things jumping out at me

[notenoughcash]

does anyone else have a tool addiction that they cant help......

i only work part time atm (in school still) but as money comes in, it goes right back out.

e.g. in the last 6 months, i have bought more festool than anyone i know has in a lifetime. and thats not including the makia and milwaukee................

(mod's if this is in the wrong place, feel free to move it)

 

[Packard]

Years ago, I vowed never to purchase any piece of equipment until I had a project that required it.  Mostly that has served me well.

I did have a project that called for welded legs, so I purchased a welder, a welding table and a metal cut-off saw.

But then the project changed so that so far none of that equipment has been used.  I will use it someday, but what did me in was that there was so much that had to be accumulated that I started getting the stuff early, especially the welder which I will have to learn to  use. 

But I think my guidance will help.  When you start on a project make a list of all the equipment you need to complete it, then acquire only what you need.

 

[Imemiter]

Early on I would work in exchange for tools. Some things never change. [big grin]

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I have quite a collection, but I do use them in my work. Many would consider this excessive, but they do in fact save time. Could I get by with less? Sure, and I actually have for years. I had acquired and upgraded things over a long period of time, but a huge loss due to a fire required a replacement plan.
I dropped a ton of cash basically at once, then continued for several months after. This, of course looked excessive, but was really just recovery. It did give the opportunity to re-evaluate and not necessarily replace some items, but change them in a way to streamline.
Some will never be replaced for either not being as useful as I had imagined in the first place or because something better has come along since.
The one good thing about "investing" in Festool is that it really works out that way. They do retain quite a bit of their value. If you ever decide/need to sell off any of it, you can get a significant percentage of your money back.

 

[Jeff Zanin]

As a handyman / hobbiest I have amassed a pretty good collection of tools, Festool and otherwise, but I do not golf, smoke, drink alcohol, sail, own multiple properties, ride horses, keep pets, etc. etc. etc. so these are things that interest me and allow me to be somewhat self-sufficent when it comes to maintenance, repair and building.

For major purchases e.g. $300 or more I have at least one specific project or activitiy that it will be used for.

I will make smaller purchases including consumables based on sale prices and also to keep commonly used parts and materials in stock, occaionally replacing worn or outdated items, and sometimes adding items for convenience e.g. one socket set in the shop, one in the garage, one in the truck, all bought on deeply discounted sales at different times.

 

[hoe]

As a handyman / hobbiest I have amassed a pretty good collection of tools, Festool and otherwise, but I do not golf, smoke, drink alcohol, sail, own multiple properties, ride horses, keep pets, etc. etc. etc. so these are things that interest me and allow me to be somewhat self-sufficent when it comes to maintenance, repair and building.

Jeff, that pretty well sums it up for me too! The hobbiest part though i'm not sure of there. Woodworking has followed me around all of my life and is just a part of who i am. I enjoy doing it but mostly it was a vehicle to accomplish what needed to be done such as work, building a house, building cabinets and furniture, doing renos and such. I'm not a shop tinkerer and when i'm there, there is something that needs doing. Perhaps since i retired from paid employment it could become a hobby i guess, of some sorts. Necessity played a big part in it over the years.