Thursday 14 November 2013

toolish notions

One needs tools, of one form or another, to effect change - to persuade all but the most malleable raw material to assume a more pleasing or useful shape. Tools and their use are what have been claimed to elevate man above the other members of the animal kingdom.

Many a wondrous product or device has been fashioned with few (and often crude) tools. This fact does not stop many of us from accumulating numerous and varied tools purely for the sake of owning, handling, displaying, and/or putting them to use. There is something about applying a well-made tool to a workpiece that generates great satisfaction and a sense of purposeful action.

The semi-annual Tools of the Trades show is happening this weekend; I will likely attend.

Not that I need more tools, of course. But...
I will confess, quite freely, that I am a tool junkie.
Hand tools.
Power tools.
New tools.
Old tools.
Tools for working wood.
Tools for working metal.
Even tools whose purpose is not readily evident; their shape hinting at a use to be discovered.

Digging through the plethora of presented pieces continues to yield the odd tidbit or treasure. A sterling example of a particular version, an approach not seen before, or the missing widget from a partially-functional device already in my possession.

My wish list has grown very short, though. Thanks to good contacts and good fortune, I have already obtained the majority of what I have anticipated needing for the foreseeable future. No doubt other items will be brought to my attention as I progress through various projects.

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