Should tool boxes be a sacred space?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My father - a carpenter of the old school (none of these fancy tool hosters etc) would over a week collect all kinds of screws, nails etc in his pockets, my mother would empty it all into a box she kept for just that purpose. When he died in 1982 my inheritance was the remais of his tools (as some caring soul raided his tool box before his mates bought it home) and two buckets full of nails and screws which lasted me until about four years ago when I scrapped the last half gallon as an ingress of water meant they'd all rusted into one amophorous mass. I still have his planes one of his hammers (rubber handle on the way out though) and a few other bits and pieces, my brother has his other hammer and electric drill. And yes, my tools are scattered all over the place - a two gallon bucket i use to carry tools up to the chapel, car, two sheds and various cupboards in the house!!

 

[JamezF]

Every serious DIYer has to have a "gash box" ( in my case an old washing up bowl) into which goes all the used screws, odd nails and other assorted bits and bobs. It is the place where you will always find that one item you need to finish a job without have go go and buy a whole new box.

My wife calls that "junk". I call it "recycling without a middle man".

My dad tells a tale from when he worked as an engineer of a chap who kept all sorts of odds and sods in case they'd come in handy. He was apparently universally known as "Watlit Doofer". I have no idea if this is true or not

James