Tool boxes have always occupied a warm place in my heart. I think I learned my love for tools from my Grandpa Ben and my dad who both had lots of tools to keep track of.

When Grandpa passed away I refurbished his drill because of the way it smelled when it was on. I recall grandma being upset with us when we spun the grinding wheel on his work bench. Grandpa had work boxes to tote the tools he needed to the project. Dad used a multipurpose carpenters bench.

Toolbox built with dad

Tool boxes I remember fondly

1. I recall making one of my first toolboxes with my dad. We built it together in the shop over a few weeks. I still use it regularly.
   
2. I also recall buying my first new toolbox, which I still own. It was a Sears Craftsman metal one with 100 tools in it including ratchets and mechanical stuff.
   
3. My wife gave me a fantastic rolling metal took box. It houses most of my shop tools now.

My new toolbox is a very different animal

It is a computer filled with different tools that I use daily to work on my business. I often ponder the power and flexibility and creativity my new tools allow me.

• A word processor.
• A scheduling tool.
• An accounting tool.
• A takeoff tool.
• A sharing tool that keeps my laptop up to date & vice versa.
• An estimating tool.
• A tool just for charts and graphs to express my numbers graphically.
• A file cabinet of near infinite size.
• A resource library of near infinite size.
• A CAD (Computer aided drafting) tool.
• A communication device that allows me to listen, be seen, and be heard all over the world.
• A shopping tool that can have virtually anything I want delivered to my door.
• A program that allows me to keep track of my projects and manage things.

Original Craftsman toolbox

Tool boxes I admire

One of my favorite parts about being around aircraft for all those years was that the mechanics who worked on them were never far away.

Their toolboxes were amazing. Only the best tools and always neat and clean. On the rare occasion that I needed to borrow a tool, the unspoken rule was you could take a tool out but you could not put it away. This allowed the owner to inspect the tool, clean it if necessary and put back in the exact place it needed to be.

My wife calls them toys, I call them tools

Customizing tool boxes is a cool thing. I’ve put stickers on them, made special partitions, and bought, modified or made new ones to put large or irregular shaped items in them. I’ve never gone in for the throw away tools, homeowner quality tools don’t hold up to the rigors I put them through. No matter what type, wood tools, metal tools, mechanics tools. There is always room for one more cool tool. This debate always comes back to the age-old conundrum. “Honey, how come you always call my stuff shit, and your shit stuff?” In her defense, she did buy me my favorite actual toolbox ever.

Rolling toolbox

The bottom line is:

• I have great tools in my toolboxes
• I know what everything does
• I know where everything goes
• My fingernails don’t get as dirty as they used to.

Just like my old metal or wood toolboxes, I can make things that amaze and boggle the mind. What does she know?

As I sit and work with my tools, I am constantly breaking new ground and improving upon the improvement I just made, I quickly evolve and become more efficient, more knowledgeable, and able to collaborate with others better, in ways I never dreamed of.

Hurray for technology and the folks that keep it functional for me. Look out world, I’ve got my new toolbox loaded to the gills with the good stuff and I am itching to work.

Your comments are welcome. To ask questions or get more information about remodeling, click here to email me directly, or call 208-947-7261

If you or someone you know is considering remodeling or just wants to speak to a trustworthy remodeling contractor please contact me, you’ll be glad you did.