Tool gloat & offer

[jhe.1973]

Hi Everyone,

Last month we had Thanksgiving dinner with some relatives of my daughter's finance. We had met them the Thanksgiving before and were catching up on what we've been up to this last year.

I mentioned the spindex modification I posted here and he said I think I have one of those. We went out to his shop & he pulled out the 6" super spacer shown below. Nope I said & tried to describe it a bit better.

He pulled out a dividing head & I told him it still wasn't quite what I was trying to explain.

Then he found a spindex & I said, "Yep, that's one".

He asked if I could use any of this stuff and I said I could, soooooooo he kept pulling out the rest of the things in the photo and a lot more.



He was telling me each time he found something else that I should take this or that, if I could use it, saying that he'll never get back to it again and he didn't want to throw it in the trash.

He used to have a shop that specialized in aircraft service/repair.

I actually refused at least this much because I either had duplicates or just didn't wish to take advantage of him.

He wouldn't let me give him any payment and just repeated that he didn't want this to go to the trash.

So let's hear the, "you suck(s)". I probably deserve them.

As I was typing this I had a thought.

If you guys can come up with some good suggestions as to how I can assure that anything he is willing to give away will go to some of you less fortunate, I'll run it by him in a month or so when I can get back to visit.

I just don't want to see his generosity abused & the things I didn't accept end up being sold.

[farrviewsouth]

First of all. YOU SUCK

Now, the generosity of people on this site is amazing. My tech center is trying to get a precision maching program off the ground. We have got 16 interested students and have assembled a collection of mills and uses lathes. However, we only have a hodgepodge of tooling and inspection equipment. Arizona is a long way to ship and he may not be interested but I would gladly pay shipping for anything he might want to send our way. It will not be sold and will help some aspiring machinest.

[boslab]

Well, suckyness aside he sounds like a nice guy anyway, certainly you have a lot in common, not a bad addition to the family!, its nice to hear of genuine kindness these days when everything seems motivated by Benjamins or gain, not sure what we over here would call pounds, queenies or rexies, suggestions please.
You do however suck, gently it seems lol
Happy new year from the land of the setting sun
Mark

[DR]

Personally, I would play it real slow about suggesting the stuff be given to "non-family".

I have given thou$and$ of tools to family by marriage. But, I would not do the same for unrelated individuals. In fact, would be offended if the suggestion was made.

[keth524]

Wow, I am so glad to see that there are still some of us around..... Really, everyone is motivated by money and no one has honor or heart anymore. I am 27 and trying to get my shop off the ground, just like a few tools... that's what I tell the wife anyway, surface grinder, dviding head.... etc... anyways I could definatly use a dividing head, I have a rotary table I bought cheap and fixed up but its not vertical/hortiznal. Anyways if the kind hearted gentlemen would like to see the dividing head go to a young motivated hobby machinist that is trying to make a living machining now, im in Anderson Indiana, and would love to pay him or trade or whatever needed be. maby even a pass it along kind of deal. I could give one of my extra tools to someone whom didn't have one... thanks fellas...

[PStechPaul]

I was unfamiliar with the term "spindex", and my spellchecker tried to change it to "spandex" LOL! Apparently it is/was a Micro$oft attempt to profit from social media:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-20004153-36.html

Or a machine shop in Malaysia:

http://www.spindex.com.sg/

But finally I found this which shows it in operation, and I see that its proper name is "spin indexer":

I found a few on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5C-Spin-Index-Fixture-w-Tailstock-new-/160678271455

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEWS-YUASA-5C-SPINDEX-SPIN-INDEX-GRINDING-MILLING-FIXTURE-JIG-MACHINIST-TOOL-/221344370070

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5C-PRECISION-SPIN-INDEX-FIXTURE-COLLET-FOR-MILLING-NEW-/350468227596

[EddyCurr]

As I was typing this I had a thought.

If you guys can come up with some good suggestions as to how
I can assure that anything he is willing to give away will go to
some of you less fortunate, I'll run it by him in a month or so
when I can get back to visit.

How do you think your acquaintance would feel about
these items becoming contributions to Keith Fenner's toolbox
give-away project that was recently mentioned here? Or
perhaps a home-grown HSM forum version of what Mr Fenner
has started, if Village Press, et al is willing to organize & facilitate
such an effort?

OT Keith Fenner's toolbox give-away

.

[JRouche]

Best wishes to ya’ll.

Sincerely,

Jim

Sounds like a great plan. Specially if it goes to a teaching org. JR

[jhe.1973]

Personally, I would play it real slow about suggesting the stuff be given to "non-family".

I have given thou$and$ of tools to family by marriage. But, I would not do the same for unrelated individuals. In fact, would be offended if the suggestion was made.

DR: Thank you for the additional perspective. I really do appreciate it and had never considered that he could be offended.

What I am going to say next is only for the purpose of explanation, not to convince any that I am right because I have gotten into trouble not realizing that others don't share my world view. I only know I am right for me.

I mentioned in another thread about my grandfather murdering his wife in front of their 3 year old daughter (my mother) and hinted to the unhappiness this created for us who came later.

I could never find the closeness in my family that others seemed to share until I realized that I was free to choose where I found 'family'. It was up to me to make my family as small or large as I chose.

It has been so long since I longed for my birth family to be close, that I now often forget that so many others feel that closeness with theirs.

That's why I am glad to once again be reminded that we all have different perspectives and I need to honor that.

Thanks again DR. I will approach the subject with care.

To you that have responded and those that might, be assured that I am not going to forget this offer and will be discussing it with this person. I just can't run out & talk w/him 'cuz he lives a few hours away. We do get to the general area at least once a month so it shouldn't be too long that I can get back with more info.

I also thought of another thing.

When a great tool & die friend of mine retired a few years ago he gave me a really good deal on the entire package of his tools. I now have a lot of duplicates and since I no longer do the eBay thing I have been wondering how to best pass some of it on.

What I don't want to have happen is that some lowlife seeks to make a profit from my friend's, or my actions.

I also wish to avoid what I went through with a regular at the PM forum. I offered a 6X18 surface grinder that needed some work for $50.00 just to see it not scrapped. I then delivered it 212 miles across the state, loaded into his truck & threw in a flange mount motor 'cuz he seemed so decent.

I never got a cent.

Paul: Good to hear from you! Here is a link to the spindex thread I mentioned - it became quite popular:

http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/threads/60225-Modified-Spindex

EddyCurr: Your suggestion is most welcome and I will look into it - I just found your post while I was typing this. Sounds like a GREAT idea!

[keth524]

Dang Jim, I hate to hear that someone would do anyone that way especially when you sold it to them for 50?>???? holy crapola! Ive been searching for one of those myself.... it really is refreshing that there are people like you left. thanks Jim!

[1-800miner]

What about that fellow that offered to do castings?
He was here a month or two ago and he was from type of trade school.
Michigan, I think.
He may use some of it.
Anyone remember that thread or who he is?

[jhe.1973]

HI Everyone,

I need to apologize to everyone that might have read this thread late last year.

Life REALLY got in the way since I started this thread and I have not been able to get back to see the generous friend that passed on the tools I displayed.

He lives a couple of hundred miles away so I may not seen him again 'till this Thanksgiving - assuming he still wants to see me.

I have not forgotten anyone here and I still hope to be able to contribute a few things, so please bear w/me as my life gets back to something that resembles sanity.

Thank you all for the support and great suggestions.

[flylo]

DR, You'd let it be thrown in the trash before letting non-family with a need have it? Unbelievable!
Jim, very kind of you both to save this from the dumpster & find a good deserving home for it. Good for you!

Personally, I would play it real slow about suggesting the stuff be given to "non-family".

I have given thou$and$ of tools to family by marriage. But, I would not do the same for unrelated individuals. In fact, would be offended if the suggestion was made.

[Alistair Hosie]

Sorry I dont think I will be giving anything to the tool needy.I worked bloody hard all my life to get what I have and don't intend to give it to anyone else not one person gave me a damned thing and I certainly wouldn't ask for tool handouts in my honest opinion asking for stuff is just short of having a damned nerve .I just have when I was younger to keen to help others and always got screwed so no thanks,I had my share of sponging bums in the past those who never say thanks even.Don't get me started my own family too where among the worst and would hint and hint for money which I always gave then one day I stopped they treated me like alepper since that day.I loaned plenty money and they were just proffesional spongers and I never got a penny back in my life from them,so F them all. Alistair

[mattthemuppet]

on the flip side, I've been a very grateful recipient of other peoples' generosity off of here, the hobby machinist forum and other places where I've been given tools or materials that are surplus to the donor's requirements but are things that I couldn't afford or had trouble justifying (like a DTI). This generosity has allowed me to do projects that I would otherwise have been unable to do for several years until we had enough wriggle room in the budget for me to justify it over and above all the other demands a family makes.

So I agree, one should make ones own way in the world and succeed based on ones own hard work. Doesn't hurt to have a helping hand once in a while though.