Hi All, climate master, and former building contractor John Fischer here with KLCC's Living Less Unsustainably.
I'm a handy guy. I've built a couple of houses from the ground up , and done major fix-ups on another half dozen. I have tools from an angle grinder to a roto-zip - and most of them sit idle most of the time - although I did use the angle grinder this weekend.
Making tools requires a lot of energy and materials, and for many jobs, you just need the tool once. The non-profit Toolbox Project has what you need, and they'll loan it to somebody else when you're done using it. Join up and you can borrow any of a thousand tools from an AC voltage detector to a zip tie gun - many for free.
Power tools have a rental charge - usually under $5. And when you check something out, a tool librarian will explain the tools use and function and give you written directions when they're needed.
You can use the Toolbox Projects loaner tools to do your job, or, as a try it before you buy it item. You might think you need a Bosch electric jackhammer - retail $1100. But for $10 you can use it for a week to help solidify your decision - or break it to pieces.
You do again, need to be a member to borrow a tool. They have a sliding scale suggested membership donation but - and I'm quoting here - "We won't turn away anyone for whom making a contribution is a hardship."
Borrowing the big tools will save you the most money, but you can also borrow bike repair items, hammers, floor jacks, and hand saws .
If you borrow a nail gun, or stapler, you can get the fasteners you need from the Toolbox Project so you don't have ten partially used boxes of nails cluttering up your shop - oh I think I see another box - make that 11.
