# Time machine, tool making question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-machine-tool-making-question/1031735>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Tags:** tools-electric-diy\
**Created:** [July 16, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-machine-tool-making-question/1031735 "2026-07-16T22:14:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 41

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**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2026, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-machine-tool-making-question/1031735/41 "2026-07-19T09:29:31Z")

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> [@Horatius](#):
>
> That’s if they’re living in tribes, and have parents to teach them how to hunt and gather. We can’t count on that.

I’ve already been taught how to gather in my locality - my city is lousy with foraging experiences. Coastal foraging courses, fynbos foraging courses, mushrooming courses - I’ve done them all. Going back in time to where the coast and land hasn’t been as denuded will only help that.

Of course, there were already people here, so they’d have to be befriended. Possibly trading pottery with them would be a good route to that.

And there’s the dangers of wild animals that would need to be accounted for, obviously. Not going to get very far with my saw if I’m bitten by a puffadder or eaten by a lion.

My list was about the steps just to produce the expected product, of course all the subsistence and survival stuff has to happen at the same time - food, shelter, clothing, safety. That should take up like 90% of anyone’s time. That’s _why_ my timeline is 5 years - it assumes just a couple hours a day on average dedicated to work on the toolmaking project.

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