With this simple set of three tools, my wife takes on the whole universe of mechanical devices. The nutcracker serves as a general purpose set of channellocks. The other two tools can be knives, pry bars, screwdrivers, heck the imagination is the limit. It's a bit hard to notice the bent tip on the middle tool.
 

 

The pounding device (old shoe) is missing....

You can't stop 'em. They just gotta fix something.

If it ain't broke, they'll fix it 'til it is.

If there brains were any more powerful, they would kill us with it. So, they just weary us to death.

But, sometimes, they are a lot of fun to have around...

An Ex-GF of mine kept a claw hammer on the passenger side floorboard of her car.
When asked why, she told me she "fixes" things with it.
End of conversation. I did not want to get fixed.

Sigh.

There's a long story in my repertoire involving my wife, removing the handles of cabinet doors prior to painting and one of my good wood chisels, but I'm sure you can fill in the blanks.

This is my wife's tool box...it is around 30 years old...notice everything is there in it's place (except the roll of electrical tape)...NO ONE uses the tools in this box except her (or with her approval and inspection to insure EVERYTHING is back in place)...did I mention that everything is in it's place...after 30 years...

She is a pretty handy gal.

What? No impact wrench to reinstall switchplate and outlet covers after painting?

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

If it ain't broke, they'll fix it 'til it is.

quote:

Originally posted by Bisleyblackhawk:
This is my wife's tool box...it is around 30 years old

My wife has a nice Craftsman toolbox just outside the kitchen door, in the garage. It also is about 30 years old. I call them the sacrificial tools, and they are all quality items covering just about any need. I made the kit for her so she would leave my tools alone, which pretty much works. But she would still rather use the kitchen tools, because they are handier.
 

Hey, at least she's not using good knives for tools.....LOLOLOL....you should buy her one of those girly tool kits with the pink handles.

My wife's tools consists of - Knife, Needle nose pliars, and hammer.

Anything else requires calling me.

quote:

Originally posted by entropy:
What? No impact wrench to reinstall switchplate and outlet covers after painting?

Nope. They'll use your $300 forged, hollow-ground, German-made Santoku knife for that.

This is why we gave our daughter and her best friend basic starter tool sets for graduation. That way they have everything they'll probably need and can eventually replace pieces with higher quality stuff as they go.

quote:

Originally posted by brecaidra:
This is why we gave our daughter and her best friend basic starter tool sets for graduation. That way they have everything they'll probably need and can eventually replace pieces with higher quality stuff as they go.

Thanks for fighting the good fight. If only we could clone you and yours.

Early in our marriage I found that around my new wife a good many things become not what they use to be. Thinking that if I involved her in the repairs (used up her time) she would not be so eager to change things from their operational state.

But first I had to teach her the name and use for each tool. Almost 30 years later she has learned the names of tools and usually hands me the correct one on the first try.
And she continues to find new ways to render non-operational anything with 2 or more moving parts.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
Hey, at least she's not using good knives for tools.....LOLOLOL....

We don't buy good knives, except for the couple of Wusthof's I have hidden away.
 

I can relate to a lot of this. My wife's basic tool kit consists of a 3 pound river rock that she brought with her from Puerto Rico and a beat up steak knife. She could build a house or change out an engine in a car using only these "tools". I call the rock her "Swiss Army Rock" due to it's multipurpose nature. She also uses it for cooking......it permanently smells of garlic.

quote:

Originally posted by Bisleyblackhawk:
This is my wife's tool box...it is around 30 years old...notice everything is there in it's place (except the roll of electrical tape)...NO ONE uses the tools in this box except her (or with her approval and inspection to insure EVERYTHING is back in place)...did I mention that everything is in it's place...after 30 years...

Drives me nuts when people don't put away tools. Particularly small stuff like bits, that is why I am a fan of bit sets like you wife uses. You can instantly tell when something is missing and either needs to be found or replaced.

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
Hey, at least she's not using good knives for tools.....LOLOLOL....

We don't buy good knives, except for the couple of Wusthof's I have hidden away.
 

I have two sets of knives. A set of cheap, but quality ($30-50 knives). And a supplementary set of nice quality knives like Shuns, and Wusthof that stay in the the drawer with knife guards.

I don't mind people using the cheap set as they get destroyed they get replaced. But I make it cheaper the nicer knives are for my user only.

quote:

Originally posted by Browndrake:
I can relate to a lot of this. My wife's basic tool kit consists of a 3 pound river rock that she brought with her from Puerto Rico and a beat up steak knife. She could build a house or change out an engine in a car using only these "tools". I call the rock her "Swiss Army Rock" due to it's multipurpose nature. She also uses it for cooking......it permanently smells of garlic.

This one actually made a little scotch go through my nose!