My great-grandfather was a wheelwright and a very skilled one by all account. I never really knew him but I did know his tools. My granddad still used them, even though he was a church minister. My granddad loved to use a spokeshave, I assume that it reminded of good times with his own father. There is a skill to use a spokeshave, they are wonderful tools if you know what you are doing with them, they can also be quite dangerous.
When my granddad passed away, my dad made sure that he inherited at least one of the spokeshaves. Unlike my great-grandfather I live in a “throw away society” when it comes to tools. Few people go to the DIY store to buy a tool for life, this is especially true for IT tools where we are constantly chasing a newer model.
Human beings are one of the few creatures that uses tools. Sometimes we don’t recognise them as such, but that is what they are.
There are many definitions of “tool” – the one I like is this “anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose”.
The tools I use are probably not the tools you use, and if they are you probably use them in a different way to me. So I’ve decided that there is probably a lot of value to myself and to others to open a conversation on the tools that I use. Perhaps someone will learn something from the things that I do, but I hope I’ll learn a lot from the tools that others use.
I’ve created a new category for these posts too.
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Graham Chastney 
Graham. I think you have missed a large chunk out of your tools section. This deals with “Grandad’s Axe” syndrome. This was told to me by wife, whose Grandad was a woodsman in Gloucestershire. He used his axe day in day out and as time went by the axe handle broke and splintered so, being a woodsman, he cut himself a new one. This continued for some time and the handle was replaced many times and at various times he had to sharpen the blade. Guess what – after many sharpenings he had to replace the head.
When Grampy Budding died, the axe got passed on to my father-in-law who used it to cut the logs for the stove and guess what – the blade and head wore out and were replaced at various times.
When my father-in-law died, the axe was passed on to my brother-in-law and do you know what it is still a really good axe – and of course it is still “Grandad’s Axe” – that is why it stays so sharp and the handle only looks a bit worn – because they knew how to make real tools then.
Do you want a moral for this story – well I am not the one to provide it, but just suffice to say that my Grandad and my father both served their apprenticeships and went on to become craftsmen. When my Dad eventually dies, I am looking forward to receiving my Grandad’s spokeshave, lump hammer etc. and just to keep them in good condition, I might occasionally replace the handle and sharpen the blade. Of course, if my children have children they might even get passed on “Grandad’s Axe” and even if they don’t they will certainly get the story – whether they want it or not!
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