Tool Abuse Stories...

[Bob_VT]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

Had a friend demonstrate some skills too..... put a twisted wire cup brush on a high speed angle grinder..... it got away from him and tore his blue jeans completely off in a matter of seconds...... he was more embarrased than hurt.

Another day same angle grinder was in use and my friend had some cutting discs he wanted to use...... they had a 1/2" hole to mount them BUT the angle grinder uses 5/8" mounting hole. He decides that he could drill the hole out to 5/8"...... mounts the disc in the vise for support...... takes a brand new 5/8" bit from the index and uses my 1/2" milwalkee...... well the cutting disc still had a 1/2" hole and I had a 5/8" bit that was reduced to 1/2" !!!! You can not cut an abrasive cutting disc with a drill.... thankfully he had not picked up the cobalt bit which would have cost me more!

 

[tommays]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

SS after wire wheel


I have hurt my self so many times BUT that is so funny


Tommays

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

Here's another,,,,, After I left that job and got a better one where I was the supervisor. The shop had a built in table saw in a large bench. It was a great old saw. 10" blade with a 3hp 3phase motor and cast iron table.

One moring I came in from a 3 day weekend. There was flies everywhere and then I noticed maggots on the bench with some bits of meat/flesh. I'm saying to myself "Who used the saw?" "Who had the accident?" I look in the dust bin and about puked my guts out. There was more rotten meat there as well.

Then the General Manger walks into my shop and tells me that I need to clean my saw,,,,,,No Ship I say. He then precedes to tell me he used the saw to cut lamb chops! He then asked me not to say anything to the country club members. OMG, the stuff that has been on that bench and the stuff the saw was used on.

A few days later, the employees lunch was.........yep, you guessed it,,,,,Lamb chops!,,,,,,,,,My crew and I went off property to eat that day....

 

[jimr]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

sometimes you have to go beyond the tools limitations to get the job done. A few years ago before my boss got to be boss(and I got hired) they were rebuilding a hydraulic cylinder and from what I gather the gland nut wouldn't come loose and they chained the cylinder to a truck bed then welded the chain, put wrench on it (with cheater) still wouldn't move so they hooked a chain to the wrench and to a pick up....... well something big happened and the wrench went screaming past brets head and they ended up sending the cylinder out to get rebuilt. Now when we have a stubborn cylinder we mention it to the boss and he laughs and threatens us with getting written up.
I dropped a 3lb ballpien hammer off an 8' ladder onto my head. The Dr. asked me if I had any memory loss and I said yes... I forgot the hammer was on the ladder.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

I dropped a 3lb ballpien hammer off an 8' ladder onto my head. The Dr. asked me if I had any memory loss and I said yes... I forgot the hammer was on the ladder.

That is worthy of being on one of those goofy emails everybody sends around.

 

[WaterWitch2]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

I always seem to "forget" that I just welded that spot and then put my hand on "that spot".

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

Back in my teens I picked up a needle nose pair of pliers, back in my teens I dropped that pair of needle nose pliers right on my toe next to my big toe, broke through the nail stabbed my toe, ouch.
Using a bench grinder with a wire brush to shine some lug nuts up (for my Dad's car if I'm not mistaken). I was holding the lug nut with pliers and the brush wheel caught the lug nut slung it completely around the guard housing of the grinder and shot it out like a bullet on to my thumb nail that I later lost because of the incident.
I was helping my dad with something one time, anyhow I was standing to the side for a moment while he was using a hammer and a chisel (can't remember on what) but any how the chisel broke and a piece of it flew over and hit me in the hand, the metal piece finally worked it's way out, it was about the size of a BB, I still have the scar from it.
Back before I was born, my Grandfather (on my father's side) was taking his boys out to the woods to show them how to use a chainsaw, the one boy (god wrest his sole, he's with the lord above I never met him) took the chainsaw once through the wood the chainsaw dug into his leg.

 

[MikDee]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

Many yrs ago I was re-shingling my new, old, "handyman special" house with natural red cedar shingles, I took my time, and it was looking good, but the hundreds of 1 7/8" striated shingle nails were hard as spring steel, on many occassion the hammer would slip off the nail, and hit my thumb, especially if you hit a knot in the siding underneath that you couldn't see, well my thumb was pretty beaten up, & sensitive, during the process all along anyway, till that one time I gave it a good hard whack, I saw stars, and the pain was so bad, it drove me to my knees on the ground, finally I made it into the house, feeling dizzy, and nauseas along the way, I immediately put it under ice cold water, then on ice, just before I almost fainted, needless to say, and of course my ex-wife at the time was wondering whats the big fuss all about? she was so compassionate, Not!,,, I lost that thumbnail, and took an extended break from shingling for awhile.

 

[1730V]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

Several years ago I bought a close quarters 3/8s Milwaukee drill at home depot to make the job of drilling out some manifold bolts on a 318 as easy as possible without removing the head.It cost as I remember right around $160.00 give or take a few and when I got home I set it on the kitchen counter pending my next trip down cellar when I would take it down with me.
I HAVE NOT SEEN IT SINCE!!!!
My lady is an airhead,she will be the first to admit it and she has done some pretty silly things in the last 15 or so years we have been together here but noone will ever know where it went.Most likely in the garbage,she is good for that but I would have liked to have at least plugged it in to hear it run)
She took a small pair of dykes that I use doing electronics work off of my workbench and could not understand why they broke while she was trying to cut a coat hanger!!!Ron G

I have found the TV remote in the console of my car. I cannot blame her, it could have been me.

 

[i386]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

I've sacrificed a few cheap screwdrivers as chisels turning them into stubbies as mentioned above. I've broken taps, ez outs, and drill bits. I've stripped cheap ratchets by using a pipe for more leverage. I even sawed the power cord in two on my Skill saw once. I am generally good to my good tools and tend to only improvise with my cheap ones. I bought a nice sized set of Craftsman ratchets, sockets, extensions, and wrenches about 18 years ago. I still have every one of them and they still look as good as the day I got them. The cheapos are gifts or just stuff I picked up out of quick necessity here and there over the years.

A little off topic...

I lost my favorite tool. It was an antique channel-lock type pair of pliers. What made them special was the movable jaw was curved. All it took was a gentle squeeze and the cam action of the curved jaw would bite as torque was applied. You could literally stick out your index finger and put them on it and the small amount of torque from the weight of them handles would keep it gripped onto your finger. It would turn ANYTHING. It was my ace in the hole. When I had to get something loose when nothing else worked it always came through for me. I still look for one made like it in hardware stores, flea markets, yard sales, etc... I haven't found one yet.

 

[rob711]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

vise- grips....what can't they do...as a teen they worked as a shift lever on a dirt-bike...less then a week ago as i was winterizing my boat the misses comes out and tells me the shower was broke...the plastic knob had cracked so it would turn but not acually do any thing....hooray vise-grip...they were on there untill yesterday...who has not used a ratchet extension as a punch!!?

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

who has not used a ratchet extension as a punch!!?

Who has ever mushroomed the head of a ratchet extension, using it as a punch.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

I admit I've have used rachet extensions in the past as a punch. I have also cut the female end off of an extension and used it in a power drill. I made a brand new 11/16 cheap socket into a pullet using lock washers and my wire welder to, it came out alright but the wrest of the modification failed.

 

[muskyone]

Re: Tool Abuse Stories...

is this tool abuse or the wrong tool for the job http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071112/ap_on_fe_st/odd_shotgun_lug_nut_1