I've never been much of a tool snob...
Granted, I have a great admiration for a good tool, but just don't seem to see needing tools that are also works of art. As long as they are functional I'm happy. There is a lot to be said for tools that are affordable, functional, and long wearing... Funny thing many of the bespoke expensive tools you find these days are simply recreations of old lower-end tools and that might be something to ponder next time you start drooling over a $200 block plane which is a copy of a plane that cost a $1 when your grandfather bought one... Then again, if you really feel you need classic tools I have only two words for you...
Garage sale!
But, that's not what I wanted to talk about... I wanted to point out how a lot of boatfolk don't always have the right tool for the job. My Dad used to tell me that there were three types of tool users. Those who used the right tool for the job, those who did not, and those in the middle ground with as much sense as a bag of hammers. Much to my father's shame, I fall into the latter category.
I actually do know that there is always a right tool for a given job as well as a wrong tool (almost always a pair of vice-grips in my experience) but, being lazy and cheap, I often find myself in that middle ground trying to find a sorta/kinda substitute...
For instance, "So It Goes" has no shortage of split rings aboard and as a result, it's hardly surprising that I need to deal with split rings on a pretty regular basis. Of course, I know that there is a right tool for the job (split ring pliers) and I know there is a really, really bad tool, the dreaded vice grips, but for some silly reason continue to try and use all manner of tools that sorta/kinda work to avoid spending $5-15 on the right tool.
Screwdrivers sorta work but they also have a nasty habit of impaling the hand holding the split ring. Which (I speak from experience) is both painful and results in copious blood flow and stains of clothing, deck and suchlike. Thumbnails sorta/kinda work and do not result in copious blood flow but ripping out a nail is, trust me on this, rather more painful and best avoided.
I'm happy to say that split ring pliers now have a treasured spot in my tool box and they do deal with split rings finest kind as well as sorta/kinda working as a clamp when soldering PC boards...
Listening to Jean Luc Ponty
So it goes...
