New Year Resolution---Put back tools where they belong.

[gus]

Hi Form Members & Gurus.

Some of us are in the 50s 60s 70s 80s and perhaps 90s.
Gus is going 70 in August 2013. Getting forgetful and absent-minded.
Take a tea/pee break and could not find the chuck key or centre dril and other items that I need to complete or continue the job.Its been 4 weeks since I misplaced the expensive "Eclipse Scriber" and soon maybe the Starrett Scribers too.
I was trained by a master fitter but absent minded old man in his 70s. Gus picked up his bad habit of misplacing tools.
See foto proofs of my determination to enforce resolutions.

The QCTP was made because no tools are required to lock itself or tool bit holders. The circular tray is to hold centre,centre drills,drill chuck key and deburring tool.See Allen Key holder. Marking up tools are also hung up.
Centre punches too.
Oh Yes!!! I cleared up the swarfs and chips too.
Hopefully no more "Lost & Found" incidents after tea/pee breaks.

Alrighty!!!!! Feed back .Please.

 

[rcfreak177]

Hi Gus,

Looking well organised there, don't worry I am only 36 and do the same, sometimes it can take up to an hour to find something I may have put down before hand, when I do find it it's usually right there in front of me.

Must be part of the hobby (playing hide and seek with the tools)

 

[Philjoe5]

Gus,
Good move. But I did notice a little bit of disorder in the partly opened drawer in the first figure. Do not organize tools in that drawer! If you do, you'll never find anything:wall:

You inspired me.

Phil

 

[Swifty]

Picked up a box of tapered readers recently, checked them out and put them back. Do you think that I could find them the next day, no way. Turned the place upside down, then eventually gave up. Found them a few days later whilst looking for something else.

Paul.

 

[Generatorgus]

Gus,
If you start putting tools where they belong you may anger the shop gnomes and then you'll have a real problem.
I've tried putting stuff back as soon as I use it but the little buggars will take it and put it somewhere else.
I keep three 6" steel rulers on my work table and try to keep them in the same place, but sometimes all three are missing. The gnomes put them in the darndest places.
I still haven't found my 1/8" spotting drill, it's been missing for a few weeks.
But I'll give you an "A" for your effort.

The other GUS

 

[gus]

Gus,
If you start putting tools where they belong you may anger the shop gnomes and then you'll have a real problem.
I've tried putting stuff back as soon as I use it but the little buggars will take it and put it somewhere else.
I keep three 6" steel rulers on my work table and try to keep them in the same place, but sometimes all three are missing. The gnomes put them in the darndest places.
I still haven't found my 1/8" spotting drill, it's been missing for a few weeks.
But I'll give you an "A" for your effort.

The other GUS

Hi The Other Gus.

Please advise source of spotting drills. Am tired of using Tubal Cain's method of twirling with 2.5mm/3.5mm drills by hand.Its true his method gave holes spot on. Found UK vender but they do not ship outside UK.

Here is my personal history--------Gus. My Aussie Boss----Keith found my
R.C. baptismal name Augustine to long and too blood holy. He found GUS in bewteen Augustine. So I became Gus.Been using" Gus" since 1969.

Best Regards,

Gus.

 

[gus]

Hi Gus,

Looking well organised there, don't worry I am only 36 and do the same, sometimes it can take up to an hour to find something I may have put down before hand, when I do find it it's usually right there in front of me.

Must be part of the hobby (playing hide and seek with the tools)

Hi RC Freak,

I guess the reason was we got so engrossed,we put down items into some safe corners and the corners some how vanished.
Is this reason or excuse credible ?? Ha Ha. The Eclipse Scriber is still missing!!!

 

[rleete]

You don't have to be pushing 70 to have those problems. I'm only in my 50's, and I do it all the time. Set something down, spend the next 10 minutes looking for it.

I've tried to discipline myself to never set a tool down, but put it back, even if I am going to use it again soon. Being organized makes the work go smoother, with much less frustration.

 

[gus]

You don't have to be pushing 70 to have those problems. I'm only in my 50's, and I do it all the time. Set something down, spend the next 10 minutes looking for it.

I've tried to discipline myself to never set a tool down, but put it back, even if I am going to use it again soon. Being organized makes the work go smoother, with much less frustration.

Hi rleete,

I was auditing a motor starter supplier in Taiwan in 1997. Owner claims he worked in USA for 20 years. Passed a workman doing control cable. He was very disciplined. All his hand tools like screw drivers,flat or phillips head,pliers and small box spanners were lined up in good order. Every time he picks up a tool ,it goes back to its same old place.And he could pick the right tool w/o
looking at it. He can work for hours w/o every misplacing or mixing up tools.

And he is not the only workman that works that discipline way!!!
No wonder the motor starters from this supplier gave us no problem.
Seems owner brought all the discipline.

 

[gus]

Gus,
Good move. But I did notice a little bit of disorder in the partly opened drawer in the first figure. Do not organize tools in that drawer! If you do, you'll never find anything:wall:

You inspired me.

Phil

Hi Phil,
I did tidy up the drawer but you are right .Did not do a good job.
This thread been very entertaining. So Gus is not the only offender. Ha Ha:fan:

 

[Philjoe5]

Gus,

Did not do a good job

I wouldn't say that - you're way ahead of me

Cheers,
Phil

 

[scruffy]

Hi Gus I once lost a pair on pliers, after spending an hour looking for them ( I needed them for the job ) I gave up and went to get a drink sat down and they had been in my back pocket the whole time

 

[starnovice]

been there and done that!

 

[Banjoe]

Great thought Gus. I can't imagine how much time I spend looking for the tool I just put down but it certainly adds up to more time that I put into actually working on the project.

I'm going to follow your lead and live to 'a place for everything & everything in its place". Thanks for the motivation!

Joe

 

[gus]

Great thought Gus. I can't imagine how much time I spend looking for the tool I just put down but it certainly adds up to more time that I put into actually working on the project.

I'm going to follow your lead and live to 'a place for everything & everything in its place". Thanks for the motivation!

Joe

Hi Joe,

Did housekeeping on Sunday.The primary motive was to look for the expensive " Eclipse Scriber". Sorry .Found no scriber. Grew up/old with Eclipse and Starret. Way back in 1960s,our Trade Schools used only UK hand tools and machine tools that last forever. Went back to same school and the Colchesters and Harrisons are still there.A bit beat up but still run.Student proof.
The Chinese lathes are there too but was rattling after two year service.Not made to be "student proof"
Ha Ha .

Humidity went up. So.:fan::fan::fan:

 

[Generatorgus]

Hi Gus,
I think I ordered the spotting drills from Enco, here in the US, don't know if they ship out of the country.
I've also used screw machine drills for spotting. They are a little longer, but still stiffer than jobber length drills. Sometimes when drilling in the lathe you will see your bit wobbling around when starting a hole, I've found that most times if I don't "push" it and let it do it's thing (very light pressure) it will usually come back to center.
Also I find that using a larger size bit to make first contact will also work if you don't go any farther than the size hole you are drilling.
Still haven't found the 1/8".

GUS

Oh yeah, I'm looking at snow out the window of my den it's about 10 below and my feet are cold.

 

[gus]

Hi Gus,
I think I ordered the spotting drills from Enco, here in the US, don't know if they ship out of the country.
I've also used screw machine drills for spotting. They are a little longer, but still stiffer than jobber length drills. Sometimes when drilling in the lathe you will see your bit wobbling around when starting a hole, I've found that most times if I don't "push" it and let it do it's thing (very light pressure) it will usually come back to center.
Also I find that using a larger size bit to make first contact will also work if you don't go any farther than the size hole you are drilling.
Still haven't found the 1/8".

GUS

Hi Gus

Will try out Enco.


From another Gus,

 

[gus]

Hi One More Gus,

Its true.Enco does not ship overseas. Will try Tracy Tools,UK. Or Have them ship to my friends in Kentucky and pick up when I visit them.

 

[Ed T]

A noble project and one that I could certainly benefit from. I've just spent the last week and a half tidying up my shop and I'm still at it. I did manage to get rid of three big trash bins of stuff that might have come in handy some time, but hasn't yet and probably won't. There's only so much scrap plexiglass with petrified paper wrap on it that a man can use up in a life time. I now have only enough for a couple of lifetimes.( I saved all the colored stuff and pitched most of the rest). In the mean time I have a bunch of paying work piling up so I will soon have to go and bring things back to normal, but I will try to put the drills back in the index after using them. I will also put some colored shrink tubing on the lathe chuck key so I can spot it in the swarf pile.
Thanks for the inspiration and good luck with your resolution!

 

[gus]

A noble project and one that I could certainly benefit from. I've just spent the last week and a half tidying up my shop and I'm still at it. I did manage to get rid of three big trash bins of stuff that might have come in handy some time, but hasn't yet and probably won't. There's only so much scrap plexiglass with petrified paper wrap on it that a man can use up in a life time. I now have only enough for a couple of lifetimes.( I saved all the colored stuff and pitched most of the rest). In the mean time I have a bunch of paying work piling up so I will soon have to go and bring things back to normal, but I will try to put the drills back in the index after using them. I will also put some colored shrink tubing on the lathe chuck key so I can spot it in the swarf pile.
Thanks for the inspiration and good luck with your resolution!

Hi Ed,

Here is one more.
I have three problems,
1.Spilling Tapmatic Oil from the recycled spray can covers.
2.I use two Tapmatic Tapping Oils------All Metal except aluminium ------------
Aluminium only. I cannot remember which is which.
Tapmatic oil gives good finishing on lathe when applied with brush dabs.
Parting with same oil gives give free flow of swarfs.No more dig-ins and
broken parting blades.Makes life easier when drilling on lathe or drill
press.
3.Brushes get misplaced.

Here is my cure.Once in for all and forever. Cheap and nasty dispenser.
Black Cup for Steel and Red for Aluminium. Small brushes economise on the Expensive Tapmatic Oil.