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Thread: What is an "Average" Amount of Tools?

  1. #1
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    What is an "Average" Amount of Tools?

    There are literally thousands of tools in the shop, both hand tools and power tools....four band saws, four table saws, etc. My neighbor claims the "average" man has a screwdriver, wrench, and socket set. What do you think?

  2. #2
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    Tough to say, but I know a number of people that just don't do much at all with tools, of any kind. My neighbor, a good friend, has some, but he never uses them. All that they have are his wife's tools and she uses them a fair bit. I have a brother that is almost forbidden by his wife to use tools, yet even he has more than what you list.

    I suppose if you take into account the 'urban dwellers' it might be right. A friend told me a few years ago that the average family in the US owns 9 firearms. My first thought was, I am less than average so I better buy some more. Then I thought about my friends and their arsenals, and I realized there must be many people with no firearms at all in order to get that number. I know people with more firearms than there are states. (Can we discuss firearms, or is that a subject like religion or politics?)

    In the end, if you take the number of places that just don't make it easy to own tools, like small apartments with no storage, etc. it might be true.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich Riddle View Post
    There are literally thousands of tools in the shop, both hand tools and power tools....four band saws, four table saws, etc. My neighbor claims the "average" man has a screwdriver, wrench, and socket set. What do you think?

    Ha! You could apply for a government grant to do a study on that. And probably get it.

    I have a friend who builds houses. When he came to my place he looked around and said, Wow, you have a LOT of tools! Then thinking a bit he added, But a lot of people have a lot of tools. The difference is, it looks like you USE all of yours!

    He got that right. I would hate to have to even inventory my tools, many thousands when I count inside the shop: woodturning, flatwood, construction, welding, metal fabrication, jewelry, mills, metal lathes, electronics repair, hydraulics, plumbing, beekeeping, drawing/painting, microscopes, and vehicle repair, and outside the shop: farm land related, crops and gardening, farm animal related (i.e. llama care/shearing), varmint control, sawing/logging related, computer work, photography... I don't use every tool every day, of course, but I like to keep on hand what it takes to make or fix almost anything.

    BTW, speaking of inventorying tools, don't forget to periodically take a series of photos of every thing in your shop including a picture of what is in every drawer and cabinet. Store these pictures in a safe place away from the property.


    So maybe the metric should concern "How many tools does the "average" person have and use in some time period?" (maybe a year?) It would certainly be interesting. I do know people who basically have and might use a screwdriver and hammer and no socket set but I know other people (always guys, for some reason!) who probably have 100 screwdrivers, 35 hammers and five drawers full of sockets.

    Your study should probably include age (mean time to collect critical mass of tools?), health, physical ability, mental ability, gender, geographic region, income (current and past), education level and type, housing type (rental, own home), average length of time in one residence, property size (farm tools?), parental influence, peer pressure, creativity index, spousal disposition, level of experience/expertise in various categories, and probably sanity. Oh, and whether their public education included shop class. This could get complicated!

    JKJ

  4. #4
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    Anybody with more than me is above average.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich Riddle View Post
    My neighbor claims the "average" man has a screwdriver, wrench, and socket set. What do you think?
    I would say then that the "average man" isn't doing too much.

    I'm not a tool collector personally. I do have a lot of tools, but they all have uses, and get used. If I had to "guesstimate" the number of tools I have, I'd say that they would exceed 1000, counted individually.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  6. #6
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    Ah, good question Rich.

    As I expected from you, you have used "average" rather than "normal".

    The Normal individual has a screwdriver of the wrong type, an open end wrench, and a socket set missing all the common sizes.

    The average person has 1.2 screwdrivers, 3.3 wrenches and 2.4 socket sets, 0.3 table saws and apparently 300 routers.

    The average Sawmill Creek member has as many of everything as will fit in a shop 1.46 times as large as their present shop.

    Glad to be able to clear that up for you...............Rod.

    P.S. No normal or average person has 4 band saws, seek professional help.......Rod

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich Riddle View Post
    There are literally thousands of tools in the shop, both hand tools and power tools....four band saws, four table saws, etc. My neighbor claims the "average" man has a screwdriver, wrench, and socket set. What do you think?
    Geesh Rich, just how big is your shop?? (Green with envy...)
    Brian

    "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger or more complicated...it takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." - E.F. Schumacher

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rod Sheridan View Post
    P.S. No normal or average person has 4 band saws, seek professional help.......Rod
    I'm glad you didn't say that about lathes. Everyone knows you need five lathes, right? Right? Ri....

    Please recommend a good therapist. I keep five bandsaws, two metal-cutting, two for wood in the shop, and one for logs behind the box. Maybe I need a 12-step program. Or a less tolerant wife...

    JKJ

  9. #9
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    In my main shop, I have almost all the tools that Norm A had in his shop. I have 6 lathes which I use a lot. However, 2 of my lathes are set up in my girlfriends garage. She has 2 lathes. I am working on getting a complete set of tools for each lathe. I like to have 4 chucks for each lathe plus all the necessary gouges and scrappers and so forth. I am drooling over the new Robust Scout. It would fit in nicely.
    Joe

  10. #10
    Average = 30
    Above average = 10

  11. #11
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    Sep 2012
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    Greater Manor Metroplex, TX
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    Two comments:

    1. Who cares about average? I always tried to be "above average"

    2. It doesn't matter how many tools I have, I never seem to have the right one when I need---which means I need to buy another tool

  12. #12
    Why are you asking this question?

    Do you think you have the "disease"?

  13. #13
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    What is "average"? That's like asking what is "normal"...

    That said, I suspect the majority of households only have a small set of basic tools lying about...usually in the "junk drawer" somewhere in the kitchen or hidden in the garage, maybe in a plastic toolbox or scattered in a drawer.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  14. #14
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    NE Ohio
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    Typical average Creeker = at any given point in time, always one less than they feel they need.

    Typical average Joe Sixpack = at any given point in time, will always have one cell phone with which they can call average Creeker to come over and give them a hand with something.
    My granddad always said, :As one door closes, another opens".
    Wonderful man, terrible cabinet maker...

  15. #15
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    Dec 2005
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    West Lafayette, IN
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    I'm in my mid-30's and live in the suburbs. I have by far more tools than anyone I know, especially in my generation. I think the average amount of tools for the burbs in my generation is a cheap little tool kit (to hang pictures mainly) with a screwdriver and hammer, and maybe a cordless drill.

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