going to pick out some screwdrivers and hammers for myself, and probably give the rest away. I mean, I don’t even know what half that stuff is! ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/29 "2025-09-09T18:18:21Z")
I have a few screwdrivers and hammers and a lot of assorted unidentifiable tools mostly inherited from my father. The ones I kept are in boxes, bins, and assorted metal toolboxes in the basement. My father was a steelworker who enjoyed doing carpentry on the side so there were/are a lot of tools. I do keep screwdrivers in my kitchen door to tighten cupboard handles and occasionally the toilet seat. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/30 "2025-09-09T18:56:23Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Mine are all in the basement, mostly in three different toolboxes, including a “utility” toolbox that contains all the most commonly used tools. Ha, ya. We just moved. And had maintained two houses for a couple of months. I had a 10’x12’ tool shed at the ‘old’ house. The shed was a slog through 100’ of snow (usually) so I kept common tools in the house utility room. I bought a tool bag that I could take to the new house in the middle of the move. You always need something. So then I had tools in three different places, And have an ‘x-tra’ 1/2 inch hammer drill. Now we are done moving (mostly). I’ve a 2 car garage (heated) and so does my wife (they are connected). I’ve got a 9 drawer toolbox for most of my tools. A 6’ closing cabinet for power tools. It’s full. Yes I’m bragging a bit. But damn, it’s been a long row to hoe. We lived in high snow country for 33 years without a garage. It was rough. Real rough. I had to have so guys help me with the move, and they always needed some tools. It became a sort of running joke “Do you have a..” “Yeah, it’s in the shed” I’ve FINALY got a place to organize my tools. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/31 "2025-09-09T19:38:47Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > alk about your tools. > > - Are they in a kitchen junk drawer? > - A dedicated tool box? > - A mechanics tool box with drawers and all that? > - Spread around and nobody really knows where they are (been there) Depends on which category. Jewelry-making equipment like wire cutters and pliers is filed with craft supplies, my electrician husband’s work-related tools are nearly all residing in the Jeep (his work vehicle), and the more basic household-use tools are in a smallish plastic toolbox on a shelf in the storage room of our apartment (officially, it’s a second bedroom, but we use it for storage). There’s also the smaller hand tools DH carries in cargo pants pockets, the multi-tool that lives in my purse, and a toolbox with sockets, wrenches, etc. (pretty much duplicates) I am unable to lift due to the weight (that one lives on the patio). ---
**Author:** ![Dancer\_Flight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dancer_flight/32/7601_2.png) [@Dancer\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dancer_Flight)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/32 "2025-09-09T19:48:26Z")
Powertools and batteries are racked on tool holders on a shelf in the utility room. Hand tools and their accessories are in labeled and themed totes on a different shelving unit in the same utility room. Plumbing tools are in a mini tote (adjustable and pipe wrenches, torch, seat & basin wrenches, pipe cutters), plumbing materials (putty, teflon tape, washers, extra pex fittings, small repair parts etc. are in another). Electrical hand tools and parts and accessories, another two totes. Staplers & staples, another tote, etc. I have a couple of empty tool bags that I can fill with what I need for a task and then restow the tools when I’m done. If it is a specific area like electrical installation, I just grab the relevant totes and then rerack them when done. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/33 "2025-09-09T19:50:56Z")
Right on. When I first bought the ‘old’ house, there was a spare bedroom (no tool shed yet). The bed was a mattress on the floor under tools piled high. Sleep at you own risk. Don’t touch nothin. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/34 "2025-09-09T20:01:31Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > repair a clothes washer with electrical tape and twisty ties from a bread wrapper. So did you make MacGuyver proud? > [@wolfpup](#): > > you can substitute corrosion-resistant bare copper wire for twisty-ties Ohh, so THAT’S why they call it a breadboard… > [@enipla](#): > > A dedicated tool box? As a lifelong renter, I only have the one overflowing red Craftsman toolbag… But it has fun things in there, from ratcheting pipe wrenches (great for showerheads and garden hoses) to laser levels (not good for much, really, but pretty and green) to a variety of “I don’t really know how to use more than 10% of this, but it makes me feel cool owning it 😎” electrical tools… ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/35 "2025-09-09T20:13:32Z")
Cool. I’ve been trying to separate my plumbing and electrical mechanical stuff during this move to a new house. There is a lot of cross over though. I had a LOT of choices to make when we sold the ‘old’ place. - I ‘gave away’ a 4x4 Kubota Tractor (great shape 110 hours on it) - Plow truck (105k miles) What the hell am I going to do with those in suburbia? And I think that sealed the deal on the house. Also gone is scaffolding, nail guns and a brand freaking new Stihl chainsaw (I started it twice). Oh, and two extension ladders. I did keep my palm nailer because those are very handy (especially for any type of remodel (landing for the stairs into the garage, here I come) . And I have enough nails to build a house (about 80 lbs. or so). I wasn’t even in construction anymore. For about 30 years. I’m a programmer. But construction is in my blood. What I’ve learned has served me very well. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/36 "2025-09-09T20:27:43Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > As a lifelong renter, I only have the one overflowing red Craftsman toolbag… > > But it has fun things in there, from ratcheting pipe wrenches (great for showerheads and garden hoses) to laser levels (not good for much, really, but pretty and green) to a variety of “I don’t really know how to use more than 10% of this, but it makes me feel cool owning it 😎” electrical tools… Hey that’s great. Tools are your friends. And only desert you when you loan them to friends 🙂 For hand tools, Craftsman is fine. Power tools have a bit of a finer line, but doing ok there, but I would never own anything but a Skil worm drive circular saw. No point in it. I guess I sort of love tools. Aw shit, we just had a table and chairs delivered. Box says table weighs in at 110 lbs. It’s on the porch. I’ll roll it in I suppose. To the tools once again. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/37 "2025-09-09T22:53:05Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > It’s actually amazing what you can do with some duct tape and twisty-ties. My toilet worked for many years with a twist-tie holding the broken chain together. Maintaining a toilet is about the only handy thing I can do. Well, I can hang things. My tools - hammers (2 for some reason), screwdrivers, wrenches, nails, screws - are in bins on the left side of the cabinet under the kitchen sink. Along with the duct tape. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/38 "2025-09-09T23:34:05Z")
I’ve seen worse. I once saw a couple of movers (wearing blue-collar uniforms for a moving company; i.e., professionals) moving a couch down the stairs in my building, and one guy literally did not know how to carry objects. I don’t mean “didn’t know how to carry them properly, so as to avoid back injuries”; I mean “didn’t get the concept at all”. His partner, who was trying to explain it to him, was remarkably patient: “OK, now, WHILE you’re lifting, you also walk forward”. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2025, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/39 "2025-09-10T01:46:01Z")
Back in ye olden days, hardware stores were staffed with grizzled old guys who had a wealth of knowledge. Nowadays, if you ask an employee where to find something, they either look at you blankly or pull out their phone to use some app. I went to the local Ace to get some shims, but couldn’t find them. A young guy came over and asked if I needed some help, and I told him what I was looking for, and he didn’t know where they were, or even what I wanted. He asked another guy, who knew where they could be found, and he told me. As I was walking back, he stopped me and asked me what they were used for, and I explained how nothing in a house is square or level, and you use the shims to compensate. I was glad to see that he had some curiosity about the products he was selling. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2025, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889/40 "2025-09-10T09:22:41Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Back in ye olden days, hardware stores were staffed with grizzled old guys who had a wealth of knowledge. I have two Ace hardware’s close. And a Lowes a little further. It’s pretty amazing how much stuff they manage to ‘stuff’ in an Ace hardware. They almost always have what I’m looking for. And at least at my Ace hardware’s they generally know what they are talking about. I try to support them when I can. Sure it’s more expensive, but I don’t have to walk what seems like miles of aisles. > [@aurora\_maire](#): > > My tools - hammers (2 for some reason), I’ve ended up with 6 hammers. All different though. And this is sort of embarrassing, when I was putting together my tool box I counted 100 screwdrivers. Pretty much two of every size and type. Now, I did end up with my mom’s tools when she passed, I had made sure she was well kitted out because I used to work on stuff for her, and she would use them as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-weep-for-our-future-not-political/1022889.md?page=3)