Are there any old, beat-up repair tools you use all the time, and while they really should be replaced with new, they never will be. You’ll keep them in working condition by hook or by crook?
Mine is a portable workstand/vice made by Black and Decker. I received it as a gift 50 odd years ago. Fasteners have fallen off and replaced many times over the years. The wood shelves have all sorts of holes, saw marks, & other cosmetic problems. But it is still going strong & I use it nearly every week. It looks similar to the one below, but mine seems to be more heavy-duty. Mine has cross braces at the bottom of the legs for example. Heavier than all get-out.
I have 3 old cordless drills with dead battery packs, haven’t been able to through them away knowing that they are worthless now, but just incase I need to MacGyver something someday, I still have them… lol
I love my Workmate. I replaced the top with oak boards drilled for the plastic dog clamps. I bought a second a couple years ago. Not nearly as sturdy as the old one.
I have a Black and Decker circular saw that is 50+ years old my dad bought. Solid and tough. Put a new cord on it. Cuts better than a Craftsman I bought 25 years ago so I junked that one!
Apparently we aren’t the only ones. I commonly see these being used in shop-photos in car repair magazines. Theirs even look more beat-up than mine! … lol … At some point I won’t be able to lift it, but until then …
I dunno, most of my stuff is in decent shape. I did build a couple saw horses back in 1976 that I still use. I based them on the ones our builder used then. They stack and are still solid but I’ve used them for everything from a work surface to scaffolding. I’ve considered making some folding ones that take up less space but just hard to discard them. Still a good design and almost 50 years old.
Like George who OP’d this topic, I also cherish my old Black and Decker WorkMate 425. To make it all the more useful, I’ve adapted some of my other tools to be used with it in a “portable manner.” In the photo, is one of my vices, I adapted this for use with the locking feature of the WorkMate. I fastened a base for the vice with a 2 x 8 inch base and I fastened a 2 x 4 inch mount on that. As you can see, the 2x8 base sits solidly on the WorkMate while the adjustable table-top clamps the 2x4. I’ve also built bases for my small bench grinder, a buffing wheel set, a small drill press, and more.
That’s a good bench vice idea, might be esp useful when you need to hold something that won’t fit the workspace in your normal vice area, like a long pipe. Using a similar technique, I built a bicycle repair stand. Not used often, but when needed it definitely is very handy.
I never had one of those fancy work benches. I do make use of square telescoping tube for mounting tools on strut channel.
I can then move or dismount them depending on what I need. So on one wall I have a dismountsble welding table, metal and wood chop saw, grinder, Kreg drill device, and my latest addition, a tire changer. By my work bench I can mount my router table, welding table for my stick welder, and any of the other tools with the square tube fittings on them. So stuff is out of the way or easily moved to where I want it. Works fir me.
No, I just wanted it for lawn mower tires or maybe the trailer in a pinch. In the past I’ve never had a problem. Take the tire down and the put a tube in the same day. This last time I had another thorn that punched through my tire so took it down to get a tube in it. Now I was in the middle o tree trimming and yard clean up and use the mower to pull the trailer around. At any rate a new guy had to order the tube. This was unusual. Didn’t come in, waited three days and $20 to get my tire back. Ok no problem.
A week later I hop on the mower and get five feet and the tire is coming off the rim. Pulled the tire. I had bought a tube just in case.
Well whoever did the tube, didn’t pull the thorn out even though I had chalked it. So it punched about three holes in my new tube. I just got my screw drivers out and put a new tube in.
So I just figured I’m going to be prepared so I bought the cheap harbor freight tire changer and picked up a couple spare tubes for the two different sized tires. I don’t know what I paid but under $100 for everything, but I’m just gonna be ready if it ever happens again.
I’m a loyal guy so when the time is right I’ll mention it to the owner some time. The owners kid took over and he has been ok for me but he had some new people that maybe need some work.
We’ll long story but when I have a tire issue I want quick service. The last flat I had the girl on the computer didn’t know if they could get it done that day. I said I was heading to South Dakota in the morning. She came through. I’ve spent tens of thousands there over the years and just expect a little service when I need it.
